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The NBA season is long, and it has its lulls. But considering the fact that I hardly missed a game over the last couple of years, I certainly won’t be missing one this year when the Bulls are actually good.
This past week, they’ve been on their West Coast trip, formerly dubbed the ‘Circus Trip’ thanks to some sort of circus at the United Center — one that I’ve never heard of anyone I know going to — which forced them out on the road for a couple of weeks.
The games all start around 9:00 p.m. — sometimes a tad earlier if played on Sunday and usually a tad later on the weekdays.
90% of the dads in the Chicagoland area have never seen their favorite basketball team play on the West Coast. That’s a “check the box score on the way to take a piss in the middle of the night” road trip for them, if even that. It’s simply not realistic to ask them to stay up for those games, and it’s definitely not worth the neck pain that would come with a bobbing, incoherent, semi-conscious head rocking back and forth from the second quarter on.
But as a young adult myself, I enjoy it. It gives me an excuse to stay up late, sort of like the thrill of being able to stave off bedtime when you were a kid for a special occasion, like New Years Eve.
The thing that’s great about being an adult is that you make the rules for yourself. If you want to take down a large pizza on a Tuesday afternoon, you’re well within your rights. Likewise, if you want to stay up until 1 a.m. to watch the Bulls play their 13th game of the season, it’s your choice.
A lot of bad comes with that territory, too, as I’ve learned. Because whereas your parents ordered you to do — or not do — things as a kid, it’s now yourself that you are taking orders from.
That makes it feel doubly moronic when you do not follow the rules. Not only did you not listen to the person in charge, you disregarded that good advice from yourself, literally. You thought of a good time to go to bed, for instance, affirmed it, re-affirmed it, gave the advice to yourself, received that advice, and yet still failed.
It makes the tiredness feel worse the next day, when you’re having trouble comprehending a two-sentence email because the Bulls beat the Lakers and you were so jacked up that you couldn’t fall asleep until the work day was mere hours away.
But, how can you blame me? Or rather, should I really blame myself?
Taking the Lakers game as an example, the Bulls rag-dolled a Los Angeles team for 48 straight minutes, and that clown Anthony Davis — banned from SGCTC, no true son of Chicago, etc., etc. — was thrown out of the game.
And you know why he was thrown out of the game? Because he wanted to be. When the going gets tough, Anthony Davis gets going — away from the tough stuff.
He did so in New Orleans, and put on a tampering clinic with Rich Paul and LeBron, which somehow did not end up in any league sanctions, but did end up with him landing in Los Angeles. He did so as a child, when he decided to become a Packer fan despite being born and raised in Chicago, and then rubbed it in our faces as if he earned the right to that fandom. And he did so Monday night, as the Bulls guards made him look like a 6’2, 40-year-old white guy at the gym who swears he still has a post game but can’t execute a single move.
So instead of enduring embarrassment any longer, he mouthed off to the ref to get ejected, which was followed by LeBron — in street clothes — walking on the court like he was Adam Silver himself, which again came with no punishment. It was all truly a chef’s kiss to top off a disgusting night for the Lakers and a wonderful night for the Bulls, one that came with the consequence of me experiencing a single REM cycle in bed that night.
But how can one just go to bed after that beautiful display? Imagine me telling you in 2020 that the Bulls would embarrass the Lakers on their home court in 2021?
The Bulls beat the two Los Angeles teams on back-to-back nights, breaking a 7-game Clippers winning streak on the front end. In both games, they were dominant. At no point did either opponent really look like they had a chance of winning.
Here is how those opposing teams' stars fared in those contests, plus in Portland:
Paul George: 7-25, 3 turnovers
Anthony Davis: 20 points, 4 turnovers, ejected
Russell Westbrook: 8-19, 4 turnovers
Carmelo Anthony: Not a star, but hilariously had to move his fat ass as quickly as possible to ultimately get shimmied down by DeMar DeRozan every play, the latter of which licked his lips each time he saw Melo switching on him after a screen.
Damian Lillard: 6-18, 4 turnovers
CJ McCollum: 4-14, 9 points
The Bulls have been beating good team after good team, and although they are only 2-2 on the West Coast part of this schedule gauntlet so far, it’s already looking far better than previous years out there.
Even the better Bulls teams of the last two decades struggled mightily on the West Coast trip. The best they could muster was a 4-3 trip as the no. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2010-2011.
