Tag: Lonzo Ball

Would a Lonzo Ball return be a good thing for the Chicago Bulls?

Would Lonzo Ball coming back be good for the Chicago Bulls?

It’s been over two calendar years since Lonzo Ball stepped onto the basketball court for the Chicago Bulls. He suffered a knee injury in the middle of the 2021-22 season and hasn’t been back. Since then, the Bulls have endured two straight losing seasons, including two straight Play-In Tournament exits at the hands of the Miami Heat.

Ball just recently accepted his player option for the 2024-25 season, as it was widely expected he would, and is set to rejoin the team for another year. There have been some rumblings of progress in regard to his recovery, but he’s still yet to sniff the hardwood.

The Locked On Bulls podcast recently discussed whether or not a Ball return would be a good thing for Chicago at this point.

Seeing Ball back on the court would be an amazing story, but for a Bulls team that should be planning for the future, would they be better off just moving on from the point guard?

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Will latest Lonzo Ball move stop Bulls from being active this summer?

Will the Chicago Bulls avoid being active this summer now that Lonzo Ball has opted into his player option?

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has accepted his player option and will be a part of the roster for the 2024-25 season. Ball hasn’t played in a game for the Bulls in over two calendar years after hurting his knee in the 2021-22 season. Chicago has been dealing with his absence ever since.

The question is, when do the Bulls finally cut ties and move on without him? Ball opting into his player option means Chicago has the opportunity to either trade him or keep him around and hope he gets back onto the court. But will it prevent them from being active?

The Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed whether or not Ball opting into his contract will stop the Bulls from making serious moves this summer.

Will the Bulls now sit idly by in hopes of Ball returning to the court, or will they actually push forward and make significant changes to the roster?

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Oft-injured Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball picks up $21.4 million player option, as expected

It will be interesting to see whether the Bulls’ front office sees him as part of Chicago’s future.

To the surprise of pretty much no one, veteran Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has picked up his player option on the final year of his current contract with the Bulls, worth about $21.4 million, according to recent reporting from senior ESPN news breaker Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ball, who has spent the bulk of the last three seasons sidelined with a serious knee injury that has resisted rehabilitation, has shown signs of progress in recent months, and may be back on the court next season. With most of his four-season, $80 million deal now behind him, it will be interesting to see whether the Bulls’ front office sees him as part of Chicago’s future.

With the emergence of reserve guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, the age curve of the team may be about to undergo a radical transformation. After reports that Zach LaVine and perhaps also Nikola Vucevic may be on the move, the direction of this team may be towards flux.

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Should the Chicago Bulls trade Lonzo Ball for Sacramento Kings veteran Harrison Barnes?

This deal could work well for all.

Should the Chicago Bulls trade oft-injured floor general Lonzo Ball for Sacramento Kings veteran forward Harrison Barnes? Per one NBA analyst, it would be a no-brainer. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes believes that the Kings should roll the dice on Ball’s potential health and scoring potential in exchange for a player who won’t be part of their future anyway.

“Ball’s future is beyond uncertain,” admits Hughes. “An excellent facilitator whose vision and standstill 3-point shooting helps offenses flow, Ball is also a clever, steal-hoarding defensive weapon. Though not a born scorer like Monk or the true shutdown stopper the Kings need, Ball is still a sneaky good (but obviously high-risk) option.”

The B/R NBA analyst rightly points out that the worst case scenario here is that Ball’s current deal comes off Sacramento’s cap sheet a year earlier than Barnes’ deal would have.

So while certainly a risk for the Kings, it might even help them clear their books a bit if it “fails.”

And for Chicago, the idea is that availability is the best ability, and would replace Ball’s dead salary should he not make a return next season with someone who can contribute on the court.

We would clearly much prefer Ball to return to the Bulls’ lineup, but if there’s real concern his recovery is not on firm ground, this deal could work well for all.

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Billy Donovan likens Tyrese Haliburton to Bulls plan for Lonzo Ball

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said that Tyrese Haliburton’s play is how they wanted to use Lonzo Ball.

The Chicago Bulls absolutely dominated the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, taking them down in a 125-99 win. It was the first time any team had held the Pacers under 100 points all year, as the Bulls locked in on the defensive end of the court. A big part of their success was how they mitigated the effectiveness of Tyrese Haliburton.

The Indiana guard has been having an incredible season despite his recent struggles. After the game, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan showed love to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, noting the way he’s been able to utilize the personnel in Indiana.

