Matas Buzelis

Bulls Notes: Smith, LaVine, Vucevic, Williams, Buzelis

December 11th, 2024 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Revenge wasn’t on Jalen Smith‘s mind when he faced the Pacers Friday night for the first time since leaving them over the summer to sign with the Bulls, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Given the financial realities of the situation, Smith and Indiana’s front office both seemed to understand going into last season that their relationship was about to end, Dopirak adds. Holding a $5.4MM player option, Smith felt it was in his best interest to seek a bigger contract in free agency, and the three-year, $27MM deal he got from Chicago was nearly double what the Pacers were paying him. With no hard feelings on either side, Smith welcomed Friday’s game as a chance to catch up with some old friends.

“Obviously, I wanted to be back in Indiana, but at the end of the day, it was the business part of the game,” he said. “All of them wished me luck. They all said they would be there to help me whenever I needed it. At the end of the day, I didn’t leave on bad terms. Obviously, being able to finally get my career going there, it was tough to leave, but at the end of the day it was just the business part of the game.”

Smith has been a solid addition in Chicago, averaging 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per night as the team’s primary backup center. His loss has been significant for Indiana, which doesn’t have a reliable big man off the bench since Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman both suffered season-ending injuries.

“Loved him,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Smith. “He’s one of the most wonderful young men I’ve ever been around. Always in a great mood, high level of skill. He’s a great rebounder and he can really shoot the ball and he can block shots. He knows how to play. He’s a great teammate. I was really disappointed that we lost him, but I could really see that it was gonna happen. He’s just too good.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Zach LaVine isn’t dominating the offense the way he has in the past, but he’s still scoring a lot because of improved efficiency, notes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine has only taken 20 shots five times this season, but he’s connecting at 50.6% from the field, a career-high 43.2% from beyond the arc and 80% on free throws. ‘‘There might be a game where I may need to go out there and try and lead the team offensively, but this year has been more about spurts,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t think that’s the style of play that we’re playing right now.’’
Center Nikola Vucevic is also benefiting from coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo offense, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Vucevic is averaging 21 PPG, which would be his highest total for a full season since he came to Chicago in a 2021 trade, and he’s shooting 58.7% from the floor, the best figure of his career. “I don’t think people understand how hard he works,” LaVine said. “We all made sacrifices — me, DeMar (DeRozan), Vooch — we all came together and we all took a little bit less of our game and tried to do better for the team. But I think Vooch took the biggest back seat for years.”
Patrick Williams plans to return Friday after missing 10 games with inflammation in his left foot, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Williams will likely be on a minutes restriction at first, but Mayberry notes that the team will eventually face a decision on how much his availability cuts into the playing time of rookie forward Matas Buzelis.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Buzelis, Defensive Woes, Ball

December 7th, 2024 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Zach LaVine‘s first steps toward overcoming the injuries that ruined last season took place in the boxing ring, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. After undergoing surgery in February to fix a nonunion Jones fracture in his right foot, LaVine sought a method of cardio training that wouldn’t put excess strain on the injured area. He turned to a California boxing gym to help build his fitness and endurance, and it also gave him a mental sharpness that has been useful on the basketball court.

“Those three-minute rounds — it’s you versus him,” LaVine said. “Any mistakes you make, he’ll knock you down. It takes mental fortitude to really lock into what you’re doing. That’s helped me this year where if I’m tired in the moment or I’m upset about something, I can think with a little bit more of a clear head. Playing basketball is not as hard as somebody trying to knock you out.”

Poe notes that LaVine needs extra endurance to fit into coach Billy Donovan’s new offense, which has the Bulls playing at the fastest rate in league history with 104.82 possessions per 48 minutes. Even though the attack hasn’t been efficient so far, Chicago ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 118.9 points per game. LaVine is playing fewer minutes and seeing fewer shots than in past seasons, but Donovan credits him for buying into the system.

“He’s really tried to help us establish the identity and the style of play,” Donovan said. “He’s been really selective. We haven’t really taken a ton of non-paint twos. Our shot profile has been good. The level of uncontested threes we’ve gotten has been good.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Donovan has been impressed by the fearlessness Matas Buzelis has shown as a rookie, Poe adds in a separate story. Even though his first NBA season has been filled with ups and downs, Buzelis hasn’t let any setbacks affect his approach to the game. “He’s not afraid of failure or messing up,” Donovan said. “He gets disappointed or down because he wants to do better, but it doesn’t paralyze him. I’ve seen some players who are just afraid to make mistakes and they just don’t do anything. He’s not that way.”
Donovan is looking forward to a break in the schedule next week to try to fix the Bulls’ porous defense, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Speaking to reporters after his team surrendered 132 points in Friday’s loss to Indiana, Donovan indicated that defense will be the priority during an upcoming four-day stretch without games. “I don’t want to place it all on practice, but we do need that,” he said. “The way the schedule has been in November, we do need it. We’ve got to figure out ways, all of us, coaches, players, solve just the quick things that happen in a game that leads to breakdowns.”
Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier of ESPN take an inside look at Lonzo Ball‘s long rehabilitation process, including the “Hail Mary” operation that helped him resume his career.

