While I was out and about in NYC for a friend’s wedding, you may have noticed a human named “Matt Rooney” writing some words on the site.
I have a confession: that’s my alter ego. Matt Rooney is an extraordinarily eccentric renaissance man who writes short articles about the Bulls in the morning, delivers babies in the afternoon, operates as one of the most notorious spies in the country at night, and makes vases at night of mouth-blown glass. The cat is out of the bag.
Ok, I have another confession: I lied (*reader gasps*). Matt Rooney is actually a very odd person who I’m pretty sure only writes short articles about the Bulls and operates at night as one of the country’s most notorious spies. He’s been part of Betspers (the company we recently joined) for a while now and the plan is for him to take over Patrick’s old gig as General Staff Writer.
So yes, if one of us is out of town or just busy with other work, you will see Matt’s name popping up in articles on the website. Treat him right! He’s a nice guy (and remember, he knows all about espionage…so you don’t want to get on his bad side).
- The clock feels like it’s ticking louder and louder. The NBA trade deadline is just a few weeks away, which means the rumors are ramping up. The Athletic’s Shams Charania unloaded a hit notebook earlier this morning, so check out the latest news below:
- All things considered, the names floating around the rumor mill haven’t changed much (John Collins, Jae Crowder, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jakob Poeltl, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and D’Angelo Russell). And we can say the same about the lists of teams trying to compete. If so, it’s no surprise that the Bulls don’t appear anywhere in Charania’s article. All we’ve heard lately is that they’re expected to remain relatively quiet for the next few weeks, which is no doubt frustrating considering (1) that this roster needs help and (2) that there are some intriguing role players mentioned above.
- I do believe the Bulls are involved in conversations. Every front office is. But I don’t quite understand the desire to always keep things so close to the vest. Isn’t there at least some benefit to showing other teams in the NBA that you’re open for business or competitively looking for upgrades?
- I know a lot of that legwork can be done behind the scenes, but there’s an art form to jockeying information through the media. I do not know. It was cool and all when this front office did sneaky trades. But I’m starting to fear that what was once seen as sneaky is now just a lack of commitment.
- I’m going to lose it when the Bulls call Lonzo Ball their deadline acquisition. Even if Ball finds his way back onto the floor, there are still changes that need to be made. In addition, there is no guarantee that Ball will be able to immediately make a meaningful contribution after these two operations. That man hasn’t played basketball in over a year! And as great as it is to finally see him jump and run, there’s no denying that he still has a long way to go.
- Speaking to reporters in Paris recently, Ball acknowledged that the discomfort in his knee has not gone away completely. He also did not rule out that he will not have time to return this year. In any case, it is clear that he is also doing his best to stay positive!
“Yes, I’d love to play,” Ball told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I would never calculate that. It’s been a long year and I feel like we’re on the right track now. So hopefully I can keep getting better, the team will keep getting better and we can meet…
”Of course I want to play; that’s the goal. Once I feel like I’m playing comfortably enough – whether it’s 70, 80, 90, 100% – then I’m there.”
- Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams have been two of the most effective defenders when it comes to the difficulty of their nighttime duel. I think this is fully expected for Caruso, but it serves as a good reminder of the positive development Williams continues to make. Let’s also not forget that the amount of energy he has to exert on the defensive end has at least a small effect on his offensive aggressiveness.
- I can’t wait to read this!
- If I only see one game scheduled this week, it’s still hard to wrap my brain around, especially since it’s Thursday at 2PM CT!
- I already love all that Parisian content. It’s so cool that the team gets this opportunity.
- We see you Javon Freeman-Liberty!
- As a reminder, we’re doing NFL stuff right now!