CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls insist they remain committed to keeping coach Jim Boylen beyond this season and that he is delivering the way they anticipated despite their poor record.Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson says the Bulls "absolutely" plan to retain him. He says Boylen is doing the right things and is "promoting the right message to our players."The front office also took the blame for signing Jabari Parker last summer in a failed experiment. He was traded along with Bobby Portis and a protected 2023 second-round draft pick to Washington for Otto Porter Jr. on Wednesday.Paxson says signing Parker "didn't work out for either party."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Washington Wizards decided they needed to shake things up with All-Star point guard John Wall out for the season.Otto Porter Jr. is gone. Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis are in.Washington traded Porter to the struggling Chicago Bulls on Wednesday for Parker, Portis and a protected 2023 second-round pick."I know what he's capable of doing," the Wizards' Bradley Beal said. "He has the ability to go lead a young team now, so I know he'll do well there, or wherever he may end up. We'll welcome Bobby and Jabari and just keep moving forward."The Wizards changed up their front court in the aftermath of the news that Wall needs surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is expected to miss much — if not all — of next season. Wall already was sidelined because of an operation on his left heel.The trade also ends a failed experiment for the Bulls after Parker signed a $40 million, two-year contract with his hometown team. Chicago dropped to 12-42 with Wednesday night's 125-120... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Washington Wizards decided they needed to shake things up with All-Star point guard John Wall out for the season.Otto Porter Jr. is gone. Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis are in.Washington traded Porter to the struggling Chicago Bulls on Wednesday for Parker and Portis. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the move on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.The Athletic first reported the trade.The Wizards changed up their front court in the aftermath of the news that Wall needs surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is expected to miss much — if not all — of next season. Wall already was sidelined because of an operation on his left heel.The trade also ends a failed experiment for the Bulls after Parker signed a $40 million, two-year contract with his hometown team. Chicago dropped to 12-42 with Wednesday night's 125-120 loss to New Orleans.Porter had joined Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal to form a young nucleus of lottery... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Washington Wizards decided they needed to shake things up with All-Star point guard John Wall out for the season.Otto Porter Jr. is out. Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis are in.Washington traded Porter to the struggling Chicago Bulls on Wednesday for Parker and Portis. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the move on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.The Athletic first reported the trade.The Wizards changed up their front court in the aftermath of the news that Wall needs surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is expected to miss much — if not all — of next season. Wall already was sidelined for the rest of this season because of an operation on his left heel.The trade also ends a failed experiment for the Bulls after Parker signed a $40 million, two-year contract with his hometown team. Chicago entered Wednesday's game against New Orleans with a 12-41 record and 15 losses in 17 games.Porter had joined Wall and shooting guard... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls won't make any bold predictions about Year Two of their rebuilding project. They also won't deny that a growth spurt on the court for Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine would accelerate the process in a big, big way.The 23-year-old LaVine and 21-year-old Markkanen were front and center Monday, when the team held its media day amid cautious optimism for the season ahead."I want to see growth," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Last year guys made significant progress in their careers, but it's our job now to take that to the next level."That goes for Markkanen and LaVine in particular.LaVine, Markkanen and guard Kris Dunn were part of the Jimmy Butler trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves shortly after the 2016-17 season. They will be the linchpins of a more up-tempo offense that plays to their athleticism and one that Hoiberg prefers. Camp opens as the Timberwolves listen to trade offers for the unhappy Butler after just one season."(Butler) did a lot of really good... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was all smiles but had no jokes.The Milwaukee Bucks' All-Star forward was more business this time around: While he didn't indulge reporters by opening his media day session on Monday with a gag, as he had done in previous years, Antetokounmpo still flashed an infectious grin.Things are looking up for the Milwaukee Bucks as they move into a new arena this fall, with a new coach leading a team headlined by one of the NBA's bright, young stars.The organization once had billboards around the city that read "Own the Future." That future is here."You could make an argument that we're number 1, 2, 3, or 4" in the Eastern Conference, co-owner Marc Lasry said when asked about where the Bucks might fit in the conference picture. "I mean I think if we stay healthy and we play to our potential, we'd be one of the top two or three teams, so I think we're there."The Bucks have made slow, steady progress since an ownership group including Lasry bought the team in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jabari Parker recalled playing on the court with the Chicago Bulls' logo as a young child.It was at the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club where his dad was a supervisor and not the nearby United Center. But it sure felt big time to him."It was like our United Center, that gym," he said.Now, the United Center is his home arena.Parker agreed Saturday to a $40 million, two-year contract with the Bulls, hoping he can get his promising career back on track after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee two times in four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks."No better way to live a dream as a kid than playing down the street from where I grew up — the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club," Parker said Wednesday.The son of a former NBA player, Parker seemed destined for big things. He led Simeon Career Academy on Chicago's South Side to four state championships, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and when he committed to Duke, the announcement was televised nationally.... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jabari Parker and the Chicago Bulls agreed Saturday to a $40 million, two-year contract, bringing the talented and oft-injured forward to his hometown team.Agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the deal shortly after the Milwaukee Bucks rescinded their qualifying offer. That made Parker an unrestricted free agent, clearing the way for him to join the rebuilding Bulls.The 23-year-old Parker led Chicago's Simeon Career Academy to four state championships and starred for one season at Duke before the Bucks drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014.The Bulls are banking on him to stay healthy after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee twice in four seasons with Milwaukee."Jabari is a 23-year-old player who is a natural fit with our young core, and is a proven scorer at the NBA level," general manager Gar Forman said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming him back to his hometown."Parker has averaged 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds. His best season was... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jabari Parker and the Chicago Bulls agreed Saturday to a $40 million, two-year contract, bringing the talented and oft-injured forward to his hometown team.Agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the deal shortly after the Milwaukee Bucks rescinded their qualifying offer. That made Parker an unrestricted free agent, clearing the way for him to join the rebuilding Bulls.The 23-year-old Parker led Chicago's Simeon Career Academy to four state championships and starred for one season at Duke before the Bucks drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014.The Bulls are banking on him to stay healthy after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee twice in four seasons with Milwaukee."Jabari is a 23-year-old player who is a natural fit with our young core, and is a proven scorer at the NBA level," general manager Gar Forman said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming him back to his hometown."Parker has averaged 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds. His best season was... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jabari Parker and the Chicago Bulls have agreed to a $40 million, two-year contract, bringing the talented and oft-injured forward to his hometown team.Agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the deal Saturday after the Milwaukee Bucks rescinded their qualifying offer. That made Parker an unrestricted free agent, clearing the way for him to join the rebuilding Bulls.Parker led Chicago's Simeon Career Academy to four state championships and starred for one season at Duke before the Bucks drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014.The Bulls are banking on him to stay healthy after he tore a ligament in his left knee twice in four seasons with Milwaukee.Parker has averaged 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW YORK (AP) — Between the LeBron James guessing games and the Kawhi Leonard trade talk, it seems NBA shopping season is well underway.It's actually just about to start.Terms like salary caps and contract options have been in the news for weeks, so fans might have an understanding of what they all mean. For those who don't, here's an attempt to explain how this all works.Q: When does free agency start?A: It begins at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 1. So that's early Sunday morning for teams in the East, but Magic Johnson and the Lakers can actually start their recruiting on Saturday night.Q: When can deals start happening?A: Players and teams can agree to contracts immediately, but except for some limited exceptions, such as rookies inking their initial contracts, nothing can be signed until after the free agency moratorium period ends, which is noon EDT on July 6.Q: How is the salary cap determined?A: It's basically a formula based on basketball revenues. Last season's was $99.1 million, and... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks' coaching search is underway, with interviews starting as early as this weekend."For us we're on a really thought-out process," general manager Jon Horst said Friday. "It will start out immediately and we'll hopefully get to a great result at the end of it."Current coach Joe Prunty will be among those interviewed after the former assistant led the Bucks to a 21-16 record following the firing in late January of Jason Kidd. The Bucks said then that Prunty would get a shot to keep the job."Joe has earned the right to be part of this process. He will be," Horst said at the Bucks' training facility. "Now it's our job to not only focus on Joe but the other candidates that we're going to bring in and try to come up with a great result."The Bucks' job is attractive with a new arena opening in the fall and budding NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo leading a young core.Interviews could start as early as Saturday, Horst said, and there was no timeline to make... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks' coaching search is underway, with interviews starting as early as this weekend."For us we're on a really thought-out process," general manager Jon Horst said Friday. "It will start out immediately and we'll hopefully get to a great result at the end of it."Current coach Joe Prunty will be among those interviewed after the former assistant led the Bucks to a 21-16 record following the firing in late January of Jason Kidd. The Bucks said then that Prunty would get a shot to keep the job."Joe has earned the right to be part of this process. He will be," Horst said at the Bucks' training facility. "Now it's our job to not only focus on Joe but the other candidates that we're going to bring in and try to come up with a great result."The Bucks' job is attractive with a new arena opening in the fall and budding NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo leading a young core.Interviews could start as early as Saturday, Horst said, and there was no timeline to make... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo is trying to eliminate the drama around whether Jabari Parker will return to the Milwaukee Bucks.It doesn't sound like he wants Parker to leave as a restricted free agent."Jabari ain't going nowhere," Antetokounmpo said with a smile. "He's going to be here and he's going to be ready for the next season."It's just one of two big decisions facing the Bucks this offseason. They might be hiring a new coach, too.The organization has arrived at a crossroads. A new arena is opening in the fall, while Antetokounmpo is a budding NBA superstar because of the athleticism that earned him his "Greek Freak" nickname.However they proceed, the Bucks have grown beyond being a feel-good story. They've established a baseline of success with the Antetokounmpo-led group, having gone to the playoffs three times in the last four years.The next step is to get beyond the first round for the first time since going to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001. The best way to do... [More]