Central Notes: Pistons, Mitchell, Buzelis, Ball

December 3rd, 2024 at 5:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA Cup might not be a big deal for some teams, but the Pistons are energized by the possibility of making the knockout round. They host the Bucks on Tuesday and the winner will prevail in East Group B of the tournament. They are both 3-0 heading into the contest.

“Guys are into it,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “The vibes are good, guys are excited, they’re looking forward to the opportunity. Like we talked about, we want to give our guys a chance to play meaningful basketball and see what that feels like, and for some of our guys this is the most meaningful basketball that they’ve been able to play. It’s a great opportunity for us, great experience for us.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 second-half points on Sunday as the Cavaliers bounced back from two losses to Atlanta by defeating the Celtics. Mitchell said it was the type of game that the Cavs, who trailed by double digits in the second half, might not have won in the past, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I think that just speaks to the growth of our group,” Mitchell said. “I think you go back to when I first got here, obviously we’re younger, we’re not as familiar with each other, [and we’d] kind of fold in those situations. You’re just seeing the growth, and that’s the biggest thing I feel like is for us just continuing to build … if we continue to grow and continue to learn from these different things, that’s really what it’s about. That’s what tonight was. We could have easily been like, ‘All right, turning the ball over, different things, not getting stops, offense kind of bogged down.’ But who were we when we hit adversity? And that’s what I’ve been saying. It’s great to learn through these wins, but when we face adversity, who are we going to be? And that’s what you’re continuously seeing from this group. We’ve been trying games and different things, and so I’m proud of the way we fought.”
Matas Buzelis scored a season-high 20 points, a great sign from the lottery pick. Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Buzelis and the other young players on the roster have to continue to earn their minutes, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune writes. “They’ve got to get playing time. But they have to understand it’s not free candy,” Donovan said.
Lonzo Ball is on a minutes restriction but the Bulls guard has made an impressive impact in limited playing time. He has the best plus-minus rating on the roster, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic notes. “I know it’s only a very small sample size, but if you look at his plus-minus on the floor, it’s crazy for the amount of time he’s gotten,” Donovan said of Ball, a free agent after the season.

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, NBA Cup, Buzelis

November 28th, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bulls wing Ayo Dosunmu has emerged as perhaps Chicago’s best two-way player, despite a recent shooting slump, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Dosunmu, for one, is not concerned about his career-worst 28.2% shooting from three-point land to start the season.

“Take the shots when they’re there,” Dosunmu said. “I understand that I put a lot of work into my jump shot. I’m not really worried about that. When it’s all said and done, I know that I’ll be at a certain percentage. That’s typically how it goes when you put the work in.”

Head coach Billy Donovan considers the fourth-year guard out of Illinois to be the engine of the club’s blisteringly quick offense.

“I’ve put a lot on him as far as the pace-setting for us because he’s so fast coming down the floor,” Donovan said. “Guys are running with him and he’s pushing it ahead, spraying it around, he’s getting into the teeth of the defense, flattening the defense out, but there’s probably been a sacrifice a little bit there with his scoring where he hasn’t had as many opportunities.”

Through his first 20 games (seven starts), the 6’5″ pro is averaging 11.8 points, plus a career-high 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

There’s more out of Chicago:

Despite an 8-12 overall record, the Bulls have an opportunity to qualify for the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a win against Boston on Friday, notes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago is atop East Group C, alongside the Hawks and Celtics, sporting a 2-1 record in group play. That said, a win is unlikely against the reigning champs, who are 15-3 on the year and fairly healthy. Poe opines that it would behoove Chicago to lose as much as possible — including in the NBA Cup — with an eye on the 2025 draft lottery.
Bulls lottery pick Matas Buzelis continues to navigate a steep learning curve in his rookie season, writes Cowley in another article. The 6’10” forward has gotten a major playing opportunity thanks to the extended absence of starting four Patrick Williams. “[The playing time is] very important,” Buzelis said. “I’m looking at it as an opportunity to play in the NBA. I’m super-thankful to play. Every time I step on the floor, I’m thinking of it as a blessing. I’m not taking it for granted. But every time I step out there, I’m going to keep learning, keep getting better.” Across his last four games, Buzelis is averaging 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks in 23.0 minutes per night. On the year, he’s been averaging 4.3 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 11.4 MPG.
In case you missed it, backup Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball returned to action on Wednesday in a loss to the Magic. It marked his first action since suffering a sprained right wrist on October 28.

