Bulls forward Otto Porter Jr. hasn’t played since February 1 because of a lower back issue and it doesn’t sound like he’ll return for a while, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Coach Billy Donovan said Porter has made only “incremental gains” in his rehab process and no timetable is in place for him to play again.
‘‘(Porter’s) still dealing with discomfort,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘It’s been very, very limited for him. Obviously, part of the rehab and recovery is to work on some strengthening and some mobility in his lower back, but he’s still dealing with some symptoms in his lower back. He’s made some incremental gains, but I wouldn’t say he’s really made some significant gains. Some of his rehab has been maybe limited to how he’s feeling a little bit, so there’s certain things he can do physically and other things he can’t do.’’
The Bulls are concerned that Porter’s back problems might be a recurring issue, according to Cowley. Porter is in the final year of his contract, so he’ll want to be careful not to damage his back any further heading into free agency.
There’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls aren’t putting any pressure on Chandler Hutchison, who is out indefinitely for personal reasons, Cowley adds in the same story. No details have been released on Hutchison’s situation, but Cowley says the team is giving him time to handle some personal matters. ‘‘He’s working on some of the things that are challenges right now, but a lot of it is going to be on his timetable on how he’s doing,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘But he’s in constant dialogue, he’s around the team, he’s around the guys and I have great respect for the way he’s handled himself and the line of communication, how open and honest he’s been. We’ll look forward to getting him back, but it’s really going to be on him to see how he’s progressing and how he’s doing.’’
- Lauri Markkanen is sidelined two to four weeks with a sprained shoulder and he believes he can make his recovery time closer to two weeks, according to Jamal Collier of The Chicago Tribune. “When it happened, I was frustrated and disappointed,” Markkanen said. “I did everything on my part to not have this happen. That’s part of the game unfortunately. I feel better — I would say not every day, there are bumps in the road — but I do feel better now compared to when it happened.”
- A 9-14 start could push the Bulls to become sellers on the trade market fairly soon, Cowley suggests in a separate story. He adds that no players should be considered untouchable, even first-round pick Patrick Williams.
Even after starting 7-8 the Bulls were never going to be buyers, same with NY.
NY who are buyers
Right Maz? They just bought earlier this week
Very curious what they’re going to do with LaVine. If you trade him, you need to get a top ten pick in return. I understand the picks aren’t set right away and LaVine probably makes a team better meaning not as valuable pick back to Chi. But it does give Chi a better chance at being very bad. Maybe also opens up room for a free agent signing? Is the ceiling for this team a 7/8 seed? Yippy skippy.
The Bulls aren’t trading Lavine. There are pieces in place for this team to compete in the near future. Add a free agent stud or two and a trade or two and this team will be built for speed.
Are those pieces in the training & health departments? Pieces are only good if they can stay healthy and play.
Zach lavine and Patrick Williams and maybe Coby white are the only pieces for the future of this team, gafford/Hutchison/valentine could all be decent bench players but Lauri Wendell Otto should be traded or just not pursued in free agency and sato/Thad/temple should actually be valued by contenders although I like them better on the team than Wendell and Otto
Cut the Australia Stud he only stand as a nightmare for this team a big man that only hustling is all he can do .not worth 1/4 his salary
Agree. Signing LaVine to a contract extension should be a priority. LaVine is a great talent and a reason for FAs to want to come to Chicago. As you say, if the Bulls can sign two excellent FAs and another high first round draft pick, the Bulls could get better in a hurry next season.
You trade Lavine forget it the future is gone he is. True All star
Could see porter jr being released and being picked up by LA, Dallas
Those that played 1-11-21 keep everyone in that game
All about rebuilding for Knicks. Next yr we go for it. One more draft and just one more.
I have always liked the Bulls young talent. That’s hard for a Knicks fan to say, believe me. Their biggest mistake is getting a traditional PG. Never been a Donovan fan. Had plenty talent in OKC. All they did was lose talent every yr. LaVine should just leave. Go where he wants to go. He’s a solid young star.
