2023-24 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Why would we lose Reaves?

 

Maybe we are going with a big 3 guard lineup around Lebron and AD. IDK

 

He averaged 17 and 6 while shooting 41% from 3 in less then 17 games (give or take) while playing 30 mins. He helped us out in that stretch to get to the playoffs. He had some good games in the playoffs in the 1st 2 rounds and yes he sucked it big time against Denver but i would prefer to see him get more time to play with Bron and AD before im ready to kick him off the team again.

Each season is different so the West is not going to be like last season but I would rather build some chemistry and keep the team that got us into the Western COnference finals then to bring in some new players and see if they have any chemistry playing together. We've been down both roads and consistency has always won out.

 

I never said that he was a scrub. We picked him 2nd, I know he has talent. He's not a Championship caliber PG IMO Our title window is extremely short, I'd rather not have a guy, that disappears like that in my rotation. He's no rookie by any means. D'Angelo could work at a lot of places, not one trying to win a chip IMO.

 

He doesn't need to be Kyrie to at least be a starting pg on a championship team, he just needs to learn how to play with Lebron and AD. It won't take much but i need to see more then 15 games before i judge him and throw him off the team. FOr the record i think he can be a starting pg on a champioship level team but he can't be your 1st or 2nd best player but if he can build some chemistry with Reaves, Lebron and Ad then he will be just fine.

 

He doesn't need to be Kyrie, he needs to be a solid player, and play his role. He didn't do that, and he hasn't stepped his game up in the playoffs, in his career. He was available for a reason. If D'Angelo was a 12-13M dollar player, that's acceptable, at 20Mplus, we need more from him than what he brings to the table. There are other guys in the league that could fit with LeBron, AD or Austin, it's not just him.

 

Well he's already not happy they kept the picks. Unless they pull multiple rabbits out of the hat....

 

Whatever man- you claimed the entire time that Brick was here that his salary didn’t matter.

 

What?! this past playoffs he had some good games in the 1st and 2nd round to get us to the conference finals.......He put up 31/4/2 in game 6 vs Memphis, that my frend is stepping up in a important playoff game. That whole series he put up good numbers in our 4 wins as well as playing good in our 4 wins against the Warriors.

I think playing with winners like Bron and AD really brought up his game and he can play better in the playoffs. Time will tell.

 

Does that mean Swider and Pippen are out?

I heard someone mention there are 3 two-way contracts per team now in the new CBA, but not sure if that’s true/already in effect

 

Huff replacement …. I guess?


2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster



12ColinCastleton

• Position
  
  Forward
• Height
  
  6-11
• Weight
  
  250
• Class
  
  Fifth Year
• Hometown
  
  Deland, Fla.
• High School
  
  Father Lopez Catholic
• Twitter
  
  Castleton_
• Instagram
  
  Castleton_

• Bio
  
• Related
  
• Stats
  
• Historical

Biography
Overview

• Graduated in Fall 2022 with a degree in education sciences.
• Three-time All-SEC performer who has averaged 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots over his three seasons with the Gators.
• His 194 career blocked shots rank third in Florida history, and his 2.49 blocked shots per game are a Florida record.
• The 55th member of Florida’s 1,000-point club, wrapping his career with 1,165 points scored, just the second transfer to pass that threshold.
• A difference-maker who played with passion on both ends of the floor.
• Posted 19 double-doubles and 16 20-point games, including a pair of 30-point performances. He tallied a career-best 33 points vs. Kennesaw State.
• A versatile big man with a polished offensive post game who is also a high-level shot-blocker.
• Florida native who the Gators recruited out of high school.

Honors

• 2023 USA Today Defensive Player of the Year
• 2023 All-SEC (Coaches 1st Team, AP 2nd Team)
• 2023 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2022 All-SEC (Coaches 2nd Team)
• 2021 Orange Bowl Classic MVP
• 2021 Fort Myers Tip-Off MVP
• 2021 All-SEC (Coaches 2nd Team)
• SEC Player of the Week (1/4/21; 2/1/21)

