According to a recent report from Darnell Mayberry for The Athletic, Ball is still feeling “not right” almost six months since his surgery. An injury that he was originally targeting to return from in the playoffs has now cast doubt upon his availability for the beginning of next season.

The Bulls enter the 2022 offseason with many items on their to-do list. First of course being to re-sign Zach Lavine in unrestricted free agency, where he has made it known that he expects to be offered his maximum allowable salary and will be open to offers from other teams. Next, the Bulls will likely look to add wing depth and front court depth.

Now, a new concern has emerged for Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley: the potential absence of Lonzo Ball. Without Ball’s defense, shooting, and full-court playmaking, the Bulls often found themselves outmatched on the perimeter and going for long stretches of cold, stagnant offense. With the knowledge that he might not be available to begin next season, the Bulls might look to add a veteran point guard to hold down the fort while Ball continues his rehab.

Veteran Point Guards Entering Free Agency

The Chicago Bulls are facing an uphill battle against the cap this offseason. Zach Lavine’s likely max contract extension will put the Bulls back into the luxury tax, and prevent the team from spending big in free agency. The team’s best bet is to work within the margins and look for veterans willing to play for less money or low-risk high-reward players looking to boost their value for their next contract.

Some veteran point guards entering NBA free agency that the Chicago Bulls should consider include Ricky Rubio, Avery Bradley, and Austin Rivers. A tier below them includes some familiar names, too, like Rajon Rondo, D.J. Augustin, and Goran Dragic. These are all players with over a decade in the league and have recently bounced from team to team. They likely will be looking to sign with a contender for a low price. Why not the Bulls?

There are also some players entering free agency that could realistically get paid more elsewhere, but might be willing to take a pay cut to come to Chicago for a season to boost the value for their next contract. Those names include Dennis Schroder and Jevon Carter.

Schroder and Dragic were linked to the Bulls in trade talks leading up to the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline. Schroder’s brand of point of attack defense specifically could be a good fit to help mitigate the loss of Lonzo Ball, while the playmaking and veteran presence of a player like Ricky Rubio makes him an enticing option. Rubio, unfortunately, is recovering from his own knee injury, so he doesn’t make much sense as a Ball replacement, but could still be a low-risk signing worth taking a look at.

Is Lonzo Ball’s Career In Jeopardy?

Lonzo Ball has played five seasons in the NBA so far in his career. Of those, there have only been three seasons in which he played in at least 50 games. The most games he’s played in a single season was 63 in his first year with the Pelicans. Ball has unfortunately been tagged as an “injury-prone player” at this point.

Is there a reason for concern surrounding Lonzo Ball’s knee? Sadly, yes. He has yet to play a full season in the league and it seems that his body does not respond well to rehab. His recovery timeline has been pushed back numerous times, which is a huge concern for a player that the Bulls just invested a lot of money into.

Now, there’s no telling how the rest of his career will pan out. Ball could come back from this and remain injury-free for years to come, we’ve already seen Zach Lavine do something similar from his ACL tear in 2017. But the Bulls would be foolish not to consider the possibility that Ball will simply need to be treated differently in regards to his availability. He might need to be a “load management” guy, with frequent breaks throughout the regular season.

Ultimately, the goal is to get the Chicago Bulls back to the playoffs at full health. In order to do that, Lonzo Ball needs to make it through an entire NBA season. If the Bulls want to accomplish those goals, they will need to be realistic about Ball’s minutes and create a plan centered around keeping his legs fresh deep into March, April, and beyond. On nights when Ball won’t be available, the Bulls will also need a viable replacement who can provide skills similar to his.

We already had a pretty good idea of what will be on the wish list for the Bulls front office this offseason. Lonzo Ball’s injury has added a new challenge to the mix. It’s now on AK and Marc Eversley to navigate the cap and find a way to make their wishes come true.

The post How Does Lonzo Ball’s Injury Affect The Chicago Bulls This Offseason? appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

How will Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley continue building around Zach Lavine? How will Nikola Vucevic do in his first full season under Billy Donovan? Who will stay? Who will go?

Watch:

Key Dates For The Chicago Bulls 2021-22 NBA Offseason

July 29th – NBA Draft

The Chicago Bulls will have the 38th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. As we all know, the Bulls sent their first rounder to the Magic in the Nikola Vucevic trade. The disappointment of not retaining that pick during the NBA Draft Lottery still stings a bit, but the Bulls are fortunate that this draft class is considerably deep.

