Bulls’ Billy Donovan reportedly adds Maurice Cheeks, Josh Longstaff to coaching staff

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Billy D’s coaching staff is taking shape

New Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan recently cleaned house on the coaching staff, letting go of Roy Rogers, Nate Loenser and Karen Stack Umlauf. Chris Fleming survived the purge, and now Donovan is building out his new staff.

The first news on Monday morning came in the form of Bucks assistant Josh Longstaff coming aboard:

Shortly after this report came the bigger news of Maurice “Mo” Cheeks coming over to the Bulls from the Thunder:

There had been plenty of speculation about Cheeks following Donovan to Chicago. Cheeks was on Donovan’s staff for all five seasons in OKC, and he’s a Chicago guy who was a star at DuSable High School.

Cheeks spent 15 seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Sixers (won a title in 1983), and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player. Upon retirement in 1993, he immediately joined the coaching ranks. He spent a year in the CBA before joining the Sixers as an assistant in 1994. He was there until 2001, when the Sixers’ run to the NBA Finals helped him get the Blazers’ head coaching job.

Cheeks spent three-plus seasons in Portland before getting fired in the 2004-05 season. He returned to Philly in 2005 but this time as the head coach, also spending three-plus seasons there before his dismissal in 2009. He then went to OKC for an initial assistant stint under Scott Brooks, then coached the Pistons for 50 games in the 2013-14 season, then ultimately returned to the Thunder with Donovan in 2015.

The 64-year-old has a head coaching record of 305-315 in the regular season and 5-11 in the playoffs. While he hasn’t had much success as a head coach, his rapport with Donovan and wealth of experience should be a plus on the bench for this Bulls team.

As for Longstaff, he has a good amount of experience for being just 38 years old, and he has a player development background. He coached in high school coming out of Bryant University before joining the Thunder in 2010, so his time overlapped with Cheeks on Brooks’ staff. Longstaff held roles as a player personnel coordinator, video coordinator, player development coach and video analyst in OKC.

Longstaff was then hired by the Knicks for a player development coaching role in 2014, and he became close with Kristaps Porzingis:

As Mayberry notes, Longstaff also has experience as a G League head coach with the Hawks’ Erie BayHawks, spending one season there in 2017-18 after he officially became a Knicks assistant coach in 2015-16. The BayHawks went to the conference finals under his direction. Longstaff followed Mike Budenholzer to the Bucks in 2018.

Given Longstaff’s work with Porzingis, it’s only natural to assume the Bulls will have him work closely with Lauri Markkanen, assuming he’s still on the roster next season. The Bulls need a lot of player development work in general, so Longstaff will be playing a key role on this staff. Also, he’s totally recruiting Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Bulls.

In addition to Cheeks and Longstaff, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week that Sixers assistant John Bryant is joining Donovan’s staff. NBC Sports Chicago says “his duties aren’t yet defined.”



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A look at how the Bulls may be looking at drafting a point guard

2020 Chicago Bulls Mini Camp Photo by Joe Pinchin/NBAE via Getty Images

What’s the Point?

Ever since the trade of Derrick Rose, the Bulls have embarked on an unsuccessful quest to find their next point guard of the future.

Michael Carter-Williams, Jerian Grant, Cameron Payne, Isaiah Canaan, Kay Felder and Kris Dunn weren’t it. Maybe Coby White is it, but it’s far too early to tell.

Are the Bulls going to try to address this issue again in the draft this year? According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, “the Bulls may be looking for a lead playmaker”.

LaMelo Ball likely fits that job description if he drops to No. 4. Frenchman Killian Hayes, North Carolina Tar Heel Cole Anthony, and Iowa State product Tyrese Haliburton are all projected to go in the vicinity of the Bulls No. 4 pick.

We talked about Haliburton in a recent post because Bleacher Report writer Jonathan Wasserman reports the Bulls have expressed interest in selecting him.

The most recent point guard rumor out of the mill is from Wasserman again.

Most mock drafts have the Alabama product as more of a late-lottery talent. So, just like we talked about with Haliburton, if the Bulls are interested in him maybe this is a scenario where they trade down.

