Lonzo Ball

Bulls Notes: Buzelis, Ball, NBA Cup, Dosunmu

November 24th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

There weren’t many bright spots for the Bulls in Saturday’s loss to Memphis, but rookie forward Matas Buzelis provided some hope for the future, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Buzelis scored 12 of his career-high 14 points during an electrifying stretch in the second quarter as he displayed his many offensive talents.

As Mayberry describes, Buzelis viciously attacked the rim on drives to the basket, displayed confidence on catch-and-shoot three-point shots and flexed toward the crowd after finishing a fast break with a tomahawk dunk. After sinking his first three-pointer, Buzelis turned to the Grizzlies’ bench and stared down Ja Morant, who is sidelined with an injury.

“Ja said, ‘It’s off’ or something like that; ‘Hell no,’” Buzelis explained after the game. “And I just looked at him. I didn’t really say anything.”

The Bulls were fortunate that Buzelis fell to them with the 11th pick in the draft after he had been projected to go much higher. The team has been bringing him along slowly, but they needed him for 29 minutes on Saturday with Patrick Williams sidelined by foot inflammation and Julian Phillips missing the game due to illness. Buzelis’ performance may be an indication that he’s ready for a larger role for the rest of the season.

“The biggest thing that I respect about him,” coach Billy Donovan said, “is that I think he understands the importance of the little things. And I think that’s an area of focus that he’s been trying to really focus on.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Lonzo Ball is making progress with his sprained right wrist and may be cleared for contact this week, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Donovan sounded optimistic about Ball’s prognosis when he spoke to reporters before Saturday’s game. ‘‘Today was probably the best day he had in terms of shooting the basketball,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Whatever it was, a week or 10 days ago, he was having some discomfort shooting. And today he actually felt pretty good doing that, so there’s been significant progress over the last 10 days. But until he can get into some contact, using his hands, passing, catching, those kinds of things, we can at least keep moving forward.’’
Donovan is the latest coach to express uneasiness about running up the score in NBA Cup games, Cowley adds in a separate story. Because point differential is an important tie-breaker in the tournament, Donovan kept his starters on the court with a double-digit lead late in Friday’s victory over Atlanta. “I don’t know if there’s a different way to do it,” he said. “When you’ve only got these four games, there’s got to be some sort of separation if these teams have the same record. But I don’t love that part of it, personally. It is what it is, those are the rules, and we’ve just got to play with them.”
Bonus money in the NBA Cup is a strong motivator for players, Ayo Dosunmu tells Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune. “That’s $500,000,” he said of the winners’ share. “As a competitor you’ve always got that in the back of your mind. … Everybody in the top four gets money. You’re getting money to do it, getting paid on top of getting paid. That’s fun, and I think it brings more competition during the season, because the season is so long.”

Latest On Injured Bulls Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball

November 21st, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who missed Wednesday’s loss in Milwaukee due to what the team referred to as left foot soreness, has been ruled out for at least Friday’s and Saturday’s games as well, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Williams returned to Chicago to undergo tests on his surgically repaired left foot and head coach Billy Donovan indicated that those scans showed severe inflammation, as Julie Poe of The Chicago Tribune relays. Further consultation with the Bulls’ medical staff will be required to determine a recovery timeline for the fifth-year forward.

“Obviously, he went on the injury report as questionable with the foot (Monday), and then I think in the game he mentioned that he was feeling it more at halftime, and after the game is when he really started to feel some … I don’t want to say significant pain but a lot more pain than he was feeling beforehand,” Donovan said, per Cowley. “When it felt like the pain was escalating, we wanted to get the imaging done just to see what’s going on.

“He’s got inflammation around that area, they want to figure out why, but it’s going to be at least a week or so to let that calm down and then there’s got to be a plan going forward of how to handle it.”

As Cowley writes, the hope is that Williams is just experiencing normal pain associated with the healing process for a surgery, but the inflammation is a concern.

With Williams unavailable, Donovan turned to Torrey Craig to fill the forward’s spot in the starting lineup, despite the fact that Craig had only logged 18 minutes across three games entering Wednesday’s contest. The veteran swingman acquitted himself well, recording 15 points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists in 28 minutes. He made 6-of-10 shot attempts and was a minus-two in the 16-point loss to the Bucks.

