Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Vucevic, Ball, Karnisovas
Bulls All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan intends to return to action from a right quad strain on Thursday, reports K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Chicago has gone 1-2 without the 6’6″ swingman, the team’s leading scorer and best player.
“You get a different perspective when you are sitting back and watching from afar,” DeRozan said of his absence. “We were just having too many lapses here and there, whether defensively or offensively, that put us in a hole and made it so tough for us to get back in a lot of games. And we’re still right there.”
If by “right there” he means barely in the play-in tournament bracket, then he’s right. At 20-24, the Bulls currently occupy the tenth seed in the East, though they are tied with the No. 11 Raptors.
There’s more out of the Windy City:
- Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, a trade candidate given he’s on an expiring deal, tied his career high with 43 points in a 132-118 home win over the Warriors Sunday, writes Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago. Vucevic also contributed 13 points, four assists and four steals in a well-rounded effort. “He’s so dynamic because he can shoot the three, play the pocket, he can make the floater, the hook shot,” second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu raved. “He’s got all of that in his bag. He’s also unselfish, so sometimes he gets in the pick and roll, if he doesn’t have it he hits the weakside person.”
- Starting Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who has missed just over a full calendar year following complications from two knee surgeries, conceded that he may not return to the floor for Chicago this season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I mean, naturally, yeah, everything is on a time schedule,” Ball said when asked if missing the entire season is a possibility. “I would love to play. I would never count that out. It’s a long year, I feel like we’re hitting our stride right now. So hopefully I can keep getting better, the team will keep getting better and we can meet up.”
- Chicago team president Arturas Karnisovas addressed fans during a recent appearance on NBC Sports Chicago’s Bulls Talk podcast. “I enjoy the fan base and how much they love the team and how involved they are,” Karnišovas said (h/t to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports for the transcription). “It’s not fun when we lose. I’m a very competitive person. That’s what you need to know. I don’t take losses lightly. I get emotional just like you. We’re trying to turn this around.”
Southwest Notes: McCollum, Wood, Jones, Washington
Pelicans star point guard CJ McCollum may be one of the finest current players never to earn an All-Star berth. The 31-year-old could have a shot at the honor this season, but to hear him tell it, he’s not particularly worried about that recognition, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
“I get paid like an All-Star,” McCollum noted. “If it happens, that’s great. If not, I am treated very well on the 1st and the 15th. I just do my job. You could argue I should have made it in previous years. But it’s more about team success… I’m here to win games. I’m going to be more efficient. I’m going to be more consistent. I am going to make plays. I am going to make shots and am going to help us win.”
During the summer, McCollum inked a two-year, $64MM contract extension that will keep him under team control through the 2025/26 season. Through 38 games with New Orleans, McCollum is averaging 21.2 PPG on .435/.403/.785 shooting. He is also contributing 5.9 APG, 4.7 RPG and 1.0 SPG for the 26-17 Pelicans.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- As Mavericks center Christian Wood continues to grow comfortable with his role with Dallas, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News wonders how Wood’s recent development impacts the likelihood of a contract extension being negotiated this season. Wood could enter free agency in the summer of 2023 if he does not reach an extension agreement with Dallas before then. He is eligible to sign a four-year deal worth up to $77MM until June 30. Townsend notes that Wood has been conscious of his coaches’ feedback and has improved on the defensive end of the floor for Dallas. The big man is averaging 18.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.3 BPG through 40 games this season. He is also shooting well all over the court, boasting splits of .543/.394/.731.
- During his first season as a starter, third-year Spurs guard Tre Jones has added a scoring element to his game, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Primarily known as a passer, Jones has averaged 20.8 PPG on 50% shooting from the floor and 40% shooting from the three-point line across his last five contests. “I’m continuing to just trust the work I put in, trying to just play my game and not get too hung up on if I am making shots, missing shots,” Jones said. “I know what my role is on this team, and I continue to try to do that every single night and just let the rest take care of itself.”
- Following a 53-point, 10-rebound Friday night game for the NBAGL’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, rookie guard TyTy Washington was recalled to rejoin the Rockets ahead of their next game Sunday, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. In his last three contests with the Vipers, Washington averaged 33.3 PPG while shooting 46.5% from the floor and dishing out 7.3 APG. “It helped me grow on and off the court,” Washington said of his development with the Rockets’ G League affiliate. “It taught me to stay ready, stay patient. When your number gets called, go out there and do what you do. In the meantime, don’t look at it like I’ve been demoted or anything like that. Go down there, have fun, play your game, and get your confidence.”
