NEWSLETTER
Drink some extra coffee this morning because another west coast road trip starts tonight.
GAME DAY. Need late night plans?
Warriors | @NBCSChicago | 9 pm CT pic.twitter.com/OJ060JnH22
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 29, 2021
• The Chicago Bulls next three games will be against the Warriors (9:00 p.m. CT), Suns (8:00 p.m.), and Jazz (8:00 p.m.) before they head back to Chicago for a Sunday matinee against the Brooklyn Nets. Then, the team will hit the road for five more games away from the United Center. For a team that is trying to integrate a group of new talent, including a 2x All-Star, this is a pretty taxing stretch. It means any time spent watching film and in shootaround must be used to the best of its ability. The on-court time will undoubtedly be the most beneficial learning experience, but the Bulls can’t heavily rely on that at this point in the season. There just isn’t enough time between now and the end of the season to excuse losses if Chicago wants to crack the postseason.
• FWIW: The last time the Bulls headed out West, they fared quite well. I mean, sure, they walked away 1-3, but they played some of their most competitive basketball of the season. They suffered just a 2-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and a 3-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. In fact, broadly speaking, the Bulls have been a really solid road team all season long. I’m not sure exactly what to attribute that to, but they hold an impressive (for Bulls standards) 10-9 road record. Hopefully, that fact can prove worthwhile over these next couple of weeks.
• Shoutout to K.C. Johnson for sharing this:
From Billy Donovan’s Zoom session: This is what a socially distanced hotel ballroom looks like. Teams use these for meetings, film sessions, walkthroughs. pic.twitter.com/ufa7giKlLn
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 29, 2021
• To me, this image kind of demonstrates another layer to the whole “getting comfortable” thing for a new team. Guys just aren’t able to mingle and hang out in ways they normally are. For example, thanks to previous content released by the team, we know that players and coaches are almost always wearing a monitor that tracks their distance from one another. Six feet must always be kept between two people, which I assume rules out a lot of the interaction on planes or buses. No card games or board games or whatever. I’m not saying all of this is enough to derail a team or anything, but any step away from the norm can be a bit disruptive. Just look at the Boston Celtics, who have reportedly suffered some big chemistry issues off the court. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon on The Mismatch podcast, the Celtics have to split their players between two locker rooms due to COVID protocols, and that has potentially led to a divide on the team. The first locker room sees things one way, while the second sees things another. Of course, those on the Celtics have denied any behind-the-scenes issues, but it isn’t hard to believe this could be a thing when we look at their stumble down the standings.
• Troy Brown Jr. is my pride and joy. Those who followed our trade deadline coverage know I was very excited about this acquisition by Arturas Karnisovas. Brown is just 21-years-old, and he possesses the kind of versatile skill set that should do wonders inside Billy Donovan’s system. I’ve seen some people point out his lack of playing time with the Wizards as a reason we shouldn’t expect him to see a ton of action with the Bulls, but I wouldn’t put a ton into that. Not only did the organization trade for him – which means they clearly see value – but he kind of got handed the short end of the stick in Washington.
Troy Brown Jr. says he expected to play backup point guard for the Wizards this season but instead ended up at PF and then soon enough the bench.
He's excited to join #Bulls and showcase his versatility. Billy Donovan told Brown that Bulls need his defensive presence.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) March 29, 2021
• Don’t get me wrong, his play has something to do with it, but it is kind of odd they didn’t give him more than 21 games to prove his worth, especially after (1) last season (10.4 ppg, 5.6 reb, 2.6 ast, 1.2 stl) and (2) changing up his expected position. We should also keep in mind they drafted Deni Avdija in the lottery this season, who is kind of the higher-upside version of Brown. Regardless, I think Brown will carve himself out a significant role in this Bulls rotation moving forward. He not only has the kind of perimeter defense this team needs but he has some sneaky playmaking ability that this team could use in the second unit.
• I shared this yesterday in bullets, but I’m sharing it again. Each bucket on Saturday was impressive. Elite positional size (6’7″) and quick thinking continue to make him a super intriguing prospect, in my opinion.
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1376040744654344193?s=20
• Chandler Hutchison spoke with reporters for the first time in a couple of months this weekend, and The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry shared his comments. The now-Wizards forward still didn’t share much about why he had to step away from in-game activity, but he did say he would tell the story sometime in the future. He also said that a trade from Chicago was an unexpected move. For more on that, read Mayberry’s piece.
• It feels damn weird to see Wendell Carter Jr. in another jersey, and I’m sure that will be the case for any other young core member that moves on in the near future. I know it’s not like they accomplished anything significant while they were all here, but they still represent a group of guys we tried to buy-into for several seasons. Seeing Wendell in Orlando just gives me that “oh crap, things are really changing” feeling.
From AAU to the @NBA.@chuma_okeke → @wendellcarter34 pic.twitter.com/4po5w9CsQM
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 29, 2021
• Drummond was briefly tied to the Bulls. I’ll gladly take Vucevic instead.
Drummond plans to sign with Lakers, agent Jeff Schwartz says – via @ESPN App https://t.co/NG4i24DzIO
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 28, 2021
