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Bucks Notes: Lopez, Antetokounmpo, Connaughton, Evans

March 19th, 2022 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks center Brook Lopez is feeling even better now than he did before the back issue that kept him off the floor for nearly five months, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Lopez, who underwent surgery in early December, admitted that he may have gained some weight during his time off, but said he feels comfortable moving around the court. He adds that doctors were never able to determine the original source of the injury.

“I don’t know how it happened, where it came from, and so they said this could have been something — the way the disc is — it could have been something more internally that they couldn’t really see,” he said. “Then it kind of worked its way out and then tore. When it finally happened then they could see it on the scans or whatever. It could have been something that was like, a year or two even old, who knows, and it finally took effect. Which is why it was tough in the time to make the decision to do the surgery but it was what was best for me.”

The Bucks have missed Lopez in several areas, but the most glaring has been on defense, as they rank 14th in the league in defensive rating after being ninth last season and first the two prior years. Much of that is attributable to the absence of Lopez, who covers a lot of ground with his 7’6″ wingspan.

“I think when you have Brook out there it just makes the game easier for everybody, especially for me,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “He’s like, he’s so, he’s so big. He can literally contest the shot and still get back and rebound the ball. He can help us rebound. He’s just such a threat offensively. He can knock down shots. He can go for the offensive rebound. You can feed him in the post. He makes our job; he makes me, Bobby (Portis‘) job easier.”

There’s more on the Bucks:

  • Antetokounmpo is sitting out today’s game with Minnesota because of soreness in his right knee, Owczarski adds in a separate story. “We are kind of always kind of managing his knees and his health,” coach Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo, who is missing his 12th game of the season. “I think he did get banged maybe in (Wednesday’s) game and the one before, both, so I think it’s just part of the NBA season and schedule. We hope it’s short term. We’ll see how he responds the next day or two.”
  • Pat Connaughton is expected to return on Saturday, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. It will be the first time he has played since breaking a bone in his right hand February 10.
  • Tyreke Evans posted 16 points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal in his debut with the G League Wisconsin Herd on Friday night (Twitter link from the team). Evans worked out for the Bucks recently in hopes of making an NBA comeback.
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Central Notes: Lopez, Connaughton, Williams, Bickerstaff

March 16th, 2022 at 10:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks center Brook Lopez was out of action so long that he even missed arguing with the referees, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. After playing on opening night, Lopez sat out nearly five months because of back issues. He had surgery on December 2 to repair a bulging disc and went through a long rehab process that kept him off the court until this Monday.

Lopez was restricted to 15 minutes during his first game back, but he mostly played the way he did when he helped bring a title to Milwaukee last season. He mishandled the ball occasionally because of a lack of timing, but he made all the defensive plays that he usually does, according to Nehm.

“I’ve been through injuries a few times and so it’s always just made me appreciate basketball, love it even more,” Lopez said. “I try never to take my time on the court for granted, whether it’s practice, shootaround or a game. And so that’s why I just try to be out there, whenever I’m out there, playing with energy, being enthusiastic, and above all, having fun, having a good time. And with the group we have, that’s easy. But yeah, I’m just so happy and blessed to be back out there. There’s not much else I want in the world than that.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is close to a return after having hand surgery last month, tweets Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Coach Mike Budenholzer indicated that Connaughton needs to go through one more practice before playing again.
  • The Bulls have cleared Patrick Williams for full contact as he works to return from wrist surgery, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Williams didn’t travel with the Bulls on their current three-game road trip, and he may practice or play for the team’s G League affiliate during that time. “A lot’s gonna now depend on how it goes once he does that (practices), and what does medical feel and he feel like (is) an ample amount of time for him to get comfortable actually going into a game,” coach Billy Donovan said.
  • J.B. Bickerstaff deserves Coach of the Year consideration for holding together a Cavaliers team that has been wrecked by injuries, argues Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Cleveland is still in contention for a top six spot in the East despite losing Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio early in the season and Jarrett Allen more recently. Vardon also says former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue should be recognized for the job he has done with the Clippers.
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Brook Lopez Cleared To Practice For Bucks

March 4th, 2022 at 7:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters, including Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that center Brook Lopez has been cleared to practice five-on-five with contact. It’s great news for both Lopez and the team, as he’s been sidelined indefinitely following back surgery to address a bulging disc in his lower back on December 2.

