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Reaper Edges Romero, Breaks Hand: What’s Next?

By
Corey Roveri
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Whittaker vs. Romero 2 delivered on every level. Without question, that decision could have gone either way. A day after defeating Yoel Romero by split decision at UFC 225, Robert Whittaker called it the “hardest fight” of his career. This begs the question, what’s next for Robert Whittaker?

While a Whittaker vs Romero 3 match is possible, don’t bank on it. There are plenty of other big names for Whittaker’s camp to consider.

Let me start with showing respect to @yoelromeromma and his team. That was the hardest fight of my career and it was a war. Last night was my night though and I must say thanks to all the people that made it possible for me to go out there and perform. Thanks to my coaches Fabricio Itte, Alex Prates, Justin Fitzgerald, Justin Lang and Stu McKinnon for the work they put in day in day out. Also huge shout out to the boys and girls at @graciejiujitsusmeatongrange , @standstrongboxing , @liveathletic_ep and @bulldoggymcastlehill . Thank you to my manager Titus Day @6_degrees_group for making all the extra work run smoothly so I can have full focus on the fight. Thank you to all my sponsors @kaplan_homes @musclemealsdirect @musashinutrition @20foursports @bethesda @unibet . Lastly a big thanks to my family, friends and Fans, especially my wife @sofiamareewhittaker for looking after me and making this week real easy. I didn’t need to take the fight but I told you I would give you fireworks…hope you liked them 👊🏽

A post shared by Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) on

Whittaker’s Victory Came At A Price

According to Whittaker’s team, the fighter broke his thumb in the first round of the fight. The Reaper disguised the break well until about the fourth round when he began to throw many more elbows than punches with the right arm. Whittaker still did strike with the right hand from on occasion, making his victory, and toughness all the more impressive. This marks the second fight with Romero that Whittaker has won after sustaining an early injury.

The x-ray was posted publicly:

@robwhittakermma Fought 4 1/2 Rounds with a broken thumb for his Family and country.

A post shared by Gracie Grange (@graciejiujitsusmeatongrange) on

Whittaker has now defeated Romero twice, and the likelihood of a third bout is extremely unlikely. During the post fight press conference, when Dana White was asked about Romero moving up to the light heavyweight division, “We’re gonna have to talk to him and his team, and yeah it’s probably a good idea to go to 205”.

Here’s the party Romero would be walking into:
Rankings via UFC.COM
The middleweight division is in shambles at this point.

Whittaker just beat the number one contender in Romero for the second time, but Romero knocked out the number two contender, Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 on Feb. 10th. Rockhold beat number three contender Chris Weidman in 2015. Weidman submitted the fourth ranked contender Kelvin Gastelum just under a year ago at UFC on Fox 25, while Gastelum went the distance and won via decision in his last fight against Ronaldo Souza. And that rounds out our trickle down “who’s-who” of top five middleweight contenders.

So, What’s Next For Robert Whittaker?

Three potential matchups for The Reaper
Kelvin Gastelum

Even with his loss to Weidman, it appears that Kelvin Gastelum would be the front runner for a title shot if Whittaker were healthy. Gastelum has won his last two fights, the first by knocking out Michael Bisping back in November. The second, a split decision win versus number five middleweight contender Ronald Souza at UFC 224.

Gastelum is the shortest match-up for Whittaker standing in at 5’9″. His reach measures two inches shorter than the champion as well. Gastelum has good power and great hands, he’s 50 percent take-down attempts and has submitted two opponents.

Chris Weidman

Earlier we mentioned Weidman’s submission victory over Gastelum, it was a much needed win after losing his three previous fights (all by knockout). Weidman won via arm-triangle choke in the third round, and announced that he wanted to be the next to challenge Whittaker while attending UFC 221 in Perth.