Here’s Ricky O’Donnell on Lewis Jr:

Lewis might be the fastest player in the draft with the ball in his hands. The 6’3 point guard is a blur in transition, where he graded out in the 79th percentile of points per possession in the country. Lewis is also a capable shooter who hit 36.4 percent of his threes and graded out in the 86th percentile of spot-up opportunities. He’s a solid if unspectacular passer at this point in his career and will badly need to add strength to his skinny frame. The biggest point in Lewis’ favor might be his age: he was the youngest sophomore in the country this season after playing his freshman year as a 17-year-old.

What the Bulls Have:

Kris Dunn is a fabulous defender.

He’s tough as nails, puts immense pressure on opposing ball handlers, and finished second in the NBA in steals per game last season.

The problem is for everything he contributes defensively he gives a lot of it back on the offensive side of the ball. He’s also a restricted free agent this year meaning the Bulls have to decide whether or not to pay him.

The best version of Dunn probably isn’t good enough to be a starting point guard on a championship-caliber team based on what we’ve seen in his four-year NBA career.

Outside of Dunn, they have Tomas Satoransky who is locked up for two more seasons in Chicago and then Mr. Intangibles Ryan Arcidiacono.

All these guys have strengths that fill at least one need on the team, but unless something dramatically changes these guys aren’t the “point guard of the future for the Bulls.”

Frankly, Satoransky was a bit underwhelming last season after several solid seasons with the Washington Wizards and after a 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign where he averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 assists per game with the Czech Republic national team.

Where Does Coby White fit in?

In a COVID-shortened, injury plagued, loss-happy season Coby White’s electrifying scoring was one of the few highlights for this Bulls team.

As a rookie, the North Carolina product exploded for over 30 points in three games, had nine games where he piled up 25 points or more, and drained at least five 3-point field goals on seven occasions.

The million dollar question though: will he evolve into a microwave scoring sixth man in the mold of Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams or can he become a lead guard that makes everybody around him better as well?

With the caveat being that it was his rookie season, the percentage of Bulls field goals that were assisted last year was 4.5 percent lower when he was on the floor than when he was off it and his assist to turnover ratio was 2.7 assists to 1.7 turnovers.

Do the Bulls trust that the 20-year-old will evolve into their point guard of the future? The answer to that question could determine how the Bulls approach this draft. KC Johnson at NBC Sports Chicago offered the tepid rumor:

given the amount of leaguewide talk that the Bulls are focused on solving point guard, it’s sounding like the new regime ultimately views [Coby White] as more of a scoring guard.

Indeed, we’ll know a lot more after the selection is made. It could be a simple as needing any talent and taking the best player available, but it’s unavoidable to take a look at their latest top-10 pick and not think how it impacts the last one.



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Cash Considerations Podcast: B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman talks 2020 NBA Draft

good draft insight

Cash Considerations welcomes Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman to the pod to talk all things 2020 NBA Draft. Jon reveals what he has been hearing about the Chicago Bulls as the draft approaches, and we go over a bunch of the top prospects and potential second-round sleepers.

Cash Considerations is part of the Blue Wire sports podcasting network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play.



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NBA Draft Rumors: Bulls could go after Deni Avdija if he’s available at No. 4

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv - Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Photo by Marko Metlas/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

rumor season continues unabated

Even with over three weeks left until the 2020 NBA draft, could the Chicago Bulls already have their minds set on who they will take with their No. 4 pick?

Per Bleacher Report draft writer Jonathan Wasserman.

The Bulls figure stay put at No. 4 if they believe Deni Avdija will be there.

This makes sense.

Like most NBA teams, the Bulls need another wing player. Otto Porter Jr. is a solid pro, but unfortunately has been injury prone in his time with the Bulls (he only played 14 games last season) and is coming up on the end of his contract. There’s a good chance when/if the Bulls get good, he will no longer be in the picture. Chandler Hutchison has the advantage of being young on his side, but he hasn’t done anything to indicate that he can be a starting wing on a championship-caliber squad.

Enter Avdija, the 6-foot-9-inch Israeli prospect with positional versatility, defensive chops, and who has been playing professionally for three years already at just age 19.

Here’s a quick scouting report from NBA.com writer Eric Fawcett.

Take every stereotype you might have about a European prospect and throw it out the window.

Israeli-born Deni Avdija is the biggest-name international prospect in this year’s NBA Draft and he’s accomplished that title by playing an American-style game. Defensive toughness, determination on the glass, and of course-swagger.

Later in the scouting report, Fawcett does note that Avdija’s jumpshot hasn’t been great. He hit 28 percent on 3-point field goals last year in Euroleague and shot at a Shaq-like clip of below 60 percent from the free-throw line as well (Shaq diesel only shot above sixty percent for an entire season once during his career, crazy right?).