2022-23, Grad Season

• Averaged 16.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and a Florida-record 3.0 blocked shots per game.
• Named USA Today SEC Defensive Player of the Year, also earning first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors from the coaches and AP second-team All-SEC recognition.
• His 78 blocked shots rank as the third-highest single-season total in UF history.
• Three games with 25 points and 10 rebounds this season, while no other Gator since 1996 has more than one such game in their career.
• Scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half of Florida's victory over #2 Tennessee, also leading the Gators with nine rebounds.
• His 29 points at #3 Alabama matched his most points in an SEC game (2/22/22 vs. Arkansas).
• Posted 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and one steal at Kentucky, the first player to hit those marks vs. an SEC team since Dwyane Wade did so vs. UK in 2003.
• Earned SEC Player of the Week after posting, 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots vs. #20 Missouri, the first SEC player to post that line in league play this century. That performance was preceded by an 18-point outing (12/15 FT) at LSU.
• Stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, seven blocked shots and five assists vs. Georgia. Castleton is the only Gator since the 1996-97 season to post seven blocks and five assists in a game.
• Scored 19 of his 25 points at FSU in the second half, leading the Gators back from 19 down to complete the fourth-largest comeback in UF history.
• Exploded for a career-best 33 points vs. Kennesaw State, stuffing the box score with nine rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals.
• Tallied 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots vs. FAU, the first Gator with a 30-point double-double since Joakim Noah (3/1/06).
• He posted the ninth back-to-back 30-point games by an individual in UF history, the seventh player to do so and the first since Anthony Roberson (Jan. 12 and 15, 2005).
• Had four straight 20-point games, including a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double at #3 Alabama, before suffering a season-ending broken hand on Feb. 15 vs. Ole Miss. He had also led the Gators in scoring in eight consecutive contests.

2021-22, Senior Season

• Earned coaches second-team All-SEC honors, leading the Gators with 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, also blocking 62 shots.
• Had a pair of big games against Auburn, first posting 22 points and 10 rebounds on the road then 19 and 8 at home in a win against #2 Auburn.
• Went for a career-high 29 points, including 9-for-10 from the free throw line, vs. Arkansas.
• Named MVP of the Fort Myers Tip-Off with 16 points vs. Cal and a double-double against Ohio State.
• Picked up Orange Bowl Classic MVP honors with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Gators’ win vs. USF.
• Matched a career high with eight blocked shots at South Carolina.
• Earned SEC Player of the Week honors the first week of the season after becoming the first Gator since Joakim Noah to have a 15-point, 15-rebound, five-block performance, going for 15/16/6 in the win vs. #20 Florida State.
• He posted 15 points and 15 rebounds against Texas A&M after having 15 and 16 vs. Florida State, becoming the fourth Gator with multiple 15/15 games since 1996, along with Marreese Speights, Al Horford and Udonis Haslem.
• Blocked six shots in back-to-back games in the first two games of the season, the second time in his career he has swatted six or more in consecutive games. He is the first Gator since Dwayne Schintzius (Dec. 1987) to do so.
• Scored 17 of his 18 points vs. Elon in the first half, and his six blocked shots set Florida’s opening-night record.

2020-21, Junior Season

• Earned second-team All-SEC honors by the league’s coaches as he ranked second on the Gators in scoring a 12.4 points per game and led the team with a 6.4 rebounding average.
• Two-time SEC Player of the Week, the seventh Gator in program history to earn the honor multiple times in a season and just the second frontcourt player to do so, along with Joakim Noah.
• Castleton’s 2.25 blocked shots per game ranked second in the SEC and marked a top-five performance in Florida history behind only Dwayne Schintzius, who holds the top three single-season marks, and Joakim Noah.
• Ranked eighth in the SEC in offensive rebounds (2.5) and 12th in rebounding (6.4).
• Had a six-game stretch with 28 blocked shots (4.7 average), including an eight-block performance against Ole Miss that was the most by a Gator since Dwayne Davis’ record-setting nine blocks vs. New Orleans (12/27/89).
• Castleton became the sixth player over the past 25 years to post in an NCAA Tournament game at least 19 points, 14 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists, joining Zion Williamson, JaJuan Johnson, Kevin Love, Nick Collison (three times) and Tim Duncan, recording that stat line in the overtime win vs. Virginia Tech
• Led Florida to a win at No. 11 West Virginia with 21 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots, shooting 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Scored 15 in the second half while helping limit Derek Culver to seven points on 1-for-5 shooting after the break.
• Had a breakout performance in the win at Vanderbilt with 23 points on 11-for-13 shooting, including five dunks. It marked the best field goal percentage performance on the road in SEC league play (10+ makes) in five seasons (Damian Jones, Vanderbilt, .923, 2/23/16 at Florida). His 17 second-half points alone topped his previous career best of 14, set at Michigan (vs. Houston Baptist).
• Followed that up with a 21-point game vs. LSU, including 19 in the second half. Castleton scored the Gators’ first 15 points after halftime over a six-minute span against the Tigers.
• Posted 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots in the win vs. Ole Miss, including 14 second-half points. He is one of two major conference players (Mo Bamba) to post a 20/10/8 stat line in league action over the past decade. He was the first SEC player to achieve a 20/10/8 stat line in conference action since Ole Miss’ Ansu Sesay vs. Mississippi St. in 1997.
• Followed up his eight-block outing vs. Ole Miss with six swats at Mississippi State, becoming the first SEC player with six-plus blocks in back-to-back games since LSU’s Jordan Mickey on Jan. 14 and 17, 2015.
• Fought off double-teams all game to post 14 points and a career-best four assists in the win at Kentucky.
• He is the only Gator during the Donovan/White era (1996-present) to post 20+ points in three of his first five career SEC games. He is the fifth player to do so over the first five SEC games of any season throughout their career, joining Erving Walker, Taurean Green, Anthony Roberson and Brett Nelson.

