- After being limited to 44 games due to injuries in his rookie season, Bulls big man Wendell Carter hasn’t been able to stay healthy in camp this fall either, having been slowed by ankle and tailbone ailments. Joe Cowley of The Chicago-Sun Times notes that those injuries are slowing Carter’s development, while Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago suggests that injuries to Carter and Luke Kornet are making it difficult for the club to evaluate its frontcourt during the preseason.
Lottery pick Coby White has looked good in the first week of the Bulls‘ training camp, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Coach Jim Boylen said White can play either guard spot and appears to already have him penciled into the rotation. “We’ve added ballers to this team,’’ Boylen said. “Coby White, whether he’s a one, he’s a two, he’s a baller. … That’s what this roster is. We’ve got to do a good job using those guys and give them space and freedom to use what they have.’’
The Bulls are hoping an intense competition for playing time at point guard will be beneficial once the season begins, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. New addition Tomas Satoransky came into camp ready to challenge Kris Dunn for the starter’s job, but first-round pick Coby White will also be in the mix for minutes, along with Ryan Arcidiacono and Shaquille Harrison.
“The guard play has been fun to watch and competitive,” coach Jim Boylen said. “Respectful, but very competitive. I think it has really added to the spirit of our team, of making each other better, or growing as a group, building a team. It’s been great for us.”
“I think going against each other is just going to make us better,” Dunn added. “Everybody on the team is talented. The point guard position is talented. I think it’s just overall going to make us better.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Amid a variety of training camp injuries, Chandler Hutchison‘s strained hamstring continues to be the greatest concern, Cowley adds in the same piece. Boylen said earlier this week that Hutchison may not be ready for opening night. Before he can be activated, Hutchison has to pass the team’s fitness test and then prove he can compete in practice. “A hamstring is a difficult injury,” Boylen said. “It’s a trust thing. You’ve got to trust that you can get back into your stance. You’ve got to trust you can extend. And I don’t think he’s there yet. It’s going to be a while.”
- The Bulls have been importing veterans since the trade deadline in February, Cowley observes in a separate story. Free agent addition Thaddeus Young has been sharing his experience with younger players and stressing the importance of preparation. “A lot of people always say that once you get in between these lines it starts, but it doesn’t start in between the lines,’’ he said. “It starts in the locker room … building that camaraderie, building that brotherhood with one another and then it translates out to the court.”
- Denzel Valentine is eager for a new season after missing all of 2018/19 after ankle surgery, relays Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Valentine was a part-time starter two years ago and wants to make a strong impression heading into restricted free agency next summer.
OCTOBER 4: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
SEPTEMBER 25: The Bulls have reached an agreement with undrafted free agent forward Simisola Shittu, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), who reports that Shittu is signing a training camp deal with the club.
A McDonald’s All-American and one of the highest-rated prospects in the 2018 recruiting class, Shittu spent his lone college season at Vanderbilt in 2018/19 before declaring for the draft as an early entrant. The 6’10” Canadian had an up-and-down freshman season, averaging 10.9 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 32 games (26.7 MPG) for the Commodores.
Shittu joined the Grizzlies for Las Vegas Summer League play, but only saw six minutes of action in a single game for Memphis. Now it appears he’ll get a chance to attend training camp with Chicago, though he’s more likely to ultimately end up in the G League playing for the Windy City Bulls.
Once they officially sign Shittu and completed their reported agreement with Milton Doyle, the Bulls will have a full 20-man roster.
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, last season’s MVP and one of the best basketball players in the world, still needs to improve his shooting ability after making an abysmal 30.2% of his jump shots last season. And as Eric Woodyard of ESPN writes, The Greek Freak is looking at new teammate Kyle Korver for some guidance.
“It’s really important [that] I always try to talk to him a little bit,” Antetokounmpo said of Korver. “And he’s a great guy. He’s not trying to get in your head or overstep and talk too much to you. Whenever he gives me tips, I always try to listen … one of the best shooters to ever play the game.”
