Official Game Thread: Bulls at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“Ohhh! See, when you said you heard we just got Justin Fields, I thought you meant…”

 

Saturday Tidbits!

The last time the Chicago Bulls stopped by State Farm Arena, one day after playing in Tampa, All-Star Zach LaVine dropped a career-best 50 points, including 39 in the first half… and his team lost. What happens tonight, when the red-eyed Bulls arrive to face the Atlanta Hawks (8 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, NBC Sports Chicago) less than 24 hours after playing the Bucks in Chicago, and LaVine is nowhere to be found?

LaVine has been away from the team since April 15 and remains out due to Health ‘n Safety. A backup at the wing, Wizards acquisition Troy Brown has been out while healing a sprained ankle for the past two weeks. Forward Lauri Markkanen and emergency big Cristiano Felicio (non-COVID illness) were late scratches yesterday, and the former is listed as questionable to play today.

LaVine’s splurge in A-Town didn’t set SportsCenter’s A-Block aflame, back on April 9, largely because Ice Trae was très cool. Getting in the paint and scoring at-will, Trae Young had 22 paint ponts and made 11 of 14 free throws as part of his 42-point contribution to the Hawks’ 120-108 victory. Similarly, in Young’s return to action in Philadelphia last night, any struggles he had scoring from outside were compensated by ample floaters and a perfect 10-for-10 on trips to the free throw line. His team would soon be revving up the plane for Hartsfield-Jackson just as the Bulls were still coming out from their halftime break.

As Jayson Tatum and, eventually, Jaylen Brown can now attest, no lead is safe in The Association. Chicago watched their 66-53 halftime lead evaporate within less than a quarter back on April 9. The Bulls were constrained to 42 second-half points, a few of those in the garbage-time period as LaVine scrambled to get his 50. Last night, they nearly erased a 19-point first half deficit before Giannis-less Milwaukee regained control of the game.

Chicago’s last loss here precipitated a five-game skid, featuring losses to Minnesota and Nikola Vucevic’s prior employer, Orlando, that made the subsequent climb without LaVine much steeper. They remain competitive, with helpful wins over Boston and Charlotte while splitting a series in Miami over the past two weeks. But much like the Hawks on Friday night, the Bulls are hoping today they can avoid being held under 100 points for the third-consecutive contest.

The Hawks turned sleepy once Philly woke up yesterday, particularly John Collins (11 points and 4 rebounds over 26 minutes @ PHI) and the bench brigade of Lou Williams (0-for-7 FGs) and Danilo Gallinari (4-for-6 3FGs but minus-29 plus/minus). Still, with Tony Snell and Solomon Hill keeping seats warm for Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter, respectively, Atlanta offered the Sixers a taste of what might await them if the Hawks (34-30) have to emerge from a Play-In game for a first-round series.

Atlanta held Philly to just six points in the opening 6.5 minutes of play, racing to a 21-8 lead until Ben Simmons took matters into his own hands. In his own return after missing a game due to heel pain, Clint Capela was solid in short stints (11-and-15 double-double over just 17 minutes) versus a balanced but hostile Philly front.

This is the dawning of The Age of… Coby White? Well, he is an Aquarius, so, we’ll go with that! Bulls coach Billy Donovan is turning to White, who got his starting spot back after a month on the bench once LaVine hit the shelf, as more of a primary offensive creator. The second-year guard and 2020 All-Rookie Second-Teamer is coming through with more efficient numbers of late (last 9 starts: 18.6 PPG, 6.6 APG, 39.1 3FG%). He’s already become less tentative as an interior finisher than he was in his rookie year, but there have been signs his consistency as an outside shooter is coming around, too. He sunk 4 of 8 triples yesterday to aid his team-high 21 points versus Milwaukee.

The Raptors game preceding the latest LaVine-Young Classic occurred only because it was one of four games, due to COVID-related postponements, the Bulls had to cram into their post-All-Star-Break schedule. They still have two more squeezed into their final May run, at Charlotte and versus Boston on back-to-back dates toward the end of next week.

Today’s game is one of three SEGABABAs left that Donovan’s Bulls have to manage, and the coach has to balance the desire to preserve bodies with the growing sense the race for a final Play-In spot is about over for Chicago (26-37, 3.0 games behind 10-seed Washington). Bear in mind, barring some Lottery luck, the Bulls’ next first-rounder went out the door with Wendell Carter, so they’re tempted to keep fighting until they’re mathematically eliminated. But including the last loss here in Atlanta, the Bulls are 1-4 on road back-to-backs, the sole victory coming against Vucevic in Orlando back in the first week of February.