Outside of that team, the Bulls just could not handle these trips — whether it was the style shock, the grueling road schedule, or a combination of both.
But this team is good enough offensively and defensively that it can match up with any team, anywhere, any night.
The most disappointing night of the year came against the league’s best team on Friday night. And it was disappointing for a variety of reasons.
After getting off to a hot start, the Vucevic-less Bulls struggled to maintain any semblance of rhythm, and Steph Curry took care of the rest.
But what was more disappointing was that it landed on a Friday. Longtime readers know that I launched a concept dubbed “Bulls Fridays” last year which was supposed to consist of a few glasses of wine with a select few to watch the Bulls, and quickly devolved into whiskey, beer, wine and nights that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. Where the Bulls had winning or near .500 records on almost every day of the week, they went a hilariously dreadful 2-13 on Fridays. And we gathered for nearly every one of them.
So, now that the Bulls are good — and were on national television on Friday for the Warriors match-up — I was excited to kick off a more promising year of Bulls Fridays. What was more disappointing than the on-court shellacking, however, was that though 12 or so invites went out for a Bulls Friday at my apartment, zero Bulls fans (“friends”) showed up.
There’s not much more sad in this world than a grown man wearing a custom-made “Bulls Friday” t-shirt, eating his dinner by himself, watching his favorite team get their ass kicked, with not a single person beside him to alleviate the disappointment.
But, nonetheless, that disappointment didn’t last long, though the imprint of tears on my pillow case lasted well into Saturday morning.
The Bulls lost a tough one in Portland on Wednesday, no doubt. But they were 3.5-point underdogs for a reason, and although they let go of a huge lead, that isn’t an uncommon trend for the Trail Blazers anyway. They seem to be down 20 every game and yet sit at about .500.
And truth be told, if we are to lose to anyone this season, the Trail Blazers are the most efficient way to go about it. Because every win that contributes to a Trail Blazers playoff berth gets the Bulls closer to a conveyed 2022 1st round draft pick they are owed.
While it was disappointing to see the Bulls dominate their fifth half in a row, just to let it all go in the second half, there were plenty of positives to draw from.
Zach LaVine had his best game of the season, in my opinion. On a rare off night for DeRozan, LaVine scored 30 points on 20 shots, and made some big ones down the stretch.
Yes, he missed a wide-open three to tie the game, but that was also a silver lining, showing again how strong of a coach Billy Donovan is. In the two after-time out, game-winning or tying situations the Bulls have faced this year, Donovan has drawn up pretty spectacular plays. In the end, it’s a make or miss league.
LaVine was also fantastic as an on-ball defender down the stretch too, though, which is really why I put this game as an example of how far he has come as a player. Surprisingly, DeRozan also played some good *on-ball defense late in the game.
Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball (the latter of which also had incredible offensive moments down the stretch) continued to play incredible team basketball on both ends, but specifically on defense. Their ability to cause deflections has become laughable at this point.
Caruso’s line for the night? 12 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. He is now second in the league in steals per game (2.5) and deflections per game (4.2). He’s also not a bad offensive player, but is completely content not shooting at all. Against the Lakers, he had one shot attempt. That’s almost of value to the Bulls given how much offensive talent they have elsewhere this year. No one is starving for shots.
The new Bulls fans — (which are again, welcomed) — are reacting to Wednesday’s loss as if they have not seen a Bulls team lose in their lifetime. It’s quite strange. Just a heads up: dozens more of these are coming.
It’s also become apparently forgotten that the Bulls are missing one of their best offensive players right now, and their only truly formidable big man in Nikola Vucevic. Without him, they have more than maintained themselves, even playing some lineups where the 6’4 Javonte Green or 6’6 Derrick Jones Jr. is at center. Both of those guys have also been fantastic.
As for Tony Bradley, who was subject of some harsh criticism this week, he’s fine. Bradley has always been just a decent player, and still is, the context has just changed. He’s not meant to be taking shots or playing over 20 minutes. He’s on a minimum deal. He’s out there because Vucevic is not.
It’s likely Vuc will return after the road trip from his bout with COVID-19. Do you know who has led the Bulls in rebounds since he’s been out? That’s right — the 6’4 Alex Caruso.
Another move that Donovan has made to mitigate some of the Bulls slow starts that plagued them early in the season is starting Caruso, who’s been hell for the opposing teams’ best guards, as evidenced by their aforementioned stats over the last three games.
