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Tag Archives: underrated
A Bodybuilding Coach Shared His 10 ‘Underrated’ Exercises
Bodybuilding coach Eugene Teo regularly shares advice on how to safely build strength and muscle while avoiding injury, and in a recent video on his channel he breaks down what he feels to be some of the most “underrated” exercises that you should try incorporating into your next workout. These include exercises that people don’t prioritize or simply don’t do at all, as well as some different variations on more common movements.
Underhand grip bench press
“Apart from feeling a little bit strange at first through the hands and the wrists, the real reason why we do this is to create a narrower elbow path,” explains Teo. “Anatomically, this might be a better position for your chest muscles to have better leverage over your arm… What this means is your chest muscles can get a better stretch and work more effectively.”
High cable row
Teo recommends this exercise specifically for the way it lines up your back muscles in comparison to a traditional cable row. “Most people think of either vertical or horizontal pulling, but I believe diagonal pulls are extremely underrated,” he says.
Copenhagen plank
Often used as an activation or rehab exercise, this targets the adductors, which are often an overlooked muscle group in lower-body workouts, but play an important supporting role in moves like the deadlift. Teo favors this plank variation as it can be done either as a static or dynamic exercise.
Leg press
“While most people probably are doing leg presses, I think they get pushed aside a lot for free weight exercises like barbell squats,” says Teo. “Leg presses are one of the most valuable ways to gain a lot of lower body strength and to push your legs to completely different limits than you can probably ever achieve with squats.”
Rope pulldown
Pulldowns are a fairly common exercise, but it’s the rope component here that Teo believes is a real game-changer. “It allows you to customize your grip and find more comfortable positions than a fixed bar may provide,” he says, “and allows you to create this outwards force as you pull down… this can help coordinate arm and upper back muscles to work together.”
Split squat
Again, the split squat is probably already a part of your leg day routine, but it’s more frequently used as an accessory exercise than as one of the “meat and potato” movements. But as Teo points out, there are unique benefits to the split squat, such as how it challenges your rotation at the hip, forcing you to to train for stablity and mobility as well as strength.
Hyperextension
“The hyperextension literally is just a stiff-legged deadlift that’s been rotated forwards 45 degrees or so,” says Teo. “This means it can be categorized with the same priority you might give a deadlift, and really hammer your posterior chain.”
Prone Y raise
“One extra challenge here is to not just do them on an incline or standing upright, but laying flat or as close to flat as possible. This will really challenge the upper back and shoulder muscles in their fully shortened position, which is notoriously very weak and undertrained,” says Teo, who recommends using lighter weights for this one.
Pushup
Sure, this is a staple bodyweight exercise, but Teo includes it in this list because he believes it has one unique benefit over other movements: it gives you more freedom at the shoulderblades to work the serratus anterior, which is crucial for shoulder function and mobility.
Dead hang
“This is a super simple and accessible way to introduce some loaded stretching for the shoulders and back muscles into your workouts,” says Teo. “You can work with different amounts of assistance or progression, and even add weight. You can use it for grip strength or flexibility training with the use of straps, and these are simply one of my absolute favorite ways to both start and finish a workout to get me feeling nice and loose.”
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Epic Games Store Gives Out Underrated First-Person Shooter for Free
A first-person shooter game that has flown under the radar since releasing back in 2021 is now available to download for free on the Epic Games Store. For more than a week at this point, Epic’s PC marketplace has been doling out new, free titles on a daily basis. And while this promotion has already seen quite a bit of variety in terms of genre, today’s offer is
Available to snag until December 28th at 11:00am ET, the Epic Games Store has made Severed Steel free to acquire. Developed by Greylock Studio, Severed Steel is a shooter that features an incredibly vibrant art style and destructible environments. In addition to blasting your way through each of the game’s many levels, Severed Steel also contains a unique traversal system that will allow you to jump, dive, and wall run about.
