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Coby White Back At Bulls’ Practice Facility

December 12th, 2021 at 1:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Reserve Bulls guard Coby White is heading back to the Advocate Center, Chicago’s practice facility, today, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter). White had tested positive for COVID-19 on December 1. This marks his first time back since first being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

The Bulls have been hit hard by COVID-19 thus far this season. A return for White would still leave the Bulls with eight players in the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, after news arrived earlier today that All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine and reserve swingman Troy Brown Jr. had both entered COVID-19 protocols.

LaVine, Brown, DeMar DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Matt Thomas and Stanley Johnson all remain in protocols as of this writing. As we mentioned earlier today, Green could also clear protocols and return to the court in time for the Bulls’ next game on Tuesday. Starting center Nikola Vucevic also missed significant time earlier this season after contracting COVID-19.

Teams need to be able to suit up at least eight players to avoid a game being postponed. Assuming White can play, that would bring the Bulls’ tally of available players to 10, including Alfonzo McKinnie, who along with the now-out Johnson was added as a hardship exception player after so many Bulls were placed in protocols.

The 17-10 Bulls have lost their last two contests, to the Cavaliers and Heat, thanks in no small part to the absences of most of their players. They hope to right the ship against the 4-21 Pistons on Tuesday.

White has had spotty availability this season. Prior to missing the past two weeks with his coronavirus diagnosis, he also sat for the Bulls’ first 13 contests this year while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Across nine games this year, the third-year combo guard is averaging just 6.1 PPG, 2.6 and 1.3 APG. These are modest numbers for White, but he is seeing significantly fewer touches than he had in his prior two NBA seasons due to a reduced role on a competitive roster. More worrying is his shooting line this season: a career-worst .349/.226/.571.

Zach LaVine, Troy Brown Jr. Join Seven Other Bulls In Protocols

December 12th, 2021 at 11:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls star Zach LaVine has been placed in the league’s health and safety protocols, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Troy Brown Jr. has entered the protocols as well, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports (Twitter link), giving the team nine players affected by COVID-19.

Chicago was down to 11 available players Saturday night after Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson were both put in the protocols earlier in the day. The Bulls will need eight eligible players for Tuesday’s game in Detroit, and Wojnarowski suggests that postponements may be considered if the team’s outbreak continues (Twitter link). COVID-19 upended the NBA schedule early in 2020/21, but no games have been moved so far this season.

The team has already signed Johnson and Alfonzo McKinnie under the hardship exception and can continue to add players if necessary, points out Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

Chicago has a lighter schedule this week that could help alleviate the roster crunch. After Tuesday’s game, the Bulls will travel to Toronto on Thursday and will get two days off before hosting the Lakers next Sunday. Coby White and Javonte Green both have the potential to return during the week if they clear the protocols, K.C. Johnson tweets.

Under league rules, if LaVine and Brown tested positive, they will miss a minimum of 10 days unless they submit two consecutive negative tests more than 24 hours apart.

Nikola Vucevic Upset Over Performance Since Returning From COVID

December 12th, 2021 at 10:45am CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has been struggling with his shot after missing two weeks with COVID-19 and he expressed his frustration after Saturday’s loss in Miami, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Vucevic was just 3-of-15 from the field and missed several opportunities close to the basket. ‘‘It’s tough when you want to play well and go out there and help the team win and don’t do your job,’’ he said. ‘‘I have a lot of pride in myself and put the work in, obviously. It’s not working for me right now, but that’s part of it. I’ve never been through a slump like this, and I just have to work myself out of it. I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do.’’

Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu, Stanley Johnson Enter Protocols

December 11th, 2021 at 4:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls‘ COVID-19 outbreak continues with Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson both being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.

They are the sixth and seventh Chicago players to enter the protocols, along with Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan, Matt Thomas and Derrick Jones Jr.

Johnson just joined the team on Thursday, signing a 10-day deal under the hardship exception. The Bulls added a second hardship player, Alfonzo McKinnie, on Friday. Dosunmu, a rookie guard, has started the last two games due to the depleted lineup.