The Bulls could potentially make a trade up by flipping Tomas Satoransky for a late first or an additional second round pick, which kills two birds, as the Bulls are already looking to shed his salary this offseason.

Here are some names to watch for the Bulls with their 38th overall pick:

• Quentin Grimes
• Josh Primo
• Rokas Jokubaitis

Aug 2nd – Free agency negotiations can begin at 5 PM CT

The Chicago Bulls need for a point guard is well-documented at this point. The team will be looking to clear cap space to make a run at a point guard – getting Sato off the books, waiving/stretching Aminu or including him in a trade, and making a decision on Thaddeus Young.

Here are some names to watch in free agency for the Bulls to make a run at, should they clear up some cap space:

• Lonzo Ball
• Spencer Dinwiddie
• Dennis Schroder (eek)
• Kyle Lowry

The team will also need to take a look at wing/front court depth, especially if Daniel Theis walks in free agency or they move on from Thaddeus Young. Here are some other names to look out for:

• Torrey Craig
• Nerlens Noel
• Bring back Theis?
• Robin Lopez
• Enes Kanter

Aug 3rd – Official start of the 2021-2022 league year

With the 2020-2021 NBA Season officially ending, unrestricted free agents (Denzel Valentine, Cristiano Felicio, etc) will officially be off the books. This also begins the moratorium period, in which trades and contracts can be agreed to, but cannot be officially signed.

Chicago Bulls Trade Options

The Bulls have the ability to sign and trade restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen, and the team has already been implicated in trade rumors surrounding Dejounte Murray.

Here are some names to watch on the trade market for the Bulls:

• Dejounte Murray
• Myles Turner
• DAMIAN LILLARD??????? (probably not)

August 6th – Moratorium ends

Free agents can officially sign contracts and trades can be processed by the league. This is when things get *really real*.

August 8th – 17th – Summer League

The Chicago Bulls will go into Summer League this offseason with a number of things to watch. Patrick William’s development is top of mind, especially after spending time with Team USA as part of the Select Team.

On top of that, Marko Simonovic will be playing in the United States for the first time. It will be a great opportunity to see how NBA-ready he is. Just as well, Devon Dotson should be getting an opportunity to compete after not having a Summer League last offseason.

Whoever the 38th pick ends up being, and whoever Arturas and Marc pick up on the UDFA market, will also be on display. This will be a chance for Bulls fans to get first-hand experience watching the hidden gems that Arturas is known for finding.

September 28th – Training Camp begins

Training camp will be extremely important for the Chicago Bulls this offseason after a weird, COVID-restricted offseason last year. Not to mention this will be the first full offseason as Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic, Troy Brown Jr, and potentially Daniel Theis and Javonte Green.

This will be a key moment for Billy Donovan, who is going into his second season as Bulls head coach. He will have adequate time to install schemes, develop chemistry with his players, and coach the roster to play under his vision. No more excuses. No more trade deadline fatigue. No more COVID absences (please, God, please).

October 19th – The Regular Season begins

All of the hard work pays off. We’re yet to find out what the Chicago Bulls preseason/regular season schedules will look like, but when we do, you can be sure to find the best coverage on it right here at the Arturas Fan Club Bulls blog.

Zach Lavine will have the opportunity to make a case for himself in the MVP race. Nikola Vucevic will be vying for another All-Star appearance. Whoever the Bulls new point guard is will be looking to make a name for himself in Chicago.

The future is bright. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; there’s much work to still be done.

The post Chicago Bulls 2021 Offseason Preview appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

This afternoon, the Chicago Bulls announced that Coby White underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder for a basketball-related injury that occurred away from the team. The team plans to re-evaluate his status in four months.

White is coming off a sophomore season that included ups and downs, but ended with a promising stretch in which he finally showed flashes of being the starting point guard the Bulls envisioned him to be at the beginning of the season. This offseason, many expected him to continue to take strides towards becoming a true NBA point guard.

Zach Lavine even announced that he had invited White and Bulls rookie Patrick Williams to workout together over the summer. That, obviously, will not come to pass, now that White will likely be rehabbing and recovering in preparation for the upcoming season. The silver lining is that the injury occurred to his off-hand shoulder, not his dominant shooting hand.

