The Bulls are moving forward quickly in their effort to get out in front of the rest of the NBA during the league’s hiatus and land a new top executive to lead the front office. This week, reports from NBC Sports Chicago and ESPN indicate Chicago has already interviewed four candidates for the position, including two former Hawks general managers and two younger GMs on current NBA playoff teams, as well as one massive wildcard.
Initial reporting suggested the Bulls were predominantly targeting executives with NBA experience currently employed across the league. That list included Chad Buchanan of the Pacers, Bobby Webster of the Raptors, and Adam Simon of the Heat, each of whom declined the offer to interview with Chicago COO Michael Reinsdorf (who is also the son of 84-year-old owner Jerry).
So the Reinsdorfs moved on to the other current executives on their list, including Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas and Jazz general manager Justin Zanik. Both candidates are similar in that they’ve interviewed for multiple recent openings around the NBA (with Zanik momentarily serving as interim GM in Milwaukee), and both serve below top dogs with final decision-making power in Tim Connelley (Denver) and Dennis Lindsey (Utah).
The Bulls reportedly interviewed both Zanik and Karnisovas early this week, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson. Longtime Bulls reporter Vincent Goodwill, now a national analyst at Yahoo Sports! wrote on Tuesday that Karnisovas is the frontrunner.
“Karnisovas has a strong draft record and is known to be good in player development, two of the bullet points the Bulls have earmarked for their next top basketball executive,” Goodwill wrote.
That didn’t stop Reinsdorf from seeking out three new candidates from the ranks of former NBA execs. The Bulls reportedly also have interviewed former Hawks GMs Wes Wilcox and Danny Ferry, as well as two-time Executive of the Year (and later disgraced burner Twitter account user) Bryan Colangelo, per various reports on Wednesday.
Former GM Danny Ferry interviewed for the Bulls lead executive position, per sources.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 8, 2020
Former Atlanta Hawks GM Wes Wilcox interviewed for the Chicago Bulls Executive VP of Basketball Operations job today, sources tell ESPN. Wilcox helped build an Eastern Conference contender with the Hawks. Wilcox is currently an analyst with NBA-TV.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 8, 2020
The Bulls interviewed former 76ers president Bryan Colangelo for top basketball operations position, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Colangelo also has been lead executive in Toronto and Phoenix.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 8, 2020
While Ferry and Wilcox have been in the league for years, both have been unable to land top jobs since they were both ousted from Atlanta for separate instances of racial insensitivity. Colangelo, on the other hand, infamously stepped away from leading the Sixers after admitting that he and his wife failed to exercise proper judgment with regard to social media, as anonymous burner accounts exposed private information about the team.
So far, the Bulls’ top candidates appear to be the two most qualified, as Zanik and Karnisovas each have helped build perennial Western Conference playoff contenders in small markets, and appear ready to take full control of a franchise. But judging from the Bulls’ expansive process, they haven’t landed on one candidate yet, and are looking high and low — although, as many have pointed out, their search has yet to bring in a minority candidate.
Sports leagues around the world are working to map out a return to action in some form or fashion due to various COVID-19 shutdowns. In the United States, the NBA and NHL had to press pause late into their seasons, and it is unclear when they’ll be able to resume. Meanwhile, MLB did not start, MLS barely got off the ground, and while the NFL is going through its offseason, things like free agency and especially the draft have been impacted.
Other leagues around the world have struggled with this too, as evidencing in China, where its top basketball league has been unable to restart. But in Germany, a country that has received praise for how it has handled and contained the novel coronavirus, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for its top professional sports league.
According to the New York Times, the top executive of the Bundesliga revealed that plans are being put together to get the top two German football leagues on track to play at the start of May, while players for each club are already back in training.
The Bundesliga’s chief executive, Christian Seifert, said in an interview that plans were being put in place for games to return at all 36 stadiums by the beginning of May, with the remaining nine games of the schedule to be completed by the end of June, a time when some of Europe’s other top leagues may not yet have returned from their hiatus. England’s Premier League, soccer’s richest domestic competition, is unlikely to return until July at the earliest.
