Jevon Carter

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, Caruso, Lillard, Craig, Trade Values

November 13th, 2023 at 1:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Ayo Dosunmu gave the Bulls a much-needed lift during Sunday’s victory over Detroit, according to Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times. After a sluggish first quarter that saw the Bulls down nine points, Dosunmu helped swing the momentum in their favor in the second period, spearheading a 22-4 run with his energy and defense.

“First thing I told him coming out was, ‘That quarter was because of you,’” forward DeMar DeRozan said. “The energy he brought, getting out in transition, the layups and getting those steals. I let him know that without him, that quarter would not have happened.”

Dosunmu finished with 13 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), three assists and three steals and was a game-high plus-19 in 27 minutes on the court, which was a season high. As Williams writes, Dosunmu also helped limit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham — Detroit’s leading scorer — to just 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

“I closed with [Dosunmu] today,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “You could have closed with Torrey [Craig]; you could have closed with Patrick [Williams]. I just elected to go with him because I thought he was playing really well on both ends of the floor. He was playing well defensively, in particular guarding Cunningham.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Alex Caruso, who missed Sunday’s game, is considered day-to-day due to a toe injury he sustained in practice, Williams adds in another story. As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets, Caruso is doubtful for Monday’s contest vs. Milwaukee, while Bucks star Damian Lillard, who has missed the past two games with calf soreness, is probable.
Pistons head coach Monty Williams spoke glowingly of Craig prior to Sunday’s matchup, Kyle Williams of The Sun-Times notes. Craig, who signed with Chicago as a free agent in the offseason, played under Monty Williams in Phoenix. “He’s just an everyday guy and has a great attitude,” he said of Craig. “You could coach him; you could talk to him about other stuff outside of basketball. He just became one of my favorite players. You can play him at any wing spot, and you can play a number of defenses with him, whether it’s switching, zone or man coverage.”
After 10 games, the Bulls sit at 4-6. That prompted Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic to list 10 observations from the early portion of the 2023/24 season. After the team brought back most of the same group, many of the same issues from last season are still present, according to Mayberry, including a sluggish offense and the poor fit of Chicago’s “big three.” Jevon Carter, who signed with his hometown team as a free agent over the summer, has been a bright spot. But the Bulls need to shake things up and trades should be coming at some point, says Mayberry.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype projects the trade values of DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams and Caruso, writing that Caruso might fetch the most in return due to his “elite defense” and “relatively small annual salary.” Caruso is under contract for $19.4MM over the next two seasons.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, DeRozan, Caruso, Terry, Phillips, Carter

November 11th, 2023 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rival teams are keeping an eye on the Bulls amid their slow start, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Friday on “NBA Today” (hat tip to Bleacher Report). Chicago is 13th in the East with a 3-6 record, leading to speculation that changes could be coming soon.

“In talking to some people around the league, the scouts are jamming themselves into Bulls games because they realize that at some point, the Bulls may break this team up,” Windhorst said. “And they’re all gathering intelligence like, ‘What’s gonna happen with the Bulls?'”

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are expected to be in demand if Chicago decides to shake up its roster. There has been speculation that the Sixers may pursue LaVine with the assets they got in the James Harden deal, although one subsequent report said the Bulls have “no intention” of trading the high-scoring guard. DeRozan is playing on an expiring $28.6MM contract and hasn’t been able to work out an extension, so the team may be more inclined to part with him if it becomes a seller.

There’s more from Chicago:

Alex Caruso would be a valuable trade chip if the Bulls decided to move him, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Even though he comes off the bench and his value is primarily on defense, Caruso has been the team’s most valuable player so far this season, according to Mayberry. Caruso would be a valuable addition for anyone aiming to win right away and he’s signed for one more year at a team-friendly $9.9MM, Mayberry adds. A Caruso deal could help the Bulls replenish their depleted draft capital.
Dalen Terry, a first-round pick in 2022, has been assigned to the G League several times already this season while rookie Julian Phillips has remained with the Bulls, but coach Billy Donovan said that’s not reflective of their standing on the team, Mayberry states in the same piece. “Dalen had a whole year last year with the group,” Donovan said. “He was down in the G League some but not necessarily a lot. I think getting Julian acclimated to NBA life, around our team, practices, the flow, those kinds of things, is important. There will be a time when he’ll end up going down there and playing in games.”
DeRozan said he never liked Jevon Carter as an opponent because of his tenacity on defense and his mismatched shoes. Carter explained to Mayberry that the different-color sneakers were a way to get attention for the AND1 brand when he wasn’t playing regularly.

