Continuing the Russell Westbrook Conversation, Hutchison’s Limits, Young, Gafford, and Other Bullets

July 9, 2019, by Elias Schuster Chicago Bulls

If any of you are Star Wars nuts, feel free to join in on the conversation:

My @starwars Rankings

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3.The Force Awakens
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Solo: A Star Wars Story
6. Rogue One
7. Return of the Jedi
8. The Phantom Menace
9. The Last Jedi
10. Attack of the Clones

(And the Kenobi Movie will be the best, of course)

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) July 9, 2019

If you’re not at all into Star Wars and instead think all of us here at Bleacher Nation are a bunch of nerds, well then you’d probably be correct.

But, hey, we are also sports nerds, so you know we have that in common!

I grabbed the elephant in the room and dragged it over here. We are giving it a talking to. Russell Westbrook is apparently on the trading block and, of course, an all-out war has broken out over Bulls Twitter. Yesterday, Luis went ahead and paved the foundation for this conversation in a post, which you should certainly check out.

Russell Westbrook feels “very positive” about the possibility of being traded to the Miami Heat, per @wojespn.

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 9, 2019

I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a world in which I could be convinced on a possible trade for Westbrook, but right now I sit pretty firmly with my back turned. The Thunder would have to be selling big time and demonstrate they are looking for a salary dump; however, Oklahoma City’s General Manager Sam Presti is one smart dude, and you saw the haul he got for Paul George. Right now, I believe a trade for Westbrook would have to involve parting with a member of the young core, and it’s not worth it. Also, with the amount of salary the Bulls would be taking on, the team has to be sure this gives them a better chance at competing over the coming years… but does it past year one? Is an aging Russ who has always struggled to move out of the first round of the playoffs really going to propel this team forward? Honestly, this argument is funny because I’ve always been a huge Russ supporter (I still am), but I can also separate that from his fit with the Bulls.

The #Bulls should not trade for Westbrook. As we just saw it would be difficult to pair him with another star thus making it pointless in the end. On top of that he’s 31 with an aging body and will make almost 170 mill over the next 3 seasons. I’m good on all of that

— Tony Gill (@tonygill670) July 6, 2019

Anyway, I don’t want to linger on this, please let me know your thoughts in the comments, I’m interested.

You never want to put too much weight on what you’re seeing out there, but, boy, did Chandler Hutchison look rough last night. It’ll be an uphill battle for Hutchison, who missed the entire last half of his rookie campaign due to a broken toe. Currently, he is on a 20-minute restriction during these Summer League games. Last night he shot 15.4 percent from the field on 2-13 shooting… yeah not ideal, Chandler. Sean Higkin wrote a piece for NBC Chicago Sports last night, so you can give it a read and hear from Hutchison himself.

The broken toe Chandler Hutchison suffered in his rookie season limited him to just 44 games with the #Bulls.

Still, the team is high on his potential as a defensive-minded wing.https://t.co/Sf0ixfU1Vg

— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) July 8, 2019

As the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson points out, the Bulls look a lot better on paper, but the work has to be put in on the court. Read through his piece mapping out the Bulls roster additions and how the future may shape out.
Continue to comment on this… it gave me some solid chuckles.

Title this #Bulls album cover: https://t.co/kMm5yV9MVi

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) July 9, 2019

When y’all say Coby can’t facilitate! Pssssh.

.⁦@CobyWhite⁩ handles, drives and kicks out for the ⁦@chicagobulls⁩ triple! #NBARooks #NBASummer on ⁦@NBATV⁩ pic.twitter.com/0xAQgw1ZP3

— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) July 9, 2019

The Bulls got absolutely dismantled by the Pelicans last night in a 109-72 loss. Unfortunately, Daniel Gafford struggled quite a bit and the entire Bulls team’s got eaten alive by Jaxson Hayes. However, none of that really matters because Coby White looked good again! Yay!

The Athletic’s Stephen Noh and Darnell Mayberry had a lot of praise for the Bulls two rookies throughout these three Summer League games thus far. The two simply walk through their general observations, but it’s a great way to hone in how we should feel.

.@DarnellMayberry and @StephNoh have some early observations on the Bulls’ prospects in Summer League: https://t.co/wRcolc0JEr

— The Athletic (@TheAthleticCHI) July 9, 2019

Thaddeus Young has gotten great praise around the league for being a strong teammate throughout his 12-year career. The Bulls needed a true-veteran and professional to show these young guys the ropes; Young looks like the perfect fit.

Thad Young is a real one. Listen as he shares some early thoughts about the Chicago Bulls.

BullsTV's @Kia Summer League coverage: pic.twitter.com/AgfBARLRnL

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 9, 2019