What Does Coby White’s Injury Mean?

The Chicago Bulls were already making point guard a position of priority before Coby White’s injury. Now, that priority has turned into a must. The pressure is on Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to make a splash this offseason to give the Bulls a legitimate starting point guard going into a season in which the only point guards slated to be on the roster are Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono.

The Bulls have already expressed interest in trading for EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic, and their interest in Lonzo Ball is well-documented. There are other free agent and trade options available, but now the Bulls are somewhat hamstrung in their ability to put together a trade package for a big-name star like Damian Lillard or the aforementioned Ball brother.

With Coby White’s injury, his trade value has taken a significant hit. If the Bulls were looking to upgrade the point guard position with a trade package that included White, that is likely off the table. The Bulls still have the ability to move Lauri Markkanen in a sign and trade deal, but the idea of pairing Markkanen and White in a trade package (which was rumored to be the offer for Lonzo Ball) is no longer a possibility.

Most importantly, Coby White’s development has taken a hit. The Chicago Bulls are no strangers to offseason rehabs for up-and-coming young players, and White is just the next name in a long line of players who have missed training camp and had disappointing seasons as a result.

White’s timeline is four months until a re-evaluation, not four months until he returns, necessarily. This injury will bleed into training camp and quite possibly the regular season, which starts on October 19th of 2021. Overall, this situation is sad for a young player many were hoping to see take the next step with a full offseason under coach Billy Donovan and ample opportunities to form chemistry with new teammates like Nikola Vucevic and Troy Brown Jr.

We will monitor the status of Coby White’s injury and provide any updates when they are available. Hopefully White is able to make a full recovery and return to the lineup this upcoming season without missing a step.

The post What Coby White’s Injury Means For The Chicago Bulls This Offseason appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

Nikola Jokic was selected with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets coming out of Serbia. This is the part of the draft where selections are announced during commercial breaks. 

Nikola Jokic’s Stats In Serbia

Jokic played overseas for KK Mega Basket, a founding member of the Adriatic Basketball Association. Remember their name; they’ll come up again later. Between his first two seasons, Jokic was primarily used as a reserve. He only appeared in 9 games, 5 as a starter in his first season, but still managed to average 7.6 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.

In his second season, Jokic’s role increased, but he was still coming off the bench for most of the season. In 7 starts for a total of 39 games played, he averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. His 3P% was right around 32%, and his field goal percentage was a notch over 50%. Not bad at all. 

In the 2014-2015 season, following the NBA draft, Jokic became the focal point of the team. He quickly took advantage. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for the season, with a 3P% of 33% and FG% of 53%. He was already doing things that the Jokic we see today does on a regular basis: in the first game of the season, he had 27 points and 15 boards in a big win. 

In another win, he had 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. He was eventually named the MVP of the Adriatic League, and after elimination in the semifinals of the Serbian League, left the team to come to the United States to play for Denver. The rest is history. Jokic quickly became one of the most versatile big men in the NBA, and quite possibly the greatest passing center of all time. In 2021, it was announced that he had won MVP for the 2020-2021 NBA season. 

The Chicago Bulls Select A Different Serbian Basketball Player

In the 2020 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Patrick Williams 4th overall. Rightfully so, the number four pick got most of the attention on draft night and the season going forward. But something else happened that night. 

In the second round, quietly, while every Bulls fan in the world was looking up Williams highlights, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and GM Marc Eversley selected a guy named Marko Simonovic with the 44th overall pick. No, not that Marko Simonovic, though we did have some fun arguing about it on Twitter for a few minutes.

Remember how I said to remember the team that Jokic played for? Well, you guessed it. Arturas Karnisovas was assistant GM of the Denver Nuggets when they selected Nikola Jokic and had helped him assimilate to the United States after coming over. Now in his new role with the Chicago Bulls, Arturas had dipped into the Serbian basketball well one more time. 