Severed Steel is free on Epic Games Store for the next 24 hours. Mortal Shell is tomorrow’s free game https://t.co/sCNJdcFaYK pic.twitter.com/tSvkhfj6Dc
— Wario64 (@Wario64) December 27, 2022
Despite being a bit lesser known, Severed Steel has been well-received by those that have played it. Over on Steam, the game currently boasts a “Very Positive” rating after nearly 2,000 user reviews. Additionally, critics have been generally positive on Severed Steel as well as the title has a 78/100 score on Metacritic. So if you’re a fan of shooters and are looking for something new to play, this is definitely worth a shot, especially since it’s free.
If you’d like to get more information about Severed Steel, you can find the game’s official description below.
“Severed Steel is a single-player FPS featuring a fluid stunt system, destructible voxel environments, loads of bullet time, and a unique one-armed protagonist. It’s you, your trigger finger, and a steel-toed boot against a superstructure full of bad guys. Chain together wall runs, dives, flips, and slides to take every last enemy down.
- Play as Steel, a nimble, one-armed sharpshooter on a mission. There is no reloading – pick your shots well and be ready to pry a loaded weapon from your enemies’ cold dead hands.
- Dodge bullets, leap off walls, slide kick, throw weapons – do whatever it takes to come out on top in intense and frenzied firefights.
- Pepper through plaster with sharp 4.7 mm rounds, punch through thick concrete with .50 cal slugs, or make big holes in things with your arm cannon.”
College Football Playoff Rankings reactions: LSU overrated, Tennessee underrated in penultimate top 25
The penultimate edition of the 2022 College Football Playoff Rankings were released on Tuesday, and the intrigue heading into conference championship weekend has been cranked up in a big way as multiple teams are in contention to occupy the final spot in the four-team field.
Georgia held tight at the No. 1 spot, Michigan jumped to No. 2 after topping Ohio State last weekend and TCU chimed in at No. 3 after finishing the regular season 12-0. One-loss USC slid into the No. 4 spot, but the Trojans are in a perilous position knowing they can’t slip up in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Should USC fall to No. 11 Utah, it’ll get jumped by either the fifth-ranked Buckeyes or No. 6 Alabama.
The chatter will be heated between now and Selection Sunday.
Let’s take a look at who’s overrated and underrated in the penultimate edition of the rankings.
Why on Earth is Tennessee ranked below No. 6 Alabama? Because it has an ugly loss to No. 19 South Carolina? That looks way better now than it did two weeks ago when the world thought that South Carolina was a middling SEC East team with no upside. Conversely, Alabama’s loss to No. 14 LSU — a team Tennessee throttled in Baton Rouge — looks worse after the Tigers lost to Texas A&M last weekend.
Oh, and there’s that pesky little head-to-head matchup on Oct. 15 when the Volunteers topped the Crimson Tide 52-49. That should matter, but apparently it doesn’t. Why? Is it because star Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker tore his ACL against South Carolina and Joe Milton is now at the helm? That is considered by the committee, but it isn’t nearly enough to convince me.
Tennessee has a signature win over Alabama and a road win over LSU. What is Alabama’s signature win? A Week 2 win at No. 20 Texas? A late-October home win over No. 24 Mississippi State? Tennessee is being unjustly punished because it isn’t a traditional power. It proved it deserves to be in line for a CFP spot if chaos ensues and, at the very least, earn the SEC’s Sugar Bowl spot if it’s left out.
Overrated: No. 14 LSU
LSU analysis is baked into the analysis of Tennessee and Alabama above, but it really shouldn’t be that big of a talking point. There is no way that the Tigers should be ranked No. 14 after that debacle in College Station, Texas, last weekend. They got smoked 38-23 by an Aggies team that hadn’t scored more than 31 points against any opponent this year, was decimated by injuries and hadn’t appeared to be motivated down the stretch during their 6-game losing streak. If Texas A&M can torch LSU’s defense, what would No. 15 Oregon State, No. 16 Oregon or No. 17 UCLA do? It would get very, very ugly.
A nine-win regular season in coach Brian Kelly’s first year is a tremendous accomplishment, and something that very few people outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, saw coming. But it struggled against Arkansas and then lost to Texas A&M when the target on its back grew. That has to matter.
It seems like there’s a knee-jerk reaction to assume that all Pac-12 teams are overrated and don’t deserve national recognition, and Washington’s ranking at No. 12 proves it. The Huskies have the nation’s top passer in Michael Penix Jr., a top-10 receiver in Rome Odunze, a top-five scoring offense (40.8 points per game) and the Pac-12’s second-best defense in terms of yards per play (5.52).