Weidman stands in at 6’2″ and showcases a 78″ reach compared to 6’0″ and 73.5″ for Whittaker. For comparison, Yoel Romero is 5’11” with a 73″ reach. Weidman, the wrestler, could have an opportunity to keep Whittaker at distance with his reach until he attempts a take down (Romero had three against Whittaker at UFC 225). Weidman also has 10 wins via submission.

Luke Rockhold

Although this list is in no particular order, Rockhold is obviously the first choice if he hadn’t lost to Romero in February. UFC 225 would have hosted Rockhold vs. Whittaker for the title instead. The two were due to fight in Perth (instead Romero stepped in for an interim bout, missed weight, and won).

Rockhold has dropped two of his last three fights, his last victory coming by way of knockout versus David Branch. Rockhold vs Whittaker is a fight that needs to happen anyway. The southpaw kick-boxer presents an interesting challenge to Whittaker, at four inches taller, he would enjoy a three and a half inch reach advantage over the champion.

GSP

This one might be a little harder to schedule, but recent questions have been raised about GSP’s intentions to either fight or retire. MMA Junkie recently reported an interview between Dana White and TSN.ca in Canada where White said,  “As far as I’m concerned, ‘GSP’ is retired right now. He’s not interested in fighting anybody.”

The next opponent for Robert Whittaker?
Photo: Daily Express

Although GSP’s manager points out that St-Pierre is not retired via text with MMA Junkie  admittedly, this is more of a wish-list item. Honestly, who wouldn’t love to see Whittaker go up against arguably one of the best pound for pound fighters in UFC history?

 

White Sox Boast Eighteen Minor League All-Stars Ranging Across Three Levels

By
Emmet McClain
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It is no secret that the White Sox have one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball. A big testament to that is the fact that they have 18(!) minor league All-Stars announced (not including Triple-A).

The Kannapolis Intimidators will send a whopping 7 players to the low-A All-Star game. Headlining the group is OF Luiz Gonzalez and RHP Blake Battenfield. Gonzalez is the White Sox’s 18th ranked prospect in the system. He is batting .330 while also leading the team in home runs with 8. Battenfield is supporting a ridiculous 1.59 ERA so far this season. These two players are definitely worth keeping an eye on as the season moves forward.

High-A Winston-Salem will be sending 5 of their own players to their respective league All-Star game. RHP Dylan Cease, LHP Bernardo Flores, RHP Matt Foster, OF Luis Basabe, and OF Joel Booker all got the nod to participate. On top of that, you could easily argue that OF’s Blake Rutherford and Micker Adolfo got snubbed.

And finally we move to Double-A, where the Birmingham Barons will be sending 6 players to the All-Star game. Eloy Jimenez and Zack Collins are the two obvious locks that everyone expected, but the Barons are also sending RHP Dane Dunning, RHP Ian Hamilton, C Seby Zavala, and SS Danny Mendick to the game.

Everyone knows that the White Sox farm system has talent. But now people should finally start to see just how much depth there really is. We should start seeing some promotions through the system sooner rather than later.

You’ll Dislike The Yankees Fan Who Ran Onto Wrigley Field Even More After Reading This

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Cubs lost 7-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday and it was pretty much a snooze fest for Cubs fans in attendance, but they did get to see an idiot run around Wrigley Field.

The guy who ran onto the field is a New York Yankees fan and as a reminder you get charged with a felony when you do this dumbass thing.

Joseph W. Confer, 24, of the 1600 block of Hosmer Lane, is charged with one felony count of criminal trespass to a place of public amusement, police said.

Confer ran onto the field around 4:20 p.m. while the game was in progress, according to police. He was detained by security and later taken into custody, police said. Criminal trespass carries a fine of at least $1,000, as well as a minimum of 30 hours of community service.

He wasn’t shown on TV, as MLB doesn’t want to give these people any attention and I wish they did show the part where fans get lit up. Unfortunately the hit on this Yankees fan wasn’t that great.

You already don’t like this guy for running onto the field wearing a Yankees jersey to a Cubs-Pirates game, but this detail puts it over the top.

