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Billionaire #IsraelEnglander Bailed His Ex-Wife Out of Billions in Their Divorce 2023
Billionaire Israel Englander bilked his ex-wife out of billions in their divorce, according to court documents. The investor allegedly waged a yearlong campaign against his wife and her new girlfriend to interfere in their lives, the lawsuit alleges.
He controlled Caryl’s access to her money by getting her to sign documents without her own lawyer to look them over and sought to isolate her from the family, including outing her relationship with Levi to their children and calling the girlfriend a “viper,” claims court papers. He also hid the true value of their wealth and promised to leave Carol and Levi alone if she signed his proposed divorce settlement in November 2020, against her friends’ and lawyers’ advice.
Englander is a billionaire who owns Millennium Management, a hedge fund. He started the firm with $35 million in seed money and has built it into a massively successful business. The firm has more than $39 billion in assets under management and is known for its aggressive trading methods.
Israel “Izzy” Englander was always interested in the financial markets and began trading stocks as a teenager. He later founded his first brokerage house in 1977 and eventually moved on to start his own hedge fund.
In 1988, with $35 million in seed capital, he opened Millennium Management and has since grown the company more than 1,000-fold. It’s now one of the world’s most influential private funds.
While Englander is still active in the stock market, he also enjoys spending time at home with his wife and three children. They have two penthouses in a duplex building on Park Avenue in Manhattan.
The couple’s two penthouses each have floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace with spa-like amenities. They’re painted in muted pastels and decorated with Caribbean-inspired furnishings.
Aside from his lucrative career, Israel Englander has been known for being a generous philanthropist. He has donated millions of dollars to Jewish organizations and schools. He also serves on the boards of Weill Cornell Medical College and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty.
In addition to his work in the financial industry, Englander is also a successful collector of art and jewelry. He and his wife Caryl made the list of Art News’ 200 Collectors for several years.
When they are not traveling the world, Israel and Caryl spend a lot of time at home, enjoying their two penthouses in New York City. They have a family room, three bedrooms, and an office.
They are also a proud parent to three children. Laura Englander Levin is the only child who has been publicly identified, but there are two others.
Israel Englander has spent millions of dollars on his home. He purchased a duplex co-op on Park Avenue for $71.3 million in 2014.
Israel “Izzy” Englander is a successful investor and hedge fund manager. He founded Millennium Management with his partner Ron Shear in 1989, and since then it has grown into an empire worth almost $40 billion in assets under management.
The company returns an average of 17% annually, and it has become one of the largest hedge funds in the world. However, it is not without its share of controversy and scandals. The firm was exposed to a number of financial scandals, and the firm had to file for bankruptcy in 2004.
In the meantime, his ex-wife Caryl Englander filed a lawsuit against him for allegedly bilking her out of billions in a divorce settlement. She claims in the court documents that he hired private investigators, hacked her emails and called her a “viper” during talks with their children.
He also tried to separate the couple by using spurious calls to report her to the NYPD for child abuse, and embarked on a media smear campaign. He also attempted to ruin her reputation in the art world by slandering her to senior representatives at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the filing states.
But the biggest blunder in Englander’s career was probably his efforts to get rid of his wife and daughter. He reportedly made bogus allegations to child services in New York, which showed up at her home and conducted multiple checks of her kids — who were 7 and 14 years old at the time — making them strip for bruises.
Ultimately, this ruined the relationship between her and her son, and it was all because of Israel Englander. He had a team of spies and lawyers working on the case, and he used them to try and intimidate his ex-wife into signing a settlement that would give him more than 95% of their marital assets, according to the court papers.
In the end, Englander ended up swindling his ex-wife and her daughter out of billions in a divorce settlement. The couple was devastated, but the settlement has been deemed unenforceable by the courts, and both women are seeking to unravel it in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
Israel Englander is an American investor and hedge fund manager who has a net worth of $11 billion. He is the founder of Millennium Management, a global investment firm that manages over $35 billion in assets.
Born in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights to an Orthodox Jewish family that migrated from Poland, Englander began trading stocks at a young age. He later went on to study finance at New York University.
He founded Millennium Management in 1989 with $35 million of seed money. Since then, the firm has grown that original investment more than 1,000-fold.
The company now manages more than $35 billion in assets, and is known for its multi-manager platform that feeds more capital to the traders who perform well and gets rid of those who do not.
