Tag: Chicago Bulls

OKLAHOMA CITY – Billy Donovan didn’t even get close to reading the fine print. There will be plenty of time for the Bulls coach after the season ends in a few weeks What Donovan did know was the NBA presented three different anti-tanking concepts to the board of governors that will now be discussed and […]

PHILADELPHIA — Josh Giddey knows the direction this can go. A glimpse at the standings, a few thoughts creep into the head, and later that night a Bulls player finds himself going iso on a defender he has very little chance to beat off the dribble while a teammate is wide open for a corner […]

PHILADELPHIA — Guard Jaden Ivey’s runway for a return this season is down to about a sidewalk. Bulls coach Billy Donovan gave the latest update on Ivey, and it wasn’t great Wednesday. Acquired from the Pistons in the Kevin Huerter trade, Ivey was back practicing last week after a monthlong knee-strengthening program and collided with […]

PHILADELPHIA — Billy Donovan was never looking for legacy. The Bulls coach hasn’t chased down notoriety, the Hall of Fame, or a payday. What he made clear on Wednesday, however, was what he will be searching for when the season ends are answers. And while Donovan never came out and said it, the answers he […]

At some point very soon there’s not going to be anyone else to blame. No medical trainer, no analytics expert, no shooting coach, not even the equipment guy that cleans the jerseys. That’s when it will get very interesting for Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. Because even if it’s accidental, he’ll […]

Although the playoff stakes are lessening by the day for the Bulls, their focus hasn’t changed, as forward Matas Buzelis made clear at their shootaround Monday morning. Asked about his mindset with even the play-in tournament likely out of reach, he said: “Win every game. Play-in or not. Playoffs or not. [We’re] trying to win […]

Bulls forward Matas Buzelis said he always gets a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) this time of year, with March Madness in full swing. “Maybe in another life,” Buzelis said of playing college basketball. “Hopefully some of the teams that I wanted to go to are contending to win.” Buzelis never got a […]

It really is an impressive feat by the bottom nine teams in the NBA standings. That collection of have nots entered Sunday play with a combined losing streak of 48 games, headlined by Indiana and Washington, who had lost 16 and 15 straight games, respectively. It’s almost like teams are trying to lose … because […]

It’s still not good enough in the eyes of Josh Giddey. Not even close. And the Bulls guard isn’t getting caught up in the excuse game, either. There would be plenty of those to fall back on since February. Injuries, a roster purge at the trade deadline where seven new players were added, a lack […]

In Bulls point guard Tre Jones’ universe, the basketball gods are just. They don’t reward tanking or smile upon franchises that purposely try to lose. So while he’s aware of many Bulls fans, media and maybe some in his own building pulling for losses to help the team’s draft-lottery odds, he refuses to play along. […]

It’s supposed to be painful. On some nights – like Wednesday against Toronto – it can even border on embarrassing. That’s what NBA rebuilds are. There has to be a demolition before a rise. If there was one criticism to be made about the Bulls’ version of this, however, is it’s two seasons too late. […]

This was supposed to be the part of the season in which Lonzo Ball was unleashed. That plan was made very public by Kenny Atkinson way back in October, as the Cleveland coach had Ball’s season mapped out. “Really with (Ball), more than anyone, our goal with him is to have him ready for the […]

There is a world in which the Bulls can stick to the assignment of losing, find a few key positives and still be aligned with the big picture. It’s not hard. Then again, it helps when it comes against an opposing team that is on a much different journey. That’s what Wednesday’s 139-109 one-sided affair […]

Inside the United Center it’s been business as usual in the stands. There are bodies in the seats, the crowds are loud, and the Dunkin’ Donuts Race still brings them to their feet, even for a team trapped between mediocrity and tanking for better draft lottery odds. Outside the UC and in the social media […]

This certainly isn’t the Rob Dillingham that arrived to the Bulls back at the Feb. 5 trade deadline. This isn’t even the same Dillingham from a week ago. “I’m renewed,” the guard said with a proud grin. One way to look at it. More accurately, Dillingham is less broken. There’s no question that his year-and-a-half […]

It has been easy to nitpick the Bulls’ front office the last few seasons, particularly when some of its worst work has come in March. Last year at this time, the Bulls were in the midst of a 15-5 finish, including a half-court prayer shot by guard Josh Giddey to beat the Lakers at the […]

Coach Billy Donovan’s comments Monday about guard Jaden Ivey didn’t sound like due diligence with free agency just a few months away — they sounded like confirmation the Bulls want to invest in his future. Earlier in the day, the Bulls said Ivey was progressing in his program to strengthen his sore left knee, which […]

Without question the Bulls can save paper on playoff tickets at this point, and with 15 regular-season games left it’s looking like even the annual visit and dismissal from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament – also known as the Bulls Invitational – is all but out of reach. For Billy Donovan and his coaching staff, […]

Without question the Bulls can save paper on playoff tickets at this point, and with 15 regular-season games left it’s looking like even the annual visit and dismissal from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament – also known as the Bulls Invitational – is all but out of reach. For Billy Donovan and his coaching staff, […]

LOS ANGELES – Josh Giddey isn’t chasing it as much as it’s just finding him. Call it the benefits of being a 6-foot-7, pass-first point guard who has always held an affinity to rebounding a basketball. In once again filling up the box score during Friday’s loss to the Clippers, Giddey also found himself in […]