NEWSLETTER
First and foremost: Today we remember.
My thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by the events of September 11th. Two decades later, so many continue to grieve and cope with what the world experienced that day. My thoughts are with all of you.
• Bulls fans normally choose not to recognize the Michael Jordan Wizards years (the what?), but we all have to admit it’s pretty cool what he did with the money he earned.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 11, 2021
• When the Chicago Bulls open their preseason against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 5th, they will not only have to deal with the wrath of Lauri Markkanen but also … Denzel Valentine!
The Cleveland Cavaliers are signing guard Denzel Valentine to a partially guaranteed two-year deal, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Valentine was the No. 14 pick in the 2016 NBA draft and provides wing depth to the Cavaliers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 11, 2021
• Yes, that was sarcasm. But it does appear Chicago will see both former GarPax lottery picks four times this regular season (and two times during the preseason). Fortunately, I don’t think we have to worry about any strong “revenge game” effort from Valentine. Lauri Markkanen, however, could be a different story. We all know The Finnisher is capable of putting together some big nights, particularly on the offensive end of the court. While he said in a recent interview with The Athletic that he holds no ill-will toward the Bulls organization, I have no doubt he will play with a little extra juice against a franchise that – for a lack of better words – gave up on him. Now, will that amount to a victory? I wouldn’t go that far.
• By the way, I can not be more excited to watch Patrick Williams give Markkanen the work. Seeing the old regime’s cornerstone vs. the new regime’s cornerstone is going to be all kinds of fun. Williams is going to swat a Markkanen shot to the moon!!
• I’m pretty surprised it took this long for Toni Kukoc to get the recognition he deserves. Not only was he the third-leading scorer for one of the most famous dynasties in sports history, but he is easily one of the best European talents of all time. He was a player who helped pave the way for so many overseas talents, and the resume speaks for itself …
Today, Toni Kukoc joins the Hall of Fame!
3x NBA Champion
3x EuroLeague Champion
3× EuroLeague Final Four MVP
FIBA EuroBasket MVP
FIBA World Championship MVP
FIBA Hall of Famer@HoopHall | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/osPOZZd9Nx— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 11, 2021
• Also, game recognizes game, and the fact Michael Jordan will stand at today’s ceremony to present Kukoc (a teammate he once struggled to embrace) should tell us all we need to know about how special of a player Kukoc turned out to be.
“I don’t think there is a better person than Michael Jordan to stand beside me tomorrow. Michael has impacted my life in every way possible.” – Toni Kukoc #21HoopClass pic.twitter.com/dhxC4G9GA1
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) September 10, 2021
• Kukoc will be official inducted during the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at 7:00 p.m. CT on NBATV. However, before addressing the crowd tonight, Kukoc did sit down with NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson for a fun discussion about the glory days. He pulled back the current a bit on his time in Chicago, and it sure sounds like we will hear plenty more of his side of the story tonight.
“I don’t want to say what part of my speech is going to be (Saturday),” Kukoc told Johnson. “But our practices were actually harder than games we played. And it was all because Michael and Scottie were there each and every day, together with Phil, to make us believe that there’s always a chance to get better. That there’s always something new, something else to learn in a game. And that I think it’s one of the biggest reasons why we had that kind of run and won three championships in a row.”
• So I don’t necessarily agree with this claim from Sam Smith, but I definitely understand where he was coming from. Kukoc probably was underutilized over his time in Chicago due to the presence of … well … the best player of all time and another all-time great in Scottie Pippen. If Kukoc had been given the keys to his own team (or even been second in command) during his mid-to-late 20s, I do believe he would have been a bigger star and probably a multi-time All-Star. After all, he did average 18.8 points with 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists the year after The Last Dance. He was one of the more versatile forward in the league, and his game was ahead of its time.
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1436410368226729986?s=20
• Another all-time great Bulls is also getting inducted today! Ben Wallace was the surprise nod for this latest class. The four-time All-Star, four-time defensive player of the year, and NBA champion played one full season in Chicago in 2006-07 where he averaged 6.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. The team traded him to Cleveland the next season and got off of his massive four-year, $60 million deal. Congrats, Ben!
• The NBA must read my bullets.
NBA exploring ‘Field of Dreams’-style game https://t.co/XgjEZj0vIH
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) September 10, 2021
• Do insurance companies cover “Tyler Herro-caused” collisions?
She was so excited to see Tyler Herro that she crashed her car 😅 *NSFW*
(via @kalliopetsarts5)pic.twitter.com/ypEGWJLEGS
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2021
• If you need me, I will be watching college football on one TV and playing NBA 2K22 on the other (until the girlfriend yells at me to stop).
Here Are the 2K22 Rankings for Every Player on the Bulls Rosterhttps://t.co/lHDqovCATk
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 10, 2021
