Alex Caruso Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Lyles, Olynyk, Lopez, Caruso

January 18th, 2022 at 8:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Pistons big man Trey Lyles appears to be maximizing his time with his new team, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Edwards takes a look at how Lyles, a former lottery pick out of Kentucky, has reinvented himself as a role player with a lottery-bound Detroit club. Lyles discussed his struggles with mental health during his early NBA tenure.

“My first couple years, if my confidence was down, I’d be out there and wouldn’t shoot the ball,” Lyles said. “Over the years, I’ve tried to improve my mental ability to bounce back… I’ve done a lot of work in the offseason on my mental state of mind. Just being confident in who I am as a player is huge.”

Lyles signed a two-year, $5.1MM contract with the club during the 2021 offseason, and has spent most of his on-court time at center.

“[Therapy] has helped me out a lot,” Lyles, still just 26, reflected. “I have a tendency to get in my head. I just want to go out and use my muscle memory. Therapy has helped me in a variety of ways.”

Lyles is averaging 9.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.2 APG across 39 games with the Pistons thus far.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Injured center Kelly Olynyk is excited to return to the court for the Pistons soon, writes Rod Beard of the Detroit News. An MCL sprain has limited Olynyk to just 10 healthy games with his new team. The 6’11” big man has returned to basketball activities during the last few weeks and expects to rejoin the Pistons on the hardwood at some point during the team’s current four-game road trip. “It’s a long process and you can’t cheat any of the steps,” Olynyk said, per Beard. “You just miss it. You miss competing, miss being with the team, all that kind of stuff, especially in today’s world.”
Bucks center Brook Lopez has resumed on-court workouts at Milwaukee’s practice facility, writes Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Lopez, 33, has been recovering from a back surgery that has limited him to just a single game of availability this season for the reigning champs.
Injured Bulls reserve combo guard Alex Caruso has proven in his absence how valuable he is to the club, posits Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago’s defense ranks 24th during the team’s last 13 games without Caruso. The 27-year-old out of Texas A&M, one of the Bulls’ best defenders, is expected to rejoin the club at some point this week.

Central Notes: Turner, Grant, Olynyk, Caruso

January 17th, 2022 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers center Myles Turner will visit a foot specialist in Los Angeles during the team’s West Coast trip, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles reports in a Substack post.

“In the last couple games, he’s just felt something so we’re going to get it checked out,” coach Rick Carlisle said.

Turner sat out the team’s loss to the Clippers on Monday afternoon. The league’s top shot-blocker has been the subject of trade rumors this season and a significant injury could alter the front office’s plans prior to next month’s deadline.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have assigned forward Jerami Grant — a prime trade candidate — to the G League Motor City Cruise as he rehabs from thumb surgery, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. He’ll begin on-court work as the team heads out for a four-game road swing. He will not play in any of those road games, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets.
Pistons center Kelly Olynyk is hopeful he’ll be back in action sometime during the trip, Beard adds in another tweet. Olynyk hasn’t played since Nov. 10 after suffering an MCL sprain. He was signed to a three-year, $37MM contract in free agency last summer.
Bulls guard Alex Caruso could play on Wednesday against Cleveland after exiting the league’s health and safety protocols, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “He did some work [Monday], he’ll do some work [Tuesday], and probably make some kind of assessment then at that point before the Cleveland game,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “We’ll have to have a plan for him if he is able to physically play Wednesday, and what his minutes will look like to help him get back to what he was.”

COVID-19 Updates: Haliburton, Clippers, Powell, Caruso, Bolmaro

January 17th, 2022 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

For a brief period in late December and early January, there were well over 100 NBA players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. However, the situation has improved considerably since that spike. The latest update of our protocols tracker shows just 15 players who are currently affected.

That doesn’t mean no one is entering the protocols anymore though. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton was placed in the protocols ahead of the team’s game vs. Houston on Sunday. Haliburton joins Robert Woodard as the two Sacramento players affected.