According to court documents, Englander has a long history of bilking his ex-wife out of billions of dollars in divorce settlements. He has even been accused of ordering “near-constant surveillance” on his ex-wife and her children, who were 7 and 14 at the time of the divorce.
Caryl and her girlfriend, who has been described as one of the most influential art dealers in the world, claim that Englander tried to “destroy” their gallery by hiring a company to obtain confidential information from her business and falsely claiming she had committed tax fraud “to US authorities, seeking to provoke an unwarranted government investigation.”
Levy, who owns an Upper East Side gallery as well as galleries in London’s Mayfair and Paris, is one of the most powerful figures in the art market. She has filed suit against Englander over a number of issues, including trying to slander her to senior figures at Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
She also claims that Englander slandered her to the media, sending reporters tips about her alleged wrongdoing. And he threatened to stop lending her lucrative deals to auction houses if she continued to work with him.
While these allegations are speculative at best, they do show that the wealth of a billionaire can be deceptive. But what does that mean for a billionaire like Israel Englander?
The story of rags to riches is the stuff of Hollywood movies, but few hedge fund managers have made their way from poverty to billions as Israel Englander did. Using $35 million in seed money, Englander started Millennium Management in 1989 and built it into one of the world’s top hedge funds today with over $12 billion in assets under management.
In 2020, the hedge fund manager earned $3.8 billion in personal earnings and was the highest paid fund manager on Wall Street, according to data from Institutional Investor. He also landed the biggest payday of any hedge fund manager in 2020, with $10.2 billion in profits for investors.
But he used his wealth to bilk ex-wife Caryl out of billions in divorce settlement and ruined her art business, threatening to stop giving her lucrative work to auction houses if she kept working with him, the lawsuit claims. And he terrorized her and her girlfriend Dominique Levy by hiring private investigators to spy on them, the filing alleges.
His cronies conducted near-constant surveillance of the pair - including when they were in New York and traveling, the suit says. They also posed as journalists to try to get "dirt" on Levy from her current and former employees, the lawsuit claims.
As the couple’s relationship deteriorated, Israel “set out to terrorize them and force a break in their marriage,” the lawsuit states. He hid the value of their wealth and got Caryl to sign documents without her lawyer looking over them, the court documents say.
In addition, he tried to ruin her reputation by defaming her to senior reps at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the suit alleges. He also lied to US authorities and accused her of tax fraud, seeking to prompt an unwarranted government investigation into her, the filing claims.
The divorce settlement he negotiated in November 2020 was also “unconscionable,” the suit says. It rewarded Israel with more than 95% of the value of Caryl’s and Levy’s marital assets, as well as “near total control” over the few assets and funds that remain available to them.
Billionaire Israel Englander, co-founder of Millennium Management, is facing a lawsuit from his wife for what she claims was an "unreasonable" post-nuptial agreement. The lawsuit says he attempted to separate her from her two children, hired private investigators and embarked on a "fabricated" media campaign against them.
The billionaire also tried to ruin Levy's reputation by smearing her to senior reps at Christie's and Sotheby's, the filing alleges. He threatened to stop turning over her lucrative business to auction houses if she did not agree to his terms, it claims.
Billionaire Israel Englander allegedly conducted a yearslong campaign of pressure and coercion to force his wife Caryl to sign a post-nuptial agreement in November 2020 that would strip her of billions of dollars in joint marital property. The couple accumulated their wealth together over the course of their 40-year marriage, and now the 74-year-old billionaire is being sued by his wife for trying to bully her into agreeing to unfair terms.
The couple, who were high-society philanthropists, gave generously to hospitals and cancer charities, as well as Jewish organizations. They were also patrons of the arts, funding exhibitions at the Guggenheim and MOMA.
But their 40-year marriage deteriorated in 2016 following Israel’s “repeated unfaithfulness to Caryl,” she and her girlfriend claim in court documents. When the couple began dating, they say, Englander became enraged and tried to separate them, threatening to break up their relationship and leaving her in a $60 million penthouse on Park Avenue that Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez also call home.
He also tried to ruin Levy’s reputation in the art world by smearing her to senior representatives at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, even threatening to stop lending his lucrative deals to the auction houses if they continued to work with Levy. And he tried to get the media to attack her, court filings allege, by sending a Bloomberg reporter multiple inquiries about confidential business transactions that forced her to hire a media relations specialist.
