- Wendell Carter Jr. plans to talk to Bulls officials about a position change at his postseason exit interview, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago has been using Carter at center, but he played power forward in high school and college and believes he can be more effective in that role in the NBA.
Wendell Carter Jr. was back on the court today for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain on January 6, but he knows there’s a lot of work ahead to get back to normal. Playing under a minutes restriction, Carter posted six points and nine rebounds in a loss to the Knicks, then talked to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times about the adjustment of getting back into game shape.
“I got winded pretty quickly,’’ he said. “I tried to train and get prepared, but there’s nothing like playing out in a game. (The ankle) felt OK. Certain movements make you feel a little funny, but that comes with a sprained ankle. They say you just gotta work through it.’’
Carter’s return was a welcome sight for the Bulls, who probably lost center Luke Kornet for the rest of the season earlier this week. Coach Jim Boylen plans to ease Carter back into the lineup with about 20 minutes per game.
“I thought he had some moments where he looked like Wendell, and I thought he had some moments where he looked like he was in preseason still,’’ Boylen said. “That’s part of it. That’s why he’s on a minutes restriction. We’ll take it for the first night, and we’ll move forward.’’
There’s more from Chicago:
- Also returning today was Denzel Valentine, who hasn’t played since Feb. 2 because of a hamstring injury, Cowley writes in a separate story. A lottery pick in 2016, Valentine has had to fight for playing time this year and knows his time with the Bulls may be nearing an end. “It’s huge,’’ he said of his approach for the rest of the season. “Just to prove to myself and everybody else that I belong for good.’’
- Despite an alarming rate of injuries, Boylen is quick to defend the team’s training practices and medical staff, relays Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Kris Dunn appears to be out for the season along with Kornet, while no dates have been set for the return of Lauri Markkanen, Chandler Hutchison or Otto Porter. “We’ve had trauma. Trauma’s different,” Boylen said. “A broken finger, a broken foot, two knees. You know, things that happen from contact, collision. Those are things I think are very difficult to control.”
- After the Bulls dropped to 20 games under .500 with today’s loss, Zach LaVine spoke with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago about the challenges of staying focused for the season’s final 22 games. “You have other stuff creep into your mind. You’re looking at the finish line instead of looking at the next day. You have to fight that,” LaVine said. “… I had basketball taken away from me with my ACL injury for a while, and it gave me a new perspective on it. Since that, I try to play in any game that I can.”
- Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. is hopeful he can return to action as early as Saturday, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. He hasn’t played since January 6 due to an ankle injury. “It’s going to be a little bit weak but continuing to play, continuing to put more stress on it is going to make it stronger,” said Carter, who will be on a minutes restriction when he returns.
- Jim Boylen’s chances of remaining head coach of the Bulls beyond this season rest upon whom the front office hires, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports explains. The Bulls plan to restructure the front office and there will be at least one new prominent hire in basketball operations, Johnson continues. While it’s unknown whether the newcomer would determine Boylen’s future, the ability to make that decision would likely be a priority for most attractive candidates, Johnson adds.
Bulls center Luke Kornet may have played his last game of the season, according to a press release from the team, which indicates that the big man will miss approximately six-to-eight weeks due to foot and ankle injuries.
Kornet, who sustained the injuries in a practice last Friday, has been diagnosed with a severe left ankle sprain and a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot, per the Bulls.
Even if Kornet is able to make a quick recovery and return to action at the six-week mark, that would leave just three games on the Bulls’ schedule. The more likely scenario is that he’s done for the season. His two-year contract with Chicago includes a guaranteed second year, so barring an offseason trade, he figures to be back in the mix for the team in 2020/21.
Kornet has been limited to 36 games in his first season as a Bull. He has averaged 6.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in a part-time role (15.5 MPG). A 36.0% career three-point shooter prior to 2019/20, Kornet has made just 31-of-108 attempts (28.7%) since arriving in Chicago.
In addition to Kornet, Wendell Carter Jr. remains on the shelf for the Bulls. Daniel Gafford and Cristiano Felicio are expected to continue handling the majority of the minutes at center until Carter is ready to return.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bulls assigned Wendell Carter Jr., Daniel Gafford and Denzel Valentine to their Windy City affiliate, according to the G League transactions log.
- The Pelicans assigned rookie point guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to their Erie affiliate, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic.
