Chuck Swirsky talks state of Bulls after initial moves in free agency
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Rahimi Harris and Grody on 104.3 The Score. Thanks again to Dustin Rose for filling in on the baseball talk for this first hour. And now we have another special guest today, which makes me happy. It is Bulls play-by-play man, my partner on Chicago Sky broadcast as well. You may know him as Joey Bag of Donuts and an overnight host extraordinaire, Chuck Swirsky. Chuck, thanks for coming in on this Thursday.
It's a pleasure. Lately, how are you?
I'm good. So much NBA news that took place. And we had a short show yesterday. We really didn't get to get into it a lot. But I think we've got to start with what we now know is an idea of a starting five with the Bulls, with the Nick Claxton news. And then we see Norm Powell, who a lot of people think is a very savvy pickup. There's the shooting that we've talked about. And then, you know, they also make the move in re-signing Zach Collins, which was a bit of a surprise to me. So how are you feeling about what you've seen so far out of the Bulls moves?
Well, there's a lot to dissect there. Number one, they also have $9.4 million left.
The mid-level exception.
Yes.
Very important to know when we consider all of this. Yeah.
So let's start with Zach Collins, because when he was healthy, and that's been a situation throughout his career, as we know, with Portland, San Antonio, the Bulls. But when healthy, he's a very, very good player. Part-time starter, role player, whatever they ask him to do. And remember, before he got hurt, Billy Donovan was going with Vooch and Zach in the starting lineup. And they were producing. Zach had like two or three double-doubles in about a week and a half.
I got to tell you, I was very excited about, it may sound silly now, but at the time, at the beginning of last season, I was excited for a healthy Zach Collins because I thought he would have really completed the team. And even the season before that, when he got traded for, I always thought he would make a lot of their defensive needs make more sense. He was a compliment to Vooch.
He's a compliment to Vooch, and also when someone came through the lane for a layup, he was going to probably end up on the floor. Fair enough. But you need guys like Zach Collins. And I've read online people are ripping. I'm thinking, wait a minute. You have to understand that this is the new NBA.
What are the initial reactions to the Bulls' free agency moves?
People are saying, look at all this money. You're right. It's a lot of money, but it's also the new landscape of the NBA with the cap. I mean, look at the TV revenue the NBA is making. Yeah. And so money's going up. I mean, we just saw Jalen Brown got traded and he's eligible for an extension coming up very soon.
Why is Norm Powell considered a savvy pickup for the Bulls?
So right now he's probably making you probably have it in front of you anywhere between 50 to 60 million each year over the next three years.
Yeah. His numbers, especially it's it's the supermax of all supermax. Yes.
Right. Like Shea Gilgis Alexander.
Yeah.
He's getting paid, and he should. I mean, he hasn't even hit the midpoint of his prime career yet.
No, I completely agree.
But for the Bulls, I like what they're doing. I'm excited. If they run, you've got Getty. You've got Bezelis. You've got Wilson. I mean, this is a really potent from baseline to baseline opportunity for the Bulls. And I love Powell. You know, the irony of it is the only who his teammate was at UCLA was
What are the implications of the Bulls' remaining salary cap space?
Zach Levine.
I didn't even think about that. I didn't even think about that.
Yep.
And Zach barely claims UCLA, I feel like.
Yes, he does.
Isn't he like a USC football fan?
How does Zach Collins' health impact the Bulls' lineup?
Well, there's a reason for that. And I think the reason is Steve Alford. I'm not sure they were on the same page, the one year Zach. And the reason why is because I think Steve Alford's son was a starter on that ball club. And... I just think it probably was not the best situation because Zach Levine is from my hometown, actually, Seattle. Thank you very much. And we are 20 minutes apart from his home in Seattle where I grew up. So he was recruited by everyone. And I'm talking everyone. He was a five-star. And Seattle has a lot of great high school players.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:03–2:21
2
What are the initial reactions to the Bulls' free agency moves?
2:21–2:43
3
Why is Norm Powell considered a savvy pickup for the Bulls?
2:43–3:26
4
What are the implications of the Bulls' remaining salary cap space?
3:26–3:37
5
How does Zach Collins' health impact the Bulls' lineup?
3:37–18:40
6
How does the new CBA affect the Bulls' strategy moving forward?
18:40–19:07
Speakers
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