The loss to No. 17 UCLA is understandable, but the loss the following week to Arizona State is what’s holding them back. But Utah — which is one spot ahead of Washington — has three losses, one of which was to a Florida team that went 6-6. Kansas State has three pretty solid losses (No. 18 Tulane, No. 3 TCU and No. 20 Texas), but they are still three losses. An argument could even be made that Washington’s resume with wins over No. 15 Oregon State and No. 16 Oregon are more impressive than Clemson’s signature win over No. 13 Florida State.
Washington deserves to be in the top 10.
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2022 NFL Rank snubs, surprises, overrated and underrated players, rookies to watch
With the NFL regular season just around the corner — the first game of Week 1 kicks off Thursday, Sept. 8 — it’s time for our annual NFL Rank, a projection of the top 100 players in the 2022 season.
NFL Rank is a 1-100 ranking compiled by more than 50 ESPN experts, who are asked to rate how the best players will fare during the season. With any ranking, of course, there are going to be thoughts on the players who were left off the list and those who were ranked too low and too high.
We have enlisted a team of ESPN experts — Seth Walder, Matt Bowen, Matt Miller and Jordan Reid — to debate the rankings. They identified eight players who were snubbed, 10 players who were either overrated or underrated, and four rookies who have the potential to make the list in 2023.
Should Justin Tucker and Bobby Wagner have made the top 100? Who could have been left off the list entirely? Are Russell Wilson at No. 13 and Derrick Henry at No. 61 underrated or overrated? Who should have been in the top 10, but wasn’t? Could the first and second picks in the 2022 NFL draft make the list a year from now? We answer all these questions and more below.
Let’s start with Walder, who ranked the biggest snubs:
Jump to a section:
Ranking biggest snubs
Who’s overrated? | Rookies to watch
Which players were snubbed from the top 100?
Sports analytics guru Seth Walder ranks the eight players — starting with the biggest snub — he thinks were snubbed from appearing in the top 100. He then names eight players who should have been on the top 100 list instead.
The role of positional value in NFL Rank is not a settled matter. But let me use the ranks themselves to conclude that positional value clearly plays some role because there are 18 wide receivers and four off-ball linebackers in the top 100. However, there are just three quarterbacks in the top 10, which indicates that positional value is not everything.
Thus, while kicker is low on the positional importance scale, if there were one who clearly stood above his peers he ought to crack the top 100. I just described Tucker. Predicting kickers is basically random … unless it’s him. Over the past five seasons, Tucker led the NFL in field goal percentage over expectation at plus-17% (per NFL Next Gen Stats) and was over plus-12% in all five of those seasons.
He has been the No. 1 guard in pass block win rate in each of the past two seasons and was top 20 in run block win rate in each of those years, too. Regardless of position, it’s hard to exclude that level of excellence from the list.
In his two seasons in a mostly pass-rushing role, all Reddick has done is record back-to-back double-digit-sack seasons on two different teams and with a top-10 pass rush win rate at edge in both years. I’m completely sold that he should be on this list. He led all free agents in my sack projections back in March and currently sits seventh in my overall sack projections for 2022.
As for Smith, he ranked second in pass block win rate and third in run block win rate among guards. If those aren’t top-100 numbers, I don’t know what are.
In general I think we’re too slow to anoint young NFL players when they play at an extremely high level and too slow to bump down veterans when decline hits — please forget I said this when reading about the next player — particularly for those who weren’t highly drafted. But all Smith did in his first season in the NFL was play incredibly well.
Yes, Wagner is 32. And yes, his coverage numbers took a hit last season. But, he does have a long history of success in coverage and has maintained his ability in the run game. Wagner ranked sixth in run stop win rate in 2021, beating out then-teammate Jordyn Brooks. I bet we see one more great year out of Wagner.
This is a bit of personal preference here, but I continue to believe that Lockett has never been given credit for quite how exceptional he has been over the past few years. Last season, among wide receivers with at least 300 routes, Lockett ranked seventh in yards per route run — and everyone else in the top 12 made the list.
