NBA Central

Wally Szczerbiak did not hold back when it came to Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton missed a potential go-ahead jumper in the final seconds of Sunday's 109-106 loss to the New York Knicks. Szczerbiak, who works for the Knicks' television broadcasts, called Haliburton "mister supposed wannabe fake All-Star" before suggesting New York players are more deserving of making this season's All-Star Game (h/t Basket News).

"He's a very good player; he's not going to make the All-Star team," he said. "Guys like Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson will make it over Tyrese Haliburton, and tonight we saw why."

Haliburton finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists, although he was just 5-of-16 from the field.

Still, he is very much in All-Star contention with averages of 19.5 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals for a Pacers team that is in position to make the play-in tournament at 15-16.

The 22-year-old has not achieved that honor yet but could be in line to make far more All-Star Games during his career than the one that Szczerbiak did during a 10-season career that included stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine gave an honest assessment of the team after the 150-126 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves:

Zach LaVine following the Bulls’ fourth-straight loss, which dropped them to 11-18: “It’s frustrating for all of us. I know it’s frustrating for the fans. It’s embarrassing. We’re all a little embarrassed about it.” pic.twitter.com/3eU6dniY4i

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) December 19, 2022

"It's tough, especially when things are going bad," LaVine said. "Even when you try to do something good, it goes bad."

The Bulls defense has been a major issue lately, and Minnesota set a franchise record for points in a game on Sunday. Anthony Edwards led the way with 37 points as the Timberwolves shot 65.5 percent from the field and 23-of-43 from three-point range.

With its fourth straight loss, Chicago fell to 11-18 on the season.

A year after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are now in 11th place. They would miss even the play-in tournament based on the current standings.

The Bulls clearly need to turn things around in a hurry, but LaVine doesn't appear to have any answers amid the current struggles.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Saturday's game against the Utah Jazz.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer announced before tipoff the two-time NBA MVP is dealing with rest with soreness in his left knee.

While Antetokounmpo has been durable for much of his career and appeared in at least 61 games in each of his first nine seasons, he missed time during EuroBasket in September with knee discomfort and was sidelined with knee soreness in November.

Any health concerns for Antetokounmpo will be amplified, given his overall importance to the Bucks' championship hopes.

The six-time All-Star is arguably the best player in the league and someone who can take over games on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. His ability to overpower defenders on his way to the rim while shutting down the opponent's best players is unmatched in today's game, and much of what Milwaukee does on the court runs through him.

He is averaging 30.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals in 24 games in 2022-23.

The Bucks can't realistically hope to replicate his impact if he is sidelined, but they can turn to the combination of Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez and Serge Ibaka for more playing time in the frontcourt as they attempt to tread water without their biggest star.

As the San Antonio Spurs continue their plummet down the standings, Jakob Poeltl's future with the franchise is going to be a hot topic leading up to the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, the Toronto Raptors have interest in bringing Poeltl back after trading him to the Spurs in 2018 as part of the Kawhi Leonard deal.

Fischer noted the Chicago Bulls had internal conversations about the 27-year-old center prior to last season's trade deadline, and rival teams are "closely monitoring" them as a potential seller.

The Spurs are in a potentially tricky spot with Poeltl. He's only 27 and is one of the few bright spots on their roster right now, but this is also the final season of his current contract.

According to Fischer, Poeltl will "strongly consider" re-signing with San Antonio if he doesn't get moved before the trade deadline.

One potential issue the Spurs face, however, is what Poeltl might command on his next contract. Fischer noted a poll of league executives pegged his upcoming contract valuation between $15 and $25 million per season, with the high end of that projection potentially being more expensive than a rebuilding team might want to pay.

The Raptors are trying to find a spark amid a 13-15 start and need help at center. Christian Koloko has been their primary starter at the position, but he's only averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Poeltl spent the first two seasons of his career in Toronto. He was drafted with the No. 9 overall pick by the Raptors in 2016. The seven-year veteran is averaging 12.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in 20 starts this season for the Spurs.

