A couple of quick Friday quick hitters for ya. Comment your thoughts below on the Hawks and Bulls moves.
New newsletter Monday — Bulls next coach; Bears signings and QB discussion; Cubs and Sox possibly playing 2020 in the same division?; and more. Let’s Go.
Somehow, there’s been more news on the Bulls front during a pandemic than there was before it. Hey, I’ll take it. But boy does that say something about where they started.
The Last Dance is good for about 48 hours of conversation on its own. Morons spewing idiot takes, levelheaded people losing their levelheadedness and responding to those takes, and the casual fans just going, “Wow this is quite a documentary. Michael Jordan was a great player, wasn’t he?”
Sometimes I wish I could be more normal.
But then the Bulls compounded the #SEERED fever (no coronavirus jokes here) by hiring a GM to serve under the Big Art AKA the Renaissance Man AKA Arturas Karnisovas.
Bulls Hire Eversley
Marc Eversley has been named the general manger of the Bulls. A relatively under-the-radar candidate, he’s everything that Gar Forman wasn’t. He didn’t just have the keys handed over to him. Formerly the senior VP of player personnel with the Philadelphia 76ers, Eversley worked for everything that he now has.
Here’s the second graf from Darnell Mayberry’s piece in The Athletic introducing the new general manager:
He was an outsider, a Canadian native and former Nike store manager who clawed his way up corporate America’s ranks with his tireless work ethic, endless thirst for knowledge and a wonderful way with people.
He’s worked for three NBA teams prior to on-boarding with the Bulls — the Raptors, Wizards and 76ers. By all accounts, the 76ers front office and fans are sad to see him go, a good sign for the Bulls. He seemed to originally get a shot in the league by simply showing up everywhere that players were, forging relationships and jotting down notes on the way.
He’s characterized as a soft-spoken, all-time listener, absorbing rather than pontificating. The Bulls have had all-time scorers, all-time defenders, and a lot of all-time morons running the show of late. An all-time listener is a welcomed addition.
Eversley was the protege of the now disgraced Bryan Colangelo (disgraced because he was tweeting unhinged thoughts under aliases during his time with the 76ers.) When Colangelo was ousted, however, Eversley maintained power in the organization — another testament to his worth.
He is credited with the drafting of Matisse Thybulle, a fan favorite in Philadelphia and one of the most valuable picks made in last year’s draft.
Additionally, he was credited with acquiring Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick. He also pushed for Markelle Fultz at the top of the draft in 2017, which was a mistake, but seeing as though Fultz was the consensus no. 1 pick and mostly has struggled due to strange mental and physical obstacles, I’m not sure we should hold that one against him.
According to Mayberry, Eversely is extremely well respected around the league and is known for his attention to detail — another welcomed characteristic to a formerly lazy organization with no definitive methods for improving.
He worked his way up from being a store worker for Nike to working on the sports marketing side and dealing with player relationships. That gave him the experience to do the same in the NBA.
His ability to make a good impression on players may have been the reason he got the job. But in the end, he’s a hoops-obsessed grinder, just like his new boss.
The Bulls appear to be — for the first time in a very long time — in good hands.
Blackhawks Fire McDonough
The Blackhawks fired President John McDonough this week, a development almost as shocking as the firing of Joel Quenneville over a year ago. Danny Wirtz, Owner Rocky Wirtz’s son, will serve as the interim president.
For starters, the move was a surprise because Rocky Wirtz himself said that the management team would be back just a month ago. Perhaps the Bulls urgency lit a fire underneath their roommates. And if McDonough’s job wasn’t safe, that means no one in the organization is safe, including GM Stan Bowman and Head Coach Jeremy Colliton.
If it were up to Hawks fans, Bowman probably would’ve been the first one ordered to pack his bags. After all, his shaky-at-best past few years and arrogance to boot have been the main focus of the fan base’s vitriol since Quenneville left — and even before that.
McDonough also has did more for the Blackhawks organization in his first year on the job than Bowman ever has. He’s largely credited with turning the team into a legitimate franchise. Before he got there, they barely employed a front office. National T.V. appearances were infrequent. The stadium was half full.
Three years after he arrived, the Hawks were Stanley Cup Champions and the UC hasn’t stopped rocking for hockey since.
So, credit where credit is due. But changes are in order.
“It will take a new mindset to successfully transition the organization to win both on and off the ice,” Wirtz said in a released statement.
If Wirtz is serious about monumental change and entering into a new, winning era with the Hawks, Bowman better be next.
Colliton, well, he’s just Colliton. He was tasked with a tough job in the first place, a baby-faced, under-40 guy replacing the greatest Chicago coach since the turn of the century. Personally, I could take him or leave him.
The bottom line is that the Hawks aren’t throwing out the same product next year and hoping for a new result. They’re springing into action — and that’s something worth being excited over.
What do you think? Leave a comment.
Still Gotta Come Through Chicagoooooo! See you Monday.
Love the Bulls hires, however Boylan the Buffoon must go ASAP. If you look under "In over his head" in the dictionary, there is a picture of Boylan. Bulls starting to have something they lacked for many years: A direction. Sad to see McDonough go, Although i am hearing he was very hard to work for, you can not put a value on what he has accomplished. He should have a banner in the rafters. First move by new Hawks boss is easy: Fire the most overrated GM in the history of Sports, Bye Bowman ! Love SGCTC, keep them coming Andrew !!
Don't know anything besides what you told me about the new GM but it would be impossible for it not to be an improvement. Imagine a GM that players like. We haven't had that in 30+ years. Maybe a Free Agent might want to come here?!??!