The national media let LeBron have a little reunion with Caruso on the court during his return to the Staples Center Monday, much to my chagrin. After all, the Lakers had the money to keep Caruso, and no one has more say on that roster than LeBron. If he thought Caruso was so valuable, which he’s likely now realizing, the Lakers wouldn’t have offered him $25 million less than the Bulls. It’s just like how LeBron ‘couldn’t believe people were saying Carmelo was done’ because he hit a few threes early on, despite the Lakers having had the ability to sign him during his hiatus from the NBA.
But I digress.
This 13-game stretch that the Bulls are enduring right now, comprised of all playoff teams last year, is almost over. We were told it would show us who the Bulls actually were — with the suggestion that it would expose them — and it has shown us who they are: a really good basketball team.
Knicks, Jazz, Celtics, 76ers, 76ers, Nets, Mavs, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Knicks.
The Bulls are currently 11-5 and 6-5 on this particular stretch, with the only blow-out coming at the hands of the Warriors. This is partly without Vucevic, of course.
I wrote before this gauntlet that if the Bulls came out of it just under .500, I’d be ecstatic. With two games remaining, it’s likely they’ll eclipse that expectation.
This Bulls team was always, in my mind, going to be a second-half team. Most of these players had never played together before. Instead, they got out to a great start, meaning they’ll have a chance to really get out ahead in the standings when their schedule eases up.
The Bulls win total over looks (looks, no jinxes) like a lock at this point. We’ll take a victory lap when and if we get there. But the days of just celebrating win total overs should be behind us.
I wrote in the last newsletter that it’s time to start considering what this Bulls team can do beyond the regular season. We haven’t even seen how explosive the offense can be with the full unit, including Coby White off the bench to bolster the second group. White has been pretty lost in his first two games back, which is to be expected for a guy fresh off an injury that’s only playing 10-15 minutes per game with a brand-new unit.
Some of the top teams in the East right now aren’t playing as well as expected. Frankly, it’s likely the Nets and Bucks don’t care all that much about their regular season record. They’d rather be healthy come playoff time and bet on their talent then. That’s what we want.
Because the Hawks have struggled, as have the Celtics. The Wizards got off to a Bulls-like start — some of that having to do with opponent three-point shooting luck — but have now lost two in a row. The 76ers have lost five in a row without Joel Embiid.
The point in all of this being, if the Bulls can continue to play like they are now, they could win a shit ton of games. And if they get a favorable enough seed, they may be able to avoid a juggernaut in not just the first round, but also the second. Just look at how the playoffs broke for the Hawks last year.
It’s my opinion, barring injury, that that’s when the Bulls will be at their best anyway.
I have no qualms anymore about saying that this team can reasonably make a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. And you know what can happen then? Hell, anything can happen.
I’ll be at my second-of-many Bulls games Sunday night for the matchup with the Knicks. You bet your ass I’ll be there early for Joakim Noah bobble head too.
LETS GO BULLS! #LOCKIN
On the other side of a four-game losing streak, heading into yet another game where the Bears will be underdogs at home, things are going great up at Halas Hall.
Matt Nagy, who said before the season that his offense takes “a few years” to get up and running essentially, is yet again leading one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
A bye week is unlikely to help their chances, considering that Nagy is 0-3 off bye weeks during his tenure as Bears coach. Similar to how you can judge NBA coaches on the offensive play immediately following a timeout, you can judge an NFL coach on the game immediately following a bye. And Nagy — like in many other areas — has failed miserably there.
In fact, if we want to make an apples to apples comparison there, Nagy is also hilariously bad at directing a good play after a timeout. For one, the timeout is generally used out of panic and not strategy, and then it is usually followed up by a delay of game (somehow), an illegal formation, or an unsuccessful play.
The rallying cry of Bears fans has become to run more screen plays. The Bears, after all, generally have nonsensical game plans. They don’t play to their personnel and do just about nothing to help their young QB, who, despite it all, has begun to show serious promise.
(Side note: Does anyone really believe Justin Fields would be having any less success than Mac Jones if he were drafted by the Pats instead of the Bears?)