The Bulls still have 11 active players, so there doesn’t appear to be any danger of tonight’s game in Miami being postponed. The NBA hasn’t called off any games so far this season after COVID-19 caused chaos with the schedule last year, particularly in the early part of the season.

Schaefer adds that Alex Caruso, who has missed the past three games with a strained right hamstring, has been listed as available for tonight.

Central Notes: Dosunmu, Jarrett Allen, Pistons

December 10th, 2021 at 3:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu has started the past two games for the shorthanded Bulls, and Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes that he’s earned that opportunity. A Chicago native, Dosunmu played well in his first start, notching 11 points, six rebounds, and eight assists in nearly 42 minutes during the team’s win over Denver on Monday.

Coach Billy Donovan is a big fan of the rookie and says he possesses an innate desire to improve his game.

“I really love coaching him because you can really, really talk to him in a way he wants the truth,” said Donovan. “He wants to get better, he wants to grow, he wants to hear what he has to do to improve. For me as a coach, when you see a young man with that much hunger and desire to want to be good… he wants to hear it all and I really respect that about him. There’s a lot on his plate and he did a great job not only starting (Monday) but playing the number of minutes he did.”

Smith relays that Dosunmu, who went to the University of Illinois, located in Champaign, asked to be announced as “From Chicago” in his first home start, like former Bulls MVP Derrick Rose.

“I like to be proud to say I’m from Chicago because I know the ups and downs of the city,” said Dosunmu. “I’ve been here my whole life. I’ve seen so many things, so much tragedy. For me to be in this position, doing what I love at the highest level, anytime I get an opportunity to show love to where I came from, I always love to do that. I’m from Chicago. Chicago, Illinois. I love Champaign, but I’m from Chicago.”

Here’s more from the Central:

Bryan Fonseca of BasketballNews.com makes the case for Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen to earn his first All-Star nod this season. Fonseca notes that Allen has posted career-high numbers in several categories for the 14-12 Cavs, including a ridiculously efficient 71.7% true shooting percentage, which ranks third in the league.
Speaking of the Cavaliers center, Joe Vardon of The Athletic tweets that Allen will be strongly considered for the next Team USA squad under new head coach Steve Kerr. The World Cup takes place in 2023, with the Olympics in 2024.
With a record of 4-20, the Pistons rank dead last in the NBA. However, Rod Beard of The Detroit News believes that coach Dwane Casey‘s job should be safe. He notes that the Pistons have struggled to make open shots all year, which is a player problem, not a coaching issue. The team believes in Casey’s ability to work with and develop young players, Beard adds.
The results might not be showing it yet, but James L. Edwards III of The Athletic says the Pistons are in a much healthier place this season compared to the last few. He points to several young players on rookie contracts, another potential top pick this summer, and cap flexibility moving forward as reasons why the outlook is brighter in Detroit than it might appear on the surface.

Bulls Sign Alfonzo McKinnie With Hardship Exception

December 10th, 2021 at 11:35am CST by Arthur Hill

11:35am: McKinnie has signed a 10-day contract, the Bulls announced (via Twitter).

8:34am: The Bulls will use a hardship exception to add veteran swingman Alfonzo McKinnie, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

McKinnie, 29, played for the Lakers last season, but was waived in August with two non-guaranteed years left on his contract. He got into 39 games for L.A. and averaged 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per night.

He is currently in the G League, where he’s playing for the Mexico City Capitanes and scoring 24.1 PPG while shooting 43.3% from three-point range.

After going undrafted out of Green Bay in 2015, McKinnie played overseas and in the G League before signing with the Raptors in 2017. He also spent a season with the Warriors and one with the Cavaliers.

The Bulls are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has sapped their roster. They added Stanley Johnson under the hardship exemption earlier this week, but have since had a fifth player, Derrick Jones Jr. enter the league’s health and safety protocols.

Derrick Jones Jr. Fifth Bulls Player To Enter Protocols

December 9th, 2021 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Derrick Jones Jr. has become the fifth Bulls player to enter the league’s health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

If it wasn’t evident already, the Bulls have an outbreak on their hands. Jones joins Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan, and Matt Thomas in the protocols.

It hasn’t been officially confirmed, but based on this tweet from Wojnarowski, it sounds like Jones tested positive for COVID-19 as well. If so, he will be out for at least 10 days or until he returns two consecutive negative PCR tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.