Now, this isn’t to put MVP expectations or unrealistic pressure on Marko Simonovic. Nikola Jokic’s meteoric rise could not have been seen by anyone, at least anyone aside from Karnisovas. Karnisovas has been known for making excellent value draft selections (Jamal Murray, Monte Morris, Michael Porter Jr.). That said, there are many reasons to get excited for Simonovic. Simonovic, actually a native of Montenegro, started his career playing for a lower-league club in Italy. Eventually, he found his way to KK Mega Basket and immediately made an impact. In his first season for the team, he averaged 16.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. 

His second season was a bit of a strange one considering the global pandemic we were facing, but despite the challenges, he still managed to average 15.2 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He also improved his 3P% from 31% to 33%.

The Similarities Between Marko Simonovic and Nikola Jokic

Coming into the league, you can identify a lot of similarities in the way scouts talk about Marko Simonovic and the way they talked about Nikola Jokic just a few years ago. Both players have been described as great shooters with length and long wingspans. The term “threat” gets thrown around a lot, usually in the context of pick and rolls and shooting off the catch. 

They were both known for crashing the boards, but while Simonovic uses his speed and craftiness to get put-backs and second-chance opportunities for his teammates, he does not quite have the post presence that Jokic did coming into the league. He will need to develop a face-up game if he truly wants to live down the Jokic comparisons. 

Just as well, there is not much to write about in regards to Simonovic’s passing ability or physical presence. That’s not to say he won’t bulk up or use his already solid basketball IQ to improve as a passer, but there is much work to be done there. 

Jokic did not come into the NBA as the dominant big man he is today. He made strides in being able to maintain position in the post without getting knocked around, and he refined his back to the basket moves with jump hooks and turnarounds.

Marko Simonovic, with the right tutelage under Billy Donovan and access to NBA training regimens, could become a very good player for the Chicago Bulls one day. As it stands right now, he’s more comparable to a player like Lauri Markkanen or Nikola Mirotic than he is to Nikola Jokic, but of course, things change quickly when you’re only 21 years old.

Bulls fans should be excited to see what he could bring to the team when he eventually does make the transition from Serbia to the National Basketball Association. Arturas Karnisovas had previously hinted that that could happen this offseason, but only time will tell. Whenever he does join the Bulls, he will have a plethora of experienced European veterans to learn from. 

The post Could Marko Simonovic Be The Next Nikola Jokic? appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

Damian Lillard has only missed the playoffs one single time in his career. That was his rookie season. Despite that, over half of those playoff appearances have ended in first round exits, and the Portland Trail Blazers have yet to make it past the conference finals. 

Lillard is beloved in the Pacific NorthWest. He’s on billboards, in commercials, takes part in charity events, and seems to genuinely love being part of the community. A superstar on the court and a local hero off of it, Lillard would never demand a trade from this city that’s come to embrace him so much, right?

Well, not so fast. The 2020-21 Trail Blazers, once again, have been eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. This time, however, it feels… different. Lillard carried the team to a Game 5 comeback, scoring 55 points on just 24 shots, notching 10 assists, and setting an NBA playoff record with 12 made 3-pointers.

In the second and final overtime, Lillard’s teammates could not help him to the finish line. Poor defense, missed shots, turnovers, and bad fouls plagued the final minutes of the game, and Lillard watched his historic night turn sour. This is a huge disappointment for a Blazers team that made key upgrades in the offseason with the hopes that this could be the year to finally contend with the powerhouses of the Western Conference.

It wasn’t, and one must ask themselves when too much is just too much. Year after year, the Trail Blazers attempt to take the next step by acquiring talented veterans and making trades for role players. Coach Terry Stotts is no doubt on the hot seat, and it would not come as a surprise if he is looking for a job in the coming weeks.

Why Would Damian Lillard Leave Portland?

Lillard, to his credit, has always been a loyal franchise player. But watching what Kyrie, KD, and James Harden did in Brooklyn, what Kawhi and Paul George did in LA, and what Lebron and AD did for the Lakers, Lillard might be thinking to himself right now that the only way to win a ring in the modern NBA is to pair up with one or two other true stars. 

The situation is reminiscent of Russell Westbrook’s final years in Oklahoma City. Similarly loyal to the franchise and the city despite years of disappointment in the playoffs, Westbrook didn’t demand to leave the team on bad terms. Instead, the team was looking towards a total rebuild, and they made sure to send Russ to a destination he liked for a very good return. 

