I just got exactly 35 goosebumps.
With football officially starting this weekend, my craving for some NBA basketball is at an all-time offseason high. There is nothing like the winter months where every night I can either have a fantasy football matchup to worry about or a Bulls game to sweat over. Bring me the hoops!
I present to you … DeMar DeMidrange
I’ve typed endless words about DeRozan’s midrange prowess, but charts like these still never fail to amaze me.
After breaking the news that Lonzo Ball was unlikely to participate in training camp and doubtful for the start of the season, ESPN’s Jamal Collier wrote up a timeline on Ball’s latest injury saga. The starting point guard watched a six-to-eight week recovery timeline quickly spiral into an indefinite absence. We’ve all kept track of the unfortunate news, but Collier’s write-up is a good reminder of just how unusual and frustrating this entire situation has been. Make sure to give the depressing, yet comprehensive, article a read here.
Collier also made an important distinction about free-agent signing Goran Dragic when writing about the team’s offseason moves:
Adding a 14-year NBA veteran like Dragic, a career 36.2% 3-point shooter, could help provide a boost from behind the line, but the move was intended to provide guard depth and veteran presence behind the team’s two young guards, Dosunmu and White, per a team source.
While this may not sound like a shock to some, there were questions about the motive behind the Dragic signing at first. Unlike Gallinari, the veteran guard didn’t feel like someone who necessarily filled a hole on a healthy roster, unless the thought was that Ball’s health could be up in the air. So I think Collier’s words clarify that Dragic is viewed by the Bulls as an insurance policy of sorts rather than a normal roster addition. This is likely why the 36-year-old told reporters that he expects to take on 20-25 minutes per game from the jump.
To be clear, I’m not saying the Bulls view Dragic as Lonzo Ball 2.0 or even a poor man’s Lonzo Ball. He’s simply a veteran guard who can provide more experience than someone like Ayo Dosunmu and/or Coby White. The Bulls might be stuffed at the guard position, but they don’t have the kind of steady-hand that someone like Ball or Dragic can provide. For a team that is hoping to make another playoff run, ensuring they have another seasoned floor general on the roster could prove pivotal.
Netflix is about to drop a documentary on the famous Redeem Team. I got to admit, it looks freakin’ awesome …
I can’t wait for the Bulls to make up plays 1-10.
Have I mentioned that I love having a hometown kid on the team? Ayo Dosunmu was a typical Chicagoan this weekend and braved the elements for a Bears win. He should have joined them for the endzone slide!
See, this is why I think doing a new alternate jersey each year is pretty silly. The Brooklyn Nets’ new threads look boring as heck.
ICYMI: Here’s some big news from this morning:
I can’t wait for all my Bears’ optimism to be crushed on Sunday night!
Hey, Tab talked to Aidan Thompson!