NEWSLETTER
OPENING DAY BASEBALL AND MORE NBA SCRIMMAGE GAMES!? LIFE IS GOOD (if you forget about the whole pandemic thing, that is).
• I could eat Clam Chowder every meal for the rest of my life and still be less sick of Clam Chowder than I am the Chicago Bulls coaching situation.
Report Out of New York: Bulls Expected to “Stand Pat” with Jim Boylenhttps://t.co/gzIRkC4NXp
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) July 23, 2020
• Signs are beginning to point toward a Jim Boylen return despite all of the buzz about a coaching change earlier this offseason. And, honestly, I’m starting to feel bad about the amount of Boylen crap we have to shove in your face. Unfortunately, not only is this the only storyline to talk about right now, it’s an incredibly important one to focus on for the future of the Chicago Bulls. Boylen’s job status tells us a lot about what next season could look like and what differences (if any) we could actually see for the Bulls internally.
• With that said, I just want the speculation to stop. The Bulls are not doing themselves any favors with their fans, and probably within league circles, if they keep this game of cat and mouse going over the next several months. Sure, the team may be off duty, but this front office should still keep the general public informed about what’s going on behind closed doors. I’m not even asking for on-the-record quotes or a zoom press conference from Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley (although, it’d be welcomed). All I’m asking for is some more concrete information to be reported in some capacity. I mean, whether it be The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry writing about how absurd it is that Boylen hasn’t been fired, NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson talking about the reasons Boylen could stay, or the Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley repeating the point about unhappy players, we seem to be all over the freakin’ place. I’m not blaming those guys in the slightest – they’re simply developing content based on what they’ve gathered. I’m blaming the new front office. Of course, I have faith in both Karnisovas and Eversley, but it’s time to provide everyone with a little more clarity. Heck, I’ll simply take a “we’ve finally gotten players in the gym recently, our evaluation is ongoing, and no final decisions have been made.” Just give us something soon, please.
• On 670 the Score, Cowley kind of provided us with a glimmer of hope that everything will still proceed as we expect it to before the start of the 2020-21 season. He still brought up that multiple things are working against Boylen, including player opinion and a few other unnamed circumstances behind the scenes. In general, he seems to believe a coaching change is still in the cards, but it’ll come down to whether or not Jerry Reinsdorf all of a sudden “vetos” the process. I’m crossing every single finger that ownership can do what they said they would do and let the new front office make the decisions. I beg of thee.
• The Athletic’s John Hollinger put Kris Dunn on his All-Defense First Team! How about that for recognition?
Nice to see Kris Dunn getting a good bit of attention in here for his terrific defense. https://t.co/UYAeWGXaoU
— Stephen Noh (@StephNoh) July 23, 2020
• Truthfully, I’d be pretty shocked if Dunn ended up there when NBA awards come out, but if Hollinger thinks this way, who’s to say others don’t too? He makes a pretty good case for why Dunn deserves this level of recognition, and here’s just a nugget: “… he impacted the Bulls’ results in a major way – they gave up 6.8 points per 100 fewer with him on the court, (not surprisingly) forced more turnovers, and (very surprisingly) actually fouled less as a team, by 2.6 percent, according to Cleaning the Glass. He belongs here.”
• Worth a read:
https://twitter.com/PlayersTribune/status/1285726252280799234?s=20
• Bleacher Report says the Bulls should flip Thaddeus Young for some youthful assets … let’s agree to disagree.
• Thoughts on this? I think it’s pretty cool.
Miami had fans chanting “Let’s Go Heat” and “Defense” on the video board. pic.twitter.com/hOY735h0Sy
— ESPN (@espn) July 23, 2020
• Scottie Pippen is showing love for those players fighting to make a difference:
.@ScottiePippen is IMPRESSED with the Social Change Fund that @CP3 @CarmeloAnthony and @DwyaneWade have started – and shoutout to @MalcolmBrogdon7 whose new Brogdon Family Foundation is already making a difference. pic.twitter.com/vfh1WpOiQa
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) July 23, 2020
