Central Notes: Bulls, Wade, Parker
The draft day trade that sent Jimmy Butler from Chicago to Minnesota is starting to pay dividends for the Bulls, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. With Zach LaVine‘s return nearing, the overall haul the franchise got in return for its outgoing star is starting to round in to shape.
Both Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn have shown that they could be long-term Bulls building blocks in their own right, the former stepping up with 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a rookie and the latter showing the sheer, raw promise that made him such a highly touted lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Markkanen’s emergence has come quicker than expected thanks largely in part to the double-whammy that hit the Bulls prior to the regular season. When Bobby Portis decked Nikola Mirotic in practice before the season opener, the 20-year-old Finn was thrust into the starting lineup. To this point, he hasn’t looked back.
There’s more out of the Central Division tonight:
- While it may have taken slightly longer than planned, the G League affiliate of the Bucks‘ will see their new arena open in Oshkosh, Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times writes. The Wisconsin Herd played their first three home games in the big league club’s stadium.
- The Bucks brought in special assistance to help develop Jabari Parker while the 22-year-old recovers from an ACL injury, Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Former NBA head coach Frank Johnson impressed Jason Kidd during his tenure with the Suns back in the nineties and now works closely with the injured forward.
- There was apprehension in the Cavaliers‘ locker room that the addition of Dwyane Wade would disrupt team chemistry, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic writes. In his own question-and-answer feature, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com sheds some light on which players, specifically, may have initially resisted the addition.
Bucks Notes: Brogdon, Monroe, Parker, Bolomboy
Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is adjusting to a new role since the trade for Eric Bledsoe, writes Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Formerly the starting point guard and third scoring option, Brogdon now comes off the bench and plays in a variety of lineups.
The changes have taken a toll on Brogdon’s production. He was averaging 16.2 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field in nine games before Bledsoe was acquired. In the first seven games since the deal, those numbers have fallen to 9.3/2.0/37.9% “Confidence for me has fluctuated a little bit, just being out of rhythm,” Brogdon admitted. “Playing a different role on this team is a total adjustment for me.”
There’s more this morning out of Milwaukee:
- Another adjustment for Brogdon has been the loss of Greg Monroe, who was shipped to Phoenix in the Bledsoe deal. Monroe and Brogdon developed on-court chemistry, and the veteran big man served as a valuable confidant during Brogdon’s rookie season. Now that role has fallen to other players, who are helping Brogdon deal with his current situation. “I’ve been leaning on John Henson a lot, Khris [Middleton] has talked to me a lot,” he said. “Their advice is just to continue to play my game, regardless of my circumstance, regardless of my situation, because the team needs me to be aggressive, to play my game and be who I am.”
- Jabari Parker is still a long way from his projected February return from a second ACL tear, but he is becoming more active with the team, relays Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. Parker has been participating in practices, shootarounds and three-on-three games, as well as traveling with the team. A committed Mormon, he looks forward to the yearly trip to Utah that happened Saturday and relies on faith as he works his way back from the injury. “It’s the biggest thing that helps me every day and regardless of if I was hurt or not,” Parker said.
- Joel Bolomboy wasn’t out of work very long after being waived by the Jazz before the start of the season, writes Mike Sorenson of The Deseret News. He joined the Bucks on a two-way contract and is trying to make the most of his second shot at the NBA. “I don’t think it was a disappointment at all,” he said of Utah’s decision. “It was just business. The way I see it, you just got to go with it, you can’t do anything about it. They let me go and I still get to play basketball and I was fortunate the Bucks signed me to a deal. It’s a real good opportunity over here and I like it a lot.”
Central Notes: Parker, Bucks, Pistons, Cavs
The Bucks have looked good since acquiring Eric Bledsoe, and they’ll get another infusion of talent in the coming months, with Jabari Parker working to return from an ACL tear. Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times provides an update on Parker’s recovery, writing that the young forward is “running hard, cutting hard, doing pull up jumpers, and making crisp, sharp spin moves” in workouts at Milwaukee’s practice facility.
According to Woelfel, some Bucks officials “swear” that Parker would be capable of returning to the court right now. However, a source tells Woelfel that the team continues to take a cautious approach with the former second overall pick and will stick to a February target date for his return, as originally planned.
Here’s more from around the Central division:
- Having agreed last season to work as a consultant for Milwaukee, Kevin Garnett made his first 2017/18 appearance at a Bucks practice this week. As Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details, Garnett worked closely with Thon Maker on Tuesday, and also put Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton through workouts.