Head coach Mike Budenholzer, who coached Korver in Atlanta, also thinks that Korver is going to be a huge addition to the Bucks’ roster.
“His professionalism, his work ethic and attention to detail is just gonna help all of us, including me as a coach. I always say that about Kyle: He makes me a better coach. Adding him to our group was a huge add this summer.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press advocates for Pistons guard Luke Kennard to be moved to a bench role this season. Head coach Dwane Casey seems to agree: “(Kennard) doesn’t fit well with the first unit, but he is one of our most talented players and so the job we have as a coaching staff is to fit him where he’s going to go.”
- Coming off an injury-riddled 2018/19 season that saw him traded from Milwaukee to the Cavaliers, big man John Henson is ready to add an element of rim protection to help the Cavs’ defense improve this season. He’s also ready for whatever role the team has in store for him, admitting that he doesn’t yet know exactly where he fits in the rotation, writes Chris Fedor of cleveland.com. Henson is entering the final year of his contract.
- Bulls head coach Jim Boylen says forward Chandler Hutchison will not return in the next two weeks and that opening night is in jeopardy, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Hutchison is still recovering from a hamstring strain he suffered in September.
While Tomas Satoransky was ostensibly brought in this offseason to be the Bulls‘ starting point guard, his versatility presents some options for the franchise, according to Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago. As Strotman notes, Satoransky can play off the ball too, allowing the team to use him alongside its other point guards in some lineups.
Meanwhile, after being on the trade block for months, returning point guard Kris Dunn welcomes the opportunity to work with Satoransky and Coby White this fall rather than viewing the newest members of the Bulls’ backcourt as a threat, as K.C. Johnson writes for NBC Sports Chicago.
“Coby is young. I understand it’s going to take him time. He’s got room to grow. But he’s a talented player,” Dunn said. “Satoransky is a great player. He’s going to be a good piece to this team. He has more experience than me. He’s been in playoff games. He’s been a good teammate to me. Learn from those guys too. They might see something I don’t see on the court. It’s healthy.”
Here’s more from out of Chicago:
- Denzel Valentine didn’t play a single game last season for the Bulls due to a left ankle injury, but he said this week that he’s “100% healthy” and just needs to work his way back into game shape, per Johnson. “Sitting out, I think I’m more mentally tough,” Valentine said. “I gained a lot of experience watching. I feel I’m a more mature and confident player now. I’m excited.”
- Although the injuries don’t appear serious, Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a sprained left ankle and Daniel Gafford hyperextended his right elbow on the first day of camp, according to Johnson. The Bulls have had some bad injury luck in recent years, so that’s an ominous start to the fall for the club.
- Count Otto Porter among those impressed by what he’s seen from the Bulls so far this fall, as Strotman outlines for NBC Sports Chicago. “A lot has changed. I think the mentality of this organization changed. Since I’ve come here, just what we want to do here has changed,” Porter said. “With that being said, I think everybody’s on the right page, I think with all the talent that we have, we’ve come early to put in that extra work to get to know everybody, every piece in here, even in the front office, because we want to do something special here.”
Veteran forward Thaddeus Young played in the postseason in each of his last three seasons in Indiana, and has appeared in the playoffs in eight of his 12 NBA seasons in total. However, as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, he opted to sign with the Bulls, who were coming off a 22-win season.
Speaking today to reporters, including Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link), Young said he received interest from potential championships contenders in free agency, but liked the idea of becoming a veteran leader in Chicago. According to Young, he intends to bring energy and veteran leadership to the club and to be the sort of player who can speak up in the locker room and hold everyone accountable (Twitter link via Strotman).
While joining the Bulls may have appealed to Young for the reasons he mentioned, it’s probably also safe to assume that most of those title contenders who expressed interest in him this summer weren’t able to match the $13MM+ annual salary he received from Chicago.
Here’s more from the Bulls on Media Day:
- Head coach Jim Boylen said the point guard situation in Chicago will “work its way out” in terms of minutes and that the Bulls’ players have embraced the competition, tweets Strotman. Tomas Satoransky, Coby White, Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Shaquille Harrison are all expected to be in the point guard mix.
