<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Alex-Caruso-reveals-harsh-reality-LeBron-James-has-to-face.jpg"></figure><h1>New Bulls guard Alex Caruso reveals harsh reality LeBron James has to face</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-17T22:00:17-07:00">October 17th, 10:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-17T22:00:17-07:00">October 17th, 10:00pm</time><address><a>Gerard Samillano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Being one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players of all time has to be draining. Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso knows this all too well. After all, he was in the presence of LeBron James for his entire career before he signed with his new team (<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-has-a-very-special-request-for-ex-teammate-alex-caruso/">forming a close bond with him in the process</a>). Now, the former Laker and NBA champion is looking to give the Bulls a piece of LeBron’s greatness.</p><p>In an <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2021/10/17/22731035/new-bulls-guard-alex-caruso-championship-pedigree-spreading">interview with the Chicago Sun-Times</a>, Caruso detailed how LeBron and his teammates’ work ethic impacted him, and what he hopes he can bring a little bit of to the Bulls:</p><blockquote>“Anytime LeBron is on your team, you’re playing for a championship. It’s not a secret. If he’s on your team, it’s pretty much like you go to the Finals and try to win a championship. If you don’t win it, it’s kind of a failure. That’s kind of the ridiculous status quo that he has put upon himself … Being around older guys who have been around the league and won championships like LeBron, Danny Green, [former Bulls guard] Rajon Rondo, you could just see there was a different type of mantra to them… It was something I was just fortunate to be a part of.’’</blockquote><p>LeBron James teams are well-known for attracting players looking to win championships. However, being around him means needing to compete at his level as well. That means taking everything seriously. Caruso is familiar with this presence LeBron has: he was molded by this goal every day being around him and his greatness. Now, with the silent lesson LeBron and the Lakers have given him, the Bulls guard is looking to help his current team succeed as well.</p><p>The Bulls are a promising team heading into the season. With new veteran DeMar DeRozan and talented point guard Lonzo Ball joining Zach LaVine, they are the dark horse of the Eastern Conference. Caruso’s championship pedigree might just be what the Bulls need to take the next step, and it’s all thanks to LeBron.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

New Bulls guard Alex Caruso reveals harsh reality LeBron James has to face

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/LeBron-James-speaks-out-on-potential-Alex-Caruso-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star LeBron James speaks out on potential Alex Caruso 2.0</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-15T21:48:14-07:00">October 15th, 9:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-15T21:48:14-07:00">October 15th, 9:48pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers might have found their Alex Caruso 2.0 in Austin Reaves, and he’s LeBron James approved.</p><p>Reaves has impressed the Lakers throughout training camp and preseason, leading the team to convert his two-way contract to a standard one. Apparently, LeBron himself has taken notice of the undrafted rookie, and he shared some huge praises for the 23-year-old guard.</p><blockquote>“He’s an NBA player. He can play at this level. I watched a lot of film on him when we (signed) him. His size … shot making ability …passing … High IQ kid, and he has a lot of dog in him,” LeBron said of the Lakers newcomer, per <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersReporter/status/1448161718580834307" rel="noopener">Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet</a>.</blockquote><p>For what it’s worth, it sure looks like LeBron James sees some Alex Caruso in Austin Reaves. The Lakers leader couldn’t help <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-lebron-james-reacts-to-hilarious-alex-caruso-meme-on-twitter/" rel="noopener">but react in a recent viral meme</a> about Caruso blessing Reaves with his “honorary to go plate”–of which James laughed at.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/kdhzR2mL9l" target="_blank">https://t.co/kdhzR2mL9l</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1448871339234762752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">October 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Of course a lot of Lakers fans are still crying over the departure of Caruso, especially since the franchise really didn’t make great efforts to retain him because of their financial constraints. With that said, perhaps it’s only natural for fans to look for that next underrated guy to cheer on.</p><p>Reaves certainly fits that bill, and there’s no doubt he brings a lot to the table. Like what LeBron said, he could very well be that energy guy off the bench that brings pesky defense and dog mentality to the court when called upon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star LeBron James speaks out on potential Alex Caruso 2.0

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/LeBron-James-reacts-to-hilarious-Alex-Caruso-meme-on-Twitter.jpg"><figcaption>October 14, 2021</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to hilarious Alex Caruso meme on Twitter</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-14T22:42:14-07:00">October 14th, 10:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-14T22:42:14-07:00">October 14th, 10:42pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is loving every bit of this Alex Caruso-Austin Reaves meme that he saw going around on Twitter. After their preseason loss against the Sacramento Kings, the four-time MVP blew off some steam on social media and sprinkled a ton of laughing emojis after seeing a funny joke involving his former teammate Caruso and one of his rookies in Reaves.</p><p>The meme, which was posted by <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJosiah54/status/1448857888294801412">Wave TV’s Josiah Johnson</a>, featured former president Barrack Obama putting on a medal to current president Joe Biden. Per Johnson, this is how he pictures Alex Caruso blessing the Lakers rookie with his ‘honorary to go plate’. James had no choice but to <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1448871339234762752">LOL</a> on the bit:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/kdhzR2mL9l" target="_blank">https://t.co/kdhzR2mL9l</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1448871339234762752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">October 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Caruso, who signed a huge <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-alex-caruso-leaves-lakers-agrees-to-4-year-37-million-deal-with-chicago/">four-year deal</a> with the Bulls this summer, made a name for himself as one of the scrappy key players in the Lakers roster over the past few seasons. He’s a crowd favorite and Laker Nation was definitely a bit sad with their gritty guard heading to the midwest to play for Chicago.</p><p>But, James and the rest of the franchise are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakes-news-la-has-a-player-nicknamed-hillbilly-kobe/">excited</a> to welcome rookie Austin Reaves with open arms as the 6-foot-5 winger hopes to fill in Caruso’s shoes as a key energy guy in head coach Frank Vogel’s lineup. Coming off an impressive stint with the Oklahoma Sooners, Reaves ended up being left out in the 2021 NBA Draft and the Lakers were more than happy to snag him from the waivers and eventually sign him to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-rookie-austin-reaves-gets-1-of-las-2-open-roster-spots/">two-way contract</a> heading towards the ’21-22 NBA Season.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to hilarious Alex Caruso meme on Twitter