2019-20, Sophomore Season (Michigan)

• Averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds off the bench, shooting .533 from the field.
• Had a career-best 14 points vs. Houston Baptist and added double-figure scoring performances against Nebraska (11) and Iowa State (10).

2018-19, Freshman Season (Michigan)

• Had 19 appearances and averaged 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds.
• Grabbed five rebounds vs. Chattanooga.

Prep

• Averaged 24.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game as a senior at Father Lopez Catholic, finishing in the top 10 for Florida’s Mr. Basketball and earning FABC 7A Player of the Year and Daytona Beach News-Journal Player of the Year and Orlando Sentinel 7A Player of the Year.
• Three-time Daytona Beach News-Journal and Orlando Sentinel All-Area team honoree.
• Averaged 23.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.4 blocks as a junior in 2016-17.
• Averaged 15.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks as a sophomore in 2015-16.

 

Yup, it’s true for this season. Trevor Lane or Sean Davis mentioned it during their live Draft Show.

 

Yes!
From the “Key and Peele East vs. West Bowl” to your Los Angeles Lakers!

 

D'Angelo has his own thread, it's been kinda beaten to death over there. You have to win 4 series in order to win a Championship, not two. We can sugar coat it all we like, but he just flat out disappeared in the Conference Finals period. 32% from the field and 16% from 3, isn't going to cut it from our starting PG.

Our title contention window is very short, he might play better and he might not. I'd rather use his, and Malik's salary slots on someone else. It doesn't have to be a star, however he was paid like a star last season. I'd take Monte Morris and Gafford for D'Angelo. There are other combinations that I like too. I don't think he and Malik are the answers that we seek. We'll see what happens next month. They are other guys in the League that could fit next to Lebron and AD too.

 

Lonzo out for the season. Maybe the Bulls could use a PG?

The loudest statement on a relatively quiet draft night for the Chicago Bulls came when chief basketball executive Artūras Karnišovas announced Lonzo Ball will miss the 2023-24 season. Here’s what you need to know:

• In March, Ball underwent a third surgery in 14 months on his right knee to address chronic soreness.
• He missed the 2022-23 season because of the injury, and after this latest procedure — a cartilage replacement — there are questions of whether Ball will ever play again.
• “He’s recovering nicely,” Karnišovas said Thursday night. “I think last month he got off the crutches. He’s recovering, doing his rehab, everything is going well. Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season. And he’s going to continue on his recovery.”

What else Karnišovas said
Karnišovas said, “If (Ball) comes back, it would be great.”

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“But we’re just going to treat this offseason and getting ready for the season (like) he’s not going to be back next season,” he continued.

Ball appeared in his final game on Jan. 14, 2022. Asked whether he envisions Ball playing another game for the Bulls, Karnišovas said it is his hope.

“I hope, eventually, you’re going to see him on a basketball court,” Karnišovas said. “But I do not think he’s going to be back next season.”

Karnišovas said the Bulls will target a point guard and shooting in free agency, effectively conceding that the franchise must move forward with a plan that does include Ball.

Karnišovas said the franchise does not intend to waive Ball and use the league’s “stretch” provision to lessen the team’s salary cap responsibility. When asked about applying for the disabled player exception, which gives the franchise more spending power to acquire a player, Karnišovas did not rule out the possibility.

“We’ll meet up as a group and we’ll decide what we’re going to do,” Karnišovas said.

“There’s a lot of work to do. We have to get better.”

Required reading

• What should Bulls do with Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević?
• Bulls’ Artūras Karnišovas remains on hot seat: What can he do to lift Chicago out of mediocrity?
• The 7 Bulls most impacted by Lonzo Ball’s murky future

(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)