Joel Embiid expects his first playoff game in Philadelphia to be quite a scene."It's going to be lit," Embiid said.And if the 76ers win, there will be more games like it next week.The 76ers can become the first team into the Eastern Conference semifinals when they host the Miami Heat on Tuesday in Game 5 of the only East series that isn't tied.Also Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors get their second chance to eliminate San Antonio, and the Celtics and Bucks return to Boston for Game 5 of a series in which the home team has won every game.Embiid was still sidelined while recovering from a broken orbital bone around his left eye for the first two games in Philadelphia, then returned to help the 76ers win Games 3 and 4 in Miami.Now the 76ers, who just two years ago lost 72 games in one of the worst seasons ever while the Warriors were winning an NBA-record 73, can join the defending champions in the second round on the same night. The 76ers have advanced to the East semis just twice since... [More]

Joel Embiid expects his first playoff game in Philadelphia to be quite a scene."It's going to be lit," Embiid said.And if the 76ers win, there will be more games like it next week.The 76ers can become the first team into the Eastern Conference semifinals when they host the Miami Heat on Tuesday in Game 5 of the only East series that isn't tied.Also Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors get their second chance to eliminate San Antonio, and the Celtics and Bucks return to Boston for Game 5 of a series in which the home team has won every game.Embiid was still sidelined while recovering from a broken orbital bone around his left eye for the first two games in Philadelphia, then returned to help the 76ers win Games 3 and 4 in Miami.Now the 76ers, who just two years ago lost 72 games in one of the worst seasons ever while the Warriors were winning an NBA-record 73, can join the defending champions in the second round on the same night. The 76ers have advanced to the East semis just twice since... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A billboard down the street from the Milwaukee Bucks' nearly completed new arena makes a proclamation in big, bold letters: "The Future is Here."The rebuilding process is over. Winning a playoff series could make that message resonate as loudly as a Giannis Antetokounmpo rim-rattling dunk ."I think it's crucial," Bucks President Peter Feigin said about the confluence of the playoffs and new arena. "We're at a point ... we want to go into the new arena for lots of reasons in a sold-out capacity. That would be the way to usher in a new arena and really have demand and a peak."Part of that is performance and how successful we are on the court," Feigin said.The seventh-seeded Bucks have work to do to climb out of a 2-0 deficit to the second-seeded Boston Celtics. Game 3 is Friday night in Milwaukee."We have to protect home court," guard Jason Terry said after the 14-point loss in Boston on Tuesday.The Bucks haven't won a playoff series since a team coached by George Karl reached... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers look loose and sound confident.They were laughing, smiling and joking around at practice Thursday as turned to a new task — protecting their home court this weekend against LeBron James.Sure, his sensational 46-point, 12-rebound effort in Game 2 exposed flaws in Indiana's defense and allowed Cleveland to even the series, but it sure didn't shake the faith of the fearless Pacers."It's a good sign when you lose by three and the best player in the world has a game like that," Indiana point guard Darren Collison said.The Pacers shouldn't be rattled.They are 4-2 against the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs this season, fought back from an early 18-point deficit Wednesday with Victor Oladipo in foul trouble and still had a chance to tie the score on Oladipo's wide-open 3-pointer with 27 seconds left.They still can seize control of the series by winning the next two in Indianapolis.To avoid such a plight, the Cavs could give their star player... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — By now, the Boston Celtics have come to expect adversity.They were barely five minutes into the season when Gordon Hayward's gruesome ankle injury offered the first collective gasp in what would be an 82-game schedule replete with more head-shaking moments.The most recent setback, season-ending knee surgery for Kyrie Irving, left teams in the East almost hoping for a chance to face the wounded Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.Boston enters as the No. 2 seed. But it is certainly vulnerable opposite a seventh-seeded Bucks team with which it split four games this season. Milwaukee is led by one of the league's budding young talents in 23-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo.If there is a silver lining for the Celtics it's that they went 14-8 without Irving for the last 22 games."It's forcing our group to grow up quicker than maybe some of our guys were supposed to," forward Al Horford said. "I think that this is a great opportunity that we have in front of us. We've really... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo's meme-worthy scowl started with a look in the mirror.The Milwaukee Bucks All-Star was an NBA rookie then, trying to come up with a look he could flash after making a big play. Antetokounmpo thought about the glare his mother would throw his way when he misbehaved as a child. It took about a week to perfect as he struck poses in front of the mirror."Now it comes easy. You've just got to put your nose up like this," said Antetokounmpo, wrinkling his face after a recent practice.It can look so much more intimidating on the court.As Antetokounmpo's skills reach new heights, so does his confidence as he enters his third career postseason. The Bucks open their first-round series against the Celtics on Sunday in Boston."You don't think. It's just second nature. You're just playing now," Antetokounmpo said. "There are points when you're young, you're scared to make the wrong decision late."This is no longer the gangly, 6-foot-11 forward who would defer during... [More]