Damian Lillard might want to push the Trail Blazers in a similar direction. And if that were to happen, every team in the NBA would be salivating at the thought of acquiring a 30-year old phenom who only seems to be getting better. One such team, a team that’s on the cusp of contending, a team that desperately needs a point guard, and a team that could be an instant playoff contender with the addition of another star… is the Chicago Bulls. 

Look, before you get upset and poke holes in everything you’ve read thus far, remember that you’re reading this article on a website called arturasfanclub.com. What more did you expect? Of course we’re mocking Lillard to the Bulls. That’s what we do here. 

What Moves Do The Bulls Need To Make?

In order to acquire Damian Lillard, the Bulls have a few key moves to make. They would need to stretch and waive the contracts of Al-Farouq Aminu and Tomas Satoransky (or find a way to get Portland to accept them in a deal, good luck), renounce the rights to Lauri Markkanen and Ryan Arcidiacono, and likely trade away some package consisting of Coby White and Patrick Williams. 

A word on Patrick Williams: trading him so soon in his career would be hugely bittersweet. Acquiring Dame is absolutely worth it, but I can understand why some Bulls fans would be adverse to this idea. Just remember that Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic are not getting any younger. Acquiring Dame is a win-now move that would lead to talented veterans taking minimum deals to sign with the Bulls and their new Big Three. 

The Bulls are light on picks right now, and due to the Stepien Rule, they cannot trade first rounders in 2022 or 2024. That presents a unique challenge that might require a third team to get involved in order to truly make this deal worth it to Portland. If you’re Arturas Karnisovas, you do whatever it takes to acquire Damian Lillard. That said, there is still a 20.3% chance that the Bulls retain their 2021 first round pick as long as it lands in the top four. A top four pick, plus the players already mentioned, might get this trade done on their own…

Convincing Damian Lillard To Choose Chicago

Part of the process of acquiring Lillard is convincing him that Chicago is the right destination, as surely many teams will be clamoring to get him, and the Trail Blazers have a vested interest in keeping him happy throughout this process to avoid a Harden/Anthony Davis situation. Moving to the third largest market in the NBA would immediately skyrocket Lillard’s already huge image, and provide numerous sponsorship and brand opportunities.

Not only that, but restoring glory to the Bulls franchise is something that many players could only dream of accomplishing. You see, there was this bald fellow in the 1990s who played for the Bulls and was moderately successful. Winning the next title in Chicago would firmly place your name next to his in history books forever.

Aside from the prestige of the franchise and the amazing city they play in, the Bulls have a lot going for them right now. Billy Donovan is a huge upgrade over Terry Stotts, and Zach Lavine has cemented himself as one of the best scorers on the face of planet Earth. Nikola Vucevic’s presence creates scoring opportunities and defensive mismatches. Lillard is, essentially, a perfect fit (so as long as the Bulls can find some defense elsewhere).

Bulls Salary Cap Situation

In the scenario presented above, the Bulls roster post-trade would look something like this:

• Damian Lillard – $39 mil*
• Zach Lavine – $19.5 mil
• Troy Brown Jr – $3 mil
• Thaddeus Young – $13.5 mil
• Nikola Vucevic – $26 mil
• TOTAL SALARY: $101 mil (CAP: $112 mil, LUXURY TAX: $136.6 mil)

*this number will increase by $3 mil every year

There’s still much work to be done here, but as far as starting fives go, this would easily be the best the Bulls have put together since the Rose/Noah/Butler years, and possibly the best of Lillard’s career, as well. In order to fill out the rest of the roster, here are a few moves the team could make:

• Re-sign Daniel Theis using his bird rights to go over the salary cap 
• Execute a sign and trade with Lauri Markkanen to acquire role players from a team such as the Dallas Mavericks or the San Antonio Spurs 
• Use the mid-level exception to acquire a talented reserve (think of names like TJ McConnell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Derrick Rose, Serge Ibaka, Bobby Portis, etc)
• Attract talented veterans on minimum deals who want to win a ring

After working his magic, Arturas Karnisovas could come out on the other side of this with a true, honest-to-God NBA Finals contender. Not a playoff contender. Not a conference finals contender. A team that is actually built to win the whole damn thing. 

There are a lot of what-ifs that would need to fall in the Bulls’ favor for any of this to come to fruition. In AK’s short time with the team so far, many of those dominoes have actually fallen their way. 