The Bulls are another team that had designs on making the playoffs in desperate need of help. They are 6-12 in their last 18 games and have fallen to 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

Nikola Vuçević, the Bulls' current starting center, is in the final season of his contract. They could potentially flip him to a team that needs help at the five and bring in Poeltl, who is five years younger than Vuçević.

The Spurs seem like a team that should go all-in on trading veteran players to acquire more long-term assets. They have lost 17 of their last 21 games and own the worst record in the Western Conference (9-19).

Two of the NBA's most talked about trade candidates for the past several years are back in the news.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, the Indiana Pacers are considered a "team to keep an eye on" if the Atlanta Hawks decide to move John Collins.

Fischer also noted the Pacers are suggesting to opposing teams they are "open" to extension talks with Myles Turner.

The two moves wouldn't necessarily be connected to each other. Fischer noted the Pacers are telling inquiring teams they are looking for a power forward who can play with Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.

Collins would also be attractive to a team like Indiana because of his contract. The 25-year-old is signed through the 2024-25 season with a player option for 2025-26. He will make $51.92 million in the next two seasons combined after the 2022-23 campaign.

Turner, on the other hand, is in the final season of his deal, and his performance this season could be pricing him out of the Pacers' comfort zone. The eight-year veteran is averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game and is shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range.

Pacers governor Herb Simon has historically been very risk-averse. ESPN's Brian Windhorst said during the offseason Simon was reluctant to give an offer sheet to Deandre Ayton because he "doesn't like hurting his partners—his fellow owners."

Ayton did sign a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Pacers that the Phoenix Suns wound up matching to retain the 24-year-old center.

According to Fischer, some rival executives believe the Pacers are saying they are open to extension talks with Turner in an attempt to get opposing teams to increase their trade offers.

Collins and Turner have seemingly been on the trade block for as long they have been in the NBA. Turner said on The Woj Pod that the Los Angeles Lakers should take a "hard look" at trading for him.

The Pacers are playing well enough right now that it could be hard for them to justify moving Turner if they want to make the playoffs. They are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 15-14 record.

The Hawks are only one game behind the Pacers, but there have been some cracks in the foundation. Trae Young and coach Nate McMillan had a public spat over Young not attending a game against the Denver Nuggets that he wasn't going to play in due to a shoulder injury.

If the Hawks decide this version of their roster isn't working, it could mean that Collins finally gets traded after years of speculation about his future.

The Chicago Bulls fought to force overtime against the New York Knicks on Wednesday at United Center, but an ugly OT performance resulted in Billy Donovan's squad losing 128-120.

With the game tied at 117 after four quarters, the Bulls managed to score just three points in overtime. DeMar DeRozan made the team's only two-point bucket in OT. Zach LaVine added the third on a free throw.

DeRozan was Chicago's best player in the loss, finishing with 32 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 40 minutes.

Perimeter defense and rebounding were big reasons why the Bulls fell to the Knicks. New York shot 52.9 percent from beyond the arc and hauled in 48 rebounds compared to Chicago's 31 rebounds.

Additionally, the Bulls were terrible on the offensive glass, grabbing just three rebounds.

It's been a tough season for the Bulls, who dropped to 11-16 with the loss, but their overtime performance had NBA Twitter calling for the franchise to either make a trade to improve or to just rebuild.

The Bulls are now 3-11 in clutch games after tonight's 128-120 loss to the Knicks.

11 of their 16 losses have come in games in which they were five points or closer in the final five minutes. Brutal.

— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) December 15, 2022

Again, this Bulls team has real issues that continue to be clear in these type of games.

The offensive daydreaming and lack of defensive stops allow teams to grow confidence.

— Cam Smith (@camronsmith) December 15, 2022

Knicks are one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the league & they go 18-34 tonight. Bulls struggled to get decent shots in overtime with Thibs’ guys turning up the defensive pressure in halfcourt sets, Another “clutch” game loss.

— Mark Schanowski (@MarkSchanowski) December 15, 2022

Only catching these last couple minutes of Knicks-Bulls overtime but oof, Chicago's offense.

— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) December 15, 2022

Bulls pic.twitter.com/a73Whbt3Ee

— Joel Braunold (@braunold) December 15, 2022

Bulls need to blow it up and I’m not kidding in the slightest

— . (@1WayRJ) December 15, 2022

Th Chicago Bulls are so frustrating to watch

— fRy (@RyGriffey) December 15, 2022

Time for the bulls to blow it up I think

— Mikey Mike from 79th (@WindyCityKid01) December 15, 2022

Bulls are 🗑️🗑️🗑️

— Ryan Parker (@RPark86) December 15, 2022

Bulls it’s time to rebuild

— chill1Fr (@BethebestAM) December 15, 2022

https://twitter.com/ball_knowerr/status/1603228559463616513

After finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference last season with a 46-36 record, Chicago has taken an unexpected step backward, and it has a lot to figure out moving forward.

It's worth mentioning that Lonzo Ball has yet to play this season while recovering from a knee injury, but it's hard to imagine things would get drastically better with his return. Furthermore, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that there are "no guarantees" the point guard even returns this season.

The Bulls and Knicks will meet again on Friday for a rematch before Chicago travels to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball may not play during the 2022-23 campaign.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday on NBA Countdown that there are "no guarantees" Ball plays at all this season as he's still experiencing pain while rehabbing his knee injury.

"I think the hope is that, perhaps by the All-Star break in mid-February, they have a sense of whether Lonzo Ball is ready to come back and play for Chicago," Wojnarowski said. "A lot of that may depend on where are the Bulls in the standings."

Ball only played 35 games last season after being diagnosed with a small meniscus tear in his left knee in January. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and was initially expected to miss just six-to-eight weeks.

However, bad news emerged in March that the 24-year-old's knee had not responded well to rehab:

Today is 7 weeks since surgery. Initial timeline was 6-8 weeks. Donovan has said it's the bone bruise giving him discomfort issues

"He hasn't gone backwards. He just has not been able to go forward far enough to do the things he's gonna need to be able to do to play."

— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) March 19, 2022

He was ruled out for the season on April 6, one day after Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said Ball was still experiencing discomfort in his knee:

Lonzo Ball experienced some discomfort when the Bulls tried to ramp up his knee rehab again, Billy Donovan says

He says they’ll meet in the next day or two to determine the next steps

— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) April 5, 2022

More bad news dropped on Sept. 21 when the Bulls announced that the UCLA product would undergo another procedure that would keep him out for an extended period of time:

Lonzo Ball will undergo an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee next Wednesday, the Bulls just announced.

He’ll be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks

— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) September 21, 2022

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic provided more encouraging news:

Both sides are expected to monitor the response over the next two weeks, and a return to play based upon Ball's rehab process.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2022

However, with the recent update from Wojnarowski, it appears that we may not see Ball until the 2023-24 campaign.

The Bulls have turned to Goran Dragić, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso and Coby White at the point so far this season, but Ball's absence has been felt as Chicago is currently 11th in the Eastern Conference with an 11-15 record.

Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević are doing everything they can to carry the team's offense in Ball's absence.

The Detroit Pistons reportedly have differing views on the availability of Bojan Bogdanović and Saddiq Bey on the trade market.

According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of multiple teams to have shown interest in Bogdanović, even offering a future protected first-round pick, but the Pistons seemingly want to keep him in hopes of "turning a corner" over the next year.

As for Bey, Edwards called him "gettable at the right price," although it is uncertain precisely what the Pistons would want in return. Bey has been moved into a bench role this season, with Edwards noting that Detroit prefers to utilize two true bigs in its frontcourt, leaving Bey in a tough spot since power forward is his best position.

The 33-year-old Bogdanović is in the midst of one of the most productive seasons of his nine-year NBA career, averaging a career-high 21.0 points per game in 28 contests.

Bogdanović is also averaging 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers made and 2.4 assists while shooting a career-best 50.8 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina-born star is in his first season with the Pistons after spending the previous three seasons as a member of the Utah Jazz, and he signed a two-year, $39.03 million contract extension in October, keeping him in the fold until 2025, provided Detroit doesn't trade him.