Despite the fact that the Cubs were playing the Pirates, Confer was reportedly wearing a Yankees jersey with his own last name on the back.

Gross.

Also, this.

Confer has a record in Will County, including a 2012 burglary arrest. Court records indicate he pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 24 months of conditional discharge and 100 hours of community service.

Confirmed bad guy.

You can never trust a guy who wears a jersey of a team that isn’t playing and more so when he puts his own last name on it, as if he plays for the Yankees.

BAN THIS MAN!

More Bad News For Cubs Pitchers, This Time It’s Their No. 1 Prospect

By
Aldo Soto
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It hasn’t been the smoothest year for Chicago Cubs prospect Adbert Alzolay, who was on the verge of making his MLB debut a few weeks back, to now expected to miss almost two months with a lat injury.

The No. 1 ranked prospect in the minor league system for the Cubs pitched four perfect innings in his May 29th start at Triple-A, but he left that outing and the following day he was placed on the DL. Two weeks before that start, it was speculated that Alzolay would be called up to pitch in a double-header against the Cincinnati Reds.

However, because of a rain out that week, the Cubs were able to keep their rotation in order and Alzolay stayed in Iowa. The four perfect innings followed and so did the lat strain.

After no updates on the 23-year-old’s status for a couple weeks, Iowa Cubs beat reporter Tommy Birch got the bottom of the story and the news isn’t great.

Alzolay won’t be back until after the All-Star break for the Iowa Cubs.

Via The Des Moines Register.

Chicago Cubs top prospect Adbert Alzolay is in Arizona rehabbing from an injury that will keep him on the disabled list for at least the remainder of the first half of the season.

Jaron Madison, Chicago’s director of player development, said Monday he doesn’t expect the injured Iowa Cubs pitcher to return until at after the minor league All-Star break.

“He’s so close to the big leagues and helping if there was a need,” Madison said. “So, definitely disappointing, but he’s going to work his butt off and do everything he can to get back and get back to being 100 percent. Hopefully we can get past this and not have to worry about these types of things anymore.”

The Iowa Cubs begin the unofficial second half of their season on July 12.

Alzolay had his 2018 season delayed, starting the year at extended spring training after suffering an ankle injury. Before this season the right-hander hadn’t pitched above the Double-A level, but he was impressive once he arrived in Iowa.

Through his first four starts, Alzolay had a 2.91 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 21.1 innings, striking out 17 and walking seven. Yet, the next three starts were rough, as he gave up 14 earned runs in 14 innings.

But again, Alzolay did show why Theo Epstein has praised him, even calling Alzolay a future top of the rotation pitcher.

For now all you can hope for is that the injury doesn’t become any more serious and that Alzolay returns even better.

Ranking Cubs Draft Picks By The Most Important Factor: Their Names

By
Aldo Soto
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The 2018 MLB draft was last week and the Chicago Cubs selected some gems, got some great value on picks and reached for others. Or something like that. I have no clue because I’ve never seen any of these high school and college players compete, but hey if you want a better break down head over to FanGraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law for a better summary. 

I’m here to rank the Cubs draft picks based on their names. I’m only doing the top-10, but you can see all the players drafted by the Cubs here.

The only criteria I’m using is how cool I think these names sound the star potential based on them. Hate this list? Make your own. Think it’s dumb? It probably is, but it’s better than me copy and pasting some other analysis of players you’ll maybe see in three years.

All right, let’s go.

10. Niels Stone

Niels Stone was the 28th round pick for the Cubs. He’s a right-handed pitcher and to be completely honest I thought the name was Neil, which reminded me of Neil Armstrong. Strong name association, however, it’s not Neil it’s Niels. Not really sure how strongly I feel about the name now, but I still like the last name.

I can imagine Niels coming out of the Cubs bullpen and his song being Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme music.

Also, if baseball doesn’t work out, Niels Stone doesn’t have to change his name to enter the adult film industry if he so chooses.

