The Bulls have become performance art

my childhood home in a bedroom. Bit I continue to sneeze in because I think I'm allergic to it. Also, yes, Team USA now two to zero in Olympic play. Things are looking pretty damn good. Actually, KD is cooking. He was eight for nine from the field and the win over Serbia. He put up fourteen against South Sudan. Lebron is lebroning to the surprise of many but not me. Derek White is getting a ton of minutes, balling the

fuck out on both ends of the floor. But according to some, there is drama bruining because it turns out some people are upset that Steve Kerr is using the Olympics to continue his policy of load management, and the

first player to get benched was Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum, the dude cannot catch a break, and of course the internet went crazy with memes with shots of him glowering on the bench, leading to a million This is the beginning of Tatum's villain arc posts on my feed and everybody's saying Tatum's gonna be coming back with a vengeance in Boston, and obviously Tatum wasn't particularly excited about it. When asked how he feel, he said, you win a title, you get a new contract, NBA two K cover Sports

Illustrated cover. So after all of this, it was definitely a humbling experience. A humbling experience is buying your first knife car, thinking that you're hot shit and then parking next to a McLaren. This this is beyond a humbling experience. This is being named prom king, getting a Porsche for your birthday, then getting d one offer and still not being able to get the waitress's number at the local waffle house. So then there's backlash. They askedte Kerr, what's up,

what happened? He was, uh, like, I'm sorry, I fucked up. I felt so bad. I was a it was a I felt like an idiot. But I told him it was gonna happen before the game started. But he'll he'll be starting next game. And he did start the next game against Sal Sudan, and he played seventeen minutes, went two for four, scoring just four points and one shot off the side of the backboard. My Man Tatum did

not look engaged. He did not look confident. He looked shooketh Hopefully, I mean, I don't really care, but for him, hopefully he'll get over this. Tatum's got a lot and by the way, the twenty twenty Olympics he was a second leading scorer. He does have a lot going on right now. Uh. The second latest victim of kerz Low management was Joel Embii, who did not see the floor at all against Sal Sudan. But to be fair, Joel

Embiid seemed quite engaged during the game. He didn't have a ton of bad body language, and after the game, Kurr announced that he would start in their third game against Puerto Rico. The question really is, who is Steve kerrgan a bench in game three? Is it gonna be Devin Booker, is it gonna be Steph Curry? Who knows? One guy who we know won't be benched is Kawhi and a baby. And we'll have to get into the new tea that's spilled about him soon later next week

in the Metal Round. We'll be back for an episode to talk about that. But for now, Team USA is humming and they'll look very very tough to beat. Not that much popping, by the way, besides the Olympics tournament, but we can get into it anyway. The biggest news is coming out of Cleveland, which has been busy as

a beaver in this offseason. Not only did they resigned Donovan Mitchell to a three year, one hundred and fifty million dollar extension, they then fall up with giving Evan Mopley a rookie max five years two hundred and twenty four million that can balloon up to two hundred and sixty nine million with incentives. And now, despite all the rumors that he might not actually be a player on this team that is here for the long haul, Jared

Allen gets his money. He was the subject of trade rumors and now he's getting three years ninety one million max extension. Good on my guy, d Pal for getting the job done. Solid work, Solid work for a guy that a lot of people thought, I don't know if he's gonna stick around, and a lot of teams thought maybe we could go get him. All of this begs the question, though, where's Darius Garland and all this? Is he gonna get paid? Is he gonna get traded? Does

Donovan Mitchell want to play with him? Is it gonna work? Because I don't know if running it back makes a lot of sense considering that Boston's a wagon. The Knicks got better, the Calves almost got swept to the Magic. The Magic got better, the Pacers are good, the Sixers got better. I don't know. Dog training Garland would at least shake things up. You could probably get something good back. I'm not sure though, that there's enough basketball to go

around in Cleveland. Things looked good with Evan Mobley once Jared Allen got injured. Things got good with Jared Allen when Evan Moby got injured. So I don't know, two undersized guards not feeling it, not feeling it, especially once they don't play great defense and do pretty much the same thing. And also Darius Garland's playoff. I don't even know if I would call it performance, playoff mediocrity bad sign to me. I like Cleveland as a team, I do.

