Doug McDermott Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Roundup: Mahinmi, Noel, Thomas, Ezeli

November 17th, 2016 at 9:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Wizards center Ian Mahinmi could return to practice on a limited basis next week, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. Mahinmi underwent left knee surgery on October 15th to repair cartilage. The initial recovery period for his return to action was 4-6 weeks, according to Michael. The former Pacers big man signed a four-year, $64MM contract with Washington over the summer despite the presence of Marcin Gortat.

In other injury-related news around the league:

Sixers big man Nerlens Noel could return to Philadelphia this week to continue his rehabilitation from a left knee injury, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Noel underwent surgery during training camp to repair inflamed tissue above the knee after appearing in just one preseason game.
Knicks forward Lance Thomas has a bone bruise in his left ankle and is out indefinitely, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Thomas has played in eight games off the bench, averaging 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes. Justin Holiday will likely pick up most of his minutes.
Bulls small forward Doug McDermott could miss the team’s entire six-game road trip because of a concussion, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. McDermott entered the concussion protocol for the second time this season after a hard fall on Saturday. McDermott has appeared in nine games this season, averaging 10.6 points. Nikola Mirotic will need to be a bigger factor with McDermott sidelined.
Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli is receiving another medical opinion on his left knee injury, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. The former Warriors reserve, who signed a two-year, $16MM contract to join Portland, hasn’t appeared in a game this season since undergoing a knee procedure this summer.
Jazz power forward Derrick Favors will be sidelined “for a while,” coach Quin Snyder told Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Favors was diagnosed with a bone contusion in his left knee on Wednesday. Trey Lyles will likely take Favors’ starting spot while he mends.

Bulls Pick Up Options On McDermott, Portis, Grant

October 28th, 2016 at 4:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls announced via press release that they have exercised their fourth-year option on Doug McDermott and the third-year options for Jerian Grant and Bobby Portis. McDermott will earn $3,294,994 in 2017/18, Portis will be on the books for $1,516,320 and Grant will earn $1,713,840 as a result of their options being picked up by Chicago.

McDermott appeared in 81 games last season after appearing in only 36 contests during his rookie season. The forward out of Creighton owns career averages of 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 44.5% from the field overall, 41% from beyond the three-point line and 82.8% from the charity stripe. McDermott was selected with the No. 11 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and came to the Bulls in a draft-night deal with the Nuggets.

Grant was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2015 Draft by the Knicks, who acquired the selection in a trade with the Hawks. In his rookie year, Grant played in 76 games and posted averages of 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 16.6 minutes per game. His 78% free-throw percentage ranked sixth among all rookies.

Portis appeared in 62 games during the 2015/16 season. In his rookie year, he became the first Bull to record 20 points and 10 rebounds in one of his first five career games since 1999. He averaged 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 17.8 minutes per game while shooting 42.7% from the field, 30.8% from behind the arc and 72.7% from the free-throw line.

Central Notes: Lawson, Bird, McDermott

July 20th, 2016 at 6:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ty Lawson feels “overlooked” in free agency and tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated the team that signs him is going to get a significant bargain. Lawson says he never really felt comfortable with the Rockets or Pacers last season after being traded away from Denver during the summer. Lawson quickly lost his starting spot in Houston and averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists over 53 games. The Pacers picked him up after the Rockets waived him, and he saw just 18.1 minutes per night in 13 games with Indiana. Lawson, whose reputation has suffered after four DUI arrests and a stint in rehab, says he managed to stay clean last season and is ready to prove that he is still an elite player. “It would be big to be back to my old self again,” he said. “Also, it’s not for just me, it’s for my parents. They have had a hard time seeing what I’ve been going through. I know they hear the little comments at NBA games. To make them proud again would mean the world to me.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird has done almost a complete roster rebuild in three seasons, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. Paul George is the only player left from the team that reached the Eastern Conference finals in back-to-back seasons. Bird’s latest move came when he signed ex-Bull Aaron Brooks to serve as a backup to recently acquired point guard Jeff Teague. In addition to the roster turnover, Bird made a coaching chance this summer, firing Frank Vogel and replacing him with Nate McMillan.
Doug McDermott thinks Dwyane Wade is just what the Bulls needed to become a contender in the East again, relays Sam Smith of Bulls.com. McDermott, who is coming off a breakthrough second season in the NBA, is part of the select squad that is practicing this week with the U.S. Olympic team. He bristles at the suggestion that Chicago doesn’t have enough outside shooting with Wade expected to start next to Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler. “People have been questioning bringing in D. Wade and Rondo, saying they don’t fit [coach Fred Hoiberg‘s] style,” McDermott said. “But we have four or five guys coming off the bench who really do fit Fred’s style and we can gel with those other guys, the superstars. You know Fred will make it work; he’s a brilliant offensive mind and we’re figuring it out defensively as we go along.”