The Bulls also provided an update on point guard Lonzo Ball, who continues to recover from a sprained right wrist that has sidelined him since last month. According to Poe and Cowley, the hope is that Ball will be able to increase his activity in the coming week, but he’s still experiencing discomfort when he attempts to pass and shoot and isn’t expected to return until sometime after Thanksgiving.

“(The next week) will hopefully be when we start to see progress from him,” Donovan said. “I do think he’ll do more ball-handling, do more shooting, but for him to be really ramped up where we can see, it’s probably going to be (another week).”

Lonzo Ball Out At Least One More Week With Wrist Sprain

November 15th, 2024 at 7:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has been sidelined since Oct. 28 due to a right wrist sprain. While he was hopeful of returning on Sunday vs. Houston, head coach Billy Donovan was less optimistic about that target date.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, including K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links), Donovan said Ball had a strenuous workout earlier this week when the team was in New York, calling it a “struggle.” Ball will be sidelined at least one more week because he’s having a tough time catching passes without pain, per Donovan.

According to Johnson, when Ball was initially evaluated by doctors, he was told his return timeline could range anywhere from two-to-six weeks, depending on how his wrist was healing. Chicago has not yet tested Ball’s injured wrist with contact drills defensively, Johnson notes.

Ball went through a pregame workout on Friday, tweets Johnson. The former No. 2 overall pick was dribbling with both hands, but when he was practicing drives, he was shooting left-handed layups and floaters.

With Ball out at least a few more games, Donovan will likely continue to lean heavily on Ayo Dosunmu as the primary guard off the bench, with Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips soaking up minutes on the wing.

Central Notes: Giannis, Stewart, Ball, Pacers, Furphy

November 14th, 2024 at 2:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for an NBA season-high 59 points in Wednesday’s overtime victory over Detroit, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Antetokounmpo was efficient from all over the court, going 21-of-34 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and 16-of-17 from the foul line. He also contributed 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals, becoming the first player in league history to finish with that stat line.

“His handprint was all over the game,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “When you think about having the scoring off the floor that we had – no Dame (Damian Lillard), no Khris Middleton, no Bobby Portis, no Ryan (Rollins) so we’re down to one living point guard on our team – and for him to do that and for us to score 127 points, though he got half of them almost, every basket was needed.”

Center Brook Lopez, who had also had his best game of the early portion of the season (29 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, three steals), struggled to find words to describe Antetokounmpo’s impact, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“I’m not well versed enough in the English language, or unfortunately any other language, to find new ways to describe Giannis’ brilliance,” Lopez said. “Just to be able to watch it and be a part of it for as long as I’ve been here, these seven years now, to see the way he was tonight, I’m still seeing new stuff. And it’s just, it’s so special.

“So I’m just going to cherish it, night in and night out, but just let it inspire me too because his drive — you mentioned all the scoring he does — but he doesn’t care about that. Obviously, he can take us on his back and win games for us, but it’s just the way he goes about it. He’s not about the stats. He’s just about winning and that’s something the whole team gets behind.”

Here’s more from the Central:

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart was ejected in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee following a Flagrant 2 foul on Antetokounmpo, notes Owczarski of The Journal Sentinel. The Bucks star initiated contact with Stewart to create space, then spun baseline for a dunk attempt when Stewart pulled him down by the jersey with both hands. “I’ve been in that position many times in my life,” Antetokounmpo said of the play. “I have two older brothers that, you know, push me on the floor, play, be tough on me, especially Thanasis. I’ve been so many times hit. So, it doesn’t really faze me anymore. It doesn’t really faze me. All I could think about was get up and try to make two free throws. At the same time, it’s a dangerous play. That’s not a basketball play. I think the ref did a great job of making the right call.”
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who is recuperating from a right wrist sprain, has progressed to doing dribbling and shooting drills in recent days and hopes to return on Sunday vs. Houston, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. However, head coach Billy Donovan suggested that target date might be a little too optimistic. “I don’t know if that’s realistic,” Donovan said. “That’s what he was shooting for. We’re not ruling that out, but a lot of that is going to depend on how he progresses in those areas. When he starts shooting threes, how does that respond? They’re going to make him do some things live in guarding the ball to see how it feels when all of a sudden he’s hand-checking a guy. We haven’t gotten to those places yet, but those are markers he needs to get through, hurdles he needs to get through before he can take the next step in terms of getting on the floor.”
With James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson sidelined by long-term injuries (torn Achilles tendons) and Aaron Nesmith (left ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (left knee) out multiple weeks, the Pacers have turned to their two-way players and rookies for rotation minutes, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes. Two-way players Quenton Jackson and Enrique Freeman (he’s also a rookie, selected No. 50 overall in June’s draft) have received some run off the bench, as has No. 35 overall pick Johnny Furphy, who scored a career-best seven points in nine minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Orlando. “He’s a very good player off movement,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Furphy, per Dopirak. “He’s a great runner at that size. He’s deceptively tough. He gave us some really good minutes in the first half. … You can see why we’re excited about him for the future and really right now too. That’s a pretty high culture game and he went in there and played well.”