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/lakers-news-alex-carusos-epic-6-word-throwback-message-on-las-2020-championship.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso’s epic 6-word throwback message on Lakers 2020 championship</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-11T15:27:16-07:00">October 11th, 3:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-11T15:29:17-07:00">October 11th, 3:29pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers’ unprecedented title run inside the Orlando bubble. Alex Caruso, who is now with the Chicago Bulls, was an undeniably integral part of LA’s 2020 championship, which is why it is only fitting that he came out with an epic six-word message about that momentous occasion.</p><p>Caruso took to Instagram to share his thoughts on what he achieved with the Lakers exactly one year ago (h/t <a href="https://lakersdaily.com/alex-caruso-reflects-triumphantly-on-1-year-anniversary-of-lakers-winning-nba-title/">Sam Leweck of Lakers Daily</a>):</p><figure><img src="https://lakersdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/image.jpeg-e1633980367449.jpg"></figure><p>Caruso is absolutely right here. LA’s 2020 championship roster has pretty much been obliterated at this point. However, whatever happens, there is one thing that remains. They are the 2020 NBA champs, and as Caruso said, there’s nothing anyone can say or do to take that away from them.</p><p>Looking at the photo brings back a ton of memories. More than half of the people in the picture are no longer with the Lakers. Caruso himself has packed his bags and is now a proud member of the Bulls. This is despite the fact that the Kajers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-the-truth-on-alex-caruso-leaving-la-per-rob-pelinka/" rel="noopener">tried their best</a> to keep him in Hollywood.</p><p>Be that as it may, Alex Caruso will forever be part of Laker folklore. That too is something that no one can ever take away.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso’s epic 6-word throwback message on Lakers 2020 championship

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/image_2021-10-08_103727.png"></figure><h1>Bulls’ Alex Caruso gets honest on his GOAT-level fandom</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-07T19:41:04-07:00">October 7th, 7:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-07T19:41:04-07:00">October 7th, 7:41pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Caruso is in on the joke. The newest Chicago Bulls addition is fully aware that he’s become a cult hero during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also knows it wasn’t always just about his play.</p><p>The Bulls guard was candid about the fanfare he’s still receiving now that he’s playing for a team in another conference. Clearly the love for the Bald Mamba has traveled the two thousand plus miles from Los Angeles to Chicago.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ready for the CaruShow? <a href="https://twitter.com/ACFresh21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ACFresh21</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZzcHZKTavP" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ZzcHZKTavP</a></p><p>— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1445147660948811779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">October 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p><a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/bulls-fan-favorite-alex-caruso-dishes-passing-lebron-effect">Via</a> K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago:</p><blockquote>“Yeah, that’s just kind of my career at this point,” admitted the Bulls star. “Everybody just kind of likes watching me play.Whether they’re cheering for me out of sarcasm or actual fandom or whatever it is, it comes with it,” Caruso said. “I was a little surprised it was as loud when I first came in. I would like it to be a little more warranted with some success and winning. But hopefully we’ll get to that point.”</blockquote><p>What makes the fandom for Alex Caruso a little more complex is the fact that he’s an excellent performer on the court. He’s not just a novelty player – he’s been a proven contributor to winning. He’s doing the best he can to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-alex-caruso-takes-hilarious-jab-at-lebron-james-lakers/">get cheers for his play</a> rather than for his viral persona.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls’ Alex Caruso gets honest on his GOAT-level fandom

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/LeBron-James-LA-have-new-secret-weapon-after-Alex-Caruso_s-departure.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James, Lakers have new secret weapon after Alex Caruso’s departure</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-06T17:26:29-07:00">October 6th, 5:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-06T17:26:29-07:00">October 6th, 5:26pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It looks like LeBron James, Frank Vogel and the Los Angeles Lakers have found a new “secret weapon” after the departure of Alex Caruso. Apparently, Kent Bazemore has been impressive for the  Purple and Gold and has been turning heads since his arrival.</p><p>Vogel said as much on Wednesday, noting that Bazemore has “separated himself” from the rest of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/roster" rel="noopener">roster</a> with his incredible length and athleticism, per <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1445850212946247681" rel="noopener">Kyle Goon of OC Register</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Frank Vogel says Kent Bazemore has "separated himself some" because of his length and athleticism, which the coaching staff has felt is more impressive up close.</p><p>— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1445850212946247681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">October 6, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Kent Bazemore has always been known for his motor and athleticism, and it’s clear that those strengths of him are standing out in his second stint with the Lakers.</p><p>It remains to be seen how impactful he will be for Frank Vogel and Co., but there’s no doubt he gives the Lakers a much-needed depth at the wing. Much like Caruso’s role with the team in the past, Bazemore can certainly bring the same relentlessness, aggression and confidence on both ends of the floor. Not to mention that as a nine-year veteran, he brings leadership to the locker room.</p><p>Bazemore spent the past 2020-21 season with the Golden State Warriors, putting up 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He played 67 contests for the Dubs and started in 18, proving that he can step in and step up when his number is called upon.</p><p>With the way he is performing for the Lakers, Bazemore could very well play a crucial role for LA come the 2021-22 campaign. For his part, LeBron James and the rest of the Big 3 will surely be happy to have more quality players supporting them.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James, Lakers have new secret weapon after Alex Caruso’s departure

