☕ The312Report Morning Notebook: The Entire NBA Is Waiting...Again
I remember the summer of 2010. July, to be exact.
I was 21 years old, recently married, and just getting acclimated to my first duty station as an Air Traffic Controller in the U.S. Navy.
All of a sudden, the world was on hold.
No, we weren't at war.
No, there wasn't some massive political scandal.
No earth-shattering celebrity death had everybody mourning.
Nah...
It was NBA Free Agency.
The entire basketball world was holding its breath waiting to see where LeBron James would play next.
New York Knicks fans were convinced they'd pair him with Amar'e Stoudemire. Cavaliers fans believed they'd done enough wheeling and dealing to keep their hometown hero happy. And Bulls fans? Man...some were dreaming of Derrick Rose and LeBron James bringing championship basketball back to Chicago, hoping to recreate even a fraction of what Mike and Scottie gave this city.
Me personally?
I always thought D-Rose would've looked even better next to Dwyane Wade or Joe Johnson...
...but I digress.
In a nutshell, we all wanted the best player on the planet.
Then The Decision happened.
The damn Miami Heat.
We all know the rest.
—
Fast forward 16 years...
...and somehow the basketball world is on hold again.
Once again...
...for LeBron James.
Now 41 years old, a multi-time NBA champion, and arguably the second-greatest player to ever lace 'em up, Bron has the entire league waiting to see where he'll take his talents for what could very well be his farewell tour.
I tuned into ESPN's NBA Free Agency Frenzy last night hoping to keep up with all the latest news so I could keep you guys updated.
The biggest Bulls headline?
Zach Collins re-signing.
🤣🤣🤣
GTFOH.
For damn near three hours we listened to what felt like an Olympic-level LeBron appreciation marathon.
Walker Kessler?
Nothing.
Jalen Duren?
Still waiting.
Norman Powell?
Don't think so.
Look...I know free agency isn't always won in the first few hours.
But let's not sit here acting like we haven't watched the last few offseasons produce approximately 87,000 "totally not tampered with" deals within three minutes of the market opening. 🤣🤣🤣
I get it.
The man is a king to millions.
But what's funny is just yesterday folks were telling me LeBron was washed, over the hill, and wouldn't move the needle no matter where he played next season.
Funny how the entire NBA is once again sitting around waiting for him to make a decision.
Seems like the league is begging to differ.
As always...
Y'all be good.
I'll be back later—hopefully with some REAL news.
✌🏾
— Jamor Pearson | The312Report
By Chicago. For Chicago.