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Pacific Notes: Paul, DeRozan, Myers, Vezenkov

May 20th, 2023 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns‘ reported plans to fully guarantee Chris Paul‘s contract for next season don’t ensure that he’ll remain with the team, writes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. The veteran point guard’s $30.8MM salary for 2023/24 only carries a $15.8MM guarantee, and the front office must make its decision by June 28.

Bourguet argues that guaranteeing the deal before that date will make Paul easier to trade. He also wonders whether the rumor that the Suns’ “mindset” to have him as their starting point guard next season was leaked by the team ahead of trade talks or by Paul’s camp to make him more attractive to teams that might be interested in acquiring him.

At age 38, Paul is coming off another disappointing playoff exit that was related to injuries. This time, he suffered a left groin strain in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against the Nuggets that sidelined him for the rest of the series. Bourguet hears that Paul likely would have been able to play if the series had reached a seventh game, but Denver closed it out with a convincing victory in Game 6.

“That was the tough part about the injury, when, before he got hurt, you could just see the offense starting to figure out a few things,” former head coach Monty Williams said. “And then he comes up with an injury that he can’t control.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Bulls star and Los Angeles native DeMar DeRozan has gotten past the feeling that he needs to return home to play for the Clippers or Lakers someday, he said in an appearance on Paul George‘s podcast (hat tip to All Clippers). “I used to feel like that,” DeRozan said. “I used to think like, man I gotta play home so I could see what it’s like. It’s like I get it from both ways now. From home, and I’m able to represent home from where I’m playing. I’m at a stage now where I’m okay now if I don’t. It’s not like an ultimate desire of mine.” George admitted that he tried to recruit DeRozan to the Clippers as a free agent two years ago, but it wasn’t financially feasible.
  • As Bob Myers ponders his future, sources tell C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle that the contract the Warriors offered would make him the highest-paid general manager in the NBA. Holmes also confirms that Myers is expected to talk to the media next week after spending this week at the draft combine in Chicago.
  • As he arrived in Lithuania for the Final Four, EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov didn’t address his NBA future, but he showed that he has been following the Kings, who own his rights, per a EuroHoops story. “In the playoffs, they did their best, but they were facing a superstar like Steph Curry,” Vezenkov said. “The competition in the NBA is really hard, there are so many superstars and ultimately only one gets the rings. However, the Kings had a great season.”
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Northwest Notes: Blazers, K. Williams, Anderson, Jazz

May 19th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

While Charlotte’s pick at No. 2 represents the first pivot point of the 2023 NBA draft, the Trail Blazers‘ decision at No. 3 is arguably even more interesting. That pick is a valuable one in a draft considered to have a consensus top three prospects, but Portland is eager to build a contender around Damian Lillard in the short term and may be more inclined to trade the choice.

In the view of Jason Quick of The Athletic, the Trail Blazers’ only real option – if they’re serious about keeping Lillard and building a winner around him – is to trade the pick. But ESPN’s Jonathan Givony isn’t sure Portland will take that route, suggesting during an appearance on Zach Lowe’s Lowe Post podcast that he believes the Blazers will hang onto the selection.

“I don’t see them trading it either, honestly,” Givony said, per RealGM. “I think they would be very happy with Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson. “I also think they’re going to kick the tires on the Thompson twins and Cam Whitmore. I think this is going to be a process here where they’re looking at a lot of different options.”

If the Blazers do shop the pick, the expectation is that they’ll be targeting two-way impact players, a league source tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. As Johnson observes, Lillard has strong relationships with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but neither of those offensive-minded Bulls wings really qualifies as a two-way dynamo.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Thunder wing Kenrich Williams underwent a follow-up procedure on Tuesday to remove hardware that was inserted during his March wrist surgery, the team announced. According to Thunder, Williams’ rehab process is still on the same timeline, and he remains on track to be ready for the start of the 2023/24 season.
  • Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson, who sustained an eye injury during the team’s first-round playoff series, underwent surgery on Wednesday to address the issue, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North. While there’s no official timeline for Anderson’s recovery, there’s no indication he won’t be ready for training camp.
  • Tony Jones of The Athletic sketches out an offseason to-do list for the Jazz, including identifying a point guard, resolving Jordan Clarkson‘s free agency, and comprehensively investigating what trade opportunities might be out there for them.
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Bulls Notes: Karnisovas, Williams, Beverley, DeRozan

May 4th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls recently signed executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas to an extension without any public fanfare, a source told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Although Chicago is coming off a 40-42 season and a play-in tournament exit, Mayberry points out that Karnisovas still has a strong relationship with chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf.