- The Pacers recalled forward Alize Johnson from Fort Wayne (Twitter link). He has appeared in 12 games in his second NBA season.
- The Spurs recalled Keldon Johnson from Austin, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The rookie small forward posted a 31-point game Tuesday night.
The Eastern Conference playoff picture hasn’t been entirely set yet, but at this point, it seems unlikely that a team outside of the top eight will crash the party. The 25-32 Magic, who currently hold the No. 8 seed, are far from untouchable, but they still hold a 4.5-game lead on any of the conference’s also-rans.
That means the Wizards, Bulls, Hornets, Pistons, Knicks, Hawks, and Cavaliers will likely finish the year in the lottery. Our Community Shootaround discussion today centers on which of these clubs is best positioned going forward.
Of those teams, only the Pistons weren’t also in the lottery a year ago. But much has changed since then. Longtime cornerstones Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond are gone, and Detroit only has a 2023 second-round pick to show for it. Blake Griffin, who had one of the best years of his career in 2018/19, has barely played this season due to health issues. The Pistons are headed for a full-fledged rebuild, and while there are some promising young players in the mix, including Luke Kennard, Sekou Doumbouya, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, it will likely be a long process.
The Wizards, like the Pistons, still have an injured veteran star (John Wall) occupying a major chunk of their cap. Unlike Detroit though, Washington is potentially in position to get back into the playoff mix when that star returns next season. Bradley Beal has taken his game to another level in recent years, and the Wizards have unearthed some productive role players like Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner to go along with prospects such as Rui Hachimura and Troy Brown. The team also wants to re-sign Davis Bertans this summer.
The Bulls and Hawks entered the season as popular sleeper picks to challenge for the postseason in the East. That hasn’t happened though. While Zach LaVine has looked better than ever in Chicago, the Bulls haven’t gotten the production they expected out of recent lottery picks like Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., who has once again dealt with injuries.
Atlanta, meanwhile, saw its season derailed early by John Collins‘ 25-game PED suspension. Trae Young has become one of the league’s best offensive players, but the young supporting cast still isn’t ready to contend. Both the Bulls and Hawks have some cap flexibility going forward, but they’ll need more from their young building blocks in order to take a real step forward.
The Knicks and Hornets have been plagued by cap mismanagement in recent years and have lacked a true superstar. Both teams should have some flexibility this summer and beyond, and young players like Devonte’ Graham, PJ Washington, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson have promise. But it would definitely be premature to pencil in any of those players as perennial All-Stars — the management groups in New York and Charlotte will need to keep looking for potential high-end talent.
As for the Cavaliers, you could make the case that their 2019/20 season has been the worst of any of these teams. Newly-hired head coach John Beilein lasted just 54 games, veteran players like Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson have been disgruntled, and neither Collin Sexton nor Darius Garland looks like a lock for stardom. Kevin Porter Jr. has exceeded expectations and the Cavs will have some contracts coming off the books this offseason, but Love’s massive deal and the decision to acquire Drummond complicates their cap outlook going forward.
What do you think? Which combination of core players, front office personnel, and future cap flexibility would give you the most confidence if you had to pick one of these seven Eastern Conference teams? Which one do you think has the brightest outlook beyond this season?
Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!
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Frustration among Bulls players is being caused not only by eight straight losses, but by coach Jim Boylen’s unusual timeout strategy, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Boylen called a timeout last night with 30 seconds to play and his team trailing by 10 points. Television cameras seemed to capture Zach LaVine expressing bewilderment over the decision.
“He hasn’t said a word to me about it agitating him,” Boylen said of LaVine. “I don’t know if you’re reading his mind on that or if you’re just making that assumption that that’s what he’s upset about. He hasn’t said a word to me about it. He’s very respectful about me coaching the team and me trying to help the team. So you’ll have to ask him.”
Asked about Boylen’s strategy, LaVine responded, “That’s what he do, man. That’s what he do. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not the coach. He’s told me he likes working on things that we do in practice and things like that. He’s the head coach. He can call timeout if he wants to.”
Mayberry documents four other instances this month where Boylen has used timeouts in the closing seconds with his team hopelessly behind. He notes that players have been reluctant to buy into Boylen’s coaching methods, and his 36-79 record since taking over hasn’t helped. However, he retains the support of management and was given a two-year extension after last season.
