Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
The Bulls are 10th in the East but it seems like their future is a little brighter than years before.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Conroy/AP.)
The Bulls won their second game in a row after going through a stretch of 6 games where they didn’t win (4 of those were after the trade deadline). Right now, Chicago is in a better position than in recent years as they are currently qualified for the play-in game and have a chance at making the postseason.
It looked so hopeless after they lost Jimmy Butler. Fred Hoiberg couldn’t keep the team together and the players practically hated his replacement, Jim Boylen. Now they have a respectable coach in Billy Donovan, who took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs 5 straight years.
And throughout all of that, we saw the growth of Zach LaVine. Sure, at times, it looks like he can’t guard a lamp post. But his scoring and other facets of the game have improved over time. He became an all-star this season for the first time in his career and it was well-deserved. He’s currently averaging a 27-5-5 for this year.
What the Bulls longed for is a competent front office. They finally got that during the offseason as Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley replaced John Paxson (who has since been reassigned) and Gar Forman as vice-president of basketball operations and general manager, respectively. And the Bulls got to work on the trade deadline by acquiring another all-star in Nikola Vucevic. Suddenly, the Bulls have two legit all-stars to work with. This year may not bear fruit but next year could be something.
I mean, they can still get it done this season. They’re probably gonna move on from Lauri Markkanen although he’s been a very good shooter this season. And they have young guys in Coby White and Patrick Williams. They also acquired Daniel Theis, which still boggles me on Boston‘s end. And again, they have a coach they respect. They might be able to do SOME damage like they did against Indiana on Tuesday.
This year might be the trial run. Next year could be for real. But for the first time in years, Chicago looks like they’re on the up and up.
Bullet Passes
Denver saw ol’ buddy Jerami Grant as they went against the Pistons. Grant did well for himself but the Nuggets won their 6th straight game. Gosh, they look so good.
It’s kind of amazing how some Boston media have turned on Jayson Tatum. The dude is still 19, ya know.
(I’m kidding. He’s 23. But it’s obvious about what he’s done. Many teams would be glad to have Tatum on their team.)
The Celtics did lose to Philly, though.
Stephen Curry went for 41 as the Warriors barely got by the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play but I love that Thanasis got some burn and scored 10 points.
The Lakers needed that win against the Raptors as they go on a season-altering 5-game road trip. They’re still without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. I thought they were due back very soon?
You probably can’t win many games if you let the Clippers drop 47 points in the first quarter.
The Hawks are now 4th in the East. Whether it’s them or the Hornets, it’s still surprising to see.
Once upon a time, a hawk and a hornet loved each other very much…
NBA Scoreboard
Apr. 6, 2021
Watch This Play
Myles Turner says no to Nikola Vucevic.
(VIDEO CREDIT: House of Highlights.)
Can’t get to the rim as long as Turner is around.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.