Understandably, these games would occur without fans in attendance, and the league would work to make sure that various proper protocols are in place to keep people safe — for example, Seifert made it a point to mention that supplies will not be moved to make sure footballers can get taken care of so they can play games. He also mentioned the league’s role in providing a sense of normalcy to Germans as life resumes after the virus.
“We are part of the culture in the country, people long to get back a short piece of normal life, and that could mean the Bundesliga plays again,” Seifert said. “This is why we have to play our role here, and that means to support the government and to talk with the government about when we will be able to play again.”
It will be a fascinating experiment to follow, as “play games but make sure everyone stays safe” is a road every league is exploring right now. And as an added bonus, the Bundesliga might be the most entertaining major professional sports league on earth — games frequently turn into goal-fests, it has some of the most exciting young talent on earth, and the top-five teams atop the table are separated by eight points with nine matches left to play. Going from no sports to getting the Bundesliga, of all leagues, back would be like going from 0-to-60 in the blink of an eye.
Even beyond all of that, seeing any sports right now would be great, as long as players, coaches, and various workers needed to make sure games can occur are able to safely make sure games can go on. The Bundesliga believes that day is coming soon, and here’s to hoping they end up being correct, if only because a misreading of this would be disastrous.
This week is a light week in the sneaker and apparel world, with just a few notable drops that caught our eye. Various brands are still shaking through their winter supplies, giving us an uneven selection of bright spring colorways and dreary and drab winter fits, but as the weather continues to warm up we can be sure to see larger selections of t-shirts, shorts, light layers, and bright seasonal hues.
Considering we’re living in a bit of a lost season, color is no matter. Go with what you’ll want to be wearing when people can actually see you again. Before we know it we’ll hit summer and all step out to rock our massively expanded quarantine wardrobes. Or just all embrace nudism or drab Yeezy earth tones. The future is murky. For now, keeping rocking that sweatshirt for three days straight — no one is watching.
Let’s dive into the best sneaker and apparel drops of the week.
Adidas YEEZY 700 V3 Alvah
Ye’s latest iteration of the YEEZY 700 sees the sneaker’s black and grey mesh upper overlayed with a TPU cage accent for a look that is both subdued and futuristic. The 700 seems to be Kanye’s sneaker of choice lately, as we’ve seen the silhouette consistently experimented with this year while the popular 350 seems to remains visually consistent. We’ll take experimentation over cookie-cutter consistency but what can we say? We miss the old Kanye.
The Adidas YEEZY 700 V3 Alvah is set to drop on April 11th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair through YEEZY Supply.
Air Jordan 7 Hare 2.0
No sneaker has ever said “EASTER!” as hard as the Air Jordan 7 Hare 2.0. Granted, no other sneaker has tried, but regardless, the Air Jordan 7 Hare will have you stepping out (figuratively speaking) in fly pastel style with it’s soft-toned grey-green faux-fur upper and bubblegum pink collar accents. The sneaker sits atop an iced rubber outsole, has white on pink Jump Man branding, with an angular “23” heel stamp.
The Air Jordan 7 Hare 2.0 gives off mad Bugs Bunny on Easter vibes… in a good way.
The Air Jordan 7 Hare 2.0 is set to drop on April 8th for a retail price of $250. Pick up a pair through Nike SNKRS or at Foot Locker.
K-Swiss x Commonwealth Classic 66
At first glance Commonwealth’s take on K-Swiss’ Classic 66 looks like an ordinary all-white sneaker, but the details are everything with this sneaker. There is nothing “ordinary” about this iteration of the Classic 66, its upper is composed of suede, leather, synthetic materials, and textile, each panel utilizing a different material, and assembled in a unique pattern that gives the sneaker’s an asymmetric look side by side. Additionally, the Classic 66 features a padded tongue and leather lining for added comfort, Commonwealth tag branding, and sits atop a creped rubber outsole.
In short: It’s only an ordinary white sneaker to people not paying attention.