He’s also second in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) in catch rate over expectation (plus-9%) among receivers with at least 1,000 routes run in that span, behind only Michael Thomas.
Over the past five seasons, Milano leads all linebackers with at least 500 coverage snaps in targeted EPA allowed at minus-55.5, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He also leads all linebackers in that span with a minus-11% completion percentage over expectation allowed. And he ranks third among linebackers in that span in yards per coverage snap allowed (0.6) and is first among players currently on teams.
I didn’t go into this list thinking Milano would be on it, but those coverage numbers are astonishing.
Williams tied for the league lead among safeties in yards per coverage snap allowed at 0.3 (min. 300 coverage snaps). A single season of nearest defender numbers for a safety might be a little shaky as evidence on its own for me, but the free agent market this offseason yielded him a contract worth $14 million APY — in the same range as players like Kevin Byard and Budda Baker who made the list — which reinforces Williams’ case.
Here’s who Walder would leave off the list:
Laremy Tunsil, OT, Houston Texans; Matt Ryan, QB, Indianapolis Colts; Jessie Bates III, S, Cincinnati Bengals; Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers; Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers; Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings; Jeffery Simmons, DT, Tennessee Titans; DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys
Who is overrated and underrated?
NFL analyst Matt Bowen picks 10 players he thinks are underrated or overrated on this year’s top 100 list. He then picks who he thinks should have been in the top 10, but wasn’t.
Overrated. I get the upside of Wilson playing in the Broncos’ new offensive scheme. There will be motion and misdirection, and it’ll be more pass-heavy. And there is real talent at the receiving spots in Denver. However, ranking Wilson ahead of Tom Brady and Joe Burrow gave me some pause here based on the tape I watched from last season.
Underrated. Maybe the 2021 foot injury dropped Henry down the ranks this year. When fully healthy, however, Henry can absolutely dictate the flow of the game. He plays like a freight train coming downhill on the tracks. And he will wear out opposing defenses as a volume runner — with big-play juice.
Overrated. Young has the physical profile and traits of an upper-tier edge player in the league. Based on the tape, however, the Commanders defensive end needs more refinement in his pass-rush technique. And Young is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season. With more game reps, Young has the skill set to develop into a top-50 player in this league, it just might take more time.
Underrated. Miller is a fourth-quarter closer who played his best football last season in the playoffs and on the Super Bowl stage. I still see Miller as a top-50 player in this league. He displays upper-tier pass-rushing skills with game-changing ability. What more could you ask for?
Overrated. When we project Waddle in Mike McDaniel’s offense — and focus on his electric catch and run traits — I understand why there is preseason hype for the former Alabama receiver. There will be schemed-up throws (to open voids) for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in this system. But I was a little surprised to see Waddle already ranked as a top-100 player — ahead of both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins. It seems premature.
Overrated. I like the system fit in Indianapolis for Ryan. He sees it fast from the pocket and can deliver the ball with location. He is a timing and rhythm thrower. But given his diminishing mobility and arm strength, I would look for a quarterback here with a higher ceiling as we project the back end of the top 100 — maybe San Francisco’s Trey Lance.
Overrated. Quinn’s 2021 numbers jump him to No. 90. He had 18.5 sacks, and we still see his explosive first step, plus the ability to flatten the rush path. But, we are projecting forward to this upcoming season. Quinn has never produced back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks in his career. I would’ve put Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon here over Quinn.
Underrated. It is shocking to see Simmons ranked this low given his difference-making traits at the defensive tackle position. He is a disruptive player who can win schemed one-on-ones in the Titans’ multiple fronts, or attack rush lanes off stunts and twists. He displays foot quickness, short-area speed and power. I see Simmons as an impact defender worthy of a higher rating.
Underrated. Bates’ postseason tape alone should have moved him much higher up in the ranks. He is a safety with multidimensional traits who can find the football and play as a tone-setter in the Cincinnati secondary.
Underrated. Based off his 2021 tape and where I project Campbell this season in the Green Bay defense, he should be ranked much higher. Campbell has every-down ability, with the second-level range and instincts to find the football. And I believe he can be one of the top stack linebackers in the league this year.