I think they're building something. I like Kenny Atkinson, but they are like a boring apparel brand, like Champion. It's like the quality's good and like it lasts and it's like fine, good value. But you know, you go to the stories. I don't know. I guess that's like Cleveland. I don't know. I guess they went on in eighteen and where they were in eighteen one or twenty and three in midway through the season and no one gave a fuck, No one cares. It's Cleveland. This team I

think needs a make over. And with now they're big three signed, it feels like Darius Garland's on the outside and it feels like a Coreo might be two. Apparently a KORL is looking for a sign sign in trade, so that might bring in a little new blood as well. One thing is for sure, Cleveland now, I guess, is now gonna be built around Jared Allen, Evan Mobley, and Donovan Mitchell for the next two to possibly three years and less Jared Allen as a bonafie trade chip like

Bruce Brown was for Indiana. Moving on, lots of other signings, mostly minor to report. Some are more interesting than others. Here's one that I cannot understand. My Trailblazers sign Devonte grahams had to pause the sneeze because I'm allergic to this room. Devonte Graham to a one year deal, which is fascinating because all of the teams that need a backup guard. I didn't know that Portland was at the top of that list. I thought that actually were the

bottom of that list. No idea why they signed him, but I do like Davante Graham. I remember there was a time a bunch of teams wanted Davonte Graham. He was a solid backup NBA guard, but he's only played forty six games in the last two years. Played it for the Spurs, he averaged five to two and two on fourteen minut it's per game, mostly in mop up, garbage time roles. But remember dude, twenty eighteen twenty nineteen, he was averaging eighteen points and eight assists and three rebounds.

He was a top contender for most Improved Player. What the fuck happened. Maybe he's gonna like be a Malcolm Brogden type. Maybe he gets moved at the deadline to a team like the Lakers. I don't know. But moving on another signing, precious to Chewa goes back to New York. He waved his no trade clause resigned with the Knicks, who were desperate for their backup center as we know after Isaiah Harten's seign ended up going to OK Steve. He signed a one year, six million deal to back

up Mitchell Robinson. And we know that center is the weakest position on the Knicks, which is like largely a very strong roster because Robinson is a walking hospital wing

like he is a walking boot ready to happen. Hopefully Mitchell Robinson is healthy, hopefully, but Precious to Chutia might just fuck around and get some minutes, which maybe ends up landing him in the exact same spot as Isaiah Hartenstein, which is a bigger deal on a different team that pays him for a role that he actually wants to

be in. Another interesting pickup was in Phoenix where Tias Jones another guy who says, listen, I'll take a one year deal and I'll take it for a little minimum money because I want a role that showcases everything that I can do. So Tias was one of the more in demand players and I thought maybe he would sign a multi year deal, but the money just wasn't right. So he says, Okay, fine, I'll go to Phoenix. I'll be the starting point guard. I'll be better than Chris

Paul was in that role. I'm making the minimum. I have the highest assistant ternal ratio in the entire NBA. We know that Phoenix needs a real point guard. This is an awesome fit, just an awesome, awesome fit for Phoenix. This automatically propels them to a place that they just were not at. Now you got Devin Booker able to play the two, you got Kevin Durant being able to play the three or the four. Maybe Bradley Beal is like a six man, which is a great spot for him.

Tias is a very serviceable guard. Rumors were that he was going to go back to Minnesota, but then the Wolves drafted Rob Dillingham and that made that unlikely. I love this. Also sightings of notes Grizzlies makeup cap space to sign Luke Canard on a one year eleven million dollar deal. It was thought that they were targeting him on a multi year deal, but I think they settled

on like a placeholder contract. They were hoping that their cap space might open up and they maybe get him for a longer term deal, or potentially they trade him at the deadline, using that amount of money to get a player that they actually find to be a game changer for them when healthy. Though, Luke Canard is a sniper forty four percent career from three and this absolutely continues to help melt Memphis in a spot that they need which you shoot, opening up the floor for John

Morant like Titus Jones. Another victim of the second Apron was Gary Trent Junior, who apparently turned down bigger offers, including multi season deals at five point two million dollars a year, to sign with Milwaukee Dame time remember Dame and Gary Trent Junior played for Portland at one point when Gary Trent Junior got drafted there. So he is now gonna make a shockingly low one year, two point six million dollar deal in hopes that he will play

his way into a larger contract next year. In Indiana, they continue to make all the right moves they lock up Andrew Nemhard to a three year, fifty nine million dollars deal, and then in Indiana, being Indiana, Nemhard was immediately rumored to be on the trade block. Remember he got real be really hot in the playoffs and they said, fuck no, Pacers decided we're gonna treat him however he

wants to be treated. Andrew Nemmart actually turned down a four year, eighty one million dollar deal because he knows what his value looks like. But he is now gonna be on the books for a while now. Baller move for the Pacers front office, who, like the g in Lasagna, is silently moving well, tastily and with purpose. All right, move forward. Clippers signed Chris Dunn with a three years, sixteen million dollar deal. The last two years or the

first two years are guaranteed. The last year is not guaranteed. Remember done, really fascinating. Done resurrected his botty career last two years in Utah. I think he played in Portland as well. He now gets played pretty damn well from the Clippers who are in need of a big defensive presence to fulfill, you know, to fill the Russell Westbrook role. I like the signing a lot. I like the fact that Dunn was able to figure out a way to be basically out the league to getting a three year,

sixteen million dollar deal. Good for you, Chris Dunn. And finally, the Sixers signed Reggie Jackson on a one year deal. Thirteen year vet. He's a thirteen year VET. That's crazy. He's averaged ten or more points over the last decade. He's gonna give them a bunch of flexibility at the guard position from a proven winner and an NBA champion. I feel like Darryl Mory is having a really really good summer. Daryl Mourry's probably his best summer in a while.