Could UNLV Football Be This Year’s Next Cinderella Story?

By
Kevin Smith
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The Cinderella Story: What we as sports fans love to witness. Anyone who is a fan of sports can tell you exactly where they were when they found out the No. 16 seed UMBC pulled off the unthinkable, and dominated the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team in the round of 64 at this year’s March Madness tournament, and — perhaps — UNLV’s much-maligned football program is on the verge of joining this special club of “Cinderfellas.”

Sports fans will remember the run Loyola-Chicago made to the Final Four, as a 13-seed underdog every step of the way, defeating powerhouse teams left and right. Maybe you’ll recall the evil empire that is the New England Patriots, and how the rebellion that was the Philadelphia Eagles were able to dethrone the mighty Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl. The Eagles were underdogs in every game of the postseason, despite having the best record in the NFC and even when they were the home team, in large part because they didn’t’ have MVP favorite but injured QB Carson Wentz.

Of course, we cannot overlook how the Vegas Golden Knights have shocked every sports fan in the world, breaking every first-year expansion team record in the book, and how they defied the odds to make it to the Stanley Cup final (500-1 odds of win, to be exact). If they could’ve pulled off the Stanley Cup victory, you could bet there would have been a movie made about it. Heck, maybe there still will be. 

All of these teams have a common theme, no one expected them to accomplish what they were able to accomplish. Some call it Cinderella, some call it luck, and some will say what it is: These teams are just flat out good. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, fourth line forward for the Golden Knights, was quoted as saying, “I don’t think we are a Cinderella team, we’re just good.” 

UNLV Football Has Improved Its Coaching Staff, Facilities

As we shift focus to the upcoming UNLV football season in 2018, can UNLV football become this year’s next Cinderella team? A lot of Las Vegans know when they think of UNLV football as of late, the terms mediocre, underperformed, and just overall bad. With the hiring of former Bishop Gorman head coach Tony Sanchez a little more than three years ago, a new practice facility under construction and the world’s most advanced  home stadium — shared with the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders — due for completion by 2020, the arrow seems to be pointing up. 

UNLV fans, those days might be over.

UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez has not had the headline success that Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant had in his first year, but that does not mean Sanchez isn’t changing the program slowly but surely. In each of his first three seasons, Sanchez improved his win total by one in each season.

3-9 in 2015.

4-8 in 2016.

5-7 in 2017.

Obviously those are not dramatic changes, but Sanchez and his coaching staff are making improvements. According to 247sports.com, UNLV is bringing in a recruiting class that has 11 three-star recruits. 

Returning Offensive Leaders Bode Well For Improvement

UNLV’s offense went from 87th in the country to 49th last season, despite missing star players such as WR Devonte Boyd, and Mountain West Freshman of the Year, quarterback Armani Rogers, for a decent chunk of the season. When healthy, Rodgers was able to accomplish a 7.4 non-sack carry rate and is on. This gave UNLV the 33rd best rushing attack. Now enter the rushing attack of Lexington Thomas, Charles Williams, and Xzaviar Campbell.

Thomas, the senior of the group, looks to lead the way after averaging 6.2 yards per game last year. Many UNLV fans remember him as the guy with lightning speed, boasting multiple 25+ yard runs throughout the season. To put it simply, when Thomas gets going, defenders are going to need a five second head start if defenders have any shot of catching him.

Williams put up a promising freshman season back in 2016, putting up more than six yards per game four times in the season that was frequently behind in games, limiting the running game. In 2017, Williams suffered an ankle injury in the season-opener, that would eventually keep in out for the remainder of the season. Throw in Xzaviar Campbell, the 225-pound running back to stuff it in on the goal line, and the Rebels have a potent running attack.

Leaky Defense Can Only Get Better

To put it in a nicely, the UNLV defense has been atrocious (yes, I said it nicely). Last season, UNLV last season didn’t rank in the Top 100 in almost any defensive statistical category good teams want to rank in, whether it’s havoc rate, sack rate, stuff rate, fewest yards allowed per game, points per game, and many more. Coach Sanchez knew this had to change if the team was going to compete for a bowl game.