In the meantime, he was aggressively following and surveilling the pair as they moved around New York and abroad. He hired private investigators to follow them, hacked their emails and interfered with their family lives, the lawsuit claims.
As part of this, he reportedly called child services to make bogus abuse allegations about the two women’s children. The agency showed up at their door with the NYPD on September 14, 2017, and conducted multiple checks on their children - then 7 and 14 - by stripping them of clothing to check for bruises, court papers claim.
The couple say the 74-year-old’s tactics caused them to be so traumatized they signed a divorce agreement that was unreasonable and a waste of their time, money and effort. They want a judge to void the agreement they made with Israel.
Israel Englander, a billionaire manager and businessman, is being sued by his wife Caryl for a "yearslong campaign of pressure and coercion" that led her to sign a post-nuptial agreement under duress. The suit seeks to overturn the agreement that was negotiated in November 2020, which strips Caryl of nearly all of their joint assets and funds.
In the filing, Caryl and her girlfriend, Swiss art dealer Dominique Levy, accuse Englander of terrorizing them and attempting to separate them from each other. The women say Englander hired private investigators, made spurious calls to report them to the NYPD for child abuse and embarked on a smear campaign against them in the media. He even gave reporters tips on alleged wrongdoing and falsely claimed that Levy committed tax fraud “to US authorities, seeking to provoke an unwarranted government investigation,” the suit alleges.
According to the suit, Englander also smeared Levy to senior figures at Christie’s and Sotheby’s and threatened to stop giving her lucrative art-dealing business to the auction houses if she continued to work with him. He also tried to weaponize the media against her, by sending a Bloomberg reporter several inquiries about confidential business transactions.
As a result, the women claim, they lost their jobs and businesses, were shut out of international galleries, and had their personal lives disrupted. They also accused Englander of trying to break them up by referring to Levy as a 'viper' and using 'near-constant surveillance' of the couple.
In addition to ordering surveillance, Englander also allegedly hacked their emails and 'interfered' with their family lives, including calling Levy a ‘viper’ while speaking to their children. He also allegedly hired private investigators and conducted multiple checks on their children at home and at school by making them undress to check for bruises, court documents said.
Billionaire Israel "Izzy" Englander has been sued by his wife for allegedly conducting a years-long campaign of duress against her.
He 'terrorized' her into signing a divorce agreement that concealed the true scale of their wealth, court papers allege.
The Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed Thursday by Caryl and her girlfriend, Dominique Levy, claims the billionaire hedge fund manager 'tried to bully' them into signing a divorce settlement that would hide their assets from a judge and give him almost complete control of their money.
He 'ordered near-constant surveillance of the couple, including accessing their phones and emails,' according to the filing. He also 'tried to destroy' Levy's gallery by hiring a company that got confidential information from her business, the suit alleges. And he 'tried to attack her reputation by smearing her to senior figures at Christie's and Sotheby's,' the lawsuit says, threatening to stop giving his lucrative business to the auction houses if she continued working with them.
In addition, the suit claims that he 'tried to arm the media against her, by providing them with tips on any wrongdoing she might be doing,' and'send Bloomberg reporters several inquiries about confidential business transactions, forcing her to hire a media relations specialist,' the filing states.
Throughout their relationship, the women accuse Englander of controlling their finances and'refusing to allow her to retain her own lawyer and check her own divorce settlement documents.'
As a result, they say he 'controlled Caryl's access to her money, hid her assets, and attempted to isolate her from her family.'
Their 40-year marriage began to deteriorate in 2016 when Englander'repeatedly' cheated on her, the filing argues. After she met her new boyfriend, he 'terrorized' the two to force her to break up with him, the filing said.
She and Levy are asking the court to void their 2020 divorce settlement. They say the agreement has given Israel nearly 95% of their fortune, and left them with 'nearly complete control of the few assets and funds available to Caryl.' They claim they were 'traumatized' by his tactics and that he had'received more than 95% of the value of their marital property,' and that he was 'desperate for him to intimidate her and Dominique to stop.' They are seeking restitution, attorney fees and costs, and damages for emotional distress.
Israel Englander is an investor, philanthropist, and hedge fund manager who has a reputation for being one of the world’s most famous and successful individuals. He co-founded Millennium Management with partner Ron Shear, which has grown to an empire worth almost $40 billion in assets under management.
