Mike Dunleavy Jr. Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Blatt, LeBron, Dunleavy, Boatright

January 25th, 2016 at 1:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

David Blatt‘s camp believes that LeBron James was the sole catalyst for the Cavs coaching change, and the belief is much more than simply a fringe theory among people around the league, reports TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. Still, plenty of other reasons for Blatt’s dismissal exist, including the team’s poor performance against top Western Conference contenders and the need for immediate results, that suggest that the team isn’t simply serving LeBron’s wishes, Aldridge contends. Regardless, the Cavs cast Blatt back onto the job market, and while the Timberwolves have been linked to Blatt, the team has no intention of pursuing him for a job on interim coach Sam Mitchell‘s staff, league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). See more from the Central Division:

Mike Dunleavy is targeting a return sometime next month from the back injury that’s kept him out all season so far, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. He’s essentially at the same point in his recovery that he was before suffering a setback in late November, but he’s more confident this time that he’ll be able to take the final steps toward getting back to game action for the Bulls, according to Johnson.
Ryan Boatright impressed with the Nets during the preseason, but he didn’t carry that level of performance over to his tenure with the D-League affiliate of the Pistons, which waived him last week. Boatright is now poised to sign with Orlandina of Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Pistons briefly had Boatright on their NBA roster on the fall, a maneuver designed to secure his D-League rights.
The Pacers have recalled Shayne Whittington from the D-League, the team announced. He’s played in just two games at the NBA level this season but has appeared in 19 contests for Indiana’s D-League affiliate after re-signing with the Pacers this past summer.

Central Notes: Williams, Van Gundy, Dunleavy, Noah

January 10th, 2016 at 12:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

No one in the Cavaliers organization has corroborated Mo Williams‘ claim of a partially torn ligament in his right thumb, writes Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Williams announced the injury Friday after visiting with a hand specialist in New York. The team had called it a sprain and didn’t issue a release, which Haynes notes is customary with injuries of this type. Williams, who has undergone two prior surgeries on the thumb, said it should heal on its own within six weeks without another surgery. “It’s just peace of mind, knowing I didn’t rip it off or anything,” he said about the second diagnosis. “It’s just a little partial tear, no different from like when you sprain your ankle real bad.” The injury coincides with Williams’ loss of playing time since Kyrie Irving‘s return. Williams sat out his third straight game Friday in Minnesota.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have improved by becoming a Stan Van Gundy team, according to Paul Flannery of SB Nation. Van Gundy built his kind of team over the past year, Flannery writes, trading for Reggie Jackson at last season’s deadline, dealing for Ersan Ilyasova and Marcus Morris and adding free agents Aron Baynes, Steve Blake and Anthony Tolliver over the summer and drafting Stanley Johnson. “It’s pretty clear what Stan wanted to do over the last 15, 16 months with spacing the floor with skilled fours,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “When you think about how impactful Ilyasova and Tolliver are, it may not be on the stat sheet, it’s the fact that those rim runs are a little bit more open by those bigs and the guard driving. It just puts you in such a predicament.”
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg says injured forward Mike Dunleavy is still about a month away from returning, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. Dunleavy has yet to play this season because of back problems.
Coach Jason Kidd, sidelined with a hip injury, joined the Bucks for a shootaround this morning at Madison Square Garden, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kidd will meet with his doctor in New York tonight to have X-rays taken on the hip. The coach has been out of action since having surgery December 21st.

Mike Dunleavy To Miss Significantly More Time

December 4th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Chuck Myron

The setback Mike Dunleavy suffered in his recovery from offseason back surgery will cost him an additional four to six weeks, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The timetable is merely for the small forward to resume on-court activity, Wojnarowski writes, so game action is even farther away, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Dunleavy had targeted mid-to-late December for a return to the Bulls lineup, Johnson adds, and the idea is that the four-to-six-week timeframe will bring him back to the point in his rehab where he had been before the setback, as Johnson tweets. That would indicate that he’s anywhere from six to 10 weeks away from playing in games again.

Tony Snell and Doug McDermott have filled in capably, each having gone an identical 24 for 52 from 3-point range, as Johnson points out in his story. Long-distance shooting was a key weapon Dunleavy brought to the Bulls, as he’s nailed 39.2% of his attempts from behind the arc in his two seasons with Chicago.

The availability of Nikola Mirotic (concussion) and Kirk Hinrich (hip) for Saturday’s game is in question, but Dunleavy is the only Bull expected to miss significant time, so Chicago doesn’t meet the criteria for a 16th roster spot via the hardship provision. Dunleavy cast a degree of doubt about his ability to return at any point this season when he spoke to reporters on media day, but he quickly backed off that talk, so the Bulls don’t qualify for a disabled player exception, either. Chicago uncharacteristically began the season with a full 15-man roster, though Cameron Bairstow and Cristiano Felicio don’t have fully guaranteed salaries.

Dunleavy signed a three-year, $14.4MM deal in July, though less than half the salary for the final season is guaranteed. He underwent his back surgery on September 25th and the team announced a timetable of eight to 10 weeks at that point, though Dunleavy shortly thereafter threw the accuracy of that schedule into question, Johnson notes. Today marks precisely 10 weeks since his surgery, as Johnson points out.

