My father said some very special words to me this weekend: “If you were a steak, you would be prime.”
I think that’s the most dad compliment a son can receive. *drops singular meaty tear*
- Speaking of beef (shoutout pops for the seamless transition), tensions started to rise between two NBA youngsters this weekend. Dejounte Murray and the recently selected No. 1-overall pick Paolo Banchero played against each other in Isaiah Thomas’ Pro-AM league on Sunday. While both players seemed to dominate the competition in their own special way, the more experienced Murray walked away with the highlight of the day.
- The Hawks’ new guard first caught the rookie with the shot fake before tripping him up even more with the pass fake. With Banchero having to catch his balance, Murray threw it to himself off the backboard for the slam. Check it out:
- Disrespectful? Yes. Awesome? Also, yes. But Banchero sure didn’t seem to think so. The Orlando Magic’s new leading man took to Instagram to call out Murray …
- To no surprise, this was quickly met with a reply from Murray, who claimed Banchero’s No. 1 status has already gotten to his head:
- First, I want to thank the basketball gods for giving us NBA beef two months before the season even tips off. Amen. Second, I want to advise Banchero to tread lightly (because, duh, he surely reads a Chicago-centric blog in his free time). As much as I love some rookie confidence, talking trash before you even step on an NBA court is … well … an interesting choice. I believe the talent is there and that a ROY-caliber performance could be on the horizon, but perhaps we should wait until some of the accolades are on the resume before getting on an All-Star’s wrong side.
- Again, I have nothing against some trash talk, but I probably wouldn’t be the biggest fan of seeing my rookie take his beef to social media. Making it in the NBA is a cutthroat game, especially when you come off the board with immense expectations. Store any disrespect as fuel and move along.
- Fatherhood is on the horizon for Zach LaVine, and he opened up about it with People’s Natasha Dye.
“It’s going to be a completely new experience for me,” LaVine told People. “I think I’ll be able to adjust, but you know, knowing that it’s going to be more about [the baby] and my wife, and obviously my job has its demands.
…
It’ll be fun to adjust the season. Now, everything comes second and that’s what’s most important is making sure we start our family right, and making sure the baby’s healthy, my wife’s healthy, and getting everything on track, and then basketball.”
- All things considered, this is probably something we should keep in mind as the season gets underway. While I know diddly-squat about being a father myself, I can only imagine the nerves and stress that will come in the early stages. I’m not saying I expect this to impact LaVine’s on-court play, but we all know this is a massive life change that will surely take some adjusting to for the Bulls’ franchise cornerstone. Congrats to the LaVines!
- Also, while family always comes first, LaVine did ensure People that he continues to have a long list of on-court goals he’s ready to accomplish:
“People really don’t have to worry about that side, ’cause I think for me, I have my own bucket list and checklists and things that I want to accomplish for myself,” LaVine said. “You know, I continue to go out there and play the way I am, have been, continue to, to try to lead the team to wins and get deeper and deeper into the playoffs.”
- Dalen Terry became the latest Chicago Bull to suit up for the Drew League! Highlights from his game have yet to surface online, but he seemed to have the same kind of well-rounded and energetic performance we grew used to seeing in Summer League. I’m so glad we’re only about a month away from seeing how he stacks up in training camp. While I have my questions about whether or not he can carve out a consistent role right away, there is no question he’s already put in a lot of work this summer.
- I need a breakout year from Patrick Williams like I need water:
- Some of these names are definitely a surprise. Sexton, Schroder, Whiteside, and even Anthony feel like worthwhile role players to throw on the back of a contender’s bench:
- Two of my favorite Rose buckets came against Miami: (1) The dunk over Joel Anthony, and (2) the finish over Wade and LeBron in transition:
- Kevin Durant: 1, Random Twitter Guy: 0
- GOAT:
- ICYMI: A little talk on how the sluggish superstar trade market could have an impact on the rest of the league:
- I mean … why not?
- At least there are a couple of guys to watch: