July 1, 2022: Running it Back

It’s that time of year, when the news about your favorite NBA players and teams comes fast and furious. The free agency signing period began on Thursday, and the Bulls were busy.

Zach Lavine got the max. We’ve talked about Zach many times in this space, back and forth about how good he really is. At the end of the day, I came to the conclusion that it did make sense to pay him, to keep him here; I want to see him play in the playoffs, this time healthy. I hope both he and the Bulls redeem themselves the next time around. Have to love how he announced it… super imposing his and other key Bulls’ faces in a Wolf on Wall Street scene. Is Zach really worth all that money? Is anybody? Congrats on your big pay day Zach. Get healthy, come back, and kick some ass.

There were some other moves. The Bulls signed Andre Drummond. Well, he is a big guy… I had my sights set on Rudy Gobert. Not sure what it would have taken, but I would have thought long and hard about that. Who knows how close that was to becoming a reality; Gobert will be playing with the Timberwolves next season. Drummond IS better than our previous backup center options. Tony Bradley is back, and hopefully can take a leap, but Drummond brings us more than he could; certainly he will be better than Tristan Thompson… he better be. I guess that’s it on the big man search. Vooch will return; I’m OK with that. Now if someone can light a fire under his ass on defense, and get him to be more aggressive in the paint, and get him to stop shooting treys…

Everyone’s favorite Bull Troy Brown Jr was not brought back in the fold; just kidding. He was a nice piece, but nothing to lose sleep over. It did piss me off where he ended up though, in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Derrick Jones Jr was resigned; I really liked him. He battled injuries throughout the season as well, but he did have some pretty nice moments. Speaking of injuries, a name that wasn’t mentioned in the last couple days… Lonzo Ball. Thinking about how the Bulls started the season off, with him healthy and a catalyst for both the offense and defense… he needs to be healthy if the Bulls really want to take another step.

It’s not over yet, but it certainly looks like the Bulls will be running it back with the same core of players for the most part. I guess I’m OK with that. Always looking for more, but I remember how I felt during the first half of last year… how I thought they’d be in the mix for the Eastern Conference championship. That didn’t pan out; what makes me think it will pan out this time? A healthy Zach and Lonzo is a big deal. If that can happen, why can’t the Bulls go farther than they did this year? Playoffs a definite; winning a series a must to keep this thing moving in the right direction. Let’s do this; Go Bulls!