One of the greatest players in Chicago Bulls history retired on Monday morning.
- Can’t wait for Alex Caruso to have his jersey in the United Center rafters right next to Carmelo’s!
- If you don’t recall why I’m making this joke, let me refresh your memory. Not only did Anthony tease the Bulls that he might join the franchise as a free agent in 2014, but Chicago did actually go on to acquire him via trade back in 2019. Of course, the whole point of the deal with the Rockets was to take back Anthony’s salary and waive him. Chicago got their beloved Cash Considerations for lending Houston a hand. Especially in the aftermath of the free-agency push to land Melo in the Windy City, it was a pretty hilarious occurrence. And it’s also why we can OFFICIALLY declare him a Chicago Bulls Legend! 10 days count!
- On a more serious note, props to Anthony. While his career didn’t necessarily end in the way anyone expected, few players have ever proven to be as dominant at scoring the basketball. Anthony is 9th on the all-time scoring list and will surely soon see himself headed to the Hall of Fame. Congrats on an epic career, Melo!
- Speaking of the all-time scoring list, let’s not forget that DeMar DeRozan continued his ascent up the leaderboard this past season. The six-time All-Star now ranks 39th in NBA history, sitting only 27 points behind Stephen Curry at 38 and 70 points behind Chris Paul at 37. If DeRozan has shown us anything over the past two years in Chicago, it’s that he doesn’t have any plans of slowing down. The 33-year-old looks like he has several more reasons in him right around the 20 points-per-game threshold. And, if he can keep that up, we should see him inch closer and closer to the top 20. You can take a look at the full list of all-time scorers here. Only six active players are currently ahead of DeRozan on the leaderboard.
- If Diar DeRozan was in Miami and at every following game screaming, I have zero doubt in my mind the Bulls would sweep the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Opponents would have shot worse than Ben Simmons at the free-throw line.
- If Karnisovas knew what was good for him, he’d ink Diar DeRozan to a max deal this summer. She would hold opponents to the worst free-throw percentage the NBA has ever seen. DON’T BE A COWARD, AK. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
- See, this is kind of why we have no choice but to look back at things like the Jimmy Butler trade. As The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov notes, the Nuggets trade that sent Anthony to the Knicks is the only reason they have Jamal Murray today, who has averaged 27.9 points this postseason. The domino effect of a big trade can be immense.
- Jimmy Butler is a madman. Not only does he continue to carry the Miami Heat on a historic NBA Finals run, but he continues to crush his opponent’s spirit along the way. He is talking the talk and walking the walk, folks! Watch him remember Al Horford’s celebration and throw it right back in his face:
- And look what he’s putting on Instagram!
- The supporting cast has to be perfect, and the Heat reminded us of that last night. While it feels like they have been the lesser talented team in almost every round, Miami has proven to have the perfect pieces around Butler and Bam Adebayo. Shooters like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, and Duncan Robinson have been absolutely pivotal in this run, and the three combined for 15 of the team’s 19 3-pointers in Game 3. What the Bulls should take away from the Heat’s run isn’t the “continuity” of the roster but rather the fact that they have several players they can turn to for a big 3-pointer.
- Football!
- Thank you, Tab!