Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Rose, Pistons, Heat

November 15th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose may be dealing with blurred vision for a few more months, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. Rose has struggled shooting so far, averaging only 12.6 points per game, as Friedell points out. Rose suffered a left orbital fracture during the Bulls’ first training camp practice on September 29th.

“[The doctors] said it could be as long as three months,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “But [the vision] has continued to improve, and that’s obviously a positive.”

The news, however, came as a surprise to Rose.

“This is my first time hearing about it,” Rose told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). “But you kind of have that hope in your mind that it gets well a lot quicker. But for this to be seven or eight [weeks] out and still the same way, I can’t do nothing but live with it. Get the most out of every day, keep putting my deposits in and keep working on my game until my eye gets better.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

While former Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith is still upset with comments team president Phil Jackson made during the summer about Smith’s personal life, Marc Berman of the New York Post opines that Smith should be grateful that he was traded to the Cavs. After not fitting into the Knicks’ plans, and despite his current shooting woes, Berman writes that the Cavs still see Smith as a capable scoring threat in a reserve role.
Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who is recovering from a torn left Achilles suffered in January, participated in four-on-four and three-on-three games with teammates and is still on track to return around Christmas, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. “As I told him today, what’s not back right now is his quickness,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s going to take some time. Being out and being able to do stuff is one thing, and being able to do it at a speed that you can really do is another.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Beno Udrih should have no problem fitting in with Miami, Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel writes. “He’s got veteran savviness about him,” Spoelstra said. “You saw it the other night. He hasn’t been in a practice. He hasn’t been in a shootaround but he’s played for enough different systems that he can just play basketball. You don’t notice things that you might have because he’s a veteran player. You can throw him in any situation. Guys like that are very valuable with veteran teams.” The Heat acquired Udrih from the Grizzlies in exchange for Mario Chalmers. Spoelstra did not identify a clear-cut role for Udrih, Richardson adds.

And Ones: Gasol, Nuggets, Drummond, Hawks

November 14th, 2015 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls‘ Pau Gasol could miss out on a major payday if he doesn’t opt out of his current deal next summer, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Gasol has a player option on the final season of a three-year, $22.3MM contract that brought him to Chicago in 2014. He is owed a little less than $7.77MM for 2016/17, when increased TV revenues are expected to greatly raise the salary cap. Two unidentified executives from rival teams told Johnson that even at age 36, Gasol could land two more years of guaranteed money if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. “I’ll wait to make that decision,” Gasol said. “All I’m focused on now is trying to play the best I can so that if I do opt out and explore, I have options. If I have the best season possible and work on my body and stay healthy and help this team accomplish its goals, I’ll go from there.”

There’s more from around the world of basketball:

The league has taken steps to reduce the unique home-court advantage the Nuggets possess because of Denver’s location and altitude, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Denver is at least a two-hour flight from nearly all NBA cities, which gives the home team a decided advantage against an opponent playing back-to-back games, especially when the thin mountain air is factored in. “I didn’t like it when I had to come here,” said Michael Malone, who is in his first season as Nuggets coach. “But I love it now.” Dempsey reports that the NBA has tried to cut into that edge by making Denver the first stop for teams traveling from the east and building an off day into the schedule for teams coming from the west.
The Pistons‘ Andre Drummond tops a list of six players exceeding expectations compiled by Jonathan Concool of Basketball Insiders. Drummond was averaging 20.3 points and 20.3 rebounds per game heading into Saturday’s action. Rounding out the list are the Blazers‘ C.J. McCollum, the Pistons’ Marcus Morris, the Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Magic’s Evan Fournier and the Lakers‘ Jordan Clarkson.
The Hawks will recall Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson from the D-League Sunday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both are expected to be in Atlanta in time for the game with the Jazz.

