CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls came into the season thinking they would start to climb in the wide-open Eastern Conference with a promising group of young players. A coaching change wasn't part of the plan.The skidding Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg on Monday and promoted associate head coach Jim Boylen in hopes of turning around a miserable season. Chicago is averaging 103.4 points — 28th in the NBA — and is getting outscored by 9.6 per game. They are a woeful 5-19, better only than Cleveland and Phoenix.Hoiberg, who had to deal with a veteran roster that didn't fit his style early on and then injuries to key players starting in training camp, never found his footing in Chicago. It added up to a 115-155 mark with one playoff appearance in three-plus seasons.Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson insisted the decision went beyond wins and losses, citing a lack of "energy and spirit.""We were in a similar situation last year at this time," Paxson said. "But the entire... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The skidding Chicago Bulls fired coach Fred Hoiberg on Monday and promoted associate head coach Jim Boylen in hopes of lifting the team from the bottom of the standings.Chicago is averaging 103.4 points — 28th in the NBA — and is getting outscored by 9.6 per game.Hoiberg, who had to deal with a veteran roster that didn't fit his style early on and then injuries to key players starting in training camp, never found his footing in Chicago. It added up to a 115-155 mark with one playoff appearance in three-plus seasons — 5-19 this year. The only teams with worse records were Cleveland and Phoenix.Even so, executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson insisted this decision went beyond wins and losses, citing a lack of "energy and spirit.""We were in a similar situation last year at this time," Paxson said. "But the entire energy about this group was different back then. We felt that here in the last several weeks, that something's different. What we're lacking... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The best NBA team in Los Angeles right now isn't the one with LeBron James.It's the no-name Clippers.Going into Wednesday, the Clippers were fourth in the rugged Western Conference at 8-5, with overtime wins against defending NBA champion Golden State and Milwaukee, as well as Oklahoma City and Houston (twice)."We're going to keep on getting better," leading scorer Tobias Harris said. "We've showed we can play with the best of them."While they don't have talent on par with those teams, the Clippers are transitioning to a new era with a mix of veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Harris, Marcin Gortat and Patrick Beverley. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has cracked the starting lineup as a rookie point guard. Montrezl Harrell brings a contagious energy off the bench.In a win over Washington, they had a franchise-record nine players score in double figures."They seem to all have a chip on their shoulder because a lot of those guys are really good players but they might not get the... [More]

During the 2017-18 regular season, Derrick Rose didn't score 50 points in all of January.Or February.Or March.Or April.He was hurting, always in and out of the lineup, never in rhythm. Those problems, all his years of problems, seemed so long ago Wednesday night, when Rose was better than ever — finishing with a career-high 50 points that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 128-125."I played my heart out," Rose said. "My teammates told me before the game, just play my game. And tonight was a hell of a night."That it was, by every possible measure.Rose became the fourth player already this season — it's barely two weeks old — to score at least 50 in a game, joining Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.And if the 50 wasn't enough, Rose sealed the win by blocking Dante Exum's 3-pointer with about two seconds remaining.Moments later, Rose walked off the floor in tears. The game had made the 2011 NBA MVP cry before. Only this time, the emotion was all joy."I know the... [More]

During the 2017-18 regular season, Derrick Rose didn't score 50 points in all of January.Or February.Or March.Or April.He was hurting, always in and out of the lineup, never in rhythm. Those problems, all his years of problems, seemed so long ago Wednesday night, when Rose was better than ever — finishing with a career-high 50 points that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 125-122."I played my heart out," Rose said. "My teammates told me before the game, just play my game. And tonight was a hell of a night."That it was, by every possible measure.Rose became the fourth player already this season — it's barely two weeks old — to score at least 50 in a game, joining Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.And if the 50 wasn't enough, Rose sealed the win by blocking Dante Exum's 3-pointer with about two seconds remaining.Moments later, Rose walked off the floor in tears. The game had made the 2011 NBA MVP cry before. Only this time, the emotion was all joy."I know the... [More]

During the 2017-18 regular season, Derrick Rose didn't score 50 points in all of January.Or February.Or March.Or April.He was hurting, always in and out of the lineup, never in rhythm. Those problems, all his years of problems, seemed so long ago Wednesday night, when Rose was better than ever — finishing with a career-high 50 points that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 125-122."I played my heart out," Rose said. "My teammates told me before the game, just play my game. And tonight was a hell of a night."That it was, by every possible measure.Rose became the fourth player already this season — it's barely two weeks old — to score at least 50 in a game, joining Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.And if the 50 wasn't enough, Rose sealed the win by blocking Dante Exum's 3-pointer with about two seconds remaining.Moments later, Rose walked off the floor in tears. The game had made the 2011 NBA MVP cry before. Only this time, the emotion was all joy."I know the... [More]

