SB Nation Tampa Bay: All Posts by Jason Patt

Bryan Colangelo could return to Raptors, but not as GM, according to report

2013-05-20T14:49:34Z

The Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment group has yet to make a decision on the future of Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, but there were negotiations over the weekend to bring Colangelo back in a "significant" capacity, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

More on Toronto's search: Raptors HQ

Colangelo has an option year left on his current contract, but MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has been pushing hard to find a top executive to take command of basketball operations in Toronto. Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri emerged as a top candidate, and Wojnarowski reports that MLSE is still going hard after Ujiri despite the latest negotiations with Colangelo.

Ujiri and Colangelo have history together, as Ujiri worked under Colangelo in Toronto for three seasons before moving to Denver. Ujiri was the assistant GM for two of the three seasons. If Ujiri is hired and Colangelo retained, the roles would be reversed and Ujiri would become Colangelo's boss.

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Carmelo Anthony will have injured shoulder examined

2013-05-20T12:30:08Z

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony will have his balky left shoulder re-examined to determine the extent of the injury and if he will need surgery, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

More on the Knicks: Posting and Toasting

Anthony originally injured his shoulder on April 14 against the Indiana Pacers, but he re-aggravated it in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics when Kevin Garnett grabbed his arm while setting a screen. Anthony played through "minor discomfort" in the Knicks' second-round series loss to the Pacers. He did struggle at times with his shooting against Indiana, making 43.3 percent of his shots overall and 34.8 percent from 3-point land.

The Knicks are hopeful that Anthony will be able to avoid surgery and that rest combined with therapy will be enough to heal the injury.

In good Anthony news, the knee that had fluid drained two months ago has improved over the course of the year and will not require arthroscopic surgery.

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Chicago Bulls 2012-13 GIFs of the year

2013-05-18T18:50:05Z

We've already done a pretty thorough "Best of the 2012-13 Chicago Bulls," but there was plenty of stuff that was left out. Namely, some of the more hilarious or "lesser" moments that were GIF'd for our pleasure. There was a request for a "Best GIFs of the Year" post, and I couldn't help but oblige. So without further ado, here's some of the best GIFs from this Bulls campaign, which do include some of the plays from the "Best of..." post. These are in no particular order, and if there are any I forgot, please do share.

Jimmy is not impressed

Jimmy is not impressed part deux

via gifs.gifbin.com

Jimmy posterizes Bosh

Taj posterizes Humphries

Marco's big spicy meatballs

Nate discount double checks all over the place

Nate blocks LeBron

Bulls' bench starring D-Rose jumping very high and Nate going nuts

Nate crosses Humphries

via losthatsportsblog.com

Shocked Boozer

Shocked Boozer part deux

Noah mocks Bosh and Chalmers

Noah's jazz hands

Noah's playoff promos

Kirk rips ball away from Bosh

via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

Kirk's awful lob

Kirk and Jimmy ticked with a side of Fred

via i.minus.com

Thibs is befuddled

via cjzero.com

Thibs is not pleased

Thibs is REALLY not pleased

via cdn.fansided.com

Nazr shoves LeBron

Nate and Deng's epic celebration

Kevin Garnett injury: Celtics big man won't need ankle surgery, according to medical staff

2013-05-18T17:26:54Z

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett will not need surgery on his left ankle, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The Celtics' medical staff believes Garnett will heal up with more rest.

Celtics Blog on Kevin Garnett

Garnett battled an ankle injury during the latter portion of the season, missing eight straight games at one point from late March to early April. The big man returned to play in three more games during the regular season while sitting out two others.

Garnett played all six games in the Celtics' first-round series against the New York Knicks. The 36-year-old averaged 12.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game as Boston lost in six to New York.

The Celtics are still awaiting word from Garnett about whether he plans to return next season. He still has two years and just over $24 million left on his contract, with the final year including $6 million guaranteed.

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Raptors pursuing Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, according to report

2013-05-18T15:50:37Z

The Toronto Raptors are pursuing Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to run their basketball operations, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

More: Raptors HQ

Current Raptors president Bryan Colangelo could still have his option picked up for next season, but new Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke is pushing hard for an elite executive to help turn around the Raptors. Ujiri, the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year, has reportedly been tabbed as the top choice.

Ujiri's contract with the Nuggets expires this summer, but he has been in talks with CEO Josh Kroenke about an extension. However, Leiweke has expressed a willingness to put forth a "serious financial and organizational commitment" to a candidate like Ujiri.

