- Nikola Vucevic‘s three-point percentage has dipped noticeably in the first season of a three-year contract — his 28.6% mark is his worst since he started regularly attempting outside shots seven years ago. However, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan praised the veteran center for his play this season and indicated he doesn’t believe the 33-year-old’s skills are diminishing. “He’s a consummate professional, he’s incredibly reliable, he’s durable, he’s available, which is the most important thing,” Donovan said. “I know he’s a much, much better shooter than he has shown this year. I really believe that.”
- Despite losing to Atlanta on Monday, the Bulls clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Even if they don’t win another game, the Bulls can’t finish worse than 36-46, while the 11th-place Nets can’t do better than 35-47.
Coby White has emerged as a top candidate for Most Improved Player honors this season. As he tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bulls‘ point guard feels he is just one among many legitimate contenders for the accolade.
Through 71 games this season, White is averaging a career-best 19.3 PPG on .444/.381/.839 shooting, along with a career-best 5.3 APG and 4.7 RPG.
“There are a lot of guys playing well this year,” White said. “It would mean a lot if I would get that award—just to show the work. And I always say, it would set a standard for other young guys in the league who maybe wasn’t looked at as a power right away. Like, ‘Aw, he was the seventh pick’ and not written off so much but looked at as, ‘He can’t make that leap.’ A lot of people say the leap comes from your second to third year. Mine came from my fourth to fifth year. There’s always still time. I’m only 24. Just continue to trust that work.”
Their conversation is well worth reading in full. Here are some other highlights.
On why he considers his improvement this season more meaningful than his performance in his second pro season (when he averaged 15.1 PPG and 4.8 APG):
“My second season was cool, bro. But we weren’t as competitive as we are now. I think that’s what makes a huge difference. We’re playing for something now. My second season, it was cool. I averaged whatever. But I just feel like this year . . . my second year I was just out there playing. Like, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. I was just out there hooping. This year, I know what’s going on. I know more of what I’m doing. Obviously, I still have to get better. But I feel I’ve grown as a player and person so much since that second season that this feels different.”
On how he’s evolving as a leader:
“I’m comfortable. I was talking to AC (Alex Caruso) last game. I was telling him: I found my voice last year. OK, cool. The challenge this year is with the importance I have on the team, with the role that I have, with the amount of minutes I play, how can I continue to lead on a consistent basis? In the course of a game, emotions are high. A lot of variables go into each game. You’re human. You’re obviously aware of how you’re playing in any given game.
And that’s what I was talking to AC about and he said being consistent with your voice no matter how it’s going for you was one of the hardest things he had to learn. No matter how the game is going or how I’m playing, I want to continue to consistently use my voice and bring my spirit to uplift my teammates and not do it on an inconsistent basis. I feel like I have to continue to grow there.”
On how he’s working with player development coach Ty Abbott to improve his endurance:
“He talked about me solidifying myself as a player now so going into next season, we have to sit down and figure out a way where you still feel comfortable and in a rhythm without putting too much wear and tear on your body on those off days. I’ve had to change a lot of stuff in my routine, even game-day routines. After every shootaround, I used to shoot for 30 or 40 minutes. Now it’s down to like 12 to 15 minutes. It’s been a learning process. It’s an exciting learning process. This is what you want as a player. But it has been difficult to adjust.”
As our tracker shows, there are currently seven 10-day contracts active around the NBA, though that number will dip to three in less than 24 hours. Here are the details on those active 10-day deals:
- Detroit Pistons: Chimezie Metu (runs through 3/29)
- Memphis Grizzlies: DeJon Jarreau (runs through 3/29) *
- Memphis Grizzlies: Maozinha Pereira (runs through 3/29) *
- Phoenix Suns: Isaiah Thomas (runs through 3/29)
- Chicago Bulls: Javonte Green (runs through 4/1) *
- Philadelphia 76ers: D.J. Wilson (runs through 4/2)
- Toronto Raptors: Kobi Simmons (runs through 4/2)
(* Contracts marked with an asterisk were signed via a hardship exception.)
Of those seven players, only Jarreau is on his second 10-day deal with his current team, meaning he’ll be ineligible to return to the Grizzlies on another 10-day contract after this one expires.
Since he was signed using a hardship exception, the only way for Jarreau to remain with Memphis beyond Friday would be for the team to waive one of its 15 players on standard contracts to make room on the roster to sign him for the rest of the season, which likely isn’t happening.
Pereira could sign a second 10-day contract with Memphis though, and as long as they continue to qualify for a second hardship exception, I’d expect the Grizzlies to bring in a new player on a 10-day deal to replace Jarreau.
Each of the non-Grizzlies players in this group is eligible to sign a second 10-day contract with his team, and since the regular season doesn’t end until April 14, there’s more than enough days left in the season to accommodate such arrangements. That doesn’t mean that Metu, Thomas, Green, Wilson, or Simmons are locks to stick around, but they’re in good position to do so if they make a positive impression during their initial 10-day stints.