He has also become well known for his philanthropic activities and a willingness to give back to the community. In 2006 he founded the Englander Foundation, which has provided $20 million in grants to Jewish schools and charities.
As for his personal life, Israel Englander is a devoted family man who has been married to wife Caryl for many years. He has three children with her, including daughter Laura Englander Levin, who is a doctor in Manhattan.
The couple grew apart in 2016, when Israel became unfaithful to Caryl. He allegedly then set out to terrorize her and her new girlfriend, Swiss art dealer Dominique Levy, in order to force her to sign a post-nuptial agreement under duress, the suit alleges.
According to the suit, Israel had her followed and surveilled by former cops and private investigators as she was out and about. He then allegedly used his “near-limitless wealth” to launch an “all-out campaign of duress” that led her to sign the post-nuptial agreement.
In the suit, Caryl claims that she was so traumatized by the alleged campaign that she agreed to sign the post-nuptial agreement because she was desperate for Israel’s harassment to stop. She also claimed that Israel “instigated a yearslong campaign of pressure and coercion” that led her to sign the agreement.
After she signed the agreement, she claims that she was then told by her husband that she had to pay him over 95% of the value of their marital assets if she wanted to remain in their home and business. He was also able to control her finances and even threatened her with divorce should she break the terms of the agreement.
In a bid to settle the lawsuit, Israel Englander is seeking to pay for the settlement and even admit to certain indiscretions. He is also willing to use his investors’ money to help cover the costs of any settlement, people familiar with the matter tell Fortune.
The Philadelphia 76ers have traded two-time All-Defensive pick Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers. In return, the Sixers have acquired Charlotte Hornets wing Jalen McDaniels and multiple second-round picks.
This move is consistent with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s desire to have more players who can play two-way. It also helps Philadelphia get below the luxury tax threshold this season.
The Sixers made just one trade on deadline day, a swap of Matisse Thybulle for Jalen McDaniels. It was a good deal, and it got the team under the luxury tax threshold. However, it’s not a major move that will significantly impact the future of the team.
Thybulle, who is averaging career lows this season in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, was a stalwart defender for the 76ers and has been a top-five defender in the NBA in each of the last two seasons. He was a key part of Philadelphia’s defensive rotation during the postseason but had been declining recently, and his minutes were limited.
It’s possible the Sixers were simply not interested in re-signing him, and they may have decided it was time to move on. The Sixers also have some other wing options in the backcourt, including Georges Niang and Shake Milton. They may have wanted to add more depth to their bench and could have done so through a deal at the deadline.
Instead, they’re getting McDaniels, a 25-year-old wing from Charlotte who can help paper over Thybulle’s absence defensively while offering much more on the offensive end. The Sixers are in need of a wing who can be an immediate contributor in both scoring and rebounding.
With McDaniels, Philadelphia is receiving a promising young wing who’s been a good shooter throughout his four-year career. He’s also a very productive rebounder, bringing in 4.8 boards per game this season and helping to force turnovers at a high rate.
In addition, he’s been a strong defender on the perimeter, and he should be able to fill in for some of the Sixers’ shortcomings defensively (26th in offensive rebounding rate and 19th in defensive rebounding rate). He’s an intriguing young talent who should grow into a valuable three-and-D player over time.
The Sixers will also receive a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick in this deal, both of which come from Portland. The deal also dips the Sixers under the luxury tax threshold, so it will be worth keeping an eye on their future finances as the season progresses.
On Thursday morning, reports began circulating that the Philadelphia 76ers were working on a deal that would send fourth-year forward Jalen McDaniels to Portland and send the 25-year-old Thybulle to Charlotte. Eventually, a three-team trade was arranged and the 76ers will receive a 2029 second-round pick from Portland and a 2024 second-round pick from Charlotte, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
With Thybulle having struggled with his shot in Philadelphia, the team decided to take a step back from the former top-10 pick and give him some new scenery. He suited up for only seven games last season, and his shooting touch never developed to the point of making him a consistent threat from outside.
In this era of NBA basketball, a player’s ability to shoot from outside has become more and more important in the playoffs. That’s why the 76ers had a number of concerns over Thybulle’s ability to do that, especially when they were playing in a postseason setting.
It was also a concern about his lack of versatility. He’s a great defender, but his lack of shooting accuracy makes him a less than ideal option for a playoff-caliber team that specializes in defending the perimeter.