Here are a few more protocol-related updates:

Clippers teammates Luke Kennard and Justise Winslow have exited the COVID-19 protocols and are taking part in return to competition reconditioning, as Mirjam Swanson of the Southern California News Group tweets. Kennard is doubtful to play on Monday vs. Indiana, while Winslow is questionable.
Trail Blazers wing Norman Powell was upgraded to questionable for Monday’s contest in Orlando and his status is now listed as “COVID recovery,” so it sounds like he has cleared the health and safety protocols (Twitter link via Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian).
Bulls guard Alex Caruso won’t play on Monday in Memphis, but he’s no longer in the protocols, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Timberwolves rookie Leandro Bolmaro exited the protocols on Sunday and was available vs. Golden State. He played the final 1:42 of garbage time in a 20-point Wolves victory.

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, Hill, Trade Targets, Caruso

January 16th, 2022 at 9:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The shorthanded Bulls have a three-game losing streak for the first time this season, but rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu has emerged as a bright spot, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Making his third start, Dosunmu posted his first career double-double Saturday night with 21 points and 10 assists in a narrow loss to the Celtics.

Dosunmu made nine of 10 shots from the field, committed just one turnover and harassed Jayson Tatum into a poor shooting game. His outstanding performance came one night after going scoreless in 32 minutes against the Warriors.

“Coming from college to the NBA, there’s a lot of adjustments that I knew I had to make,” Dosunmu said. “And I knew that one of the adjustments was going from night to night and understanding that it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately’ league. And it’s so many games that you can’t get too high and never get too low. That was my challenge. (Friday), I had a tough night. I didn’t play to my standards. But I knew we had another chance today to get better. So I just wanted to come out there and try to establish that mentality.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Saturday’s game also featured a surprising contribution from hardship addition Malcolm Hill, notes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Hill, who signed with the team on Friday, played 18 minutes and was on the court as the game was being decided in the closing minutes. He shot just 1-of-5 from the field, but made enough plays to impress coach Billy Donovan. “He’s been here for a day-and-a-half,” Donovan said, “and he did a good job defensively.”
In a separate story, Schaefer identifies three potential trades to fix the hole at power forward created by the loss of Patrick Williams, Javonte Green and Derrick Jones. Jerami Grant of the Pistons might be an option, Schaefer states, but only if Chicago is willing to part with Williams. Schaefer sees Grant as an ideal fit with the starting lineup and points out that he has prior experience with Donovan in Oklahoma City and executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas in Denver. The Kings‘ Harrison Barnes and the Clippers‘ Nicolas Batum may also be options, according to Schaefer.
Chicago guard Alex Caruso, who is the only Bulls player currently in health and safety protocols, isn’t expected to return until Wednesday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Central Notes: Bulls, Karnisovas, Cavaliers, Harris, Caruso

January 15th, 2022 at 2:05pm CST by JD Shaw

The Bulls have been dealing with several injuries at power forward this season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. In addition to starting forward Patrick Williams, Derrick Jones Jr., Javonte Green and Alex Caruso are all sidelined due to injuries or health and safety protocols.

Chicago has a starting core of Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. At power forward, Williams started all five of his games, but the 20-year-old suffered a dislocated wrist in November and is expected to miss most or all of the season.

Jones is likely to miss two-to-four weeks due to a bone bruise in his knee, Green is sidelined with an adductor injury, and Caruso is still in protocols. As for Williams, the Bulls have simply been working on getting his conditioning up this month.

‘‘We’re trying to get him just a conditioning piece; he can do some of that,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘He still has to be very, very careful with the [wrist] in terms of being around a lot of people. There is some form shooting they are allowing him to do. Just trying to get his movements back and trying to get him working on defense, cutting.

‘‘That’s kind of the focus for him right now. He’s been cleared to do a lot of the cardiovascular stuff.’’