“He will now start having some scrimmage and contact and we’ll organize that,” Budenholzer said. “It’s another good, positive step for him on his return to play.”

As Owczarski relays, Budenholzer said that the team’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, will likely temporarily relocate from Oshkosh to Milwaukee in order for Lopez to get the practice reps he needs. Owczarski notes that the Herd are off from Sunday through Friday next week, which should allow Lopez a good opportunity for full contact work.

Lopez, 33, appeared in the Bucks’ season opener and has been out ever since. He played a key role in the team’s championship run last season, starting all 23 playoff games while averaging 13 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on .548/.319/.860 shooting.

The Bucks have missed Lopez’s interior presence this season, especially on defense. They’ve dropped to 13th in defensive rating after ranking first, first and 10th the past three seasons.

Milwaukee’s coach also provided injury updates on George Hill and Pat Connaughton, per Owczarski. Hill has missed 12 straight games with neck soreness (including Friday against Chicago), but he’s getting close to a return. “I think we’re hopeful that he’ll play in the next week,” Budenholzer said.

Connaughton, meanwhile, is progressing in his rehab. He’s two-plus weeks removed from a fracture on his right hand, which is expected to keep him out at least four weeks. “I think more just following the timeline as expected is positive,” Budenholzer said, according to Owczarski. “He’s been able to kind of do a little bit more as the week has passed, but it’s still got a little ways to go.”

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Pat Connaughton Out At Least Four Weeks After Hand Surgery

February 14th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

FEBRUARY 14: Connaughton had surgery in New York on Monday to repair the fractured fourth metacarpal on his right hand, according to a Bucks press release. He’s expected to be sidelined for approximately four weeks.

FEBRUARY 13: Bucks reserve shooting guard Pat Connaughton is set to treat the fractured fourth metacarpal (ring finger) in his right hand with a surgical procedure, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Woj adds that the Bucks expect to have Connaughton back on the court in time for the conclusion of the 2021/22 NBA regular season.

We wrote earlier in the week about the injury, which occurred during Thursday’s loss to Phoenix, just hours after the Bucks relieved themselves of some guard depth. The club shipped out guards Donte DiVincenzo and Rodney Hood, along with forward Semi Ojeleye, in a four-team deal that netted Milwaukee former Clippers center Serge Ibaka.

The 6’5″ Connaughton, a key contributor to the Bucks’ 2021 title team, has enjoyed his best season as a pro with the 35-22 squad in 2021/22. Through 54 games, he’s averaging 10.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.9 SPG, on shooting splits of .467/.407/.811.

Led by All-Star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, All-Star wing Khris Middleton, and All-Defensive Team point guard Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee is currently the fourth seed in a crowded Eastern Conference. The Bucks may need to lean on their deep-bench reserves as the regular season’s stretch run kicks into high gear following the All-Star break.

The Bucks also have multiple open roster spots following the trade deadline, so adding another guard to the roster will be an option. Wojnarowski, who previously identified Milwaukee as one of Goran Dragic‘s potential suitors, says the team is expected to aggressively pursue the point guard once he finalizes a buyout agreement with San Antonio (Twitter link).

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Bucks’ Connaughton To Miss Time With Broken Bone In Right Hand

February 11th, 2022 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks wing Pat Connaughton has sustained a fracture to the fourth metacarpal (ring finger) of his right hand, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The injury occurred during the third quarter of Thursday’s loss to Phoenix as Connaughton defended a Chris Paul drive (video link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

The Bucks haven’t set a timeline for how much time Connaughton might need to recover from the injury, but postgame comments from head coach Mike Budenholzer and teammate Khris Middleton suggested the club is preparing to be without the 29-year-old for the foreseeable future.

“We’re trying to figure out kind of who will see him next, what the next step is,” Budenholzer said, per Owczarski. “Unfortunate, but I think we’re hopeful that he’ll be able to return. When that is, not exactly sure. But, so, we’ll see.”