Vucevic played last night (6-for-18 2FGs, 1-for-9 3FGs vs. MIL, five straight double-doubles) but was listed pre-game versus the Bucks as probable, working his way through a tight adductor muscle. It was the All-Star’s fourth straight-game logging 35+ minutes, tying the longest run he’s had this season and the most since arriving from Orlando at the Trade Deadline. Now listed as questionable today, Vooch appeared in four back-to-backs last month and appears to be a candidate to at least be reduced to limited minutes today, if any.

The anticipated restraint of 2021’s All-Star Skills Challenge winner provides the opportunity for Collins (last 6 games: 5.3 RPG, 2.5 FTAs/game), who missed the prior Bulls game due to injury, to enjoy a bounceback game, and for Capela (22-and-10 and a pair of blocks vs. CHI on April 9) to positively impact the game for longer stretches.

Donovan will try to counter Atlanta’s frontline with struggling Lotto rookie Patrick Williams (6.1 PPG in last 13 games), veteran Thaddeus Young, Gwinnettian Al-Farouq Aminu, and former Celtic Daniel Theis (16 points, 10 rebounds vs. MIL). The bigs will all strive to stay out of each other’s way while crafting driving lanes for White and Thaddeus’ fellow 80’s baby on the Bulls, guard Garrett Temple.

As was the case in Philly, someone other than Gallo (4-for-8 3FGs vs. CHI on April 9, rest of team 3-for-19) will have to hit open perimeter shots to keep the Bulls stuck in the stable. If Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter (both questionable) are no-goes and Young (24.3 3FG% in past seven games) remains in a deep-freeze, hopefully Lou Will can provide some home cooking similar to his last breakout game at The Farm (4-for-4 fourth-quarter 3FGs vs. MIL) that helped Trae-less Atlanta beat the Bucks.

The Bulls’ first-half stampede in Atlanta last month was attributed to the play of LaVine and Vucevic, but Tomas Satoransky (8 of 10 assists in first half @ ATL on April 9), played a crucial role despite going 0-for-6 from the field on the evening. Coach Nate McMillan’s adjustments helped slow Satoransky’s facilitations, and the addition of Sato’s former teammate, Kris Dunn, should keep the Bulls guard stuck in neutral on offense as he tires of chasing Trae’s taillights to the other end of the floor.

It’s a formality at this point, as the Raptors prepare to face the Jazz in Utah and these Bulls are unlikely to run the table, that the Hawks (Magic Number vs. TOR and CHI: 1) can turn their full attention to avoiding the Play-In series (Top-6 Magic Number: 8, tied to BOS and/or MIA, who face off twice over next ten days). But with the NBA postseason in view, this game can serve as practice for eliminating teams that find themselves on the ropes. Against a team that won all 3 games (as a 22-43 team) versus Atlanta last year, one that, despite their struggles, has taken at least one game head-to-head over the Hawks in every season since 2016-17, this contest is also a good opportunity to practice pursuing a series sweep.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Zach's still back in Chi-town, I believe, but...

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/bulls-swoon-validates-debate-zach-lavines-protocol-return

Quote

 

...the Bulls remain without Zach LaVine, who took a small step forward Friday but remains in the league’s health and safety protocols. In a surprise, LaVine, who will miss his 10th game Saturday, sat on the bench in street clothes and a mask.

That marked LaVine’s first time around teammates since he first entered the league’s health and safety protocols on April 15.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know he was cleared to be around our team,” Donovan said.

The fact that he has cleared quarantine but hasn’t been cleared for activity suggests he hasn’t finished the cardiac screening that is part of the league’s return-to-play protocols following a positive test for COVID-19. After returning consecutive negative tests for the virus, cardiac screening is the final step before individual workouts, which precede being cleared for joining team practices.

And from the article, a herd of Bulls received "Dose Dos" on Thursday.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2021/02/bulls-denzel-valentine-music-rap-ep-videos

 

Meanwhile, Denzel's debut EP, appropriately released on Valentine's Day, hasn't drawn 50,000 likes. But earlier this week, one embittered Bulls fan's tweet thread did.

~lw3

[Sothron]

Hopefully I can watch this game. Mrs. Sothron and I moved into a new house and in the middle I needed a back procedure done. So I'm hobbling around while we have about 150 or so boxes to unpack and figure out what to do. Fun, fun stuff.

[lethalweapon3]

No news on the 5:30 boo-boo report regarding Bogi, Reddy V, The Finnisher or Vooch. All look to be gametime decisions.

KL Chouinard notes that the road weariness we hope to see from our visitors tonight will extend for a couple more games.

