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Bulls guard/forward Chandler Hutchison shoulder injury update

 

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An MRi performed yesterday confirms that Chicago Bulls guard/forward Chandler Hutchison has a right shoulder contusion.

The injury occurred this past Tuesday in the team’s road game against the Warriors.

The team says Hutchison will be re-evaluated next week, after their current road trip is completed.

Through yesterday’s games, the Bulls are 6-13 this season, which places them 12th in the Eastern conference. They’re being led in scoring this season by Zach LaVine at 21.8 PPG. But no other Bulls players are scoring as much as 14.0 PPG.

Hutchison is averaging 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game.

Bulls sign Brandon Sampson, waive Tyler Ulis

The Chicago Bulls today signed Brandon Sampson to a Two-Way contract. This just after the team waived Two-Way player Tyler Ulis.

Sampson, a 6-foot-5, 184-pound guard, played three seasons at Louisiana State University, then went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft . This season, he has played in 18 games (18 starts) in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 35.1 minutes per game. In college at LSU, Sampson played in 85 games (40 starts) between 2015-18, averaging 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He scored a career-high 24 points twice in the 2016-17 season.

A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Louisiana in 2015.

Sampson on the Bulls will wear jersey No. 44.

Bobby Portis injured again, out 2-4 weeks

Injuries have been a season-long problem for the 2018-19 Chicago Bulls.

Bobby Portis, who has played in just nine games so far this season, injured his right ankle in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game against the Nets. An MRI and repeat physical exam were performed this morning, and he was diagnosed with a sprained ankle.

Portis will be out two-to-four weeks.

The Bulls are 7-25 this season, which as of today is the worst record in the NBA.

Zach LaVine injury update: Out 1-3 more weeks

Zach LaVine injured his left ankle in the fourth quarter of the Bulls game against the Orlando Magic in Mexico City on Dec. 13.

Additional medical opinions taken since then agreed with the original diagnosis of a medial ankle sprain.

LaVine will be out approximately two-to-four weeks from the date of the injury. So, he could be out around one-to-three more weeks.

The young, rebuilding Bulls are 7-25 this season. ZaVine at 23.8 points per game has been their leading scorer.

Raymond Felton and Dennis Schroder suspended one game each

Oklahoma City Thunder guards Raymond Felton and Dennis Schroder have each been suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench area during an altercation and participating in the altercation which spilled over into the spectator stands, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

As part of the same incident, Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez has been fined $25,000 for escalating the altercation, Thunder forward Jerami Grant has been fined $20,000 for escalating the altercation, and Bulls guard Kris Dunn has been fined $15,000 for instigating the altercation by shoving Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.

The incident, for which Dunn, Westbrook, Grant and Lopez each received technical fouls, occurred with 4:27 remaining in the third quarter of Oklahoma City’s 121-96 victory over Chicago on Dec. 17 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Felton and Schroder will serve their suspensions tonight when the Thunder visits the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.

Chicago Bulls coaching staff is restructured

Changes to new Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen’s coaching staff were made today.

Assistant coach Nate Loenser has been elevated to the bench, while director of player development Shawn Respert, has also been elevated to the bench, as he now joins Boylen’s staff as an assistant coach. Longtime NBA coaching veteran Dean Cooper comes to the Bulls after starting the season as an assistant coach with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. Assistant coach Randy Brown notified the Bulls today that he has resigned from his post with the team.

In summary, Boylen’s coaching staff is now comprised of Pete Myers, Loenser, Respert, Cooper and Karen Stack Umlauf.

Loenser is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Bulls. He served as head coach of the Windy City Bulls during the team’s inaugural season in 2016-17. He spent the 2015-16 as Chicago’s video coordinator, after having coached at the University of Southern Mississippi and Iowa State. “Nate is a very bright, young coach who has earned this opportunity,” said Boylen.

Respert most recently served as the team’s director of player development since the start of 2017-18 season. Prior to coming to Chicago, he was a regional scout and assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies. While with the Grizzlies, he was a member of David Joerger’s staff for three seasons (2013-16). He also spent three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he worked as an assistant coach with an emphasis on player development. He worked four seasons with the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach (2008-11). “Shawn is in charge of our player development and I feel it is vital that he is on our bench with our players,” said Boylen.

Cooper reunites with Boylen having worked together on Rudy Tomjanovich’s staff with the Houston Rockets. Before his term in Hoffman Estates with the Windy City Bulls, he was the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars/Idaho Stampede for three seasons (2014-2017). Prior to his time with Salt Lake City, Cooper enjoyed a second stint with the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach for Kevin McHale (2012-14). His first tour with the Rockets spanned nine seasons (1999-2008) where he held several roles, including video coordinator, assistant coach, personnel scout, director of scouting and vice president of player personnel. He also spent time with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the director of player development for two seasons (2010-12). “Dean is a veteran coach who has a ton of experience and someone I have a great comfort level with,” said Boylen.

Brown, an assistant coach with the Bulls since 2015, was offered an opportunity to remain on the staff, but declined the post. “I’m disappointed Randy has made this decision, but I understand he has to do what is best for him,” said Boylen.

Bulls fire head coach Fred Hoiberg, promote Jim Boylen

The Chicago Bulls fired head coach Fred Hoiberg today, and immediately promoted associate head coach Jim Boylen to head coach.

Often, when a head coach is fired, a temporary (interim) coach is named, but the Bulls decided there was no reason to wait and immediately gave Boylen the job.