If Jones did test positive, the Bulls would be eligible to sign another player via a hardship exception, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter). The Bulls already used the exception to sign Stanley Johnson in a move that became official today.

The high-flying Jones was the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest winner. Through 22 games this season (18.6 MPG), he’s averaging 7.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.0 BPG.

Bulls Sign Stanley Johnson Via Hardship Exception

December 9th, 2021 at 12:02pm CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 9: The Bulls have officially signed Johnson to a 10-day contract using the hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 8: The Bulls are signing forward Stanley Johnson by using a hardship exception, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Johnson was playing in the G League for the South Bay Lakers, but was with the Bulls during training camp.

The Bulls evidently applied for and were granted the hardship exception after Matt Thomas became the fourth member of the team to enter the league’s health and safety protocols.

Johnson, 25, was the No. 8 pick in the 2015 draft by the Pistons. He spent his first three-plus seasons in the league with Detroit before being traded to the Pelicans in 2018/19. Johnson played for the Raptors the past two seasons and was a regular rotation player last season, averaging 4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 61 contests for the club (16.5 MPG).

Johnson is a strong, physical athlete and a solid defender, but shooting has limited his effectiveness in the NBA. In 331 career games (19.7 MPG), he holds averages of 6.2 PPG 3.1 RPG, and 1.4 APG on .375/.298/.761 shooting.

In six games with South Bay this season (30.5 MPG), Johnson put up 15.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 2.2 SPG with a .405/.286/.750 shooting line.

Matt Thomas Latest Bulls Player In Protocols

December 8th, 2021 at 11:02am CST by Rory Maher

Guard Matt Thomas is the latest Bulls player to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). In a follow-up tweet, Schaefer notes that Thomas was in Cleveland for the matchup Wednesday against the Cavs, but will travel back to Chicago.

Thomas is expected to miss several games, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), so he likely tested positive for COVID-19, although that has not been confirmed yet. If he did test positive, Thomas will be out for at least 10 days or until he returns two consecutive negative tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.

Thomas is now the fourth Bulls player in the protocols, joining Coby White, Javonte Green and DeMar DeRozan. With those four sidelined, Patrick Williams out four-to-six months, and Alex Caruso out at least a week with a hamstring strain, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets that the Bulls could apply for a hardship exception in order to sign a player.

Thomas is playing on a non-guaranteed contract with the Bulls. He played 19 minutes in the team’s win over Denver on Monday, but had seen only 30 minutes of action across seven games prior to that contest. The 27-year-old holds career averages of 3.8 PPG and 1.2 RPG (8.7 MPG) across 94 games for the Raptors, Jazz, and Bulls, with a .432/.404/.808 shooting line.

The Bulls will have just 11 active players Wednesday night. Rookie Ayo Dosunmu played a team-high 41 minutes against Denver and should continue to see a heavy workload. Troy Brown also figures to see an uptick in playing time with the backcourt depth so thin at the moment.

Alex Caruso To Be Reevaluated Next Week

December 7th, 2021 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls expect to be without key reserve Alex Caruso until at least early next week, head coach Billy Donovan stated on Monday evening. Donovan told reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Caruso, who is dealing with a right hamstring strain, would be reevaluated in about a week.

According to Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.com (Twitter link), Donovan said that Caruso’s hamstring injury isn’t considered significant, but the team wants to play it safe in order to ensure the veteran guard doesn’t make the minor ailment any worse.

Caruso’s offensive numbers during his first year in Chicago – 8.5 PPG and 4.1 APG on .442/.333/.857 – have been relatively modest through 23 games. However, the 27-year-old has been a major part of the Bulls’ top-five defense. He leads the league with 2.2 steals per game despite averaging a relatively modest 28.6 MPG.

The Bulls’ net rating is nine points better when Caruso plays (+8.9) than when he sits (-0.1).

With Caruso on the shelf and Coby White and Javonte Green in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Bulls figure to lean heavily on Lonzo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu in the backcourt. Shooting guard Matt Thomas also logged a season-high 19 minutes in Monday’s win over Denver.