 

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[NBASupes]

Massive game for us tonight. Who's out and who's playing?

[lethalweapon3]

Like Reggie Theus trying to figure out whether to bench Anthony Anderson... whoops! That's a hang-time decision...

~lw3

[bleachkit]

Gotta give it all for this stretch run at home. No more load management. Time to lace em up, playoffs are right around the corner.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[bleachkit]

Bogi and Kev are a go! We have lift off! 

[Buzzard]

I am starting to think our whole medical team needs to be fired. I get having one player that you are not sure of their return. But to have 3.4, 5 or more over a season indicates incompetence to me. Here is my list:

Dunn- return unknown for months.

Reddish - return unknown for months.

Hunter - return guesstimated. Looks like they brought him back to soon and now unknown again.

Huerter - injury not that serious per reports but still return not known

I think Dunn and Hunter are the most glaring. If they lost Hunter for the season due to a screw up, that's it for me. Fire them all and start over with a more experienced staff.

[JayBirdHawk]

12 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

I am starting to think our whole medical team needs to be fired. I get having one player that you are not sure of their return. But to have 3.4, 5 or more over a season indicates incompetence to me. Here is my list:

Dunn- return unknown for months.

Reddish - return unknown for months.

Hunter - return guesstimated. Looks like they brought him back to soon and now unknown again.

Huerter - injury not that serious per reports but still return not known

I think Dunn and Hunter are the most glaring. If they lost Hunter for the season due to a screw up, that's it for me. Fire them all and start over with a more experienced staff.

Dunn: I'm not sure how you blame the medical staff based on this:

Quote

Shortly after coming to Atlanta, the Hawks found cartilage disruption in that same right knee. Just as he started to steadily improve, his ankle and lower back started to hurt, an MRI revealing loose cartilage in his right ankle inhibiting his range of motion and creating compensations in his knee and back. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove the cartilage in late December.

He was in a walking boot for a while and got a PRP injection in his right knee in February. Although the Hawks anticipated he’d be able to play by the end of March, with Dunn traveling on the team’s West Coast road trip from March 20-April 2, it took about another month for him to be ready.

As soon as he felt his knee getting better, his ankle started acting up. As soon as his ankle started healing, more issues sprang up with his knee. It was like a see-saw, with Dunn unable to achieve balance.

“I just felt like different things just kept happening,” Dunn said. “My initial injury was my knee, I felt like I was on the verge of getting better there, then the ankle situation happened. I felt like I was on the verge of getting better there, then the knee kept (having issues), it was just back and forth trying to get back..

 

Reddish - has had the sore achilles since preseason. He was placed in a walking boot, got out of it, needed a PRP and it was reported he would be out 4-6 weeks. So if he's still not fully healed after the initial timeline, what's the approach?

Huerter - required a 2nd opinion on his MRI, given his previous shoulder injuries I take no exception to a cautious approach.

Hunter - expected return from meniscus surgery is 6 weeks, we know he had swelling after 2 games - he needed another PRP injection so why not take a more measured approach in bringing him back.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Buzzard]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Dunn: I'm not sure how you blame the medical staff based on this:

 

Reddish - has had the sore achilles since preseason. He was placed in a walking boot, got out of it, needed a PRP and it was reported he would be out 4-6 weeks. So if he's still not fully healed after the initial timeline, what's the approach?

Huerter - required a 2nd opinion on his MRI, given his previous shoulder injuries I take no exception to a cautious approach.

Hunter - expected return from meniscus surgery is 6 weeks, we know he had swelling after 2 games - he needed another PRP injection so why not take a more measured approach in bringing him back.

MRI's, Xrays, non surgical procedures, arthroscopic procedures. These are the tools a good medical staff uses to "know" things. Keyword is "know". Its like our staff only knows something when it breaks; but don't have a clue as to how long it will take to heal.

I'd bet a pretty penny Hunter has to have another meniscus surgery because the first one was screwed up...

[bleachkit]

1 minute ago, Buzzard said:

MRI's, Xrays, non surgical procedures, arthroscopic procedures. These are the tools a good medical staff uses to "know" things. Keyword is "know". Its like our staff only knows something when it breaks; but don't have a clue as to how long it will take to heal.

I'd bet a pretty penny Hunter has to have another meniscus surgery because the first one was screwed up...

Teams are intentionally evasive regarding injuries. That has nothing to do with the medical staff.

[hawkman]

Good to see Trae cooking offensively early. 

[MaceCase]

Look at all these ghosts on the court

[MaceCase]

Lou to Gwu

[Dnice]

They ain't looking like much.