Hoiberg was named Chicago’s head coach on June 2, 2015 after spending five seasons as head coach at Iowa State. During his time with the Bulls, he coached the team to a record of 115-155 (.426). In 2017, he guided the team to the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, where they were ousted by the Boston Celtics in six games.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “Paxson also put to rest any questions about general manager Gar Forman’s job security, saying, “Gar is absolutely safe.”

More from the Tribune: “Hoiberg, who compiled a 115-155 record and one playoff berth in his three-plus seasons, arrived at the team’s practice facility Monday morning prepared to run the 11 a.m. practice. Paxson and Forman were there to relieve him of his duties.”

In a statement released this morning, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson said:

“Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time. After a thorough evaluation, I elected to make this move with the overall development of our team in mind. As a team, I believe it is imperative that we make unfaltering strides in the right direction and build the right habits to help put our players in the best position to evolve not only now, but into the future. I want to thank Fred for his dedication and efforts, as well as for his enduring commitment to our team.”

According to NBC Sports Chicago, “yes, the Bulls are 5-19, on an NBA-worst six-game losing streak and headed toward the NBA Draft Lottery for a third time in four years. They’re 29th in the NBA in offensive efficiency and 28th in net rating. But no team has suffered more injuries than the Bulls this season, especially to key contributors, and at one point last month Fred Hoiberg was forced to start a backcourt of Cameron Payne and Ryan Arcidiacono. What chance did he have of surviving this? The answer, Paxson said Monday afternoon at the Advocate Center, was a lack of “energy and competitive spirit” the front office noticed in games, practices and the locker room the last few weeks. That passion, Paxson said, had been evident even during last year’s tank-inspired 27-win season.”

Boylen joined the Bulls on June 17, 2015. With 33 years of coaching experience, that includes 20 seasons in the NBA, Boylen has been a part of three NBA Championship teams. He entered the NBA in 1992-93 with the Houston Rockets, where he broke in as the team’s video coordinator/scout. Following four seasons in that role, he was promoted to assistant coach on Rudy Tomjanovich’s staff. He has also served as an assistant coach with Golden State (2003-04), Milwaukee (2004-05), Indiana (2011-13) and San Antonio (2013-14). Additionally, he has coached collegiately at Michigan State, where he served on the staffs for both Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo. Most recently on the collegiate level, he was head coach at the University of Utah, where he led the Utes to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

The Chicago Tribune reports: “Jim Boylen is the new Bulls coach and never has been the Bulls coach (if you don’t count that one day on Easter; see below). Jim Boylan, however, was the Bulls interim head coach in 2007-08. The two actually worked together at Michigan State. Boylan was Scott Skiles’ longtime right-hand man and went 24-32 down the stretch of the 2007-08 season. Boylan almost fared well enough to keep the job. But as the Bulls lucked into drafting Derrick Rose that offseason, John Paxson began a coaching search that ultimately netted Vinny Del Negro.”

Pressure on Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg will increase

 

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It’s easy to give a head coach a pass when multiple key players on his team are injured. But once they return to action? And then go ahead and play for a while? Then increased attention shifts not just on the team, but also on the head coach to make the most of the health-filled opportunity. Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times with some Bulls discussion:

There is nothing set in stone that this is absolutely Fred Hoiberg’s last year coaching the Bulls.

The Sun-Times confirmed that over the weekend.

What can’t be denied, however, is the growing whispers coming from atop that the next month will be crucial for Hoiberg even finishing out the rest of this season in that coaching seat.

The Saturday debut of Lauri Markkanen was a critical first step in that evaluation process, as the second-year player was sidelined throughout the first 23 regular-season games, recovering from a right elbow injury suffered the first week of training camp.

Once Hoiberg gets the remaining injured pieces back in Kris Dunn (left knee) and Bobby Portis (right knee), there needs to be results. Wins and losses will carry weight for Hoiberg in his fourth season, but not as much as this group showing some serious forward strides in development and quickly.

Full article

Lauri Markkanen takes a step forward in recovery

Lauri Markkanen takes a step forward in recovery

The Bulls could really use some good news, especially in the health department.

This isn’t big, but it’s something. It’s a step. Here’s the Chicago Tribune with an update on one of the team’s key young building blocks:

Lauri Markkanen had an individual shooting workout and participated in non-contact portions of Bulls practice Monday, the next step in his recovery from a right elbow injury.

Thursday marks eight weeks since Markkanen suffered a high-grade lateral sprain while battling for a rebound in the first week of training camp. The Bulls originally estimated Markkanen would miss six to eight weeks and later revised it to eight to 10 weeks.

“We’ll see how he responds and if we can up his activity level after that,” coach Fred Hoiberg said.

The Bulls through Sunday’s games have a 4-13 record and are the current East 12-seed. The team is off today and tomorrow, and on Wednesday has a chance to add to that win total as they host a struggling Suns squad.

Denzel Valentine to undergo surgery, out 4-6 months

Denzel Valentine to undergo surgery, out 4-6 months

Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine has been diagnosed with ongoing ankle instability. After being evaluated by Dr. Bob Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Valentine will undergo a surgical reconstruction by Dr. Anderson the week of Nov. 26 with an anticipated recovery time of four-to-six months.

The team says that Valentine is expected to make a full recovery and have a normal summer of offseason training leading into training camp for the 2019-20 season.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “it’s the second ankle surgery in three seasons for Valentine, a critical reserve floor spacer, and playmaker and leader.”