The last time I mentioned a possible Bradley Beal trade, I had to go into witness protection.
But I don’t learn, so let’s do it again!
• On Wednesday, Trey Kerby gave Bulls fans a slight chuckle with a successful fake trade that swapped Otto Porter for his former All-Star teammate Bradley Beal. One can only dream. Then, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor swooped in with a reply that turned some heads.
https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1354668403370455042?s=20
• Is this an attempt to carry on a bit or have you heard some chatter through the grapevine!? Don’t mess with us, Kevin! If you look at the whole thread, I think O’Connor is doing nothing more than some fun speculation, which is relatively easy to do when we remember Donovan and Beal’s close relationship (coached Beal in college). Yet still, after ESPN’s Brain Windhorst picked the Bulls are his sleeper team to sniff around a possible Beal trade, this little comment feels that much more interesting. Do NBA analysts around the league really think the Bulls would be players if the Wizards made Beal available? And, if so, do those analysts only think this because the Bulls are sitting on practically all their future picks? Unless Chicago can somehow magically avoid giving up LaVine in the process, I just can not see how a trade for Beal makes sense at this point. The Bulls would be draining their assets and thus ridding themselves of the best way to build around him.
• Also, I have some Beal thoughts. I know this might just sound like a poor attempt to zag while everyone zigs, but are we giving Beal too much credit? I mean, I keep seeing all these tweets and comments about how frustrating it must be for Beal to be on that Wizards team and how someone has come to rescue him. For starters, hasn’t Beal said repeatedly that he wants to be in Washington? He is not being held against his will, and he kinda mentioned that last night.
Bradley Beal The Professional: "I want to win. This is why I stayed. I figured this is the place I can get it done." pic.twitter.com/9NS9WYi2se
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 28, 2021
• Likewise, are we sure Beal isn’t a tiny bit part of the problem? The guy is dropping basically 35+ points every night, and his team is still losing by double figures. For example, he dropped 47 points on 37 shots last night and the Wizards lost by 18 to the Pelicans. At what point do we question whether or not this is the best strategy to a Wizards win? We saw a similar conundrum with Zach LaVine over the past couple of seasons. LaVine would get his points every night while the rest of the team struggled, and all that did is give LaVine the “empty stats” reputation. Everyone agreed he had to do more of the little things to help his team truly succeed. I’ll admit Beal has done the little things (particularly playmaking) in the past better than LaVine has, but I think the point still stands that maybe he needs to switch up his approach a little.
• I know he has proven in the past that he can be a winning player, but that still came with fellow All-Star John Wall on the court. As the team’s No. 1 guy the past two seasons, the Wizards have won only 32 and 25 games, respectively. The organization and coaching staff deserve a bulk of the blame for that, no doubt. I also firmly believe Beal is an elite player who would be an efficient and highly valuable piece on a contending team. With that said, if he wants an improved situation, he can probably go find one. Anyway, I commend the guy for riding things on in Washington (for now).
• Speaking of trade stuff that provokes a wide range of reactions …
Are the Chicago Bulls in on the Potential Lonzo Ball Sweepstakes?https://t.co/ADIbiqxPhK
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 27, 2021
• Wendell Carter Jr. released a statement to fans in the wake of his recent quad injury.
Wendell Carter Jr. releases a statement via his Instagram story: pic.twitter.com/4S0iF8hHa3
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) January 28, 2021
• I can’t help but feel for the guy. I know fans are already super mad that he will miss another month-plus, but I don’t think there is any reason to take it out on him. The guy is not purposefully hurting himself, and he also is not choosing to sit out for this long. Accidents happen, and unfortunately, they just seem to happen more often to Carter Jr.
• If you really want to be mad at someone, though, I guess there is Denzel.
Wendell Carter said doctors told him Denzel’s knee hit him in “perfect spot” just above knee last week in practice; said he knew it was bad as soon as it happened. #Bulls
— Mike McGraw (@McGrawDHBulls) January 27, 2021
• A lot of talk recently about mixing up the starting lineup, but other than filling Carter Jr.’s absence, I don’t expect to see head coach Billy Donovan rock the boat just yet.
The Bulls Starting Five Might Not Look Great, But I Wouldn’t Expect a Changehttps://t.co/7Ko5l0hT9F
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 27, 2021
• If you love the sport, the Chicago Sky will be must-watch basketball.
Candace Parker to play for hometown Chicago Sky after 13 seasons with Los Angeles Sparks, sources say https://t.co/dfTMNrOa6Q
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 27, 2021