NEWSLETTER
I love that I get to write about sports every single day of my life, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hella difficult to do today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’m super fortunate to have this awesome gig over at Bleacher Nation. Today is just one of those days where it’s hard to focus and put my silly sports thoughts into words. Let’s hope tomorrow is a bit easier (I’m not holding my breath).
• New mock draft, same results. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman shared his latest prediction for draft night on Wednesday, and he has Israeli Forward Deni Avdija going to the Bulls at No. 4. His decision falls in line with practically all of the latest mock drafts, which we talked about plenty yesterday. Whether this consensus will hold over the next two weeks hard to say, but it is clear that most analysts behind the scenes are currently hearing the same thing. Interestingly enough, though, the Bulls have not been listed yet as a team to workout Avdija. One has to imagine if the interest was this legitimate that they would have made an effort to see him in person, especially when we consider how much both Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley value in-person evaluation.
• Of course, there is a strong possibility that the Bulls have met with Avdija. Karnisovas likes to keep things quiet, and I wouldn’t be shocked to learn the two sides have met/spoken a couple of times. With that said, I’m also a tad skeptical of how hot this stove appears to be. Considering Karnisovas typically holds things close to the vest, I have to wonder if all this Avdija hype is a smokescreen. My gut says that is NOT the case, since Avdija makes a lot of sense in that draft slot and for this Bulls team. But only time will tell.
• The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry also seems to think Avdija is the way to go, and he said as much in a recent Q&A. Interestingly enough, he also said that if the Bulls don’t go with Avdija, he’d like to see them grab Isaac Okoro. I would be more than happy if the Bulls walked out of draft night with Okoro. An elite defender at the wing who should immediately become a plug and play piece at the pro level would fit nicely in Chicago. Now, if the Bulls do draft Okoro, I have to imagine it comes via a trade down. Unless some new information comes out, it appears Okoro is projected to go in the 7-10 range of this draft class. I guess the Bulls could select him early, but that comes as a surprise, in my opinion.
• If the Bulls don’t grab an answer at small forward in this draft (or maybe even if they do), Karnisovas will look at adding improved depth in free agency. The Athletic has been ranking free agents by position, and John Hollinger published a closer look at the wing options Wednesday. The Bulls would look at names in the “MLE,” “Less That MLE,” or “minimum” categories, which includes guys like Justin Holiday (hello, again), Mo Harkless, Josh Jackson, Rodney Hood, and Glenn Robinson III. All vary in their projected worth, but that kind of gives us the “tier” of player the Bulls are positioned to consider.
• Fun Thread:
Let's have some fun, Bulls fans.
Let's play, 'Who says no?'
Tweet me your best Bulls trade ideas and we'll evaluate whether Arturas Karnisovas should consider adding you to the team.
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) November 4, 2020
• Love the Chicago Theater. Don’t love this look.
Estas são as primeiras imagens das costas da camisa e da bermuda do novo uniforme do CHICAGO BULLS.
O número terá a mesma fonte e sombra vermelha do logotipo frontal. Um estilo único! No short notamos o logo dos Bulls envolvido pelas tradicionais estrelas da bandeira de Chicago. https://t.co/XCzLlcIA3s pic.twitter.com/84XwqzgVB8
— Camisas da NBA (@camisasdanba) November 3, 2020
• New vice president of player personnel Pat Connelly gave us a better idea of just how well the Bulls new front office is operating this offseason.
The Chicago Bulls Front Office Sure Does Sound Comfortable Alreadyhttps://t.co/f1aC7inmm1
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 4, 2020