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.”

Bulls Notes: Buzelis, Vucevic, Smith, LaVine, THT

November 6th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft, continues to play very sparingly at the NBA level this fall, resulting in the team sending him to the G League over the weekend for a brief assignment with the Windy City Bulls. Potential stints in the NBAGL were always part of the plan for Buzelis, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who says it would be “incorrect” to view the assignment as a negative.

The G League season won’t tip off until this Friday, but Buzelis told reporters after returning to the NBA that he got the opportunity to scrimmage against the Iowa Wolves on Saturday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

“I was fine with it. I know it’s part of my development,” Buzelis said. “There’s always a learning curve going into the NBA. It’s a different animal.”

Buzelis has logged total 32 minutes across six appearances for Chicago so far, scoring five points on 2-of-12 shooting during his brief cameos.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

After a down year in 2023/24, Nikola Vucevic is off to a hot start this fall, hitting 48.5% of his three-point attempts, increasing his scoring average to 21.7 points per game, and earning kudos from head coach Billy Donovan for his play on defense too, according to Cowley of The Sun-Times and Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I know it’s early in the year, but he’s really played well on both ends of the floor,” Donovan said. “He’s been great. He’s been great with the young guys. He’s shot the ball well both inside the line and outside the line. I think the thing with him, with the way we’re playing, he’s getting a lot of close-outs. Guys are running at him, and he’s really a good passer.” Long viewed as a possible trade candidate, Vucevic is making $20MM this season, with one more year and $21.5MM left on his contract after that.
Within a mailbag for the Tribune, Poe considers whether it might make sense for the Bulls to experiment with two-big lineups featuring Vucevic and offseason addition Jalen Smith.
After missing Monday’s game vs. Utah due to a right adductor strain, Zach LaVine is listed as questionable to play in Dallas on Wednesday, per the NBA’s official injury report. It’s the first game of a back-to-back set for the Bulls, who will return home to host the Timberwolves on Thursday, so we’ll see if the banged-up guard is also active tomorrow if he’s cleared to play tonight.
The only NBA player to make a standard regular season roster on an Exhibit 10 contract, Talen Horton-Tucker saw his first significant action of the season on Monday with LaVine out, Poe writes for The Tribune. The Bulls outscored the Jazz by five points during Horton-Tucker’s 28 minutes in the nine-point loss, as he contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. The veteran guard’s minimum salary will remain non-guaranteed until January 7.

Central Notes: Jackson, Mitchell, Buzelis, Pistons

October 27th, 2024 at 9:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks guard Andre Jackson crashed his car into the porch of an apartment in downtown Milwaukee on Saturday, according to Mary Spicuzza and Drake Bentley of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. An official from the Milwaukee Fire Department said there was property damage but no reported injuries.

The Bucks didn’t share the full details of the incident, but did confirm in a statement that Jackson was unhurt: “Andre was involved in a single-vehicle accident after (Saturday) morning’s team workout. Andre was alone in his car. Fortunately, no one was injured and he didn’t require medical attention. Andre will be joining the team in New York for (Sunday)’s game.”

The 36th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Jackson appeared in 57 games last season but isn’t part of the Bucks’ regular rotation as he enters his second season on a partially guaranteed contract. He saw just one minute of garbage-time action in the team’s first two regular season contests and played the final 3:26 of Sunday’s loss in Brooklyn with the game out of reach.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Cavaliers are off to a 3-0 start, but all three victories have come against projected lottery teams, prompting star guard Donovan Mitchell to deliver a “passionate and pointed” post-game message to his teammates after Saturday’s win to remind them not to get too comfortable with their early-season success, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “We took care of business. We did what we’re supposed to do for these three games,” Mitchell said. “But now, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (vs. the Knicks, Lakers, Magic, and Bucks), that’s where we really see what we’re made of as a group and if our habits continue through with tougher opponents and tougher games.”
Playing time has been hard to come by for rookie Matas Buzelis in the Bulls‘ first three games, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Although Buzelis has gotten onto the floor in every game, he hasn’t played more than nine minutes or made more than a single field goal in any of those three appearances. “With the number of guys we have there at that (forward) position, I want to help Matas develop and grow, but I also want to make sure there’s groups out there that will function together,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “So for us, I think it’s still a work in progress with some of the rotations.” As Cowley notes, if Buzelis’ playing time continues to be sporadic, it might make sense to send him on a G League assignment once the NBAGL’s season begins.
Despite their 0-3 record so far, the Pistons aren’t concerned about a repeat of last season’s 2-29 start, says Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The team has seen some encouraging signs of progress in its losses to three talented teams (Indiana, Cleveland, and Boston). “We might be 0-3, but I feel like we’re right there,” Malik Beasley said after Saturday’s loss to the Celtics. “I’m not just saying that because I’m here. I’ve been through struggles in the NBA. We’re right there. The chemistry is really good, the camaraderie is really good and we still have our energy. We’re going to get on this flight (Sunday) and get ready for Miami.”

