Kris Dunn Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kris Dunn Out Indefinitely After Entering Concussion Protocol

January 18th, 2018 at 6:06pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls will be without sophomore guard Kris Dunn for an indefinite period of time after he entered the league’s concussion protocol on Wednesday, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes.

Dunn fell awkwardly after a dunk Wednesday night, landing face first on the United Center floor. Initial test results suggested that Dunn had been cleared of concussion symptoms, but he did fall hard enough to chip and dislocate his two front teeth.

Dunn will not travel with the team when it leaves for a three-game road trip on Friday.

In what’s been widely regarded as a breakout season, Dunn has averaged 13.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Bulls. Backup point guard Jerian Grant is expected to slide into the starting lineup during Dunn’s absence.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Dunn, Future

January 2nd, 2018 at 9:09pm CST by marksuleymanov

Zach LaVine, the Bulls’ key acquisition in the offseason deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, is nearing his season debut after a pair of practices with Chicago’s G League affiliate, per NBA.com. LaVine has been rehabbing from a torn ACL he suffered with the Timberwolves last season.

LaVine, 22, was averaging a career-high 18.9 PPG last season before his year was cut short due to injury. Despite their poor 13-24 record, the Bulls have looked better recently, behind the return of Nikola Mirotic and strong play from Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. If LaVine can return to last year’s form — or anything close to it — Chicago will be incorporating an explosive guard who can score and dunk with the best of them. LaVine is a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner.

However, LaVine’s impending return could alter the Bulls’ lineup and playing time for players such as Dunn.

Check out other news out of the Bulls organization below:

Speaking of Dunn, he has emerged as a closer for the Bulls, a trusted player who the team wants to have the ball in his hands late in games, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. However, with LaVine’s return on the horizon, head coach Fred Hoiberg realizes the team could be adding the team’s best scoring weapon. “Yeah, he is another guy that can give you that,’’ Hoiberg said. “[LaVine] obviously gives you another really good shot-maker. Probably the best shot-maker on the team.’’
Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago gives a similar take on the LaVine situation. After Dunn failed to make a potential game-winning shot against the Trail Blazers, it served as a reminder that the Bulls are playing without arguably their best shooter in LaVine.
After that loss to the Trail Blazers, the once-surging Bulls may need to accept their reality for this season, ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell writes. If the Bulls choose not to break up the roster, the team could reach 30 wins — especially with LaVine due back soon — but the front office’s goal was and is to secure the strongest draft position possible.

Central Notes: Trade Deadline, Love, Dunn

December 27th, 2017 at 3:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Coach Stan Van Gundy, who is also the team’s president of basketball operations, doesn’t think the new trade deadline will have much of an impact. The trade deadline this season is February 8th, two weeks earlier than normal, so that it no longer dominates the chatter during All-Star weekend.

“I don’t think it will change anything,” he told Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors. “It’s just that the flurry of rumors and a few moves will happen at a little earlier date. It doesn’t matter where they put it.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Kevin Love was reluctant to make the switch to center but he understands that it gives the Cavaliers the best chance to beat the Warriors, as he tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “Yeah, I think there is something to be said for me playing the 5 and logging most of the minutes there,” Love said. “I think we match up better, maybe, but it’s just so hard to say without [Stephen Curry] being on the floor.”
Kris Dunn, who came to the Bulls in the Jimmy Butler trade, earned his spot in the starting lineup and coach Fred Hoiberg has confidence in the young playmaker. “The players see through it if you just give the position or starting spot or minutes,” said Hoiberg (via Sam Smith of NBA.com). “You have to earn it and Kris has. It’s [also] very important you have a guy you have confidence in who can make the right play down the stretch. We’ve trusted him and put the ball in his hands. And there’s his willingness to learn in a lot of situations.“

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Dunn, LaVine, Oladipo

December 24th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls have every reason to be pleased with the production they’ve gotten out of point guard Kris Dunn but that doesn’t mean that the second-year player is necessarily satisfied, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes.

“My offensive game is getting there, but that can be polished,” Dunn said, noting that his top priority for improvement is on the defensive side. In 11 December games for the Bulls, Dunn has averaged 15.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest.

Dunn credits Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg for putting the pressure on him to compete with Jerian Grant for the starting gig, a role that he didn’t formally take over until late November.

There’s more from the Central Division:

There may finally be a timetable for the return of Zach LaVine. Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago tweets that the guard will try to make it through six consecutive Bulls practices after December 30. If he does so without issue, he’ll play.
The Cavaliers will tip off against the Warriors on Christmas Day but don’t get it twisted, LeBron James‘ favorite place to play after Santa Claus comes is a bit further south at the Staples Center, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. Queue another onslaught of LeBron-to-L.A. hype.
The trade that sent Victor Oladipo from the Thunder to the Pacers appears to have motivated the 25-year-old, even if he doesn’t say so himself. “He’s come into the season with confidence, I think, to prove himself,” head coach Nate McMillan told Buddy Grizzard of Basketball Insiders. “After a couple moves from Orlando to OKC and then to Indy, there was a lot of conversation out there that the Pacers didn’t get enough in that trade. I think he is proving to the league that he does have talent. We are still learning what he’s capable of.“

Central Notes: Bulls, Wade, Parker

December 1st, 2017 at 5:51pm CST by Austin Kent

The draft day trade that sent Jimmy Butler from Chicago to Minnesota is starting to pay dividends for the Bulls, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. With Zach LaVine‘s return nearing, the overall haul the franchise got in return for its outgoing star is starting to round in to shape.