The collaborative K-Swiss and Commonwealth Classic 66 is set to drop on April 9th for a retail price of $90. Pick up a pair exclusively through Commonwealth.
Nike KD 13 Hype
If Baz Luhrmann designed a sneaker, it would look something like the new Nike KD 13 Hypes. This sneaker is as gaudy and over-the-top as it gets thanks to the graphic gold-chain and flowers upper. The sneaker is apparently inspired by Kevin Durant’s pump-up playlist of southern trap bangers and soul classics that get him in the mind-set to dominate on the court — no word on how exactly gold chains and flowers play into the design though. Are the gold chains representing trap? Why are flowers representing soul music? Is it just supposed to inspire the spirit of the genres? That maybe works.
Regardless, rhey look fresh.
The Nike KD 13 Hype are set to drop on April 10th for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS App.
Teddy Fresh Spring Shirt Collection
Teddy Fresh is still up and running amid the COVID-19 crisis and the label’s latest simple spring t-shirt collection is bright enough to bring the sunny outdoors of Spring right into your home. Who needs to be outside for Spring? Just slip on a Teddy Fresh fat striped t-shirt and you’ll emit enough good vibes to uplift your whole household. The latest collection is available in a variety of sizes from x-small to 3XL and the Teddy Fresh website is full of fit details to help ensure everyone can find the size that works best for them.
The Teddy Fresh Spring Shirt collection is out now. Shop the looks at the official Teddy Fresh webstore.
Awake NY Archive Sale
Awake NY is holding a special archive sale to aid coronavirus efforts in New York City, donating a portion of their proceeds to the New York Immigration Coalition and Make The Roady NY, two organizations that are providing aid and support to immigrant and working-class communities laid-off due to the coronavirus outbreak and social distancing measures in New York City. Awake NY will be marking down their fits by a huge 50-70 percent, so you’re likely to grab some really great outfits for super cheap.
The sale will be held entirely online and begins at 10 am EST on April 8th. Shop the looks at the Awake NY online store.
Palace Spring Drop 9
Palace keeps delivering the goods with its week nine drop of the now-massive Spring 2020 collection. The London label is keeping things winter-ready with a collection of branded split-tone hoodies, sweatshirts, and crewnecks, rounding out the collection with some graphic t-shirts and a snakeskin bucket hat. Most pieces in the collection drop in a variety of bright spring-ready colorways.
So hit the collection early or you’ll be left with nothing but the rejected colors.
The ninth Palace Spring 2020 drop is set for April 10th at 8 am PDT. Shop the looks at the Palace webstore.
Tiger King may have wrapped up its seven episode run (minus an alleged special on the horizon), but the saga shows no signs of slowing down as the Netflix docuseries continues to dominate headlines and social media. In a new interview with People, friends and colleagues of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, a.k.a. Joe Exotic, talk about what it was like to watch his obsession with Carole Baskin spiral out of control and eventually land him in prison on a murder-for-hire charge.
“Carole was the first thing on his mind every morning and the last thing on his mind every night,” said Kelci “Saff” Saffery, a former staffer at Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park. Others echoed the same concern as they watched Exotic launch an all-consuming war against Baskin in which he suffered a crippling financial loss after she successfully sued him for copyright infringement.
“When I first met Joe, he was all about the animals, and he was one of the most kindhearted, lovable, smartest guys in the industry,” says Maldonado-Passage’s friend Tim Stark, a former zoo owner. “When he started doing battle with Carole, I told him he was going to get his ass kicked. He just kept going on. He didn’t listen.”
“Joe wanted to be the big cat and he wanted to show Carole Baskin,” Stark adds.
While those close to Exotic have blunt words for People about watching the Tiger King star take a dark turn that ultimately landed him behind bars, Baskin doesn’t exactly come off smelling like roses either. Both she and Exotic are accused of losing sight of the animals while focusing on their feud.