Eastern Notes: Gortat, Budenholzer, Zeller, Hoiberg

November 14th, 2015 at 7:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ Marcin Gortat is upset about being singled out by coach Randy Wittman following Tuesday’s 24-point loss to the Thunder, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Wittman angrily said that even he could get one defensive rebound in 27 minutes, as Gortat did in the blowout. “I don’t think it was necessary to call me out in the media like that,” Gortat said. “But it happened. I heard a different story in training camp, that stuff like that won’t happen. But it happened. So I disagree with what he did.” Gortat still has four seasons left on a five-year, $60MM deal he signed in 2014.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Hawks released a statement this evening from coach/executive Mike Budenholzer explaining his absence from Friday’s game. “On Friday morning, I returned to Atlanta from Boston to be with my family due to an emergency medical situation involving my wife,” Budenholzer wrote. “We are encouraged by her progress to this point and remain cautiously optimistic.” He promised to return to the team “as soon as possible.” Assistant Kenny Atkinson will continue to coach the team until Budenholzer returns, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Celtics‘ Tyler Zeller, who was passed over for an extension earlier this month, is dealing with severely reduced playing time, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Zeller has become the odd man out in Boston’s crowded frontcourt, getting just 14 minutes of court time over five games before his role was expanded in Friday’s victory over Atlanta. “Tyler’s a really good player. We just have a lot of bigs,” said coach Brad Stevens. “I don’t know how else to say it. We haven’t shot it great, so you want to play some guys that can stretch the floor and be guarded when the floor is stretched. And that leaves at least one person out.”
Despite a couple of disappointing losses to the Hornets and Wolves, Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune he is completely happy with the performance of new coach Fred Hoiberg. “Fred connects with the players,” Reinsdorf said. “He connects with everyone he talks to because of his experience as a player, executive and coach at the college level.” This is Hoiberg’s first NBA coaching job after spending five years at Iowa State.

Central Notes: Drummond, Budinger, Dellavedova

November 13th, 2015 at 7:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Andre Drummond reiterated his intention to re-sign with the Pistons this offseason when he is eligible to become a restricted free agent, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays. “I love it here. I plan on being here,” Drummond told Spears. Team owner Tom Gores, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, and Drummond mutually agreed to hold off on signing an extension to allow the team to retain more cap space heading into next offseason in order to make further roster upgrades.

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

Small forward Chase Budinger is attempting to carve out his niche on the Pacers after having been acquired from the Wolves this past summer, writes Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. “I’m still trying to figure that out, it’s still a work in progress,” Budinger said. “My role is still trying to evolve and trying to fit into this system and with this team. I’m still trying to find better ways to be more productive.” The 27-year-old has appeared in nine games this season, averaging just 4.1 points in 15.9 minutes per contest while shooting 41.9% from the field.
Cavs point guard Matthew Dellavedova has used his strong playoff showing from a season ago as a springboard to a solid start to the 2015/16 campaign, Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “I feel confident,” Dellavedova told Fedor. “I think you should always be more confident in your game and that comes through putting in the work. I think it was a great experience for me playing in the playoffs last year and working hard in the offseason by playing with the national team. In a different role than I usually play here with the Cavs, and [I] have just tried to build on that. I think if you work hard that’s what helps with your confidence.“
The Bulls lead the NBA in building through the draft, with a league-best 10 draftees currently on the roster, Sam Smith of NBA.com notes in his leaguewide rundown. “The franchise always has had a strong belief in building through the draft and developing our own players,” said Bulls GM Gar Forman. “It starts with [owner] Jerry [Reinsdorf], who always has been a strong believer in the draft.”

And-Ones: Durant, Green, Aldridge

November 12th, 2015 at 8:45am CST by Chuck Myron

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News mentions the Lakers, Bulls and Knicks as major-market suitors for Kevin Durant, and the Warriors as a team that could catch his eye, but people around the league have long felt as though Durant will either sign with the Thunder or the Wizards, Deveney writes. It’s a sentiment one Eastern Conference GM who spoke with Deveney confirms. Still, Washington doesn’t plan an extravagant pitch, a source tells Deveney, in keeping with the former MVP’s low-key personality. That said, neither the Warriors nor the Heat should be ruled out as potential Durant destinations, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. See more from around the NBA:

Gerald Green punched a man who was trying to restrain him from going from the lobby of his condo building to his unit, according to a police report that Manny Navarro and Charles Rabin of the Miami Herald obtained. The man, who elected not to press charges, was attempting to keep Green in the lobby so that he would be there when rescue officials arrived, the report states, according to Navarro and Rabin. Green had earlier approached the front desk of the lobby with bloody hands and asked for a call to paramedics, then proceeded to the valet area in front of the building and collapsed, the report continues, as Navarro and Rabin detail. Green, who was handcuffed but not arrested, was hospitalized and later released and is serving a two-game suspension from the Heat. Team president Pat Riley said the team still believes it can count on Green, who issued an apology as part of a team statement, Navarro and Rabin add.
The Mavericks weren’t the favorites for LaMarcus Aldridge, but they still had a chance to sign him when they abandoned their pursuit to instead nail down the more certain acquisition of Wesley Matthews, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports details in an inside look at Aldridge’s free agency. Aldridge liked Kobe Bryant‘s basketball chat but little else about the Lakers presentation, while Aldridge was reluctant to share the marquee with James Harden despite an intriguing Rockets pitch and found Raptors GM Masai Ujiri appealing but not convincing enough to sway him to Toronto, according to Wojnarowski.
The Spurs wooed Aldridge with a casual, face-to-face approach from Gregg Popovich and other San Antonio principals, Wojnarowski explains in the same piece. Popovich’s decision to fly in for a second visit, prompted by Aldridge’s second Lakers meeting, helped sealed the deal for the Spurs, thanks in part to a last-minute appeal from Riley that the Heat president intended to use to sell Aldridge on a secondary role in Miami, Wojnarowski writes. Instead, Aldridge took Riley’s message to heart as he embraced the idea of sacrificing some of his impressive offensive numbers in San Antonio’s egalitarian offense, as the Yahoo scribe details.

D-League Notes: Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Sixers

November 11th, 2015 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

GM Gar Forman said the Bulls haven’t used the D-League that frequently because they wanted the players “in our culture,” K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along via Twitter. Earlier today, the Bulls formally announced that they will have their own D-League team starting in the 2016/17 season, so that concern will no longer be an issue.

Here’s more D-League news to pass along:

Edy Tavares is headed to the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, the Hawks announced today, confirming Tuesday’s report from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta was sending the rookie on assignment. The Hawks don’t have a D-League affiliate, so it wasn’t initially clear where he’d end up, though it’s no surprise to see him head to the Austin Spurs, given the ties between the Atlanta and San Antonio organizations.
The Sixers sent point guards Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten to their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, the team announced via press release. The duo aren’t expected to play in any D-League games, but they will work out with the team as they recover from their respective injuries, per John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. These are the first D-League assignments of the season for Philadelphia.
The Celtics assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, and later recalled both him and Jordan Mickey, the team announced (Twitter links). Both players were sent to Maine to log more practice time. It was the third D-League assignment of the season for Young, and the second for Mickey, as our assignment and recall tracker shows.
The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the 2015/16 season for both the player and team.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post

D-League Formally Adds Bulls Affiliate For 2016/17

November 11th, 2015 at 2:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The D-League will expand to add a one-to-one affiliate of the Bulls for the 2016/17 season, the league and the Bulls formally announced via press release. The Bulls will own the team outright, running its basketball operations as well as the business side. The affiliate will be based at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. The team is the third that’s set to join the D-League for next season, when the minor league is poised to swell to 22 teams, all of which will be affiliated directly with an NBA parent club. The Hornets and Nets are the other NBA teams starting up their own D-League affiliates next season.

“We’re extremely excited for the valuable investment the Bulls are making by owning and operating an NBA D-League franchise,” Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson said in the team’s statement. “While it will ingrain our brand more deeply in the surrounding communities, it will also strengthen our team on the court. Our younger players will have a place close to home to grow and mature while playing within a developmental platform that is consistent with Bulls basketball.”

Formal news about a D-League team in Chicago has been expected since the team acknowledged its plans late last month, as Eric Peterson of the Daily Herald detailed. The team won local government approval in Hoffman Estates this week, though a lease agreement still must be finalized.

Still, the Bulls seemed an unlikely candidate to jump into the D-League game before news of their plans emerged. They haven’t made any D-League assignments since 2013, when they twice sent Marquis Teague to the affiliate they used to share with multiple other NBA teams. Before that, their last D-League assignment took place in 2010. The addition of the Bulls affiliate leaves the Hawks, Nuggets, Clippers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Wizards as the only NBA franchises without D-League teams that are either already in operation or in place for next season.

Central Notes: Vasquez, Love, Budinger

November 10th, 2015 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greivis Vasquez is just 4 for 29 from behind the 3-point line thus far this season, but the Bucks aren’t fretting about the offseason trade acquisition, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“He’s a vet. He understands he’s got to shoot his way through this. His teammates are telling him to keep shooting,” Kidd said. “If it helps him, I ended my career without making a shot. Hopefully that makes him feel better.”