John Wall To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Abdominal Strain
The Clippers have announced that reserve point guard John Wall has suffered an abdominal strain, per Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Turner adds that Wall is set to be reassessed in two weeks, meaning at minimum he will be out for that long.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets that, in the interval, Reggie Jackson will step in to replace Wall as the team’s primary backup point guard.
Wall, 32, had been playing competently through his 34 healthy games with L.A., though his shooting numbers were somewhat inefficient. He’s averaging 11.4 PPG on .408/.303/.681 shooting in 22.2 MPG. Wall is also dishing out 5.2 APG and grabbing 2.7 RPG.
Wall has been open recently about the challenges he has faced in dealing with a minutes limit and modifying his workout regimen since joining the Clippers.
In additional Clippers injury news, Turner tweets that starting power forward Marcus Morris has incurred a left calf contusion and is considered day-to-day. Through 41 games this season, Morris holds averages of 13.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG. The 6’8″ big man boasts a slash line of .441/.382/.803.
Stein’s Latest: Quickley, Rose, Collins, Burks, Sixers
Although Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley continues to intrigue several rival clubs, New York is now more hesitant to include him in a potential deadline deal, given his strong play since Christmas, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.
Quickley has averaged 19.0 PPG, 5.2 APG and 5.1 RPG in his last nine games, during which the Knicks have gone 6-3. As was revealed previously, the Mavericks, Wizards, and Bucks are among the clubs with interest in the 6’3″ guard. Overall on the season, he is posting averages of 12.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.3 APG for the 24-19 Knicks.
There’s more from Stein:
- Sources inform Stein that veteran Knicks reserve guard Derrick Rose could be on the move as well. The former three-time All-Star and 2011 MVP has long been a favorite player for head coach Tom Thibodeau, who also coached him with the Bulls and Timberwolves. A source tells Stein that New York would only make a move if the team feels it can “do right by” Rose. This would seem to suggest that the Knicks want to flip the 6’3″ vet to a team with an actual rotational need for him, as he has fallen out of New York’s lineups.
- The Hawks have allowed the management team of power forward John Collins to look for favorable possible trade destinations, per Stein. Collins has been on the trading block for a while now. Stein writes that the Jazz, Wizards, Nets and Pacers remain intrigued by Collins to some extent. The 6’9″ big man has been having something of a down season, averaging his fewest field goal attempts (10.3) and points (13.1) since his 2o17/18 rookie year.
- Pistons shooting guard Alec Burks has so impressed his current team that Detroit has reportedly been informing rival clubs that it would like to keep him and plans to pick up his $10.5MM team option for 2023/24, according to Stein. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported something similar earlier in the week, noting that it would take a significant return to pry Burks away. Thus far this season, the 31-year-old is averaging 13.8 PPG on .461/.444/.810 shooting splits. He’s also chipping in 3.0 RPG and 2.2 APG for the Pistons.
- The Sixers, looking to reduce their luxury-tax bill at the end of the season, are expected to try to trade shooting guards Jaden Springer and/or Furkan Korkmaz ahead of the trade deadline, Stein reports.
Nets Notes: Durant, Warren, Trade Deadline, Claxton
With Nets All-NBA forward Kevin Durant now expected to be absent for around one month with an MCL sprain, Brian Lewis of The New York Post wonders if the club can weather life without him better than it did last year.
Lewis notes that Brooklyn went 5-16 in Durant’s absence with another sprained MCL last year. The Nets lost their first game following Durant’s injury this season, a 109-98 defeat on Thursday night against the Celtics.
“With K we know what we’re up against with him not being in lineup,” All-Star Brooklyn point guard Kyrie Irving said. “We can say it every single day, but we don’t have time for any excuses. We’ve just got to keep moving forward and stay mature about it.”
Nick Friedell of ESPN observes that the team does not want to view the Durant injury as a crutch this season.
“I’m not giving this group a chance to make excuses,” head coach Jacque Vaughn noted Wednesday. “Here to play. Here to win. Here to compete. It doesn’t change. Love them.”