Bulls Notes: White, Williams, Grades, Phillips, Preseason

October 21st, 2023 at 12:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bulls guard Coby White and forward Patrick Williams are going to be a part of Chicago’s starting lineup barring something unforeseen, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

White, in particular, impressed in the preseason and during training camp, averaging 13.2 points and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 54.3% from the field. He beat out Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter for the starting job.

“I haven’t done nothing yet,” White said. “If I am the starting point guard, I have to keep growing obviously. I want to be a leader of this team. Being vocal, controlling the team, getting teammates in spots where they like the ball and picking my times to be aggressive and get to the paint and force kick outs and just continue to create. I feel like the main thing for me coming into training camp was expanding on my leadership role.”

Williams averaged 11.0 points in five preseason games and while he didn’t shoot well (38.5% from the floor), he finished the preseason on a strong note by playing aggressively, Johnson notes.

“I think Patrick continues to evolve. He has played well,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “I think you also look at a fact of bringing Jevon, Alex [Caruso] and Torrey [Craig], there’s a good defensive mentality and energy there.”

We have more Bulls-related notes:

White is among the biggest winners of the preseason, earning a ‘B’ grade from The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry, who says the 23-year-old looked comfortable in the lead guard role and could be a breakout player this season. Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Dosunmu, Torrey Craig and Carter joined White in earning ‘B’ grades while Williams and Dalen Terry both earned a ‘D,’ the lowest grade Mayberry gave out. Mayberry explains that Williams needs to become more consistent and Terry may need more time in the G League.
Every NBA team develops its own version of small-ball lineups built on defense that can take advantage of slower teams, and rookie Julian Phillips may be able to find a role in such a lineup, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Phillips is is incredibly bouncy and could take over the small-ball five role left vacated by the departure of Derrick Jones Jr., Cowley adds. “That’s definitely something we harp on a lot – defense,” Phillips said. “You get that shot … you have to have that mentality that all five guys are going to stay connected. You get that opportunity, you need to be ready to defend at that level, lock down somebody.“
Even though the Bulls figured out their regular season starting lineup early in the preseason, they left plenty of boxes on their camp to-do list unchecked, Cowley opines in another piece. Those unchecked boxes include utilizing Vucevic as a passing hub, which the big man says is “still a work in progress,” their play on the defensive end of the ball, and what the rotation will look like. K.C. Johnson agreed the Bulls have a long way to go on defense and will need to improve in that area.

Alex Caruso Discusses Starting Role, DPOY Dreams, Play-In Finish, More

October 8th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bulls guard Alex Caruso offered some clarity about which position he prefers to play in an extensive conversation with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“The power forward one is not my favorite,” Caruso, who started at both the point guard and power forward positions at various points last year, told Johnson. “It took a toll on me the second half. It was rough. That’s one of the added benefits I think I bring to a team. I feel I’m pretty unselfish.”

Caruso addressed the possibility that he may not start games with the club this year.

“I’ve talked to (head coach) Billy (Donovan) and some of the assistants about being more selfish at times,” Caruso said. “It’s almost putting a burden on the team when I’m not selfish at times, when I pass up shots or pass up opportunities to be aggressive or to speak up. So this starting stuff is what it is. I’d rather play late in the game than early in the game. When it counts, I want to be on the court.”

Caruso, who made an All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career last season, did not start in Chicago’s first preseason game on Sunday, a 105-102 loss to a Bucks team missing stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.

Their entire chat is well worth reading in full. Here are some highlights:

Caruso on his next goals for end-of-season hardware:

“The way [Defensive Player of the Year] is kind of voted on and based off of now is the interior has the upper hand on that just because of blocks and rebounds. I probably don’t have enough of those to be under consideration. But you never know. I might have an incredible year.”

On how the Bulls’ two big new signings, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, can positively impact the team:

“We’ve already seen it. There was one play in practice today where me and Ayo (Dosunmu) got a stop and then Torrey got a block and Jevon got a strip and we got another stop. If we have me and Ayo and Drum (Andre Drummond) on that second unit and we add those two pieces, it’s going to be hard to get a good shot off against that second unit if we’re locked in. Once we do, we have multiple ball-handlers and can break out and run a little bit. I’m excited. They fit really well for the mentality that me and Ayo and Drum have played with the last couple years.”