The last day to sign a standard 10-day contract this season is one week away. After April 5, teams would still be able to sign “10-day” contracts using a hardship exception, but any standard deal would be a rest-of-season or multiyear agreement.
Assuming he remains healthy, Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is on track to appear in 69 games this season. Haliburton has noted in the past that he felt he returned a bit soon from a hamstring injury, in part because he knows he needs to appear in 65 contests in order to qualify for postseason honors, writes Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Specifically, the Indiana phenom is hoping to land on an All-NBA team, which would increase the value of his five-year, maximum-salary contract extension worth roughly $245MM. Otherwise, he’ll make $204.5MM.
“It’s no secret what’s at stake for me personally this year, and for us [as] a group,” Haliburton told Vardon and Amick. “So I feel like I’m looking to help lead this group. And if I’m playing like this and we’re still winning, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. I’ll get over it because obviously I’m doing enough to help us win. But when we’re not winning and I’m doing this, then that’s when it can really get to me.”
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Haliburton and Pacers center Myles Turner seem to have unlocked an elite pick-and-roll chemistry, writes Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “They understand the attention that they bring to themselves,” power forward Obi Toppin said of the fearsome twosome’s tandem attack. “They understand the attention that they bring to themselves. They allow other people to play on the ball to get them open. That helps them tremendously.”
- Cavaliers shooting guard Max Strus is back from a knee injury, but a playoff-bound Cleveland club is struggling down the home stretch of the regular season, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. To wit, the Cavaliers recently dropped a game to a banged-up, lottery-bound Hornets squad on Wednesday, 118-111. “We just didn’t play hard,” Strus said. “Nobody wanted to play defense tonight. That was our problem. Can’t lose to teams like this at this point in the season. Is what it is. Gotta take it on the chin and hopefully get back at it on Friday.” He scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, which included 5-of-10 shooting from deep. He also chipped in four rebounds and two steals.
- In a 125-99 blowout win over the Pacers on Wednesday, Bulls wing Javonte Green saw his first game action since rejoining Chicago on a 10-day deal. Players and fans alike seemed happy he was back in Bulls red, notes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Green was tasked during his initial nine-minute stint with defending the much taller Indiana power forward Pascal Siakam, but he did his best to pester the two-time All-Star. The 6’4″ vet, who finished the night with a game-high +26 mark in 19 minutes, got an ovation from the United Center faithful when he first was subbed into the contest. “It means a lot,” Green said. “Especially coming from this city, the city that really gave me an opportunity to showcase my talent during the game.”
- The Bulls lost by two points to Washington on Monday. DeMar DeRozan was angry that his team didn’t take advantage of a matchup against a depleted team playing out the string, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “All these games matter. You want to be playing good basketball towards this part of the season,” DeRozan said. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be pissed off until we get back out on the court. We shouldn’t drop games like this right now. We’re resilient. But we can’t live on the edge every game. We gotta leave it out there these last 10 games. We can’t have no more excuses. We gotta play like your life depends on it.”
- Bulls forward Dalen Terry has been working on his three-point shot since being drafted in the first round in 2022. However, it hasn’t shown on the court. He’s shooting 24.1% from deep this season. “I definitely believe it’s going to be a real big offseason for me, just taking care of my shot,” Terry told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times.
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times examines whether Onuralp Bitim can develop into a Max Strus-type player for the Bulls.
- Defensive breakdowns have prevented the Bulls from moving up the standings, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Head coach Billy Donovan points to two major issues. “The two things that have hurt us have been the rebounding and also the fouling,” Donovan said. “Our first-shot defense has not been bad. It’s been pretty good. It’s been the second chance opportunities that have hurt us. And then also, I think, some of the fouling, the ability to go vertical and not try to reach (and foul).”
Coby White returned to the Bulls‘ lineup this week after missing three games with an injured right hip, but he hasn’t fully recovered from the brief absence, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Coach Billy Donovan cited “timing” as an issue after White shot 3-of-11 from the field in Saturday’s loss to Boston, and the fifth-year guard agrees that he has work to do in that area.
“At this point of the season when you miss a week it feels like a lot longer than that,” White said. “So for me I don’t want to force it. Just let the game come to me. I’m just trying to go out there and contribute any way I can right now.”
The bigger picture for White is that he has likely changed the organization’s view of the roster with his performance this season, Cowley adds. After signing an extension last summer, White has enjoyed a breakout year, averaging 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists through 68 games and becoming a candidate for Most Improved Player honors.
“Obviously the summer, him signing a long-term deal, we made the commitment to him that we wanted him to be here,” Donovan said. “What Coby has done you would want to create organizationally a runway for him to continue to grow, continue to develop. But I haven’t necessarily had the discussion where it’s been, ‘Wow, we got this guy and now we’ve got to do this.’”
