My fiancee and I are headed to the Illinois-Indiana football game in Champaign this weekend. Why would you subject yourself to such bad football, you ask? Well, for starters, I subject myself to terrible basketball roughly three times a week, so it shouldn’t be all that surprising!
But I also happen to be an Illini, and she happens to be a Hoosier. As far as rivalries go in this household, this is as good as it gets. I know … depressing, but I still look forward to sitting outside Memorial Stadium with a Bloody Mary resting in one hand and my over-confident bride-to-be holding in the other.
Even better, no Bulls basketball to ruin my weekend!
The Chicago Bulls benched Patrick Williams a little over a week ago. And to say that things haven’t changed much would be an understatement. Torrey Craig has scored just 13 points over his four starts, including a goose-egg against his former team earlier this week. He has at least averaged 4.3 rebounds during this stretch, but all we’ve really seen is more of the same, as the Bulls have gone 1-3 with him alongside the “Big 3.”
To be sure, I don’t think Craig deserves much criticism. I also don’t think head coach Billy Donovan should go back to Patrick Williams. The truth of the matter is that Craig still makes the most sense next to the Bulls’ “stars,” while Williams has at least shown slight progress with less pressure coming off the bench. Instead, I think Craig’s struggle to uplift this first unit further suggests that … *drum roll, please* … this core trio ain’t it! At the end of the day, everything goes back to whether or not those three can bring the best out of one another. The Bulls can change the power forward and point guard position all they want, but when your three best players are constantly a net negative, the product isn’t going to change in a meaningful way.
I shared some stats on just how bad Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic have been together this season. If you have the stomach, give it a read!
We should think about the effectiveness of the Craig-Williams switch when we hear people pitch the idea of moving Coby White back to the bench. Again, I’m just not sure Carter’s presence will make a big enough difference. Perhaps the savvy combo of him AND Craig together pushes things slightly further in the right direction, but I surely wouldn’t bet on it. Not to mention, I think the White-Carter decision is harder than the Craig-Williams one. Whereas Carter’s on-ball defense would be a plus, he does not have the driving ability that White does. And this power to attack the paint off the dribble has proven to be a necessity at times when the offense stalls.
One duo I’d like to see on the floor more together is actually Torrey Craig AND Patrick Williams. This two-man combo has shared the court for only 24 minutes this season, but the Bulls are a +15.5 in those minutes, per Basketball-References lineup data. There is a lot of defensive potential here and it would give the Bulls a combination of size and length we’re not used to seeing. Plus, playing Williams more at the wing and allowing him to create some offense along the perimeter has always been a topic of conversation. The Bulls really didn’t have the personnel to do that in the past, but Craig gives them that option.
Keith Smith of Spotrac outlined how much money each team is projected to have at their disposal this upcoming offseason. The Chicago Bulls are one of a few who could really open things up depending on which direction they go. Obviously, the DeMar DeRozan decision looms big, but so does a payday for Patrick Williams. While I still think they keep him, the contract could end up cheaper than anyone expected. You can read his full post here.
The Windy City Bulls begin their regular season tonight against the Iowa Wolves. One storyline to keep an eye on will surely be the addition of veteran Derrick Favors. Only 32 years old, the big man is trying to prove to teams that he still belongs in the NBA. Let’s not forget he was a starter less than three seasons ago, and he also has 42 playoff games under his belt. I don’t think anybody should be shocked if he stands out early with this G-League crew.
Additionally, this will be our first opportunity to get a consistent look at the Bulls’ three two-way players. I’m mostly excited for Justin Lewis, who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL. But Adama Sanogo did show some flashes in Summer League, while Onuralp Bitim gave us a peek at his sharpshooting in the preseason. Overall, it feels like there are a few more names than normal to pay attention to this year.
With this timeline, Cam Thomas projects to be back before the Bulls face the Nets on Nov. 26.
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is expected to miss two weeks with a left ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium. The 22-year-old has averaged 26.9 points and 3.8 rebounds over eight games this season. pic.twitter.com/ftYUk8S0bA— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 9, 2023
This is nice to hear from Silver. While I think there are some local broadcasts that do a decent job of this, there needs to be a more concerted effort to provide informative analysis on a national scale. You don’t have to shove X’s & O’s down our throats, but there is plenty of room to stretch past the endless hot takes and sports debates.
Adam Silver has some thoughts on the current state of NBA color commentary.
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