- The Bulls’ goal in 2019/20 is to make the playoffs, Boylen declared today (Twitter link via Strotman). The club finished 19 games back of the No. 8 seed last season.
- Chandler Hutchison, who suffered a hamstring strain earlier this month, is “going to be out for a little bit,” per head of basketball operations John Paxson (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune). Paxson also noted that Luke Kornet has turf toe and will miss a few days.
- Wendell Carter Jr., on the other hand, said today that he feels 100% – and better than he has for the last five or six years – after undergoing core muscle surgery during the offseason, tweets Strotman.
SEPTEMBER 30: The Bulls have officially signed Doyle, the team announced today. The club’s training camp roster features 19 players – Simisola Shittu, who reportedly agreed to sign with Chicago, isn’t on the list at this point.
SEPTEMBER 23: The Bulls have reached a deal with former Nets guard Milton Doyle, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a partially guaranteed contract. It’s not clear if Doyle’s partial guarantee will exceed the $50K figure that Exhibit 10 recipients and two-way candidates generally receive.
A Chicago native, Doyle went undrafted out of Loyola in 2017 and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with Brooklyn, appearing in 10 NBA regular season contests for the team. The majority of his minutes came in the G League, as he averaged 20.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 45 games with the Long Island Nets.
After his two-way deal with the Nets expired, Doyle signed with Spanish team Murcia for the 2018/19 season. Now, the 25-year-old is back stateside and seeking an NBA roster spot.
While the Bulls are carrying only 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Shaquille Harrison is the odds-on favorite to claim the 15th and final spot on the club’s regular season roster, given his $175K partial guarantee.
Chicago has an open two-way slot, so if Doyle doesn’t make the 15-man squad, he may be a candidate for that opening. He could also simply end up joining the Windy City Bulls as an affiliate player — Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate, acquired his returning rights from Long Island in a trade today.
The Bulls are preparing for Lauri Markkanen to make a major splash in his third season with the franchise, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports writes.
Markkanen missed part of last season due to a right elbow injury, but the 22-year-old still showed promise by averaging 18.7 points, nine rebounds and 32.3 minutes in 52 contests.
“I think (management) did a really good job drafting and getting high character free agents,” Markkanen said about his team’s success in free agency. “Everybody is coming along really well in our workouts. I’ve played against Thad. He’s a really good player. He’s very physical. And what he really does is lead vocally. I’ve really enjoyed talking to him and working out with him.”
The Bulls added to an already-strong young core of Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter Jr. in free agency, acquiring the likes of Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young on multi-year deals.
The goal for Chicago now, Markkanen explains, is using its new roster additions to make a long-awaited push for the playoffs next spring.
“That’s our goal,” Markkanen said. “Personally for me, just missing the playoffs and having such long offseasons, that’s a bummer. I would love to be in the playoffs. We’re just focused on improving every day.”
There’s more from the Central Division tonight:
- Free agent guard Jordan Crawford has been working out with the Pistons ahead of training camp, according to Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops (Twitter link). Crawford has made past NBA stops with Golden State, Boston, Washington and Atlanta.
- Bulls coach Jim Boylen has a chance to exercise his well-documented hard-nosed culture with the team at training camp, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Boylen took over head coaching duties when Fred Hoiberg was dismissed last December, with the second-year head coach having his first opportunity at running the franchise’s camp before the season.
- In a different story for The Chicago Sun-Times, Cowley examines five potential Bulls storylines this upcoming season. The Bulls did a number of things to improve their team this offseason, including signing veterans, improving the bench, and successfully dealing with injuries.
- The best-case scenario for Bulls guard Zach LaVine? He’s got All-Star potential, and should be an All-Star this season, writes Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago. But, on the flip side, if he isn’t able to mesh better with Lauri Markkanen and improve on the defensive side of the ball, it may be another long season in Chicago.