NEWSLETTER
THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!
WE HAVE ENTERED THE TWILIGHT ZONE pic.twitter.com/WLJ7yEIa2o
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 19, 2021
• Coby White has not been one to shy away from a joke or two, but unlike when he posted filtered photos of his bald head, it appears he actually got himself a haircut. The Bulls youngster kept his majestic locks pulled back in a ponytail this season instead of the floppy fro we saw during his rookie campaign. Now, it looks as if he is ready to try a new hairstyle for Year 3. I can’t help but picture the barber shedding a few tears as he begins to hack at that beautiful mane. I know I would have. Alas, change is good. I support White in all of his hair endeavors. And, besides, I have enough pictures of him hung around my office so his old dew never feels too far away (I’m totally kidding … or am I?).
• While writing the bullet above, I had my first, “it’s the offseason moment” this year. Look, content doesn’t always come easy, folks! Sometimes you have to overreact to a haircut to keep the wheels in motion!
• If Arturas Karnisovas has shown us anything over the last year, it’s that he isn’t afraid to make the big splash.
“The Next Two Months Will be Big” – Karnisovas Knows How Much is Riding on This Offseasonhttps://t.co/UGvRFLynUW
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 19, 2021
• Have you seen this White Sox crap? If not, I’ll sum it up briefly: Yermin Mercedes hit a home run off a position player late in the White Sox blowout victory over the Minnesota Twins, and Tony La Russa didn’t like it. The manager criticized his player for doing so in the postgame press conference. Then, one day later after the Twins threw at Mercedes to get back at him, La Russa didn’t stick up for his player an ounce.
La Russa on Mercedes: "The fact that he's a rookie and excited helps explain why he just was clueless. But now he's got a clue."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) May 18, 2021
Tony La Russa on the Twins throwing behind Mercedes: "I wasn't that suspicious. I'm suspicious when someone throws at someone's head. I didn't have a problem with how the Twins handled that."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) May 19, 2021
• Like, what!? I know La Russa has a HOF career behind him, but this gives me some serious Jim Boylen vibes (which should not be all that surprising when we consider they were hired by the same guy). Remember when Boylen pulled Zach LaVine mid-game only to call him out in the press conference for his three “egregious” defensive mistakes? Yeah, this stuff from La Russa feels significantly more unnecessary and stupid than that. I wonder what the baseball equivalent would be to the 49 points and historic 13 three-pointers Zach LaVine had one game after Boylen did that. Maybe a three homerun game where the last one is a walk-off grand slam. Whatever it is, I expect Mercedes to do it soon.
• Speak of the devil …
Spotted in the crowd: Former Pacers assistant and Bulls head coach Jim Boylen. He lives here, and is with his two daughters.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) May 18, 2021
• Between Billy Donovan, Arturas Karnisovas, Zach LaVine, Thaddeus Young, Garrett Temple, Nikola Vucevic, and Patrick Williams all giving end-of-season press conferences, there is a lot to sift through. We’ve already written plenty about some of the comments made during those Monday interviews, and we will have more to come throughout the week. If you want a great all-encompassing look at the main topics hit, however, I recommend reading through Darnell Mayberry’s latest over at The Athletic. He did an awesome job – per usual – pulling on the most important tidbits.
Was it a step forward or a spectacular failure?
Could the 2020-21 season prove to be both for the Bulls? https://t.co/5pYw6FmNbL
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) May 19, 2021
• Toni Kukoc is finally a HOFer! The Bulls legend spoke with reporters yesterday about the achievement, and he couldn’t hold back a single smile: “I basically didn’t say “finally.” I’m actually thrilled that it happened. It’s awesome feelings. I still don’t have a full feeling. Probably in September when I get there the whole thing is going to sink in, but it’s awesome.”
LIVE: Toni Kukoč after being named to the Basketball HOF Class of 2021 https://t.co/Hok4CZ4JaK
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 18, 2021