Central Notes: Lillard, Cavs, Atkinson, Garland, Ball

November 12th, 2024 at 7:40am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks point guard Damian Lillard has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol and will miss Tuesday’s game vs. Toronto, the team announced (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).

Sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) that Lillard was hit in the head near the end of the third quarter of Sunday’s game against Boston. After he experienced headaches and dizziness on Monday, testing confirmed he has a concussion.

It’s possible Lillard will be able to return in time for Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit, Haynes says, but he’ll have to pass all the tests in the concussion protocol in order to receive medical clearance. That process often takes at least a few days.

We have more from around the Central:

The Cavaliers pushed their season-opening win streak to a dozen games with a win over Chicago on Monday, becoming the first team to start a season 12-0 or better since the 2015/16 Warriors (who went 24-0). “It’s great. We’re playing well, vibes are good, but we have to continue to be this team,” star guard Donovan Mitchell said, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. “That’s been my message to the guys in the locker room. This is great. We’re going to get teams’ best shots. We’re going to get tested early, but are we going to continue? And I never — no doubt we will — but that’s been my thing. Are we going to continue to be this team January, February, March, April? I think the guys all feel it, but it’s great to enjoy these moments too while you’re still having a humble approach to it.”
In a subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com, Chris Fedor takes a look at how new head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s creativity and experimentation has helped spur the Cavaliers‘ early-season success. Meanwhile, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today explores how reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Darius Garland has rediscovered his joy and love for the game this fall under Atkinson.
Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who is recovering from a right wrist sprain, is out of his brace and will begin dribbling in the coming days to see how the wrist responds, head coach Billy Donovan said on Monday, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I do think he has some soreness, (and) certainly it’s been a slow progression for him,” Donovan said. “But he has gotten better.”

Injury Notes: Vassell, Brogdon, V. Williams, Jazz, Bulls

November 7th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs are optimistic that swingman Devin Vassell could make his season debut on Saturday vs. Utah, Shams Charania of ESPN said on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).

A former lottery pick who is in the first season of a lucrative long-term extension, Vassell’s 2024/25 debut has been delayed by offseason foot surgery. But it sounds like he’s fully healthy now, with his return “imminent,” according to Charania.

Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link) first reported that Vassell would be back as soon as Saturday.

Here are several more injury notes from around the NBA:

Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon appears to be inching closer to a return. The former Sixth Man of the Year underwent thumb surgery last month, and while he’s still wearing a wrap, he has progressed to shooting with his right hand, which is an encouraging sign, per Chase Hughes of The Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
The Grizzlies have dealt with numerous injuries once again to open ’24/25. One injured player — third-year wing Vince Williams — is getting back into shape. Memphis assigned him to the team’s G League affiliate on Thursday to practice. Williams will be immediately recalled following the practice session, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter). Williams, who is recovering from a stress reaction in the upper portion of his left tibia, is on track to make it back to game action in about one-to-three weeks.
The Jazz should get some reinforcements back on Thursday in Milwaukee. Lauri Markkanen (back), Jordan Clarkson (heel) and Isaiah Collier (hamstring) have all been upgraded to probable, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Markkanen has missed Utah’s past three games, while Clarkson has missed the past two. Collier, a first-round pick earlier this year, has yet to make his regular season debut.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan recently provided a minor injury update on Lonzo Ball, who is dealing with a sprained right wrist. As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network relays (via Twitter), Donovan said Ball is still wearing a splint and there’s no timetable for his return.
Bulls wing Zach LaVine has been downgraded to doubtful for Thursday’s game vs. Minnesota due to an adductor strain, Johnson tweets, indicating the two-time All-Star is likely to miss his third consecutive game. However, it’s possible LaVine might return on Saturday vs. Atlanta, Johnson adds.