Now that he’s headed to Portland, Thybulle will have the opportunity to show he can be more than just an efficient defender and a below-average 3-point shooter. He’ll have a chance to develop into a more complete player, particularly if he plays for a team that has some serious playoff aspirations in the future.
The Blazers were in need of some rotation help as they entered the deadline. They bolstered their wing rotation by trading Josh Hart to the New York Knicks and acquiring Thybulle from Philadelphia.
In the process, the 76ers saved a little more than $1.275 million in cap space to put them below the luxury tax threshold and allowed them to sign McDaniels, who can play a variety of roles on the wing for a contender. While he’s not a high-volume shooter, his length and athleticism make him an intriguing option off the bench for a team that has some legitimate playoff aspirations.
Reports: Sixers add Jalen McDaniels trade Matisse Thybulle to Blazers in 3 talk specifically about 3.
The Philadelphia 76ers are making an early move ahead of the NBA trade deadline by acquiring guard Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets. This will enable the Sixers to eliminate salary and put their roster below the luxury tax threshold.
In the deal, the Hornets will receive Thybulle, a top-tier wing defender who can also play the point, as well as second-round picks in 2024 and 2027. The Blazers will also acquire McDaniels in the deal, which makes this a three-way trade.
With the Hornets moving forward in their rebuilding process, it makes sense to move Thybulle before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July. While his offensive numbers have been a work in progress, he’s still a good wing with a lot of potential to become an elite defender and a solid floor-spacer on the perimeter.
He’s a good fit off the bench for the Sixers, and he’ll help out Joel Embiid on the other end of the floor as long as he gets a good amount of minutes. His ability to create his own shot will make him a valuable option off the bench, and his ability to defend multiple positions should give him plenty of value on defense as well.
Despite being an unrestricted free agent, McDaniels can be re-signed with his Bird rights. That said, he hasn’t been a consistent threat from the perimeter and hasn’t shown much ability to get into the paint.
However, his ability to hit threes and dunk could be an asset for the Sixers as they try to improve their offense. His defense is also likely to be a positive in the long run, and he has experience playing with P.J. Tucker and Joel Embiid, so he should be able to add some versatility at the center position for the Sixers.
As for the Hornets, they’re now in a much better spot going forward as they look to build around their young core. They have a strong frontcourt that can be competitive, and their backcourt is led by LaMelo Ball. In addition, they have Svi Mykhailiuk and PJ Washington to complement their core.
The 76ers made a move at the trade deadline by sending role player Matisse Thybulle to Portland, while also acquiring Charlotte Hornets wing Jalen McDaniels. The move came in a three-team deal involving multiple second-round draft picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
A four-year veteran who was a key piece of last year’s playoff run, Thybulle has averaged a career-low 2.72 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.01 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season while playing 12.2 minutes. He will fit nicely into Portland coach Chauncey Billups’ defensive system, and his numbers should improve as he adjusts to the team’s new scheme.
In his fourth NBA season, McDaniels has improved from a role player to an All-Star, averaging a career-high 26.7 minutes and averaging 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 46% from 3-point range on 3.33 attempts per game. He’s a versatile two-way defender, and this trade could be a big win for the 76ers.
Meanwhile, the Blazers landed another veteran wing in Svi Mykhailiuk. Mykhailiuk has played in seven games this season, averaging 3.3 minutes while shooting a career-low 40% from three on 2.9 attempts per game.
Mykhailiuk is a good shooter, but he can also play off the ball as well. He’s not an excellent passer, but he can get a lot of easy buckets by combining his athleticism with his strong shooting ability. He also has a knack for turning the ball over at the wrong time, which can lead to turnovers on a consistent basis.
He was a major part of the Knicks’ 131-111 victory over the Capital City Go-Go on December 6 by registering 35 points (12-29 FG, 4-15 3Pt), 11 rebounds, seven steals and two assists in 37 minutes. He’s been a reliable low-end fantasy option this season, but he’ll need to be able to increase his workload if he wants to see regular minutes in the NBA.
Mykhailiuk, 26, has a $1.8 million expiring contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in July. He’s a decent prospect, but he’ll need to be willing to prove himself to the Raptors before he’ll be seen as a top-tier fantasy player.
Chicago Bulls star shooting guard Zach LaVine is a tough player to watch on the court. He is willing to play through injury and that’s admirable.
