On an unrelated basketball note, Cookie Monster performed the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field yesterday and I loved it. If you haven’t seen it, we cannot be friends until you do. Brett made sure to cover things on your behalf, so go take in the glorious experience immediately.
Also, I took a screenshot while he was belting out the lyrics with his big floppy mouth, and for some reason, this was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture.
I’m sorry, but you can’t tell me that you wouldn’t watch Cookie Monster rap Jaden Smith’s hit single, Icon.
All right, that’s off my chest, now back to basketball.
Everything is quite calm, especially on the Bulls front. Free agency begins at 5:00 p.m. CT on June 30th, and while Woj is dropping the occasional warning strike, we are sitting in a rather quiet war zone. The Bulls specifically are staying out of the rumors despite the drop of Julius Randle or Cory Joseph news that has popped up, but nothing too serious and nothing too exciting. However, pull out your weather app and look at the radar, I think we see a giant red blob heading in our direction. The Bulls will be doing something with their roster over the next week, it’s a safe bet. Paxson has reiterated time and time again that the team will be pursuing veteran free agents, and while that may not be the most exciting words to hear, it still at least means the Bulls will be active this July. With a young core built around, now, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., the starting lineup certainly feels playoff-caliber, but what the team adds to the bench (that’s currently highlighted by, I guess, Ryan Arcidiacono?) could ultimately decide if this team gets over the 8th seed hump.
NBC Chicago Sports Mark Schanowski broke down his top free agent targets for the Bulls. The highest profile name on his list is Malcolm Brogdon, someone who has been continued to be linked to the Bulls, despite the drafting of White. However, Brogdon isn’t one of Schanowski’s top-3 “most likely” free agent candidates; instead, he goes with Taj Gibson, Cory Joseph and Wayne Ellington.
The group over at NBC Chicago Sports have also been releasing lists of potential targets for the Bulls by category. Recently, they released their top choices for shooting guard and back-up big men, and both lists have some intriguing names. For shooting guard Danny Green and Terrance Ross both crack the list, two players known for their sharpshooting. I will say, it’s hard to see the Bulls landing either player. Green will most likely get looks from a championship contending team, while Ross may actually be in store for a big payday after his 15.1 points per game last season at the age of 28-years-old. Big man wise, the Morris brothers find their way on the list along with former Bulls Nikola Mirotic and Gibson. I’m not sure if we will end up seeing a reunion this offseason, but neither player feels like a bad option off the bench, especially when comparing it to what the team has now. You can go check out the links to all of NBC Chicago Sports’ lists here, they’ll be releasing more over the coming days as well.
You’re right, Paxson makes this face when he is thinking about adding Cory Joseph… exhilarating!
SBNation also put out a list of who they believe are the sleepers in this year’s free agency… and the Bulls could look to pursue one of these options. Personally, I’ve seen the Clippers JaMychal Green pop up in several places now.
Forbes’ Jason Patt does a bit more digging on the idea of the Bulls signing Julius Randle, someone they are expected to express early interest in. Personally, I think Randle is going to get some good money elsewhere on the market, but if the Bulls want to try and bring him in on a relatively inexpensive deal for a sure-fire sixth man, that would be a great grab. The guy’s defense is lacking, but he averaged 21.4 points per game last season and is a legitimate offensive threat. Check out what Patt thinks about Randle’s chance of being in a Bulls jersey.
Bleacher Report is keeping NBA fans updated on their teams biggest rumors. The daily article isn’t really providing information about the Bulls that you don’t know already, but it doesn’t hurt to check-in just in case/for a refresher.
“Yes, I would like to challenge that Wendell isn’t playing with enough heart right now, get it together!”
NEWSLETTER