Both Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn have shown that they could be long-term Bulls building blocks in their own right, the former stepping up with 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a rookie and the latter showing the sheer, raw promise that made him such a highly touted lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Markkanen’s emergence has come quicker than expected thanks largely in part to the double-whammy that hit the Bulls prior to the regular season. When Bobby Portis decked Nikola Mirotic in practice before the season opener, the 20-year-old Finn was thrust into the starting lineup. To this point, he hasn’t looked back.

There’s more out of the Central Division tonight:

While it may have taken slightly longer than planned, the G League affiliate of the Bucks‘ will see their new arena open in Oshkosh, Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times writes. The Wisconsin Herd played their first three home games in the big league club’s stadium.
The Bucks brought in special assistance to help develop Jabari Parker while the 22-year-old recovers from an ACL injury, Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Former NBA head coach Frank Johnson impressed Jason Kidd during his tenure with the Suns back in the nineties and now works closely with the injured forward.
There was apprehension in the Cavaliers‘ locker room that the addition of Dwyane Wade would disrupt team chemistry, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic writes. In his own question-and-answer feature, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com sheds some light on which players, specifically, may have initially resisted the addition.

Central Notes: Dunn, Wade, Joseph

November 24th, 2017 at 6:07pm CST by Austin Kent

Without much of an opportunity to show what he was capable of as a rookie, Kris Dunn‘s production with the Bulls in his sophomore season has been particularly intriguing. As Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders writes, Dunn has been given a larger role than he saw with the Timberwolves and that’s paying off on both sides of the ball.

Not only has Dunn’s playing time increased with the Bulls, his role in the offense has too. The guard is averaging three-times the field-goal attempts that he put up last season and his percentage has climbed with increased usage.

Davies also notes that Dunn’s presence has had a drastic impact on the Bulls’ defensive success. While the team struggles in general with their defense, the club allows 6.9 fewer points per possession when Dunn is on the floor.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Cavaliers would consider moving Tristan Thompson for DeAndre Jordan if such an opportunity presented itself, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes in a question-and-answer with readers but the Cavs wouldn’t likely seriously pursue the Clippers big man unless they were convinced he was the missing piece necessary to take down Golden State.
Bench anchor Dwyane Wade is enjoying his time with the Cavaliers‘ second-unit, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. The 35-year-old has embraced the role of guiding the team’s attack off the pine.
The Pacers had long envied Cory Joseph before acquiring him this past offseason, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. “We’re very pleased with Cory. He’s always been a guy I’ve liked since he was playing in San Antonio and couple of years ago he had a real good series against us, played really well and was a big factor in the playoffs against us,” head coach Nate McMillan said, as the guard made his first appearance in Toronto following the deal.

Central Notes: Bledsoe, Grant, Dunn, Pistons

November 14th, 2017 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are now 3-0 since trading for Eric Bledsoe, and the veteran point guard believes even better things are ahead for his new club. Prior to Milwaukee’s win over the Grizzlies on Monday night, Bledsoe told Ashish Mathur of AmicoHoops.net that he’s still getting back in shape and getting familiar with his new teammates.

“It’s only going to get better,” Bledsoe said. “It’s only two games, bro. I can’t really go off two games. I haven’t played in two, three weeks. I’m still trying to get back into the flow of things. But as the season goes on, we’ll learn more about each other and our tendencies and where we like the ball.”

Meanwhile, Bledsoe’s arrival has pushed Malcolm Brogdon into a bench role, which has actually worked out well for the Bucks, who can no longer count on Greg Monroe to anchor the second unit. As Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, Milwaukee’s new-look bench has produced solid results so far, with Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova sharing ball-handling duties.

While the Bulls‘ power forward situation has drawn most of the headlines as of late, the club’s point guard situation is also worth watching, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who says that head coach Fred Hoiberg is still looking for “his” point guard. Jerian Grant and Kris Dunn are among the point guards vying for the lead role, and both players are expected to be in the starting lineup on Wednesday, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
The Pistons have been one of the NBA’s most pleasantly surprising teams in the first month of the 2017/18 season, but that hasn’t yet translated to good attendance numbers for the team’s new downtown arena. Rod Beard of The Detroit News takes a closer look.
Earlier this afternoon, I previewed the 2018 salary cap situations for all five Central teams.