Kidd was making a self-deprecating reference to his 0 for 17 performance in the final 10 games of his career. With the Bucks possessing a 4-3 record and apparently in a jovial mood, they aren’t the only ones with a relatively carefree attitude to start the season. See more from the Central Division:

Kevin Love is carrying a looser demeanor and he and LeBron James seemingly have a much more open dialogue than they did last season, observes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Love, despite rumors that he would bolt, was the first of the major Cavs free agents to recommit to the team this past summer, as I noted when I examined the team’s offseason accomplishments earlier today.
Chase Budinger, a summer trade pickup, was struggling to find his role on the Pacers leading up to Monday’s game, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star examines, and coach Frank Vogel absorbs responsibility for it. “I haven’t really called Chase’s number very much at all,” Vogel said. “I told him a couple days ago that’s on me. I got to make sure we’re taking advantage of his skill set more.”
The Bulls received approval from the village board in suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois for their plan to place a one-to-one D-League affiliate there starting next season, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The lease agreement for the team to use the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates isn’t final, but it’s expected to become so, according to Johnson, who adds that the Bulls have called a press conference for Wednesday. Presumably, a formal announcement about the D-League team will take place at that point.

And-Ones: Bryant, Barnes, Pacers

November 9th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kobe Bryant would be thrilled to play for USA Basketball in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he told Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. Bryant, who won gold medals the past two Olympics, could end his competitive basketball career in the Olympics if he chooses to retire after this NBA season, Reynolds adds. “It would mean the world to me to be around those guys,” the veteran Lakers’ swingman said. “I think to be able to have a chance to continue the relationship that I already have with most of those guys, talking and just kind of being around each other and understanding that this is it, it’s just us being together, that would be fun.” The 12-player roster is expected to be revealed in June.

In other news around the league:

Dragan Bender, a 7’0” forward who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, heads the list of Top 10 NBA prospects compiled by Kevin O’Connor of DraftExpress.com and Celticsblog.com. The 17-year-old could be a draft-and-stash option for the Celtics, who own the struggling Nets’ 2016 first-rounder. The next three players on his list are also 6’10” or taller — LSU point forward Ben Simmons, Kentucky center Skal Labissiere and Duke forward Brandon Ingram.
Matt Barnes is still furious that Knicks coach Derek Fisher went to the authorities after their October altercation at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times tweets. “We’re two grown men who should have handled two grown men’s business, but he wanted to run and tell the cops and the NBA,” the Grizzlies’ small forward said. The NBA is still investigating the matter, according to Ryan Lazo of the New York Post.
Indiana’s Capital Improvement Board unanimously approved a contract Monday to allow the Pacers to build a $50MM practice facility, Mark Alesia of the Indianapolis Star reports. The five-story, 130,000-square-foot facility will be located across from Bankers Life Fieldhouse and is scheduled to open in 2017.

Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons, Bucks

November 8th, 2015 at 3:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is not sure when rookie Bobby Portis will start to see consistent time on the court, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. The Bulls drafted Portis with the 22nd pick. Portis has not played in six of the Bulls’ first seven games, with his only appearance coming in a lopsided contest. Portis, according to Hoiberg, is not letting a lack of playing time derail his work ethic. “He says practices are his games,” Hoiberg said. “He’s getting out there, stirring things up. He’ll continue to do that every time he steps on the court.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

It’s Hoiberg’s first season with the Bulls, but the group is exhibiting one of the same problems it had under former coach Tom Thibodeau and that is a lack of effort, Friedell writes in a full story. With Thibodeau as its leader, Chicago was known as a hard-nosed defensive team, but this year’s Bulls have yet to discover their identity, Friedell adds, and that has contributed to the inconsistent start.
The Pistons need to acquire a power forward before the trade deadline or via free agency next summer, David Mayo of MLive.com opines in a mailbag response. Ersan Ilyasova is under contract through 2016/17, but Anthony Tolliver is set to be a free agent after this season, as Mayo points out.
The long-term success of the Bucks largely depends on Jabari Parker and how the small forward comes back from his injury, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes in a detailed piece. The Bucks have a talented young roster, but they are hoping Parker, who was the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, develops into a star after his rookie season was cut short by the knee injury in December.