A lot of minor deals have been signed. Wizards inked Anthony gil to a two year, four point seven million dollar deal. Sons traded David Roddy the Hawks for EJ. Ladell, who, for his part, got waived immediately. ORB Roddy got a bunch of run in Memphis last year when the team went down with a bunch of injuries. It's been really, really tough sledding for Memphis the last couple of years in terms of injuries and suspensions. He's gonna move to Atlanta.

I think he's probably gonna get some playing time. I mean, the Hawks are probably not gonna be very good. The MAVs signed Kessler Edwards, remember former King who averaged three and a half points and twelve minutes the last three years. He's another like veteran backup, big sort of wing presence. Keon Johnson returned to Brooklyn Wow on a two year deal. Roumber they drafted him. He averaged sixteen, six and four

in the Summer League. The Pelicans inc Carlo I don't know Matchovich to a three year, five point six million dollar deal. There's a bunch of other ones that you don't really care care about. I do like this Knicks pick up Chuma a Kiki the sixteenth pick in the twenty nineteen draft. I really like Chuma Akiki on this team. I feel like Worldwide West and Leon Rose are just making moves, continuing to make moves. He played really well

on the Magic Like. He wasn't huge in terms of production, but I just like what I saw out of him minutes a game player. Just as to the depth of what the Knicks want to do, we know that if they get injured, they need to find that depth. They need to find guys who can play a bunch of different positions and revers it all. So I really like that for New York. And finally, a lot of familiar and kind of familiar NBA names are moving to Europe.

Not just Patrick Beverley, who's going to be the Israeli League. Sergia Baca goes to Real Madrid after a year at Bayern Munich. He is going to join Chimezi Metu in the Spanish League Metu. By the way, he signed an overseas contract with FC Barcelona. Former Kings guard Jordan Ford signed with the Italian league Aquila Basket Trento. What a name. Trey Burke headed to Puerto Rico. Former Thunder player Isaiah Roby is off to the German League. Dwayne Washington Junior

signed with the Serbian squad KK partisan. Bruno Fernando was waived by the Hawks and it's probably going to go to Europe as well. But the most fascinate was former EuroLeague MVP Sashevazenkov, who remember Sacramento goat last offseason and everybody was super excited, but he could not crack the lineup. No one knew what was going on. It was super weird. He ends up getting traded. He's like, I'm not staying

in the NBA. They're like, you have to. Anyway, he ended up not taking any money on a buyout just to get out of his contract in Toronto. He's now rumored to be headed back to Greece into Olympiakos. His five year, eighteen million dollar a year deal is one of the largest in European history. Fascinating. A couple of moves that have not been made yet. We do not know what's going on with the Utah Jazz. They haven't signed their rookies yet. They haven't done anything with Lori

Markina yet. Some say they're looking to get into the buying market and get Brandon Ingram who knows. But the Warriors want Louri Markina. The Jess say, we're only doing it if we can get Pajemski. Golden State is like, I don't think so. So market is probably gonna sign an extension to stick around in Utah until they move him a year from now. Moving on, a couple of other things popping in the league. We have to talk about Zach Lavine. Uh. Last time we checked, we noted

that NBA execs consider Zach Levine an untradeable asset. They don't want 'em. One of the worst contracts in the league. A lot of people are very mad about that. Agents are mad about that. Other players are mad about that. Mark Stein reports that the Bulls are resigned to have to play him a bunch of minutes because they feel like they can't build up his trade value any other way. Uh, when vouch is an easier contract to move than Zach Levine, you know it's really bad. How do you feel? Zach

not great as it turns out. So, there was a big article written in ESPN this week just kind of like how the Bulls decided they needed to like really lean into the fact they fuck and sucked and they had to rebuild anyway. According to that article, Lavine feels like he's a skapegoat. He feels like he's been singled out too much for the Bulls sucking. This is what

he said or this is what the article said. Lavine has also felt singled out during film sessions and feels like he has taken on too much blame for the team's losing during his tenure, which has produced one playoff appearance in seven years despite other roster failings. Donovan meanwhile, believes he's trying to get Leavin to buy and no more team friendly playing style, emphasizing the way the Bulls competed in Lavine's absence as evidence for the team's potential

if Lavine just fits within the system. Damn when the coaches out there showing film of how the team looks better with you not on the court to illustrate how the offense and defense should be run. God, you gotta feel some fucking on a way about that. Get out of there, Get out Vooch, Get out Levine, Get out, guys. We'll have an eye on Levine and the Bulls and the rest of them a lot this year because it could be very well in implosion of epic epic proportions.

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