NEWSLETTER
Gtfoh, snow.
• The last time the Chicago Bulls played the Oklahoma City Thunder, they blew a 22-point lead and lost in OT. While I could once say they have grown into a very different team since that January 17th matchup, their play to start the second-half indicates otherwise. The team we watched drop the ball against an injured Philly squad and struggle to stay within arms reach of a Bam Adebayo-less Heat team could very easily lay an egg against the 17-22 Thunder. With that said, the team we saw Sunday night against the Raptors could easily make it two straight W’s (even if the Raptors were missing several players). That is the interesting thing about this game, we don’t quite know which version of the Bulls we are going to get. But if the team we saw against Toronto does show up again, maybe we can feel a bit more confident that they’re back on their pre-All-Star break path.
• Still, the problem for Chicago is they need to work on getting further along that path … not back to where they were. Beating mediocre or injury-plagued teams isn’t the recipe for a playoff berth. All signs still point to the postseason as the goal this year, but we have to remember only 35 games remain. That’s just not a lot of time to figure things out, especially when a pretty substantial starting lineup change just happened.
• So are we convinced yet that the Bulls are NOT going to sell at the deadline? I mean, anything is possible, but that’s the way I’m leaning. The most plausible outcome right now feels like something in between nothing and buying. While adding veterans like Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky into the starting lineup could be a strategic move to showcase talent, it genuinely does feel like a decision motivated by a desire to win as many games as possible right now. The overarching goal might still be to develop the Bulls young players, but Donovan clearly sees that as happening best in a winning atmosphere as opposed to one where the young guys have free rein in the starting lineup. And if the motive is to stack up wins in this second half, then I guess the case could be made the Bulls do seek-out an immediately impactful addition to the roster. After all, that could be the best way to ensure that their goal of developing through winning actually happens.
• ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Kirk Goldsberry had an extremely interesting discussion about the superstar disparity in the NBA and how the ways to build a championship contender rely on a team’s market more than ever before.
Lowe Post podcast: @kirkgoldsberry on his piece on stars flocking to the coasts and what it means for the NBA, then trade-related thoughts on some of the most interesting deadline teams: TOR, ORL, MIN, Spurs, more:
Apple: https://t.co/OXrcvsxXWT
Spotify: https://t.co/rSFboeQZOL
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 16, 2021
• Lowe and Goldsberry point out something important about major market teams that have struggled to find stars and lure talent. They bring up the Clippers and Nets superstar surge over the past two seasons, and how they each started by proving a level of competency before becoming the title-contenders they are today. The Clippers went to the playoffs as an 8th-seed in 2017-18 and got bounced in the first round, but at least they demonstrated to a free agent market that they had pieces in place and a desire to win. Likewise, the Nets made the playoffs as a 6th seed in 2018-19 after winning 28 games a year before, eventually losing 1-4 to the 76ers in the first round. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant came the following season. I think about this a lot in my red-tinted glasses.
• To be sure, the Bulls won’t likely sign a superstar this offseason, even if they do manage to make the playoffs (so much of this once exciting free agent class has since signed extensions), but they also have a bit more work to do. We should remember that the Clippers and Nets had their culture setters (guys like Doc Rivers and Kenny Atkinson) in place well before the team took a leap. However, the Bulls do still appear to be an organization that wants to follow a similar path. As a major market team, they want to demonstrate that expectations have changed and that they are a much healthier organization from top to bottom. Do that, and you might have a chance to attack more talent. Small market teams don’t normally have that luxury. To use Lowe and Goldsberry’s example, Memphis can prove to be competent all they want, but the next big-time available player just isn’t going to have them at the top of his list. Chicago? That could be a different story.
• Speaking of acquiring talent …
We’re just 10 days away from the NBA trade deadline.
Seven players seem highly likely to change rosters via trade or buyout, @johnhollinger writes.
Here’s a deeper look at each of them ⤵️https://t.co/LHTaVS5JFW
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) March 15, 2021
• LOL @ this streak:
https://twitter.com/jkubatko/status/1371824440963653635?s=20
• Great stuff from the Bulls and Thunder.
Two events often left out of American History curriculum: the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 & the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
That’s why we’re teaming up with the @OKCThunder to create a virtual program for two high schools in both Chicago and Tulsa to learn about these events. pic.twitter.com/FEMsPZ3YNQ
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 16, 2021
