I groaned as I rolled out of bed this morning.
I dragged my feet as I walked the dog.
I cried a little into the coffee pot.
And I screamed “WHY GOD WHY” as I sat down to listen to Arturas Karnisovas’ interview on 670 The Score.
Happy Friday.
I’m going to try my best not to be a bitter mess for the next two months, but it’s going to be really freakin’ hard. I still can’t believe that this team was one of only two in the NBA not to make a single mid-season trade. There is just simply no justification for standing pat when you’re 9th in the East. You don’t want to blow it up as many believe you should? Fine. But then you got to at least go the other way and add a piece or two for a playoff push, right? The lack of any movement at all is like standing there and allowing yourself to get punched in the face. Either throw a punch back or run, dude!
Whether it be his post-deadline press conference or his conversation with Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score this morning, there was no way for Arturas Karnisovas to walk out a winner. But, man, he still didn’t really help himself during either conversation. While he at least stressed that what this team has done this year is unacceptable, the words felt incredibly hollow after failing to do absolutely anything about it. And, look, I’m glad he at least makes an attempt to sympathize with the fans, but it’s hard to get even more upset when he does just that. If you’re really that frustrated … do something!
“I feel for them because I am as frustrated to lose games as they are,” Karnisovas said on the Mully & Haugh show. “I think when I came I said it, I expect to be crictized when were’ losing and obviously you’re going to be appraised when you’re winning … I’m frustrated during the games and watching the games as our fans do. But I’ll do everything possible to make adjustments and to improve this team.”
Isn’t doing everything possible doing something at the deadline? I understand that there is more time to weigh your options in the offseason, but the deadline is a great opportunity to get the ball rolling or take advantage of desperate teams. I guess my only hope now is that they did enough research this deadline to set up the similar moves we saw with guys like DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball. If I remember correctly, they had conversations about both players at the prior deadline that likely helped pull off the summer transactions.
As if yesterday wasn’t embarrassing enough, the Bulls then lost to the star-less Nets. Yup. On the same day they doubled down on “continuity,” they lost to a starting lineup that had never played together coming into the night. If that isn’t the basketball gods telling you that you made a mistake … I don’t know what is.
Not to mention, just about an hour and a half before the game, Karnisovas implied that the East had taken a step back, thus helping the Bulls’ playoff chances. It’s impossible not to think he was specifically referencing the Nets when he spoke about more power shifting to the Nets.
“There is still wiggle room. There is some parity in the East,” Karnisovas said in his post-deadline press conference. “I think the trade deadline kind of shifted some quality more toward the West. So there is a chance to compete in the Eastern Conference. There are a lot of teams that are pretty good but they’re all clumped together. But there is a chance over the next 27 games.”
Yikes. That’s some instant karma right there. It also felt somewhat poetic that on the same day they sat on their hands, the Bulls’ had one of their worst 3-point shooting nights of the year. They were outscored from behind the arc 51-15. This is the primary reason the Nets were able to pull off a double-digit victory despite shooting far worse than Chicago from the field. It’s a numbers game, folks, and the Bulls are going to keep losing that game until they invest in the modern NBA’s most coveted skill.
I guess I’m just happy that Karnisovas didn’t pretend Lonzo Ball is coming back to save the day. While he didn’t give us any details, he did say that an update on his status would be provided later this month: “I don’t know regarding Zo. I think he’s making small improvements but were still going to have more information from you probably post All-Star break.” My guess is that he’s shut down officially for the year at the end of this month. And, honestly, he should be at this point.
Head coach Billy Donovan’s decision not to play Patrick Williams more than 20 minutes better not become a trend in this second half. While I can understand a one-game thing based off matchup or poor play, this second half should be about prioritizing his continued development and growing his confidence.
Let the people climb!
This is crazy … but fun!
Another sad trade deadline coming?
NEWSLETTER