Avdija also got stuck with the age-old label that’s plagued all white players coming over from Europe: from an athleticism standpoint can they compete at the NBA level?

Wasserman’s piece on Avdija contained one other nugget that is notable.

Rival teams have told Bleacher Report they think Chicago could be interested in Tyrese Haliburton.

(cue the Iowa State jokes.)

A cursory look at some of the latest mock drafts reveals most of the experts believe Haliburton will fall somewhere between the No. 6 slot and the early teens. Of course this is pure speculation, but if the Bulls want Haliburton maybe it makes sense to at least try to trade down.

The buzz word in Haliburton’s scouting report is efficiency. In his sophomore season at Iowa State, he shot the 3-point ball at a nearly 42 percent clip, his overall shooting percentage was above 50 percent (he’s a point guard!), and he averaged 6.5 assists per game to just 2.8 turnovers. Here’s our guy Ricky O’Donnell on Haliburton:

NBA scouts wanted to find out if Haliburton could maintain his excellent efficiency while going from reserve to featured star as a sophomore at Iowa State. For the most part, he did exactly that. A skinny 6’6 point guard, Haliburton has proved to be an excellent spot-up three-point shooter (42 percent) and an advanced passer (35.3 percent assist rate). Just don’t ask him to single-handedly create offense in the half-court. Haliburton is not the type of guard who breaks down the defense off the dribble and puts consistent pressure on the rim, meaning he’ll likely be at his best as a secondary ball handler. Add in his terrific defensive instincts — his 3.8 steal rate ranked top-40 in America — and Haliburton looks like a nice complementary piece if not exactly a future star.

The deadline for the first pick of the Arturas Karnisovas regime continues to inch closer. Trading up, trading down, staying at No. 4 and picking a slew of different guys have all been speculated as possibilities. The uncertainty is part of the fun as we draw closer to finding out who will be the next guy to wear Bulls black and red.



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In a ranking of the NBA’s top 125 players, the Bulls roster barely shows up

Chicago Bulls v Atlanta Hawks Photo by Jasear Thompson/NBAE via Getty Images

the young core more fits into ‘tears’

The dregs of the NBA offseason is a prime time for player rankings. The Athletic’s Seth Partnow put a bit of a different spin on it, instead putting the top 125 NBA players into five tiers.

Partnow makes it very clear that this massive endeavor is not meant to be an absolute ranking of players. Instead, he looks at a number of different factors to put these players into these tiers that are “intended to reflect value towards winning a title next season.”

Furthermore, Partnow uses some advanced metrics to determine an estimated wins total over three regular seasons and how much that production is worth in terms of salary over that time frame:

I started with a few holistic metrics, multi-year versions of Regularized Adjusted Plus/Minus and Player Impact Plus/Minus, adjusted up or down based on contextual factors, playoff performances and insights from knowledgeable people in a variety of media, public analytics and team-side roles. But ultimately, it was primarily my best judgment weighing those factors and inputs.

If you want to see his full methodology, check it out here.

Again, the tiers are “contract-agnostic” with certain special factors taken into account like age, injuries, fit, playoff performance, and more.

So, how do the Bulls fare in this exercise? not great. Only two members of the entire roster show up in this list of the top 125 players, and they’re both in Tier 4 (roughly top-80).

These two players are Zach LaVine and Otto Porter Jr.

At this point, LaVine is widely considered to be the Bulls’ best player, but his teams have never won anything in his career and he personally never is reflected well in terms of analytics. LaVine shows up in Tier 4B, in a sub-tier of ‘Offensive Lead Guards’ alongside Caris LeVert, D’Angelo Russell, Lou Williams and Spencer Dinwiddie. Out of these guys, though, LaVine comes in last in terms of estimated wins (5.9) and production value ($18.86 million) over the next three years.

LaVine has obviously improved his game over the years in terms of scoring and playmaking, and I think he’s underrated by these metrics and in general. But it’s fair to doubt his ability as a lead offensive initiator, and the defensive issues have been there all along. I think LaVine would ultimately serve best as a high-end No. 2 or No. 3 guy on a contender, but right now he’s the Bulls’ top gun.

