Tag: Christian Wood

Will Bulls regret letting Christian Wood sign with Lakers?

Will the Chicago Bulls regret letting Christian Wood sign with the Los Angeles Lakers?

Despite their lack of success last season, the Chicago Bulls didn’t make many significant changes to their roster this summer. Instead of seriously shaking up their core group, they decided to simply make minor tweaks around the edges, adding two veterans to the rotation – Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.

And while both guys will certainly boost the Bulls’ play on both ends, there are questions as to whether or not that will be enough to propel them to the postseason. Christian Wood was a name thrown around as a potential Bulls target, but he just recently signed with the Los Angeles Lakers instead.

The CHGO Bulls podcast of CHGO Sports discussed whether or not the Bulls should act been more proactive in chasing Wood rather than letting him go to LA.

In his lone season with the Dallas Mavericks this past year, Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. However, inconsistent effort on the defensive end led to him earning fewer minutes than expected in Jason Kidd’s rotation.

The veteran big man was not signed during the first few waves of NBA free agency, leaving him fighting for scraps by the end of the offseason. He ultimately landed with the Lakers on a two-year deal for the league minimum.

As things stand, the Bulls only have two centers on the roster, Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond, with rookie Adama Sanogo on a two-way contract.

Despite his defensive issues, do you think the Bulls should have signed Wood in free agency?

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How Christian Wood will specifically help the Lakers offensively

A detailed analysis of three areas in which Christian Wood can help improve the Lakers on offense.

Plenty of Los Angeles Lakers fans are hopeful and even excited about the team’s free-agent signing of Christian Wood on Tuesday.

Wood, who is listed at 6 feet, 9 inches and 214 pounds, can play both power forward and center and is an instant offense man who gets buckets in bunches. The Lakers, who were already looking very potent on the offensive end, could be bursting at the seams in that department.

The concerns with Wood are his (very) bad defense and his reportedly outsized opinion of his own offensive abilities. But if he is on his best behavior and is at least a neutral defensive player, he could help make Los Angeles a truly elite offensive team.

These areas, in particular, should see a boost thanks to Wood.

Buha: Christian Wood is expected to come off the Lakers’ bench

While new Lakers big man Christian Wood may be given a key role this season, it will likely be as a reserve.

The Los Angeles Lakers added a significant wild card to their roster on Tuesday when they signed Christian Wood to a two-year contract.

Wood is a 6-foot-9 big man who can play both the 4 and 5 and score buckets in bunches. Over the last three seasons, he averaged 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds a game while shooting 50.9% overall and 38.1% from 3-point range.

His lack of defense and outsized opinion of his value are definite issues, but on the Lakers, he will have a specific role to stick to, not to mention strong leadership from LeBron James and head coach Darvin Ham.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Ham will likely bring Wood off the bench as his primary backup center behind Anthony Davis (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via The Athletic:

“The early expectation is that Wood will come off the bench with Rui Hachimura the likely frontcourt starter next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, according to team sources,” wrote Buha. “At a minimum, Wood will be the primary backup center behind Davis while occasionally teaming with him in two-big lineups. He should average around 20 minutes per game when everyone is healthy.”

One reason Wood is expected to come off the bench, according to Buha, is the fact that starting him would force James to play out of position, especially on the defensive end.

“The challenge with starting Wood is the same that arises for any potential Lakers two-big lineup: it forces Davis and James to slide down to power forward and small forward, positions they’ve each phased out of as they’ve aged.

“Davis played 100 percent of his minutes at center last season and 76 percent of his minutes there the season prior. James played 99 percent of his minutes at either power forward or center last season. Using James as a small forward, which was more common earlier in his Lakers tenure, means he must defend apex predator wings like Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard. That’s unreasonable for a soon-to-be-39-year-old in Year 21.”

If Wood accepts such a diminished role (he has started the majority of his games over the last three seasons while playing 29.3 minutes a game), he can give Los Angeles one of the league’s best and deadliest benches.

NBA Twitter reacts to Christian Wood signing with Lakers: ‘Rob Pelinka we owe you an apology’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers signing Christian Wood to a two-year deal.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Christian Wood has signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The former Mavs player decided to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis in LA, and Lakers fans seemed excited to have him.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the latest free agency signing in the league.

Christian Wood: ‘It’s always been my dream to be a Laker’

New Lakers big man Christian Wood, a Los Angeles area native, will get to live out his dream of playing for the Purple and Gold.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ summer-long courting of big man Christian Wood ended on Tuesday when they reportedly signed him to a two-year contract.

The deal is reportedly worth $5.7 million and includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.

Wood, who stands 6 feet, 9 inches and weighs 214 pounds, can certainly score. He has averaged 18.1 points a game while shooting 50.9% from the field over the last three seasons. During that time he shot 38.1% from 3-point range.

The Lakers could use more 3-point snipers, particularly in the frontcourt, to open space for Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the paint.

One thing some may ignore is the fact Wood is originally from the Southland. He was born in Long Beach and spent his first year of high school at Los Alamitos High School before moving to Palmdale and later to the Las Vegas area.

Thus, it isn’t surprising to see this social media post from him saying that he has always dreamed of playing for the Purple and Gold.

There are certainly those who are skeptical Wood will fit, given his defensive deficiencies and attitude issues. But if he does work out, he will only strengthen the Lakers’ chances of winning the NBA championship this coming season.

NBA Twitter reacts to Christian Wood joining the Lakers

Lakers fans on X, formally known as Twitter, were excited about the team’s signing of Christian Wood on Tuesday.