There’s more from the Central Division tonight:

Bulls executive VP Arturas Karnisovas received praise from president and COO Michael Reinsdorf for helping make the team relevant again, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com writes. “When we hired Arturas, I was confident that he would help turn things around, but I can’t say I thought it would be this quickly,” Reinsdorf said. “There are no issues. There’s no drama. Just everyone wanting to get to the next level. It’s a good feeling.”
The Cavaliers would be interested in acquiring Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris ahead of the February 10 trade deadline, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (hat tip to HoopsHype). Harris played 14 games this season due to ankle surgery, but the 30-year-old averaged 14.1 points on 48% shooting from deep last season.
Bulls guard Alex Caruso could return on Wednesday against the Cavaliers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). As noted previously, Caruso is currently in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. He was also dealing with a foot sprain this month.

Derrick Jones Jr. Suffers Bone Bruise In Knee, Out 2-4 Weeks

January 13th, 2022 at 6:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:13pm: The Bulls announced that Jones will miss two-to-four weeks with the bone bruise instead of the originally reported four-to-six, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link).

1:02pm: Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. will miss four-to-six weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Jones suffered the injury on an awkward landing 36 seconds into Wednesday’s game against the Nets, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. He had to be helped to the locker room, and the team announced that he wouldn’t return.

Jones has started Chicago’s last six games while Javonte Green has been sidelined with a groin strain. After coming to the Bulls in an offseason trade, Jones is averaging 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds through 31 games.

Chicago is also missing guard Alex Caruso, another member of its rotation, who remains in the league’s health and safety protocols and isn’t expected back for Friday’s game.

“It’s going to be tough because you can’t replace those guys,” Zach LaVine said. “It’s always been a next-man-up mentality that we’ve had. It’s something we’re going to have to do because it’s not like anybody is going to feel sorry for us having some guys out. Everybody’s had guys out.”

COVID-19 Updates: Caruso, Hill, Collins, Morris, Rivers, More

January 5th, 2022 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the few players not affected by a stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols last month, Bulls guard Alex Caruso has now entered the protocols, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Caruso, who has missed Chicago’s last six games due to a sprained foot, appeared to be nearing a return. If he contracted COVID-19, his return will obviously be delayed, but it will give his foot more time to get back to 100%.

Here are more protocol-related updates from across the league:

Hawks big man John Collins has exited the COVID-19 protocols and is expected to meet the team in Los Angeles, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Atlanta faces the Lakers in L.A. on Friday and the Clippers on Saturday. Meanwhile, hardship addition Cameron Oliver has entered the protocols for Atlanta, tweets Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Unless he returned a false positive or inconclusive test result, Oliver almost certainly won’t clear the protocols before his deal expires on Friday night.
Bucks guard George Hill is the latest Milwaukee player to enter the health and safety protocols, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The team now has a league-high six players in the protocols, though Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Jordan Nwora, and Semi Ojeleye are being listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Toronto, which suggests they’re on the verge of exiting.
Nuggets guard Monte Morris confirmed on his Twitter account that he’s out of the health and safety protocols and prepared to return to action. Morris is still listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest vs. Utah, but it sound like he expects to play.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers is out of the protocols and will resume his duties on Wednesday vs. Orlando, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Thunder rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has cleared the protocols and is being listed as available for Wednesday’s game in Minnesota, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City no longer has any players in the protocols.
Our health and safety protocols tracker, which is updated multiple times daily, can be found right here.

Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Fleming, White, Ball, Caruso

January 2nd, 2022 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

With buzzer-beating shots on Friday and Saturday to pull out a pair of thrilling road wins, DeMar DeRozan became the first player in NBA history to accomplish that feat on back-to-back nights. He has done something even more valuable, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, changing the culture of the Bulls, who now have the best record in the Eastern Conference.

“It’s an honor to be trusted in the fourth quarter,” DeRozan said. “Whether things are going or going bad, my teammates always lean on me to be that calm presence to kind of bring us home. I always bring that calm presence as much as I can in the fourth quarter, letting guys understand as long we got time, we got a chance.”

The addition of DeRozan during the offseason was a huge step in transforming a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2017. He began talking to Zach LaVine about teaming up during free agency, Johnson adds, and their partnership grew during preseason workouts in Los Angeles and Chicago.