As for Porter, he’s also in Tier 4B, but in the ‘Shooter’ category with Bojan Bogdanovic, JJ Redick and Joe Harris. Unlike Lavine, with Porter the advanced metrics love him. He clocks in at 20.4 estimated wins for a $65.41 million value over three years, which is the best among this group.

That seems crazy after what actually happened this past season, but Partnow addresses why Porter grades out so well:

Otto Porter Jr. might be a surprising inclusion here, but he is among the more underrated deep shooters in the league, with the versatility to knock down both open spot-ups and more difficult shots off movement. In fact, according to the Second Spectrum data shared with The Athletic by a league source, Porter is the all-time leader (post-2013) in 3-point shooting off of movement, slightly ahead of and in the company of Redick, Kyle Korver, Klay Thompson, Duncan Robinson and Davis Bertans. In fact, the main thing keeping Porter from being much higher on the tiers (he’s 11th in 3-year RAPM and 31st in 3-year PIPM among active players) is his consistent inability to stay on the floor, averaging fewer than 1,500 minutes over the past three seasons as he’s dealt with a variety of injuries.

Of course, that last bit is key. Porter’s injury issues nuked this past season and have been lingering for a while, so it’s hard to feel confident about his production moving forward given the injury history. I still think the Porter trade made sense, but it’s currently looking like a backfire.

Looking at the Bulls as a team compared to the rest of the NBA, they’re one of just three teams with only two players in these rankings (Cavaliers, Timberwolves). The Knicks and Hornets bring up the rear with just one player apiece.

There’s reason to think the Bulls are in somewhat better shape than this suggests. The Jim Boylen factor has to be taken into account, and there are young players on the roster who could develop with better coaching from Billy Donovan and better availability, though we can’t count on either of these things.

Ultimately it’s clear the Bulls have a simply-identified need: a lot more talent. Producing that is way less simple, let’s hope Arturas Karnisovas and Co. are up to the task.



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Is it worth it for the Chicago Bulls to trade up in the 2020 NBA Draft?

Chicago Bulls Introduce Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley Photo by Chris Ramirez/NBAE via Getty Images

Recapping the recent comments about moving up from #4

The Chicago Bulls are sitting in an interesting spot within the NBA Draft order with the fourth overall pick.

If a top-3 touted prospect such as LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards fall, Chicago will be right there with a chance to take them. The next group of guys like Killian Hayes, Deni Avdija, Devin Vassell, and Isaac Okoro will have a few options still on the board if the Bulls stay put.

As of late though, there has been a lot of talk about moving up. Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports recently told K.C. Johnson on a podcast that the Bulls may pursue jumping into the top three (via )

“I think [Karnišovas] might move up, because I think No. 1 with Minnesota and No. 2 (with Golden State) is going to be readily available,” Haberstroh said. “I would be surprised if you didn’t see Charlotte (at No. 3) or Chicago move up in the draft.”

To complement this rumor, there have been rumblings regarding both the Timberwolves and the Warriors about trading down. have been rumored to being open to moving down.

It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that if Chicago were to move up, they would have to give up one of the guys in their young core (Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., Coby White) in order to make this deal happen. It would be a very bold move by Karnisovas to move one of the younger players on the Bull’s roster but it would also truly signify the start of a new era of management in Chicago.

But nobody knows if the Bulls are super high on any of the top prospects in this year’s class. Zach Lowe of ESPN recently talked about Chicago on his podcast and had this to say about the Bulls chances of jumping into the top three (via):

I don’t think the Bulls are paying that price. When I stumbled upon that and started surveying people around the league, my talking it through with them is that’s a lot to pay to move up two spots. Unless you just love somebody, but I don’t think Chicago loves somebody,

Back on Lottery night, Karnisovas said this about their current position.

If the Bulls are not sure any of those guys at the top of the draft board can be a future superstar , they shouldn’t do a deal. You shouldn’t give up picks and players to draft a guy in the top three unless you are convinced they can be that type of player.

We are less than a month away from the 2020 NBA Draft and that means the rumor mill will start picking up, with both legitimate insight into the Bulls plans yet also smoke screens. We can’t say which angle of trading up or down fits quite yet.



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Cash Considerations Podcast: The 2020 NBA Draft is a month away

draft update!

With the 2020 NBA Draft just a month away, Ricky and Jason look at the latest mock drafts and rumors swirling around the league. We discuss the Bulls’ top draft options and react to speculation about a possible trade up.

Cash Considerations is part of the Blue Wire sports podcasting network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play.



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