There was Josh Giddey, hours before the game against his former team on Saturday, getting up three-pointers under the watchful eye of Bulls player development coach/shooting specialist Peter Patton.
With Oklahoma City in town for the home opener, it was another reminder of what the Bulls gave up acquiring Giddey from the Thunder in July, and for many outside the organization, what they didn’t get back in return for Alex Caruso. Specifically, a draft pick.
Just don’t ask the Bulls about it because they seem to be very comfortable with the company line.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has always maintained that they didn’t get a pick back because that’s how much they valued Giddey, while all the point guard’s new teammates care about is what Giddey has added to the offense.
Zach LaVine compared Giddey’s passing to Ricky Rubio, while veteran big man Nikola Vucevic has raved about how perfectly Giddey fits into what they want to do on the offensive end.
“I think the playmaking is huge and a thing that is going to help us a lot,” Vucevic said of Giddey. “He makes passes that not many people can see, and I think his size is something that people underestimate a little bit.
“For him it’s the same as it is for us, just getting used to playing next to each other. As a team we need to build that chemistry, but I think he’s a player that can help us a lot, especially with his vision. We want to play fast, and I think that’s his style as well.”
That doesn’t mean the deal didn’t leave some scars.
Yes, Caruso was turning 30 and going into the final year of his contract, but he has all the intangibles a head coach covets from his players. That’s why Bulls coach Billy Donovan was asked before the game what the conversation was like between himself and the front office when they let him know that Caruso was being shipped out.
“That’s hard, it’s hard, especially when you’ve been with him for three years and the relationship we built,” Donovan said. “The one thing for Alex in all this for me is I just hope that he’s really, really going to get compensated. He obviously got a great situation, but he’s also at the point where his age, some of the things he’s had to deal with health-wise too. He’s always played banged up and hurt.
“They came to me and thought this was best for a variety of reasons. I believe this is Alex’s last year of his contract, but they didn’t share with me the representation conversations.”
Fore!
There’s been a lot of discussion about the number of three-pointers going up this first week of the NBA season, but Donovan’s mindset is “Welcome to the evolution.”
“It’s probably no different than golf, right? The equipment has gotten a lot better than it was 20 years ago, and golf balls are different,” Donovan said. “Everything was played a lot closer to the basket (20 years ago), so the execution piece became so critical. The screening, reading screens, the timing, it was all execution. I like the game the way it is now. I think they’re trying to at least balance the scoring piece.”
Decision day
Lonzo Ball was back in the rotation against the Thunder after he was given the front end of the back-to-back off on Friday.
Because of his knee issues Ball will remain sidelined for one of the games in the back-to-backs, and the next decision on which one he plays in will be made Nov. 6 when they travel to Dallas and return home for the Timberwolves the following night.