Chicago Bulls S68 Midseason Press Conference
Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:01 am
Chicago Bulls Midseason Press Conference
A podium is set up on a small stage in a press room at Chicago Bulls HQ in a well lit room with a backdrop wallpaper-patterned with the classic Bulls logo. There’s a large projector screen. Facing the stage, there are several rows of folding chairs in a somewhat angular pseudo-semi-circle. Various members of the PBSL press are there at this unprecedented event. To this point in PBSL, press conferences were unheard of outside of the preseason, but I suppose this is just another example of the Chicago Bulls setting the pace for the rest of the league—even if members of the press who are there haven’t fully grasped what all this is about.
There’s no Roman Roy to be found here, but his security guards remain, assigned to longtime GM garbageman to make sure he doesn’t go rogue and burn down the building or make any moves that would doom the franchise to eternal mediocracy. The general manager looks a little more like his normal self than he did during the preseason. The guards barely even have to prod him to get him up to the podium.
“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the press…welcome to the first ever Chicago Bulls midseason press conference. The Bulls organization wanted to take some time to address the season so far. As you know already, the team started off slow and had some adjustments to make when Antonio Blakeney tore a ligament in early November. After that, the players rallied together, refocused to get back in basketball mode from championship honeymoon mode, and took the division lead…
“But it never rains, it pours. League superstar and reigning playoff MVP MacMcClung got his Mac McClock Mac McCleaned against a slimy Magic squad. And while AB is progressing nicely with an expected return to the court in a couple weeks, McClung’s injury is a bit more serious. Luckily, it shouldn’t be a season ending injury, but being without Mac for a long time had us questioning what direction we could take this team…
“We had a few options in front of us. First, we could pay a rebuilding team to take on a chunk of salary, try to reset the tax, and start thinking about next year. But the problem with that is that we traded our pick to the Charlotte Bobcats, and there’s not an ice cube’s chance in hell that we’d give up a lotto pick for Dwain frickin’ Ramos…
“Our second option was to wait it out and hope that Remy Martin could lead the team and keep us competitive. We were 8-3 when Mac went down. We’ve been 7-4 since. 8 of our last 11 games have been on the road. Our losses were all road losses against playoff teams…two of which we also beat during that stretch. 11 games without McClung and Blakeney, and we were still in first place in the division. We talked about it among the ownership and then we talked about it with the players. We were not only sure we could weather the injuries and make it into the playoffs, but we felt we could do more than that. So we set our sights higher and chose option number three…”
The lights dim down in the press room and the projector screen flickers to life.
That video plays, except the Motley Crue clips are interspersed with clips of Charles Jarrett and Brandon Ingram playing on the Bulls from the past. And instead of lyrics, the video contains facts about both players and their previous tenures with the Bulls.
CHARLES JARRETT: It's exciting to be back in a Bulls uniform again. Last time I was here, we were in a similar situation. We were hit hard with injuries to our best guys in the regular season and the playoffs. That was the year Ayo broke his leg. I was hurt in the playoffs and Dirks was hurt in the playoffs, but in the end, we fought through adversity and stopped a Warriors dynasty to bring home the hardware. I wish I was healthy for more of the playoffs, but man, it was a special year, and I got that feeling again."
"We're incredibly excited to bring both Brandon and Charles back to Chicago! Ingram has been one of the league's premier scorers throughout the 2050's, and he's going to relieve a lot of the pressure off of Remy while McClung is out. His career shooting percentages and efficiency are nothing short of elite, and he both complements the areas where we're already strong to work within our existing offensive schemes and helps us expand by adding a lights out three point shooter to open up the court more. When Mac comes back, we think a triple threat of McClung, Remy, and Ingram will give us offensive firepower that stacks up to any team in the league...
"And Bulls fans and media should be no stranger to what Charles Jarrett can bring to a team. He's a swiss army knife of a player and the type of player any contending team needs. His versatility makes him a huge asset as his well rounded skillset can let you plug and play him based on matchup or, as we're experiencing now, when injuries thin out your depth. He's got solid ballhandling and distributing skills, he not only makes shots, but he can make his own shot, and if he misses, he can rebound his own shot. He can rebound other people's shots. He can steal. He can get a block once in a while. And even at age 33, he's still got a ton of athleticism. He can't make a free throw to save his life, but you can't have everything, am I right?
"I've already talked with CJ about his role, and with so much basketball experience under his belt, he's ready to do whatever's needed. While Mac and AB are both out, we're going to keep him at point and see how that goes. He handled it very well in Toronto, so we'll keep him there for now, but we'll play him where we need him all year, and he understands that could be as a starter or a sixth man. It could be backcourt or frontcourt or both, and it could be a variety of different schemes on offense and defense. Whatever it is, we trust that Charles can do it, and we trust that it will bring us success...
"Anyway, we know it's not going to be easy, and we're counting down the days until we get our roster whole again, so to pass the time, feel free to ask us any midseason presser questions you have, and we'll answer them as long as @greepleairport gives us extra points for our responses. Thanks for attending the Bulls first ever--and maybe only ever--midseason press conference!"
A podium is set up on a small stage in a press room at Chicago Bulls HQ in a well lit room with a backdrop wallpaper-patterned with the classic Bulls logo. There’s a large projector screen. Facing the stage, there are several rows of folding chairs in a somewhat angular pseudo-semi-circle. Various members of the PBSL press are there at this unprecedented event. To this point in PBSL, press conferences were unheard of outside of the preseason, but I suppose this is just another example of the Chicago Bulls setting the pace for the rest of the league—even if members of the press who are there haven’t fully grasped what all this is about.