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image_2021-08-15_103142.png"></figure><h1>Bulls guard Alex Caruso takes hilarious jab at LeBron James, Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-10-01T05:37:10-07:00">October 1st, 5:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-10-01T05:37:10-07:00">October 1st, 5:37am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Caruso is ready to spread his wings. The former Los Angeles Lakers guard has made his way to the Windy City. The move to the Chicago Bulls also likely comes with an even bigger role for the five-year veteran.</p><p>Caruso may very well be asked to create more scoring opportunities and play on-ball more than he ever did with the Lakers. He’s shown to be a capable scorer in spurts, but he’s clearly not used to being that type of player just yet. While working on some offensive sets, Alex Caruso took the opportunity to take a playful dig at his former team.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/rob_schaef/status/1443642990271115266">Via</a> Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago:</p><blockquote>Bulls ran some dribble handoff drills during practice today, and Alex Caruso said an assistant coach pulled him aside to compliment him on his ability to fight through screens.“I said for three years that’s all I was allowed to do.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bulls Media Day is a wrap 🎬 <a href="https://t.co/Xg1GWXic8L" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Xg1GWXic8L</a></p><p>— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1442638734722220037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Lakers offense was centered around LeBron James, and for good reason. But this meant much less offensive responsibility for Caruso. He’s going to be asked to do much more than set screens for the Bulls, that’s for sure.</p><p>The mood around the Chicago Bulls camp has been filled with excitement and anticipation. With the arrival of All-Star DeMar DeRozan and a handful of veteran additions, the team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-chicago-plans-for-lonzo-ball-zach-lavine-will-work-perfectly/">looks poised to be</a> a dark horse contender in the Eastern Conference – with Alex Caruso serving as the glue holding them together.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls guard Alex Caruso takes hilarious jab at LeBron James, Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Bulls-Alex-Caruso-DeMar-DeRozan-Zach-LaVine-Lonzo-Ball.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso will surprise Chicago Bulls fans this season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-28T20:09:12-07:00">September 28th, 8:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-28T20:09:12-07:00">September 28th, 8:09pm</time><address><a>Allana Tachauer</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls pleased a lot of fans this offseason. Between bringing aboard powerhouses in Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan and continuing to speak on their commitment to hold onto Zach LaVine long-term, the front office certainly did what was necessary to position the team for immediate success, heading into the 2021-22 NBA season.</p><p>But one summer move that has perhaps flown a bit under the radar was acquiring Alex Caruso.</p><p>The 27-year-old Caruso went undrafted in 2016 after averaging 8.0 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 steals a game over four years at Texas A&amp;M University. His first touchpoint with the NBA was also not the most glamorous, having joined the Philadelphia 76ers’ Summer League team in 2016, signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and ending up in the NBA G-League via the Thunder’s affiliate squad.</p><p>But soon thereafter, Caruso slowly began to make a name for himself.</p><p>He joined the Los Angeles Lakers’ Summer League roster in 2017, which resulted in him being signed to a two-way contract after (now ironically) starting in place of an injured Ball, and helping the team win the championship in Las Vegas. This led to an October 19 Lakers debut against the Los Angeles Clippers, a ball club against which he later recorded then-career-highs of 15 points and seven rebounds.</p><p>Caruso then went even bigger versus the Clippers in 2018, after signing a second two-way contract with the Lakers. On April 5, he scored a new career-high 32 points and became the only Laker other than LeBron James to have a 30+ point, 10+ rebound, and 5+ assist game that season.</p><p>So in July 2019, it was time for a full contract. Caruso signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal and ended up landing himself a shiny championship trophy when the Lakers went 4-2 over the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals.</p><p>Supposedly, Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka tried his best to re-sign Caruso, who became an unrestricted free agent this past summer (via <a href="https://lakersnation.com/rob-pelinka-says-lakers-made-aggressive-attempt-to-re-sign-alex-caruso/2021/09/25/">Lakers Nation</a>).</p><blockquote>“We made an aggressive attempt to re-sign Caruso. You can be in the mix, but players control the ultimate choice and Alex was tremendous here as a championship player and we’ll be forever grateful for his contributions and his growth. Seeing him go from a G League two-way to an elite player was something we’ll always be proud of, but he had choices and he chose another team.”</blockquote><p>So what happened? Well, a $37 million, four-year offer from the Bulls, for starters.</p><p>Another selling point was likely that after getting rid of guys like Lauri Markkanen and Daniel Theis, the Bulls can absolutely amp up their speed and agility across the board (something that cannot necessarily be said for the Lakers, given Anthony Davis’ hand in the offense, as well as the large-scale veteran presence). Bulls coach Billy Donovan himself admitted so (via <a href="https://www.nba.com/bulls/features/bulls-billy-donovan-we-are-going-have-play-faster-0">NBA.com</a>).</p><blockquote>“We are going to have to play faster. I think DeMar and Zach are two players in the open floor and open space who are really, really terrific offensive players. And when you look at the point guard spot, Coby (White) (who is out until November with a shoulder injury) played there last year. Certainly Lonzo, and even Alex Caruso.”</blockquote><p>While the Lakers wanted to hold onto Caruso and even LeBron himself is already <a href="https://www.nba.com/bulls/features/bulls-billy-donovan-we-are-going-have-play-faster-0">staking claim</a> on the Texas native’s jersey number, Bulls fans have yet to really show a great deal of excitement over the newest addition.</p><p>But they will.</p><p>Off the court, Caruso displays a willingness to contribute to the team in whatever way is needed (like steadily come off the bench) and a hunger <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/alex-caruso/aedc09c2/stats">to keep improving</a> as an individual (with a chip on his shoulder), resulting in him bringing both an impressive work ethic and a winning mentality to Chicago.</p><p>And as for on the court? Well, between his athleticism at the rim and general defensive prowess, Caruso is not only a standalone solid option on both ends but is sure to mesh nicely with the likes of Ball, DeRozan, and LaVine.</p><p>Plus, what is there not to like about his demeanor?</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The beginning of a beautiful friendship <a href="https://twitter.com/ACFresh21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ACFresh21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#MediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/1TNkGLCc68" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/1TNkGLCc68</a></p><p>— Benny (@bennythebull) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennythebull/status/1442627494033641473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bulls fans may be predominantly rejoicing over their new so-called Big Three and anxiously awaiting on young talent like Patrick Williams to hit their stride, but it is time they also start appreciating what they have in Caruso: A hardworking, athletic, backup point guard, who has championship experience, yet still also comes with plenty left to prove.</p><p>And hey, he might even ditch the headband if asked nicely.</p><p>What more could fans ask for from this fresh era of Chicago Bulls basketball?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso will surprise Chicago Bulls fans this season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LeBron-James-has-a-very-special-request-for-ex-teammate-Alex-Caruso.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James has a very special request for ex-Lakers teammate Alex Caruso</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-28T15:25:33-07:00">September 28th, 3:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-28T15:27:05-07:00">September 28th, 3:27pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Caruso was one of the most well-loved figures within the Los Angeles Lakers organization, which is why more than a few folks were saddened by news that the 27-year-old decided to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-the-truth-on-alex-caruso-leaving-la-per-rob-pelinka/" rel="noopener">take his talents</a> to the Chicago Bulls over the summer. This included none other than LeBron James, who himself continues to stay in touch with his former teammate.</p><p>Caruso recently took to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUWR4liNuDR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=63db3355-3de6-45d6-afc5-d631340ef8fe">Instagram</a> to share a few photos of himself in Bulls gear for the first time. LeBron caught a glimpse of Caruso’s fresh threads and The King couldn’t help but jump on the comments section.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUWR4liNuDR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Alex Caruso (@acfresh21)</a></p></div></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As soon as LeBron saw his ex-Lakers teammate dawning his new uniform, he knew he just had to get his hands on them (h/t <a href="https://lakersdaily.com/lebron-james-issues-passionate-demand-to-alex-caruso-after-seeing-former-lakers-teammate-in-bulls-gear/">Sam Leweck of Lakers Daily</a>):</p><figure><img src="https://lakersdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LeBron-James-and-Alex-Caruso.jpg"></figure><p>The fact that they’re both going to be wearing the No. 6 makes this exchange even more awesome. Now I just can’t wait until the Lakers host Caruso and the Bulls in Staples Center. That should make for a pretty epic jersey swap after the game. There’s no doubt that Caruso is going to be welcomed back by his former teammates with open arms, and the same can be said about the Lakers faithful in attendance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James has a very special request for ex-Lakers teammate Alex Caruso