“The chemistry came really, really fast and really easy,” LaVine said. “We don’t have any egos. Regardless of who has it going that night or who has it going in a quarter, we’ll both come together and look for other guys and get them involved throughout the game and just try to figure out how to win the game. That’s been the first and foremost thing that has helped this team.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Chris Fleming has guided the Bulls to five straight victories while head coach Billy Donovan is in health and safety protocols, but he won’t mind going back to being an assistant when Donovan is ready to return (video link from NBC Sports). “Very fortunate enough to be able to experience this from a head coaching standpoint, and see the guys from maybe a little bit different side,” Fleming said after Saturday’s game.
Coby White has turned in his best performances of the season with Lonzo Ball in protocols and Alex Caruso sidelined with a sprained foot, notes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. White is averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals over the past four games.
There’s a good chance that Ball and Caruso will return for Monday’s game with the Magic, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. He adds that the Bulls are getting close to having a full team available after being hit hard by COVID-19 over the past month.

Alex Caruso Out At Least 7-10 Days

December 23rd, 2021 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls guard Alex Caruso continues to battle injury issues, having sustained a left foot sprain in Monday’s win over Houston. According to the team (via Twitter), he’ll be reevaluated in about seven-to-10 days.

Caruso, who had been dealing with a right hamstring ailment earlier in the month, benefited from a pair of postponements last week, which gave that hamstring time to heal. However, he left Monday’s game with a new injury after playing just six minutes.

Despite being a little banged up as of late, Caruso has still appeared in 26 of Chicago’s 29 games this season, averaging 8.4 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 3.7 RPG on .448/.364/.830 shooting in 28.0 MPG. Those numbers undersell Caruso’s impact on the defensive end, where he’s averaging 2.0 steals per game. The Bulls have a +8.4 net rating when he plays, compared to -2.5 when he sits.

Chicago’s depth chart remains in flux as players enter and exit the health and safety protocols, but Coby White, Javonte Green, and Ayo Dosunmu are among those who could play larger roles until Caruso returns. Dosunmu is in the protocols, but could be cleared to return early next week.

Central Notes: White, DeRozan, Caruso, Carlisle, Pangos

December 18th, 2021 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

While COVID-19 disrupts rosters across the league, the Bulls are starting to get healthier, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports. Coby White, DeMar DeRozan and Javonte Green all cleared protocols this week and are expected to play Sunday against the Lakers. Derrick Jones Jr. left the protocols today and Matt Thomas is getting close, although he remains doubtful for Sunday.

White and DeRozan both said their symptoms were mild and agreed that their main issue was “boredom” while being away from the team. White, who was the first Chicago player to enter the protocols on December 1, said his experience was no worse than strep throat and the symptoms went away in two or three days. DeRozan tested positive five days after White, learning the news after a morning shootaround.

“It was one of those things, mixture of everything,” DeRozan said. “Frustration of not being able to go out there and play, trying to figure out why I don’t feel nothing, nothing’s wrong, how long I’m going to be out. Just a mixture of a lot of emotions. But at the end of the day, I just was like, ‘I’ve got to deal with it, something I’ve got to deal with,’ and went from there.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The two Bulls games that were postponed this week provided some benefits for the team, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Alex Caruso, who has been dealing with a sore right hamstring, is now fully recovered, according to coach Billy Donovan, and some players who had been seeing heavy minutes got a chance to rest. “Lonzo (Ball) kind of stands out,” Donovan said. “Zach (LaVine) is in health and safety protocols, but he was a guy that was logging a lot of minutes as well. So hopefully it gives those guys an opportunity to get their bodies a chance to recover some.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who tested positive for COVID-19 10 days ago, should be ready to return for Tuesday’s game, assistant Lloyd Pierce told James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. Pierce has filled in for Carlisle during his four-game absence.
In an interview with Dionysis Aravantinos of HoopsHype, Cavaliers guard Kevin Pangos talks about adjusting to the NBA after playing six years in Europe.