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Knicks Notes: Randle, Bench, Lopez

November 5th, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Chasson Randle, who is currently nursing a fractured orbital bone, has begun his rehab stint with the West Chester Knicks and New York is expected to add him to the roster once he is ready to play, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. The Knicks currently have 15 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates, so they will have to make a corresponding move.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Randle will be a nice addition, but the Knicks‘ bench remains an area of concern, Berman opines in the same piece. In Friday night’s win over the Bulls, the starters accounted for 100 of the team’s 117 points, causing Berman to speculate that the team could look to the trade market to bolster the second unit.
Robin Lopez was surprised when he found out that he was traded to the Bulls this past offseason, though the big man is happy about his new home, as he tells Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. “You know that’s how the league works,” Lopez said “I’m grateful for my experience in New York, for the season I was there, and I’m excited to be in Chicago as well. Very excited.”
Lopez said it was an “eye-opening” experience playing for the Knicks and he added that he wouldn’t have signed elsewhere had he known he would be traded just one season into his four-year deal, as he tells Scotto in the same piece. “Oh, not at all, not at all,” Lopez said. “Like I said, I think there are a lot of positives [that come] to mind from that experience.”

Rose, Noah Successful In Homecoming

November 5th, 2016 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick Rose wasn’t bothered by the boos he heard in Friday’s return to Chicago, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The former MVP had 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in his first game against the Bulls since a June trade that sent him to New York. Rose received a mixed reaction when he was introduced and was booed the first several times he touched the ball. “It was all fun, man. I love competing,” he said. “I love when the crowd is into it. I knew it was going to be some yells. I knew there was going to be some boos. I’m from here. I’m used to it. I’ve been getting it ever since I was in sixth grade, going on the West Side of Chicago and playing and me being a South Side. I’m used to it.”

The homecoming was a little friendlier for Joakim Noah, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. The former Bulls center, who signed with the Knicks in July for $72MM over four years, was cheered loudly during introductions. He responded with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the 117-104 victory. “There was a lot of love in this building,’’ said Noah, who spent nine seasons in Chicago. “I wanted to keep my emotions in check in this building.’’

Noah Agrees With Bulls Decision To Break Up Core

November 4th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When the Knicks and the Bulls square off tonight, it will mark the first time Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose will play in Chicago since departing the franchise over the summer. Both players have expressed their happiness to be in New York this season and Noah agreed with his former team’s decision to break up its longtime core, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays. “I think it was time for change,” Noah said. “There’s no question about that. It seems like this is a happy group, enjoy being around one another. That’s good. That’s what it’s all about, that’s how it should be.”

Derrick Rose Regrets Not Winning Title With Bulls

November 4th, 2016 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

One former MVP faced his old team for the first time on Thursday night, as Kevin Durant led the Warriors to a win over the Thunder, and Friday’s schedule has another such reunion on tap, with Derrick Rose‘s Knicks set to face the Bulls for the first time this season. It will be a bittersweet return for Rose and Joakim Noah, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who observes that the new-look Bulls are off to a much better start than the retooled Knicks.

Meanwhile, Rose spoke to Sam Smith of Bulls.com about not knowing what to expect upon his return to Chicago, adding that he’s anticipating a “couple of boos here and there.” According to the Knicks’ starting point guard, his primary regret stemming from his time with the Bulls is that he wasn’t able to lead the team to a title. “I had so many visions of winning a championship there,” Rose said.

NBA D-League Affiliate Players For 2016/17

November 3rd, 2016 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the offseason, and in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams before the season can be designated as affiliate players and assigned to their D-League squads.

The players have some say in the decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re free to turn down their team’s request to have them play in the D-League. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system is appealing to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll maintain NBA free agency while they play in the D-League.

There are a few other rules related to D-League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a D-League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned. Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, so clubs like the Hawks, Nuggets, or Clippers have no place to send affiliate players.

With all that in mind, here are the NBA D-League affiliate players to start the 2016/17 season:

Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs)

Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Jonathan Holmes
Eric Moreland

Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers)

Updated R.J. Hunter Contract Details

November 3rd, 2016 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

Although Marks’ salary page for the Bulls had previously indicated that R.J. Hunter‘s deal with the team was a guaranteed one-year pact – as we noted on Wednesday – The Vertical’s cap expert has updated the terms of that contract. According to Marks, it’s a two-year, minimum salary deal with a partial guarantee of $425K in year one.

R.J. Hunter Contract Details

November 2nd, 2016 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Marks also has the details on R.J. Hunter‘s new pact with the Bulls, indicating that the ex-Celtic got a fully guaranteed salary from Chicago. However, it’s just a one-year, minimum salary deal for Hunter.

Community Shootaround: NBA’s Undefeated Teams

November 2nd, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2016/17 NBA season is now eight days old, and already 25 teams have suffered at least one loss, leaving just five undefeated teams. The Thunder, Clippers, Bulls, and Hawks are 3-0, while the Cavaliers are 4-0.

Of those five clubs, the Cavaliers and Clippers were expected to be title contenders this year, so their hot starts don’t come as a real surprise. However, the other three remaining undefeated franchises had more question marks entering the season. The Thunder and Hawks lost top free agents this summer, in Kevin Durant and Al Horford, and the Bulls’ roster construction led many observers to question whether they’d have enough shooting and spacing to be effective on offense.

While three or four games is hardly enough of a sample size to draw definitive conclusions about any NBA team, it’s worth keeping an eye out for early signs of potential surprises. So today’s Community Shootaround discussion questions center around these five clubs.

Which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams do you think will continue to rank among the league’s elite? Are the Cavs and Clippers still the only safe bets among the group, or do the Thunder, Hawks, and Bulls have a good chance to keep up their hot starts and outperform expectations? Are any of these clubs mediocre squads that have been helped in the early going by soft schedules?

Weigh in below in our comments section with your thoughts on which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams are for real, and which ones you expect to come back down to earth soon.

Michael Carter-Williams Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

November 1st, 2016 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

4:38pm: Carter-Williams is expected to be out a bit longer than previously relayed. The Bulls issued a press release stating that the guard is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks, rather than the three to four that was previously speculated.

12:59pm: After playing three games for his new team to start the regular season, Michael Carter-Williams is expected to be sidelined for the next several weeks due to injuries. According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, Carter-Williams sustained a sprained left wrist and a bone bruise in his left knee, and will miss the next three or four weeks.

Like the Timberwolves, who will be without Ricky Rubio for the foreseeable future, the Bulls have enough depth at point guard that a roster move shouldn’t be necessary to deal with Carter-Williams’ absence. Rajon Rondo is Chicago’s starter, with Isaiah Canaan and Jerian Grant available off the bench.

Carter-Williams, acquired by the Bulls during the preseason, averaged 15.0 minutes per contest in his first three games with the team, putting up 4.0 PPG and 2.7 APG in that stretch. The former 11th overall pick had been eligible for a rookie scale extension up until Monday’s deadline, but had never been expected to get a new deal, since he just joined the Bulls two weeks ago.

Carter-Williams, who turned 25 in October, is on track to become a restricted free agent next summer.

Extension Unlikely For Carter-Williams

October 31st, 2016 at 6:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It is highly unlikely that the Bulls and Michael Carter-Williams agree to an extension prior to tonight’s deadline, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). There are no talks currently ongoing between the point guard and the team, the scribe adds.