In comes new defensive coordinator, Tim Skipper. Skipper’s career being a coach ranges from stints at Fresno St, Colorado St, and most notably, Florida. Sanchez has said on multiple occasions he wants a defense where his players attack more.

The leading sack getters returning this year had a grand total of two sacks in 2017. I wish that was a typo, but it’s two.

If fans remember watching UNLV football games the last few years, they will recall many games where the defense just let the offense down. The offense will put up thirty points a game, and still lose. In some cases, even 40 points weren’t enough. UNLV opened its season in historically embarrassing fashion against 45-point underdog Howard and lost 43-40. It was a historic failure, setting the program back in many ways.

UNLV also lost at Air Force last year when they were up 27-7 in the first half. The final score? 34-30. You take those two losses and turn them into wins, UNLV would not only be bowl eligible, but they would have had a winning record. Throw in a win on the road where they lost by a touchdown to an abysmal UNR team, they are 8-4.

We can make the assumption if you ask any UNLV football fan, an 8-4 record seems like a dream. For a program that has been consistently below average since the Randall Cunningham days, an 8-4 record is something to be proud of.

Despite such a history of futility, can the UNLV football team possibly be this year’s college football Cinderalla? Absolutely. If the offense maintains its pace, if not improves, and the defense improves the way the offense did last year, they will compete for the Mountain West Conference title. UNLV Football should definitely be bowl eligible. Who knows, maybe they will take a page out of their new neighbor’s the Golden Knights playbook and shock the sports world, too?

For UNLV fans, I think all of us can agree that a winning record, bowl eligibility, winning the bowl game, and taking back the Fremont Cannon from that school up north would be a Cinderella story for a lot of us.

Can The Rebels Get Bowl Eligible in 2018?

My prediction? UNLV goes 8-4, wins the Fremont Cannon, and wins their bowl game. Rogers is a future stud who will lead the offense, along with a potent 1-2 punch in Lexington Thomas and Charles Williams. Both bolster a young receiving core with a chance to take the bull by the horns with the departure of Davonte Boyd. To help, the Rebels return an experienced defense with a new defensive coordinator to steer them in the right direction.

Why not UNLV? People have been doubting Vegas sports teams all year long, let the trend continue, and keep proving outsiders wrong.

‘F*cking Idiot’ Jackson, Punk Both Lose After UFC 225 Fight

By
Corey Roveri
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At UFC 225, the main card opener featured former WWE champion CM Punk vs. Michael Jackson. Punk was fighting in his home town of Chicago and got plenty of fan support. Unfortunately for Punk, the cheers didn’t produce the desired outcome as he dropped to 0-2 in his short UFC career. During post fight press conferences, UFC head honcho Dana White’s comments seemed to indicate the end both Punk and Johnson’s UFC careers, at one point referring to Jackson as a “f*cking idiot.”

Punk lost by unanimous decision, taking a beating in the process, and could have very easily been finished off in the second and third rounds. The 39-year-old implemented some very unorthodox tactics in his attempt to secure a victory. Analyst Michael Bisping even had some colorful commentary to add.

Entering the MMA world can’t be an easy transition, he wanted to be in a fight. He got two shots, he took them both, and it didn’t work out. Punk also took some big shots, got bloodied, and hung in there. To be honest, this one really wasn’t close, and didn’t come as much of a surprise, I just didn’t bank on Jackson slowing the pace. (UFC 225 Predictions).

He was even gracious in defeat tweeting a response after the fight, giving praise to Jackson, his camp, fans, friends, and family.

Jackson on the other hand landed 64 significant strikes in the fight but, honestly, that’s a pretty deceiving number. Jackson looked like a fighter in his second bout. Others didn’t appreciate Jackson’s antics inside the octagon, Karyn Bryant of FS1’s mentioned taking exception to the “grandstanding” by Jackson, and White seemed to echo those sentiments.