Central Notes: Thibodeau, Pacers, Jackson

May 14th, 2016 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said it was painful to watch the team struggle to a non-playoff season, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago. Now president and coach of the Timberwolves, Thibodeau discussed the Bulls as he returned to Chicago for this week’s draft combine. “I think Derrick [Rose] after the first couple months, played very well and it was great to see him healthy,” Thibodeau said. “He went through four years that were difficult. I think Jimmy [Butler] continues to improve and get better. Pau [Gasol] was terrific. Doug McDermott had a terrific season and Niko [Mirotic] was inconsistent but he finished strong. There were a lot of pluses and one or two games go a different way and if Joakim [Noah] doesn’t get hurt, this is a terrific team. They need their health. For me, just looking from afar, that’s the biggest thing for this team.” Thibodeau also supported the coach who took his place, Fred Hoiberg, and said he expects the Bulls to become contenders again next season.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The Pacers will hold a workout on Tuesday for Indiana small forward Troy Williams, Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins and others, tweets Jeff Rabjohns of Basketball Times. High schooler Thon Maker will work out for the Pacers on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Maryland power forward Robert Carter Jr. had an interview with the Pacers at the draft combine, tweets Scott Agness of VigilantSports.
The Bucks will likely be looking for backcourt help in next month’s draft, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee enters Tuesday’s draft lottery with the No. 10 pick, along with second-rounders at No. 36 and No. 38. GM John Hammond insists the team will employ the “best-player-available” strategy, but Gardner says it’s obvious the Bucks need better guard play. One possibility could be Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson, who interviewed with Milwaukee during the draft combine. “[Bucks coach] Jason Kidd is awesome,” Jackson said. “I do my research before I go in there. I’m naming off some of his accomplishments — nine-time all-NBA defender. At the next level I really want to be an elite NBA defender. It’s cool to meet some of these people you see on TV.”

Bulls Exercise Options On McDermott, Snell

October 30th, 2015 at 3:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls have exercised their third-year team option on small forward Doug McDermott and fourth-year team option on swingman Tony Snell, the team announced. Both options are for the 2016/17 campaign, when McDermott is set to earn $2,483,040 and Snell is due $2,368,327. These moves now give Chicago approximately $64.75MM in guaranteed salary committed for next season.

McDermott, 23, appeared in 36 contests last season during a disappointing rookie campaign when he averaged 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds on 40.2% shooting. His defensive shortcomings no doubt played a part in limiting his minutes to 8.9 per game under former coach Tom Thibodeau, though McDermott failed to impress on the offensive end of the court when he was able to crack Chicago’s rotation. The former No. 11 overall pick has certainly looked more comfortable in Fred Hoiberg‘s system, though the sample size remains small.

The 23-year-old Snell is known primarily for his defensive abilities, as well as his high-energy style of play. Snell appeared in 72 games during the 2014/15 season, including 22 starts, and he notched averages of 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest. His career numbers are 5.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.9 RPG to accompany a slash line of .408/.349/.780.