Do you think the Bulls need to make a move to make up for the loss of Dunleavy? Leave a comment to let us know.

And-Ones: Dunleavy, Mekel, D-League

November 30th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., who underwent back surgery in September, suffered a “setback” and his timetable for a return to the court is unclear, coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters, including Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. Dunleavy re-signed with Chicago during the summer. Hoiberg, per Friedell, said there isn’t concern at this time that Dunleavy will have to miss the entire season or have another procedure on his back.

Here’s more from around the league:

Former Mavericks and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel has signed with European power-agent Misko Raznatovic, International Journalist David Pick tweets.
The Knicks have assigned Cleanthony Early to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Early has only seen 24 minutes of NBA action this season.
The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Harris appeared in three games during his latest stint, averaging 22.7 points in 36.9 minutes per game.
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders takes a look at the league’s landscape so far this season and the Hawks are among his underachievers. Greene believes one major reason for the disappointing start is that Atlanta still hasn’t found an adequate replacement for DeMarre Carroll.

Will Joseph contributed to this post.

Central Rumors: Jackson, Bucks, Bulls

November 29th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Will Joseph

It’s still too early to declare a winner in the three-way trade that sent Reggie Jackson from the Thunder to the Pistons, but Detroit certainty should not be called the loser in the deal, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. There was a lot of verbal jabbing from some Thunder players (most notably by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant) regarding Jackson’s return to Oklahoma City for a game Friday. Yet Jackson, as Ellis points out, is averaging 18.2 points, eight assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 43 games he has played since joining the Pistons (heading into action Sunday). The Pistons re-signed Jackson to a five-year, $80MM contract in the offseason.

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Jackson heard a lot of boos from the crowd as the visiting Pistons lost to the Thunder, the team Jackson spent his first three seasons with, on Friday, but he anticipated that reaction, David Mayo of MLive.com relays. “I kind of love to be hated. It’s flattering,” Jackson said. “I think it’s the greatest kind of love. It’s love and spite at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything to build some memories here, so obviously, if they booed me, that means I did something special.”
The Bucks‘ slow start can partly be attributed to their drop in defensive efficiency this season compared to last season after Milwaukee signed Greg Monroe and traded center Zaza Pachulia, Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com details. Monroe, as Smith notes, is a talented offensive player, but Pachulia is a rugged defender and is adept at switching on pick-and-rolls — which is something the Bucks appear to be missing, Smith adds.
Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., who underwent back surgery in September after re-signing with Chicago during the summer, will visit a doctor on Monday after experiencing soreness, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relays. “We should have a better update after that,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. Dunleavy had been increasing his individual workouts without incident as recently as last week, according to Johnson.

Central Notes: Dunleavy, Morris, Bulls

September 25th, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy underwent a successful low back microdiscectomy procedure earlier today at Rush University Medical Center and he is expected to be out of action for 8-10 weeks, the team announced. Dunleavy had experienced some occasional back discomfort over the summer which had recently worsened, according to the release. If his recovery goes as planned, Dunleavy will likely miss between 12-15 contests.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Marcus Morris views his new start with the Pistons as a means to finally carve out a niche for himself in the league, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “In Phoenix, I thought I should have started at the three,” Morris told Langlois. “The guy that’s there now [P.J. Tucker] might have been a better defender, but as an all-around three, I thought I was the best we had. And I thought a lot of players thought that, too. But there’s a lot of opportunity here. I have a chance to come in and start right away. I’ve been in the league for five years. It’s nothing new to me. I have started my share of games. It’s not like I’m new to it. The only thing that’s new is that it’s the East Coast now.”
The Bulls return virtually the same core as last season, and if the change in coaches from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg doesn’t nudge the team to the next level, it may be time for Chicago to attempt to pry Carmelo Anthony away from the Knicks, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Friedell does note that the size of Anthony’s contract would be a gamble for Bulls, and the team would likely have to part with a number of talented players to make the deal work financially, which would make such a trade a risky proposition for Chicago.
If the Cavaliers can remain healthy as a unit and are able to secure home court advantage in the playoffs, the team is likely to secure the NBA title in 2015/16, the crew at Basketball Insiders opine in their season preview.

Eastern Notes: Okafor, Mickey, Aldridge

July 23rd, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers first-rounder Jahlil Okafor is preparing himself to be the focal point that Philadelphia will build around, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. “I’m definitely used to being the centerpiece of a team,” Okafor said. “That’s what I’ve become accustomed to. That’s what I’ve been working so hard for.” Philly point guard Isaiah Canaan is excited about the possibilities Okafor brings with him to the team, Kennedy adds. “He’s going to open up everything,” Canaan said of Okafor. “He’s a big presence on the post. He can score the ball and he can pass. With a big guy who can do that and draw a lot of attention, he’s going to open up everyone else on the team and he’s going to be big piece for us. You always need a big man on the team. Next to point guard, that’s the most important piece. To have Big Jah and hopefully [Joel] Embiid – if he can come back fully healthy next year – not to mention still adding other pieces, we’ll be fine and have a lot of great players on this team.”