Eastern Notes: Ball, Holland, Raptors, Hornets, G League

October 30th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Bulls announced on Tuesday that Lonzo Ball has been diagnosed with a sprained right wrist and will be sidelined for at least 10 days, the veteran point guard spoke to reporters on Wednesday about the injury, explaining that it falls between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprain, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“If I play on it right now while it’s still swollen, it could get to a Grade 3. That would require surgery,” said Ball, who had a brace on his right wrist. “Trying to avoid that obviously. Let the swelling down, hopefully tape it up and get back to it.”

It’s an unfortunate setback for Ball, given that his comeback from two-and-a-half lost seasons due to knee surgeries had been off to as good a start as he and the team could have hoped for. Although Ball’s early-season numbers (4.7 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game on 35.7% shooting) don’t jump off the page, he hasn’t experienced any setbacks related to his left knee and the team has a +20.3 net rating in his 47 minutes of action.

“An unfortunate moment, but it happens,” Ball said. “Hopefully I get over it as fast as possible and get back to business.”

Here’s more from across the Eastern Conference:

No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland has played a modest role so far for the Pistons, averaging 13.3 minutes per night through his first four NBA games and contributing 5.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG. Still, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has liked what he’s seen from the 19-year-old rookie, writes Spencer Davies of RG.org. “The thing that’s been most impressive is he’s just fearless,” Bickerstaff said recently. “You watch some of the guys that he’s gone after defensively, gotten in a few skirmishes already. But (he) just hasn’t backed down from anybody. To be a rookie and young at that, to come in and take on challenges of these proven, veteran guys, I just have a ton of respect for that.”
Once lauded for the rises of unheralded prospects like Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, the Raptors‘ player development program hasn’t had nearly as many wins in recent years. However, that could be changing this season, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who takes a look at the promising early-season progress Toronto is seeing from rookies Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead, and Jamison Battle.
James Jordan, who had been serving as the Hornets‘ executive vice president and chief operating officer, will move into a senior advisory position beginning this weekend, as Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer details. The older brother of former Hornets owner Michael Jordan, James Jordan has been employed by the franchise since 2013.
The Bulls‘ and Pistons‘ G League affiliates are among the teams to announce their training camp rosters this week. The Windy City Bulls’ roster includes veteran NBA guard Ryan Arcidiacono and former lottery pick Joshua Primo, while wings Lamar Stevens and Dereon Seabron are among the former NBA players on the Motor City Cruise’s squad (Twitter link).

Lonzo Ball Has Wrist Sprain, Out At Least 10 Days

October 29th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is dealing with another injury. He has a right wrist sprain and will be reevaluated in 10 days, the team’s PR department tweets.

Ball suffered the injury during the first quarter against Memphis on Monday. Chicago has two games remaining this week and four more next week, so the point guard will miss a minimum of six contests.

The 27-year-old played a season-high 18 minutes off the bench against the Grizzlies and contributed six points and six assists without a turnover. Ball has appeared in three of Chicago’s first four games, averaging 4.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.

Ball missed the last two-and-a-half seasons with persistent knee issues. He hadn’t suited up since January 2022 before his long-awaited return last Wednesday, when he played 14 minutes against New Orleans. While the wrist injury is an unfortunate setback, the good news is that his knees have held up fine so far this fall.

Ball’s four-year, $80MM contract expires after the season.

Injury Notes: Wiseman, Jackson, Ball, Jackson, Eason, Hornets

October 25th, 2024 at 6:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers center James Wiseman underwent successful surgery on Thursday night to repair his torn left Achilles tendon, as Shams Charania of ESPN first reported (via Twitter). While Achilles tears are typically season-ending injuries, Indiana is still determining Wiseman’s recovery timeline, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, and head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Friday that Wiseman hasn’t been ruled out for the season yet.

“This was terrible luck,” Carlisle said in discussing the injury. “Great kid who had an amazing summer of preparation, really good preseason. Training camp was also really good. It’s just one of those things. Just a very odd circumstance. Very unlucky.”

The Pacers’ other backup center, Isaiah Jackson, missed Wednesday’s regular season opener due to a right groin strain, but he has been cleared to suit up for Friday’s game in New York, Dopirak writes in a separate story for The Indy Star. Still, with Wiseman seemingly unlikely to play again this season, Carlisle didn’t rule out the possibility of adding another center to the roster.