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-truth-on-Alex-Caruso-leaving-LA-per-Rob-Pelinka.jpg"></figure><h1>The truth on Alex Caruso leaving Lakers, per Rob Pelinka</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-23T16:30:33-07:00">September 23rd, 4:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-23T18:19:39-07:00">September 23rd, 6:19pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been nearly two months since Alex Caruso <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/reason-alex-caruso-will-take-bulls-next-level-after-getting-snubbed-by-lakers/" rel="noopener">parted ways</a> with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, but there’s no denying that there are more than a few LA supporters who are still ruing the loss of the fan-favorite combo guard.</p><p>Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka recently opened up about the team’s failed attempt to re-sign Caruso. Based on his statement here, it looks like LA actually did everything they could to keep Caruso in Hollywood.</p><p>Speaking to the media in a recent press conference, Pelinka described the process the Lakers went through in attempting to renew Caruso’s contract, as well as that of fellow free agent Talen Horton-Tucker (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1441170372850696197">Michael Corvo</a> of ClutchPoints):</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here's Rob Pelinka's explanation on the Lakers' re-signing Talen Horton-Tucker, but not Alex Caruso, despite an "aggressive attempt" to do so (Q by <a href="https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@DanWoikeSports</a>): <a href="https://t.co/jvg70eE186" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/jvg70eE186</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1441170372850696197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 23, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Pelinka described the Lakers’ pursuit for Caruso as “aggressive.” However, the high-ranking executive did not provide any details with regard to the monetary aspect of their negotiations. Caruso ended up signing a $37 million deal with the Chicago Bulls for four years. Clearly, the Lakers were not willing to go this high.</p><p>For what it’s worth, LA signed Horton-Tucker to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-la-re-signs-talen-horton-tucker/">three-year deal worth $32 million</a>, which is actually more than what Caruso will be earning in Chicago on a per-season basis. Based on this factoid alone, it’s probably safe to assume that the Lakers have put more value on what Talen Horton-Tucker is able to bring to the table as opposed to Alex Caruso.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The truth on Alex Caruso leaving Lakers, per Rob Pelinka