Central Notes: Middleton, Winslow, Cavs, Bulls, Ivey

October 21st, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks forward Khris Middleton isn’t expected to be active for the team’s regular season opener against Philadelphia on Wednesday, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. Middleton spent the offseason recovering from surgical procedures on both ankles and the team is taking a cautious approach to his return this fall, Charania explains.

Although Middleton recently expressed a desire to play in 70-plus games in 2024/25, it doesn’t come as a major surprise that he’s not quite ready for the start of the regular season. He didn’t appear in any preseason contests and head coach Doc Rivers said on Saturday that the three-time All-Star would need to play 5-on-5 before Wednesday in order to suit up for opening night (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

The Bucks haven’t issued any sort of official update on Middleton, but it sounds like he’ll probably be considered day-to-day going forward, with a chance to make his season debut before the end of the month. That’s just my speculation based on comments from Rivers and recent reporting though, so we’ll keep an eye out for more news on the 33-year-old’s status.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, acquired the returning rights to Justise Winslow and Darryl Morsell from the Raptors 905 in exchange for the rights to Wenyen Gabriel, Marques Bolden, and Deonte Burton, plus the No. 15 pick in this year’s G League draft, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links). As Murphy notes, several of those players are currently competing overseas, but Milwaukee signed Winslow to an Exhibit 10 contract during the preseason — securing his rights means he’ll now be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd.
The Cavaliers were much better when Max Strus was on the court last season than when he wasn’t, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who considers in a subscriber-only story how the club will get by without one of its top floor-spacers for the next six weeks while Strus recovers from an ankle injury. Fedor views Dean Wade as the favorite to replace Strus in the starting five, since he’s a solid defender and a strong three-point shooter. Caris LeVert‘s ball-dominant game is a better fit in the second unit, Fedor suggests, while Isaac Okoro is another candidate to play with the starters.
Lonzo Ball, Matas Buzelis, and Julian Phillips are a few of the Bulls players whose preseason performances provided reasons for optimism entering the season, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes in his latest stock report. On the other hand, offseason additions Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith and newly re-signed forward Patrick Williams have had up-and-down Octobers so far, as Mayberry details.
Jaden Ivey saw his role reduced under Monty Williams last season, but the Pistons guard is once again an offensive focal point under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, says Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Ivey was the Pistons’ leading scorer during the preseason and earned praise from Bickerstaff for his efforts. “He works his tail off and then he’s playing with confidence,” Detroit’s coach said earlier this month. “When you work as hard as he works and puts as much time in, and then you play with that confidence and belief, the work is going to pay off.”

Central Notes: Walker, Sheppard, Swider, Buzelis, Cavs

October 15th, 2024 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

With Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin back under contract with the Pacers on new four-year deals, there won’t be regular playing time available at power forward for 2023 lottery pick Jarace Walker anytime soon, barring an injury. That’s why, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) writes, Walker finds himself battling Bennedict Mathurin and Ben Sheppard for minutes on the wing this fall.

Walker made a strong case for a rotation role last Thursday against Cleveland, when he scored 12 points and was a +18 in 18 minutes off the bench. He was elevated to the starting lineup on Monday vs. Memphis with Siakam and a few other regulars sitting, and contributed 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 38 minutes. However, most of those points came in the fourth quarter against reserves, and head coach Rick Carlisle indicated after the game that he wanted to see more from Walker and his fellow starters.

“The first quarter was very poor,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “The guys who started the game pretty much eased into the game. (Memphis) is a smash-mouth team that puts physical hits on you both offensively and defensively. They play a clean game, but it’s a physical game. We got smashed in the face in the first quarter.”

