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Fri Jul 10 2015
Summer League Heating Up for the Bulls
Within a span of 12 hours, the Chicago Bulls completed their offseason. I don't want to take anything away from Aaron Brooks illustrious 10-year career, but the pomp and circumstance during this year's offseason was done the minute Jimmy Butler agreed to come back to the Windy City. For us Chicago basketball enthusiasts, we can enjoy emoji battles between grown men or quasi-kidnappings, but we need something to occupy our time until tip-off in October. Thankfully the Bulls Summer League play begins on July 11, so there can be a little action during the dog days of summer.
Summer League is essentially a training camp for a team's rookies. It's a time for players to fine tune their skills and get ready for their promotion to the big leagues or demotion down to the D-League. For the Bulls, this year is a bit different as Fred Hoiberg will be coaching the team. This is an interesting move by the rookie coach. I applaud him for getting down in the trenches this early in his professional coaching career. Other coaches could have just watched video all summer, but Hoiberg wants to get a taste of what it's going to be like to coach an NBA staff and that will help him when the season starts. This is Hoiberg's first NBA coaching gig, but he also helped out with the Minnesota Timberwolves' front office and coached a Big 12 team for five years, so this summer vacation is only going to improve his CV. I just hope he is better at coaching basketball, than throwing out first pitches. The roster is jam packed with plenty of talent any team would be jealous of. Here is the roster:
Cameron Bairstow, F, New Mexico
The second year vet got very little time on the floor last season, but some seasoning in the summer league will only help him.Vander Blue, G, Marquette
Blue is a former teammate of Jimmy Butler and his talents may have regressed over the last year when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers.Cristiano Felicio, F, Brazil
In 48 games for Flamengo in the Brazilian NBB League, Cristiano Felicio put up 5.5 points and 4.9 boards. Not necessarily the best figures, but the 6-foot-9 forward can be an intimidating presence.Ramon Galloway, G, La Salle
Galloway my need a little time to adjust to the big leagues as he played the last two seasons abroad.Diante Garret, G, Iowa State
Hoiberg's homeboy should fit right in with the team but he was a bit lackluster last season only averaging 3.5 points in 71 games.Amere May, G, Delaware State
The Mid Eastern Athletic Conference's leading scorer last year was a beast averaging 21.0 points and 2.6 assists during the season.Doug McDermott, F, Creighton
Old Buckets McDermott had a dismal rookie year, but that can be attributed to injuries.Bobby Portis, F, Arkansas
The newest addition to the team has been hyped often and look for him to contribute quickly to the team.Darrell Williams, F, Texas A&M-Commerce
Being from Chicago is enough street cred, but putting up 18.5 points in Division II isn't so bad either.Rayvonte Rice, G, Illinois
A local boy, Rice was a tremendous shooter hitting 47 percent from beyond the arc and 47 percent from the field.