The two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion recently had fluid drained from his knee and an injection to ease soreness and swelling. Luckily, his specialist in Los Angeles found no significant damage to his knee.
Zach LaVine is an up-and-coming star in the NBA. He is a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion and was drafted #13th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014. The 21-year-old has quickly become one of the best young players in the league, thanks to his amazing athleticism.
He started his high school career at Bothell High School in Washington, and had offers from several schools including UCLA. He decided to play for the Bruins and received a full-ride scholarship. He also had a reputation as a hard-working student and has publicly stated that his father was a big part of his development.
In his freshman year at UCLA, he averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Despite his lackluster numbers, LaVine wowed scouts with his freakish athleticism and highlight-reel plays. He also became a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection.
After a few years in the minors, he got his chance to shine with the Timberwolves, and he had a solid start to his first season. He was able to prove his talent by averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Then, he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against the Detroit Pistons on January 14 and is expected to miss significant time. But thankfully, his MRI has come back clear and he has begun targeted therapy.
However, according to a source close to the situation, LaVine is set to undergo off-season surgery in the near future. This isn't ideal, but he should still be able to get a max contract this summer as long as there are no long-term issues with his knee.
As a result, the Bulls have been dealing with injuries at all levels this season. While it isn't a huge concern, LaVine has been playing heavy minutes and Chicago's depth is currently shot due to other players getting injured. It would be nice to see Chicago hit the buyout market and give their top players more rest.
When did zach lavine tear his acl?
It was a long and lonely road to recovery for LaVine, who was sidelined by knee surgery after tearing his left ACL in February. He didn’t get much support during his rehabilitation, spending time alone in a hotel and putting in long hours of physical therapy, icing and rehabilitative work.
After a promising start to his career, LaVine suffered an injury that cost him a year of basketball and slowed his development as a player. He was limited to just four games in 2020-21 and only appeared in one game in 2021-22, which he started with an injured ankle.
Despite missing a lot of games in the first part of the season, LaVine was still able to put up some solid numbers. He averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 47 games before he tore his ACL.
His injury was a major blow to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who needed him as a key piece in their quest to win an NBA title in the next few years. He had been on the rise in his third season with the Wolves and was poised to be a top-tier talent in the NBA for years to come.
He had a promising start to his third season, becoming a full-time starter in the league, and had been on pace for a career year in points and rebounds. But his injuries relegated him to the bench in the second half of the season.
That’s not to say LaVine isn’t a valuable player. He’s one of the best scorers in the league and has a dynamic shooting ability that can take a team to the next level. But he’s also had his share of injuries, making it difficult to know how healthy he will be heading into his fourth NBA season.
This summer, the Chicago Bulls will need to decide whether or not to keep LaVine and extend his contract for a new four-year deal. The 26-year-old is a talented scorer who could help the team reach new heights and earn his fair share of money in the process.
He had an amazing year with Chicago in 2020-21 and followed that up with another All-Star season in 2021-22. Zach is one of the most explosive players in the NBA and a great dunk artist. But a serious knee injury could have a big impact on his career and the Bulls might need to get a new big man in free agency this summer.
The two-time Slam Dunk contest champion suffered a knee injury in January that sidelined him for five games. An MRI revealed no structural damage to his knee, and it was expected that he would miss only a small amount of time.
After the MRI came back, LaVine began targeted therapy on his injured knee and was expected to be re-assessed by a doctor in the near future. According to NBC Sports Chicago, LaVine's injury was a torn ACL.
ACL tears are not easy to repair and require surgery. But LaVine is not one to let a setback stop him from achieving his potential. He is a dynamic scorer and an excellent shooter, and the Bulls need him in the lineup.
In addition to his scoring ability, LaVine is a good defensive player and can guard most positions. That's why he is so popular with the Bulls' coaching staff. He is also a great role model and mentor for younger players.
He grew up in Renton, Washington and played at Bothell High School. As a senior, he averaged 28.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He was a first-team All-Washington selection and a Parade All-American.
After he played at Bothell, LaVine transferred to UCLA for his freshman year of college. The Bruins offered him a full-ride scholarship to play for them.
As a freshman, he averaged 9.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He was a runner-up for the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award.
He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with pick number 13 in 2014. He spent three seasons with the Timberwolves before they traded him to the Chicago Bulls in 2021. He is currently a two-time All-Star and one of the best dunkers in NBA history. He is also a great teammate and has an excellent work ethic.