No Bulls players are untouchable
They want to trade LaVine and 4th pick Williams?
Knicks will make offer
Despite a reporter’s hyperbole, I doubt the Bulls (AK-55) are making Williams available. If they are, the Knicks should get all in. Otherwise, I’d have no interest in any of their players. If LaVine was good enough to lift a team out of the league’s bottom 10, then he’d have done it by now.
Idea
Knicks get LaVine and Williams
Bulls get RJ and Toppin
Bulls cost saving
Rebuild on rebuild
Toppin is trash
Uh, no
3 team deal
Mavs: Otto Porter and Wendell Carter Jr
Bulls: James Johnson, Kelly Oubre and Jalen Brunson
GSW: Josh Richardson and Marjanovic
Mavs get a starting 5 of Doncic Hardaway Porter Carter Porzingis and have a bunch of good role players like Burke Green Finney-Smith Iwundu Kleber Cauley-Stein.
Carter is a good young defender who can play either PF or C with Porzingis, he doesn’t just clog the paint either.
Bulls get Oubre and Brunson to pair with LaVine White and Markeneen as key future pieces. Oubre should fit well with LaVine and Brunson adds some depth in the guard spots. While Johnson isn’t a bad vet and expiring deal.
GSW adds some defence and secondary playmaking. Richardson slots in at SG and can help a lot and is very smart. Plus they add an impact centre off the bench
Boban won’t help GS. What kind of impact can you expect from a player who only plays about half the time and averages less than 10 MPG when he does?
Plays like 10 mins but gives you like 6 points 8 rebounds and a block. GSW have a habit of making those centres look good. Just like ZaZa and McGee
Mavs say ‘no’. Richardson and Boban so much better than Porter and Carter.
Really really disagree with you
Bulls also say no..they need more for Carter…Oubre and Johnson free agents after the season as is Porter
Need more for Carter? They are getting their future SF in Oubre and Brunson who adds to the backcourt. Oubre they resign and together him LaVine and White form a nice trio. Bulls can go for Andre Drummond in FA or another centre. Carter hasn’t oooked that amazing Oubre has shown more
Lol. The Bulls are about to have healthy cap sheet for the first time in several years and you really think they’re gonna waste that on Oubre? And even if they did want Oubre, why trade for him when you can just sign him in the offseason? I’m not all that high on Carter, but come on man.
Garrpax are gone. That’s some s**t they would have done.
Healthy cap space? Your going to either have to pay a decent amount to keep Markeneen or let him walk.
As for Porter zero chance he returns
So by doing this move you get Johnson and let him expire giving you 17mil. You pay Oubre a little extra off a down year to keep him say 23mil and that gives you 10mil to put towards Markeneen which makes sense.
Otherwise what Porter leaves you create cap space, spend some on Markeneen then have 20 mil left over for what? Plus you miss out on also get Jalen Brunson who is a decent young pint guard
Bulls should act like this draft is the Coby White draft because Markannen & Carter are maybe role players movimg forward.
Trading Patrick Williams would be stupid. Dude should smack himself. They should trade Thad Young tho.
Cowley is off his rocker. PWill is the youngest player in the NBA, and he looks composed on both ends of the floor and flashes projectability in every phase of the game. The only way he gets moved is if it’s part of a package for a legitimate superstar. I think they’ll shop just about everyone else except for him and Zach. AK will want to shake things up, but he’s smart enough to not shortchange the process.
Your posts regarding the Bulls are the most sensible and accurate IMO. PWilliams could potentially be a great player. No way the Bulls are going to trade PWilliams. As you point out, after this season the Bulls will have lots of open cap space. I believe that the only contracts that the Bulls will be obligated to are the contracts for LaVine, White and Williams. The three players are arguably the team’s best three players. The Bulls will owe Young $6 of the $14 million for next season and the Bulls will have to pay $5 of the $10 million to Satoransky. Markkanen is a RFA. The Bulls can just wait and see what offers Markkanen receives and match the offers if the contract is reasonable. That is the approach that the Bulls did three years ago with LaVine. I agree with you that Carter appears to be just an average big man. Carter is undersized when he has to match up against centers such as Embiid, Drummond, Nucevic, etc. AK and Eversley should just continue with the rebuild. Don’t just trade for the sake of trading.