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-reason-Alex-Caruso-will-take-Bulls-to-next-level-after-getting-snubbed-by-Lakers-thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>The reason Alex Caruso will take Bulls to next level after getting snubbed by Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-23T14:00:07-07:00">September 23rd, 2:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-23T14:01:18-07:00">September 23rd, 2:01pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls struck fast in free agency by coming to terms with Lonzo Ball right out of the gate. That wasn’t the only big move the Bulls made on the first day of free agency, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-alex-caruso-leaves-lakers-agrees-to-4-year-37-million-deal-with-chicago/" rel="noopener">as they also nabbed</a> Alex Caruso away from the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>To many, it was surprising to see Caruso leave Los Angeles. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-rumors-las-surprising-response-to-alex-caruso-signing-with-bulls/" rel="noopener">It was reported afterward</a> that the guard actually went back to the Lakers to give them a chance to counter Chicago’s offer of four years and nearly $37 million, but they declined to do so.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyIrwinLA" rel="noopener">Silver Screen and Roll’s Anthony Irwin</a> joined <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cash-considerations-a-chicago-bulls-pod/id1441491525?i=1000536364352" rel="noopener">Blue Wire’s Cash Considerations podcast</a> to talk about the Caruso move, and he was as shocked as anybody that the Lakers let such an important part of their championship team walk in order to save some luxury tax payments. While Caruso didn’t play a ton of minutes, he played a lot of the most important ones and was a key defensive presence.</p><p>It’s that <a href="https://twitter.com/Schuster_Elias/status/1441101394748973063" rel="noopener">defensive prowess</a> that’s going to help the Bulls level up in 2021-22. Chicago has added a good amount of offensive talent around Zach LaVine in the last year, but Caruso’s perimeter defense is going to be much-needed in order to make a playoff run. Irwin spoke glowingly about Caruso’s defensive impact on the Lakers:</p><blockquote>“I honestly contend that if he played more minutes he would have been in the conversation for best defensive point guards in the NBA. The difference between the Lakers’ defense with him on and off the court, both statistically and in terms of what you’re watching on the court, was just so clear. He was such a key part of that defense.”</blockquote><p>The Bulls were actually 12th in defensive rating last season, but a lot of analysts are concerned about that end of the floor this upcoming season. But with Caruso there, he should play a big role in at least keeping that unit respectable, and perhaps even better than expected. If Chicago pairs even a competent defense with a high-level offense, a playoff berth should be in play.</p><p>Listen to the whole Cash Considerations episode below:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p><br><i>Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the <a href="https://bluewirepods.com/" rel="noopener"><b>Blue Wire sports podcasting network.</b></a> The pod can be found on <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cash-considerations-a-chicago-bulls-podcast/id1441491525?mt=2&amp;xcust=___sb__p_22410235__t_w__r_blogabull.com__d_D" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener"><b>Apple Podcasts</b></a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/65aMgeJpkEhZmFuOkb27zK?si=-ZsZyL5US6CVI0sE1gqdRA" rel="noopener"><b>Spotify</b></a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jason-patt/cash-considerations-a-chicago-bulls-podcast" rel="noopener"><b>Stitcher</b></a><b>, </b><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3MuYXJ0MTkuY29tL2Nhc2gtY29uc2lkZXJhdGlvbnM?sa=X&amp;ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiQxdG5o4vxAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBQ" rel="noopener"><b>Google Podcasts.</b></a></i></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The reason Alex Caruso will take Bulls to next level after getting snubbed by Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-19_234706.png"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso first workout reel will get Bulls fans hyped</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-19T08:53:58-07:00">September 19th, 8:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-19T08:53:58-07:00">September 19th, 8:53am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls come into next season with a bona fide superstar on the roster in Zach LaVine…’s new teammate Alex Caruso. The All-Star and the former Los Angeles Lakers favorite were spotted working out together, in what could be a very successful backcourt tandem for the Bulls this season.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXNMDluwQc">Check out</a> the Bulls guards flexing their muscles on the court together:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Zach LaVine will almost certainly be starting in the backcourt with Caruso’s former Lakers teammate Lonzo Ball, given the massive contract he signed to join the Bulls. But AC and Zach LaVine couldn’t be more complementary of one another on the court.</p><p>LaVine can do all the heavy lifting on offense and stay on ball when he’s in a rhythm, while Caruso can handle the tougher defensive assignment while helping facilitate as a ball-handler and reliable floor-spacer as well.</p><p>The Bulls are a true dark horse candidate to emerge out of the East. There may still be several question marks and chemistry hurdles to pass before becoming contenders, but they have the talent and veteran personnel to make some noise.</p><p>With the added star power of DeMar DeRozan joining LaVine and Nikola Vucevic and the depth provided by Caruso and Ball, things <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-rumors-zach-lavine-outlook-on-future-in-chicago-revealed/">are looking up in Chicago</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso first workout reel will get Bulls fans hyped

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Alex-Caruso-Bulls-Stephen-Curry-Warriors-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso’s latest Instagram posts should make Stephen Curry jealous</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-25T21:40:50-07:00">August 25th, 9:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-25T21:40:50-07:00">August 25th, 9:40pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo is a freelance writer, TV producer, and news editor based in Manila, Philippines.  He will debate anyone to death that Penny Hardaway is the real GOAT, and he will work for pizza.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Caruso is eager to have a fresh start with the Chicago Bulls after signing a lucrative offer in the offseason. But in the meantime, it looks like he is enjoying his extended rest.</p><p>With the opening of the new NBA season still a few weeks away, Caruso is making sure he has time for his hobbies before getting back into the grind with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/chicago-bulls/roster">his new squad</a>. In a series of Instagram Stories, the do-it-all guard showed he’s enjoying his time playing golf at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.</p><figure><video><source src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/240081052_925481234712081_9023714044283411660_n.mp4?_=1" type="video/mp4"></source></video></figure><p>The 27-year-old Caruso also shared a bunch of pictures of the beautiful course that could make a golf nut like Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry jealous.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/240478033_1270813173349735_7448925406977856743_n-576x1024.jpg"><figcaption>Instagram/Alex Caruso</figcaption></figure><p>Caruso and Curry are just two of many NBA players getting hooked into golf. His love for the sport grew when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, as several of his teammates <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW_P-laRcdo">were avid golfers</a>, including JR Smith, Kyle Kuzma, and JaVale McGee. They were seen hitting the links several times during their stay at Walt Disney World during the NBA Bubble.</p><p>In fact, Smith is now cleared to play golf for North Carolina A&amp;T after getting cleared by the NCAA. Maybe playing professional golf when he’s done with the NBA isn’t too far-fetched for Caruso.</p><p>For now, Caruso will focus on helping the Bulls get back into the NBA Playoffs, alongside fellow new acquisitions Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan and key mainstays Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Coby White.</p><p>But also, Alex Caruso might want to look for golf courses in Windy City.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso’s latest Instagram posts should make Stephen Curry jealous

