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Bulls Notes: Karnisovas, Vucevic, Ball, Patton, More

April 18th, 2025 at 3:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before talking about his plans for the Bulls‘ future, executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas addressed a couple rumors about himself at Thursday’s press conference, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

First, Karnisovas said he has no interest in returning to the Nuggets to replace recently fired general manager Calvin Booth. He also emphasized that he considers his job with the Bulls to be safe because he still has a strong relationship with owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Michael Reinsdorf.

“We take pride, especially in this building, in everybody being on the same page,” Karnisovas said. “It’s very hard to accomplish, but that’s how it is in this building between the ownership, front office, coaching staff, performance staff, so they have always been very supportive of my decisions, my thoughts, about this direction.”

He added that the team achieved many of its goals coming into the season, such as changing its style of play, developing its young talent and keeping its first-round pick for 2025. He admitted that major changes are unlikely to happen this summer, but noted that the Bulls will have more financial flexibility in 2026.

“I’m asking fans for patience because we’re in the first year of that transition,” Karnisovas said. “I thought the way we finished the year showed some promise. It’s hard to win games in this league and to finish 15-5, yeah, it’s not a victory lap, but I think there are some positives.”

There’s more from Chicago:

The trade speculation that surrounded Nikola Vucevic heading into the February deadline is likely to re-emerge this summer. After Wednesday’s play-in loss, the 34-year-old center talked about wanting to be with a team that can “win now” and make long playoff runs (Twitter video link from Chicago Sports Network).
Lonzo Ball was never able to return from the sprained right wrist that kept him out of action since February 28, but he said it won’t require surgery, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). After missing two and a half seasons due to a knee injury, Ball said his knee “did better than expected” and he’s looking forward to a normal offseason without having to concentrate on rehab. “I went above the goals I set for myself (physically),” Ball added (Twitter link).
Bulls director of player development Peter Patton won’t be returning to the team next season, Johnson confirms (via Twitter). According to Cowley, the news of Patton’s exit left some players on the roster “beyond pissed,” as one told the Sun-Times in a text message.
Within the same Sun-Times story, Cowley says there’s a feeling in the organization that while Karnisovas often asks for player input before making decisions, he doesn’t always take those opinions into account. “They have to fit his,” one source explained to Cowley.
Given that the Bulls have only won a single playoff game since Karnisovas and Billy Donovan joined the organization in 2020, Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune wonders why the team’s head of basketball operations and head coach aren’t on hotter seats.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the Bulls’ offseason in an Insider-only story, as well as in a YouTube video. Working out a new contract with restricted free agent Josh Giddey and determining what to do with veterans on expiring contracts are among the top summer priorities in Chicago, as Marks details.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Bulls, Heat Dealing With Injuries Going Into Play-In Game

April 16th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls guard Josh Giddey will be available for tonight’s play-in game against Miami, but both teams are missing key players for the elimination contest. In a pregame meeting with reporters, Chicago coach Billy Donovan said Giddey, who has been dealing with pain in his right hand, won’t be on a minutes restriction, relays Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Giddey sat out the final two games of the regular season, and sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link) that he’s been playing for roughly the last month with a muscle tear in the palm of his hand. Charania called it “a pain-tolerance injury” and said Giddey will need several weeks of rest after the season ends to fully recover.

Charania also states that Giddey’s value is “going up” as he prepares for restricted free agency this summer. He’s averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists over his last 19 games while shooting 46% from beyond the arc.

Donovan added that Lonzo Ball remains out, but he could be available by Sunday if the Bulls advance to a first-round series against Cleveland. Ball has been sidelined since February 28 with a sprained right wrist. Donovan also provided an update on point guard Tre Jones, who has been out since March 20 with a left foot sprain, saying he’s out of a walking boot but likely won’t be ready for the first round.

The Heat are shorthanded too, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Nikola Jovic remains sidelined while recovering from a broken right hand that has kept him out of action since late February and Kevin Love is still reconditioning after being away from the team for personal reasons. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Jovic was able to participate in practice on Tuesday, according to Weiss (Twitter link).

Miami will welcome back rookie guard Pelle Larsson, who sprained his ankle last week while lifting weights, Chiang adds (Twitter link).

“He was right back at the scene of the crime doing the same routine,” Spoelstra said. “That’s been a big part of his process and a lot of the guys’ process. He finished the routine and he’s fine.”

