The Chicago Bulls play basketball tomorrow. Emotionally prepare yourself accordingly. I recommend at least 3 hours of mediation today and 4 hours before tip-off tomorrow.
I’ll pay very little attention to the scoreboard during tomorrow’s game. Even though I’d love nothing more for the Chicago Bulls to spoil the first-ever Damian Lillard game in Milwaukee, the preseason isn’t about wins and losses. Instead, this group simply needs to focus on establishing an identity, especially on the offensive end. All we’ve heard about since Media Day is the added emphasis on playing uptempo and shooting more 3s. Is that going to be prevalent from the jump or will we see this trio immediately slip back into their old ways?
Likewise, what goes hand in hand with creating an offensive identity is finding an answer to the starting point guard question. Jevon Carter, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu have been competing for the jump in training camp. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson recently noted from Nashville that there has been no leader in the competition thus far. With that being the case, I have to imagine we’ll get a couple of different looks during the first few preseason games. My expectation is that Coby White draws the start tomorrow, while Jevon Carter could get the nod against the Denver Nuggets at the United Center.
FWIW: The latest episode of All Access from BullsTV does show A LOT of Coby White. Not only is he seen running alongside the starters, but Marc Eversley heavily praised the progress that he’s seen from the 23-year-old guard.
“When you talk about player development, I think Coby White is kind of the gold standard for what we’re trying to achieve here,” Eversley said on All Access. “He’s gotten better every single year. His second half of the season last year I think was a direct result of the hard work he’s put in, our coaching staff has put, I’m expecting big things from Coby this year.”
Eversley made similar comments during Bulls Fest this summer. It’s abundantly clear they have set the bar high for what White can provide this team moving forward, so high that perhaps he should be viewed as the frontrunner to win this starting point guard battle. I still like the idea of using his scoring punch off the bench – as I’ve stated many times before – but I can’t deny that he showed enough last season to earn an opportunity to start. Not to mention, his experience running alongside guys like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic could make a really big difference once the season starts.
The All Access episodes also continue to stress that this team is doing things differently. Whether it be going out of state for training camp, scheduling several bonding activities, or organizing group yoga sessions, some changes are being made behind the scenes to help ensure the locker room doesn’t get stale. But all this talk about not wanting to do the same thing undoubtedly falls short when you bring back a nearly identical roster. At the end of the day, the most impactful changes you can make are always to the roster. The full second episode of All Access can be found here:
The next bonding activity was taking the gridiron. The Chicago Bulls shared some footage of the team tossing around the pigskin last night, and I think the Bears should take notice. I mean, look at the cannon on DeMar DeRozan!
Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times wrote about the tough decision head coach Billy Donovan will have to make with the rotation. While the Bulls have been used to operating with a 9-man unit, there is enough depth on this roster to justify a 10-man group. If you don’t go that route, someone like Ayo Dosunmu will have to see their minutes decrease considerably. I’m not against a full five-man bench mob, but the Bulls also kind of need to stagger their trio to get the most out of them. Whether it’s LaVine or DeRozan, letting one cook with the second unit has always felt like a smart idea. Donovan comments on that in Cowley’s article, which you can read here.
If the Chicago Bulls need some bulletin board material … there is plenty!
To add to the post above, The Ringer’s latest power ranking has the Chicago Bulls at No. 24, while Bleacher Report’s latest offseason grades gave the organization a D+. Ah, don’t you just love Chicago sports!
The Alex Caruso Defensive Player of the Year campaign starts now.
I think it’s safe to say that Michael Jordan took this personally.
Kevin McHale's reaction to Michael Jordan retiring:
"I guarantee you, people may not believe it or not, but in 5 years people will be saying 'Michael who?'…the names on the back of jerseys change, the league just keeps rolling on." pic.twitter.com/DjYyHtL3pmhttps://t.co/WovFhzuLrc— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 6, 2023
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