Zach LaVine admittedly still has some dunks left in the arsenal.
What the Bulls guard still needs to decide, however, is will he showcase them anywhere outside of a practice gym?
If Saturday was any indication of his desire to try and recapture his throne at this year’s All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest, yes, he left it up in the air, but in doing so sounded and looked like he has just swallowed the canary.
“I’ve still been thinking about it, man,’’ LaVine said. “Everybody … my girlfriend just asked me the same thing [Saturday] morning. I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ I would be more inclined to do it if I’m playing in the game, but I feel like I should do something during All-Star Weekend.
“If it’s the game, three-point contest, dunk contest, something, so I know I’ve still got some dunks left and my legs have been feeling good. Maybe I’ll have to go practice and not, but I don’t know yet. I’ll probably have to let the NBA know soon.’’
LaVine is a two-time dunk champion, winning the contest in both the 2015 and 2016 season. It’s the ’16 contest that moved him to legendary status, as the head-to-head against Orlando’s Aaron Gordon was one for the ages.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury grounded LaVine since, but with a handful of young challengers around the NBA once again, and the All-Star Weekend taking place in LaVine’s own backyard in Chicago, the stage is set for his return.
Teammate Lauri Markkanen hinted in the preseason that LaVine had been revving up over the summer to recapture what was his, and LaVine even said on Saturday that he and a buddy from the G-League threw some dunks together on a practice court about a month ago.
“He was helping me out on a couple dunks, probably a month ago,’’ LaVine said. “Didn’t go very well, but there’s always a second try.’’
Juggling Jim
Jim Boylen is all for the NBA’s 82-game schedule. The coach made that very clear before the game with the Hawks.
“It’s a test of your toughness, competitiveness, character,’’ Boylen said. “I love what it does to a team. I think it’s really important. Obviously I don’t make those decisions, and I’ll support whatever the Commish wants to do, but I love the 82-game schedule.’’
What Boylen isn’t embracing this season? In eliminating the number of back-to-backs, that also meant a lot of games every other day. That has played havoc on the practice schedule, and not only for Boylen, but throughout the NBA.
“I think the league’s heart was in the right place, with less back-to-backs,’’ Boylen said. “The unintended consequence is what do you do now with 10 less built-in days off? If you played 22 or 24 back-to-backs in a season, and now you play 12 or 14, as you know usually after a back-to-back you take a day off. So now you’ve got to find maybe five, six or 10 more days in there where you can get your guys off their feet, rest their minds, rest their bodies, while developing a young team and not over-practicing them. It’s a difficult mix, I’ll just tell you.’’
Boylen said that he talks daily with the training staff, and they go over the usage numbers of each player, keeping track of movement in games, practices and walk-throughs.
“I like to practice,’’ Boylen added. “I think young teams need to practice, but it’s a puzzle.’’
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December 29, 2019 at 07:44AM
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Bulls guard Zach LaVine is still undecided on Dunk Contest, but ... - Chicago Sun-Times
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