Despite the extension, there’s reason to believe the organization’s faith in Karnisovas may be declining, Mayberry adds. He notes that Karnisovas has let the last three windows for improvement — the past two trade deadlines and the 2022 offseason — pass without a significant roster upgrade, leaving Chicago stuck as roughly a .500 team with no obvious way to improve.

There’s still confidence within the organization that things are headed in the right direction, according to Mayberry. Insiders cite a cultural change since the new regime took over and point out that the Bulls had a top-five defense this season. However, until those improvements result in more wins, there’s a chance that a change will be eventually made at the top.

There’s more from Chicago:

  • The success that Lauri Markkanen had in Utah should make the Bulls more reluctant to consider trading Patrick Williams this summer, Mayberry adds. He notes that Williams showed steady improvement after injuries limited him to 17 games last season and states that Chicago could use more players with Williams’ size and versatility.
  • Patrick Beverley quickly became a leader when he joined the Bulls in February, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The team went 14-9 after signing Beverley following a buyout, as he provided toughness along with a defensive presence. Johnson notes that Beverley recently said on his podcast that he wants a new contract starting at $15MM a year, but the Bulls only have his Non-Bird rights and are limited to a $3.8MM offer unless they use their mid-level exception.
  • The Bulls also face a decision on DeMar DeRozan, who will become eligible this summer for an extension worth up to $179MM over four years, Johnson states in a mailbag column. DeRozan has been an All-Star in both of his seasons with Chicago, but Johnson doesn’t believe the Bulls will rush into a decision — either by extending or trying to trade him.
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Central Notes: Quinn, Antetokounmpo, Cavs, DeRozan, LaVine

April 18th, 2023 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn confirmed he has an interview lined up with the Pistons for their head coaching position, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Quinn has been on Miami’s coaching staff since 2014. Quinn is among at least eight candidates the Pistons have interviewed or reportedly plan to interview.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t practice on Tuesday but coach Mike Budenholzer remains optimistic the superstar can play in Game 2 of the Bucks’ series against Miami on Wednesday, Jim Owczarski of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The superstar suffered a lower back contusion in Game 1. “We have 24-plus hours before game time so he’ll get treatment,” Budenholzer said. “We’ll see how he feels. I think there’s been a lot of progress and hopefully there’s more in the next day or so.” Later in the day, the Bucks listed Giannis as doubtful to play in Game 2, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm tweets.
  • The Cavaliers have lingered in the shadows of LeBron James‘ two stints with the organization. They are finally emerging with a different core group in the post-LeBron era as the No. 4 seed in the East, as Nick Friedell of ESPN details. “Success bears your legacy,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “So the better or more games we win in playoffs, crunch-time situations, that’s how these guys will build their own legacy, at the same time paying respect to those who came before us.”
  • It’s certainly no slam dunk that the Bulls will run back the Zach LaVine–DeMar DeRozan combination for another season. DeRozan hopes the organization gives them another chance to show what they can do together, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. ‘‘Man, what’s crazy is even talking to [LaVine] on the plane [late Friday], we haven’t even scratched the surface,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘We haven’t been fully ourselves, and that’s the scary part about it.’’
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De’Aaron Fox Receives Inaugural Clutch Player Award

April 18th, 2023 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been named the inaugural recipient of the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Fox topped the other finalists, the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and the Heat’s Jimmy Butler. The award is named after Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Jerry West.

