Bulls trying to find their way
With Lonzo Ball out indefinitely, the Bulls have been trying to find themselves in the Eastern Conference. Expectations were rather low, with the Bulls expected to fight for a play-in spot or perhaps a fifth or sixth seed. The Bulls entered Friday at 5-4, with impressive wins over Miami and Boston, and puzzling losses at home to Cleveland and at San Antonio.
The Bulls are trying to become a more up-tempo team, but the challenge is playing with so much size. Chicago is 22nd in scoring and 25th in field goal percentage despite the presence of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, who is coming off knee surgery.
“We have not been productive on the fast break,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Our numbers have not been good. We have to be able to convert better. At the end of the day, your offensive rating is always going to be tied to missing or making shots. I don’t feel like we’re necessarily getting poor shots, but the fast break is something we’ve got to get better.”
Donovan said he’s still trying to develop rotations, with 11 players averaging at least 15 minutes per game. Reserves Derrick Jones, Goran Dragic, Andre Drummond, and former Celtic Javonte Green blitzed their Boston counterparts in Chicago’s 18-point win last month.
LaVine has been trying to get back to playing consistent minutes. He missed the first two games and then rested in a loss to the Spurs.
“Everybody is trying to figure out their teams and combinations of players,” Donovan said. “The good part of it is he’s been in the league for a while. That helps. He’s bright enough and smart enough to know his reps are limited, and that’s not ideal from a coaching perspective. We’ve got to manage his health, that’s the most important thing for us. He’s getting into routine to know what is best to keep him at a place where he is feeling good.”
There are going to be times where LaVine will sit out practice or even shootarounds to rest his knee. The organization is being cautious after the fate of Ball, who required a second knee procedure this month.
“You have routine and when you go through routines for a number of years, you get settled into that,” Donovan said of LaVine. “He’s been very open to changing that routine because I think he knows the most important thing is playing in a game. It’s certainly not ideal to have him going game, no practice, no shootaround, game. We’ve got to figure out a way. He’s going to want that to a certain extent.”
Donovan was the University of Florida coach when Celtics center Al Horford and the Gators won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and ’07. In his 16th season, Horford is the last player from those teams active in the NBA.
The Bulls coach said he is not surprised at Horford’s longevity.
“I think when you’re with a player when he’s younger, when we were playing against Ohio State and he had a high ankle sprain and this is when they had [Greg] Oden and they were really, really good,” Donovan said. “Mike Conley was on that team. The detail that he had as a young player, taking care of his body, he really got it. And I think a lot of that probably stems from that.”
Those Florida teams had Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, and Horford, all sons of professional athletes. Donovan believes that contributed to them being serious about conditioning and health.
“At a young age, these guys were taught the importance of taking care of themselves,” Donovan said. “And Al has always been incredibly meticulous with his health and I feel like he’s had a very, very long career because of that concept.”
Layups
Former Hornets forward Miles Bridges pleaded no contest to a domestic assault charge stemming from an incident with his then-girlfriend in May. Bridges will not serve jail time, but because he pleaded no contest, the NBA is likely to suspend Bridges for multiple games if he signs with a club. The Hornets did not offer Bridges a contract, but they have the right to match any offer. The Hornets would have to negotiate a new deal with Bridges to bring him back. He was considered a rising star and arguably the team’s best player, but he may remain unsigned indefinitely considering the serious circumstances . . . The Spurs shocked the league with the release of former first-round pick Joshua Primo, but it has been disclosed the 19-year-old made inappropriate sexual advances toward a team employee on multiple occasions. Primo, who is a free agent after clearing waivers, released a statement saying he is undergoing therapy for previous trauma. A former Spurs psychologist who has sued Primo and the team said
Primo exposed himself to her multiple times. Primo is considered untouchable around the NBA until more information surfaces about his actions. The Spurs had recently guaranteed Primo’s contract for next season, meaning they are still paying him . . . There is reason for concern for Miami’s Victor Oladipo, who has not played this season because of knee issues. Oladipo, felled by injuries over the past few years, had his moments in last season’s playoff series against the Celtics and was expected to be a key bench player. Coach Erik Spoelstra said the Heat are being cautious with Oladipo, but it’s apparent he won’t have the expected immediate impact and the offense has suffered. Spoelstra has opted to bring Duncan Robinson off the bench, and he is shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line in 15 minutes per game. The Heat also have been affected by slow starts from Kyle Lowry (40.4 percent from the field) and Gabe Vincent (36.5). Speaking of Vincent, he is 7 for 13 against the Celtics and 16 of 50 against the rest of the league.