There’s more out of Brooklyn:
- Though reserve Brooklyn forward T.J. Warren has been Durant’s primary backup when he’s been available this year, Vaughn does not intend to amp up Warren’s minutes much while Durant sits, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I said from the beginning, the thing is keeping T.J. healthy to the end of the year,” Vaughn said. “We’ll continue to see how we’re going to manage the rotations — who starts, who’s the first sub, what the second group looks like; all of that changes… But no, T.J. won’t be playing 40 minutes.” Botte notes that Yuta Watanabe, Cam Thomas and Markieff Morris could be getting more run to replace Durant by committee.
- The Nets will be actively on the hunt for roster improvements at the February 9 trade deadline, particularly in the frontcourt, reveals Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (YouTube video). “What the Nets get to do now is evaluate their roster without Kevin Durant, who’s been such a dominant force for them,” Woj said. “So now for Brooklyn, they have some time to see how these players play before they make some decisions, probably closer to the trade deadline, on deals.”
- Starting Brooklyn center Nic Claxton used the 2022 offseason as a springboard to improve this season, writes Net Income of Nets Daily. He re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $20MM deal over the summer, and has developed nicely as a rim-rolling defender in 2022/23. Claxton is averaging a career-most 11.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.6 BPG and 1.5 APG. He is also connecting on a career-best 73.8% of his field goals.
Central Notes: Green, Terry, Middleton, Haliburton
Bulls forward Javonte Green underwent a right knee scope on Wednesday, and Chicago reportedly expects him to return in around a month. After that news broke, head coach Billy Donovan explained why the team and Green opted for surgery, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
“He obviously had that bone bruise, which was causing him some problems,’’ Donovan said. “He did swell from it. Medical guys thought that this was something that could be managed if we backed off of him. They had a bunch of different therapies that they could try to do. They did that, and there really wasn’t much progress after a week.
“Given Javonte’s options with where we’re at in the season … obviously it was Javonte’s decision to do it, but I didn’t think from what I got from medical, and even what I got from Javonte, that there was a lot of progress with the interaction of just resting him,” Donovan continued.
Green is on the second year of a two-season, $3.5MM contract he signed with the Bulls, and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 6’5″ vet has emerged as a tenacious, if undersized, defender, mostly playing small forward and power forward.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Rookie Bulls wing Dalen Terry is not currently in the rotation, even with the team missing key swingmen like DeMar DeRozan and Green. He is hoping to carve out rotation minutes at some point this season, Cowley writes in a separate piece. “I’m definitely anxious to get playing time,’’ Terry said. “With the position I’m in right now, it’s just like you’ve gotta embrace it, but you can’t ever get comfortable. I can’t get comfortable with learning every day and not playing. I just have to find that balance.’’
- Bucks All-Star small forward Khris Middleton practiced with Milwaukee on Tuesday and was involved in the club’s subsequent shootaround Wednesday, but will require more practice reps before he can make his return to the floor, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He continues to try to progress from the knee soreness that has kept him shelved since December 15. “It’s the next ramp-up step in returning to playing,” Middleton said. “It went well. Really, no swelling that came back yesterday, feel pretty good today. I know people get frustrated, but it’s like a day-by-day thing where I have to put myself through these various steps and have to sustain it for a lot of time in order to be back playing without pain or swelling.”
- Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a left elbow sprain and left knee bone contusion, and is set to miss at least the next two weeks before he is reassessed. Bob Kravitz of The Athletic writes that the team seems to have found a long-term keeper in Haliburton, a player who might actually love Indiana back for once, much like Hall of Fame shooting guard Reggie Miller, who spent all of his 18 NBA seasons trying to bring a title to the Pacers.
Injury Notes: KAT, Kuminga, Wiseman, Green, DeRozan, LaVine, Sexton
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns continues to recuperate from a right calf strain. According to Megan Ryan and Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link), Towns shared a minor update on his health on Thursday, though he didn’t offer a specific timeline for a return just yet.
“It’s a long process,” Towns said. “Definitely was a significant injury… I can’t wait to be back playing for the Wolves, doing what I do best on another level. The great thing about being injured, it gives you a lot of time to think, and I’ve been able to kind of be a coach and be sitting back watching our team and seeing what I, where I can implement myself even more and do… things better than I did before I was injured.”
