The weather is so beautiful today that I might be charged with a crime if I don’t sit on my balcony with a beer and listen to Pat Hughes call a baseball game.
But, first, basketball talk!
Dalen Terry’s name didn’t just come off the board on Thursday night. It appeared in graphics shared on social media, in a postgame press conference during the second round, and it will appear on the back of a jersey when he’s introduced at the Advocate Center later this week. In other words, all signs point to Dalen Terry dribbling a basketball in a Chicago Bulls uniform next season, which means fewer signs point to a splashy offseason trade.
The No. 18 pick felt like one of the front office’s best assets heading into this summer. If the Bulls were going to land a big fish to pair with their All-Star backcourt of Zach LaVine (assuming he re-signs) and DeMar DeRozan, one has to imagine it would have happened already. To be sure, free agency is still on the horizon, and the NBA happens to be harder to read than any of my philosphy textbooks in college.
So, yes, it’s still possible we see someone like Nikola Vucevic or Patrick Williams become part of a blindside trade. But GM Marc Eversley also recently downplayed the notion of a jaw-dropping deal when asked about the front office’s team-building process:
“I think we’re going to continue to take a pragmatic approach to this,” Eversley told reporters after the NBA Draft. “We did take a big leap last year … I don’t think there is any one player or any giant leap that we’re going to encounter overnight that’s going to turn this thing. We’re going to come in here every day to try to improve and grow this team.”
Again, considering this is the same organization that snatched Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline and DeMar DeRozan in free agency, we must take these words with a grain of salt. But I tend to believe what Eversley is speaking. He and Arturas Karnisovas likely don’t see this franchise as one move away from a championship. How could you after getting bounced in the playoffs in just five games (three of which were non-competitive eye sores)?
None of this is to say you don’t walk into every season trying to win a championship. I believe the Bulls certainly have their sights set in that direction. However, there is also something to building a level of sustained success. When you do that, it becomes that much easier for either the cards to fall in your favor or for one move to become the move that puts you over the top.
I guess what I’m saying is that – while I’d likely embrace another big acquisition – I can understand the organization’s hesitancy to lean too far in that direction. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself in this process. We’ve now seen teams that attempt to quickly go the superteam route fall apart (*motions toward Brooklyn and Los Angeles*), whereas those with some familiarity/continuity find success (*motions toward Golden State and Boston*).
Now, with all that said, we should want an organization that is still aggressive when it comes to taking advantage of opportunities that suddenly present themselves. And it does sound like the Bulls will always keep that in mind: “I will tell you that we have taken calls on several different players and several different iterations around the league,” Eversley said when asked about offseason rumors. “And we will continue to do so.”
Dalen Terry will likely make his biggest initial impact on the defensive end. He projects to be someone who can help this Bulls team guard the perimeter and turn defense into offense. What I’m most curious to see, though, is how he’ll function in the halfcourt. While he has great upside as an cutting threat and secondary playmaker, the Bulls would really love if he can become at least a semi-consistent catch-and-shoot threat early on in his career.
Per 40 minutes, Terry shot 36.4 percent from downtown on 3.0 attempts per game. There is no question that is a decent foundation to enter the league on, but can he maintain it at the next level? The good news is he should get his fair share of opportunities while sharing the court with guys like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. We saw Ayo Dosunmu – who came in with somewhat similar question marks about his 3-point potential – benefit from open looks early on thanks to the amount of defensive attention his All-Star teammates would draw. I expect Terry to experience the same thing.
Speaking of Terry’s offensive role, Morten Stig Jensen put together a great thread on Twitter talking about ways the rookie could fit into this Bulls offense. His high-IQ court vision could have quite the fun instant impact.
Old friend Tomas Satoransky has officially found a new home. The former-Chicago Bull has inked a four-year deal to join EuroLeague powerhouse Barcelona. I’m super happy for the guy. I’ve always really admired his game, so much so that the BN archives hold plenty of posts where I embarrassingly hype up his abilities. #OldTakesExposed
BEAT THE CARDS!
Bring me Deebo.
NEWSLETTER
