I went to IKEA yesterday to buy a chair only to find out the box wouldn’t fit into my car. After numerous attempts to Tetris it into the vehicle, I decided to just unbox it in the parking lot. As people drove by, they saw an angry, sweaty man cursing and clawing at cardboard. And those same people probably doubted that I’d walk away successful. Well, guess where I’m sitting as I type these bullets?
Elias 1, IKEA 0
• I have a long list of things I want to see happen in the 2020-21 NBA season, but I think these might be my top three (in no particular order): An active trade deadline, a fixed Lauri Markkanen, and a healthy roster. While a playoff appearance and a LaVine All-Star nod are somewhere in the mix, I feel like seeing those three things would give us our best understanding of the future. Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter are both proven vets who should draw interest from contenders. And, depending on how well they play and how desperate the other team is, the Bulls could grab themselves a nice return package. Whether it’s draft assets or a couple of plug-and-play roster pieces, this should tell us at least something about how Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley view this roster moving forward.
• In the meantime, I’m begging the basketball gods for a fully healthy season of Bulls basketball. I’ve never accepted injuries as an excuse, but it’s simply a fact that this current version of the Bulls roster has played very few minutes together. Markkanen, Carter Jr., LaVine, and White only clocked 125 minutes together this season (Coby White’s bench role played into that, but injuries to Markkanen and Carter Jr. also had an impact). Additionally, the four-man lineup of LaVine, Carter Jr., Markkanen, and Porter has only played 134 minutes total since Porter came to town in February of 2019. Since he’ll likely be out of town after this season, I think it’s less important to know how Porter fits into everything, but that’s still ridiculous. Anyway, to understand whom the Bulls should work with moving forward, this next season has to be a healthy one.
• How could Markkanen not be near the top of the list? The 22-year-old is up for an extension this offseason, and whether his camp gets it done or not, Year 4 will be the most important of his career. If he inks a deal with the new front office, he’ll have to prove he was worth keeping around. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to prove he is worth keeping around. We all know Markkanen has great potential, but there is only so much time this organization can invest in him.
• I think Satoransky speaks for most of the team …
#Bulls Tomas Satoransky says that he was both "physically and mentally exhausted" during this season. "These three months without basketball helped me, I started to miss it again. I look forward to the next seasons because our [Bulls] team has huge potential." #BullsNation
— Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow) August 2, 2020
• All the losing and Jim Boylen nonsense probably created an overwhelming sense of exhaustion across the team. I don’t think anyone would ever admit it, but it probably became more about getting games over with than actually winning them toward the end of the season. Hopefully, this extended offseason can rejuvenate this Bulls roster. Markkanen, Carter Jr., White, and LaVine have all been at the Advocate Center for workouts already, so let’s hope we see this continue.
• In other Satoransky news, he was voted the first-ever unanimous Czech Basketball Player of the Year. Congrats, Sato!
Tomáš Satoranský won his sixth Czech Basketball Player of the Year award yesterday. I profiled his strong ties to his home country. https://t.co/kXr3GGahFr
h/t @Luke_Mellow— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) August 2, 2020
• Wait, so can I print out these photos and sell it for $57,000?
Someone paid $57,068 for a COPY of Michael Jordan’s first contract with the Bulls at @gottahaverock auction. Contract had no live ink. Was a photocopy. This market is nuts. pic.twitter.com/90vYV96j2L
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 2, 2020
• Holy Sh*t: Michael Jordan’s game-worn custom Air Jordan 1’s sold for approximately $380,000.
• Jimmy Butler sat out of practice today for the Heat. Apparently it’s being reported as just an “off day,” but there is certainly some confusion surrounding his absence.
Jimmy Butler is not with Heat today for what team is terming excused absence. He remains in the NBA bubble at Disney World.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) August 2, 2020
• Feast your eye on this beautiful basketball.
10 passes. Unselfish hoops.
The Raptors ball movement is a thing of beauty. pic.twitter.com/oOQc1rHer6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 2, 2020
• I have no doubt Coby White would drop 50 in the bubble.
Final: Pacers 127, Sixers 121. T.J. Warren finishes with 53 points on 20-for-29 shooting, including 9-for-12 from 3-point range. Joel Embiid had 41 points, 21 rebounds and four assists in the loss. Pacers now have clinched the tie-breaker over the Sixers in the standings.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) August 2, 2020
• LOL
that’s larry bird https://t.co/xEfRw7W9Kz
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) August 2, 2020