Ujiri has history in Toronto, as he worked there for three years under Colangelo and two as an assistant GM. Ujiri was hired by the Nuggets in 2010, and in his first season, he was able to pull off a Carmelo Anthony trade that netted Denver a lot of value in return. Ujiri has also executed several other major deals that have helped turn the Nuggets into one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

Ujiri is the first African-born GM in North American sports and has become one of the most well-respected executives in the country.

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• Questions abound after NBA combine measurements

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

Chicago Bulls offseason: Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli the key decisions

2013-05-17T18:16:09Z

So with the Bulls' 2012-13 campaign dead and gone, we now look ahead to the offseason. I'm assuming this summer won't bring as much fury as last, but you never know with GarPax at the helm. What new faces will we see? Will the Bulls' mostly stand pat? Will they look to make a big move? (hint: the answer is probably no)

Like last offseason, we're going to tackle the key questions facing the Bulls individually, but first, we'll do a quick primer to get everybody ready for what's coming.

Naturally, the first thing to look at is the salary situation. The cap this season was $58.044 million and the tax was at $70.307 million. I would expect each of those to go up $1-2 million, but we'll find that out a bit later in the offseason.

As for the Bulls, they currently owe about $72.04 million in guaranteed money to Rose/Boozer/Deng/Noah/Gibson/Hinrich/Butler/Teague. Richard Hamilton is expected to be bought out for $1 million (decision must be made by July 10), although the Bulls could use him as a $5 million trade chip on draft night. However, considering how much the Bulls owe in salary already, I doubt they'll be wanting to take back more in a Rip deal.

Speaking of the draft, the Bulls have the 20th pick in the first round. There has been a lot of talk about drafting a backup center, which is an idea that I can certainly get behind. There are a plethora of solid bigs being tabbed as first round picks, as there are currently eight centers in the top 20 of the DraftExpress Top 100 prospect list. So if the Bulls want a center, they should be able to grab one. If they are looking elsewhere, I'd like for them to target a sharpshooting wing to help with the three-point shooting/general scoring woes. Either way, that first-round pick will likely add about $1.5 million in salary (Evan Fournier, the 20th pick last year, got $1.42 million this season). The Bulls have a second-round pick as well, and if they keep it, that'll cost roughly $800,000.

If we're doing the math here, that's already over $75 million and pushing the apron, which is $4 million above wherever the luxury tax line is set. This means that if the Bulls keep the core together, the only avenue of signing free agents is the mini-MLE and the minimum. Sign-and-trades are essentially out because you can't go over the apron when acquiring a player via S+T. This limits the possible use of the Kyle Korver trade exception (expires July 16), although much like the Hamilton situation, I doubt the Bulls will really be looking to use that exception to take on salary.

The use of the mini-MLE (a tad over $3 million per year) is where things could get really interesting. First of all, if the Bulls really believe in their 2014 plan, they may not offer a multi-year contract to any prospective free agent. They could still use the mini-MLE for a one-year deal if they wanted, but I'm thinking most players looking for that contract would want a multi-year deal.

Next, we look at the Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli situations. The Bulls do not own their Bird Rights, so if the Bulls wanted to bring them back, they could offer up to 120% of what they made this year (Robinson made the minimum and Belinelli the bi-annual exception of $1.957 million). I know both guys really enjoyed their time here this season, but I'm guessing that wouldn't do the trick. In that case, the mini-MLE would have to be used if the Bulls decided they really wanted one of those guys back. I think the Bulls would certainly like to have both guys back, but it wouldn't really surprise me if neither of them were.

If the mini-MLE doesn't get used on Nate or Belinelli, the Bulls could then look outside the organization. I know a return of Korver has been discussed around these parts, but I think the Hawks or some other team will offer more than the mini-MLE, so I'd consider that possibility a long shot. If the Bulls have to look elsewhere, a shooter would be ideal, and we'll look closer at options when we tackle that situation individually.

At the very end of the bench, Nazr Mohammed may have earned another contract next year with his improved play over the course of the year. Malcolm Thomas never got much of a chance, but he'll be with the team over the summer and perhaps he plays his way onto the team. Otherwise, expect some other non-descript minimum guys.

Everything could be thrown out of wack if the Bulls somehow pulled off a trade of Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer, but I expect both guys to be back next year. It would be prudent of GarPax to seek out possible deals, and I'm especially keen on trading Boozer. But again, I don't really expect it (that won't stop us from discussing deals ad nauseum). And no, Boozer isn't getting amnestied.

So buckle up kids, get ready for another Blog a Bull offseason. I'm not expecting any fireworks, but maybe we'll be surprised?

