NBA Buzz: Bulls youth movement gaining momentum

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Let's be honest. How many of you thought the Bulls' trade with Oklahoma City last week meant they were destined to miss the playoffs for a second straight season?

Okay, there's still a month and a half left in the regular season, but the Bulls are currently in seventh place in the East, holding a three-game cushion for the final playoff spot. Dwyane Wade is looking strong after a two week mid-season break, and Jimmy Butler remains among the league's 12-15 best players. 

Still, the Bulls' playoff fate will probably be decided by the performance of the young players on the roster. Ten of the current 15 players are 26 or younger, and many of them will be called on to play key roles down the stretch.

Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson told reporters last Thursday the trade with Oklahoma City was made in part to free up consistent playing time for the team's last two No. 1 draft picks, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine. Portis is now the starting power forward, replacing Taj Gibson, while Valentine has taken over the 3-point shooting role off the bench previously held by Doug McDermott.

The early returns are encouraging. Valentine is playing with more confidence now that he's stopped looking over his shoulder waiting to be subbed out. Don't forget, Valentine won several national College Player of the Year awards last season at Michigan State, showing outstanding court vision, as well as versatile scoring ability. For now, the Bulls are asking him to provide some outside shooting, and he's done exactly that, hitting nine of 18 shots from beyond the arc since the trade. At 6-6, Valentine has the versatility to play all three perimeter spots, and you can expect he'll be given more responsibility to initiate the offense as his NBA career continues.

Similar story for Portis, who showed some potential in his rookie season but struggled through a long stretch of DNP-CD's in Year 2. Portis is a much different player than Gibson, with better range on his jump shot. The former Southeastern Conference Player of the Year at Arkansas is shooting almost 38 percent from the 3-point line, and has been more aggressive inside since returning to the starting rotation, including a nine rebound game against the Celtics just before the All-Star break.

Portis' outside shooting ability gives the Bulls’ starting lineup a different look, providing another outlet for Butler and Wade when they drive to the basket. In today's NBA, every team is looking for a stretch four, and at 6-11, Portis has the skill set to be part of the future as the Bulls try to build a contending team around, or should I say, WITH Butler.

As for the other young guys, Cameron Payne was the headliner in last week's deal with OKC, telling reporters he thought he was going to be drafted by the Bulls back in 2015. Instead, he was taken by the Thunder with the last pick of the lottery, 14th overall, to serve as Russell Westbrook’s backup. The Bulls also saw Jerian Grant go off the board before their turn at 22, eventually selecting Portis in somewhat of a surprise pick. 

Now, both Payne and Grant are on the roster, and the challenge for Fred Hoiberg will be finding playing time for all his point guards, with Rajon Rondo still directing the offense with the second unit. Payne figures to get his turn to play with the first team at some point, with Grant possibly moving off the ball to play with Rondo in that reserve group. Grant is coming off a strong month of February, shooting almost 50 percent from the field, and over 40 percent from 3-point land.

The Bulls' front office also wants to get a good look at frontcourt players Cris Felicio, Paul Zipser and Joffrey Lauvergne down the stretch. Felicio has been an excellent addition as an athletic backup center, who can run the court and provide game-changing plays at the rim. Zipser has been solid when given extended playing time, while the front office is intrigued by the 6-11 Lauvergne's potential as another stretch four option.

And, let's not forget about 26-year-old Nikola Mirotic, who came out of his trade deadline reprieve with high scoring games against the Suns and Cavs. Mirotic will be a restricted free agent at season's end, and the Bulls have to decide if he's worth re-signing at major dollars this summer.

Bottom line, the Bulls have already turned over the roster from the Rose-Noah era about as quickly as anyone could have imagined. By the end of this season, the front office should have a better read on which players they want to keep going forward.

AROUND THE ASSOCIATON

Thursday's Bulls' opponent, the Golden State Warriors avoided a major disaster Tuesday night, when Kevin Durant's left knee got bent inwards at an awkward angle after a collision with teammate Zaza Pachulia early in their game against the Wizards. The coaches and front office were bracing for the worst, but an MRI revealed a sprained MCL and a bone bruise, NOT an ACL tear that would have ended Durant's season. The high-scoring forward will be re-evaluated in four weeks, and he should be close to full strength by the time the playoffs roll around in late April.

Still, the Warriors aren't taking any chances. They're planning to sign long-time agitator Matt Barnes for the stretch run. Barnes was bought out of his deal in Sacramento after the DeMarcus Cousins' trade, but at age 36 he still has value as a three and defensive perimeter guy. The addition of Barnes also gives Steve Kerr another player to run at LeBron James in the expected Finals re-match, along with Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.

More bad injury news for long-time Bulls' emotional leader Joakim Noah. Noah had arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in his troublesome left knee and will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, most likely missing the rest of the season. The 32-year-old Noah had been averaging five points and 8.8 rebounds for the Knicks this season after signing a four year, $72 dollar free agent deal with Phil Jackson's team this past summer.

