At 31 years old, Deng is getting a career-lows in points with 7.6 per game, the first season out of 12 in the single-digits. He is under contract for the next three seasons at an average of about $18 million per y
A few Rose surgeries, a firing of coach Tom Thibodeau (now in Minnesota), and some fan favorites on the move later, and the Bulls are fighting for their playoff lives this spring after missing the playoffs altogether a year
There are tantalizing talents at the top, like Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson, Malik Monk and a number of other top picks. That’s without considering the typical risers whose stock is elevated during the combine and pre-draft worko
The team in the absolute best position is the Boston Celtics, which seems a bit crazy considering they’re the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets were crazy enough to trade their own unprotected first-round pick to Boston years
Now back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James is back to his title-winning ways. He led the Cavs to their first-ever title last year and is gearing up to make a run at his seventh-straight NBA missions|https://nbaactioninsight.Com/ Finals this y
“He’s a big part to what they do,” Butler explained . “We all know that. I think they know that. But you can’t take him out the game and think that you can win. Because they got a lot of other really good players, role players that make shots, create for others. They guard, they rebound, pass the ball. They got a really good team; they’re really good at what they
The Phoenix Suns have the second best odds, riding a massive losing streak for most of the final portion of the season. They’ll have a 19.9 percent chance at landing No. 1, 38.7 percent chance of sticking in the top-two, and 55.8 percent chance of their selection being top-th
After spending last season with the Shandong Golden Stars in China, Cole signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in March. He is now averaging 2.3 points and 1.1 assists in limited action as the team’s third-string point gu
Listed at 6’7″, Butler is a full 10 inches taller than Thomas, but has the physical gifts that it takes to stick with him for a long period of the game. Despite the major height difference, Butler respects Thomas’ versatile g
The 5’9″ Thomas is in the midst of a spectacular, career-best campaign, averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists. If you’ve watched the Celtics play this year, you know that their entire offense runs through him and he’s what makes them tick. Further, he’s been the best fourth quarter scorer in the league, providing important points down the stretch of most ga
In the four contests against the Bulls this year, Thomas put up 24.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. However, he shot the ball very well against Chicago, going 53.8 percent from the field along with 48.4 percent from three-point ra
Coached by Erik Spoelstra, who is still in charge of the Heat, the 2011-12 squad delivered the first of the back-to-back titles of the Big Three era. Here’s where the starting five and key contributors from that year’s team are
“I look forward to that matchup,” Butler said after Friday’s practice . “Especially what he’s done this year for that team. I know that it’s going to come at some point in time. I don’t know when — but I’m going to make it tough for him. For anybody that I’m guarding. Not just me, it’s going to be a team effort. I’m going to get beat at times, I’m going to need guys to be there. If not, then we’ll do it over and over again ’til somebody is there if I’m beat. But I look forward to that challenge. I want th
“He’s been that height for a long time now, so he’s mastered it,” Butler said . “He’s really good at what he does. Coming off, pulling up, shooting shots. Getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line. 5[-foot-]8, 6-8, whatever it is, the guy knows how to put the ball in the bask
Brogdon is easily the biggest surprise of this draft. The 24-year-old out of Virginia spent five years in college and he has reaped the benefits of honing his abilities there instead of making a quick leap into the
The odds are now in place. All that’s left is for the NBA to hold its annual NBA Draft lottery, which will happen on May 16 this year, to decide which pick goes where. For some teams, it’s make or break. For others, they’re just hoping lottery luck shines down on t
While taking Thomas out of the game with his swarming defense would be wonderful for the Bulls, Butler knows that the Celtics still would have other pieces on their roster that his teammates would need to be ready
The Denver Nuggets selected Murray with the seventh pick in the draft and judging by what the guard has shown this year, they’ve got themselves a coup. In this era, where shooting has become a key component, the 20-year-old has proven to be one of the best shooters in this draft cl
As a team, Chicago’s offensive and defensive ratings have been up over the last 10 games to 108.6 and 105.1, compared to 104.4 and 105.6 respectively. Additionally, the Bulls have shot 39.4 percent from the arc, making 10.2 per game in comparison to 33.5 percent before in which they made