White made it very clear in the press conference he was extremely unhappy with Jackson’s performance: “I don’t know what that guy did for a living before we gave him this shot, but whatever it was he needs to go back and do that again, he’s 0-2 as far as I’m concerned.”

When asked if he sensed Jackson was “milking it” to try to secure extra TV time, White was so angry with the performance he went on to say, “I got the sense that he’s a complete f*cking idiot and I couldn’t wait for that fight to end, and I regretted not putting it on fight pass, that’s how I felt about it.”

Jackson on the other hand was confused by White’s criticisms. The 33-year-old tweeted, “I hit him with punches and elbows and he stayed standing. I didn’t want to run in and get caught with dumb shit. Imagine being the guy who loses to CM Punk!” Jackson also mentioned that he was looking at his corner for instruction.

Unfortunately for both men, it appears their time with the UFC has come to a close. White very clearly says that it’s probably time for the CM thing to be a “wrap,” which unfortunately kills my dream of any any Royal Rumble/UFC Fight Night title unification inside the Pearl at the Palms.

After his scathing criticism of Jackson, Dana has made his future abundantly clear. Perhaps it was more Thunder Lips vs Rocky Balboa. Maybe it wasn’t. Sure didn’t seem like either fighter came to fight. I personally had some questions with the ceremonial weigh-in. Call me crazy, but this image doesn’t give me the impression these two were ready to beat the hell out of each other. With White publicly embarrassing Jackson and Jackson publicly embarrassing Punk, I think we’ve seen the last of both fighters in the UFC.

Photo/Video: UFC ON FOX

12 Reasons June Should Be Renamed Jordan, Michael Jordan That Is

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
-

The month of June provides us with an almost daily installment of “On this day Michael Jordan…” So much that I propose we we call the month, Jordan. It was the Romans who created the calendar but their empire eventually fell and I find it befitting of the world’s most popular athlete to at least have his own month.

I have gone through Jordan’s performances and moments from the month of June and found 12 good reasons why this should happen. I could have had more but decided to cut it short here for some reason. Maybe 12 is for that one time his jersey was stolen and he wore it. Whatever it is, here they are in order by day of the month.

June 3, 1992
Michael Jordan finished with a game-high 39 points and set an NBA Finals records for points scored in a half (35) and 3-pointers made in one half (6). After the sixth three, Jordan turned to the camera in an iconic moment, shrugged and continued to lead the Bulls over Portland 122-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

 

Michael Jordan Shrug
After hitting his sixth three pointer in Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan gave us one of the most iconic moments of his career: The Shrug. (Photo: Getty Images)

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Chicago sports musings. 

Former Bears Scout Makes Bold Declaration About the 2018 Team

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy
Credit: Chicago Bears

Who are the 2018 Chicago Bears? Nobody knows yet. It’s impossible to tell for sure until they start playing actual games. This is why most critics of the team refuse to accept even the possibility they could turn the corner this season. They haven’t won more than six games since 2014 and haven’t made the playoffs in almost a decade. There’s no recent evidence to suggest this will be the case.

Then again the same was said for the Buffalo Bills last year. Remember them? A team that had not made the playoffs since 1999. Several fans of that team were close to graduating high school without seeing them in the postseason. If that epic streak could finally end, why can’t the Bears do the same?

The national media and several executives around the league have been impressed with what they’ve done this offseason. So have those who’ve worked with the team in the past. Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel did his own personal assessment of the work done by GM Ryan Pace and his coaches.

His resulting declaration? More than a little encouraging.

Gabriel sees the 2018 Chicago Bears as a playoff contender

Writing for Pro Football Weekly, Gabriel expressed his admiration for what the Bears have accomplished over the past couple months. He sees them as an ascending team with talent across the board, though there are still some holes left to fill.