During the 2017-18 regular season, Derrick Rose didn't score 50 points in all of January.Or February.Or March.Or April.He was hurting, always in and out of the lineup, never in rhythm. Those problems, all his years of problems, seemed so long ago Wednesday night, when Rose was better than ever — finishing with a career-high 50 points that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 125-122."I played my heart out," Rose said. "My teammates told me before the game, just play my game. And tonight was a hell of a night."That it was, by every possible measure.Rose became the fourth player already this season — it's barely two weeks old — to score at least 50 in a game, joining Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.And if the 50 wasn't enough, Rose sealed the win by blocking Dante Exum's 3-pointer with about two seconds remaining.Moments later, Rose walked off the floor in tears. The game had made the 2011 NBA MVP cry before. Only this time, the emotion was all joy."I know the... [More]

During the 2017-18 regular season, Derrick Rose didn't score 50 points in all of January.Or February.Or March.Or April.He was hurting, always in and out of the lineup, never in rhythm. Those problems, all his years of problems, seemed so long ago Wednesday night, when Rose was better than ever — finishing with a career-high 50 points that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 125-122."I played my heart out," Rose said. "My teammates told me before the game, just play my game. And tonight was a hell of a night."That it was, by every possible measure.Rose became the fourth player already this season — it's barely two weeks old — to score at least 50 in a game, joining Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.And if the 50 wasn't enough, Rose sealed the win by blocking Dante Exum's 3-pointer with about two seconds remaining.Moments later, Rose walked off the floor in tears. The game had made the 2011 NBA MVP cry before. Only this time, the emotion was all joy."I know the... [More]

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jimmy Butler may or may not be traded before Minnesota opens the season on Oct. 17 at San Antonio.However, it appears increasingly inevitable that the Butler won't be with the Timberwolves this season — and they've only got one more chance to start learning how to play without the four-time All-Star before the games start counting.Minnesota played its second-to-last preseason game on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State's home floor. The Timberwolves' G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, play roughly 30 miles away in Des Moines. It was the first game at Hilton, one of the loudest arenas in all of college basketball, since 1999 — and it drew a near-capacity crowd.From there it's a trip to Milwaukee's new arena on Friday and then a few days off ahead of the opener. And although the Butler drama has seemingly put the organization in a bind, Thibodeau warned against letting it become more of a distraction than it already is."Focus on the people that are here and get... [More]