Who should be in the top 10?
After a breakout rookie season, which highlighted Parsons’ high-end physical tools and unique versatility at the position, I would bump the Cowboys linebacker into the top 10. It’s the open-field ability here and his great edge-rushing traits. He’s a three-down playmaker.
Which rookies could crack the top 100 in 2023?
NFL draft analysts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid give four rookies they think could crack the top 100 next year.
Hutchinson was one of the best defensive end prospects of the past decade when the Lions managed to steal him with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2022 draft. Hutchinson’s physical traits, mental toughness and relentless play style are all perfectly combined to make him a premier NFL pass-rusher.
Rarely do we see college defensive ends beating offensive tackles with speed while also possessing a long arm, exceptional lower-body power and a nonstop motor to clean up with multiple second-effort sacks. But that’s Hutchinson. He’ll be a favorite of the Detroit coaching staff and, in Aaron Glenn’s defense, he’ll be asked to pin his ears back and go get the quarterback.
Evaluating Stingley coming out of LSU took some creativity as he had played just 10 games over his final two seasons with the Tigers. But flashing back to his healthy season of 2019 quickly reminded scouts just how talented he is. Stingley routinely matched up with — and locked down — stars like Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) and Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) in practice. If Stingley is healthy, and all signs point to that, he has the tools to easily crack the top 100 following his rookie season. With awesome instincts, physicality and the size-to-speed ratio to cover the best the NFL has to offer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Stingley excel immediately in the Texans’ defense.
— Matt Miller
The 2022 draft was one of the more unpredictable drafts in recent memory, as Walker didn’t become the consensus No. 1 overall pick until about a week prior. At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, his natural ability to generate pressure on the quarterback combined with his consistency as a run defender made him very appealing.
While he’ll continue to be labeled raw, he produces the type of flash plays that will make you sit up in your chair. An attention grabber at many times, I expect a lot of those moments throughout his rookie campaign. As he continues to figure out the position and how to fully operate his frame, Walker is going to be an issue for a lot of defensive coordinators. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if he enters the tail end of the top-100 list next season.
After battling throughout training camp, it seems as if Ekwonu has finally taken a firm hold of the top spot on the depth chart. The first offensive player drafted in the 2022 draft, the former NC State star steps into a situation in which he’s forced to play right away, which could lead to him becoming a star very quickly.
At 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Ekwonu has fast feet, consistent balance and is already naturally gifted as a pass-protector. Those skills combined with his ability as a finisher could allow him to be a stalwart for the franchise moving forward.
— Jordan Reid
Elon Musk’s True Political Leanings: ‘Executive Competence Super Underrated In Politics’
Not long after hinting that he has shifted allegiance to the Republican Party, Tesla, Inc. TSLA chief executive officer Elon Musk made his political affiliations clear through a tweet on Friday.
Political Affiliation Vs. Executive Competence: Musk said his political leanings are moderate, meaning it is neither fully Republican nor Democrat. He also said he believed this was the case for most Americans.
This pronouncement came as a follow-up to a tweet, wherein he showed his support for Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso. Caruso is a billionaire businessman who founded a real-estate company going by his name. He was formerly a member of the Republican Party, but has since then changed his affiliation to the Democratic Party.
Musk went on to suggest executive competence is more important than political affiliations. “Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care bout that a lot more,” he said.
It is rare for me to endorse political candidates.
My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans.
Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care about that a lot more!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2022
Related Link: Elon Musk On Tesla’s Long-Term Growth: Why It Hasn’t Even Reached 0.1% Of Future Potential
Multi-party Any Good? Musk also said open primaries are a good way to move candidates to become more centrist. An open primary is a primary election that does not limit voting to those affiliated to a particular party.
Musk’s reply was in response to a query by India-based software engineer Pranay Pathole, who probed if a multi-party system will help improve democracy and provide people with more choices and eliminate gerontocracy.
For the issue of gerontocracy – a setup in which the governance is in the hands of old people – Musk said term limits will help to resolve this. He also reiterated his view that a maximum age limit, say 70, should be set for running, just like there are minimum age limits for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and the president.