While the Pistons are trending toward their fourth consecutive season out of the playoffs with a 7-22 record, there is reason for hope in the near future because of some of the young talent the team possesses.

Guard Cade Cunningham, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is chief among that talent, although he is out for the remainder of the 2022-23 season with a shin injury, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

That could compel the Pistons to sell leading up to the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but moving the team's leading scorer in Bogdanović would adversely impact Detroit's ability to compete for a playoff spot next season and beyond.

It is perhaps more likely that the Pistons can live without the 23-year-old Bey, who has taken a step back in his third NBA season.

The 2020 first-round pick out of Villanova set new career highs across the board last season with averages of 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 three-pointers made, plus he started all 82 games.

Bey has started just 17 of the 25 games he has appeared in this season, and his averages have dropped to 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 three-pointers made.

He is actually shooting better from the field than he did last season at 40.2 percent, but his three-point conversion rate of 29.9 percent is a career low.

Bey remains a key player, as he is fourth on the team in minutes per game, but even younger players like Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart are perhaps a bigger part of the Pistons' core moving forward.

If that is the case, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Detroit could attempt to move Bey for some draft picks and bring in pieces who better fit the lineup the Pistons are attempting to construct.

The Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly among the teams pursuing a trade for Nerlens Noel.

James Edwards III of The Athletic reported Noel and the Detroit Pistons have agreed a separation is "best for both parties."

Noel has spent most of the 2022-23 season out of coach Dwane Casey's rotation, playing in only six games. He's averaging 1.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting a career-worst 30.8 percent from the floor.

The Pistons acquired Noel from the New York Knicks in July as part of a salary dump. Noel is making $9.2 million this season and has a club option at $9.7 million in 2023-24. It would seem unlikely that any team that trades for Noel would pick up that option, barring a re-emergence of him as a defensive force in the middle.

The Kentucky product had a stellar 2020-21 campaign in New York before essentially disappearing for most of the last season and a half. He played in just 25 games last season because of a combination of injuries and Tom Thibodeau's rotation decisions, and Noel has not been able to get consistent playing time from Casey in Detroit.

The Blazers, Kings, Heat and Mavericks all have a need for help in their defensive middle; the biggest issue may be finding a matching contract that works for both parties. It's unlikely Detroit will want to take on future salary beyond this season in any trade, given Noel can come off the books next summer.

Dallas has the only potential one-for-one trade that makes some level of sense, as a Noel-for-Dwight Powell trade works under the salary cap. That said, Powell has started 20 games this season and is a solid rim runner who fits in the Mavericks rotation.

It's more likely Noel will wind up being traded as part of a larger package or bought out if no deal arises by February.

The second NBA season of promising young star Cade Cunningham has come to an early end.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Detroit Pistons guard will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shin. He's been out of action with the injury since Nov. 9.

Per that report, "Cunningham took a month to see if rest and rehabilitation would allow for the shin to improve but made the decision on Monday to move forward with the season-ending procedure."

The 21-year-old had a superb rookie season, averaging 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range. In 12 games this season he appeared to have taken another positive step, putting up 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from three.

He's the headliner on a talented but young roster that includes Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Killian Hayes and Jalen Duren.

The silver lining is that Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey will continue to get more touches than they would've gotten otherwise. We'll never know if Hayes' breakout would've come if he continued playing 17 minutes off the bench, but he's benefitted a lot.

— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 12, 2022

While losing a season of Cunningham will be a disappointment for Pistons fans, it may increase the odds that the team will land potentially transcendent prospect Victor Wembanyama, widely considered not only the best prospect in the class of 2023 but possibly the most talented prospect to hit the NBA since LeBron James.

Scoot Henderson, regarded as the No. 2 prospect, wouldn't be a bad consolation prize.

The Pistons are 7-22, the worst record in the NBA. That would give them with a 14 percent chance to win the draft lottery and a 52.1 percent chance to secure a top-four pick.

Losing a year of development time for Cunningham isn't ideal. Those potential lottery odds are the only silver lining.