“I would think that our people are getting a few phone calls today from agents and stuff like that,” Carlisle said. “I’ve not been focusing on that. The good news for us is Isaiah Jackson will be back and available. That’s very good news. We will just right now focus on the guys we have on the roster that are ready to go and come out with guns blazing. That’s what you gotta do in this situation.”

The Pacers have an open 15-man roster spot, and while they don’t have a ton of breathing room below the luxury tax line, they could add a free agent big man on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract and stay out of tax territory while maintaining the flexibility to waive that player before the league-wide salary guarantee date.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Lonzo Ball‘s limit of 16 minutes per game is going to remain in place “for some time,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. But the veteran point guard came away from his regular season debut on Wednesday feeling fine and will play in Saturday’s home opener vs. Oklahoma City after sitting out the first end of Chicago’s back-to-back in Milwaukee on Friday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). Wednesday represented Ball’s first regular season action since January 2022 due to multiple knee surgeries.
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. won’t play on Friday vs. Houston, having been ruled out due to his left hamstring strain (Twitter link). The team was said to be targeting this weekend for Jackson’s return, so we’ll see if he’s able to make his season debut on Saturday at home vs. Orlando.
After describing Steven Adams‘ availability as “game-to-game” as he returns from knee surgery that cost him the entire 2023/24 season, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said forward Tari Eason is in a similar boat, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Eason, who missed most of last season due to leg surgery, was active on Wednesday and isn’t on the injury report for Friday’s game vs. Memphis, but may not suit up for the second end of Houston’s back-to-back set on Saturday in San Antonio (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
Josh Green (left Achilles soreness) and Tidjane Salaun (left finger sprain) have been upgraded to available for the Hornets‘ game in Atlanta on Friday. Neither player has made his Hornets regular season debut, but both could see action tonight.

Central Notes: Ball, Giddey, THT, Middleton, Holland, Cavs

October 22nd, 2024 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Bulls point guards will enter the 2024/25 season on expiring contracts. Lonzo Ball is entering the final season of the four-year deal he signed with the team back in 2021, while newcomer Josh Giddey is on track for restricted free agency in 2025 after not coming to terms with Chicago on a rookie scale extension.

Ball will be eligible for a veteran extension throughout the season, but he’s an unlikely candidate for a new deal prior to free agency after missing the past two-and-a-half years. For now, he’s just happy to be back on the court. Head coach Billy Donovan said the plan will be to have Ball play about 14 to 16 minutes against New Orleans in the team’s regular season opener on Wednesday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Giddey was a more viable extension candidate ahead of the season, but he’s not stressed about not completing a deal. He told reporters on Tuesday that he “loves being here” and that the contract situation will “take care of itself,” as Johnson relays (via Twitter).

While Giddey admits that the prospect of an extension weighed on him last season, he doesn’t expect to be distracted by his impending free agency this season. It probably helps that the Bulls specifically targeted him in a trade this past summer, whereas his place in Oklahoma City’s long-term future was always uncertain.

We have more from around the Central:

Chicago native Talen Horton-Tucker officially made the Bulls‘ regular season roster, making him the only player on an Exhibit 10 contract this fall to have that deal become a standard non-guaranteed deal. He called it a “dream come true” to be opening the season with his hometown team, tweets Johnson.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers confirmed today that forward Khris Middleton still hasn’t participated in a 5-on-5 scrimmage and won’t play on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia. However, Middleton hasn’t experienced any setbacks in his recovery from offseason ankle surgeries and is considered day-to-day (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). “I would say if this is a playoff game, he’d probably be playing or close to it,” Rivers said.
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been impressed by rookie forward Ron Holland‘s team-first attitude this fall, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com relays. “The only thing that matters to him is impacting winning,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s important that at his age he understands the intangibles that impact winning. His mindset isn’t, ‘I’ve got to go out and score 30 points, take 30 shots.’ His mindset is, ‘What needs to be done right now to help this team?’ That’s why he’s fit in so well and can fit in with different groups because he has the ability to fill the intangible parts of the game.”
After standing pat while most of their Eastern Conference rivals shook up their rosters this summer, the Cavaliers will have to show they can take a step forward in 2024/25 with their current core, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). If the Cavs season ends like ’23/24 did, with a second-round playoff exit, the front office will have more significant decision to make in the 2025 offseason, according to Fedor.

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