Zach LaVine, a two-time NBA Slam Dunk champion, has been struggling with a knee injury since the All-Star break. He has drained fluid and been given an injection to help ease the pain.
This isn’t a major issue for LaVine, however, as an MRI in January revealed that he doesn’t have significant structural damage to his knee. He will continue targeted therapy and will be reassessed next week to get a better timetable.
He is expected to be out until at least mid-April, but it’s unclear how long he will be out. He’s a player who wants to be on the floor at all times, and LaVine will need to work hard to stay healthy to play at his highest level.
The Chicago Bulls are hoping this is a minor setback, and that it won’t affect their ability to sign him to a max contract. That said, the knee issues LaVine has had should be a factor in any negotiations they have this summer, especially as he hits unrestricted free agency.
LaVine is a player who has been criticized for his poor defensive game in recent years, but he’s done a good job of working on that this season. He’s averaging 28 points and 5 assists per game, and he’s shooting 52 percent from the field and 43 percent on threes.
Despite his struggles this year, LaVine has shown a strong desire to be the best he can be. He’s worked tirelessly to improve his defense and he’s taken his game to a new level under Tom Thibodeau.
He’s also one of the best dunkers in the NBA, and he’s often compared to Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant, who were both elite players. He’s had some big games this season, including a career-high 42 points against the Celtics and 47 points against the Hawks.
He was born in Seattle, Washington, and is the son of Paul and CJ. His parents had athletic genes and he was raised watching Space Jam, a movie that inspired him to play basketball. He was a talented student and was recognized as one of the top freshmen in his college class at UCLA.
The Chicago Bulls lost to a Brooklyn Nets team that was cobbled together of mismatched pieces following the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
The loss was a reminder of just how bad the Bulls' 3-point shooting has been this season. They shot just 19 percent from behind the arc against the Nets, and Zach LaVine was the only player to hit more than two of his three attempts.
Despite starting the calendar year off as one of the NBA's top 3-point shooters, Zach LaVine has looked nothing like it since injuring his hand. His production has dipped to an average of 23.2 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from downtown over his last five games.
This has left LaVine in an awkward position with Chicago's coaching staff. He's had to play as the team's primary scorer at times, which has been a challenge because Chicago doesn't have any legitimate playmakers on the wing. Those issues have continued this season, and LaVine's lack of a consistent partner has caused him to be less efficient when paired with players that aren't great facilitators or off-ballers.
Over his 19 appearances this season, LaVine has a usage rate of 32.6%, a assist percentage of 93rd and a turnover percentage of 20th. He's also shooting a career-high 40.7 percent from two-point range, a huge jump from his 29.7 percent mark last year (which ranked in the 11th percentile among wings).
In that same time frame, LaVine has only managed to make six of his 13 three-pointers from beyond the arc. That's a far cry from his first six games of this campaign when he was taking more than 10.3 three-point attempts and feasting on catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Even though he's still getting more minutes than DeMar DeRozan, LaVine has struggled to produce in a lot of games this season. When Chicago was beaten hard by the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors in the last month, LaVine's plus/minus dropped to a negative 116 compared to DeRozan's positive 98.
The biggest issue is that LaVine hasn't been able to consistently make plays for his teammates in crunch time. In fact, he has had a few instances where he's been unable to find his teammates when they're open on the wing.
Those situations aren't the only reasons why he's not performing as well as he should be, but it's clear that his overall game is suffering due to his inability to consistently make plays for his teammates. That's a problem that can only be fixed with consistent practice and better shooting.
DeMar DeRozan is one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA. He's among the best in scoring, assists, rebounds and free-throw shooting in the league and has been a pillar of the Toronto Raptors' success. He's also an excellent playmaker who has helped the team reach a new level of consistency and depth this season.
DeRozan isn't a great 3-point shooter, but that doesn't mean he can't improve. He's one of the best midrange threats in the game, and his ability to drive the lane makes him a dangerous finisher.
There's an argument to be made that DeRozan could improve his three point shooting by working on his movement on the ball. He has a lot of different moves, including step backs going both direction, side steps and hops, turnarounds and more. He can still improve his shot by working on these, but it's important to keep in mind that he has a tendency to get slightly off balance and make poor decisions as he moves into his shooting motion.