To prove his point, he noted that the government gives out the maximum social-security benefits at the age of 70. This is the age when the government decides you can’t hold a job, he added.
Photo: Created with an image from Ministério Das Comunicações on Flickr
12 of the Most Underrated iPhone Features, According to Reddit
As ImprobableValue points out, the hardware mute switch on iPhone is an underrated, but highly convenient feature. Most of us on iOS might not realize it, but almost all Android devices are missing such a switch. OnePlus is the only major Android OEM to include it, meaning Samsung, Google, LG, and other major manufacturers omit it.
For those who keep their phones perpetually on silent, you might not see what a big deal this is. Having a physical switch with a color indicator makes it easy to tell whether your iPhone is going to ruin that meeting or not, without needing to actually wake up your device. You can flick the switch in your pocket, for example, until you feel the vibration, and know everything is going to be quiet from here on out.
What Is The Most Underrated Car On Sale Today?
There are cars that snag all of the headlines and popularity while others that languish in obscurity, despite being worth a look. What is the most underrated car on sale today?
I like to think of an underrated car as a car that’s good, but buyers either don’t see its true potential or it doesn’t get the popularity that other models do. Our office Slack discussion brought up many potential examples from the Kia Stinger and Nissan Leaf to the Toyota Avalon. But I don’t think a car like the Kia Stinger really fits here because that thing was all the rage when it came out.
Our Editor-In-Chief, Rory, voted the Hyundai Veloster N as the most underrated car on sale today. It actually makes a lot of sense!
Here’s a hot little hatch that’s so good that Road & Track bestowed the car with its Performance Car of the Year award. It beat out tough competition from the likes of the Nissan GT-R, Toyota Supra, Lotus Evora, Lamborghini Huracan Evo and more to get that honor.
It’s a car that comes in an awesome shade of blue, makes 275 HP from a turbocharged inline-four, gets close to 30 mpg on the highway and costs just a smidge over $32,000. The Veloster N just hits all of the right notes.
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And yet, Hyundai only sold 2,212 examples in 2019, tiny numbers compared to the competition.
Honorable mention goes to the Ford Transit Connect. This was a vehicle I never thought too much about. They seem to be favored by flower shops and delivery drivers in my area. But one reader, i86hotdogs, is often in the comments of posts showing off what his Transit Connect can do at RallyCross events. Forget flower deliveries, the Transit Connect is a rally car with the body of a van!
What is the most underrated car on sale today?
One underrated dynamic of Dolphins’ trade back up to 6th overall pick
First thing first: the Miami Dolphins made the move back up to the No. 6 overall pick from No. 12 because they presumably want to target a top pass catcher in this year’s NFL Draft — and doing so at No. 12 overall seemed fairly unlikely for Miami. So the Dolphins’ main objective their second trade from Friday was to be in position to build up the roster and get weapons to help their offense in 2021 and beyond.
But there are other benefits to the Miami Dolphins sitting at No. 6 after moving out of the No. 3 overall pick. And those benefits could also go a long way in helping the team win in 2021 (and beyond).
The Miami Dolphins, now picking 6th, get to play a little bit of defense with the NFL Draft order — primarily with their division rivals from New England apparently going all-in for the short-term. Many speculated that the New England Patriots were gearing up to trade up for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. But that outlook is suddenly much more challenging with the Dolphins once again sitting right in the middle of the top-10 picks.
This isn’t what you pay a 2022 1st-round pick for, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Because with the San Francisco 49ers now picking third, the fourth quarterback in this year’s draft (presumably either Justin Fields or Trey Lance) only has two opportunities to come off the board before the Dolphins once again find themselves on the clock. And with three potential quarterback landing spots directly behind the Dolphins in Detroit, Carolina and Denver, the New England Patriots are suddenly facing a tall task to get a top quarterback prospect.
Had Miami stayed at No. 12, the Patriots’ easiest access point into the quarterback queue would have been a trade with the Eagles at No. 6 for themselves — but the Dolphins cut that opportunity off before anyone could blink. With the Patriots scheduled to pick No. 15, the team would have to completely sell out to coax Atlanta or Cincinnati out of the top-5 picks to allow the Patriots to go get QB4. And that goes without saying that the Carolina Panthers pick at No. 8 and are still expected to aggressively pursue a quarterback.