There’s more from Chicago:
- Ryan Arcidiacono has made his first two starts of the season in the two games since the All-Star break, and he’s likely to continue in that role as long as Chandler Hutchison remains injured, Boylen tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “(Arcidiacono starting) keeps Coby (White) in that backup role, where he’s finding his voice and he’s learning to play that (lead guard) position,” Boylen said. “And I think that’s important too. Coby has more of a voice with that second group, and we’re asking him to run that group as efficiently as he can and learn.”
- Hutchison got a cortisone shot in his injured right shoulder for the second time this season and expressed hope that he will be able to return, although he didn’t offer a target date, Johnson relays in a separate story. Hutchison also indicated offseason surgery may be necessary. “It’s something as a last resort kind of deal. With what’s going on with my shoulder, it could be used to clean it out. Or it could be something that heals on its own,” he said. “Right now, I’m hoping that with rest it’s something I can get to a point where it heals on its own. And then those talks will kind of advance if it gets to that point.”
- Daniel Gafford tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that he hopes to use the final six weeks of the season to prove he’s worthy of a larger role in the rotation.
After Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times and K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported during All-Star weekend that the Bulls were laying the groundwork to hire a new general manager and re-assign Gar Forman to a scouting role, both reporters have offered updates on Chicago’s forthcoming front office changes.
A source tells Cowley that the Bulls are still determining how the power structure in the new-look front office will work, noting that multiple executives could be hired, rather than just a GM to replace Forman. Cowley’s source also says that VP of basketball operations John Paxson will still have a “valuable seat at the table” in the restructured front office, even if it appears as if he’s transitioning to a background role.
While it remains to be seen how the Bulls’ management group will be structured once new hires are made, Cowley’s report indicates that Paxson and COO Michael Reinsdorf are still “running the show.” The Reinsdorfs – including owner Jerry Reinsdorf – have “100 percent faith” in Paxson to lead the organization, Cowley writes.
If a new general manager has to report to Paxson, it may be more challenging for the Bulls to recruit a top-tier candidate. However, K.C. Johnson hears from multiple league sources that Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan is one candidate who appears to be gaining momentum.
Buchanan, who previously held front office roles in Charlotte and Portland, was named Indiana’s GM in 2017 when the team promoted Kevin Pritchard to president of basketball operations. According to Johnson, Buchanan is “widely known for his embrace of analytics.” He and Pritchard have done a good job retooling the Pacers’ roster over the last three years, starting with the Paul George trade that netted the team a pair of All-Stars (Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis) despite being widely panned at the time.
Because he’s already a level below the head of basketball operations in Indiana, Buchanan may be open to a position working under – or alongside – Paxson in Chicago. Still, Johnson’s report doesn’t suggest that the Bulls have asked for or received permission to interview the Pacers’ executive yet.
FEBRUARY 19: The Bulls have issued a formal update on Dunn, announcing that he’ll continue his current rehab program for four-to-six weeks before “progressing to functional training.”
There are only eight weeks left in the regular season, so this update from the club certainly doesn’t contradict Johnson’s report (detailed below) that Dunn may not return this season.
FEBRUARY 17: The Bulls announced on February 4 that Kris Dunn‘s right MCL sprain would be re-evaluated in two weeks, which means an update from the team should be right around the corner. According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, there’s concern that the next update on Dunn won’t be a positive one.
Sources tell Johnson there’s a “growing belief” that Dunn is at risk of missing the rest of the 2019/20 season. As Johnson notes, a similar injury sidelined the fourth-year guard for 23 games last season. Dunn has missed four games so far and Chicago has just 27 contests remaining on its regular season schedule.
If Dunn can’t make it back to the court this spring, it would be a disappointing end to the season for the former fifth overall pick, who will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Dunn’s scoring and passing numbers (7.3 PPG, 3.4 APG) have dipped in 2019/20, but he has emerged as the Bulls’ go-to perimeter defender. His rate of 2.9 steals per 36 minutes leads the NBA.
Dunn is also just six starts away from meeting the starter criteria, which we explained in detail earlier today. If he doesn’t make six more starts, the 25-year-old will be eligible for a qualifying offer worth $4,642,800 instead of $7,091,457.
We’ll have to wait for official word from the Bulls on Dunn’s status, but at the very least, it doesn’t sound like his return is at all imminent.