“What have we learned about the Bears this offseason? First off, the talent level of the team is the best that it’s been since at least 2010 when the Bears were playoff contenders. That said, there are still holes to fill before Chicago opens the regular season at Green Bay in early September…

…Many have compared this year’s Bears to last year’s Los Angeles Rams. Both teams have/had a new coaching staff that is strong as far as offensive innovation. Both have/had a talented second-year quarterback and both have/had strong defenses. The Rams went from the cellar of the NFC West to the playoffs.

I currently won’t say the Bears will be able to do the same, but based on what I have seen over the past couple months of the offseason program, they are headed in the right direction. We’ll know a lot more once training camp is complete in August.”

Long story short this team will still be driven by their defense, particularly the duo of Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman. It’s their pass rush that needs figuring out. Leonard Floyd has a balky knee and the depth chart behind him is a garbled mess of unknowns like Aaron Lynch and Isaiah Irving. It’s the offense though that will determine how high this team climbs.

The talent is certainly there.

Not just on the field but on the sideline too. Matt Nagy brings one of the most successful offensive schemes in the NFL to Chicago. The same that turned Kansas City into perennial playoff participants and the Philadelphia Eagles into Super Bowl champions. He inherits a roster that features Pro Bowl running back Jordan Howard and former #2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky at quarterback.

They’ve also added former Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson, deep threat Taylor Gabriel and Super Bowl hero Trey Burton. Not to mention do-everything weapon, Tarik Cohen. The sheer potential of this team is hard not to get excited about. Even an old school guy like Gabriel can’t ignore that.

Don’t Count Out The Bulls Reaching For A Wing

By
Patrick Mooney
-

With the draft less than two weeks away, the rumors are flowing about who’s going where, which teams dislike which players and so on and so on.

In today’s age of social media and instant news, you’d be a fool to believe half of the rumors you see or hear. Drafts are weird and complex. Teams leak misinformation, sometimes the media is higher on a player than the league is, players with past health issues sometimes slip farther than we expect, etc.

The point is, a player that’s consistently mocked outside of the top 10 could still be very much in play for the Bulls at 7. If they do “reach” with their pick, drafting an athletic wing with upside makes a lot of sense. Both Miles Bridges from Michigan State and Kevin Knox from Kentucky fit that mold.

We know that the Bulls have Bridges on their radar.

Bridges’ biggest red flag is that he isn’t even a full 6’7, which is pretty short for a small forward in today’s game. However, the sport is moving more and more towards a positionless game which could help Bridges in the long run.

Bridges scored the ball consistently and efficiently in his two seasons at Michigan State, averaging 17 points with a 54. eFG%. He shot an encouraging 37.5% from three and averaged 7.6 rebounds a game, both skills that will need to follow him to the NBA in order for him to be successful.

His high volume approach (27.2 usage rate, 5.5 3-point FGA per game) and top-notch athleticism should give him a good chance to translate what he did best in college in the NBA as well.

His surname equivalent Mikal Bridges has been ranked slightly higher throughout the pre-draft process by most, but Miles could easily end up being the better player. Sometimes you have to take a risk on a high ceiling prospect in order to speed up a rebuild and that’s exactly what the Bulls could do by drafting Miles Bridges.

Speaking of high ceilings…

I don’t know if I’ve seen a single mock draft with Kevin Knox going earlier than 10th. I don’t quite understand the reason for that.

He’s raw, which means he’s flawed. But all these prospects are, and I disagree with the notion that Knox’s flaws are more numerous or severe than many of the players that will hear their name called before he will.

He doesn’t turn 19 until August. He can handle, run the floor, defend, rebound and finish. He’s learning how to shoot. He’s 6’9 with a 7-foot wingspan and elite athleticism. There might not be a perimeter player in the draft with a higher ceiling. He might need the most time to grow, but his age affords him the time to do so.

As a fan, does drafting someone like Wendell Carter get you more excited than Knox or Miles Bridges? If it does, it might be time to reevaluate your expectations.

 

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