NEWSLETTER
I REPEAT: The 2021 NBA Draft is officially one month away!!
• Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley may not currently posses a first-round pick, but that has not appeared to stop the organization from going about the pre-draft process as normal. Last week we learned the organization spoke to two projected first-round draft picks and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz listed both those prospects as draft combine standouts. Florida State’s Scottie Barnes and Auburn’s Sharife Cooper left executives wanting more, and I’m more than curious to know how that could impact the Bulls’ thinking. Would either player’s rise up the draft board further deter the franchise from a possible trade up or could it make AKME even more anxious to make a move?
• I still think the scale heavily leans toward the Bulls maintaining their spot at No. 38, but we should get even more of a feel for what they might do over the coming weeks. Individual workouts and interviews will continue across the league up until draft day, and I’m sure the Bulls will scout their fair share of talent. The question will be whether this talent continues to fall somewhere in the first-round or it mostly favors those players projected to go in the late first-round and early second. This 2021 class is definitely top-heavy with Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, and Jalen Green as the pretty clear-cut the top-4, but it also remains rather deep. With that being the case, I think we could be surprised with the kind of talent that is still around at pick No. 38. No, I’m not imagining the Bulls find a future starter, but I would not rule out acquiring a high-upside rotation player. Guys like Greg Brown III, Day’Ron Sharpe, Miles McBride, Marcus Bagley, and Daishen Nix are all interesting names expected to go in that range. We’ll spend more time talking about some of those guys (and others) in the coming weeks.
• Speaking of combine standouts, Tennessee’s Keon Johnson did something pretty insane …
How crazy are Keon Johnson's leaping skills?
Well, his recorded standing vertical leap at the draft combine was 41.5 inches… same as Zach LaVine's MAX vertical leap back in 2014.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 29, 2021
• And speaking of Zach LaVine, the Bulls gave the new Team USA member a shoutout!
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1409626556000083971?s=20
• I touched on this briefly in the post below, but I do sincerely believe LaVine was ecstatic to get this phone call. Not only was it another reminder that his hard work has paid off, but it is a basketball environment that might as well be his nirvana. We’ve seen the All-Star come back better after each offseason of his career, and I could not be more excited to see what a summer competing with and against some of the top talents in the world can do for him.
Zach LaVine “Almost Jumped Through the Phone” When he Got the Team USA Callhttps://t.co/0jpGBBXpVQ
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 28, 2021
• I can not decide if all this Pippen stuff has genuinely been good for his upcoming book release. On one end, there is no such thing as bad press. On the other end, the dude has been saying some pretty wild stuff. Will his book just feels like a defensive and hot-takey project or will it give us a real look into his growth as one of the best players of all time? I guess we’ll see. Anyway, Scottie Pippen said some stuff yesterday about Phil Jackson, and he also went on to call out Michael Jordan once or twice. I
"Yeah It was a big decision, but It was a selfish decision, but it was kind of who Michael Jordan was. That was a guy who believed he can do anything on his own"
–@ScottiePippen on Michael Jordan's decision to leave the #Bulls and pursue a baseball career pic.twitter.com/PoHFAIjqgc
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 28, 2021
• Fine, PG, you can come to Chicago with Kawhi.
Paul George pours in new #NBAPlayoffs career-high 41 PTS in the @LAClippers Game 5 win, dropping 30 in the 2nd half! #ThatsGame 🔥
Making it a 3-2 PHX series lead, LAC forces Game 6 on Wednesday at 9:00pm/et on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WSI8qxvruX
— NBA (@NBA) June 29, 2021
• RIP, Martyl.
Martyl Reinsdorf, spouse of Jerry Reinsdorf and mother of Michael Reinsdorf, died peacefully Monday afternoon surrounded by family at her home in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 28, 2021
