Tag: Chicago Bulls

ORLANDO, Fla. — These were the type of physical teams that would make them flinch in previous seasons. So when the Bulls found out last week that they would be without guard Coby White (right calf) for the start of the regular season, it appeared to be a recipe for disaster right out of the […]

ORLANDO – The Bulls have to continue living by the 95% rule. They do that and coach Billy Donovan likes their odds night in and night out. “The reality of it is most of these guys, 95% of the game they are playing without the ball in their hands,” Donovan explained on Friday. “They don’t […]

The birthday boy should have been talking about life as a new 35-year-old or about returning to his old stomping grounds in Orlando, Florida, fresh off a 28-point opening night Wednesday against the Pistons. Instead, Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic was caught up in the only story suffocating the NBA right now. One day after […]

NEW YORK — The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a player for the Miami Heat were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people in two cases alleging sprawling criminal schemes to rake in millions by rigging sports bets and poker games involving Mafia families, authorities said. Portland coach Chauncey Billups […]

Those in the NBA office went to bed Wednesday night on top of the sports world, knowing the torch was being passed to players such as Victor Wembanyama, who had turned in a 40-point showcase, and Anthony Edwards, who had produced a 41-point effort. They woke up Thursday morning to a nightmare. Trail Blazers head […]

It was Nikola Vucevic’s turn to dunk on Matas Buzelis, and no basketball was even required. In the deadpan, dry-humor world of Vucevic, how could he pass up the opportunity? The Bulls’ veteran big man was asked about both Buzelis highlight-reel, fourth-quarter dunks in Wednesday’s win over Detroit, including the poster Buzelis put Pistons big […]

Not bad for an old guy. On a night in which Matas Buzelis let the league know he might be a headache for years to come, it was Nikola Vucevic, soon to be 35, who reminded everyone that he’s still around. Thanks to Vucevic’s 28 points, including eight down the stretch, the Bulls beat the […]

Hype can mess with a young player’s mind. But second-year forward Matas Buzelis is not your average 21-year-old. “You try to get him prepared for what’s ready to come,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I think the guys that make the most growth and development are the guys that are really driven and are motivated. […]

Bulls legend Michael Jordan made his debut as a special contributor to NBC Sports’ return to NBA broadcasting on Tuesday night, saying he’s doing so as a way to give back to basketball. Jordan, speaking to NBC play-by-play voice Mike Tirico in the first installment of a series the network is calling “MJ: Insights to […]

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan admitted he doesn’t know what Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Coby White are ‘‘going to look like four years from now.’’ A player such as Buzelis might be a perennial All-Star and the face of the Bulls’ franchise by then. Giddey might be turning in nightly triple-doubles. White might be […]

Coby White bet on himself for the 2025-26 season. On Monday, the first roll of the dice for the Bulls guard came up snake eyes. After being cleared for full-contact practice over the weekend and coming out of it with a “he looked good” by the organization, the team announced that White would in fact […]

Arturas Karnisovas can be accused of a lot of shortcomings in his six seasons as Bulls lead suit. One thing the executive vice president of basketball operations can’t be labeled, however, is a liar. So when Karnisovas continues promising that tanking is not in the organization’s vocabulary, go ahead and book it. Just in case […]

The preseason numbers were ugly on the defensive end for the Bulls. The news on Saturday was worse. Already struggling to find consistent physical defenders, the Bulls announced that back-up center Zach Collins – one of the few bigs on the roster that welcomes body-on-body crime each game – underwent a Friday surgery to repair […]

In Yoruba, the language native to Nigeria, his name is defined as ‘‘joy.’’ And from the early returns — the looks he has provided us with upon his return from missing the final two months of last season because of his first-ever surgery-required fractured left shoulder — the joy of hoopin’ has returned to Ayo […]

The Bears have won three straight games, improving their record to 3-2, and have the 1-5 Saints coming to Soldier Field for a noon kickoff on Sunday. In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we had the audacity to bring up the P-word. No, not Petitbon, […]

The writing was on the wall during the NBA Summer League. Even when Bulls rookie Noa Essengue was scoring, there were too many moments in which he was getting overwhelmed physically by players his own age — moments that obviously wouldn’t translate well once the 18-year-old had to compete against grown men. Now, with five […]

Isaac Okoro was asked to do just about everything during his five seasons with the Cavaliers — start, come off the bench, guard Jalen Brunson one night, then Jaylen Brown the next. It’s about sacrifice for the newest Bull. It always has been. “Last year [with the Cavs], just like previous years, the goal was […]

The hope is that Coby White and his strained calf are fully healed by Wednesday’s regular-season tip-off against Detroit. The reality of the situation? That’s where it gets a little cloudier. White, who first strained the calf back in late August, was still needing to clear one final obstacle in his rehab process and that […]

Bulls fans have at least one thing going for them this season: They should have no problem finding the team’s games. After Chicago Sports Network’s first season carrying the Bulls was blacked out on Comcast, the regional sports network has full distribution in the market. What’s more, because the Bulls don’t whet the appetite of […]

There have been moments throughout this preseason and training camp. Maybe not enough for Bulls coach Billy Donovan, but what his players have on their side is time. There’s time to continue embracing the idea of defensive physicality, there’s time for more focus on rim protection — evident by the nine blocked shots in Tuesday’s […]