Central Notes: Giddey, Ball, Jones, Buzelis, Pistons, Sims

April 15th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls guard Josh Giddey is dealing with a muscle issue on the side of his hand but he’s expected to suit up for the play-in game against Miami on Wednesday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network reports.

“It’s just about managing the pain,” Giddey said, adding that the injury will be addressed in the offseason (Twitter links).

Giddey can’t imagine watching Wednesday’s game in street clothes.

“I’m good to go,” he said, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “Play-in game, must-win game, there’s not way I’m going to sit out.”

Lonzo Ball (wrist) and Tre Jones (foot) won’t play.

We have more from the Central Division:

Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis plans to play for the Lithuanian national team, but he’s unsure about representing his country this offseason. “I’m not sure that I will come this summer. We have problems with the coaches,” he told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net, referring to controversial comments by an assistant coach of the senior national team, Tomas Pacesas. “I have to talk to Jonas [Valanciunas], Domantas [Sabonis] and see what they will do.” Lithuania will participate in the EuroBasket tournament this summer. Sabonis is expected to sit out for personal reasons, while Valanciunas is expected to play.
The Pistons apparently don’t want Little Caesars Arena to have a large continent of Knicks fans during the first round of the playoffs, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Potential ticket buyers for upcoming playoff games in Detroit must produce a credit card with a mailing address “located in Michigan and in certain parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada,” according to Ticketmaster. However, a Pistons spokesman told Bondy that the restrictions are intended to target ticket brokers and reduce fraud.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers is “pretty sure” reserve big man Jericho Sims will be available for their opening-round series against Indiana. Sims participated in a majority of Tuesday’s practice, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. He hasn’t played since March 16 due to a thumb injury.

Central Notes: Cunningham, Pacers, Bulls, Connaughton

April 13th, 2025 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham expects a heated battle in the first playoff series of his career, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post relays via an ESPN interview. Detroit will match up against the Knicks in the opening round.

“It’s going to be a war,” he said. “It’s going to be highly physical games — defense, battling it out on the glass, all of those different things. I think it’s going to be a super exciting series for people at home to watch, and it’s going to be a great test for us as far as first round, first series in a long time for the organization. So it’s exciting, and I think it’s going to be a great one for us.”

The Knicks’ game plan will undoubtedly center around making Cunningham uncomfortable.

“He’s had a terrific season. It’s not just [against] us, he’s done it against everybody. We understand that. … With great players you don’t guard them individually, you guard them collectively,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So we have to understand what goes into that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pacers reached the 50-win mark with the biggest comeback in franchise history, The Associated Press reports. They erased a 27-point deficit for a 126-118 victory over Cleveland in double overtime on Sunday. Both teams sat out most of their rotation players. Over the game’s final 18:05, Indiana’s Quenton Jackson, Enrique Freeman, RayJ Dennis, Tony Bradley and Johnny Furphy outscored Cleveland 53-24.
The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe reveals her seven takeaways from the Bulls’ regular season, including the emergence of Josh Giddey, the building of a young core, and the realization that Lonzo Ball cannot be a building block. Chicago hosts Miami in the play-in tournament on Wednesday.
Pat Connaughton had a career day in the Bucks’ regular-season finale, pouring in 43 points in an overtime victory against Detroit. “I just wanted to win the game,” Connaughton said, per Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal. “Unfortunately we didn’t do it in regulation, which I’m sure brought some entertainment value for ESPN and everything. Which was fun.” Connaughton holds a $9.42MM player option on his contract for next season.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Ball, Jones, Giddey, Giannis, Furphy

April 13th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Donovan Mitchell is missing his fourth consecutive game on Sunday due to a sprained left ankle, but the Cavaliers remain confident their star guard will be ready to go when the team begins its first-round playoff series next weekend, writes Joe Reedy of The Associated Press.

Mitchell conducted a full workout at the Cavs’ training facility on Saturday and worked out on the court ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Indiana, Reedy notes.