Fox received 91 of 100 first-place votes. according to an NBA press release. He finished with a total of 460 points, far ahead of runner-up Butler, who garnered one first-place votes and 104 points. DeRozan didn’t have any first-place votes while placing third with 77 points. Seven other players received first-place votes but the Warriors’ Stephen Curry was the only one in that group to get two first-place votes.

“When I took the job I didn’t know how consistently he would be in the clutch,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said of Fox, per NBA.com’s Shaun Powell.

Fox led the league in clutch scoring with a league-best 194 points in 39 games. Clutch time is defined as minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game.

Fox shot 52.9 percent from the field and 86.0 percent from the foul line in those situations. He added 20 assists and 10 steals as Sacramento went 22-17 in those close games. That helped the Kings secure the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

DeRozan scored 159 points in 33 games in those situations. He shot 47.1 percent from the field and 89 percent from the foul line while grabbing 30 rebounds and dishing out 16 assists.

Butler also found himself in 33 of those games and scored 151 points. He shot 50.5 percent from the field and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. He added 32 rebounds, 19 assists, six steals and five blocks.

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Bulls Notes: Offseason, Vucevic, White, Ball, LaVine, DeRozan, Beverley

April 15th, 2023 at 6:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have no plans to rebuild after a disappointing 40-42 season and an exit in the play-in tournament, vice president Arturas Karnisovas told reporters, including Jamal Collier of ESPN, at an end-of-season press conference Saturday. Karnisovas said management will use the offseason to search for ways to build on the team’s 14-9 performance after the All-Star break.

“That’s been thrown around all this season,” he said. “Blow up, rebuild. It’s not on our minds. We changed our minds in the 2021 season to focus on winning, and try to build a sustainable program here — I think that’s where we’re focused right now. How we can help this group and how we can improve from this year.”

Karnisovas indicated that the Bulls will focus on trying to re-sign as many of their free agents as possible. He mentioned starting center Nikola Vucevic, who will be unrestricted this summer, and said the team “absolutely” wants to keep reserve guard Coby White, who can be made a restricted free agent with a $7.7MM qualifying offer.

Vucevic also spoke with reporters, saying he has enjoyed his two and a half seasons in Chicago.

“The Bulls will have priority,” Vucevic said of his free agency plans. “I’d like to stay here. But that’s on the front office to decide and work with my agent.”

There’s more from Chicago:

  • Karnisovas wasn’t able to offer an update on Lonzo Ball, who underwent his third knee surgery last month, Collier adds. Karnisovas declined to comment when he was asked if the Bulls plan to seek salary relief from the league for the $43MM remaining on Ball’s contract. “I have confidence that he’s going to come back,” he said. “In terms of timeline, I don’t have that timeline right now because he just had his procedure.” The team could only be approved for salary relief if Ball’s health issues are considered likely to be career-ending.
  • Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan believe they can become an even better combination with a healthy start to next season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. DeRozan points out that injuries have been been disruptive throughout their two seasons together. “We haven’t even scratched the surface,” he said. “Last year, with him being hurt and me carrying so much of the load and this year him coming off his surgery, I know early on in the season he was frustrated just trying to find his rhythm. I kept being in his ear telling him, ‘It’s gonna come. You got to get your rhythm back. You haven’t played. You haven’t touched a ball.’ By the time he got healthy and got it rolling, I began to deal with my quad. So we haven’t been fully ourself and that’s the scary part about it.”
  • Chicago has a decision to make on Patrick Beverley, who took over as the starting point guard after signing in February. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype points out that the Bulls can offer Beverley a $3.2MM veteran’s minimum salary or $3.8MM with his Non-Bird rights. They would have to use part of their mid-level exception to exceed that figure, but Gozlan states that they may want to save the MLE to add another big man off the bench.
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NBA Announces 2022/23 Award Finalists

April 14th, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA announced its finalists for all the major 2022/23 regular season awards on Friday evening (all Twitter links can be found here).

Here is the full list of finalists for each of the awards, listed in alphabetical order:

Most Valuable Player

Defensive Player of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Most Improved Player

Sixth Man of the Year

Coach of the Year

Clutch Player of the Year

TNT will begin announcing the winners next week during its coverage of the 2023 playoffs, according to the NBA. The three finalists for each award are based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Antetokounmpo, the league’s back-to-back MVP winner in 2018/19 and ’19/20, has finished fourth and third in MVP voting over the past two seasons, respectively. He averaged a career-high 31.1 PPG along with 11.8 RPG and 5.7 APG on .553/.275/.645 shooting in 63 games (32.1 MPG) this season in leading the Bucks to the NBA’s best record at 58-24.

Embiid, the MVP runner-up in each of the past two years, led the league in scoring for the second consecutive season, posting a career-high 33.1 PPG along with 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG on .548/.330/.857 shooting in 66 games (34.6 MPG). The Sixers finished third in the East with a 54-28 record, though it’s worth noting that record is also the third-best mark in the league.

Jokic, the reigning back-to-back MVP, averaged 24.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG and 1.3 SPG on .632/.383/.822 shooting in 69 games (33.7. MPG). In addition to breaking Wilt Chamberlain‘s record for most assists per game by a center (8.6), Jokic led the Nuggets to the top seed in the West with a 53-29 record.

It’s long been assumed that Banchero, Brown and Fox were the runaway favorites for their respective awards. Given Embiid’s excellent play to end the season and Denver’s stumble to the finish line, it seems likely that Embiid will edge out Jokic and Antetokounmpo to win his first MVP — all three finalists are more than deserving, just as they were last year.

However, the other three awards are more up in the air. Jackson and Lopez have been considered the betting favorites for DPOY for much of the second half of the season. Mobley’s inclusion is somewhat surprising, but maybe it shouldn’t be — the Cavs finished with the league’s top defense and he is arguably the best defender on the team.

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Bulls Notes: Caruso, DeRozan, Offseason, Donovan

April 12th, 2023 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Alex Caruso has been recognized as one of the best defenders in the NBA for several years, but he’s never been voted to a spot on the All-Defensive Team, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Caruso has a good chance to change that this season, Johnson adds, noting that the veteran guard played a career-high 67 games for the Bulls while leading the league with 5.2 deflections per 36 minutes and finishing 10th in drawing charges.

“Coming from a spot where I was undrafted and teams didn’t think I was good enough to be in the league to being, in my eyes, one of the best defenders in the league, we’ll see what other people think,” Caruso said. “But I’m really proud of how much work I’ve put in and the growth I’ve had to get to this point. There are a lot of good defenders in the league. It’s a tough list to make, especially being a guard and only four spots. But I think I am (worthy).”

Caruso started just 36 games this season, but he’s in the starting lineup tonight for Chicago’s must-win play-in game against the Raptors. He’ll be matched up with Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, who’s four inches taller, but Caruso likes the challenge of defending bigger players.

“That’s where I think some of the intangibles I have—being tough, being able to compete—really carry me. Because obviously physically with some of those bigger matchups, I’m a little overwhelmed statistically speaking,” Caruso said. “I try to be smart and use the court to my advantage, know where I have help.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

  • After years as a fan favorite in Toronto, DeMar DeRozan is ready for his first postseason game in an enemy uniform, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. DeRozan expects to be the focus of Nick Nurse‘s defensive scheme, just as he was during their regular season meetings. “Playing against Nick and those guys, they try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘… I’m aware of it, for sure. For my sake, I definitely have my own theory of how I’m going to deal with it.’’
  • The Bulls are paying the price for not being more aggressive as sellers at the trade deadline, Darnell Mayberry of the Athletic states in a conversation with fellow Athletic writer Eric Koreen about the play-in matchup. Mayberry notes that limited draft assets and cap space this summer leave Chicago with little hope of improving on this year’s 10th-place finish.
  • In a video posted by NBC Sports Chicago, coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls can’t afford to get distracted by the fact that their season is on the line tonight.
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Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, Stars, White, Play-In History

April 6th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Second-year Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is frustrated by his demotion to Chicago’s bench, but is trying to shine in his reserve role this year with the play-in tournament looming, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley notes that Dosunmu had been averaging 30.6 minutes per night as recently as February, while logging 9.3 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 3.3 RPG.. Dosunmu’s output took a nosedive last month, when he averaged just 6.3 PPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.1 RPG in 19.8 MPG.