From lucking into a top four pick, to the timing of Billy Donovan’s dismissal from OKC, to Nikola Vucevic becoming available in trade talks, Arturas Karnisovas has shown not only an aggressive, can-do attitude, but he’s also just been kinda lucky. 

Maybe the luck continues, and maybe he makes an even bigger blockbuster trade than the last one. So far, he’s given us zero reason to doubt him.

The post Could Damian Lillard Demand A Trade To The Chicago Bulls? appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

When the Chicago Bulls hired Arturas Karnisovas on April 9th, 2020, he was tasked with turning around a franchise that had finished at or below .500 for four straight seasons. At the beginning, he had no idea Billy Donovan would be a part of that process.

Jim Boylen, the Bulls head coach at the time, had faced criticisms for misusing players, conducting excessively physical practices, and generally being thrust into a role he wasn’t ready for by an incompetent front office.

For lack of a better word, the Bulls were a shitshow. Karnisovas (AK) took time evaluating the team and the coaching staff, and made the decision to fire Boylen on August 14th, 2020. AK was committed to finding a coach that players could relate to and win with. Before ever even taking an interview with a new head coaching candidate, AK said this about the process:

“During this research, they’re one of the components of the criteria and evaluation so they were a part of it. Players are always a part of it.”

Arturas Karnisovas

Billy Donovan Becomes Available

At the time, the top head-coaching candidates included recent Nets send-off Kenny Atkinson and up-and-coming assistant Wes Unseld Jr, who AK worked with when he was GM of the Denver Nuggets. On September 8th, 2020, however, something unexpected happened. Billy Donovan, coach of the over-performing Oklahoma City Thunder, agreed with the franchise to “mutually part ways.”

Donovan was coming off an impressive run with a team that many thought was tanking. AK knew who he wanted, and dropped everything to get him. On September 22nd, 2020, it was announced that Billy Donovan would be joining the Bulls as their next head coach. 

After the hire, Donovan revealed that initially he was not interested in accepting the position. It was only after spending time with AK and Bulls GM Marc Eversley, discussing the future of the franchise, the culture they wanted to set, and the players they were building around, did Donovan agree to join the team.

The Donovan era started under strange circumstances. The Bulls hosted a bubble of their own for off-season scrimmages, but Donovan was not able to join the team due to health and safety concerns. The preseason was abridged, and the regular season started swiftly in December mere months after free agency and the NBA Draft. 

Donovan was tasked with getting to know his new squad with extremely limited practice time, frequent COVID-related absences, a tight regular season schedule, and oh yeah, developing the fourth overall pick and youngest player in the NBA.

The Chicago Bulls 2020-2021 NBA Season Begins

AK’s lone free agency acquisition, Garrett Temple, provided a surprising surge, and despite the early-season injuries to Wendell Carter Jr, Otto Porter Jr, and Lauri Markkanen, Donovan found success in using Thaddeus Young as a small-ball five and inserting Temple into the starting lineup. It’s also worth mentioning that Zach Lavine was having an All Star season and his best yet as a pro.

With Young providing a much-needed lift in playmaking and defense, two players poised to take leaps fell far short of expectations. Coby White was not becoming the point guard of the future the Bulls needed him to, and Lauri Markkanen continued to struggle on defense and with shot selection.

The Bulls finished the first half of the season 4th in pace and were shooting threes among the best teams in the league. All in all, Donovan’s first half to the season was a modest success. The team was playing better than the year prior with essentially the same personnel, but there were still concerns with the team’s frontcourt depth. 

During Wendell Carter Jr’s absence, Daniel Gafford was inserted into the starting lineup and promptly got torched on the regular, including giving up a career-high game to Magic center Nikola Vucevic (more on him later).

Between an underwhelming season from starting center Wendell Carter Jr and a serious lack of depth off the bench, the team was still facing an uphill battle for a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament, and many fans felt that it was time for the team to make a drastic move. Arturas Karnisovas heard their pleas. 

Bulls Shake Things Up

At the NBA Trade Deadline, Billy Donovan watched his roster, the one he had just started to gain some footing with, turn upside down completely. I’ll spare the specifics since you’ve heard them non-stop at this point, but Donovan now had a few new assets to work with: veteran big men Nikola Vucevic and Daniel Theis, young wing depth in Troy Brown Jr and Javonte Green, and somewhat of an enigma in Al Farouq Aminu.