Saffery mirrors that sentiment, saying both Maldonado-Passage and Baskin began their feud as animal lovers “standing up for what they believed was right. “But it started to not be about the animals. I don’t think that it was only about egos, but I do think they started to focus more on Carole and Joe and less on the bigger picture. And nothing came out of it. It’s the worst kind of love story.”
If all of this sounds like the backdrop for an insane drama filled with ego clashes and murder, well, there’s a reason why Tiger King is now one of Netflix’s biggest hit. In just its first 10 days, the docuseries already came within striking distance of Stranger Things 3, the streaming service’s current reigning champ. Of course, that’s based on Netflix’s unofficial numbers, but based on Tiger King‘s viral success, we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s drawing viewers in by the droves.
(Via People)
Performing livestream concerts from home has become the new normal these days. Aside from artists going at it on their own, organizations and other entities have been hosting multi-artists performance series (like Indie Mixtape, for example). One of the latest, Isol-Aid’s Lunch Without Borders, went down yesterday, and one of the artists performing was Julien Baker. She made the most of her 17-minute set (which somebody graciously uploaded in full on YouTube) by debuting a new song called “Mercy.”
Her rendition of the track, featuring just acoustic guitar and vocals, was minimal and absolutely lovely. Before playing the song, she said of it, “It’s a new one. It’s not newly written, but it’s not on a record or anywhere. And it’s a song about other people showing you how to be a better person by being better people than you, at you, which requires a lot of humility, which is an important and necessary lesson, and probably one of many that we’re all learning.”
Baker wrapped up her 2019 by dropping a pair of new singles, “Tokyo” and “Sucker Punch.” She also has some new material this year, thanks to her inclusion on Hayley Williams’ upcoming album Petals For Armor (alongside fellow Boygenius members Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus).
Watch Baker’s full set above, with “Mercy” beginning at 14:07 into the video.
Of the many TV shows based on podcasts (seriously, there’s a lot!), Homecoming might be the best. True, there’s only been one season, but it was a really good season, and it’s coming back later this year with a new lead actress: Janelle Monáe. “There’s no replacing Queen Julia,” the actress-musician told Entertainment Weekly, referring to season one star Julia Roberts, but Monáe has an electric presence herself. And she’ll be joined by familiar faces from last season, including Hong Chau (excellent in Watchmen) and Stephan James, as well as fellow newcomers Chris Cooper and Joan Cusack
As for what season two is about: Jackie (Monáe) “wakes in a rowboat adrift a lake, with no memory of how she got there — or even who she is. Her ensuing search for identity will lead her into the heart of the Geist Group, the unconventional wellness company behind the Homecoming Initiative,” according to the official plot synopsis.
“It’s doing something that is unique in the television space,” Monáe said about Homecoming. “When I read these episodes, I was like, ‘Oh wow, this is still going to have a very special quality and take everyone in an unexpected place.’ It’s even more elevated this season — and even more suspenseful.” Homecoming season one was already super suspenseful, so I’m both excited for new episodes, and dreading them.
Homecoming returns to Amazon later this year.
Burgeoning Indiana songwriter Omar Apollo returns after a prolific 2019 with his first song of the new year. Apollo’s “Imagine U” arrives as an alluring, melodic anthem about modern heartbreak.
Produced by frequent collaborator Kenny Beats, Apollo’s “Imagine U” is a slow-burning effort. Wonky synths and a grumbling guitars provide an ardent backdrop for Apollo’s lovelorn vocals. “I miss you feelin’ on my waist, you never told me I was rushin’ / But my mind’s changin’ every day, I’m glad that you could even trust me,” Apollo sings.
In a statement, Apollo described his songwriting process for the track:
“I’m all about the feeling when it comes to music. The lyrics and melody came to me so naturally and I feel like free thinking is what’s missing in a lot of music nowadays. There’s a guitar part I played that’s pitched up as soon as the song starts that I love and when I first made the song that part was all I had. I was obsessed with it — I kept playing it on loop cause it felt so good to me. I was listening to a lot of daft punk at the time so I was really inspired by those themes.”
Listen to “Imagine U” above.
Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