Through his 21 healthy games this season, Towns was his usual productive self, averaging 20.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- The Warriors have provided updates on the health statuses of several injured players (Twitter link). Second-year wing Jonathan Kuminga, out since spraining his right foot December 30, has joined his Golden State colleagues in practice for the first time today, while power forward JaMychal Green and center James Wiseman are set to rejoin the club in the next few days. Green has been out for the Warriors’ past 10 contests due to a combination of COVID-19 health and safety protocols and a right lower leg infection. Wiseman has missed Golden State’s last five games with a left ankle sprain. All three players are out for tonight’s game against the Spurs as they continue to recover.
- Bulls All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan is considered doubtful to suit up against the Thunder tomorrow night, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (via Twitter). DeRozan suffered a right quad strain in a Chicago loss to the Celtics Monday, and missed the Bulls’ subsequent match on Wednesday. Johnson reports that DeRozan’s maximum-salaried teammate Zach LaVine is dealing with a right hand contusion, but is considered probable to play.
- Jazz reserve guard Collin Sexton said today that he’ll return to the club on Friday following a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). “Definitely excited to be back on the floor,” Sexton said. “We pushed it yesterday a lot, we’ve been pushing it this past week, and then pushed it again today. I feel good. I’m excited — I’m ready to go.”
Jaylen Brown Out “A Week Or Two” With Adductor Strain
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has suffered a right adductor strain, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Brown has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Nets in Brooklyn, and seems likely to miss additional time.
When asked about just how long Brown might be on the shelf, head coach Joe Mazzulla was optimistic.
“I anticipate [his absence] being pretty short,” Mazzulla offered. “Probably a week or two.”
Mazzulla added that Brown had wanted to suit up for the Nets matchup before being ultimately ruled out.
“I’m not sure what the timeline is,” Mazzulla said. “I know he tried to give it a go today, and wasn’t able to do it. We’ll know more the next couple days, see how he responds.”
The 6’6″ swingman seems poised to be named to his second All-Star team this season, as he and fellow forward Jayson Tatum have led Boston to an East-best 30-12 record. Across 40 healthy games, Brown is averaging 27.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.1 SPG. He is also posting a shooting line of .498/.329/.795.
Warriors’ Andre Iguodala Fined $25K By NBA
The NBA has fined Warriors reserve forward Andre Iguodala $25K, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).
After being whistled for a technical and ejected from Golden State’s eventual 125-113 loss to the Suns on Tuesday, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP was penalized “for directing inappropriate language” at referees. He also subsequently threw the game ball into the stands at Chase Center, the Warriors’ home court.
The contest against Phoenix marked just Iguodala’s second game of the 2022/23 season so far. He had missed most of the first half of the year with a hip injury. The 6’6″ wing is averaging 12.5 MPG through the two contests this year, along with 1.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 2.0 APG.
Iguodala is currently in his 19th NBA season and eighth non-consecutive season with Golden State. The 38-year-old was a critical on-court contributor for his first three championships with the team, in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Though less impactful on the hardwood in 2021/22, he nevertheless proved to be a valuable locker room leader for his fourth Warriors title this past summer.
During the 2022 offseason, Iguodala inked a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal to play for a final NBA season with the Warriors. It’s been something of a rocky start so far, not just for Iguodala but for the team at large. Weathering long-term injuries to starters Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry for much of the season’s first half, Golden State is just 20-21 thus far.
Lakers To Audition Meyers Leonard
The Lakers are set to work out free agent center Meyers Leonard on Friday, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The seven-footer out of Illinois enjoyed a nine-year NBA career as a backup for the Trail Blazers and Heat, before injuries and controversy ended his run in 2021. While recovering from season-ending surgeries to his shoulder and ankle in 2021, Leonard used an antisemitic slur during a live stream of a video game on Twitch. He was quickly fined $50K and suspended by Miami, then was traded to the Thunder and cut before the end of the 2020/21 NBA season.
To his credit, Leonard completed training in a league-mandated cultural diversity program and has since apologized for his behavior. He has not been rostered, in the NBA or internationally, ever since. Charania adds (via Twitter) that Leonard has logged significant time in the intervening years with Jewish leaders and been involved with the Jewish community.
Still just 30, Leonard represents an athletic and intriguing option for Los Angeles. A career 39% three-point shooter on 1.9 attempts, he could help spread the floor for one of the league’s least efficient three-point shooting clubs.
The Lakers currently have every spot on their 15-man standard roster occupied, but swingman Sterling Brown is on a 10-day contract and has yet to score a basket across three games, so he may not be long for L.A.