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lakers-news-lebron-james-heartfelt-reaction-to-kyle-kuzma-alex-caruso-dennis-schroder-exits.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James’ heartfelt reaction to Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder Lakers tributes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-16T15:59:31-07:00">August 16th, 3:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-17T20:17:04-07:00">August 17th, 8:17pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers went through a complete squad overhaul in the offseason. The arrival of several new players meant that others had to move on from their time in Hollywood. The Purple and Gold recently shared a tribute for all their departing players on Instagram, and it prompted a heartfelt reaction from none other than LeBron James.</p><p>For starters, here’s the post from the Lakers’ official <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSmwPHyN090/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=cd198160-4b97-4fc4-a690-bc71aaec78fe">IG account</a> as they thanked Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, Markieff Morris, Andre Drummond, Ben McLemore,and Alfonzo McKinnie for their services:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSmwPHyN090/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers)</a></p></div></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>LeBron needed just three emojis to express his appreciation to his former teammates and all that they did for the team during their time with the Lakers:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Via Lebron. <a href="https://t.co/4y634AKoBu" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/4y634AKoBu</a></p><p>— Free Agency LakersvsHaters (@LakersvHaters) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersvHaters/status/1426990445469466624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Among the departing bunch, it has to be the duo of Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma that has grown most fondly in the hearts of the Lakers faithful. Both players have been with the team for the past four years, and for most, it wasn’t easy to see them go.</p><p>Caruso, in particular, built up quite a following with the fanbase, and his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-the-real-reason-la-let-alex-caruso-walk-away/" rel="noopener">move</a> to the Chicago Bulls came as a bit of a shock to more than a few supporters. Kuzma, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly the most well-loved member of the Lakers, but there’s no denying that he played a key role in the team’s 2020 title run.</p><p>The rest of the departing players all have their respective narratives with the Lakers, and it is clear that LeBron James truly appreciates all of their sacrifices for the squad.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James’ heartfelt reaction to Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder Lakers tributes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lakers-news-the-real-reason-la-let-alex-caruso-walk-away.jpg"></figure><h1>The real reason Lakers let Alex Caruso walk away</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-16T15:42:43-07:00">August 16th, 3:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-16T16:09:06-07:00">August 16th, 4:09pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When Alex Caruso signed with the Chicago Bulls, fans and experts alike questioned why the Los Angeles Lakers let him walk away. It was then revealed that the Purple and Gold <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-rumors-las-surprising-response-to-alex-caruso-signing-with-bulls/" rel="noopener">did not counter</a>, suggesting that they didn’t want the gritty guard back.</p><p>According to <a href="https://theathletic.com/2772162/2021/08/16/the-latest-on-pascal-siakam-davion-mitchell-and-alex-caruso-sam-amicks-summer-league-notes-and-observations/?source=rss" rel="noopener">Sam Amick of The Athletic</a>, that was not the case. The Lakers wanted to re-sign him. Unfortunately, they were really unable to counter given that the Bulls’ offer was far from the price point they set for Caruso.</p><blockquote>A source with knowledge of the negotiations strongly refuted the inference that he wasn’t wanted back. That doesn’t change the fact that Caruso’s side claimed to be confused about the communication element of the negotiation, but it seems the Lakers’ calculus was similar to the one Milwaukee faced with P.J. Tucker.In both situations, there was a price point that both franchises were willing to go to based on the exorbitant luxury-tax hit that would come their way. And in the end, after initial interest, they simply decided to part ways when the price went too high. …</blockquote><p>Alex Caruso inked a four-year, $37 million deal with the Bulls, reuniting with his former Lakers teammate Lonzo Ball and joining the backcourt alongside Zach LaVine and Coby White.</p><p>As for the Lakers, they signed a slew of veterans on cheap deals, including Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore, to name a few. They also kept Talen Horton-Tucker while adding backcourt depth with the addition of Kendrick Nunn.</p><p>Caruso’s future with the Lakers was already questioned after the team traded for Russell Westbrook before the 2021 NBA draft. Sure enough, the franchise knew it couldn’t afford to keep him given the tax hit it would incur.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The real reason Lakers let Alex Caruso walk away

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image_2021-08-15_103142.png"></figure><h1>Bulls star Lonzo Ball’s 2-word take on Alex Caruso that LeBron James surely agrees with</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-14T19:37:13-07:00">August 14th, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-14T19:37:13-07:00">August 14th, 7:37pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have found their way back together with the Chicago Bulls. The pair both came from the Los Angeles Lakers before Ball was shipped off in the deal that brought Anthony Davis.</p><p>Speaking out on his newest Bulls teammate, Ball summed up Caruso’s impact in two words.</p><p><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2021/8/14/22624866/believe-the-hype-alex-caruso-just-what-the-bulls-needed">Via</a> Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun Times:</p><blockquote>‘‘Perfect teammate,” Ball proudly claimed.“Anybody would love to play with him. He’s going to put the team first, and I know he’s definitely going to be appreciated in Chicago.’’</blockquote><p>Ball and Caruso spent two seasons together on the Lakers, which clearly made an imprint on the guard from Chino Hills.</p><blockquote>‘‘He brings a winning mentality to the team, first and foremost, as a champion, and he also brings that toughness, that grit, and he’s going to do all the little things,” Ball said of his new Bulls teammate.</blockquote><p>Alex Caruso’s numbers don’t jump out at you. The 4-year man averaged under six points per game throughout his career, with less than three rebounds and assists. But it’s his knack for making winning plays on both ends that the Bulls are hoping rubs off on their franchise during the minutes he does play. Anyone who gets LeBron James’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-alex-carusos-heartfelt-farewell-message-for-la/">seal of approval</a> is probably bringing great things to the table.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron on his faith in Alex Caruso:</p><p>"When you try to play high-level basketball, you've got to have high-IQ players, and he's one of them… We love everything about him."</p><p>— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1307876060365684736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 21, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Chicago Bulls made a couple of big splashes in acquiring Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan. But the move to sign Alex Caruso might be the one that helps them build their identity.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls star Lonzo Ball’s 2-word take on Alex Caruso that LeBron James surely agrees with