As Dopirak writes, Mathurin seems almost certain to be part of the second unit, so Walker and Sheppard may be vying for the last spot in that group. Sheppard, who had a good game on Monday, earned a rotation role last season as a rookie and seems “too trustworthy when it comes the basics to be banished to the end of the bench,” Dopirak writes. So even if Walker receives regular minutes to open the season, he’ll have to continue to prove he deserves them.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Cole Swider may have the edge on Kendall Brown for the 15th and final spot on the Pacers‘ regular season roster, according to Dopirak. Swider had a strong outing on Monday (10 points, five rebounds, three assists, +12), while Brown barely played. As Dopirak observes, Swider’s outside shooting is something Indiana doesn’t get from many other players at the end of its bench, which could help give him a leg up. Both players are on non-guaranteed contracts.
Bulls lottery pick Matas Buzelis is impressing coaches and teammates alike this fall as he gears up for his rookie season, according to Kyle Williams and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Billy Donovan referred to Buzelis as having “tremendous upside” and appreciated the fact that the first-round pick has expressed a willingness to do whatever it takes to get better — including possibly spending time in the G League. On Monday, the 20-year-old didn’t shy away from matching up against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on either end of the court. “He’s not scared of anyone or any moment, and I think for a guy to come into the league like that, have that confidence, it’s huge for him,” Bulls guard Josh Giddey said. “It’s easy for rookies to be shy, not take on challenges, but credit to him. (He’s a) very talented kid, and he’s going to have a helluva career in the NBA.”
The Cavaliers broke ground on Monday on a new state-of-the-art training facility in downtown Cleveland, according to The Associated Press. Star guard Donovan Mitchell attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the 210,000-square-foot building, which is being funded by team owner Dan Gilbert and is scheduled to open in 2027. “Since I arrived here two years ago, I’ve just heard nothing but how serious Cleveland is about their sports,” Mitchell said. “And seeing it, shows how serious and how much they care about their players and the investment about their bodies. This is going to be huge for the longevity of our careers.”

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Phillips, Dosunmu, Williams, Buzelis

October 13th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls haven’t been able to generate much interest since putting Zach LaVine on the trade market last fall, but maybe they’re better off keeping him. LaVine looked like a dominant scorer again Saturday night, pouring in 28 points in 22 minutes while making all six of his three-point attempts, writes Sam Smith of NBA.com.

“Zach was really decisive,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He took his shots when they were there. What was encouraging on the threes, there was no hesitation; he just went up and shot it. He got off to a great start, shot unbelievable from three. He can get on a run. He can go 0-for-4 and then come back and make 6-for-6, so I never worry (if he’s missing). I thought he was really decisive, and when he had daylight and a crack he shot it. We need him to do that. When he’s got a head of steam, his athletic ability and his ability to shoot the ball and put it on the floor, he’s really hard to guard. He is one of the better open floor players in transition.”

LaVine played just 25 games last season, so any potential trade interest was cooled by concerns over his physical condition, along with a contract that will pay him $43MM this year, $46MM next season and has a $49MM player option for 2026/27. However, he can still be very valuable if’s fully healthy, which it appears he may be. Smith states that LaVine displayed “quick twitch speed and easy motion” that hasn’t been part of his game for the past two years.

There’s more from Chicago:

Second-year small forward Julian Phillips also made an impact on Saturday, scoring 21 points and hitting 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc, Smith adds. He displayed chemistry with new point guard Josh Giddey, and Smith suggests he might be the catch-and-shoot option the team has been looking for. “Julian, he’s been really good,” Donovan said. “He had some good drives and (he) didn’t have to go up in traffic, but he’s played really, really well. He’s a good cutter, very active on the glass and he’s shot the ball well. I don’t think that was a fluke tonight. I feel very comfortable with him shooting the basketball.”
The Bulls suffered two notable injuries Saturday night, but neither appears serious. Ayo Dosunmu got a shoulder stinger while diving for a loose ball, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). He wanted to return to the game, but trainers wouldn’t let him. Patrick Williams left the game after jamming his wrist, but X-rays taken at halftime were negative, Johnson tweets.
In an interview with Spencer Davies of Responsible Gambler, rookie Matas Buzelis said he doesn’t regret his decision to play for G League Ignite instead of developing his game in college. “They showed me the NBA schedule you’ve got to follow, they showed me how to play against NBA players, they showed me how to compete, and [I had] NBA coaching and training,” Buzelis said. “But they really instilled a lot of stuff in me about the NBA, so I feel like I have a slight advantage walking into my rookie year.”

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