NEWSLETTER
Oof, LeBron James must be starting to forget when he’s on the basketball court and when he’s on the Space Jam 2 set (That’s a #DoubleBurn because I’m making fun of his flopping AND his age *self high-five*).
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1395237419817988097?s=20
• Bulls-bias aside, that game-winner from 34-feet was savage. To beat Steph Curry at his own game like that is so infuriatingly impressive. In fact, it is so infuriatingly impressive that the last thing anyone needs to do is try to talk it up, yet that is exactly what James decided to do after the game. In case you missed it, Draymond Green committed a hard foul on James with about 2:00 minutes to go. James went up for the layup, while the less-springy Green went to contest. He kept his arms up straight, but at an angle that hit James in the noggin. James proceeded to hit the deck and roll around like an out-of-water tuna that makes his living as a Pacific Ocean soccer player. The refs went to review the call for a flagrant and, surprisingly, came back with the right call, which was a common foul. James then proceeded to spend the remainder of the game acting as if he was dribbling with one hand and holding his eye in his skull with the other. To his credit, it was a solid performance, but a performance, nonetheless. Right, CJ?
Actor of the year 🤣
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) May 20, 2021
• James appeared to milk it in his postgame conversation with Steph Curry, and he definitely milked it in his interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols when he said he saw “three rims out there” and just shot at “the middle one.” Come on, now.
• Anyway, I’m not going to sit here and actually rip into the guy. His resume – albeit not at GOAT level – speaks for itself. I have just always thought the “I was fouled” theatrics take away from some of the prestige, especially when it is continued after the game. And, to be clear, that isn’t only a James issue. Players like Green, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul, and Damian Lillard can all be seen complaining to the refs at pretty extreme levels. I accept that there is an art to drawing fouls, but that art is worth a little less when you’re shouting “BUY MY DAMN ART!!”
• In other news, Stephen Curry is a wizard from Hogwarts.
Mark Jackson: "I'm not allowing Steph Curry to play one-on-one in this situation."
Jeff Van Gundy: "Neither are they."
(Steph does Steph things)
Mike Breen: "Curry, step-back three…BANG!" pic.twitter.com/0MkLTiuHXU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 20, 2021
• The Chicago Bulls may lose their first-round pick this offseason, but that doesn’t mean this summer will be void of excitement. Over half the team’s roster spots will still have to be filled, and how many of those spots will be filled with fresh faces is a hard question to answer. Stephen Noh outlined really well the two paths the Bulls can take this offseason: Acting as a cap space team or an above-the-cap team. I recommend you check it out.
Salary cap rules are boring and difficult to understand. Fortunately, I simplified them for you all as they pertain to the Bulls.
Check out the flow chart below to see what they can do, and read what I would do here: https://t.co/4c6mKMnTnj pic.twitter.com/ZCmzzOc7qs
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) May 20, 2021
• To be honest, I struggle to choose a path here. Opting to open up as much cap space as possible is fun in theory, but we have tracked the depletion of this free agency class all season long. There are still some interesting names, but enough to justify overpaying certain guys? At the same time, I don’t want largely the same roster next season, and I don’t think Arturas Karnisovas does either. If he does choose to act above the cap, it will have to be because he has several trades in mind to elevate this roster. Karnisovas did not exactly give us much input on which path he prefers, but he did say he plans to continue his aggressive approach. He also did highlight free agency as an important factor, so take that as you will.
• Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman re-drafted the 2020 NBA class, and he has the Top-3 teams all selecting different names. The Bulls, on the other hand, picked the right guy. Wasserman believes Williams showed enough this season to warrant excitement and a No. 4-overall selection, which falls in line with what several other analysts have said recently.
• Williams is about to posterize so many people.
Patrick Williams Plans to Play in the Summer League (Which is Now Reportedly Set for Mid-August!)https://t.co/bk3Uzk6Yhf
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 19, 2021
• Scottie Pippen embarrassed Patrick Ewing 27-years-ago today.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1395348584791482369?s=20
• Shoutout to the Jazz. This is great stuff.
What’s better than granting a scholarship for every Utah Jazz win this season?
Getting to tell the recipients that their life is about to change ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7YPWho77TX
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 19, 2021