“Very unfortunate, man,” Middleton said. “He’s one of our bigger guys, especially off the bench. He plays a huge and key role for us, coming in the starting lineup every now and then, just being that glue guy for us on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be tough without him for a while, but hopefully he can get back sooner than later.”

Connaughton had been in the midst of a career year, having averaged 10.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG on .467/.407/.811 shooting in 54 games (27.0 MPG) this season for the defending champions.

The timing of the injury is especially unfortunate for the Bucks, who traded away some of their wing depth on Thursday, sending Donte DiVincenzo to Sacramento and Rodney Hood to the Clippers in a four-team deal that brought Serge Ibaka to Milwaukee.

With DiVincenzo and Hood no longer options, reserves like Wesley Matthews and Jordan Nwora could be in line for increased roles until Connaughton is able to return. The Bucks also have two open spots on their 15-man roster (three once Greg Monroe‘s 10-day contract expires) and will likely be active on the buyout market.

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Eastern Trade Rumors: Smart, Hawks, Collins, Siakam, Sabonis, More

January 27th, 2022 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

Prior to sending Cam Reddish to New York, the Hawks discussed the framework of a trade with the Celtics that would’ve sent Reddish and Kevin Huerter to Boston in a deal for Marcus Smart, reports Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Huerter is one of 11 players affected this season by the poison pill provision, complicating salary-matching in any trade involving him, but the deal described by Fischer theoretically would’ve worked for both sides if Atlanta had included another minimum-salary player (likely Solomon Hill).

Smart ultimately stayed put, and Fischer says it would take “significant value” for the Celtics to move him in another deal in the next two weeks. According to Fischer, there’s a sense around the league that the Celtics will be better in the second half than they were in the first half, as long as they’re healthier and first-year head coach Ime Udoka gets more comfortable.

Here a few more trade notes and rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

  • One team contacted by the Hawks told Bleacher Report that Atlanta wanted a “valuable” first-round pick and a starting-caliber player in exchange for John Collins. Other teams think the Hawks could get even more than that for Collins, says Fischer.
  • According to Fischer, the Raptors and Pacers at least briefly discussed a trade involving Domantas Sabonis and Pascal Siakam, but those talks stalled. The concept makes some sense in theory, since it would allow Myles Turner to be the lone center in Indiana, and Toronto has long been in the market for a five.
  • Since Brook Lopez‘s recovery timeline remains up in the air, the Bucks are “poking around” the market for a center, with Suns big man Jalen Smith mentioned as a possible target, per Fischer. Semi Ojeleye is considered to be available and Milwaukee has received inquiries about Pat Connaughton and Donte DiVincenzo, Fischer adds.
  • A handful of teams have expressed some interest in Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman, including the Spurs, Hornets, Mavericks, and Bucks, writes Fischer.
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COVID-19 Updates: Oubre, Casey, Satoransky, Garuba, More

January 10th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Hornets forward Kelly Oubre has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced today (via Twitter). Oubre will miss the team’s Monday night game vs. Milwaukee and will likely be sidelined longer than that unless he registered a false positive or inconclusive test. There are now two Charlotte players in the protocols, with Oubre joining Vernon Carey.

Here are more protocol-related updates from around the NBA:

  • Pistons head coach Dwane Casey has entered the protocols and will be replaced in the short term by assistant Rex Kalamian, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Half of the NBA’s 30 head coaches have now been placed in the protocols at some point this season.
  • Pelicans guard Tomas Satoransky has cleared the health and safety protocols and was back with the team today, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • Rockets rookie Usman Garuba has exited the COVID-19 protocols and is no longer listed on the team’s injury report, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
  • Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe and Heat two-way player Marcus Garrett are among the other players who have cleared the protocols, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, respectively (Twitter links).
  • The Bucks are listing Pat Connaughton as questionable to play on Monday night and he posted an emoji of a plane today on Twitter, strongly signaling that he has exited the protocols and is flying to meet the team in Charlotte, as Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes (via Twitter). Whether or not Connaughton is available tonight, it sounds like he’s no longer in the protocols.
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COVID-19 Updates: Noel, Hornets, Pacers, Ingles, Reed, Bucks, Metu

January 4th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks center Nerlens Noel has cleared the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per New York’s PR team (Twitter link). Noel entered the protocols in late December.