So while the move to trade back up to No. 6 may have been an unconventional one after moving down from No. 3 for Miami. But the team is now once again positioned to land a top skill player or potentially move back a few spots once again if they like how the board falls at No. 6 and, as an added bonus, they’ve stepped on the toes of their division rival’s quarterback search.
Bulls mailbag: Is Lauri Markkanen a long-term fit? Most underrated Bull?
Andre Drummond and Lonzo Ball questions abound, so is it March or February? Oh wait. You’re asking the questions around here.
Is Andre Drummond the type of center the new regime desires or is Wendell Carter Jr. the long-term answer in their eyes? Is Carter a center in this league? If his 3-pointer develops to be 35 percent-plus, is he a better power forward than Lauri Markkanen? Lauri has matured offensively, but his defense is lacking due to slow feet. — Hugh O.D.
The scuttlebutt around the league is that Drummond is headed for a buyout and will sign with a contender for the remainder of the season. I don’t see him as a free-agency target for this regime.
I also don’t see Carter developing into a 35 percent 3-point shooter, which is why I’ve always focused on him more as a center. He may be undersized, but his defensive instincts and length still provide rim protection. And he has done a better job of staying out of foul trouble this season.
Is Lauri Markkanen on the trade block? If he’s not, then who from the Bulls not named Zach LaVine is on there? — Gio A.
Management offered Markkanen a long-term extension before the season, albeit at a number of its choosing. It seems clear the philosophy moving forward is to let next summer’s restricted free agent market set the price on Markkanen and then determine if he’s a long-term fit moving forward based on what that number is.
But the job of any executive is to have dialogue with all teams on any player. I mean, Jerry Krause almost traded Scottie Pippen twice. It’s what executives do. As has been previously stated here, the only player tied to this regime is its first draft pick, Patrick Williams. That said, the sense around the league from the people I talk to is that it would take a monumental offer to acquire LaVine from the Bulls. As in: Yes, you listen if there’s interest. But LaVine is having an incredible season. Management sees that.
What are your thoughts on the Bulls not signing Markkanen to an extension? Also, can we see the Bulls making any trade over before the deadline? — Ruben B.
Well, they tried. But management set a number it was comfortable at and tabled it when the two sides were roughly $4 million apart on the first season of a long-term deal. That’s certainly their right. At the time, I wrote a column detailing the inherent risks involved in not reaching an extension. Namely, that with a free-agent class drying up and plenty of teams projected to own ample salary-cap space, the restricted free agent market could be lucrative.
But I always say: I’m a beat writer. I would be a terrible GM. Given that Markkanen has again suffered a freak and unfortunate injury, who’s to say what his value will be next summer? He certainly was off to a very strong start offensively. Either way, the Bulls own the right to match any offer sheet he may receive. You can understand why management took the stance it did.
As for whether or not the Bulls make any trades, I’m going to be most focused on Thad Young. He certainly will be in demand. Now, he’s too valuable to trade him just to trade him. But if the right offer presents itself, I don’t think you can lose sight of the big picture — which is building up assets for a young team — just to experience mild short-term success.
That said, making the playoffs certainly would provide for valuable experience for some of the Bulls’ young players. And Young’s play, which has been at such a high level and fun to watch, would be instrumental in making that happen. So stay tuned.
The Lonzo Ball-to-the-Bulls rumors are heating up again. I like his fit from a basketball perspective. He’s the pass-first orchestrator the team needs. And his size lets him start with Zach LaVine and Coby White. But why would AKME want to trade for a guy now that we could go after in RFA? Or worse, why trade for a guy who you could lose for nothing if another team comes in with a crazy offer sheet? — Nick P.
For starters, you only make that deal if you have worked back channels to know you’ll reach an extension this offseason. And I do think Ball fits. Although at this point, any true point guard would fit. (That’s not Coby White hate! He’s young and developing and a nice piece to have. I just don’t think he’s a true point guard.)
But I’m with you: Why give up an asset for someone you could pursue yourself in restricted free agency this summer? There also will be other point guard possibilities this offseason, including in the draft.