“I think he’ll be full on with practice. We’re going to have to scrimmage at some point, probably inter-squad with refs, so he’ll participate in that,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The most important thing is how we build him up with the ankle rehab and then conditioning.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Despite the fact that Lonzo Ball hasn’t played since February 28 due to a right wrist sprain, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said he’d be willing to use the point guard in this week’s play-in game(s) if he’s healthy enough to return. As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets, Ball would be on a “short leash” in that scenario, per Donovan.
As for the Bulls‘ other injured guards, Tre Jones (left foot sprain) remains in a walking boot and doesn’t appear close to returning, but there’s “high-level optimism” that Josh Giddey (right wrist tendinopathy) will be available to play on Wednesday vs. Miami, even though his wrist is still bothering him (Twitter links via Johnson).
After appearing in just three of 11 playoff games in 2023 and 2024, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will enter this year’s postseason healthy and having played some of his best basketball as of late — he has averaged 31.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 11.8 assists per game in six April outings, all Bucks wins. “He’s doing everything,” head coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo on Friday, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “And that’s what’s so special about him.”
With the Pacers‘ playoff seed already clinched, rookie wing Johnny Furphy set new career highs on Friday in points (17) and minutes played (32) while also throwing down an impressive dunk in the second quarter of a loss to Orlando (Twitter video link). Furphy figures to only play garbage-time minutes in the playoffs, but head coach Rick Carlisle likes what he has seen from the first-year swingman, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “He’s just a pure competitor,” Carlisle said. “Everything about him is pure. He doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body. Does everything hard. Does everything with the right spirit.”

Bulls Notes: Ball, Play-In Tournament, Huerter, Buzelis

April 5th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lonzo Ball made enough progress with his sprained right wrist to take part in Friday’s shootaround, writes Brian Sandow of The Chicago Sun-Times, but he was held out of the Bulls‘ victory over Portland, marking the 17th straight game he has missed. Coach Billy Donovan told reporters that Ball didn’t have a setback in his recovery process, but there are still limits in what he’s able to do.

“I think his biggest concern is, can he go out there and be productive with where his wrist is at right now?” Donovan said. “I appreciate the way he’s tried to handle it because he worked really hard to get back. I think he was optimistic he could get back, but as he did things live, five-on-five, coming to shootaround, there are just things as it relates to shooting the basketball, passing the basketball that he feels are still inhibiting him from doing the things he knows he needs to do out there.”

There’s no timetable for Ball to return, but Sandow states that the Bulls also haven’t set a date to shut him down if he continues to be unable to play. Ball is traveling with the team on a two-game road trip, and there’s still hope that he can see game action before the end of the season.

Donovan notes that the latest absence is difficult for Ball, who worked so hard to return after knee injuries sidelined him for two and a half years.

“It eats him up because he’s competitive,” Donovan said. “Being around him before the knee and then seeing what he’s gone through with the knee, he’s never just thrown the towel in and said, ‘Hey, forget it.’”

There’s more from Chicago:

The Bulls are aiming for home-court advantage if they wind up playing Miami in the 9-10 matchup of the play-in tournament, Sandow states in a separate story. The teams have identical 35-42 records coming into today’s action, with Chicago holding the tiebreaker for ninth place. “It’s always easier to win at home, obviously,” Kevin Huerter said. “It’s a long trip to get down to Miami.”
Huerter has been reinvigorated by the trade that sent him from Sacramento to Chicago just before the deadline, observes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Huerter is shooting 35.8% from three-point range with the Bulls after starting the season at a career-worst 30.2% in 43 games with the Kings. He credits Donovan’s offensive approach for getting him better opportunities. “The first thing the coaches want us to do is attack,” Huerter said. “They tell us the first part of our offense is trying to get into the teeth of the defense and make a play. That’s just everyone’s mindset. You catch the ball, you try to get downhill and make a play. If it’s not there, move off it.”
Matas Buzelis has earned first-team All-Rookie honors, contends Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley points out that Buzelis is tied for fourth in scoring among the rookie class since Zach LaVine was traded in February. Since mid-March, he’s averaging 14.6 PPG and shooting 43.8% from three-point range. “I’m just reading the game when I’m out there,” Buzelis said. “I’m not overthinking it. It’s a very simple game.”

Central Notes: Allen, Okoro, Ball, Budenholzer, Williams

April 3rd, 2025 at 10:47am CST by Dana Gauruder

With the playoffs approaching, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro are playing at a peak level for the Cavaliers. Allen is shooting 77.8 percent from the field over the last six games, while Okoro has impacted recent games with his hustle plays and defense, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes.

Allen, who has appeared in every game this season, missed most of last season’s playoff run due to broken ribs.