Matt Nagy acknowledged the other day — hilariously — that the Bears do practice screens. And that they “want to be better there.” Four years in, and the offense is still a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the GM side, the Bears best offensive lineman this year has probably been Jason Peters: a near 40-year old who was rushed into camp two weeks prior to the season. Rookie Larry Borom has shown real promise, and 2nd-round-pick Teven Jenkins has returned to practice. It will be exciting to watch them grow, but it’s just funny that management played this season as if they would compete when they were going to rely on two rookies at the tackle positions. Instead, they got a guy off the fishing boat to fill in.
Watching Lamar Jackson is usually a joy. It will likely be painful come Sunday, especially with the injuries that the Bears now have on the defensive side of the ball.
Chop wood and carry water, Bears fans. Fall in love with the process. And that process is not Matt Nagy’s bullshit press-conference speak, it’s our own: enjoy watching Justin Fields grow, and hope he’s not sabotaged by a group of willful idiots.
As an aside, Tarik Cohen seems frustrated that he has still not played, and offended that Bears fans are wondering why he hasn’t played yet. Truth be told, it’s not his fault, nor is it the fans’. It’s the Bears. Their secrecy bullshit puts players in bad positions and leaves us all wondering where they are and where Matt Nagy is hanging out during a COVID-19 bout.
My question is, can you remember a player that was so vital to a team’s success become so irrelevant in such a short period of time while still being on the team? For instance, Derrick Rose missed a lot of games with the Bulls. But the idea of him was always on Bulls fans’ minds. Cohen was an integral part of the Bears success a few years ago, is still on the team, and is nothing but an afterthought now. Frankly, it’s sad. As is the state of the Bears.
Chop wood, carry water. Focus on the process: Justin Fields growing, and not being sabotaged along the way.
Other notes around Chicago
The Blackhawks have won four games straight since they fired Jeremy Colliton. They’ll have to win four more in order for me to start paying more attention. As of now, the Bulls are gaining 98% of my winter-sport headspace. Sorry.
The White Sox, for some reason, did not offer Carlos Rodon the qualifying offer of $18.4 million. It’s not that I think Rodon will be as good of a starter moving forward as he was this year, but why not offer that? Best case, you get a decent deal for a pitcher that was really good last year, and could be really good this year. Worst case, he declines, and you get a compensatory draft pick back. Scott Boras said after that Rodon would’ve declined — and not that I believe more than 10% of what comes out of Boras’ mouth — but that seems just like a lost pick.
The first notable move that the Cubs have made under new General Manager Carter Hawkins was to sign Wade Miley. (For one, I liked the Hawkins hire). I also like this move. The 35-year-old had a great year in 2021 — a 3.3 ERA and a 1.3 WHIP over 160+ innings. A 1 year, $10 million deal sounds like a no-brainer for a team that desperately needs starting pitching next year.
Thank you for reading, as always! Share the newsletter with someone new today. And leave a comment! Have a great weekend — STILL GOTTA COME THROUGH CHICAGO!
Source: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Where do you get these crazy stories of fathers falling asleep during Bulls Games and wrenching their necks as they nod off??? Sounds like something you made up.
When Lebron walked on that court to argue Davis being thrown out, I absolutely lost my shit screaming at the screen of my IPhone for him to be escorted off and fined. Realize that it was 4am and the game had been over for hours when I did that thinking the refs could hear me.
I love this Bulls Team in so many ways. I love the hustle and the defensive effort.
As I drove in to work today I bounced between the Score and ESPN and listen to both of them talking about whether Nagy will get fired. I can't even comprehend that this is even a question. His quote this week, "It's not anybody's fault as much as it is everybody's fault". He is clueless.
Do we know any details on Cohen? Did he blow out his knee or have it amputated? Has he fallen out of favor? Is his style, the one that we preferred over Howard, now not what we want?
The Bulls being 6-5 on this stretch is much more than we could have asked for. I remember saying that in this 13 game stretch 5-8 would be around what I would hope for. Great point about Zach and his defense, this is starting to become a point of pride for him as he proves he is a Max Contract type player. It is also a testament to the type of coach Billy is. Even in the loss to Portland- I had to stop and text you about how literally player, with maybe the exception of Vuc, has played above and beyond any expectations I had for them. I can't wait to see where this team goes when Vuc comes back and finds his rhythm.
On the Bears piece of it, excited to see Fields continue to develop. I think in a few years when Fields is a good QB and Nagy is out of a job we are going to look back at this whole saga and laugh at how miserable Nagy was. For now, the Bulls will have to take away some of the pain and I will continue to bet on the Bears opponent and stack my bank account.
LETS GO BULLLS