- In his latest mailbag for The Detroit Free Press, Vince Ellis explores the possibility of a Pistons reunion with Greg Monroe, suggesting the team should consider the possibility of sending a first-round pick to the Suns along with Jon Leuer and Boban Marjanovic for Monroe. Meanwhile, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com fields Pistons-related questions in a mailbag of his own, explaining why he doesn’t expect Leuer to be dealt and addressing whether Detroit needs to add a scoring small forward.
- What kind of roster move should the .500 Cavaliers make? Five ESPN writers, including Kevin Pelton, Brian Windhorst, and Dave McMenamin, tackled that question, and while their answers varied, the most common response was that the club could use a rim-protecting center. Pelton suggests that the Cavs could dangle Channing Frye and a second-round pick if they explore that possibility.
Central Notes: Bledsoe, Drummond, Parker
Expect Eric Bledsoe to start in his Bucks debut tonight, Matt Velasquez of The Journal Sentinel writes. Milwaukee will clash with the Spurs in San Antonio and Bledsoe will see his first taste of in-game action since October 21.
“For his first day of shootaround, you could see the dynamic of his speed, something that we don’t have at that position,” Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll find out here quickly [how he fits with the team].”
The 27-year-old guard has averaged 13.1 points and 4.6 assists per game over the course of his eight-year NBA career, his best two seasons coming with Phoenix last year and the year prior.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Pistons know that Andre Drummond needs to keep his head in the game in order to be most effective. As Ansar Khan of MLive writes, the big man is well aware of that fact himself. “When I play with high energy and confidence it gives everybody else confidence and you can see it in everybody’s face when they’re playing,” Drummond said. “In previous years, I played down and it looked like it could bother me and everybody kind of moved around in slow motion.”
- If the Bulls are to choose one of Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune believes it would be the former. Portis, he writes, is well liked by his teammates. He’s also on a cheaper contract and would handle coming off the bench behind rookie Lauri Markkanen better.
- This isn’t Bucks forward Jabari Parker‘s first time recovering from an ACL injury. This time around, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes, he does so well aware of what the process entails – and in a nicer facility, to boot.
Lowe’s Latest: Wolves, Suns, Parker, Bucks
In another one of his in-depth NBA preview features, ESPN’s Zach Lowe has grouped the NBA’s 30 teams into tiers, with the Warriors in the top tier on their own, followed by the Cavaliers, Thunder, Rockets, and Spurs in tier two. Lowe’s piece examines each club, with a handful of Eastern Conference teams – the Nets, Hawks, Knicks, Pacers, and Bulls – bringing up the rear.
Along the way, Lowe drops a few noteworthy tidbits of information about roster moves and trade possibilities, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights…
- The Timberwolves have dangled Cole Aldrich‘s contract and a second-round pick in search of veteran help, sources tell Lowe. We heard reports of Aldrich’s availability back in July, and nothing came of it, but the Wolves still project to have an open roster spot or two, so it’s possible the team will revisit this scenario at some point.
- The Suns have explored trading Jared Dudley and/or Tyson Chandler, but they likely feel no urgency to move either player at this point, says Lowe. The ESPN scribe adds that Phoenix “will surely listen” if the team receives inquiries on Eric Bledsoe.
- Bucks forward Jabari Parker is unlikely to return before February, at the earliest, according to Lowe. The former No. 2 overall pick continues to recover from a torn ACL as his October 16 contract extension deadline nears.
- The Bucks – who got out of the tax this year – would risk going back over the tax threshold for 2018/19 with an extension for Parker. Sources tell Lowe that Milwaukee has discussed dumping John Henson and/or Mirza Teletovic, but teams are “squeezing hard.” Henson and Teletovic are on the books for about $10.5MM each in 2018/19.
Central Notes: Parker, Jackson, Stephenson
Bucks GM Jon Horst said the team has had positive discussions with Jabari Parker‘s camp about a contract extension, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The franchise places a high value on Parker, though Velazquez relays that former No. 2 overall pick’s injuries will play a role in the contract negotiations.
If Milwaukee can’t sign Parker to an extension by the deadline, the forward will become a restricted free agent at year’s end and the team can match any offer sheet he signs. Horst signals that the front office is negotiating with this in mind, as Velazquez relays in a full-length piece.
“Hopefully, the goal is to come to an extension agreement,” Horst said. “If we don’t, we want to be in a place where we can have the same type of productive conversations again as a restricted free agent with a player who we value significantly in our franchise.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- While Parker “definitely” wants to be in Milwaukee, he admits that it’s out of his hands, Velazquez passes along in the same piece. “I have no clue [what’s going on] and that’s why I pay [my agent],” Parker said of his contract negotiations with the Bucks. “I let them do all the madness.”
- Reggie Jackson, who has dealt with knee troubles since coming to the Pistons, will begin the season on a minutes limit, Rod Beard of the Detroit News relays via Twitter. “He will be on a minutes limit,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “It will be progressive as the season goes on.”
- Despite the lack of firepower on the offensive, it appears the Pacers plan on unleashing Lance Stephenson as their sixth man, Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star writes.“I love him in that position,” said Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard. “It reminds me of [Manu] Ginobili a long time ago. You can’t always get everybody the opportunity to score and make plays in the first five minutes.”
Extension Talks Underway Between Bucks, Parker
While agent Mark Bartelstein isn’t commenting on the specifics, he acknowledged to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times that he has been in contact with the Bucks to begin negotiating a possible contract extension for client Jabari Parker.
“We have had discussions; there has been dialogue,” Bartelstein said. “It’s been a positive dialogue. But that’s all I can say at this time.”
Parker continues to recover from a second ACL tear and likely won’t be back on the court for the Bucks until 2018, though the club is confident he’ll make a full recovery from his knee injury. Multiple sources who spoke to Woelfel believe that the young forward will be looking for a contract similar to the one he would’ve sought if not for the injury — a five-year, maximum salary extension. According to Woelfel, Parker and Bartelstein declined to comment themselves on specifics, but “those familiar with both individuals insist [they] won’t settle for anything less than a max contract.”
[RELATED: Extension Candidate: Jabari Parker]
If that’s the case, an extension before the October 16 deadline seems very unlikely for Parker. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders recently reported that the Bucks are open to getting something done with the 22-year-old. However, Milwaukee is expected to seek team-friendly terms, given the current state of Parker’s knee.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that Giannis Antetokounmpo accepted less than the maximum salary a year ago, inking a four-year, $100MM extension that will go into effect this season. With Antetokounmpo on the books at that price, a max deal for Parker – which figures to be worth in the neighborhood of $150MM over five years – would be a tough sell. As Woefel observes, Bartelstein has a reputation for getting his clients top dollar, but I can’t see the Bucks going that high.
If the Bucks aren’t willing to meet Parker’s asking price this fall, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in 2018, at which point he’d have three options: Working out a long-term deal with the Bucks, signing an offer sheet with another club (which the Bucks could match), or signing his one-year qualifying offer and reaching unrestricted free agency in 2019.
Latest On Carmelo Anthony
For much of the summer, after 2017’s top free agents came off the board, we waited for resolution on two notable trade candidates, Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony. The Irving saga finally came to an end last week when the Celtics and Cavaliers finalized their blockbuster deal involving the All-Star guard. However, Anthony remains on the Knicks‘ roster, with no recent updates on where things stand with those trade talks.
Ian Begley of ESPN.com has a piece up today rounding up all the latest notes on the Anthony situation, so let’s dive in and pass along the highlights…
- As of last week, the Knicks were “not close” on an Anthony deal. According to Begley, the Knicks have been telling people around the league that the Rockets – Anthony’s trade partner of choice – just don’t have pieces that appeal to them.
- The Bucks emerged at one point as a potential third team to help accommodate a Rockets/Knicks swap, says Begley. However, Milwaukee has been trying to shed salary, so the prospect of taking on Ryan Anderson and the $60MM left on his contract likely isn’t much more appealing to the Bucks than it is to the Knicks.
- In those “very preliminary” talks, Jabari Parker‘s name came up, though it’s not clear if the Bucks or Knicks introduced that idea, Begley writes. In that proposed scenario, Parker would have been part of a larger package that included at least one player on a big contract, such as John Henson or Greg Monroe.
- Begley notes that the Knicks want to land a combination of a young player, a draft pick, and/or an expiring contract in an Anthony trade, so the idea of landing Parker and Monroe probably appealed more to New York than Milwaukee.
- Although a trade seems unlikely to happen before the start of training camp, there has been little contact lately between Carmelo and members of the Knicks‘ organization, sources tell Begley. As the ESPN scribe notes, neither side appears to have much interest in having Anthony on the roster to start the season, but the Knicks’ front office remains unwilling to consider a buyout, so it will be interesting to see how the next several weeks play out.