On how he felt watching the Heat advance to the NBA Finals after narrowly beating Chicago during their play-in game:

“The playoffs are so matchup-based and Jimmy (Butler) was going crazy in that first round against the Bucks. That propelled them. Who knows what would’ve happened if we had won that game? I thought we played so well. It was almost the opposite of Toronto where I thought Toronto played better than us for two-and-a-half, three quarters and then we kind of won the game late. I thought we played better than Miami for the majority of that game and it was a better matchup for us. We had won the season series. And then they just made more plays and more shots down the stretch.

“Basketball is a make-or-miss league. But I don’t think back to that game as much as I do to four or five games during the season that we should’ve won. We should beat the teams that are under .500, definitely at home. And then you’re not even in the play-in game. And that didn’t sit well with me as I tried to sleep at night.”

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, Williams, Craig, Donovan

October 5th, 2023 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu said he’s embracing the opportunity he has in training camp after an uneven second season. With Lonzo Ball still injured, there’s an open competition for the starting point guard role that also involves Jevon Carter and Coby White. The team invested in all three players this summer, re-signing Dosunmu and White while adding Carter in free agency.

“Ultimately, I think that competition is going to help our team in the long run,” Dosunmu said. “We go at each other and try to kill each other in practice. When we’re on the court together, it’s going to make our team much more smooth. Me going into my third year and our core group being together pretty much the same time, it’s getting time for us to turn the corner.”

After falling to the second round in the 2021 draft, Dosunmu became a contributor right away in his first season, starting 40 of the 77 games he played and earning second-team All-Rookie honors. With only a two-year contract, he got to test the market earlier than most players and decided that staying in Chicago was his best move.

“I came into free agency with an open mind that I could be playing anywhere,” Dosunmu said. “Put my feelings aside and basically try to secure what’s best for me and my game and my family for the future. Ultimately with praying, leaving it up to God, that was my path, to sign back with the Bulls.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Coach Billy Donovan said Patrick Williams will play an integral role this season, but the specifics are still being defined, Johnson adds in another story. Williams worked with the starters on the first day of training camp, but Donovan used Torrey Craig with that unit on Wednesday and plans to give Alex Caruso some time at power forward as well. “I think every player wants to start,” Williams said. “But I want to come in and play my game, however that plays out with the coaching staff. Part of being on a team is you have to trust the people you’re on a team with. You have to trust the plan they have for you. You might have to sacrifice.”
Craig believes he can provide something the Bulls have been lacking, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “A little bit of toughness,” he said, “a little bit of an edge for guys with raw emotion to say how they feel and wear those emotions on their sleeve.’’ Cowley notes that Patrick Beverley provided those same qualities when he signed with Chicago in February, but he left for Philadelphia during the offseason.
The Bulls’ added depth has Donovan contemplating a 10-man rotation, Cowley states in a separate story. Donovan may need the team to get off to a fast start, as oddsmakers have him listed as a 4-1 favorite as the first coach to be fired this season, according to the Sun-Times.

Bulls Notes: DeRozan, LaVine, Ball, Vucevic, Carter, Luxury Tax

October 2nd, 2023 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan is headed to unrestricted free agency next summer unless he signs an extension. He said he’ll let his agent, Aaron Goodwin, concentrate on that issue, according to ESPN News Services.

“I have an agent. He deals with it and I tell him to leave me the hell alone so I can focus on my five kids,” DeRozan said. “I’m not kidding you. I try not to focus on that and let him handle what he needs to handle.”

Executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas says he’s in active discussions with Goodwin regarding an extension for DeRozan, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

DeRozan is hoping to stay with the Bulls and lift them to greater heights rather than pushing to join an established contender.

“For me, it’s all about understanding what we can do to win. How we can win,” he said. “Obviously, this is a place I want to be. You can take that out of the equation.”

We have more on the Bulls:

