CHGO Digest: Bulls draft week, Caruso aftermath, Ryno honored

Good morning, friends!

Now that a few days have passed, how are we feeling about the Alex Caruso trade?

Reading that the Bulls declined multiple offers last season for Caruso that could’ve returned an eventual top-ten pick makes it tougher to swallow, especially in the immediate aftermath.

It’s also never easy losing a fan favorite, but 39 wins every year isn’t the path to the NBA Finals anytime soon.

— Patrick Norton

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What’s next for Bulls entering draft week?

Shipping Caruso to Oklahoma City should signal the beginning of a complete teardown. Replacing Caruso — your premiere defensive stalwart — with Josh Giddey is about getting younger — not better for the 2024-25 season.

Giddey is just 21 years old, and given the growth of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu for the Bulls last season, placing faith in the coaching staff to work its magic again is not unreasonable.

If the Caruso trade truly means the beginning of a rebuild, the current roster likely looks entirely different 60 hours from now.

• Is Zach LaVine next? The Bulls hold the No. 11 overall pick in Wednesday night’s draft, but the team could be eyeing a potential move up the board. Packaging LaVine with the No. 11 pick seems like the likeliest avenue, but it comes down to finding a willing buyer with LaVine returning from foot surgery.
  
• The San Antonio Spurs hold the rights to the Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick — unless that pick falls in the top ten. The Bulls cannot afford to skip out on next year’s highly touted draft class. That means shedding any aging value on your roster that could sabotage your chances of losing. That means … building a roster of Denzel Valentines and Cristiano Felicios.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | CHGO’s Will Gottlieb has three moves the Bulls must make this offseason to set themselves up on the right track.

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CHGO Bulls Draft Party & Show!

Join the CHGO Bulls crew at PB&J in West Loop on Wednesday night for the first night of the 2024 NBA Draft! Come for the draft, stay for the Bulls memorabilia & CHGO swag giveaways, Coors Light specials, and CHGO Bulls Podcast live show!

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Ryne Sandberg honored with statue at Wrigley

Even beyond his playing days, outlasting eras of Cubs baseball littered with forgettable faces and names, Ryno stood tall. That’s why his No. 23 flies from the right-field foul pole, and why his jersey is always for sale in the team shop.

It’s also why, on the 40th anniversary of “The Sandberg Game”, fans, teammates, and present-day Cubs alike packed into Gallagher Way to witness the addition of Ryne Sandberg to “Statue Row”.

• Sandberg requested the statue portray him “on the balls of the feet ready for every single pitch“. Why? “For me it was ‘bring your glove every day’. You might go into some hitting slumps, but as far as defense goes, as long as I did my pregame work, I wanted to play defense every day for the pitcher, for everybody on the field.”
  
• Larry Bowa and Tom Ricketts paid tribute to the Cubs legend on Sunday, but it was the words of Bob Costas that emphasized and captured the lore of Ryno perfectly, asking a rhetorical question: “How many baseball games have a title?” Costas also pointed to the group of Cubs players overlooking the ceremony from a balcony on the concourse, remarking, “That is respect.”
  

📖 READ | CHGO’s Ryan Herrera and Jared Wyllys on the celebration and why Ryne Sandberg was the Cubs’ fifth installment to “Statue Row”.

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Roundup: Angel Reese closing in on WNBA record, Bears mailbag

• Angel Reese’s eighth consecutive double-double did more than topple Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Sunday: it brought her one game closer to Candace Parker’s league record of 12 consecutive double-doubles. Reese set the rookie record last Thursday. In her last eight contests, Reese is averaging 15.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game.
  
• Just 26 days until training camp opens for the Bears at Halas Hall! CHGO’s Nicholas Moreano answered your questions on Caleb Williams in the preseason, Yannick Ngakoue, Nate Davis, and more!
  

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“That is respect.”

Everybody loves 🦏 pic.twitter.com/LNUqEY3yjv

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) June 23, 2024

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Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

⚾️ 6/24: White Sox Takeover at Guaranteed Rate – vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
⚾ 6/29: Cubs Road Trip & Takeover in Milwaukee! – $99 tickets!
⚾ 7/5: Friday 1:20 Club at Wrigley Field – vs. Los Angeles Angels
⛳️ 7/22: Cookout Classic Golf Outing at St. Andrews!

Check out our full calendar here!