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!