Central Notes: Rose, McDermott, Van Gundy

December 20th, 2014 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls may have to adjust to life with an “ordinary” Derrick Rose, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. The former MVP is averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds in the 13 games he has been healthy enough to play this season, while shooting 41.4% — all far below his usual standards. “The thing about Derrick, he is the same person, he’s the same player,” teammate Taj Gibson said. “[The media] is so hypocritical in what he does. You got to understand, he’s playing with hamstring injuries. That stuff is tough. Track runners sit out after getting their hamstrings hurt.” Rose’s contract runs through 2016/17 and is worth a total of approximately $41.4MM over the final two seasons.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls‘ Doug McDermott is focused on returning as soon as possible from his meniscus tear, reports Sam Smith of Bulls.com. McDermott said he was “shocked” to learn the MRI results. His prognosis is three to six weeks out of action, but the rookie is hoping to cut that down. “I’m trying to take it as a positive,” McDermott said, “settle down and take a deep breath and learn from Jimmy [Butler] and Mike [Dunleavy] and watch them play and watch [coach Tom Thibodeau] and how everyone reacts on the floor. I think it will be a good thing to watch practice every day and get better.”
Give Stan Van Gundy a second chance at the offseason, and David Mayo of MLive believes several things would have turned out differently. Mayo speculates that if Van Gundy, the Pistons‘ coach and president of basketball operations, knew what he knows now, he would have traded Josh Smith to the Kings, spent money on a high-profile wing player and not connected any other moves to Greg Monroe‘s decision. The writer also believes the team would have passed on Aaron Gray and Cartier Martin.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd tells Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report that he has no regrets about leaving the Nets. Kidd said Brooklyn’s front office was leaning toward letting him go after a slow start last season, then agreed to let Milwaukee talk to him about the coaching job in the summer. “Everybody can run with their conspiracy theories or power struggles,” Kidd said. “But at the end of the day, Milwaukee asked Brooklyn for permission and they granted it.” The Bucks dealt two second-round picks to the Nets in July for the rights to Kidd.

Central Notes: McDermott, Mirotic, Waiters

December 14th, 2014 at 10:56am CST by ChrisCrouse

Doug McDermott will likely be sidelined for six to eight weeks following surgery by team physicians to repair a small meniscus tear in his right knee, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago tribune (Twitter link). Before the injury, McDermott was off to a slow start to the season averaging just 3.2 points per game in 11.6 minutes per game for the Bulls.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

A series of injuries on the Bulls have created an opportunity for Nikola Mirotic and he has thrived in his increased role, writes Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. Mirotic’s teammates are certainly noticing the stellar play of the forward. “Niko, he doesn’t know how good he is right now,” Derrick Rose said. “He can rebound, he can cut, he can pass. I don’t know what he can’t do on the floor.” Mirotic is shooting 43.9% from the field in 17.7 minutes per game during his rookie campaign.
Cavs guard Dion Waiters chalks up his improved play to an attitude adjustment, writes Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Waiters’ role and minutes on the team have fluctuated and he was the subject of trade talks earlier this season. The up-and-down playing time clearly bothered the former fourth overall pick. “I would be mad before I even got in the game,” Waiters told Haynes. “I was mad, [but] it is what it is.” Now, Waiters is more understanding of his role in Cleveland and understands the team’s intention is to help him improve. “I was just fighting myself, man,” Waiters said. “That’s what I was doing. I just left it alone. I’m going to make the best of it. I’ve got good people in my corner who actually care for me. I’ll be good.”
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most improved sophomores in the league, opines Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Coach Jason Kidd believes Antetokounmpo’s increase in free-throw attempts have been key to his success. “He’s learning how to play without having to score the ball, say shooting threes or shooting jump shots. He can live at the free-throw line. Some of the top players in this league, that’s what they do,” said Kidd. The forward has already shot 98 free-throw attempts in just 24 games this season after only shooting 202 attempts in 77 games last year.

Eastern Notes: Aldemir, Young, McDermott

December 12th, 2014 at 10:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers‘ potential signing of Furkan Aldemir to a four-year deal was first reported back on November 24th. But since then, there have been numerous issues with getting the agreement finalized. Aldemir’s Turkish club was initially reluctant to let him out of his contract, and once that hurdle was taken care of, Aldemir was then said to be awaiting his FIBA letter of clearance which would allow him to sign with an NBA team. It’s been almost two weeks since there has been any movement on bringing Aldemir to Philly, and Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News tweets that it still doesn’t look like the signing will be completed anytime soon, if at all.

