Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a great and relaxing summer. My lovely girlfriend and I have truly made the most out of this quiet stretch in the work calendar, and we still have some fun things planned in the coming weeks. But the more I watch Brett/Michael continue their baseball coverage, and Luis ramp up for the start of the football season, the more I feel like that kid still waiting to get picked during recess.
I want it to be my turn to over-analyze every preseason possession and write about crazy trades! Now, I’m sure I’ll regret saying this when it’s December and my mind is overwhelmed with stupid Bulls thoughts, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
GIVE ME HOOPS!!
Most of the NBA drama we got this summer has failed to reach a climax. Kevin Durant is set to figure things out in Brooklyn, and a Donovan Mitchell trade may have just fallen through the cracks thanks to RJ Barrett’s extension. More on that below:
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski elaborated on the Mitchell-Barrett ordeal this morning. As he reports, Barrett was a foundational piece to the trade talks alongside multiple unprotected first-round picks. And while the Jazz might still have interest in a pre-extended Barrett, figuring out how to make the money work has become a lot harder:
– RJ Barrett was indeed the centerpiece of trade discussions between Jazz and Knicks – Jazz covet unprotected draft picks from New York – Utah has no traction with other teams – Jazz still value Barrett after extension pic.twitter.com/aBlIz0gFS3— Evan Sidery (@esidery) August 30, 2022
I find it difficult to believe a trade gets done at this point in time. Perhaps the pressure of a looming season can force both to compromise, but Barrett and Mitchell are also two young players who are under contract for multiple years. If either party isn’t comfortable with the trade, they could easily decide to move forward with their young piece and/or push negotiations further down the road.
JUST KIDDING MITCHELL TOOK THE JAZZ OUT OF HIS TWITTER BIO. TRADE HAPPENING IN T-MINUS 5 MINUTES. SOUND THE ALARMS.
Whether it be with his lethal shot-fake, expert footwork, clean handles, or a combination of all three, nobody embarrasses defenders quite like DeMar DeRozan.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the fact the Bulls have this guy in the gym every day could be huge for the development of their young players. I’m sure Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, and even Zach LaVine have picked up on at least some of moves and techniques that have helped DeRozan become the lethal players he is today. Having someone like him in the locker room can be so influential on and off the court, and I’m sure that’s why this front office made him such a priority last summer.
If there is one thing I’m not too worried about heading into this season, it’s the offense. Even if Lonzo Ball can’t return to the floor right away or Patrick Williams struggles to make an early impact, the offensive ceiling for Chicago remains incredibly high with a healthy Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Remember: They were the only duo to finish top-13 in total points scored last season, and the Bulls still managed to finish with the NBA’s 13th-best offense despite all their injury trouble. If LaVine can avoid bumps and bruises, and Vucevic can take a step forward, it’s hard for me to imagine this not being a top-10 offense this upcoming season.
Anyway, you can watch DeRozan’s full workout with Devin Booker and Chris Paul below (Coby White also makes an appearance):
The Chicago Sky were the 4th-best defensive team in the WNBA this season … so how do they not end up with at least one All-Defensive Team member?
The Toronto Raptors signing rookie Christian Koloko to a three-year deal gave me an excuse to remind you that Ayo Dosunmu is in a contract year. The Bulls only inked the 38th-overall pick to a two-year contract last offseason. With that being the case, he’ll head into restricted free agency this upcoming summer, and I do not doubt that he’ll have significant interest across the league. I hope the Bulls are ready to pay up to keep the 22-year-old stud in his hometown!
Sources: The Toronto Raptors signed rookie center Christian Koloko to a three-year, $5.24 million deal, which is fully guaranteed the first two seasons of the deal and non-guaranteed for the 2024-25 season, @hoopshype has learned.— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 29, 2022
The NBA updated its Health and Safety Protocols for this season:
NBA’s Health and Safety COVID-19 Protocols for 2022-23 season, per sources:
– Once-weekly surveillance testing for unvaccinated players – Vaccinated players only test when symptomatic – Isolation immediately upon positive test – Face masks not required— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 30, 2022
I’ve come around to the idea. Chicago deserves to host Super Bowls and NCAA Championships.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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NEWSLETTER