Extension Candidate: Jabari Parker
It’s been a long three seasons for Bucks forward Jabari Parker, longer still if you consider that there was a brief period in time ahead of the vaunted 2014 NBA Draft that the Chicago native was in the running to be selected with the first overall pick.
Fast forward three seasons and Parker hasn’t exactly had the franchise-altering impact on the organization that fans may have hoped for but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t shown flashes of legitimate value either.
Through three significantly compromised injury-shortened campaigns, it’s been rather difficult to get a handle on what Parker is and what he isn’t. Such uncertainty doesn’t help teams plan for the future in the simplest of times, let alone when there are contract extensions to be negotiated, as is the case now for the forward coming off the third year of his rookie deal.
In 50 2016/17 contests the 21-year-old showed glimpses of the future that draft prognosticators predicted, averaging 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting .365 from beyond the arc.
This wasn’t empty production either, it came alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Bucks lineup that finished sixth in the Eastern Conference and firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.
Alas, Parker’s particular role in Milwaukee’s ascension – not to mention future – is a complicated one and the new-age power forward fell by the wayside with a torn ACL in early February, remained out for the duration of the campaign and is now expected to be sidelined until the 2018 All-Star Game.
We wrote last week that Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler had heard the Bucks were open to getting a deal done ahead of the Oct. 31 rookie scale extension deadline but sought team-friendly terms. That’s not surprising, all things considered.
Even though the organization believes Parker will ultimately make a full recovery from the latest ACL tear, it’s hard to blame them for being reluctant to commit big money to a player with Parker’s track record.
The February, 2017 ACL tear was actually Parker’s second tear in the same knee. In December, 2014 – his rookie season – he tore the ACL for the first time, missed the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign and didn’t get back into full swing until well into the 2015/16 season.
If history repeats itself, Parker may recover along the previously forecast timeline and take the court following the All-Star Break next February, but it could be months after that before he’s physically capable of playing a full work load at his highest level.
It’s not unreasonable to think that Parker could expand upon his impressive 2016/17 line eventually, but if that’s unlikely to happen prior to the 2018/19 season, then venturing into a long-term commitment in the form of a contract extension due less than two months from now seems unnecessarily risky for a franchise at a critical juncture on its path to contention.
Given the context of Parker’s latest injury and the recovery process that stretched well after he returned to the court the last time, the Bucks would be wise to hold off on earmarking a significant portion of their payroll for him sooner than they absolutely have to – nothing is precluding them from throwing money at him next summer.
That said, if Parker’s camp was interested in a locking in a guaranteed deal at a team-friendly rate rather than gambling on restricted free agency after a fourth-straight injury-impacted campaign, the Bucks would have no reason not to listen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Pistons, Tolliver, Bucks, Parker
Executive/coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bowers made it a priority this offseason to add depth and now the Pistons have a bevy of options at the forward positions, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Van Gundy sees advantages in the diverse range of skills that players at those positions possess.
“It’s just a very, very hard position to guard,” said Van Gundy, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations. “They’ve got to guard so many different kinds of people. There’s not as many of the big, strong, post-up fours – there are some – but then you’re going to have to guard more three-men type guys who are fours who can stretch it out to the 3-point line and put the ball on the floor and all of that.”
The Pistons struggled with spacing the floor and shooting from behind the arc last season, which is something that newly-added forward Anthony Tolliver should help with, Langlois adds in the same piece. Tolliver, who played for Detroit under Van Gundy back in the 2015/16 season, shot 39% from 3-point range last season in Sacramento.
Here’s more from around the Central division:
- Having examined the Pistons‘ forwards, Langlois also took a closer look at the club’s wings, where Van Gundy has great expectations for the defensive potential of Avery Bradley and Stanley Johnson.
- Six months into the recovery process following his latest ACL injury, Jabari Parker still can’t do much more than dribble or shoot, but people in the Bucks organization have been impressed with his “approach, progress, and positivity,” writes Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Parker is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, though it would be somewhat surprising if he and the Bucks strike a deal while he’s still on the shelf.
- The Kyrie Irving trade between the Cavaliers and Celtics is now complete, but even if it had been voided, it’s not clear if the Bucks would have been a major player for Irving. A source who spoke to Velazquez downplayed Milwaukee’s involvement in those talks.
- Earlier today, we rounded up a few Cavaliers notes in the wake of the Irving deal, and passed along the latest on Cameron Payne‘s foot injury.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.