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jimmy Butler may or may not be traded before Minnesota opens the season on Oct. 17 at San Antonio.However, it appears increasingly inevitable that the Butler won't be with the Timberwolves this season — and they've only got one more chance to start learning how to play without the four-time All-Star before the games start counting.Minnesota played its second-to-last preseason game on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State's home floor. The Timberwolves' G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, play roughly 30 miles away in Des Moines.From there it's a trip to Milwaukee's new arena on Friday and then a few days off ahead of the opener. And although the Butler drama has seemingly put the organization in a bind, Thibodeau warned against letting it become more of a distraction than it already is."Focus on the people that are here and get ready to play. That's it," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. "We've got a long season, and if you look you can get distracted... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — For a team that didn't make any major moves during the summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves sure have their share of new players this season.The critical process of familiarization and integration will speed up over the next week, in the form of a trip to California to continue training camp and play a couple of exhibition games while Jimmy Butler's unresolved trade request looms in the background .The Timberwolves will be out of town for seven days, a prime time for bonding."They can spend a lot of time together. We'll have good practices, some film sessions, some team dinners, so I think it's good," coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday, before the traveling party boarded a plane for the Bay Area. The Wolves play the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Friday night.With draft picks Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop and veterans Anthony Tolliver and Luol Deng, the Wolves will sport a significantly different look to their bench. When — or if, as Thibodeau has insisted... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have started their 30th season amid more drama and dysfunction, an all-too-familiar feeling.Jimmy Butler, the four-time All-Star shooting guard whose heralded arrival from Chicago sparked a 16-win improvement and an end to a 13-year absence from the playoffs, told president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau last week he wants to be traded and won't re-sign with the team.Talk about bad timing, even by Timberwolves standards."It's not the first time a player has made that type of request, nor will it be the last, and our job is to seek out the best opportunity for us." Thibodeau said. "If something's good for us, then we're interested in doing it. If not, then we're ready to move forward the other way."While most players dismissed the notion of a major distraction during their media sessions on Monday at the commencement of training camp, power forward Taj Gibson bluntly declared Butler's decision a significant setback to the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed free agent forward Luol Deng, the latest former Chicago Bulls player to reunite with coach Tom Thibodeau.Deng's one-year deal is for the minimum salary of $2.4 million for a player with his experience, according to a person with knowledge of the contract who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team does not release terms.Deng will join former Bulls teammates Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose in Minnesota. They all played for Thibodeau with Chicago, too.Just two seasons into a four-year, $72 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, Deng was waived on Sept. 1 in a buyout move that allowed them to spread the final season of that albatross deal over a three-year span of the salary cap limit.The contract was a remnant of the administration of former Lakers basketball boss Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak, the duo that was dismissed seven months after handing out hefty deals to Deng... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed free agent forward Luol Deng, the latest former Chicago Bulls player to reunite with coach Tom Thibodeau.Deng's one-year deal is for $2.4 million, according to a person with knowledge of the contract speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the team does not release terms. Deng will join former Bulls teammates Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose in Minnesota. They all played for Thibodeau with Chicago, too.Deng debuted with the Bulls as a 19-year-old in 2004, when the native of South Sudan was the seventh overall pick in the draft out of Duke. Deng played 10 seasons for Chicago, but Minnesota will be his fifth team in six years. He was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers on Sept. 1.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves made major strides this season in ending their 13-year absence from the NBA playoffs after a franchise-altering trade for All-Star Jimmy Butler.With cornerstones Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in their early 20s and veterans Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague coming off productive debuts in Minnesota, there is a sturdy starting lineup in place around Butler to ideally take the Timberwolves deeper in the next postseason.Advancement is easier stated than consummated.The Wolves, even with coach Tom Thibodeau's preference to give his first-teamers heavy minutes, need to add depth this summer with defense and 3-point shooting atop the skill-set wish list. There is no clear way to acquire more of it, though, after making the logical first moves by drafting versatile wing players Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop last week .Wiggins will begin playing on his maximum contract in 2018-19, with a $25 million-plus salary that will account for more than 20... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Boston playoff star Jayson Tatum and Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue are cousins. The Cavaliers and Celtics might as well be.The Eastern Conference's top two teams have been intertwined for more than a year — from a summer blockbuster trade, from opening night, from afar.Although there were long stretches this season when it seemed at least unlikely, and maybe impossible, that the Celtics and Cavs would reach the conference finals, they're back again and meeting in the playoffs for the third time in four years.The series everyone wanted. The one few expected to see.And yet here they are: the odds-defying Celtics, guided by baby-faced coach Brad Stevens and prospering without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, versus the Cavs, who despite a massive roster makeover in February are rolling as 33-year-old LeBron James enhances his legend with every game."There's been a lot that's happened throughout the season with us and for them," Cavs forward Kevin Love said Thursday... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Boston playoff star Jayson Tatum and Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue are cousins. The Cavaliers and Celtics might as well be.The Eastern Conference's top two teams have been intertwined for more than a year — from a summer blockbuster trade, from opening night, from afar.Although there were long stretches this season when it seemed at least unlikely, and maybe impossible, that the Celtics and Cavs would reach the conference finals, they're back again and meeting in the playoffs for the third time in four years.The series everyone wanted. The one few expected to see.And yet here they are: the odds-defying Celtics, guided by baby-faced coach Brad Stevens and prospering without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, versus the Cavs, who despite a massive roster makeover in February are rolling as 33-year-old LeBron James enhances his legend with every game."There's been a lot that's happened throughout the season with us and for them," Cavs forward Kevin Love said Thursday... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than three weeks ago, Ty Lawson was playing professional basketball in China.Nowadays, he's one of the first subs off the bench for the Washington Wizards in their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.Lawson is hardly the only player who went from not having a spot on an NBA roster to getting some run, and maybe even filling a key role, during these playoffs. As much as teams develop plans for acquiring talent via the draft, free agency or trades, sometimes a late pickup can become a piece that completes the puzzle."It's not ideal," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said about adding someone on short notice. "It (requires) a lot of work that has to be done in trying to figure it out and try to incorporate him and integrate him into our offense and defensive schemes."With Lawson, though, Brooks added, "It probably is not as much of a disadvantage because he's been in the league, understands the NBA and understands the schemes. A lot of the schemes... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The impact made by Jimmy Butler on the Minnesota Timberwolves was obvious from the start, transcending the two ends of the court where he's made his mark as a four-time All-Star.Perhaps no better example of the leadership he contributed to a long-languishing franchise trying to find its way came during a three-day stretch in mid-December.With Butler playing through back spasms, the Timberwolves lost at home to a Phoenix Suns team that ultimately finished with the NBA's worst record. Afterward, Butler was flat on the floor in the locker room, in enough discomfort that moving around was a difficult proposition.Two nights later, Butler powered past the pain to score 37 points and carry the Wolves to victory over the Portland Trail Blazers , who finished third in the Western Conference this season."If you go out there and show them how hard you have to play in this league until the end on a constant basis," Butler said then, cajoling his young teammates, "that's when they... [More]

For Derrick Rose, what's old is new again.Rose has signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, reuniting the 2011 NBA MVP with three mainstays from his days in Chicago: coach Tom Thibodeau and teammates Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. The Timberwolves did not release contract terms, but a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press the deal is for the remainder of the season.Rose was in uniform for the Wolves on Thursday night against Boston, but he didn't get in the game."The only thing I'm missing now is the opportunity," Rose told reporters in Minnesota earlier in the day. "Talking to Thibs, he sounds like he's going to give me the opportunity, so it's all about learning the guys and fitting in at the right time."Minnesota will be the fourth team Rose plays for and technically his fourth franchise in the last 11 months. Rose spent his first eight NBA years in Chicago, five of those with Thibodeau as his coach. He was with New York last season and started this season with Cleveland,... [More]