That contract had been widely criticized by league observers at the time, citing Noah's string of injuries that greatly reduced his effectiveness. Now, it looks like one of the worst free agent signings in NBA history, giving huge dollars to a players whose game is based on hustle plays he's no longer capable of making. 

Noah was one of the most popular Bulls' players of the last two decades because of his all-out effort, personality, and dedicated community involvement. Hopefully, he'll be able to come back and play the game he loves at a meaningful level in the future.

Speaking of injuries, last year's Eastern Conference Finalists, the Toronto Raptors, will have to get along without All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry for at least the month of March following surgery on his right wrist. The hope is Lowry will return for the playoffs, but his absence could cost Toronto a chance to move out of the No. 4 seed in the East, which brings a possible second round series against Cleveland. 

Raptors' GM Masai Ujiri had just made aggressive trades to add defensive specialists Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker for a possible rematch against the Cavs, and it looked like Toronto might have the right personnel to give Lebron's team a real battle. Now, with Lowry trying to get his shot back following surgery, the Raptors might have to worry about getting out of the first round, especially if they play the Bulls, who've beaten them 11 straight times.

It's not like Cleveland is standing still either. Cavs' GM David Griffin finally answered de facto GM James' demands for more playmakers, adding Deron and Derrick Williams to the roster, along with veteran rim protector Andrew Bogut.

At 32 years old, Deron Williams is still a productive player, who averaged 13.1 points and 6.9 assists in just over 29 minutes a game this season in Dallas. He'll provide the reliable back-up point guard the Cavs have been lacking since Matthew Dellavedova signed with Milwaukee as a free agent last summer.

No one's ever questioned the athleticism of Derrick Williams, who was the second player selected in the 2011 draft behind now teammate Kyrie Irving. The 25-year-old Williams has bounced around the league in recent years, but he had a decent season with the Knicks in 2015-16 and is capable of giving an older Cavs' second unit some bounce with his ability to attack the offensive glass.

Hard to project where Bogut might fit in a Finals' matchup against Golden State, especially since the Warriors love to go with small ball line-ups featuring Draymond Green or Kevin Durant at center. But you never know if the Cavs will be able to utilize Bogut's defensive skills against Detroit's Andre Drummond, Washington's Marcin Gortat or Toronto's inside duo of Jonas Valanciunas and Ibaka in a playoff series. James now has every roster addition he asked for in pursuit of NBA title number four.

Another setback for "the process" in Philadelphia. Just days after finding out 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons won't play this season because of a slow-healing foot fracture, the Sixers announced 2014 first round pick (No. 3 overall) Joel Embiid won't play again this season because of a partially torn knee ligament that seems to be getting worse. 

Embiid's emergence after two lost seasons because of foot injuries had been one of the league's best stories. Now, the Sixers have to wonder if he'll ever be healthy enough to be the centerpiece of the team's much publicized rebuild.   

On paper, the Sixers' young big man inventory of Embiid, Simmons, Chicago native Jahlil Okafor and European import Dario Saric looks impressive. But until all of those players can find a way to stay healthy for an entire regular season, the long wait for Philly fans to watch a contending team again will continue.

STAT OF THE WEEK

When the Bulls have played well this season, they've been capable of putting up impressive margins of victory. Matter of fact, they've had five wins already by 25 points or more. 

Most 25-plus point wins through first 50 games of a season in Bulls history (courtesy of CSN stats guru Chris Kamka).

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25-plus point wins Date
8 1971-72
5 2016-17 (5 of 30 wins have been by 25+ points)
5 2006-07
5 1996-97
5 1990-91

Those five wins:

Date Opponent Score Diff
Oct. 31 at Brooklyn 112-88 30
Nov. 7 vs. Orlando 112-80 32
Nov. 15 at Portland 113-88 25
Dec. 19 vs. Detroit 113-82 31
Feb. 1 at Oklahoma City 128-100 28

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And finally this from beleaguered Kings’ GM Vlade Divac following his heavily criticized DeMarcus Cousins trade with New Orleans.

"That's my job, and I take responsibility," Divac said. "And I totally understand why some fans would be upset. They supported DeMarcus, and I like DeMarcus a lot. But I believe we will be in a better position in two years. I want to hear again from these same people in two years. If I'm right, great. If I'm wrong, I'll step down. But if I go down, I'm going down my way."

Divac's poor personnel decisions have most likely cost the Bulls that future first round draft pick they were supposed to get from the 2014 Luol Deng trade. So, I'm guessing putting a timetable on his own future isn't a very smart decision. 

Just ask former Lakers' executive Jim Buss, who wound up being fired by his own sister for not living up to his stated timeline to get the team back in contention.

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