LaVine, Coby, Williams, Markkanen, Carter are solid young talents. Porter is coming off books. And Young should be no problem trading. He only has 6 mill guaranteed next yr. Plus he can help a contender. Coby is more a combo guard (third guard). Bulls need traditional PG. A run the team ast guard. I like Williams so I’m not going to say they should have took Halliburton. But he’s what they need. They get a real PG. I see them as over .500 young team. I wouldn’t take a chance on Lonzo. Payton gives you same numbers.
I’d pay a Denver, or Celtics 1st, but not a Chicago 1st for Ball.
I wouldn’t pay any draft picks for Payton. I’d get him off the books though, trade an equal value player for him if I were the Bulls FO. I like him on the Bulls well enough. His lack of scoring, which may compliment White/Lavine, would be my only hesitation.
Have Satoransky riding the pine already as a similar-type player.
I just meant that Ball for money. You can get same numbers from cheaper contract. Young is someone Nets could use for playoffs. Maybe Dinwiddie could be had. He’d be a great addition for Bulls.
They already had Dinwiddie, and released him. Thanks GarPax.
LOL without giving him an audition. That’s how bad of a front office evaluators they were!!!
Joe Cowley is an idiot. He calls himself the Bulls beatwriter but he makes up stories just to generate clicks. Trading Williams? That’s basically saying that AK and new front office made a mistake. After 25 games? You keep a guy like Williams who at best could be a high energy motor guy who plays defense. You keep Lavine until the demands of TWO first round unprotected picks are met. You keep a guy like white who can get his own shot. Everyone else can go, they’re trash or backup roles on every other team in the NBA with the exception of Wolves. Salary cap? We should have around $30-35M if everything is done correctly. Picks? We should have a top 7 pick bc this offense stinks unless they shoot (and make) 25 3’s per game. I’m glad Cowley wasn’t around when MJ rookie season happened, he probably wanted him traded too. What a waste of the English language on him.
It is ridiculous that someone would write or suggest the Williams is being offered in a trade. Williams potentially might become a great player. Williams doesn’t even turn twenty years old until next August. You are right. A lot of dead weight will be gone after this season is over: Porter, Felicio, Kornet, Arcidiacono, Mokoka. Might include Satoransky and Hutchinson in the dead weight category also. Not sure about Gafford yet. Carter is just average at best. As you say, the Bulls will have a lot of open cap space and another high first round pick. AK and Eversley should just continue with the rebuild.
Yes agree with most of what has been said. There are a lot of placeholders on the Bulls roster right now, and there will be upgrades available in next FA market, not superstars, but better than what they have.
Lavine/Coby do the same thing, but can keep any defense honest for 48 minutes a game. They need a point guard, and they should be able to draft one, especially if they trade off the vets to contenders at the deadline. Thad Young has been putting up near triple doubles every night for the last 2 weeks. Temple is good for what he’s good for, and Satoransky would be useful for any team who is short on guards due to injuries. Bulls can let OPJ go if no one wants him for the stretch run, and Lauri will find that his value is not as much as he (or his agent) thinks. He is at best a 6th man (really 7th if White keeps developing). Carter and Gafford are bench depth but they need to get a good versatile rebounding big in FA. Donovan is getting the most out of what he was handed, but it is not nearly enough to compete. Bulls should not give away any picks, not in the next 2 years.
Trae Young and Ja Morant, Kemba Walker and D’Angelo Russell are at the bottom of Defensive Real Plus-Minus for point guards. They’re all garbage!!!!!!!!!
I have seen zero indication that Patrick Williams is a superstar in the waiting. I understand how young he is. I just don’t see it.