Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report

March 23, 2017

By Wiley Ballard –

Chris Bosh has been dubbed “the NBA’s most interesting man” by Business Insider… Iman Shumpert moves to the bench before Cleveland’s playoff run … Thaddeus Young and the Indiana Pacers chase peculiar NBA record … All of that and more can be found in this week’s Nissan #ProJackets Report.

Chris Bosh took a strong stance amidst the controversy of NBA players sitting out primetime games for the sake of rest saying, “If you can play, go out there and play.” It’s been more than a year since Bosh’s last NBA game, but his day-to-day has hardly become monotonous. In addition to his role as a studio analyst on TNT’s Players Only package, the 32-year-old has spent the past year refining his guitar skills. Just yesterday, Business Insider called Bosh “the NBA’s most interesting man.” When asked about his future, Bosh glowingly explains, “I think that’s, like, such an exciting thing. I felt like I was chosen to play basketball when I was younger… [but now] that’s totally up in the air.”

Will Bynum suited up just once for the NBA D-League’s Windy City Bulls last week. Bynum added nine points and five assists in 27 minutes in a four-point loss against the Austin Spurs. On the year, the 34-year-old guard has averaged 14 points and 6.5 assists nightly. Windy City is back in action tonight hosting the Iowa Energy at 8 p.m. ET on Facebook Live.

Derrick Favors has struggled to stay on the floor in his seventh full NBA season. Through Utah’s 72 games, the 6-foot-10 forward has played in only 47. Favors has missed eight straight and battled bone bruises in both knees throughout the year. With only 10 games remaining, the Jazz sit on the precipice of their first playoff berth since 2012. After last night’s win over New York, Utah sits comfortably in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 44-28. No timetable has been set for the 25-year-old forward, but Utah’s next game is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

With five games remaining Marcus Georges-Hunt and the Maine Red Claws hold a four-game lead in the NBA D-League’s Atlantic Division. In a pair of wins last week, the rookie forward averaged 11.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists while earning a combined +31 plus-minus rating. In his first professional season Georges-Hunt has scored 16.4 points per game in 41 contests. The College Park, Ga. native will celebrate his 23^rd birthday next Tuesday with an 11 a.m. tip in Grand Rapids, Mich., but first the Red Claws are back in action this evening hosting the Canton Charge at 7 p.m. ET on Facebook Live.

The Chicago Bulls enter the homestretch of the NBA season 1.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Anthony Morrow took the floor for the first time in more than two weeks last night hitting one three-pointer in three minutes of action. The 117-105 win over Detroit gave Chicago its 34^th victory of the season. The Bulls host Philadelphia Friday before beginning a challenging seven game run that includes five road contests. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET.

Iman Shumpert moved back to the bench for Wednesday night’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Cleveland forward had started 29 games including 16 straight before J.R. Smith’s return to the starting five. Shumpert converted both of his attempts from the field in the loss despite playing only 17 minutes (his lowest total since November). With only a dozen games left in the regular season, the sixth-year veteran is shooting a career-best 41.3 percent while averaging 7.9 points per game. Shumpert and the East-leading Cavaliers are back in action tomorrow night against Charlotte at 7 p.m. ET.

The Indiana Pacers and Thaddeus Young have neither celebrated a winning streak nor maligned a losing streak in over a month. The club has alternated wins and losses in 15 consecutive games since snapping six-game losing streak in their first game following the All-Star break. Over the bipolar stretch, Young has averaged 7.9 points while shooting 53 percent from the field. With a win against Denver Friday night, Indiana would tie the NBA record for the longest non-streak streak. Meanwhile, Young has been labeled a bright spot for the inconsistent Pacers this season. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. for the seventh-place Pacers.

After a “rough year,” Chris Bosh has become the NBA’s most interesting man off the court https://t.co/xr0f01eGGE pic.twitter.com/mYDur5zCsg

— Business Insider (@businessinsider) March 23, 2017

Papa Bear, Mama Bear @MrsAdrienneBosh , and all of our Cubs! 🐻 #CampNixNox #BoshFamily #BoshTwins pic.twitter.com/GeLs19hiUn

— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) March 19, 2017