There’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls used the hardship exception to sign Javonte Green to a 10-day contract on Saturday, Cowley confirms in a separate story. Green, who has appeared in 113 games with Chicago over the past three seasons, hasn’t been promised any playing time in this latest opportunity, according to Cowley, and he understands what’s expected of him. “Just be myself,” he said. “Obviously, the Bulls know what I bring to the table.” Green also told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that he’s confident in his right knee after undergoing an arthroscopic debridement in January 2023. “Just tried to strengthen the quad and strengthen the area that I had discomfort in,” he said. “That was a long process, six months.”
- Alex Caruso is hoping to be ready for Monday’s game against Washington after injuring his left ankle Saturday night, Johnson states in a separate story. Caruso walked to the locker room after getting tangled up with Boston’s Al Horford with 6:54 left in the second quarter, but he was able to return and played through discomfort in the second half.
- Second-year guard Dalen Terry is taking on a larger role with an injury-filled roster, notes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Terry said he has taken inspiration from watching White develop into an accomplished player. “It’s all mental,” Terry said. “It’s all just blocking out the noise and trusting yourself. Just keep faith. Keep believing in what you’re going to achieve.”
MARCH 23: Green has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Bulls, according to a press release from the team.
MARCH 22: The Bulls plan to sign free agent wing Javonte Green to a 10-day contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
It will be a reunion between the two sides, as Green spent parts of three seasons with Chicago, most recently in 2022/23. The 30-year-old was limited to 32 games last season due to a knee injury, which required surgery.
Green signed a training camp deal with Golden State in October, but was waived a few days later. He has appeared in 10 regular season games with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz in ’23/24, averaging 12.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .489/.355/.824 shooting in 22.2 MPG.
Green, who went undrafted in 2015 out of Radford and spent four years playing professionally in Europe before catching on with Boston in 2019, averaged 6.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 0.9 SPG on .547/.360/.780 shooting in 97 games with the Bulls from 2021-23 (46 starts, 20.6 MPG). He’s known as a strong athlete and defender who plays bigger than his size, somewhat similar to Gary Payton II.
The Bulls currently have a full 18-man roster, but Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams have been ruled out for the season, and rookie Julian Phillips is expected to miss at least two weeks with a foot issue. That means Green will almost certainly be signed via the hardship exception.
As a four-year veteran, Green will earn $124,425 over the course of his 10 days with the Bulls.
The Bulls had to finish Thursday’s loss in Houston without their leading scorer after DeMar DeRozan was ejected along with Dillon Brooks for an incident midway through the third quarter (video link), writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. After DeRozan was whistled for a Flagrant 2 for a hard foul on Jalen Green, Brooks confronted him.
DeRozan blamed Brooks for escalating the conflict, saying “it’s an issue walking up on any man from behind.” He also claimed that he was off balance and didn’t intend to foul Green as hard as he did.
“I was surprised just from the simple fact that I was trying to hedge out and just be aggressive, obviously bumped him, but if you look at it, I kind of tripped into it,” DeRozan said. “I’m not dumb. These days it’s just so hard to tell when you go back and look at a review. It wasn’t anything I was trying to do intentionally.”
KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago notes that DeRozan thought a foul should have been called when Green blocked his shot on the previous trip down court. Coach Billy Donovan told reporters that his players have to do a better job of not being affected by missed calls.
“We have to control ourselves and adjust to the officials,” Donovan said. “The crew that was on the game is a good crew. They’re good guys. They work extremely hard.”
There’s more on the Bulls:
- Coby White came off the bench Thursday after missing the previous three games with a right hip injury, Cowley adds in a separate story. White has continued to serve as a vocal leader even when he hasn’t been able to play. “Because he has been on the bench, that’s helped in timeouts,” Donovan said. “He’s still stayed pretty active and pretty vocal, but I think he’s at a point and time in his career where he’s not afraid to speak up. It’s always about the team. It’s not about criticizing guys on what they should be doing. It’s more a good, positive vibe, but he’s even tried to do that while he’s been out these three games. But on the court that’s where you miss some of that, where he can talk some.”
- Lonzo Ball, who hasn’t played since January 2022, posted a video of himself dunking twice in a row this week, tweets Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The Bulls are optimistic that Ball can be ready for the start of next season if his injured left knee continues to improve, Poe adds in a full story.
- There will be a market for DeRozan if the Bulls let him reach free agency, Johnson states in a mailbag column. DeRozan is eligible for a three-year extension worth $130MM through June 30, but Johnson suggests he might be willing to take roughly $70-74MM for two seasons, possibly with a team option for a third year.
- There’s no reason to expect president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas or the rest of the front office to be replaced this summer, Johnson adds. He hears that management has given Karnisovas the freedom to proceed however he sees fit, even if that means a full rebuild, and says an active summer is likely upcoming.