There’s no Roman Roy to be found here, but his security guards remain, assigned to longtime GM garbageman to make sure he doesn’t go rogue and burn down the building or make any moves that would doom the franchise to eternal mediocracy. The general manager looks a little more like his normal self than he did during the preseason. The guards barely even have to prod him to get him up to the podium.
“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the press…welcome to the first ever Chicago Bulls midseason press conference. The Bulls organization wanted to take some time to address the season so far. As you know already, the team started off slow and had some adjustments to make when Antonio Blakeney tore a ligament in early November. After that, the players rallied together, refocused to get back in basketball mode from championship honeymoon mode, and took the division lead…
“But it never rains, it pours. League superstar and reigning playoff MVP MacMcClung got his Mac McClock Mac McCleaned against a slimy Magic squad. And while AB is progressing nicely with an expected return to the court in a couple weeks, McClung’s injury is a bit more serious. Luckily, it shouldn’t be a season ending injury, but being without Mac for a long time had us questioning what direction we could take this team…
“We had a few options in front of us. First, we could pay a rebuilding team to take on a chunk of salary, try to reset the tax, and start thinking about next year. But the problem with that is that we traded our pick to the Charlotte Bobcats, and there’s not an ice cube’s chance in hell that we’d give up a lotto pick for Dwain frickin’ Ramos…
“Our second option was to wait it out and hope that Remy Martin could lead the team and keep us competitive. We were 8-3 when Mac went down. We’ve been 7-4 since. 8 of our last 11 games have been on the road. Our losses were all road losses against playoff teams…two of which we also beat during that stretch. 11 games without McClung and Blakeney, and we were still in first place in the division. We talked about it among the ownership and then we talked about it with the players. We were not only sure we could weather the injuries and make it into the playoffs, but we felt we could do more than that. So we set our sights higher and chose option number three…”
The lights dim down in the press room and the projector screen flickers to life.
That video plays, except the Motley Crue clips are interspersed with clips of Charles Jarrett and Brandon Ingram playing on the Bulls from the past. And instead of lyrics, the video contains facts about both players and their previous tenures with the Bulls.
Charles Jarrett had two separate stints with the Bulls, and this is the third time the Bulls have traded for him.
The music's volume quiets down to background levels for a portion of the video as footage of Charles Jarrett being interviewed is superimposed over the source material.Brandon Ingram was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 4th pick of the 2048 draft
CHARLES JARRETT: It's exciting to be back in a Bulls uniform again. Last time I was here, we were in a similar situation. We were hit hard with injuries to our best guys in the regular season and the playoffs. That was the year Ayo broke his leg. I was hurt in the playoffs and Dirks was hurt in the playoffs, but in the end, we fought through adversity and stopped a Warriors dynasty to bring home the hardware. I wish I was healthy for more of the playoffs, but man, it was a special year, and I got that feeling again."
In one season with the Bulls, Ingram was elected to the All Rookie Team on 14 points and 5 rebounds a game with a career high 1.51 points per shot and 63 percent true shooting
BRANDON INGRAM: Man, after the Bulls traded me, I wanted to prove myself in San Antonio so bad. I couldn't take it too hard because it was a sign of respect that they traded me for one of the league's all time greats in Genaro Montoya, but I still had a little chip on my shoulder. I got so close with the Spurs that it's kind of poetic to be back here where it all began, still trying to win my first ring. Maybe it's where I belonged all along."In his 5 seasons with the Bulls, Charles Jarrett has an estimated wins added of 37.7 games in the regular season
The video ends with the music stopping completely and the screen fading to a black background with a Bulls logo and the words "Welcome back to Chicago." The lights turn back on, and the floor returns to Garbageman.The leading scorer on the 2048 Bulls in Ingram's rookie season was the team's young veteran leader: none other than Charles Jarrett
"We're incredibly excited to bring both Brandon and Charles back to Chicago! Ingram has been one of the league's premier scorers throughout the 2050's, and he's going to relieve a lot of the pressure off of Remy while McClung is out. His career shooting percentages and efficiency are nothing short of elite, and he both complements the areas where we're already strong to work within our existing offensive schemes and helps us expand by adding a lights out three point shooter to open up the court more. When Mac comes back, we think a triple threat of McClung, Remy, and Ingram will give us offensive firepower that stacks up to any team in the league...
"And Bulls fans and media should be no stranger to what Charles Jarrett can bring to a team. He's a swiss army knife of a player and the type of player any contending team needs. His versatility makes him a huge asset as his well rounded skillset can let you plug and play him based on matchup or, as we're experiencing now, when injuries thin out your depth. He's got solid ballhandling and distributing skills, he not only makes shots, but he can make his own shot, and if he misses, he can rebound his own shot. He can rebound other people's shots. He can steal. He can get a block once in a while. And even at age 33, he's still got a ton of athleticism. He can't make a free throw to save his life, but you can't have everything, am I right?
"I've already talked with CJ about his role, and with so much basketball experience under his belt, he's ready to do whatever's needed. While Mac and AB are both out, we're going to keep him at point and see how that goes. He handled it very well in Toronto, so we'll keep him there for now, but we'll play him where we need him all year, and he understands that could be as a starter or a sixth man. It could be backcourt or frontcourt or both, and it could be a variety of different schemes on offense and defense. Whatever it is, we trust that Charles can do it, and we trust that it will bring us success...
"Anyway, we know it's not going to be easy, and we're counting down the days until we get our roster whole again, so to pass the time, feel free to ask us any midseason presser questions you have, and we'll answer them as long as @greepleairport gives us extra points for our responses. Thanks for attending the Bulls first ever--and maybe only ever--midseason press conference!"