After weeks of rumors that he would join the Los Angeles Lakers, it is official: Christian Wood has signed a two-year contract with the Purple and Gold.

He certainly comes with risks. Many have pointed out his defensive ineptness and outsized opinion of himself and his offensive value. But he can certainly help the team, especially on the offensive end, where he is a proven scorer and accurate 3-point shooter.

If Wood works out with the Lakers, he will give them something close to an embarrassment of riches, joining LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and the fast-emerging Austin Reaves.

Across X, formally known as Twitter, fans reacted with emotion.

In L.A., Christian Wood can turn things around — or confirm his reputation

Now that Christian Wood is reportedly a member of the Lakers, this coming season could make or break his reputation around the NBA.

Los Angeles is a city where people flock from around the nation and even the world to chase their wildest dreams.

While some make it big time there, many others fail to accomplish their goals for whatever reason.

It is said the game doesn’t build character, it reveals character, and that seems to be an apt description of the City of Angels and what it tends to do to dreamers who head there to pursue lofty goals.

That seems to be the situation Christian Wood has put himself into after reportedly signing a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. It was a deal some had expected for a while, and now it is a reality.

On the surface, Wood has the potential to greatly help the Lakers. He can score, especially from the perimeter, and in today’s NBA, a team can seemingly never have enough players who can put the ball through the hoop. The Lakers still need more legitimate 3-point threats, and Wood can give them one.

However, for Wood to succeed in L.A., he will have to overcome a somewhat negative reputation he has developed over the last few years. More likely than not, his upcoming stint with the Lakers will prove he is either worthy of that negative reputation or that he has simply been a misunderstood soul who had the bad fortune of being in the wrong environment.

Report: Christian Wood signs two-year deal with the Lakers

After weeks of speculation, big man Christian Wood has finally signed with the Lakers.

Well, it finally happened.

After weeks of being rumored to have interest in Christian Wood and seemingly wavering on whether to sign him, the Los Angeles Lakers finally inked him to a two-year contract.

The Lakers were first rumored to be in pursuit of Wood several weeks ago. Movement was very slow on that front, even when it was reported they had internal optimism they could make him fit despite his flaws.

There were also rumors Wood preferred to join the Miami Heat, if the Heat ended up pulling off a trade for perennial All-Star Damian Lillard.

Instead, Wood will wear the Purple and Gold this season.

A 6-foot-9, 214-pound big man, Wood is a proven scorer. He averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game this past season with the Dallas Mavericks, and he has been a good 3-point shooter as well.

However, he has a reputation for being a porous defender, something that could be a problem for a Lakers team that has established a positive identity on the defensive end. Even worse, he reportedly has an inflated sense of self-importance, as one podcast host warned Lakers fans about.

In L.A., Wood will presumably be asked to play plenty of backup center, which is the one position weakness on the team’s roster. It remains to be seen if he will fully embrace head coach Darvin Ham’s commitment to winning with defense.

Four potential Celtics depth options to shore up Boston’s frontcourt

With Kristaps Porzingis already showing signs of poor durability, another big man option is a wise target for the Celtics.

The Boston Celtics are facing a potential frontcourt availability concern as new Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis enters a rehabilitation process for his foot, recently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis serious enough to cause the Latvian center to eschew suiting up for his national team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Although the Celtics center is expected to be cleared for the start of the storied ball club’s 2023-24 training camp,

Porzingis’ injury history, including playing less than 65 games in the regular season in recent years, raises questions about his availability for a full 82-game season in Boston’s campaign to come. Considering the team’s other factors, such as veteran forward Al Horford’s age and Robert Williams III’s frequent absences to injury as well, it’s prudent for the Celtics to consider front-court additions.

To such an end, NESN’s Keagan Stiefel came up with four potential options that the Celtics can sign to shore up their frontcourt depth – let’s take a look at each.

‘Locked On Mavericks’ podcast host gives warning about Christian Wood

Nick Angstadt, the “Locked On Mavericks” podcast host, says Christian Wood has a big problem that could torpedo the Lakers if they sign him.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be interested in signing Christian Wood for much of this summer. However, they don’t seem to be in a hurry to obtain the free agent big man.

It is tempting for Lakers fans to want Wood to come to Los Angeles. He’s a proven scorer who averaged 16.6 points a game while making 37.6% of his 3-point attempts this past season.

However, he is a poor defender, which isn’t exactly what the Lakers need from a big man. They’ve made it clear they’re looking for someone who can play the center position, which requires a focus and commitment to defense and rebounding.

Then there is the issue of Wood’s attitude.

Nick Angstadt, the host of the “Locked On Mavericks” podcast, joined Brian Kamenetzky on the “Locked On Lakers” podcast to discuss Wood. Angstadt was asked what Wood’s biggest problem is, and he said it’s the player’s attitude.

The details he gave sound very concerning.

“The problem with Christian Wood is that in the Anthony Davis games (the games in which he plays alongside or with Davis), he will think he is better than Anthony Davis,” said Angstadt. “He will come in and say, ‘This is my time, this is me and my best skill is shooting, scoring, doing those things and so anytime I get the opportunity I will do that.’ … The problem is he takes you out of your offense a lot, and he thinks he should be an All-Star.”

The Lakers have historically been an organization that values players that have character and a good attitude. Although they reportedly have some optimism they could make it work with him, it isn’t easy to imagine a player with Wood’s alleged inflated sense of self-importance doing well on a team with Davis and LeBron James.