“I feel like every year I’ve had something happen in the playoffs to me whether it’s hurt or, yeah, it’s always getting hurt,” Allen said. “I’m just ready to showcase what I have to offer.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is still dealing with pain in his sprained right wrist but there are no plans to shut him down, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune writes. Ball missed the team’s six-game road trip and still hasn’t been cleared to play. He’ll have to deal with the injury the rest of the season but the team doesn’t anticipate that it will require surgery.
Former Bucks coach and current Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer admitted his return to Milwaukee was an emotional one. The Suns lost 133-123 on Tuesday. “I’ve always said it was a great five years here in Milwaukee,” Budenholzer said, per The Associated Press’ Steve Megargee. “I’m forever appreciative to the organization, to the players, to the fans here. The people here were great to me. It’s tough to lose tonight. I want to keep the focus on my guys, my team. But I’ve said it a million times: It was five great years here.” Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak by shooting a franchise-record 68.9% (51-of-74) from the floor. “I kept saying to my teammates, ‘We’re fighting for our lives. We’re fighting for our lives,’” Giannis Antetokounmpo said, per Megargee. “They think I’m joking, but I’m not joking. We’re fighting for our lives right here. Every win counts.”
Patrick Williams hasn’t played up to the contract he signed last summer, but the Bulls forward said this season hasn’t been all gloom and doom, he told The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. ‘‘When we’re winning, I’m having fun, regardless of how I’m playing,’’ Williams said. ‘‘I come from a culture, obviously, at [Florida State] where winning was the top priority. When you win, everybody gets taken care of. You hold the trophy up, everybody gets to hold it up. But, for sure, as one of the young staples of this group, there’s a lot that comes with that off the court, being professional that way, but also on the court, holding yourself to that standard. The team holds me to that standard; I hold myself to that standard. And when I’m not playing at that standard, you shouldn’t be happy.”

Bulls Notes: Giddey, White, Karnisovas, Ball

March 29th, 2025 at 7:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The improved play of Josh Giddey and Coby White has turned the Bulls into a much better team, but it also means both players will be in position to demand big contracts soon, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Giddey has been putting up All-Star numbers since Zach LaVine was traded to Sacramento last month. He’s averaging 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game since the deal while shooting 51.1% from the field and 48.9% from three-point range. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, as he and the team were unable to reach an extension agreement after he was acquired in a trade with Oklahoma City last June.

Cowley observes that the Bulls are in position to let Giddey test the market and match whatever offer he gets because there are so few teams with significant cap room. However, they would be risking a strained relationship if he’s stuck with a below-market contract. Cowley estimates Giddey’s worth at $28MM to $30MM per season.

White has one season left on his deal at $12.9MM before entering unrestricted free agency in 2026. Cowley notes that he’s averaging 29.5 PPG in March with back-to-back Player of the Week honors and is likely to get at least $40MM in the first year of his next contract if he continues to perform at or near this level.

There’s more from Chicago:

The Bulls could have tanked after trading LaVine and losing Ayo Dosunmu, Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones to injuries, but they’re playing their best basketball of the season. They’ve embraced coach Billy Donovan‘s extreme up-tempo style that puts constant pressure on opposing defenses, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “We’ve shown over the last month, six weeks, that we can compete with anybody,” Giddey said. “It’s just the way we play the game, I think it wears teams down. We get up and down. We run. We put heat on teams to get back, and a lot of veteran teams don’t particularly want to get back and play in transition, so we understand our game plan and our identity. When we stick to it, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas offered some insight during an appearance on the broadcast of Thursday’s game, tweets KC Johnson of Chicago Sports Network. Karnisovas has been very happy with Jones, Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins, whom the Bulls received in the LaVine trade, saying the front office targeted young players with NBA experience and high basketball IQs. He added that the organization was determined to keep its first-round pick in 2025, along with future draft assets, and is pleased with how the younger players on the roster have developed. He said rookie forward Matas Buzelis needs to get stronger, but he’s humble and has a strong work ethic.
Ball continues to make progress toward returning from a sprained right wrist, and Donovan indicated that he’ll be back in the rotation if he’s able to play again this season, Cowley adds in a separate story. “I get a little concerned with the minutes we’ve played some guys and the pace we’ve been playing, and with Coby, his minutes have been up there, so I think we need another backcourt player,” Donovan said. “I don’t know what the minutes restriction will be, but being able to plug him in and get him back into the fold will be good.”