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Alex-Caruso-Bulls-LeBron-James-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso bringing mentality to Bulls that helped LeBron James win fourth ring</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-14T07:45:50-07:00">August 14th, 7:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-14T12:00:17-07:00">August 14th, 12:00pm</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a>Johnny Recks has been a writer for ClutchPoints since 2020, covering NFL, NBA, NHL, WWE, and more.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Caruso is ready to show the Chicago Bulls why he became a cult hero for Los Angeles Lakers fans. Caruso, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-alex-caruso-honest-take-on-leaving-lebron-james/">signed</a> a four-year deal that’s worth $37 million with the Bulls earlier this week,  isn’t a major acquisition for Chicago, but the intangibles he can bring to the table could pay huge dividends for the team just as those did for LeBron James and the Lakers in the past. A selfless player who would willingly exchange opportunities to rack up gaudy stats for anything that would be best for the team, Caruso is expected to fill the gaps for the Bulls.</p><p>Via <a href="https://theathletic.com/2769679/2021/08/14/new-bulls-demar-derozan-lonzo-ball-alex-caruso-share-same-goal-bring-back-winning">Darnell Mayberry of <i>The Athletic</i></a>:</p><blockquote>“It’s just kind of the player I am, sacrificing for the team,” Caruso said. “There’s guys that get a bunch of shots up. If I wanted to average double figures, I could. I could take a handful of shots a game, and percentages would probably drop a little — probably wouldn’t win as many games. But for me, it’s always just been about winning.“That’s just been my mentality, and it’s always worked for me, so I just stuck with it. Pouring into other people and pouring into the team usually reaps rewards for the teams and yourself individually.”</blockquote><p>In his four seasons in the NBA so far, Caruso has managed to put up averages of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/alex-caruso/aedc09c2/stats">6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game</a>. He can do a little bit of everything, which should make him a likable asset for a Bulls team that’s looking to regain respect in the league.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso bringing mentality to Bulls that helped LeBron James win fourth ring

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lakers-news-alex-carusos-honest-take-on-leaving-lebron-james.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso’s honest take on leaving LeBron James, Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-13T16:06:15-07:00">August 13th, 4:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-13T16:30:21-07:00">August 13th, 4:30pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Caruso’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers may be over, but he will never forget his stint with the Purple and Gold and the plays he made with the team–especially the ones he made alongside LeBron James.</p><p>There is no doubt the 27-year-old guard has forged a strong relationship with LeBron during their brief time together. The chemistry between the two, shown in their epic lobs and body language, was remarkable. Even the numbers said as much: The Lakers duo posted <a href="https://lebronwire.usatoday.com/2020/05/10/alex-caruso-talks-about-his-chemistry-high-net-rating-with-lebron-james/" rel="noopener">the best net rating</a> of any two-man combo in the NBA during the 2019-20 season.</p><p>LeBron also gave <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2020/1/14/21066232/lakers-news-lebron-james-nicknames-alex-caruso-goat-instagram-marc-stein-new-york-times" rel="noopener">Caruso the GOAT nickname</a>, a clear proof of their friendship and how much respect LeBron has for the Texas native.</p><p>Caruso admitted he’ll definitely miss throwing lobs to James. He also emphasized that he never took his time with the King for granted.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso said he’ll never take experience of playing with LeBron James for granted. And that he’ll miss throwing him lobs.</p><p>“Hopefully me and Zach (LaVine) get on the same page.”</p><p>— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) <a href="https://twitter.com/rob_schaef/status/1426306732393959425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Alex Caruso signed a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-alex-caruso-leaves-lakers-agrees-to-4-year-37-million-deal-with-chicago/" rel="noopener">four-year, $37 million deal</a> with the Chicago Bulls in free agency, effectively putting an end to his memorable run with the Lakers.</p><p>While that may be the case, fans can still watch him throw lobs–this time with Bulls superstar Zach LaVine in Windy City. As Caruso said, he is hoping to have the same chemistry he had with LeBron when he plays alongside LaVine.</p><p>LeBron James and the Lakers will surely miss Caruso’s energy and effort on the defensive end. Meanwhile, the Bulls will get to enjoy the CaruShow as they try to bring the franchise back to the postseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso’s honest take on leaving LeBron James, Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Alex-Caruso-Mac-McClung-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>3 reasons why Mac McClung is not the next Alex Caruso</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-12T08:48:10-07:00">August 12th, 8:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-12T08:56:32-07:00">August 12th, 8:56am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a>Johnny Recks has been a writer for ClutchPoints since 2020, covering NFL, NBA, NHL, WWE, and more.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was surely tough for Los Angeles Lakers fans to see Alex Caruso leave Hollywood, the place where he became some sort of an underground basketball deity in his own right. Los Angeles is always about the superstars, but it’s also a place that can make legends out of garden-variety players because that’s what Tinseltown does: amplify the good qualities just enough to shadow the flaws. With Caruso <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-alex-carusos-heartfelt-farewell-message-for-la/">off to Windy City</a>, the Lakers seem to have found another darling in the form of Mac McClung. You may remember him for his insane high school highlight reels or his short stint with the Georgetown Hoyas or his seasons with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. </p><p>Even if you haven’t seen McClung play before, chances are you have seen him on your Twitter timeline over the past few days, with many willingly anointing him as Alex Caruso’s heir apparent. </p><p>Just look at these tweets:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso ran so Mac McClung could fly</p><p>— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) <a href="https://twitter.com/tatefrazier/status/1422944739209269251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">When God closes a Caruso he opens a McClung <a href="https://t.co/X0nbRyGUgj" target="_blank">https://t.co/X0nbRyGUgj</a></p><p>— … (@MrSnugglePuggle) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrSnugglePuggle/status/1425261069233053696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">When the Lakers introduce Mac McClung as the new Alex Caruso <a href="https://t.co/X72eZsKHGD" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/X72eZsKHGD</a></p><p>— Masta Red Snappa (@MastaRedSnappa) <a href="https://twitter.com/MastaRedSnappa/status/1422593356010385409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Lakers fans have every right to feel excited about Mac McClung even though he has not made it to the team’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/roster">big-league roster</a> yet. McClung is on the Lakers’ payroll via a training camp deal (Exhibit 10) and if fans look at him as the next coming of Caruso, that’s 100 percent fine, at least from a novelty standpoint. Whether McClung would be able to bring the same impact Caruso brought to the Lakers is another story, though.  </p><p>From a pure basketball standpoint, here are three reasons why Mac McClung is not the next Alex Caruso.</p><h2><b>3. “Alex, please break down the shot selections”</b></h2><p>Most of the comparisons between Mac McClung and Alex Caruso begin and end with the combination of their being unassuming white guys and explosive hops that could bring the house down anytime on a fast-break opportunity. Outside of that, these are two players with different approaches on the way they hunt for baskets. Take for example their shot selection. </p><p>In the 2020-21 NBA season, Caruso averaged just <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/alex-caruso/aedc09c2/stats">6.4 points per game</a>, which is understandable because he’s someone coming off the bench and whose primary job was to facilitate, defend, and fill in whatever gap the Lakers need on a given situation. He’s basically a utility guy. That’s not how McClung operates. McClung is always on attack mode when he’s on the floor. He loves having the ball in his hands and picking his preferred spots on offense.  He would soon learn to change that mentality in the NBA, just as Caruso did, but the question is will he be able to adapt to that shift in mindset as smoothly as the <i>Bald Mamba</i> had done in LA? Caruso thrived because he learned to embrace his new role, which fit his versatility so perfectly. </p><p>In the 2020-21 NBA season, Caruso only took <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612747/players-scoring/?sort=PCT_FGA_3PT&amp;dir=1">4.3 percent</a> of his 2-point shots from the mid-range. McClung, in his last season in college, launched <a href="https://hoop-math.com/TexasTech2021.php">37.9 percent</a> of his field-goal shots through 2-point jumpers. With that volume, McClung managed to convert just 43.5 percent of those shots. In this regard, McClung is probably closer to Russell Westbrook than to Caruso. </p><p>It’s possible that McClung’s shot-making was more controlled and influenced by the system he was part of in Lubbock than Caruso’s was in the pros with the Lakers, but his current set of tools and decision-making don’t offer much in terms of his future fit in a Caruso role. </p><h2><b>2. Clunky outside shot</b></h2><p>Mac McClung also needs to polish his problematic outside shooting. He was just a 31.3 percent 3-point shooter in college. For comparison, Caruso shot 34.0 percent from deep in his four years at College Station, albeit on much fewer shot attempts. Cariso also drained over 40 percent of his 3-point shots in his last season in Purple &amp; Gold threads.</p><p>In the Lakers’ 73-72 Summer League win over the Phoenix Suns, McClung hit a clutch basket but few probably remember that he went 2 of 9 from the field and 0 of 4 from behind the arc. He also finished with a team-low minus-9. It’s just one game and a drop in the bucket of McClung’s resume, but it is still pretty telling.</p><p>In the following game where the Lakers lost to the New York Knicks, 91-82, McClung shot 2 of 9 from the floor and 0 of 2 on 3-point attempts. He also ended up with a minus-11, second-worst on the team.</p><h2><b>1. Free-throw generation</b></h2><p>This is something subtle that Lakers fans should love about McClung. It’s his ability to parlay his athleticism and aggressiveness into freebies at the foul line. Mac McClung doesn’t come knocking at the door on offense. He blows it open without prior notice. He can catch defenses by surprise and his fearless attitude always end up with opposing defenders getting called for fouls. </p><p>Although McClung was only 318th in the nation in free-throw rate in 2020-21 NCAAB season, he was 170th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes, per <a href="https://kenpom.com/player.php?p=42477">KenPom</a>. The disparity between the two stats could suggest that defenders had an extremely difficult time staying with McClung that they would rather foul him early than let him get an easy bucket.</p><p>On the other hand, Caruso’s free-throw rate last season was at just <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/carusal01.html">29.8</a>, which is almost exactly the same that he had (<a href="https://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Texas+A%26M&amp;y=2016">29.4</a>) in his last year at Texas A&amp;M. </p><p>There’s no stopping Mac McClung from becoming his own player in the NBA, free of the predetermined hype and of the Alex Caruso prototype people want him to fit in — as it should. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons why Mac McClung is not the next Alex Caruso

