NEWSLETTER
While I was out and about in NYC for a friend’s wedding, you may have noticed a human being by the name of “Matt Rooney” writing some words on the site.
I have a confession: That is my alter ego. Matt Rooney is an extremely eccentric renaissance man who writes short articles on the Bulls in the morning, delivers babies in the afternoon, operates as one of the country’s most notorious spies in the evening, and constructs vases out of hand-blown glass at night. The cat is out of the bag.
Ok, I have another confession: I lied (*reader gasps*). Matt Rooney is actually an entirely separate person who I’m pretty certain only writes short articles on the Bulls and operates as one of the country’s most notorious spies in the evening. He’s been a part of Betsperts (the company we recently joined) for a while now, and the plan is for him to basically take over Patrick’s old gig as a general staff writer.
So, yeah, when one of us is out of town or just in the middle of other work, you will see Matt’s name pop up on articles across the website. Treat him well! He’s a nice man (and remember, he knows spy stuff … so you don’t want to get on his bad side).
- The clock feels like it’s ticking louder and louder. The NBA trade deadline is only a few short weeks away, which means the rumors are picking up steam. The Athletic’s Shams Charania unloaded hit notebook earlier this morning, so catch up on the latest below:
- All things considered, the names floating around the rumor mill haven’t changed much (John Collins, Jae Crowder, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jakob Poeltl, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and D’Angelo Russell). And we can say the same about the lists of teams trying to get involved. With that being the case, it’s no surprise that the Bulls failed to pop up anywhere inside Charania’s article. All we’ve heard as of last is that they’re expected to remain relatively quiet over the next few weeks, which is undoubtedly frustrating when we consider (1) that this roster needs help and (2) that there are some intriguing role players listed above.
- I do believe the Bulls are involved in conversations. Every front office is. But I don’t fully understand the desire to keep things so close to the vest at all times. Isn’t there at least some benefit to showing other teams around the NBA that you’re either open for business or competitively searching for upgrades?
- I know a lot of that legwork can be done behind the scenes, but there is an art form to jockeying info through the media. I don’t know. It was cool and all when this front office was pulling off sneaky trades. But I’m starting to fear that what was once perceived as sneaky is now just a lack of involvement.
- I’m going to lose it if the Bulls call Lonzo Ball their deadline acquisition. Even if Ball does find his way back on the floor, there are still changes that need to be made. Plus, there is no guarantee that Ball can immediately contribute in a meaningful way coming off these two surgeries. The guy hasn’t played basketball in over a year! And as great as it is to see him finally jumping and running, there is no denying he still has a long way to go.
- During a recent conversation with reporters in Paris, Ball acknowledged that the discomfort in his knee isn’t entirely gone. He also didn’t rule out the possibility that he runs out of time to return this year. At least it’s clear he’s also trying his best to stay positive!
‘‘Yeah, I would love to play,’’ Ball told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘I would never count that out. It’s a long year, and I feel like we’re hitting our stride right now. So hopefully I can keep getting better, the team will keep getting better and we can meet up …
‘‘Obviously, I want to play; that’s the goal. Once I feel I’m comfortable enough playing — whether it’s 70, 80, 90, 100% — then I’ll be out there.’’
- Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams have been two of the most effective defenders when we consider the difficulty of their nightly matchup. I think this is fully expected for Caruso, but it serves as a good reminder of the positive development Williams continues to make. Let’s also remember that the amount of energy he has to exert on the defensive end has at least a small effect on his offensive aggressiveness.
- I can’t wait to read this!
- Only seeing one game on the schedule this week is still hard to wrap my brain around, especially with it being at 2:00 p.m. CT on a Thursday!
- I’m already loving all this Paris content. It’s just so cool that the team gets this opportunity.
- #OldMan
- We see you Javon Freeman-Liberty!
- TRADE. THE. PICK.
- TRADE. THE. VETS.
- A reminder: We do NFL things now!