The Zach LaVine trade rumors never completely go away, but he feels he showed his loyalty to the organization last year when he signed a long-term contract, Bulls Talk tweets. “I committed to the Bulls when I signed here, and I’ll be committed to the Bulls until I leave,” he said. “That’s not my decision. I made my decision to be here.”
Lonzo Ball, who will miss the season after undergoing cartilage transplant surgery, said he’s “about halfway through the rehab process,” Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets. Ball is aiming to return for the 2024/25 season.
Nikola Vucevic felt an obligation to return to the Bulls, noting they gave up a lot of assets to Orlando when they acquired him, Mayberry tweets. “Chicago traded for me. They brought me here. They gave up a lot for me,” he said. “And so I felt a responsibility to come back and help the team do better than we did. I don’t know what that will be in the end. But that’s just kind of how I felt.” He inked a three-year, $60MM contract extension prior to free agency.
The Bucks and Celtics have stolen the headlines in the East with blockbuster trades just before training camp. Jevon Carter, who played for Milwaukee last season, said he’s not concerned about what’s going on outside of Chicago, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes. “Thoughts on Milwaukee and Boston? I don’t really care. I’m a Chicago Bull,” he said. “I’m not really thinking about Boston or Milwaukee.”
Karnišovas said the team’s performance will impact whether or not ownership enters luxury tax territory, Johnson adds in the same story. “I think we’re at the point where we’re going to go into the luxury tax if we’re confirming this is the group. I think this is just giving more time for this group to figure it out. And I think once you have consistent success, you can go for it,” Karnišovas said.

Central Notes: Payne, Harris, Hayes, Wiseman, Williams, White, Carter

October 1st, 2023 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The addition of Cameron Payne gives the Bucks a more complete roster, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. New coach Adrian Griffin doesn’t have to get create with the backup point guard spot behind Damian Lillard, as Payne projects to fill that role ably.

The Bucks have other point guard options on two-way contracts in TyTy Washington and Lindell Wigginton, but their 15-man roster hadn’t included a backup point guard in recent months.

We have more from the Central Division:

Uncovering how Monty Williams plans to utilize Joe Harris and whether Killian Hayes and James Wiseman — lottery picks not signed beyond this season — can establish roles are a couple of the training camp questions looming for the Pistons, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes.
It seems as if every season is pivotal for Bulls forward Patrick Williams and this one is no different, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times opines. Williams played in every game in 2022/23 and has shown he can be a difference-maker defensively. He also shot 41.5% from 3-point range last season. However, his overall offensive contributions and rebounding are still not up to par, Cowley writes.
The battle between Coby White and newcomer Jevon Carter for minutes at the point is just one of the training camp questions looming for the Bulls, Cowley writes in a separate story. Torrey Craig could also push Williams for minutes, given his superior rebounding numbers.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago concurs that the Bulls‘ starting jobs at point guard and power forward are up for grabs with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević the only surefire starters.

Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Starting Point Guard, Terry

September 27th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked by Mark Medina of Sportskeeda about the belief in some corners of the Bulls fanbase that the team should embrace a rebuild, veteran forward DeMar DeRozan pushed back against the idea that such a reset is necessary.

“I think a lot of people who say that or suggest that really don’t understand basketball at all, in my opinion,” DeRozan said. “You can think that’s an answer or that’s a route. But there’s no telling how long that route is going to even last. That route doesn’t necessarily always work in a timely fashion that you may think it will take. With that, it’s hard to find and create talented players like the players that we already have assembled.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” DeRozan continued. “It’s not only on the players, but the coaching staff as well to be able to correct the mistakes that we have because we weren’t far off at all with the mistakes that we’ve had. If we correct those, give us back the 10 to 15 games that we should’ve had last season. That changes the whole dynamic of everything.

“It’s always easy when something goes bad just to say, ‘Scratch it.’ But you really don’t know where you’ll end up from there. So when I hear people say that, it lets me know and understand that they don’t understand basketball at all.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

In that same interview with Medina, DeRozan expressed interest in representing Team USA in the 2024 Olympics and said he’d be interested in signing a contract extension to remain in Chicago. “That’s a place I want to be and end my career,” the six-time All-Star said. “I want to be able to accomplish everything I’ve set out to accomplish. That’s all I can worry about and control. I have the utmost confidence in myself. I’ll let my agent and the organization deal with that side of things, to be honest, man. From their standpoint, they want me to be there long-term and vice versa. We’ll see what happens from there.”
Appearing on The Score (WSCR-AM 670) in Chicago on Wednesday, Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said the the team’s starting point guard job is expected to be up for grabs in training camp, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I think it’s going to be competition, fierce competition. It’s going to be a lot of good guards,” Karnisovas said. “That’s mentality we’re going into training camp (with.) I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be hard for Billy (Donovan).” The Bulls added Jevon Carter this offseason to join Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Alex Caruso in the mix at point guard.
In a separate story for NBC Sports Chicago, Johnson explores how Milwaukee’s impending acquisition of Damian Lillard will impact the Bulls.
After appearing in just 38 games and averaging only 5.6 minutes per night as a rookie, 2022 first-rounder Dalen Terry worked hard this summer in the hopes of getting the opportunity to earn a bigger role in his second NBA season, he tells Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “You know me, I’ve always got confidence,” Terry said. “That’s not something I ever lack. But I think confidence comes with work, and I know how hard I busted my ass this whole summer.”

Bulls Notes: Vucevic, Ball, Carter, Hometown Players

August 31st, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Lonzo Ball‘s status was a distraction for the Bulls for much of last season, Nikola Vucevic admits in an interview with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. After being acquired during the 2021 offseason, Ball led Chicago to the top of the Eastern Conference in his first two months with the team, but he hasn’t played since because of a knee injury that has required three surgeries. Vucevic said the organization was counting on Ball’s return early last season, but complications kept pushing that back.

“It was kind of like, ‘Oh, when he comes back, it’s going to be fixed.’ Early on, it was, ‘Oh, six weeks,’ then, ‘Now it’s eight weeks,’ and then, ‘January’ and ‘Maybe playoffs.’ For us, it was tricky, because we kept waiting for him,” Vucevic recalled. “And now, at least we know he’s not there. We’ve got some new teammates, some good signings that will help us. And so now it’s on us as players to figure it out and find a way to have a better year.”

Ball and team officials have already stated that he won’t be available for the upcoming season after undergoing cartilage transplant surgery in March. Vucevic said he empathizes with his teammate as he tries to work his way back from the injury and handles the negative reaction from the public and the media.

“You feel for the guy. He’s such a good player. And to have to deal with all that, it’s very difficult,” Vucevic said. “I mean, he’s been very positive about it. He keeps trying to find ways to get back on the floor. There’s a lot of stuff people can’t see. You can’t see him do rehab. You can’t see all the stuff that he does to get back on the court.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

Vucevic is excited about Chicago’s roster additions, believing Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter will bring much-needed toughness on defense, Fischer adds. “Just guys that like to do the dirty work that doesn’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet, but is very important to the team,” Vucevic said. “We need those things badly.”
Carter is the latest Chicago-area native to play for the Bulls, joining a list that includes Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Beverley, observes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Carter was a popular player at Bulls Fest, as fans were eager to interact with a player who grew up in the city. “When we can go out and get kids who can check a lot of boxes on the court, it’s definitely a bonus when they’re from Chicago,” general manager Marc Eversley said. “There’s just a certain pride that I think those kids wear on their chest. Anytime you can have a Chicago kid playing for the Chicago Bulls, (it) is a really, really special thing.”
Bucks writer Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel appeared on the latest edition of Bulls Talk to discuss Carter’s role with the team and the challenge that former Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin faces as the new head coach in Milwaukee.

Central Notes: Portis, Pistons, White, Carter

August 27th, 2023 at 1:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks reserve big man Bobby Portis recently spoke about his experience playing on the FIBA World Cup roster for Team USA, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops writes.

Portis reflected on how this year’s iteration of Team USA hopes to improve on its 2019 predecessor’s No. 7 finish in the most recent World Cup.

“This is a totally different team, not one guy who played in that FIBA World Cup team is on this team and we are just trying to re-identify ourselves, play for each other, play for the name in front of the jersey and that’s the biggest things in those tournaments,” Portis said.

Portis went on to acknowledge that he has something of an international following, especially from the fans of Team USA’s next scheduled opponent, Team Greece, thanks to his Milwaukee comrades Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

“Giannis and Thanasis are like my brothers and, during the season, I go through my social media and I see tons of fans from Greece, tagging me in photos, DMing me, so it’s pretty cool to see fans from all over the world being fans of myself,” Portis said.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

After several lottery-bound seasons, the Pistons are hoping to take a leap with a talented young roster. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press identifies five Detroit players who – to his mind – have the most to prove in 2023/24, including 2021 No. 1 draft pick Cade Cunningham, who missed most of last season due to an injury; recently re-signed big man Isaiah Stewart; and former top-10 selections Killian Hayes and James Wiseman.
With Coby White now re-signed to a lucrative, multi-year contract, and 3-and-D Chicago native Jevon Carter also in the fold, the Bulls will have a major positional battle for their starting point guard role when training camp tips off, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley notes that White may have a bit of an edge thanks to his built-in chemistry with his teammates, most notably another re-signed Bull, center Nikola Vucevic, in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop actions.
In case you missed it, Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball expressed his belief that he will, at some point, return to the hardwood. Ball has been sidelined since January 2022 with a knee injury, and three surgeries later, he has already been ruled out for the entirety of the 2023/24 season.

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