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-alex-carusos-heartfelt-farewell-message-for-la.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James reacts to Alex Caruso’s heartfelt farewell message for Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-06T19:15:44-07:00">August 6th, 7:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-07T08:09:14-07:00">August 7th, 8:09am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After four memorable years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Alex Caruso has officially parted ways with the Purple &amp; Gold. The 27-year-old recently came out with an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-alex-caruso-parting-message-to-la-after-bulls-signing/" rel="noopener">emotional farewell message</a> for LA and it produced quite an epic reaction from now-former teammate LeBron James.</p><p>For starters, here’s Caruso’s heartfelt goodbye note from his Instagram account:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSPzvP2p2eO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Alex Caruso (@acfresh21)</a></p></div></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Unsurprisingly, the comments section was filled with messages of gratitude from the fans as they thank Caruso for all that he’s given to the Lakers over the past several years.</p><p>LeBron James came across Caruso’s farewell message and The King needed just one emoji to express how he feels about all this (h/t <a href="https://lakersdaily.com/lebron-james-and-dennis-schroder-share-same-powerful-reaction-to-alex-carusos-goodbye-to-lakers/">Robert Marvi of Lakers Daily</a>):</p><figure><img src="https://lakersdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image-31-e1628294246284.jpeg"></figure><p>Based on his single-emoji comment alone, it is clear that LeBron holds Caruso in very high regard. The 6-foot-4 guard has earned the “GOAT” nickname during his time with the Lakers, and LeBron acknowledged that in his response.</p><p>Interestingly, another one of Caruso’s former teammates in Dennis Schroder (ds17_fg is IG handle) also had a similar reaction. While Schroder has yet to decide on his future, it has become increasingly clear that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-rumors-boston-talking-dennis-schroder-about-deal/" rel="noopener">his future is no longer in LA</a>. Much like Caruso, Schroder is likely going to play in a different uniform next season.</p><p>Caruso had a great run with the Lakers and he will forever be remembered as an all-time great. For LeBron, Caruso IS the greatest of all time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.4	2.9	2.8	0.3	1.1

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.4	2.9	2.8	0.3	1.1

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