Chicago Bulls 2012-13 season in review

2013-05-16T23:31:59Z

Grit.

It was a word we often used mockingly when referring to Kirk Hinrich. But in the end, it's a perfect word to describe the 2012-13 Chicago Bulls, even though the Prodigal Son with a house in the area wasn't on the floor for a good portion of the season.

Despite the Derrick Rose injury and what seemed like an absolutely horrendous offseason, I expected the Bulls to be pretty good this year. I predicted 47 wins and if things worked out right, a possible Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The caveat of course was that the Bulls would get Rose back and that they would enjoy mostly good health.

The Bulls went 0-of-2 in those areas, and yet, they managed to scratch and claw their way to 45 wins and a second-round exit against the best team in the league. If you would have told me before the season that Rose would sit the whole year and then laid out every single injury that would occur, there's not a chance in hell I would have envisioned the Bulls pulling off what they did.

What the Bulls did is a testament to the hard-working players on this team and the coaching wizard that is Tom Thibodeau. We all know Thibs has his flaws, but his ability to glean the most out of his players is truly admirable. The man can flat out coach, even if his coach-speak annoys the crap out of me.

There were certainly some moments of ugliness. The New Year's Eve loss to the Bobcats. The 27-point blown lead against the Bucks. The 42-point loss to the Kings. The offense was a train wreck for much of the year, while the defense even had its lulls at times thanks to the injuries. And yes, the Rose saga was brutal.

But I'd prefer to remember all of the great things that happened this year. I'll remember this as the year that Joakim Noah cemented himself as one of the best centers in the NBA. I'll remember this as the year that Jimmy Butler came into his own and grabbed the starting shooting guard job by the throat. I'll remember this as the year that a formerly hated player in Nate Robinson became one of my favorite things to watch about this team.

Considering the circumstances, I really couldn't be more proud of what this group accomplished. Winning a playoff series is tough no matter what. Winning a playoff series as short-handed and beat-up as the Bulls were was downright amazing (even if the Nets were frauds).

And although the Bulls were blown out twice by the Heat and lost in 5, I really can't complain about how they competed. Stealing Game 1 was truly awesome, and the way the Bulls fought back in Game 5 epitomized their entire season. Against all odds, they were almost able to pull off yet another stunner. But they just didn't have enough (sorry, Thibs).

So to commemorate this Bulls campaign, I'd like to look back at some of the best games, performances and moments of the year.

Best Games of the Year

1. Game 4. vs Nets

Down 14 with C.J. Watson gliding in for what was sure to be an easy bucket, the Bulls looked dead in the water with just over three minutes to play of Game 4 against the Nets. Watson blew the dunk, and then Nate put forth one of the craziest performances ever at the United Center. Robinson's heroics helped get the Bulls to overtime, and after two more extra periods, they finally pulled out a 142-134 victory in triple overtime. This shall forever be known as "The Nate Robinson Game," or if you'd like, "Kirk Hinrich's Last Stand," due to the fact that Hinrich played 60 minutes and didn't play the rest of the year (oh shoot, but he's back next year).

2. Game 1 vs. Heat

I considered putting the Game 7 victory over the Nets here, but I simply couldn't look past the stunning 93-86 Game 1 victory in Miami. The Bulls had just played two nights before and trailed by seven midway through the fourth quarter. But then the offense went into high gear, with Marco Belinelli hitting huge threes and Nate playing the role of Rose. The resulting victory gave fans a glimmer of hope that perhaps the Bulls could actually make it a long series against the Heat, even if it was not to be.

3. Game 7 vs. Nets

The Bulls had lost two straight games, seemed like they were out of gas and were heading back to Brooklyn for a deciding Game 7. The Nets had all the advantages, but the Bulls stepped up and delivered the knockout blow in a 99-93 win. The Bulls ran out to a huge lead and then hung on late, with Belinelli making some big buckets late. Noah was a beast the entire game, and it was certainly a great birthday present for yours truly.

4. Ending the Heat's 27-game streak

The energy was sky-high as the Heat rolled into the United Center with a 27-game winning streak on March 27. Despite playing without Noah, Belinelli and Richard Hamilton, the Bulls beat up the Heat and ended that streak, the second-longest in NBA history. The game was full of highlights, from Butler's dunk on Bosh to Hinrich ripping the ball away from Bosh to the hard fouls. The 101-97 victory was by far the most satisfying of the regular season.