This era started… slowly. Donovan did not get an opportunity to conduct a practice with his new squad until May of 2021. The problem? It was still March. The new squad started off with horrendous losses to the Spurs, Warriors, and Suns, but put up a pretty good fight against the then league-best Jazz. 

During this stretch, Donovan played with numerous different rotations to try to get a feel for his new guys. 

He tried a starting lineup including Vucevic and Markkanen in the front court. It didn’t work.

He tried giving Al Farouq Aminu minutes. It didn’t work.

He tried starting Tomas Satoransky instead of Coby White to give the team better defense in playmaking. It… kinda worked.

He increased Troy Brown Jr’s minutes every game, culminating in a big win against the Brooklyn Nets in which Brown had key offensive rebounds and saves. It really worked.

After the sluggish start to the second half of the season, Billy’s Boys picked it up for a solid three-game winning streak. They started to resemble and NBA team again.Then, on April 9th, the Bulls squared off against the Hawks in Atlanta. Zach Lavine was unconscious. He had 39 points at halftime and finished with a career-best 51 points. No way the Bulls lose this game, right?

Well… Donovan made questionable decisions down the stretch that helped decide the fate of this game. Despite getting burned consistently by the Trae Young-Clint Capela pick and roll, Donovan rode Lauri Markkanen and Coby White for an extended stretch in the 4th quarter, with Vucevic and Lavine helplessly watching from the bench.

When Lavine checked back in with four minutes left to go in the game, it was too late. The Hawks held on to their lead and never looked back. In retrospect, this game was one of the most glaring examples of lineup mismanagement that Billy Donovan displayed all season long. 

Donovan faced criticism for his rotations for much of the season. Some argued that he left Coby White in the starting lineup for too long during his early-season struggles, and others wondered why Luke Kornet was getting minutes over Daniel Gafford pre-All Star Break. Putting Lauri Markkanen on the court at the same time as Nikola Vucevic failed miserably, though it’s worth mentioning that this pair did not play together nearly as frequently as some make it out to be.

Things Get Even More Complicated…

In light of these rotational issues, what happened next further complicated the story. Zach Lavine exited the rotation and entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol, missing much of the remainder of the season, and up-and-comer Troy Brown Jr exited with an ankle injury. Donovan got some solid late-season minutes out of returning starter Coby White, but the team could not overcome the loss of Lavine and failed to make the play-in tournament.

Grading Billy Donovan’s First Season As Bulls Head Coach

Through his first season, Billy Donovan faced many roadblocks and challenges. Injuries, COVID, trades, and factors out of his control did not help the first-year Bulls head coach. That said, at times he did not help himself, either, with questionable rotations and a lack of player development.

That said, players throughout the season and since the season ended have expressed appreciation for the way Donovan treats them. He is seen as a player-first coach, and is a huge breath of fresh air from the hot air that previous coaches had been blowing. 

Next season, Zach Lavine will go into his first season with the same head coach for consecutive years (mind-blowing). Donovan made adjustments later in the season to run the offense more through Nikola Vucevic, and with a full offseason together, can continue to install plays for him and build chemistry with his teammates.

It’s hard to be totally fair to Donovan one way or the other. Some will argue that he’s being given too many excuses, and others will argue that he hasn’t been given a fair chance. That said, Billy Donovan gets a solid C+ for the 2020-2021 NBA season. While he did not do enough to elevate the team to new heights on his own, he is a part of a total culture reset in Chicago. He weathered challenges, and kept the ship upright to see a new day. Next season, expectations will be higher and there will be less margin for error. Billy Donovan has his work cut out for him.

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The post Assessing Billy Donovan’s First Year as Chicago Bulls Head Coach appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

A report from the Chicago Sun-Times reveals which teams Lauri Markkanen would prefer to go to as a restricted free agent in 2021. But… will the Bulls match his offer sheet? And how would Lauri Markkenen fit on the Dallas Mavericks or New York Knicks?

Well… I suspect it wouldn’t be so swell. Watch above.

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The post Lauri Markkanen Free Agency Rumors: Will He Go To The Mavericks? appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.

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