Good morning!
Nothing beats a Sunday matinee Blackhawks game at the United Center, especially when Chicago scores seven times.
Gosh, I just miss that place when the games actually meant something in the standings. Instead, every win strengthens their hold on the second-best draft lottery odds. Maybe this is the offseason things start to turn around at the NHL level.
Until then, these Sunday matinees with an energized crowd serve as a bittersweet reminder of what has been and what could be again.
Are the Bulls...back?
After a 146-115 smackdown over the Lakers in Los Angeles, the Bulls are the winner of seven of their last nine games, bringing their postseason magic number to FOUR.
So, what's suddenly working for Chicago?
Coby White being forced into the primary scoring role without Zach LaVine might be the best thing that could've happened for his career. And his recent string of success is making the contract extension he signed last offseason look like a steal for the Bulls. White has scored 20+ in each of the last 12 games.
Matas Buzelis is finding his scorer's touch. While he hasn't been able to build his game to the consistency of a star, his skillset is still blossoming. His slick moves on Luka Doncic on Saturday night, which resulted in his 55th dunk of the year, will garner all the attention from his performance, but his career-high 31 points are nothing to scoff at either.
For the first time in a while, Bulls fans have a rookie that they can positively say has gotten significantly better as the year has progressed. Credit to Billy Donovan on that, too.Josh Giddey's much better than most of us expected. Sure, it took a while, but we're seeing flashes of what made him a popular pick to click in Oklahoma City and why Arturas Karnisovas didn't feel it was necessary to receive draft compensation in return for Alex Caruso last June.
Giddey's 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists and eight blocks against the Lakers wasn't just a career-first, but a first in the history of the league. Had the 22-year-old been able to add two more blocks, he'd have been just the fifth player in NBA history with a quadruple-double and the second Bull ever to accomplish the feat. Nate Thurmond did it first in 1974.
Only the Bulls. Only the Bulls. Only the one and only Chicago Bulls.
The good news? If the season ended after this past weekend, the Bulls would host another play-in game at the UC. Woohoo! After all, that's what Karnisovas said would be a fine outcome during his post-trade deadline presser from the Advocate Center in February.
It's also tough to call the legitimate forward development among youthful players on the roster a "bad" thing. So, why does this excitement over the Bulls' sudden resurgence feel like it should be tempered?
That brings us to the painfully obvious bad news...
This is bad for the rebuild. If the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder have taught us anything, it's that the process is supposed to take time. It's supposed to scrape the bottom of the barrel, and it's supposed to make fans question their loyalty, even if for a brief second. Just ask the Blackhawks.
The Bulls' attempt to retool and find a superstar on the fly is a failing strategy. A team built of several role players will land you in the play-in three years in a row—nothing higher. It's not scraping any barrels, but it's making fans question their loyalty to another losing regime.
Maybe the Bulls get to an actual playoff series this time, but where does that land them? In a series against the Cavaliers or Celtics? And then what's next? A fourth-straight play-in next year?
Quick Hits
White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe will miss the entire 2025 regular season and require Tommy John surgery—the second surgery on his throwing arm since September.
Thorpe, 24, was a headliner in the deal that sent Juan Soto from the Padres to the Yankees in 2023. Three months later, San Diego sent Thorpe in a package to the White Sox for Dylan Cease. Last September, Thorpe underwent a procedure to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow.
Today!
📺 CHGO Bears @ 12 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs @ 1:30 on YouTube
⚾️ Cubs vs. Braves @ 3:05 on Marquee
⚾️ White Sox vs. Athletics @ 2:05 on CHSN
📺 CHGO White Sox @ 4 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls @ 7:30 on YouTube
🏀 Bulls @ Nuggets @ 8 on CHSN
📺 CHGO Bulls POSTGAME on YouTube