Donovan even mentioned that the way the Pacers are using Haliburton is how the Bulls wanted to utilize Lonzo Ball. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“He has always come across to me as trying to use his personnel to the best of his ability,” Donovan said. “I think Haliburton is such a unique player, and it’s to a certain extent what we tried to do with Lonzo—get guys down the floor, let him throw it up, let him advance it. I think [Carlisle] has always done a great job of, ‘OK, here’s the personnel. How do we utilize it?’ ’’

Haliburton made his second All-Star Game this season, while Ball hasn’t played in an NBA game in two years while dealing with knee issues.

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Lonzo Ball’s return from injury changes everything for Bulls

The return of Lonzo Ball should change everything for the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls have had a brutal few seasons. After going all-in on a core of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, they have won just a single playoff game with those three guys leading the way. A big part of the Bulls’ lack of success has been the absence of point guard Lonzo Ball.

Ball has been out of action for over two years now. When he was healthy at the start of the 2021-22 season, the Bulls were one of the more surprising teams in the East. Since he’s been out, they’ve been painfully mediocre. However, recent rumblings have indicated that he could try to return next season.

The GETLIKECOOP YouTube channel recently discussed how the return of Ball could change everything for the Bulls.

While getting Ball back will certainly help the Bulls, there should be questions as to whether or not he will be the same player he was when he first joined Chicago.

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Report: ‘Growing buzz’ Lonzo Ball will try to play next season

There has been a “growing buzz” that Lonzo Ball will try to return to the court for the Chicago Bulls next season.

According to KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, there is a “growing buzz” that Lonzo Ball will try to play next season. The Chicago Bulls brought Lonzo Ball on board in the summer of 2021, but after an injury in early 2022 took him out, he hasn’t been back on the court since. It’s been over two years of him being sidelined.

This year, there have been a few positive updates regarding his injury recovery process, but still no signs of him making a return. Now, it’s looking like the Bulls could potentially get him back on the court next year. The real question is, will he look like a shell of his former self?

When Ball was healthy at the start of the 2021-22 season, the Bulls were one of the most surprising teams in the league. They made the playoffs that year as the sixth seed and took a game off the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Since then, Chicago has been stuck in the middle of the pack in the East. Getting Ball back should help, but he likely won’t be the same player he was pre-injury. At least, not right away.

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Lonzo Ball shows off video dunking amid quest to return from injury

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball recently posted a video of him dunking.

For the past three seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been the same team. The same stars, the same core role players, and, for the most part, the same results. They’ve only won a single playoff game since forming their core, and ever since Lonzo Ball went down over two full calendar years ago, the Bulls haven’t been the same.

However, there have been some positive updates regarding Ball’s progress this year. Ball has supposedly been slowly improving, and while it’s still unclear as to when he could make it back out onto the court, there’s more optimism now than ever regarding when he could be back.

Ball recently posted a video of him dunking, and Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune posted it to Twitter, noting the positives of him finally being able to move in the way he is.

Getting Ball back would be huge for the ceiling of the Bulls, even if he isn’t the same as he once was.

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DeMar DeRozan on Lonzo Ball: ‘It’s always great to see him’

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about his interactions with Lonzo Ball.

When the Chicago Bulls shook up their roster in 2021, the front office made a clear decision to push for competitiveness. They were sick of rebuilding and chose to add talent. At the beginning of the year, that choice paid off. They were one of the best teams in the East, but then Lonzo Ball went down with an injury.

It’s been over two full years since then, and Ball has still yet to play in a game for the Bulls since. And until now, there haven’t been many positive updates regarding his potential return. However, it was recently reported that he’s been cleared for “advanced rehab activities.”

DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about what his conversations are like with Ball, and how it’s great when he gets to see him in person. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“It’s always great to see him,” DeRozan said. “The word[s] that he comes with is such a positive, uplifting feeling that he brings, so whenever you’re around, it’s good to see him. Just a reminder [of] the type of special person he is.”

Ball may not be able to play yet, but his spirits are high.

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Reacting to ‘the best Lonzo Ball news’ since his injury two years ago

The Chicago Bulls have finally gotten some positive Lonzo Ball injury news.

At the beginning of the 2021-22 season, the Chicago Bulls were one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. Their hot start had them as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and Lonzo Ball’s play was a big part of that, as the point guard was one of the best 3-and-D guards in the NBA.

Unfortunately, an injury has sidelined Ball since 2022, and he’s now missed over two years of NBA action. After bad update after bad update, there was finally some positive injury news regarding Ball. He has reportedly been cleared for “advanced rehab activities” and is making progress toward a return.

The Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed the news, calling it the best news regarding Ball since he went down with the injury two years ago.

Getting Ball back would completely change the way the Bulls look on both ends of the court. To be at their best, they need him.

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