Do you have any insight on what AK/Marc/Billy view as Patrick Williams’ future positionally? I know that modern basketball is moving towards position-less play. But I have loved the lineups with Pat at the 4 and just one true big. — Sean
Those have worked. And ultimately, I think Williams is more of a power forward than a small forward. But you’re right: He can play in any lineup because of modern basketball’s trend toward postionless play and his defensive versatility. When we’ve asked management, Donovan and even Williams about his position, each has said something along the lines of “he’s a basketball player.” So there you go.
Who are the five core players they’ll build around and how soon will they deal the rest? — Irv K.
Two seasons after John Paxson took over for Krause, only Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry remained from the team he inherited. Soon thereafter, both of those players were traded.
Translated: This roster will look significantly different in two to three seasons. If I had to guess, I’d say Williams, LaVine, White and one of Carter/Markkanen will still be here.
I think this season is proving clearly that Zach LaVine has to be a core piece of this organization moving forward as it continues on the path of building a championship contender. That being said, what can you see this front office potentially doing this coming offseason to start to slowly build that contender? Are there any potential big moves on the horizon? A lot of the big-name free agents have come off the board, so I was wondering what exactly could even be done. —Elbron O.
Continue to hit on draft picks. Early returns on Williams suggest management is 1-for-1 in that department.
Use salary cap space wisely. Even if you don’t land a superstar this offseason, you can improve the roster and build up assets to make it attractive for future possibilities and/or in a better position to trade for a star.
Here’s one thing you consistently hear about Artūras Karnišovas from people who have known him a long time: He has a strong vision for how he wants to build a team. I’d look for that to start taking shape this offseason.
Who is the most underrated Bulls player you have covered in your career? It could be skill-based or impact on/off the court. — Matthew A.
Arbitrarily, I set 200 games played as my minimum. There are 68 players in franchise history who have played that many. Coincidentally, Dennis Rodman missed by one.
This is obviously completely subjective, but I narrowed my choices down to Carlos Boozer, Robin Lopez and Jud Buechler. I’m not overlooking Andres Nocioni or Taj Gibson because I feel they always received proper love. I’d also probably throw B.J. Armstrong in this conversation, but I didn’t cover the first three-peat team.
Boozer to me always suffered from the perception of being the consolation prize to not landing the Big Three that went to Miami. But he was a relentlessly positive teammate, durable once he got past his rocky start of tripping over a gym bag and breaking his hand, and while Tom Thibodeau didn’t always close with him because of defense, Thibodeau appreciated him.
I’d probably go with Lopez. I know people appreciated him, but I still think he was underrated. His screen-setting ability, boxing out and no-nonsense, team-first attitude really uplifted some tough times. Plus, he was funny as hell.
Not including anyone who played on any of the Bulls championship teams, who would be your top-two Bulls players per position beginning with the 1998-99 to the present? (Ex. Toni Kukoc can’t be included since he played on the championship teams). Each player must have played at least one year minimum with the Bulls. When creating this team, on court chemistry does not factor in. Here are my choices:
5- Joakim Noah/Pau Gasol
4- Elton Brand/Taj Gibson
3-Jimmy Butler/Luol Deng
2-Zach LaVine/Ben Gordon
1-Derrick Rose/Kirk Hinrich
Close omissions for second at their positions: Boozer, Chandler, Mirotic, and Nocioni. —Jay E.
I enjoy stuff like this. I think you’re close on most all of these. I’d probably skew towards placing Deng over Butler. That’s mostly because of longevity, but also a little bit of personal preference because Deng played on that 2004-05 team that was one of the most formative experiences of my career and also lifted the franchise out of malaise. Butler probably ultimately will have the more dynamic career. But Deng was so, so solid for so long and then obviously maxed it out with two All-Star appearances while playing for Tom Thibodeau.
The only other quibble is the power forward position. Brand averaged a double-double in both of his seasons, including as a rookie, which is insane and why he shared Rookie of the Year with Steve Francis. But he was only with the Bulls for two seasons. Does Boozer’s longevity on really, really good teams place him at No. 1 and bump Brand to No. 2 and Gibson to No. 3? It’s a fun debate.
Thanks for all the questions. Talk to you soon.
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