NEWSLETTER
I would not label myself a religious NBA 2K player, but I certainly dabble in the arts.
I’ve always loved the game, and I try to find times throughout the week to just sit back, zone out, and live vicariously through my absolutely jacked MyPlayer. I have also recently thrown MyTeam into the mix. For those who are not familiar, put simply, it’s like building a fantasy team. You acquire player cards or packs by completing challenges, and these players can come from any area throughout NBA history.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I went out my way yesterday to add Bulls assistant coach Maurice Cheeks. To be clear, no, I did not add the 65-year-old version (at least … I don’t think?) but rather the HOF point guard version. I immediately went to test him out against some fierce competition and, well, my face was basically like Patrick Williams in the picture below:
Coby & Pat & Hall of Famer Mo Cheeks 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qk0S0IXKbf
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 30, 2021
Bruh, Mo is a cheat code! The guy was flying past defenders in transition faster than Lightning McQueen after a Five Hour Energy-Red Bull cocktail. I was basically finishing acrobatic layups and dishing dimes with my eyes closed. Maybe it was beginners luck, but I think it was just a HOFer being a HOFer.
• Speaking of Maurice Cheeks, how awesome is it that he is on the Bulls staff? Rarely do you get that accomplished of a player in the gym on a daily basis, and I’m sure he provides insight every person on the team (regardless of position) can implement into their game. We already know how much White has loved to have the former point guard in town. And I’m sure a new face like Lonzo Ball will begin to benefit from his presence too. While the two might carry a very different frame, they share that get-it-and-go mentality and a scrappy defensive presence. We will likely not hear much about their relationship, but I have to imagine it will be a productive one that can help Ball further hone his craft.
• Ball might be this team’s starting point guard of the future (how traditional of a role he will play, however, is up for debate), but White is not down and out. The fact he made it through this roster blow-up could speak volumes about this front office’s faith in his development. If one thing is for sure, his head coach still sees plenty of value there, and he said as much to The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry on Wednesday.
“You talk about that stuff,” Donovan said. “I give him a lot of credit because I think his mentality and disposition was, like, ‘Listen, we’ll figure that piece of it out.’ And ‘Whatever I can do to help the team.’ And I told him, I said, ‘Listen, there’s going to be a lot of value.’ There’s not a lot of guys in this league that shoot the ball the way he does. And when you’ve got really good offensive players, one-on-one players like those three guys we’ve been talking about (LaVine, DeRozan, Vucevic), having a guy like that who can knock down a shot is really important.”
• We can all agree the first two years as a pro for the 21-year-old has been nothing near normal. White first played a sparkplug role for a messy organization in a shortened season. Then, after a long hiatus, he was asked to fill a vital lead playmaker role in the starting lineup during a pandemic year with almost zero practices. Now, he is set to return from a torn labrum on a roster where his role will change drastically yet again. None of that is easy to go through, but it does become that much bearable when the coaching staff and front office have your back. Also, if anything, I think all this change will have a positive impact on White in the long run. He’s worn a lot of different hats thus far, but each of those hats comes with a different learning experience.
• Instead of going on and on about White, I’ll recommend you give Jackson Frank’s latest deep dive a read. He does a great job highlighting why White’s new role is the one he was destined to play.
For two seasons, and understandably so, Chicago has tried to make Coby White a ball-handler. But that's not who he is. He's an off-ball scorer.
On his role, the important year ahead for him and how the new-look Bulls can help him flourish: https://t.co/fWMcrDmmhB
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) September 29, 2021
• I kind of love bringing in guests like this for training camp. Not only is it good to get another set of experienced eyes on something so new, but Stotts might be able to offer some solid input (especially on a guy like DJJ, who he coached last season).
Bulls' Billy Donovan welcomes Terry Stotts to observe practice.
Former Bulls assistant coach and current Alabama assistant Charlie Henry also has been visitor this week.
Story for @NBCSChicago: https://t.co/d5bjyss5wS
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 29, 2021
• ICYMI: Michael Jordan sat does for a golf discussion with Steph Curry. I wish a little more basketball chatter was on the table, but it was cool to hear the GOAT talk about another sport he loves so much. Not to mention, as one of the most intense teammates, he had some interesting things to say about the Ryder Cup format.
• Justin Fields might have a slight injury, but he did practice in full with the team on Wednesday.
We’ll keep an eye out for an updated injury report later today after Justin Fields practiced in full on Wednesday despite wearing a protective brace on his throwing hand. https://t.co/BiwObOfTd1
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) September 30, 2021
• THEY DID THE HOCKEY!
The result didn’t matter last night. Jonathan Toews being back on the ice was all we needed to see. https://t.co/Z5bAhtKzpq
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) September 30, 2021
• TANK SEASONNNNNN.
Enjoy What You Can: The Cubs’ Magic Number for the Seventh Pick is Down to One – https://t.co/rWl4Idm7LP pic.twitter.com/O5nxdLOqNG
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 30, 2021