The 6’11” big man has only appeared in 17 contests, starting 10, for New York so far this season. The 27-year-old out of Kentucky is averaging 3.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG and 1.1 SPG across 23.1 MPG. Knee injuries kept Noel absent for much of the start of the 2021/22 season. He signed a lucrative three-year, $32MM contract with the Knicks during the offseason.

Here are a few more protocol-related updates:

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Central Notes: Connaughton, Cunningham, Okoro, Bradley

November 4th, 2021 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pat Connaughton can become a free agent next summer but he’s very comfortable playing for the Bucks, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. Connaughton feels his versatility is valued by the defending champions.

“I mean, that’s kind of what I’ve hung my hat on my whole career,” he said. “Obviously, high school and college is a different level of basketball than the NBA, but while stats in high school and college piled up for me, it was really about finding ways to win games and I would play any position that was needed. And I think the NBA is the NBA, it’s harder to crack that role. But I found a home here, I found a place where it’s valued and I’ve tried to find ways to impact winning throughout each and every single game.”

Connaughton holds a $5.73MM player option on his contract for next season.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • All minutes restrictions regarding Pistons rookie guard Cade Cunningham have been lifted, the Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II tweets. The top pick in the draft missed the first four games due to an ankle injury and sat out the second game of a back-to-back this weekend. He’s now cleared to play on back-to-back nights. The Pistons face Brooklyn on Friday after playing Philadelphia on Thursday.
  • Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro worked out on the court before the team left for Toronto and joined it on the trip over the border, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. There’s still no official word on his availability for Friday’s game against the Raptors, since he needs to be cleared by the medical staff. Okoro appeared in four games before suffering a left hamstring strain.
  • Sixers coach Doc Rivers offered high praise for Bulls center Tony Bradley, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times relays. “He was one of our favorites last year,’’ Rivers said of the former Sixer. “I think it takes a lot of players, and sometimes they never figure it out, what they can do in their role. If they can buy into that and do it great they can have a long career.” Bradley signed a two-year, veteran’s minimum contract with Chicago this summer.
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Central Notes: Love, DiVincenzo, Pistons, Gottlieb

May 29th, 2021 at 9:23am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Love‘s season was marred by injury and declining production, but Cavaliers GM Koby Altman says the veteran forward is still part of the team’s plans, according to an ESPN report. Love appeared in just 25 games due to a calf injury.

“We want him to be here,” Altman said. “We signed him to an extension for that reason, to be here when we want to make that next step. And so we’re going to hopefully rely on him heavily next year after a significant summer.”

There are still two years and $60.2MM remaining on Love’s extension, which would make it difficult for Altman to trade him.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • The Bucks have lost a key member of their backcourt, Donte DiVincenzo, due to a torn ligament in his left ankle. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at which players might absorb DiVincenzo’s minutes. Bryn Forbes, Pat Connaughton and P.J. Tucker could pick up the slack offensively with Forbes moving into the starting lineup. But it will be difficult to replace DiVincenzo on the defensive end. Coach Mike Budenholzer may give more playing time to Jeff Teague, though he could also opt to slice his rotation to eight players.
  • Nearly half of the players on the Pistons’ roster could become free agents this summer. The Detroit News’ Rod Beard takes a look at who’s likely to stay and who will go.
  • Cavaliers assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb got a head coaching offer from USC that was too good financially for her to pass up, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com details. “I said, ʻI didn’t come to the NBA to turn right around. I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. I feel like I’m part of something,’” Gottlieb said of her initial reaction when USC came calling. “ʻHowever, I do feel I want to be a head coach again whether that’s men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, the WNBA. I understand what USC can be and it’s intriguing to me to have a conversation. I got off the phone after 25 minutes and I didn’t feel too strong either way.” The school’s hard sell convinced her to take that job.
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