“Everybody is a competitor and wants to start; that’s just the reality of it,’’ Dosunmu said. “But at this time of the year, it’s all about trying to get as many wins as possible. You really don’t have any time to worry about anything other than that because in about a week, we’re pretty much going into a [play-in] situation where you either win or lose, and your season can be over with.”

“There will definitely be an offseason plan” for his development, Dosunmu added, “but my mindset is focused on these last few [regular-season] games, then doing whatever it takes to secure us a playoff spot.’’

As Cowley notes, there’s a chance Dosunmu will have to wait for his opportunity to start elsewhere. He’s a restricted free agent this summer, as is fellow reserve combo guard Coby White. The Bulls might opt to just keep one.

There’s more out of the Windy City:

  • While the Bulls are locked into the play-in tournament, head coach Billy Donovan would still like to see star players DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic participate in the club’s last game of the regular season against the Pistons, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
  • Coby White believes that his game has reached another level as of late, writes Rob Schaefer of Bulls.com. “I think this is the best basketball of my career, high school, college,” White said. “I feel like, just overall — defensively, offensively, my voice, leadership, whatever you want to call it — I’ve taken steps in every category.”
  • Chicago hopes to make NBA play-in tournament history this season. A tenth seed has yet to win a play-in game in the two-year history of the tournament, Johnson writes in a separate article. “You’d obviously at this point like to be in a situation where you know you’re one of those top-six seeds where you’re not trying to get into the playoffs,” Donovan said. “But having a chance to get in would be the next thing you’d want to have.”
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Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Green, White, Beverley

March 26th, 2023 at 3:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bulls All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan is making his return to the lineup on Sunday after sitting out Friday’s win over the Trail Blazers with a right quad injury, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“I feel good,” DeRozan said. “Everything’s a go. Regular-scheduled programming. It was just really sore after those three marathons that I ran. But I’m good, got a lot of treatment these last couple days—ice, recovery.”

DeRozan missed five games earlier this season with the same injury, which he reaggravated in a Wednesday loss to the Sixers, opting to leave early.

“I’ve been feeling it since January,” DeRozan added. “I just find ways to get through most of the games. Just that game was the worst as far as soreness. It takes a lot for me to sit out a game. I just wanted to take care of it these last couple days and get rid of the soreness.”

There’s more out of the Windy City:

  • After appearing in two games with the Bulls this week following a two-month absence, Javonte Green appears to have suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery. Green has now sat for two straight games, and head coach Billy Donovan stated that the forward is struggling with “soreness and discomfort” the day after playing, Johnson tweets. Donovan has not indicated that the team intends to shut Green down for the rest of the year. After today, Chicago will have just eight games left in the regular season.
  • Donovan is convinced that young Bulls reserve combo guard Coby White, already a good shooter, has taken his defensive game to the next level this season, Johnson writes in a separate piece. “He’s playmaking,” Donovan said. “He’s passing. He’s driving. He’s making good decisions. He’s defending. He’s playing two ways.” White will be a restricted free agent this summer, and is making a case for Chicago to retain him with his improved play.
  • The next three games for the Bulls and starting point guard Patrick Beverley will be against two of Beverley’s former teams, the Lakers (twice) and Clippers. Beverley is hoping to knock the Lakers down the standings from their current No. 8 seed in the West, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “They’ve gotten better after the trade,” Beverley said of the Lakers. “The Bulls after the All-Star break, we’ve gotten better, and that’s what it’s all about. At the end of the day, we’re playing basketball. We’re not out there a UFC fighter or a boxing match. We’re able to compete at the highest level, and to do it on a stage in L.A. is always fun.’’
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