Hoops Rumors

Yet another Bulls player has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that forward Alize Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19. The Bulls are currently experiencing the league’s worst outbreak of the coronavirus this season, with 10 players in the protocols. The team only has

Bulls center Nikola Vucevic is confident he’ll work his way out of a slump, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Vucevic most recently shot 3-of-15 in a loss against Miami, struggling to make shots inside the paint, in the mid-range areas, and behind the arc. “I got some post-up and hook shots that I’ve

Pistons forward Jerami Grant will be out indefinitely with torn ligaments in his right thumb, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Grant suffered the injury in Friday night’s loss to the Pelicans as the thumb was bent backward in an awkward manner. He has been Detroit’s most consistent player for the first two months of the

Rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu has started the past two games for the shorthanded Bulls, and Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes that he’s earned that opportunity. A Chicago native, Dosunmu played well in his first start, notching 11 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists in nearly 42 minutes during the team’s win over Denver on Monday.

The 4-19 Pistons, losers of nine straight games, are currently sole owners of the NBA’s worst record. Happily from a big-picture perspective, intriguing rookie guard Cade Cunningham is showing promising early signs of development, details James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Cunningham was shelved for Detroit’s entire preseason and the early portion of the

Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was apparently almost drafted by the Cavaliers. Johnson discussed his near-selection in an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Cavaliers instead opted to draft Dylan Windler with the No. 26 pick in the 2019 draft, while Johnson was ultimately drafted by San Antonio with the No.

DeMarcus Cousins won’t be asked to play major minutes for the Bucks, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The veteran center can give them 10-15 minutes a game and help lessen the load on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, who have been manning the middle while Brook Lopez has been sidelined with a back injury.

November 25th 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman has settled in to his second unit role and is enjoying a bounce-back season, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Osman has made 43.6% of his 3-point attempts this season and has averaged 20 points over the last three games. He

November 25th 2021 at 11:14am CST by Dana Gauruder Former NBA guard Yogi Ferrell has left Greece’s Panathinaikos in order to seek a better opportunity, per Stavros Barbarousis of EuroHoops.net. Ferrell was unhappy with his limited role — he was averaging just eight minutes in five EuroLeague games. The 28-year-old point guard was waived by the Clippers in

Former Suns point guard Elie Okobo, who was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been out of the NBA since the 2019/20 season and is playing in France this year. However, the 24-year-old tells Dionysis Aravantinos of HoopsHype that he envisions himself returning stateside at some point — he’s just not

Collin Sexton‘s season-ending surgery has thrust Isaac Okoro into the spotlight for the Cavaliers, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The 20-year-old Okoro has had a terrible start to the season shooting the ball, with a slash line of .369/.176/.720 through 11 games. The team doesn’t expect Okoro to replicate Sexton’s offensive output; it’s not

Lakers superstar LeBron James was suspended one game without pay and Pistons center Isaiah Stewart will serve a two-game suspension for their altercation on Sunday, the league announced in a press release. James was suspended for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation. Stewart was given a bigger penalty for escalating the

Second-year guard Killian Hayes is expected to miss at least the next two games as the Pistons‘ medical staff attempts to alleviate the soreness in his sprained left thumb and increase its mobility, the team announced today. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes (via Twitter), the injury has been an ongoing problem for Hayes, who

Lakers star LeBron James and Pistons youngster Isaiah Stewart were ejected from Sunday’s game in the third quarter following an on-court altercation and could face further punishment from the NBA league office. James struck Stewart in the face while the two players were battling for position on a Jerami Grant free throw, opening up a

The Sixers don’t have any interest in acquiring Pistons forward Jerami Grant in a potential deal for Ben Simmons, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. Neubeck states that a Friday report that Grant is on a list of about 30 potential Sixers trade targets is outdated and there are no current negotiations involving Grant between

The Cavaliers‘ fast start has raised expectations in Cleveland, Jarrett Allen tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Coming off a 22-50 season, the Cavs were hoping to improve enough to contend for a spot in the play-in round, but the team is now 9-8 and has started to aim a little higher. “We’re definitely shooting for

Pistons forward Jerami Grant is one of the players on the Sixers‘ list of targets for a potential Ben Simmons trade, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey also confirms Sam Amick’s report that James Harden is on Philadelphia’s list. Amick reported on Thursday that the 76ers have a list of about 30

November 18th 2021 at 5:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder The Cavaliers are hopeful they’ll be closer to full strength by Monday, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Jarrett Allen missed the team’s game against the Lakers on Thursday with an illness. Lamar Stevens is rehabbing from a right ankle sprain and Lauri Markkanen

The Bulls are off to an outstanding 10-4 start and sign-and-trade acquisition DeMar DeRozan is a huge reason why. DeRozan scored 38 points against the Lakers on Monday, shooting 15-for-23 from the field, 2-for-5 from deep, and 6-of-6 from the line while adding six assists to an all-around great performance. Jamal Collier of ESPN writes

November 13th 2021 at 10:57am CST by Dana Gauruder The Bulls have been subjected to frequent COVID-19 testing since they played the Sixers last week, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Nikola Vucevic is out at least 10 days after a positive test. The Sixers had several players test positive in recent weeks.