If the Bulls can simply manage to score more than 69 points (nice) this afternoon, I’ll consider it a success!
If one thing is for sure, Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls front office are aligned. The two-time All-Star has done nothing but praise the new brass since they came aboard in 2020. Not only did the two sides work together to recruit other star-level talents to the roster one summer ago, but they sat down this offseason to ink a fresh five-year contract. He alluded to this strong relationship with Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley multiple times when speaking with reporters on Monday, even echoing their persistent message of continuity.
“It’s always better when you get to know each other … getting chemistry on the court, that doesn’t just happen in one or two years,” LaVine said. “All the good teams you see may deep playoff runs every year know each other and have been together for a while. I think that’s something you can definitely establish and grow from.”
LaVine did smile at the repeated use of the word “continuity,” saying he prefers the term “familiarity.” No matter which word is used, though, the message is clear: LaVine believes the Bulls have enough to stay competitive with an ever-improving Eastern Conference. All he’s praying to the basketball gods for is health:
“It was tough because we started off so good,” LaVine said of the 2021-22 season. “We could see the ceiling and the goal of the team in the first half of the season … I think we had some key additions already, adding guys like Goran and Drummond. I think it’s going to be good, as long as guys stay healthy. I think that’s the biggest thing for everybody.”
At the end of the day, I don’t think this sentiment is entirely wrong. Health is always the most important thing, and no one the Bulls could have added this season (outside of a massive move like trading for Rudy Gobert) would have changed that fact. Now, with that said, there are things the Bulls could have done to significantly extend their margin of error, and I’m just not sure they did those things. Does LaVine really think Drummond and Dragic adequately plug the 3-point shooting and rim protection holes on this team? I’d love to drink some expensive wine with him and find out.
Basketball is a game, and LaVine reminded us all of that when speaking about the upcoming birth of his first child.
“I’m extremely excited,” LaVine said. “Obviously, the relationship I have with my father, I’m looking forward to taking on that challenge and seeing what that part of my life is. That’s bigger than basketball, that’s bigger than everything. That’s nervous, anxious, excited all in the same thing. I know how to play basketball, this is something I haven’t done yet. I’m looking forward to it.”
Congratulations to the LaVines! I can’t wait for all the adorable Baby LaVine content that we’ll get in Chicago over the next five seasons.
LaVine also confessed to never taking another free agent meeting and provided a status update on his knee. You can check out the full interview below:
The NBA Board of Governors is expected to meet later today and discuss some pretty big changes. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that the league is likely to make the Play-In Tournament an official part of the postseason format, and Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes also said they will talk about finally penalizing the “Take Foul.” As for an in-season tournament, Marc Stein says those discussions are also expected to continue:
Stein notes that there will be conversations about the league’s payroll disparity, but what the heck are they actually going to do about that? If anything, the Warriors should be given their props for actually spending like the big market team they are. I would love it if a certain other historically beloved team did that (*cough* the Bulls *cough*).
The Athletic released the next edition of their Top-125 player list. After Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, and Nikola Vucevic cracked the 85-125 range yesterday, Lonzo Ball landed in the 60-84 range. I’m curious to see where DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine end up.
The Boston Celtics’ placed 25-year-old Matt Ryan on their Summer League roster this season, and he made quite the impression on Monday.
The reason I bring that up is to share the interview below. Give it a watch:
Old friend Tomas Satoransky officially says his goodbye to the NBA. The veteran point guard signed a lucrative deal to join Barcelona.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ROOKIE!
I like Baby Horses.
Tab is live from development camp this week!