A Chicago Bulls castoff could come back to bite them. That is if Alfonso McKinnie is tapped to fill a void left after an unfortunate injury. The Bulls know that story all too well and, in fact, is how McKinney came to don the jersey of his hometown team.
McKinnie first debuted with the Toronto Raptors in the 2017-18 season after going undrafted out of Green Bay in 2015.
He began his career at Eastern Illinois spending two seasons there before transferring.
That journeyman lifestyle has followed him in the NBA. McKinney has suited up for five NBA teams – the Raptors, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavalier, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Bulls. Now, one NBA insider is suggesting the 6-foot-7 forward could be an option for the Boston Celtics who lost former Bulls free-agent target Danilo Gallinari to a torn ACL.
McKinnie an Option for Boston Celtics
“Another guy I like who doesn’t get a lot of attention was Alfonso Mckinnie, offer Heavy’s Sean Deveney during the “Celtics Collective” podcast. “I think when he gets a chance, he’s actually been a pretty good player. I’d like to see him get a chance…He had a pretty good year a couple of years ago with the Warriors when he got a chance.”
McKinnie made 72 appearances for the Warriors in 2019, mostly in a reserve capacity. He did draw five starts though.
Stephen Curry maneuvers through the defense to find Alfonzo McKinnie for 3! #NBABreakdown #NBAHandlesWeek
He has only drawn three starts in the three seasons (and teams) since.
“Really hasn’t had much of a chance to play since. He’s bounced around in some situations where he hasn’t been able to get on the floor. I like him whenever I watch him and I’m always wondering… why he doesn’t get more of a chance?”
McKinnie did see action in roughly half of the Cavs and Lakers games and got on the floor for the Bulls 17 times last season including those three starts.
He’s never put up gaudy stats with average career-highs of 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and fewer than 0.5 assists per game. But he can do the little things a team might need from the 12th man off of the bench.
C’s Out on Carmelo Anthony
There were reports that another potential target for the Bulls, Carmelo Anthony, was gaining traction on joining the Celtics in the wake of Gallinari’s season-ending injury. But Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports Boston is not as high on the idea as some might be thinking.
“Boston likes a lot of their internal replacement options from what I’ve heard and want to give those names the first crack at minutes.”
That would seem to make things easier for the Bulls if they wanted to sign him. The question is whether or not they should want to.
“Anthony did a respectable job turning into more of a role player during the last two seasons in LA and Portland but there’s a reason the Lakers (and everyone else) haven’t brought in at this point. He’s 38 years old and his teams have been at the bottom of the league in defensive rating for the last three years with him playing big minutes.”
Anthony, McKinney, and the Bulls
The Bulls could provide a better defensive framework around Anthony than either the Lakers or Portland Trail Blazers did over the last two years.
And if he wound up playing big minutes, the season will have already gone off the rails.
A kid from west-side Chicago ➡️ Balling out for the @ChicagoBulls
@CapitanesCDMX‘s Alfonzo McKinnie was raised in a “Bulls household,” and this season he earned the chance to suit up for his hometown team. Here are the highlights from his dream-come-true season. 👏
As for McKinnie, Robb’s assessment could mean that he is a longshot for the Celtics this coming season. But he could find his way back to the Bulls at some point as an end-of-bench injury replacement should they prove snake-bitten once again.
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Homegrown Former Bulls F Floated as Option for Title Favorite