5. Streak Busters Part Deux

Just a couple of weeks after ending the Heat's streak, the Knicks came into the United Center with a 13-game winning streak. Nate had himself a Nate game, and the Bulls pulled out a 118-111 victory in overtime after Carmelo Anthony missed a great chance to end it in regulation. The win wrapped up a 4-0 season sweep of the Knicks...wait, that really happened? A sweep of the Knicks? Fuck yeah, it did.

Honorable Mentions: Both wins at the Garden, Jan. 4 victory at Miami, Jan. 18 OT victory at Boston

Best Performances of the Year

1. Nate in Game 4 vs. Nets

Robinson nearly broke a franchise record set by Michael Jordan by scoring 23 fourth-quarter points in the Bulls' 142-134 triple-overtime Game 4 victory. Nate single-handedly brought the Bulls back from a 14-point deficit, scoring 12 straight points and assisting on the next bucket after that. Nate would foul out later, but not until he racked up 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting. He truly was on fire NBA Jam style, hitting ridiculous shots with a varying degree of difficulty. A once-in-a-lifetime performance.

2. Noah triple-double vs. 76ers

In arguably the best performance of his career, Noah put up a line of 23 points, 21 rebounds, 11 blocks and three steals in a 93-82 win over the Sixers on Feb. 28. Jo shot 8-of-12 from the field, and he became just the fourth player in the last 25 seasons to have at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in a game.

3. Noah 30/20 game vs. Pistons

If you're going to argue in favor of Noah's triple-double against the Sixers not being his career game, this one would be a good one to bring up. Jo set career-highs in points and rebounds with a 30-point, 23-rebounding effort in a 108-104 win against the Pistons on Dec. 7. Noah also added six assists, two steals and two blocks.

4. Nate in Game 1 vs. Heat

Nate finished with 27 points and nine assists while playing the role of closer in the Bulls' Game 1 stunner. 11 of his points came in the fourth quarter, including two huge buckets in the final 1:17 to help complete the comeback from seven points down.

5. Nate in overtime streak buster vs. Knicks

Nate scored a season-high 35 points in the Bulls' 118-111 overtime victory over the Knicks. He made 10-of-18 shots, 5-of-11 from three and 10-of-10 from the line. 18 of his 35 points came in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Bulls ended the Knicks' 13-game winning streak.

Honorable mentions: Noah's 24/14/6 Game 7 against Nets, Noah's big fourth quarter with bad plantar fasciitis in Game 2 against Nets, Luol Deng twice at the Garden, Deng's 28/7/5 in streak buster vs. Heat, Butler's 22 and 14 in streak busters part deux, Boozer's 29 and 18 in Brooklyn, Boozer's 36 and 12 in Toronto, Hinrich's 18 and 14 in 60 minutes in Game 4 against the Nets

Best Moments of the Year

1. Marco's big spicy meatballs

Belinelli was fined $15,000 for his "obscene gesture" after a huge three in Game 7 against the Nets. Best $15,000 he'll ever spend.

2. Butler posterizes Bosh

The Butler did it.

3. Jo saves it to Marco FTW

Heart, hustle and muscle with a side of meatballs.

4. Hinrich rips rebound away from Bosh

Your browser does not support iframes.

Yes, it was a foul. But SO MUCH GRIT!!!

5. Nate's Discount Double Check

He's a clown, but he was our clown. Thanks for the memories, Nate.

Honorable mentions: Jimmy Don't Care/Jimmy's Not Impressed/Game Blouses, Marco beats the Celtics and the Jazz, Taj Gibson posterizes Kris Humphries

Closing Thoughts

As I mentioned above, it's hard not be be proud of what happened this year given all the adversity. A lesser team could have folded up shop and tanked for a better draft pick. But these guys never quit and turned what could of been a bad season into what I would consider a very successful one. So thanks to them for providing some great memories.

Also, I personally would like to thank all you guys and gals here at Blog a Bull for making the season even more enjoyable. I don't always agree with everybody around here, but I love the spirited debate and mostly knowledgeable basketball discussion that goes on. I'm looking forward to the offseason and of course next year, when we can actually talk about Derrick Rose playing real-live basketball again.

NBA Playoffs 2013, Bulls vs. Heat Game 5: Time, TV schedule and more

2013-05-15T21:17:12Z

The Miami Heat will look to close out the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 on Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat dominated Game 4 on Monday at the United Center, holding the Bulls to 25.7 percent shooting in an 88-65 victory. LeBron James led the way with 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Chris Bosh added 14 points for Miami, who did not play all that well offensively but still won handily thanks to their defense.

The banged-up Bulls started the game 1-of-12 and were simply never able to get on track. Their 65 points and 25.7 percent shooting were franchise playoff-lows.