Bulls Rumors: Portis, Grant, Lopez, Markkanen

November 6th, 2017 at 10:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bobby Portis will jump into the Bulls’ rotation when his eight-game suspension ends on Tuesday, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Portis, who was punished for punching and injuring teammate Nikola Mirotic during a scrimmage scuffle, will back up rookie Lauri Markkanen at power forward. “We do plan on Bobby being the backup four,” coach Fred Hoiberg told Smith and other media members. “We’ll see how the flow of the game is going and see if we can slide him down to the five and allow he and Lauri to play together for a stretch.” Hoiberg said the second unit needs the boost that Portis can provide. “Every time he steps on the floor and we need a jolt of energy, he can provide that for us,” he said. “He needs to continue to do those little things that have made him successful when he’s been on the floor his first couple years in the league.”

In other items concerning the Bulls:

Jerian Grant is looking more comfortable at point guard and has emerged as a true competitor to Kris Dunn for the starting job, as Smith examines in a separate piece. Grant posted a near triple-double against the Pelicans on Saturday with 13 points, eight rebounds and nine rebounds while Dunn played only 17 minutes and shot 2-for-9 from the field. “I was able to push the ball and find my teammates,” Grant told Smith and other reporters. “If I continue to do that we can win some games and be in a game with a team like that.”
Center Robin Lopez believes the team’s younger players shouldn’t simply be handed playing time, as he expressed to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “There’s something to be said for earning minutes,’’ Lopez said. “It kind of builds character. It’s just not going to work out perfectly all the time, but I’m a proponent of that.’’
Markkanen ranks second only to the Sixers’ Ben Simmons as a Rookie of the Year candidate, according to Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago.

Bulls Notes: Dunn, Grant, Payne, Mirotic

October 28th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg declared an “open” competition for the starting point guard slot after tonight’s 32-point loss to the Thunder, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Kris Dunn, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Minnesota, made his season debut after missing the first four games with a dislocated finger. Dunn fell on the finger, but Hoiberg said he was “fine” after the game.

Jerian Grant started his fifth straight game, but has been less than stellar as Chicago has compiled a 1-4 record. He was averaging 10.8 points and 7.3 assists coming into tonight, but was shooting 39.5% from the field and was just 1 of 10 from 3-point range. He missed all seven of his shots against OKC and finished with two points. Kay Felder, who was claimed off waivers earlier this month, is the third point guard.

There’s more news from Chicago:

Cameron Payne could become another candidate for that starting spot when he returns from offseason foot surgery. The Bulls’ decision to pick up his option Friday indicates they still see him as part of the future, notes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Payne saw limited playing time after being acquired from the Thunder at February’s deadline. “The thing with Cam, obviously came in during the middle of the season,’’ Hoiberg said, “came at a tough time. The biggest thing we saw, especially in the playoff prep when he was playing the role of Isaiah Thomas, he really showed an ability to get downhill, spray the ball out.’’ The team doesn’t expect Payne back on the court before the start of 2018.
Nikola Mirotic, who is still recovering from the damage caused by a punch from Bobby Portis, has been cleared for supervised activity at the team facility, but hasn’t started yet, tweets Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago. Hoiberg said it may happen tomorrow or Monday.
David Nwaba, who won a roster spot after being claimed off waivers in July, is making a case for more playing time, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The second-year guard is impressing teammates with his commitment to defense. “David is one of the best shot contesters I’ve played against,” said Justin Holiday. “Remember when he blocked [Kyle] Korver‘s shot? How many do you see block Korver’s shot?”

Bulls Exercise Options On Bobby Portis, Four Others

October 27th, 2017 at 4:26pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls have exercised options on all five of their eligible players, the team announced in a press release. That was the plan all along, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets.

Returning on third-year options in 2018/19 will be Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine while all of Jerian Grant, Cameron Payne and Bobby Portis will be back on fourth-year options.

While it makes sense for a rebuilding team to retain young players with promise, Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago tweeted on October 18 that the club hadn’t, at that point, made a decision about Portis.

Portis infamously hospitalized Nikola Mirotic in a team practice on October 17 and several stories have emerged in the last few days about internal doubts that the two will ever be able to co-exist in a Bulls locker room again.

As far as asset management goes, however, it makes sense for the Bulls to pick up the options on all of the capable young players as doing so doesn’t preclude them from making any moves with Mirotic, of Portis for that matter, in the future.

The exercised options of Dunn and Valentine are obvious choices. Both players, highly regarded entering their rookie campaigns in 2016/17, have shown flashes of why they were so revered in college. The raw but malleable assets are exactly the type of building blocks that a team in Chicago’s current position ought to be collecting.

In contrast, Grant, the club’s starting point guard thus far in 2018/19, is the most heavily utilized player of the bunch. Grant has posted averages of 10.8 points and an impressive 7.3 assists per game in a full starter’s workload through four games. He may end up ceding time and opportunity to Dunn, who is expected to return in a reserve role soon, but has done a fine job establishing himself in his third season.

The decision to exercise Payne’s fourth-year option seems natural considering that the team marketed him as a potential point guard of the future last season.

As the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson noted in a separate tweet, there remains internal belief that Payne could have an impact on the rebuilding team if he’s able to maintain his health. Payne has played just 88 games throughout the first three years of his career.