This is a problem because the extra movement on the ball can make it difficult for him to find an open shot and can also increase his chances of fading away from the basket or to the side. It also means that he's not going to be as good of a finisher as he once was, which is not what we expect from an NBA player.
The fact that DeRozan is still averaging a career-high in points per game despite his struggles with three-point shooting is impressive, and it's largely because of his improved shooting ability from midrange. He has improved his true shooting percentage, which corrects for how much each shot is worth.
In his first year with the San Antonio Spurs, DeRozan recorded a true shooting percentage of 54.2%, which was 142nd among 199 eligible players at Basketball-Reference.
That number has improved steadily in each of the last two seasons, but he's still not an elite 3-point shooter. During the regular season, he only shot 5.2 threes per 100 possessions, which is far from a high number for an NBA player, and it's not clear how much that will change this season.
The Bulls are in desperate need of Nikola Vucevic to be more efficient offensively. While he’s been a top-five center in rebounding and assists this season, his shooting hasn’t been as consistent as it once was.
As a matter of fact, Vucevic has been one of the most inefficient 3-point shooters in the NBA over his career. During the season’s first seven games, Vucevic shot a combined 32.7% from three-point range, making just 12 of 116 attempts without the closest defender within 6 feet.
It’s a shame, as Vucevic has the frame to hit from mid-range, and he can also shoot off the dribble at a high clip. His biggest issue, however, is his inability to take open shots when he has them.
In fact, he was in the bottom five percent of players with at least six-foot-10 in the NBA during the 2020-21 season when it came to his percentages from downtown. This wasn’t a bad thing, but it’s still concerning for a player who could be the cornerstone of a team’s offense if he were to start taking shots from deep more often.
The reason is simple: Vucevic isn’t a good enough catch-and-shoot shooter or a quick enough runner off the pick & roll to make the most of his outside shooting. That’s why the Bulls have struggled to space the floor with him playing the pick-man or crashing the offensive glass.
What’s more, his overall shot efficiency is down from last year. He’s shooting a tad more from the 3-point line this year, but he’s still only converting on 57.5% of his attempts near the rim, down from 70.8% in 2018.
While he’s not as efficient as last season, there’s another positive to note: Vucevic isn’t taking as many wide-open 3-pointers. His “wide-open” rate, which is calculated by tracking how many of his three-point attempts were labeled as wide open, is down from 22.9% to 27.8% this year, an improvement that suggests he’s recognizing his spots more effectively.
As a result, he’s been able to increase his volume of three-point shots this season, which has led to better results. But while that’s nice, what’s most important is how Vucevic has converted his three-point attempts. If he can get his percentages back up, Vucevic could be the top-performing high-volume three-point shooter in the NBA.
When the Chicago Bulls came on the clock in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, a lot of teams wondered if Ayo Dosunmu was a one or a two. While he is a very talented defender and has a strong physical presence, Dosunmu is also a highly selective shooter that can be very difficult to get to the rim against.
While he still has work to do, Dosunmu is showing signs of being the type of player that can be a star in the NBA. His ability to be a great passer and to make sound decisions with the ball has been key to his success this season as he continues to prove himself as a high-volume shooter.
On the flip side, he's had trouble from the three-point line. In fact, he's made just 36.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc this season after making 42.9 percent of his shots in the first two months of the year.
The Bulls could do a lot to help Dosunmu improve his three-point shooting. This might involve more shot volume and more consistent three-point shooting from the guard position, but if they do that, Dosunmu would have a chance to be one of the best three-point shooters in the league at the age of 21.
This clip of Dosunmu getting the ball out to Nikola Vucevic with his defender on Covington is a perfect example of how he can create an advantage for the team with a quick decision. By taking the pass out of the hands of Covington, who is in a close-in lane, and passing it to Nikola Vucevic with an open lane, Dosunmu created an open look for Zach LaVine.
Another key component to the success of this play is Norman Powell. Despite Vucevic having a clear path to the basket, Powell is on his back under the basket helping to protect the rim. The quicker Dosunmu gets the ball out to LaVine, the better chance he has of shooting before Powell can recover.
It's no secret that Dosunmu is the type of player who can score and draw defenders with his quick decisions on the floor. That's why he's such a great fit for the Chicago Bulls at the point guard position. With DeRozan and LaVine on the court, Dosunmu has a chance to be a very productive and important part of the offense when he is at his best.