Bulls Sign Norman Powell To Lead The Young Core In A Post-Tank NBA

The Padres were indeed an appetizing opponent at a steamy Wrigley Field. Their subpar offense only scored 7 total runs off of Cubs’ starters, whereas the Cubs offense hit 5 and 8 home runs on consecutive days to finish off the sweep. Dansby Swanson had another legendary couple games (6-for-9, 5 HR, 11 RBI) followed by a typical downturn (1-for-9).

Hot weather and a hotter offense should have carried into the weekend, but the Cubs only managed 7 total runs against the Cardinals in rainy and foggy conditions. Everything that could go wrong went wrong in the first two games, including a 17-1 shellacking against recent heroes David Peterson and Bryse Wilson. Luckily, the Cubs eeked out a win yesterday thanks to Jacob Webb’s 2-inning save.

This season is unbelievably rewriting the history books every single week. Pete Crow-Armstrong recorded a stat line in June that has only been matched by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Dansby Swanson had 26 RBI in 10 games, which has only been done by Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Mel Ott. The Cubs tied their franchise record with 8 home runs in a game. That record was set on the 4th of July last year!

The extreme highs and lows of the offense have still been noticeable in this latest 16-6 winning stretch, and the unpredictability of this season is still difficult to comprehend. On the other hand, the pitching staff has somehow become more consistent in recent weeks. They have given up 5 or less runs in 17 of those 22 games. The starters have allowed 3 or less earned runs in 9 of their last 10 games. It’s a patchwork rotation, but they’re helping to level out the team’s valleys.

Rookies report to training camp on July 25th!

If you ran downstairs on free agency day hoping for a premier Christmas present, you only found Cole in your stocking. The Blackhawks added a couple role players this week, signing F Cole Smith to a 3-year, $3M/year contract and D Ian Cole to a 1-year, $4M contract. Both will fill important spots similarly filled by Ilya Mikheyev and Connor Murphy last season. Smith recently had 6 points for the Vegas Golden Knights in their deep playoff run and will bring size and physicality to the bottom 6. Cole brings 990 regular season games, 135 playoff games, and 9 sweaters worth of experience to an up and coming blue line. He’s 37 and was drafted in the same year as Patrick Kane, but he’s coming off an effective season with the Utah Mammoth where he averaged 18:16 TOI.

Veteran leaders who have a lot left in the tank are solid yet unspectacular additions. So what about the premier free agent? It was Bowen Byram. Great players rarely reach free agency anymore, so the trade and 6-year, $12.5M/year contract extension with Byram make him THE exciting acquisition for the Hawks.

We’re all holding our breath after Connor Bedard left practice with a shoulder injury…we should hear more details this week.

With cap space available and a vacancy in the projected starting lineup, the Bulls went out and signed G Norman Powell to a 2-year, $45M contract. He’s an 11-year veteran who was drafted the same year the Bulls chose Bobby Portis in the 1st round (2015). Since the Bulls have been valuing defense and athleticism this offseason, the giant black hole in their composition was shooting. Powell is poised to become their leading scorer after earning his first All-Star appearance last season with the Miami Heat where he averaged 21.7 points/game on .546/.380/.827 shooting. Not only can he score at will, but he brings tenacity on the defensive end and will be a key leader in the locker room.

If this were any other year, adding Powell would already ruin the rebuild. Arturas Karnisovas was just shown the door because he refused to tank. He wanted to compete and win games without ever acquiring top talent in the draft. Thanks to the new “3-2-1 Lottery” that will be in effect for the next draft, the bottom 3 teams in the league will have worse odds than the 4th through 10th worst teams. Bryson Graham is already navigating this new landscape perfectly, since it allows him to add a veteran who can help develop the young core, and it could land them in prime position for another top draft pick.

Along with signing Powell, the Bulls re-signed C Zach Collins to a 2-year, $17M contract. I’m still wondering if Jalen Smith (and his affordable contract) has any value on the trade market. Former center Tiago Splitter has now hand selected two centers for his new squad in Nic Claxton and Collins.

Matthew Boyd will be the Cubs’ ace the rest of the season.

Cade Horton was going to be one of the best pitchers in baseball this year. He only made it 1 inning into his second start before landing on the IL. He quickly handed the reins of ace over to Shota Imanaga who rekindled his 2024 magic for about a month and a half. After his regression, Ben Brown emerged as the top dog. Now that Brown is injured, the Cubs are stuck with a rotating cast of average to shaky arms.

Boyd’s return from injury has been underwhelming on paper, but his stuff looks effective. As the ultimate veteran and last season’s stopper, he has the track record to lead the rotation the rest of the way. His 5.08 ERA is more tolerable when you look at his 3.43 FIP, 9.89 K/9, and 41.2% GB%. His chase rate (87th %) and whiff rate (84th %) are way higher than last season (54th and 30th, respectively). The results haven’t been there, but he’s still an elite pitcher. The Cubs desperately need a reliable starter, and Boyd is ready to reclaim his spot.