I was hanging out in Wisconsin yesterday at a lake, so, now, I have approximately 10,050 mosquito bites. To all those people out there that just naturally don’ get bit, I hate envy you.
I like to tell myself it’s just because I’m sweeter than everyone else (*wink*) to make myself feel better. But, alas, that might actually be a smokescreen to cover up the fact that I’m an unlucky SOMB (son of a mosquito bite).
Time to get to these bullets while I try not to scratch my entire body.
Okay, so I think this is something that should be addressed. At the end of last week, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse stopped by Wrigley Field. Rightfully, he received the full special-treatment and brought the Larry O’Brien trophy along with him. He’s a Cubs fan, grew up in Iowa, worked in Chicago, I get it. But this is the kind of thing that should make the Bulls front office angry in more ways than one.
First of all, you have the Larry O’Brien trophy (which belongs in Canada) being paraded around a nostalgic Chicago destination. Not only is this a reminder the trophy being hoisted in the air isn’t yours, but it’s also a reminder that a franchise which has only been around since 1995 now has a more recent basketball Championship than the city of Chicago. The Raptors are a franchise that has never been able to land big-time free agents (shockingly, similar to Chicago) but has put up nine winning seasons to Chicago’s eight since the turn of the century. The team now has a championship to its name after making some smart front office transactions. Oh, and to top it all off, the team is run by a coach whom the Bulls had as the head coach … of their G-League squad instead of sitting on the bench with their professional coaching staff.
As K.C. Johnson pointed out during an article in November, Nurse had a very successful stretch running the Bulls G-League affiliate with a 2011 championship to his name, he also would occasionally attend Bulls practices. However, the Bulls let him move on to coaching Rio Grande, where he won another championship and was later hired by former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. During his time between those two franchises, he had 23 players called up to the NBA. After Dwane Casey was let go in Toronto, seven months before Fred Hoiberg was let go in Chicago, Nurse was promoted. Yeah, the Bulls had Nurse right under their noses and let him go.
Meanwhile, adding to the annoyance, over this weekend Anthony Davis is hanging out in Chicago calling it the “Mecca of basketball,” yet it has been reported previously that Davis wants nothing to do with playing in his hometown. Love to hear it.
OH! Also, this weekend Davis hung out with another Chicagoan at the Sky game. I know, Dwyane Wade actually did play for the Bulls… but we all know the Bulls paid top-dollar for leftovers.
https://twitter.com/wnbachicagosky/status/1153066217470668800?s=20
Ugh, wow, not a great weekend for the Bulls, huh? Just a reminder that ever with the “promising” offseason, the team has a LONG way to go in gaining back a level of respect in the NBA. It starts with winning games.
Anyway, looking toward to future, Coby White balled out at Chris Paul’s basketball academy this past weekend and hooped with the 34-year-old point guard himself.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0MqA3qlTsd/?igshid=zn29w9nuiloh
In the above highlights, White is giving it to some naive ballers, but you see no Chris Paul. At the end of this clip though you see White try and guard Paul. Honestly, I think he did the best job even though Paul splashed the three.
https://twitter.com/NBA_Skits/status/1153125075123679233?s=20
The two had words for each other after the event. Coby won.
The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry broke down further what the return of Chandler Hutchison and Denzel Valentine really means for this team. Spoiler Alert: nothing yet. While the Bulls have improved their depth as a whole, the team remains relatively weak from the wing position. Both Valentine and Hutchison have yet to really prove their worth so far in this league, which is a bit concerning with both coming into the league as four-year college players. I’m not sure if either player can really become a consistent piece off the bench for this team (I know they might have to, but whether they’ll be a reliable role player is the question). As Mayberry points out, if these players stay healthy, especially Valentine behind Zach LaVine, they’ll get plenty of chances with the team’s second unit this season.
G.O.A.T
Aw, look, a proud mother!!
Speaking of the Kornet family, Luke might actually be able to supply some strong value to the Bulls this season. We talked a little more about what his positional size and ability to knock down the three-ball could really add to Chicago’s roster this season.
If you’re going to do green jerseys, just stick with the St. Patrick’s Day one’s.
Sub-Zero shall be the only PG worthy of wearing such a cold number.
NEWSLETTER