Lonzo Ball On Track To Return Before End Of Season

March 26th, 2025 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has been out since February 28 due to a sprained right wrist and isn’t ready to return quite yet, but he still intends to make it back before the end of the regular season, tweets Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.

Ball took part in a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the Bulls’ practice on Wednesday (Twitter video link via Poe) and was “upbeat and optimistic” afterwards when he spoke to reporters, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

The expectation is that Ball will need another week to get his conditioning back up to speed. Poe suggests that next Friday’s game against Portland might be a target date for his return.

Ball returned to action last fall after having been sidelined for more than two-and-a-half years due to a series of knee problems. Given how long he was away from the game, it has been a successful comeback season in 2024/25 for the 27-year-old, who has averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 22.2 minutes per game across 35 outings (14 starts). The Bulls have posted a +5.5 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -4.8 mark when he’s not.

Although the knee injury hasn’t been a problem for Ball this season, his wrist has been a recurring issue. He missed 15 straight games in October and November due to a right wrist sprain, so this is his second extended absence this season as a result of that same injury.

According to Poe and Johnson (Twitter links), Ball has been experiencing pain during his shooting follow-through all season and doesn’t expect his wrist to be pain-free until he gets the opportunity for a longer recovery period during the offseason.

While Ball entered the season on an expiring contract, he signed an extension with Chicago last month and now has a guaranteed $10MM salary for next season, followed by a $10MM team option in 2026/27.

Bulls Notes: Buzelis, Jones, Giddey, Ball

March 23rd, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

If there’s a “rookie wall” for Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, he crashed through it Saturday night, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Buzelis scored a career-high 31 points in a convincing win over the Lakers, shooting 12-of-18 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range.

It was a welcome breakthrough for Buzelis, whose playing time has been declining recently. Cowley notes that he was shooting just 24% from three-point range over his previous six games and was limited to single digits in points in four of those outings.

“People can say what they want to say,” Buzelis said. “I haven’t hit a wall. I feel like I’ve got good energy out there. There’s been some games where the offense hasn’t really been going for me, but some nights are like that. Defensively, I feel like I’ve been really good.”

It’s been a challenging road trip for Buzelis, who was assigned to guard LeBron James on Saturday after previous matchups with Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan. Cowley points out that Thursday’s game in Sacramento was particularly tough for the rookie forward, who was a minus-10 overall and only played about three minutes in the second half.

“I think I’ve learned the most about basketball the last four or five months than I have in my total life,” Buzelis said. “Being in the NBA, playing against all these guys, now it’s just building it, making the tools sharper, everything sharper. Handles, shooting, defense, all of it. I know I’m going to be a really good player. I put the work in, the effort in every day, and I love this sport. I’ll do anything it takes to better myself.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

With Tre Jones sidelined for at least the next two weeks due to a sprained left foot, there’s only a slight chance he’ll be able to return before the regular season ends on April 13, Cowley states in a separate story. The Bulls would love to have him back for the play-in tournament, which starts two days later, but everything hinges on how quickly he can recover. “The hope is he would be able to come back, but we’re probably not really going to know much until after that ramp-up starts,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s going to be in a boot for a while. It’s a pretty moderate sprain in his foot, and once he’s able to clear that hurdle, the next part is going to be where his pain is at, how much he can ramp up and how soon he’ll be able to play. So we probably won’t know much until we get through those two weeks.”
Josh Giddey narrowly missed a quadruple-double on Saturday with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists and eight steals. He also went 1-of-2 from three-point range, bringing him to 37.9% from beyond the arc for the season. In the same piece, Cowley notes that long-distance shooting was one of the biggest question marks about Giddey when he was acquired in an offseason trade with Oklahoma City. “I think it’s reps; I haven’t changed anything,” Giddey said. “I started to figure out the last two months, missed shot, made shot, move on to the next one. That mindset has kind of been drilled into me, and that’s helped a lot. Now I’m to the point that if I shoot 10 and miss, I shoot the 11th. A lot of shooting is between the ears, so structurally, I haven’t changed anything.”
Lonzo Ball has missed 10 straight games with a right wrist injury, but Donovan said there’s hope he can return during an upcoming two-game homestand, Cowley adds.