- In four games since returning to the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic has shown why he won a starting job during preseason, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Mirotic had 29 points and nine rebounds tonight as Chicago, which was a league-worst 3-20 in his absence, improved to 4-0 with him in the lineup. “He does a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score,” said coach Fred Hoiberg. “He’s in the right spot defensively, he’s in a stance, he knows where to be, he understands the game plan.”
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the job security for head coaches around the NBA, concluding that Frank Vogel (Magic), Mike Budenholzer (Hawks), Dave Joerger (Kings), and Fred Hoiberg (Bulls) are among those whose seats are hottest.
- David Nwaba was a mere waiver wire acquisition by the Bulls but he has become a vital part of the team, NBA.com’s Sam Smith writes. “His skill is he goes out and plays harder than everybody else on the floor,” said Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg. As a reserve, Nwaba is averaging 8.3 PPG for the 6-20 Bulls.
- While Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic‘s violent preseason scuffle that resulted in suspensions and facial surgery captured headlines, the duo’s recent on-court competition for the Bulls has been a pleasant change of pace, Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago.
The NBA trade deadline is still almost two months away, but the Bulls have started doing their homework on the market. According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, who cites one team executive from each conference, the Bulls have made “preliminary inquiries” to assess the trade value of veteran bigs Nikola Mirotic and Robin Lopez.
Despite their three-game winning streak, which includes a win over the conference-leading Celtics, the Bulls are still just 6-20, tied for the NBA’s worst record. As such, the club is expected to be a seller at the February 8 trade deadline, making Mirotic and Lopez logical trade candidates.
Lopez and Mirotic are the Bulls’ highest-paid players, though neither contract is onerous. Lopez is earning $13.79MM this season and has one more guaranteed year worth $14.36MM. Mirotic has a $12.5MM cap hit for this season and a $12.5MM team option for 2018/19, meaning Chicago could lose him for nothing in unrestricted free agency in July.
Of course, while Lopez’s contract situation and age (29) are enough to make him a trade candidate, there are a few other factors at play in Mirotic’s case. The 26-year-old missed the start of the 2017/18 season after suffering a concussion and facial fractures as a result of a Bobby Portis punch, and while the two power forwards appear to be coexisting now, Mirotic reportedly wouldn’t mind being moved.
With nearly 100 players set to become trade-eligible later this week, trade discussions around the NBA may start to heat up soon. However, most teams won’t finalize any deals until closer to the deadline. If the Bulls decide to move Mirotic, they’ll have no choice but to wait — his trade restrictions don’t lift until January 15.
- Center Robin Lopez, power forward Nikola Mirotic and shooting guard Justin Holiday are three Bulls players that Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times views as trade bait. All three are rotation players whose contracts expire after next season, though there’s a team option on the final year of Mirotic’s deal, worth $12.5MM.
Not only does the return of Nikola Mirotic give the struggling Bulls an extra offensive weapon, he provides a calm confidence that the young team can benefit from. Nick Friedell of ESPN writes that Mirotic has set the bar high upon his return, taking particular pleasure in the fact that the 5-20 team is 2-0 since he returned to the court.
Friedell adds that Mirotic has been playing particularly well alongside frontcourt teammate Bobby Portis. Together the pair who’s training camp skirmish made national headlines is rocking a 115.6 offensive rating with a 103.8 defensive rating. The pairing alone has yielded 59 of the Bulls’ 223 points over the last two games and they’ve only been on the floor together for 24 minutes.
The Bulls may be in the midst of a rebuild, not particularly committed to any specific player, but Mirotic has shown plenty of potential when asked to take on a large offensive role. From March 22 on last season, Mirotic averaged 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in just under 30 minutes per game.
After being sidelined for over a month and a half, Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic is set to make his season debut on Friday night against the Hornets, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Mirotic had targeted tonight’s game for his return, and head coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed after today’s shootaround that the veteran big man is ready to go.
“Niko will play tonight,” Hoiberg said. “We talked about starting out with him being careful about his minutes. There’s no hard number, per se. We just have to be smart about this as he works his way back into playing shape, especially the back-to-back here in his first stint. So he’ll go out and probably play 15-20 minutes tonight. It could be different depending on the flow of the game, but he’s excited to be back and we’re excited to have him out there.”
It has been an eventful few months for Mirotic, who reached restricted free agency for the first time in July, and had hoped to sign a lucrative new deal. After spending several months on the open market though, the 26-year-old settled for a two-year, $25MM deal with the Bulls. That’s certainly not bad money, but with only the first year’s salary guaranteed, it’s less than what Mirotic had hoped for.
After re-signing with the Bulls, Mirotic appeared poised to open the season as the team’s starting power forward, but an altercation with teammate Bobby Portis prior to opening night hospitalized Mirotic, who was on the receiving end of a Portis punch. The blow resulted in a concussion and multiple facial fractures for Mirotic, as well as an eight-game suspension for Portis.
While Mirotic and Portis appear to have made amends – at least enough to coexist on the court and the bench – it’s still worth keeping an eye on Mirotic’s play over the next several weeks. The sharpshooting power forward becomes eligible to be traded on January 15, and it seems unlikely that he and the Bulls have a long-term future. If he plays well, Mirotic should draw some interest around the NBA prior to the February 8 trade deadline.
As we outlined earlier today, ASM Sports president Andy Miller has relinquished his certification as an agent after his agency was raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into college basketball corruption. Miller’s roster of NBA clients features a number of notable names, including some All-Stars, so what’s next for them?
According to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links), Miller’s clients have been told that their contracts with Miller are no longer in effect, allowing them to sign new deals with other certified NBA agents. As Mullen notes, there’s usually a 15-day waiting period when a player changes agents, but that 15-day period is waived when an agent relinquishes his certification. As such, players like Kyle Lowry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Serge Ibaka will be free to hire new representation immediately.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Although he’s widely viewed as one of the biggest NBA draft busts of the last decade, former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett hasn’t given up on his efforts to get back into the league and make an impact. Bennett recently spoke to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders about his career and about playing in the G League.
- Veteran NBA guard Nate Robinson is looking for an opportunity to return to the NBA, suggesting that a team like the Bulls could use him, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando details.
- While Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz stole most of the pre-draft headlines, many of the stars of this year’s rookie class came off the board a little later. Alex Squadron of The New York Post examines some of the more unsung rookie standouts of the 2017/18 season, including John Collins (Hawks), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), and OG Anunoby (Raptors).
- Former Grizzlies guard Xavier Munford, who was in camp with the Bucks in October, has hired agents Happy Walters and George Langberg of Catalyst Sports for representation, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Munford has played well for Milwaukee’s G League affiliate this season, averaging 24.4 PPG and 5.3 APG with a .551/.641/.737 shooting line for the Wisconsin Herd.
Fedor noted that the Cavaliers’ offense and defense have been better with Rose off the court. Injuries have taken a toll on Rose’s 29-year-old body as he is no longer the NBA Most Valuable Player-caliber talent he was with the Bulls. However, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said Rose’s ability to score would still be a welcome addition.
- Nikola Mirotic was in a good mood for the first time in a long time while speaking to reporters after his first G League practice, Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago writes. Mirotic has missed the season thus far due to facial surgery, a result of a preseason fight with Bulls teammate Bobby Portis. Both men have seemingly agreed to move past the incident and focus on the team.
- The Bulls have sent second-year guard Kay Felder back to the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Felder will soon be joined by Zach LaVine, who will continue rehabbing his ACL injury with the Windy City Bulls.