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

The first two seasons of Jordan Mickey‘s four-year deal with the Celtics are fully guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The forward is set to earn $1,170,960 this season, followed by salaries of $1,223,653, $1,276,346, and $1,329,039, Pincus adds.
Ronald Roberts‘ two-year agreement with the Raptors includes a partial guarantee for $75K, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
The final season of Mike Dunleavy‘s three-year pact with the Bulls, which is scheduled to pay him approximately $5.18MM, is only partially guaranteed for $1.66MM, Pincus tweets.
The cancellation of the scheduled meeting between LaMarcus Aldridge and the Knicks was due to New York’s desire for Aldridge to play exclusively at center, a position he is not fond of, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork writes. “They didn’t want to meet with me,” Aldridge said. “Some people said it was me. But it was both parties agreeing that we shouldn’t meet.” League sources informed Begley that Knicks president Phil Jackson decided to cancel the meeting when it became clear that Aldridge had no desire to man the pivot on a nightly basis.

Central Notes: Kaun, Dunleavy, Brooks

July 18th, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavaliers invited draft-and-stash center Sasha Kaun to join GM David Griffin and other team personnel in Las Vegas this weekend to discuss the possibility of Kaun signing with the franchise and joining the NBA this coming season, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. While Cleveland is interested in having the big Russian join its roster, the Cavs’ salary cap situation limits how much they can offer Kaun, a sum which certainly wouldn’t equal the $2.9MM annual salary he earns playing for CSKA Moscow, Vardon adds. For Kaun, the money disparity isn’t a dealbreaker, with Kaun telling Vardon, “That’s probably something that shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully coming to this team, it will give us an opportunity to win, and winning is more important to me than money. I don’t think I want to do it [play basketball] because of the money. Just play basketball and enjoy it and play with some really great players. That’s the more important thing.”

Griffin confirmed the Cavs’ interest in the 30-year-old big man, saying, “We would love to have him if something could be worked out.” The GM also acknowledged the challenge in signing Kaun due to budgetary constraints, Vardon notes. “It’s difficult because he’s coming off making an incredibly large amount of money and he is literally a first-team, all-Euroleague-caliber center, and it’s a difficult proposition to come to a team like ours for the type of money we have to offer,” Griffin continued.

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

Mike Dunleavy‘s three-year deal with the Bulls will pay him $4.5MM for the 2015/16 campaign, $4,837,500 in 2016/17, both seasons being fully-guaranteed, and $5.175MM the final season, which is partially guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Bulls‘ one year pact with Aaron Brooks will see him earn $2.25MM this coming season, and it gives him the power to veto trades, Pincus notes (on Twitter).
Aron Baynes will earn $6.5MM in each of the three seasons covered in his deal with the Pistons, with the final year being a player option, Pincus tweets.
Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio‘s contract with the Bulls is for two years, and he will earn $525,093 in 2015/16 and $874,636 the following season, according to Pincus.

Bulls Re-Sign Mike Dunleavy

July 14th, 2015 at 5:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 14TH, 5:21pm: The deal is official, the Bulls announced via a press release.

9:08am: The sides have reached agreement, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). It’ll be $14.4MM over the course of the three years with a partial guarantee on the final season, Wojnarowski also tweets.

JULY 1ST, 8:16am: The Bulls and Mike Dunleavy are close to a three-year, $15MM deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Chicago has remained the favorite even as other teams were poised to give chase. LeBron James apparently prompted the Cavaliers to pursue the client of outgoing Wasserman agent Arn Tellem, while the Wizards and Clippers also reportedly had interest.

Chicago has Early Bird rights on Dunleavy, and it would seem they’re putting them to use here. The Cavs were likely limited to no more than the taxpayer’s mid-level of $3.376MM, and while the Wizards could have spent their $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level, the Bulls appear to have come up with a comparable figure. That’s even though Chicago is poised to pay the tax, too.

Cavs, Wizards Pursue Mike Dunleavy

June 30th, 2015 at 11:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

11:39pm: The Cavs are indeed in pursuit, as well as the Wizards, but the Bulls are still the favorites, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).

9:26am: LeBron James would like the Cavs to sign Mike Dunleavy, but the small forward is highly likely to re-sign with the Bulls, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). James, though he’s opting out of his deal, has been very much engaged with Cavs management about the roster and is expected to re-sign. Dunleavy is also reportedly drawing interest from the Clippers.

Chicago apparently wants Dunleavy back, though there’s a limit to how much the Bulls would pay the client of outgoing Wasserman agent Arn Tellem. The Bulls are also highly likely to retain Jimmy Butler, whom they’ve made a maximum qualifying offer. Should Butler end up signing for the max, it’s likely the Bulls will have already exceeded the projected $81.6MM tax line even without a contract for Dunleavy.

The Cavs will probably end up paying an even heavier tax burden, and they’ll almost certainly be limited to offering Dunleavy the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception. The Bulls have Early Bird rights to Dunleavy, so they’ll likely be able to pay him as much as about $6MM next season if they want to.