NEWSLETTER
Oftentimes, I get frustrated when the Bulls decide to drop news when I think I can close up shop for the day. Last night was not one of those times. WELCOME TO THE CLUB, BILLY!
• With “hire a head coach” officially crossed off the to-do list, the Chicago Bulls front office will shift the bulk of their attention to the 2020 NBA Draft. Rescheduled for November 18th, the league confirmed on Wednesday that late this month it will hold a virtual combine and then allow in-market meetings. The process will start later this month on September 28th and stretch until draft night.
NBA has made official its plan for a draft combine to be conducted in both team markets and virtually, beginning September 28 through early-to-mid November.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2020
• All things considered, this is great news. While it’s unlikely Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley will be in the gym to watch workouts, they’ll at least be able to view more up to date data and film. Remember, we haven’t seen most of these prospects take the court in months, so this combination should help organizations around the league better piece together their respective draft boards.
• The Athletic had their beat reporters play executives in a mock draft experiment. With Darnell Mayberry at the helm, the Chicago Bulls drafted center James Wiseman with the No. 4-overall pick. In my opinion, this feels like a pretty unlikely scenario; however, we can never say never in the NBA. The Bulls would have to highly consider Wiseman if he fell out of the top-3. The guy is an athletic freak who has all the right tools to become a tremendous two-way player. The frontcourt would be cluttered with talent, but it would give new head coach Billy Donovan plenty to work with. Not to mention, it would give Chicago an immediate excuse to shop Lauri Markkanen or Wendell Carter Jr. Again, I don’t think they plan to nor want to do that at the moment, but it would have to be a point of discussion with Wiseman on the team.
• People around the league are giving the Bulls a round of applause for landing Billy Donovan … but they’re also scratching their heads. The announcement yesterday was certainly an unexpected one, as we all believed Donovan wanted no part of a rebuilding team. However, as a highly respected coach around the league, we can all agree Donovan isn’t an idiot. The Bulls didn’t lure him into a cage with a Snickers bar and tell him they’d only let him out if he signed the contract. The two sides clearly share a similar vision, and according to Mayberry, that was enough for Donovan make up his mind: “According to one person with knowledge of the negotiations, Donovan came away impressed as much with Karnišovas and new general manager Marc Eversley as he was with the job they were selling him. After the two sides concluded the interview process, there was a shared feeling that the marriage was a natural fit.”
• AHOOOOGA! Talk about a 180. If the Bulls have been known for anything in recent history, it’s certainly not convincing high-end talent that Chicago is the place to be. To hear the new front office could not only pitch Donovan well but pitch him a future he found legitimately achievable is extremely encouraging.
• What Chuck says, believe the opposite.
C’mon Chuck, can’t you let us have tonight?!?!? pic.twitter.com/WbsYP1P3jN
— Midway Minute (@MidwayMinute) September 23, 2020
• In all seriousness, to say Chicago isn’t an attractive job or destination should now be considered an out of date take. The team may not have recent success, but they have an entirely new front office with solid young talent, assets, and flexibility. Oh, and do I even need to remind folks it’s one of the largest markets in the NBA? I’m not saying this is the best job out there – I ranked this as the second-to-last best job on the market this season – but to pretend it’s just as ugly as ever is flat-out wrong. The franchise is bouncing back.
• You love to read it.
Great quote from Rick Pitino on how Bulls' new head coach Billy Donovan interacts with his players to @leilarahimi and @dan_bernstein on @670TheScore this morning. Feels relevant: pic.twitter.com/n30FzYKwfr
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) September 23, 2020
• Good group of people who know what they’re talking about:
https://twitter.com/NBCSBulls/status/1308594366320123905?s=20
• Yes.
Did Dwyane Wade plant seeds for Jimmy Butler’s arrival in Miami while they were both were with the Bulls? https://t.co/3iehEdGRDP
— SB Nation (@SBNation) September 23, 2020
• We have a lot to be excited about.
What the Billy Donovan Hire Says About the Bulls Financial Flexibility, 2021 Free Agency, Organizational Planning, Morehttps://t.co/FXn388bJeY
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 23, 2020
