NEWSLETTER
Day 45 without basketball …
Dearest Brother,
Life here isn’t all that bad, for I can be nothing but happy to have my health. Yet still, the longer I remain stowed away, the further my memory wanes. I’ve forgotten what it sounds like to have a ball hit the hardwood. I can’t recall the bouncy flow of Sir Coby’s mane. The time away from the game has taken its toll, but your message from last week has given me hope.
A new general, you say? A new leader of the front line? Bully! I harked so loud upon your message’s delivery that I awoke my bunkmates. Fortunately, they were pleased to hear it too. I look forward to meeting Mr. Karnisovas. I wonder how he sees Lauri and Wendell’s fit? Ah, excuse me, I’ll save my giddy questioning for another day. Time for my departure. Continue to use horse sense, brother.
We’ll be together soon.
• Come back soon, basketball … I’m losing it.
Day 45 without Basketball. #NBATwitter x #NBA pic.twitter.com/nv9wkO1qjC
— Backcourt Violation (@backcourtv) April 25, 2020
• Updates on the Chicago Bulls front office situation may be limited, but make no mistake, Karnisovas is hard at work. Yesterday, we talked about how the general manager search is beginning to take shape. Then, this morning, discussed where the Jim Boylen situation currently stands. Make sure to give those two a read to get caught up.
• I’m very interested to see what happens after the new general manager is hired. The Bulls will likely continue to add to their front office, but I wonder how frequently we’ll get updates on the work behind-the-scenes. Also, with the 2019-20 season still up in the air, I wonder if any candidates for other positions might be a tad hesitant to leave their current teams. Once the offseason officially begins, I’d expect the rest of this overhaul to be kicked into high gear.
• Do you think Karnisovas can help re-invent Lauri Markkanen?
I know there is a ton of fan frustration with Markkanen right now, but a couple of things:
1. He is still only 22
2. Jim Boylen has used him horribly
3. He has all the skills to still be a very good player, but it’s on him to find that fight in him again and play better.— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) April 24, 2020
• Re-watching him dunk all over Enes Kanter as a ROOKIE reminded me that we still have so many reasons to be optimistic about Markkanen’s future. I’ve already lowered my expectations for him heading into next season, but I feel like a new front office should be able to turn around Markkanen’s confidence. A successful future for him in a Bulls jersey relies heavily though on his health and head coach. Karnisovas has a million reasons to fire Jim Boylen, but The Finnisher’s regressions should be right at the top of his list (he went from averaging 18 and 9 to 15 and 6 … come on). At 22-years-old, the guy’s career is only just starting. Time to get him back on track.
• Prepare for tomorrow’s episode of The Last Dance by reading this AWESOME piece from Tim Keown on Dennis Rodman.
I’ll read anything @TimKeownESPN writes, but this on Rodman is next level good even by Tim’s ridiculous standards. And this anecdote on Jerry Krause is amazing. https://t.co/dv95XrKwkx pic.twitter.com/oK3d1gwn2s
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 24, 2020
• The story behind one of the most iconic intro songs ever:
Inside the making of the Chicago Bulls’ theme song "Sirius" from the writer, former Beatles engineer Alan Parsons https://t.co/k6KFEqWsuO pic.twitter.com/UmzU73pk4G
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) April 25, 2020
• A G-League players union is right around the corner. Upon formation, the union would be able to collectively bargain with the NBA and G-League.
ESPN story on G-League players voting to form a union — with an assist from @TheNBPA: https://t.co/FPnE7kgv9B
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2020
• Do you know how funny it could be if Jordan missed six threes pointers in the first half and still did this shrug?
T is for The Shrug ¯_(ツ)_/¯
MJ gave his famous shrug after making his sixth 3-pointer in the first half of Game 1 against the Trail Blazers in the 1992 NBA Finals. The Bulls won 122-89, and ultimately clinched their second NBA title in the six-game series. pic.twitter.com/ITZXr63Ra2
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 25, 2020
• I like that one too.
Like Mike.@ZachLaVine shares his favorite MJ story: pic.twitter.com/SU7f5Klafq
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 25, 2020