Here’s more from the East:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens gave an update on James Young, who injured his shoulder during a D-League game earlier this week, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports (Twitter link). Stevens said that Young has a “little bit of muscular damage” in his right shoulder, and will rehab the injury in an attempt to avoid surgery. Young is currently listed as being out indefinitely.
The Bulls have announced in a press release that rookie forward Doug McDermott will have arthroscopic surgery on Saturday to repair damage to his right knee and will be out indefinitely. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com was the first to report this news (Twitter link). In 17 appearances this season McDermott is averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game.
The sale of the Hawks is moving more swiftly than before, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt notes. There has been little chatter regarding the sale since late October, when it was still unclear just what percentage of the team would be on the market.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Anthony, McDermott, Haywood

November 20th, 2014 at 9:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In an interview with Eli Saslow of ESPN: The Magazine (hat tip to Marc Berman of The New York Post), Carmelo Anthony said that coming to New York to play for the Knicks distorted his reputation and did not enhance it. “I’m more misunderstood than most people,” Anthony said. “As an athlete, you don’t really have a voice. Everything you say or do, people have a million opinions about it, so it doesn’t really get heard the way you want it to get heard. People are putting things on you and shaping your reputation, and you don’t really have control. People say I am all about more money, but it’s not like that. It’s about having the appearance of someone with success. Image and reputation matter to me. If you’re being honest, they matter to everybody. Money is about people thinking of you as someone who does well.”

Here’s more from the east:

Anthony also added that he isn’t fond of critics opining before each season on whether he will finally prove himself as a winner. “People say every year is the one that will determine if I’m great or terrible, if I’ve met expectations or been a disappointment,” Anthony said. “To be honest with you, I’m tired of it.” With the Knicks‘ record a disappointing 3-10, it doesn’t look like this will be the season ‘Melo silences his critics.
Despite entering the league with four years of college experience and having won numerous awards during that time, Doug McDermott admitted that it’s not easy being a rookie and that he is still trying to find his way with the Bulls, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes. “I’m still kind of establishing a role to be honest,” McDermott said. “It’s still really early, and I’m just trying to get my feet wet and learn more things defensively and the playbook, and everything’s coming along great. So I’m making steps, but I think it’s still early and I think I can have a really good role on this team, not just as a shooter, but overall just a good role.”
Brendan Haywood understands that the appeal of his non-guaranteed contract for next season makes him a more valuable trade asset than on-the-court contributor for the Cavs, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “I don’t worry about it because at the end of the day, I can’t do anything about it,” Haywood said. “If somebody views my contract as an asset or the team feels they can get something in that can help them or shed salary, they’re going to do what they’re going to do because that’s what they have to do.”

Central Notes: Rose, Van Gundy, Waiters

July 29th, 2014 at 7:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As Derrick Rose inches closer toward his return to NBA action in 2014/15 following a season-ending injury last season, Kevin Pelton of ESPN explains why the Bulls superstar is better preparing himself by starting his adjustment period against some of the league’s best point guards in Team USA camp rather than waiting until Bulls training camp in the fall to begin playing at a high level (Insiders only). With that aside, here’s more of what we’ve gathered out of the Central Division this evening:

Rose outlined what his pitch to Carmelo Anthony had been as he spoke with reporters, including Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. Rose’s message was simple, but it was seemingly more than just the brief hello that one report had indicated was the extent of the contact between the two stars.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that the team had to be more aggressive in its pitches to free agents this summer because of its lack of success on the court of late, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press notes.
Dion Waiters and Andrew Wiggins have both been in plenty of trade chatter, but if they both remain with the Cavs, only one of them seems likely to start. Waiters isn’t demanding that he be the starter, but he’s resolute in his belief that he’s the man for the job, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Doug McDermott is aware that his name is being attached in trade talks regarding Kevin Love; however, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Bulls rookie hasn’t asked the front office to keep him updated on those rumors as he waits to see what happens.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.