Heading into Game 5, Chicago will once again be without Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. Dwyane Wade is battling a knee injury, but he may still give it a go.

Here are three key questions heading into this possible elimination game.

Will the Heat deliver an early death blow?

When they do not feel like they are being challenged, the Heat often coast through games and get by on talent alone. This was evident at times in Game 4, as Miami let Chicago hang around for much of the game thanks to some sloppy play.

Back on their home floor with a chance to advance, the Heat could be out for blood. James has already promised that there will be no Game 6 in Chicago, so he and his teammates will look to get out to a quick start to squash any remaining flicker of hope the Bulls may have.

Are the Bulls out of gas?

The Bulls have battled injuries to key players all season long and into the playoffs, resulting in big minutes for those that have been able to get on the court. Nate Robinson has been forced into starter's minutes. Jimmy Butler has played all 48 minutes four times in the postseason. Marco Belinelli is playing 38.5 minutes per game in this series. Joakim Noah has racked up big minutes despite having plantar fasciitis. Because of this, the team appears to have worn down.

The woeful shooting in Game 4 bears this out, and if Chicago is unable to find the range, things could get ugly fast. In addition to shooting just 25.7 percent overall, the Bulls went just 2-of-17 from three-point land. That included some wide open looks, shots that must be knocked down in order for Chicago to stay in it. Of course, that's easier said then done if the legs aren't there.

Can Robinson find the magic again?

Robinson has had a mostly magical postseason, providing numerous highlights and helping the Bulls secure some clutch wins. But after scoring 27 points in a stunning Game 1 victory over the Heat, Robinson has struggled, culminating in a nightmarish 0-of-12 shooting performance in Game 4.

Robinson has missed some shots he was making earlier in the postseason, but the Heat have also made some adjustments. Because Robinson is so short, Miami has attacked him with aggressive traps on the pick-and-roll, forcing him to make quick, difficult decisions. He has not responded well, which has been a key to slowing the Bulls' offense. If Robinson can find a rhythm again, Chicago may have an outside shot at stealing another game.

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds: The Heat are 14-point favorites according to OddsShark.

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• Flannery: The Pacers are happening

• Pacers upend Knicks, take 3-1 series lead

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• The Bulls were historically unenjoyable

• Dan on Fire: Did Kobe fake his injury?

SB Nation Tampa Bay: All Posts by Jason Patt

Bryan Colangelo could return to Raptors, but not as GM, according to report

More from SB Nation:

Carmelo Anthony will have injured shoulder examined

More from SB Nation:

Chicago Bulls 2012-13 GIFs of the year

Jimmy is not impressed

Jimmy is not impressed part deux

Jimmy posterizes Bosh

Taj posterizes Humphries

Marco's big spicy meatballs

Nate discount double checks all over the place

Nate blocks LeBron

Bulls' bench starring D-Rose jumping very high and Nate going nuts

Nate crosses Humphries

Shocked Boozer

Shocked Boozer part deux

Boozer low blows Danny Crawford

"That's a bad man"

Boozer stares down LeBron

Noah mocks Bosh and Chalmers

Noah's jazz hands

Noah's playoff promos

Kirk rips ball away from Bosh

Kirk's awful lob

Kirk and Jimmy ticked with a side of Fred

Thibs is befuddled

Thibs is not pleased

Thibs is REALLY not pleased

Nazr shoves LeBron

Nate and Deng's epic celebration

Kevin Garnett injury: Celtics big man won't need ankle surgery, according to medical staff

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Raptors pursuing Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, according to report

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Chicago Bulls offseason: Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli the key decisions

Chicago Bulls 2012-13 season in review

Best Games of the Year

1. Game 4. vs Nets

2. Game 1 vs. Heat

3. Game 7 vs. Nets

4. Ending the Heat's 27-game streak

5. Streak Busters Part Deux

Best Performances of the Year

1. Nate in Game 4 vs. Nets

2. Noah triple-double vs. 76ers

3. Noah 30/20 game vs. Pistons

4. Nate in Game 1 vs. Heat

5. Nate in overtime streak buster vs. Knicks

Best Moments of the Year

1. Marco's big spicy meatballs

2. Butler posterizes Bosh

3. Jo saves it to Marco FTW

4. Hinrich rips rebound away from Bosh

5. Nate's Discount Double Check

Closing Thoughts

NBA Playoffs 2013, Bulls vs. Heat Game 5: Time, TV schedule and more

Will the Heat deliver an early death blow?

Are the Bulls out of gas?

Can Robinson find the magic again?

More from SB Nation: