Buy out, re-sign? Bulls have decisions to make on Lopez
During the fourth quarter of the Bulls' loss to Milwaukee on Monday, Robin Lopez drained a 3-pointer and did his usual tea party celebration on the way back down the court.
On the very next possession, roughly 18 seconds later, Lopez' twin brother Brook squared up Lauri Markkanen at the top of the key, blew past him and threw down a ferocious tomahawk dunk with a foul.
The Lopez twins have battled each other in the NBA for more than 10 years, so it's difficult to say if that was the highlight of their head-to-head competition. But it was interesting.
"I guess it's good for him," Robin deadpanned Tuesday at the United Center. "He so rarely, rarely gets to dunk like that. So you've got to be happy for the guy."
Robin scored a season-high 26 points Monday, but Brook's Milwaukee squad got the win. So which brother gets to talk more trash after the game? Neither, according to Robin.
"We don't talk about basketball," he said. "It's always been that way."
As February winds down, there's a sense of urgency for NBA player who plan to do contract buyouts. Players must be released by Mar. 1 in order to be eligible for the playoffs with a new team.
Not long ago, there seemed to be little chance of Lopez staying with the Bulls all season. But the way things have gone in the past few weeks, a buyout seems unlikely and the Bulls may strongly consider trying to re-sign the veteran center when he hits free-agency this summer.
Asked about a potential buyout Tuesday, Lopez offered nothing newsworthy.
"I haven't even been thinking about it," he said. "We've been having a lot of fun out on the court right now and I'm relishing it."
Playing in Chicago has been good for Lopez's stat line. Last season, he averaged a career-high 11.8 points, and that total would have been higher if he wasn't removed from the rotation late in the year while the Bulls "played the young guys."
In the past eight games, Lopez has averaged 18 points and shot 67 percent from the field. He's been the starter ever since rookie Wendell Carter Jr. went down with a thumb injury in January. As Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine have played well lately, along with Otto Porter Jr. arriving in a trade, it's seemed to open up the middle for the 7-foot Lopez to go to work one-on-one in the post, something he's gotten very good at.
"I think everybody benefits when they're at their A game," Lopez said, referring to LaVine and Markkanen. "That's a tough duo to handle."
Looking forward to the summer, it's tough to predict the market for Lopez. Even though he's posting the best stats of his career, he is the sort of low-post center that is being phased out in today's NBA. He's a smart defender, but will always have trouble keeping pace when opponents use smaller lineups.
Here's what the Bulls are facing this summer: They'll add a high draft pick and have roughly $25 million in cap space. Having Cristiano Felicio on the books at $8.1 million probably prevents the Bulls from making a big splash in free-agency. More likely, they'll try to value shop and add a few veteran players who might be able to push the Bulls north in the standings.
So why not bring back Lopez, a useful veteran who has been a good locker-room presence? Lopez' quirky wisdom has been a good fit with the younger Bulls during the past three years.
"It's invaluable to have a guy who honors his role as an example to the team, a guy who speaks up when a situation needs to be addressed," coach Jim Boylen said. "What I want is guys who take ownership of our play and mistakes and coach each other and help each other and hold each other accountable. RoLo has done that."
Boylen gave Lopez plenty of flowery, Boylen-style praise Tuesday. But it kind of fit the situation, given Lopez's musketeer-style facial hair.
"When your heart is pure and you care, I just think those things happen for you," Boylen said. He was talking about Lopez's improved scoring, by the way. "The ball finds you. He's our best screener. He's a veteran guy who finds his spots. He's all for the team. Good things happen for you when that happens."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. at FedEx Forum
TV: NBCSCH; Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The Bulls beat the Grizzlies at home 122-110 before the all-star break. ... Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak Monday by beating the Lakers 110-105 behind 30 points from Mike Conley. ... Since Marc Gasol has been traded to Toronto, the Grizzlies are starting Jonas Valanciunas at center, while ex-Bull Joakim Noah is having a career revival. In the last three games, Noah has averaged 17.3 pts and 10.0 rebounds. ... Another ex-Bull, SF Justin Holiday, is averaging 8.0 points in Memphis. ... Rookie PF Jaren Jackson Jr. is out with a quad injury.
Next: Atlanta Hawks, 6:30 p.m. Friday at State Farm Arena
- Mike McGraw