GIDDEY’S GIDDY GULP, FROM HALFCOURT, MEANS THE BULLS MUST PAY HUGE MONEY
A wild finish shifts attention to the Reinsdorfs — ugh — who must pay the Australian a massive sum as a restricted free agent, unless they want him threatening quadruple-doubles with another franchise
Of all people to test the whims of a Chicago sports owner, here’s a delight who looks like a boy-band rager. Josh Giddey is still grinning, his hair flying, screaming “Whoooa!” to fans in the United Center. He is threatening quadruple-doubles at 6 feet 8. He is 22, from Australia, with a would-be mullet that could screech noises throughout the region.
Thursday night, he finished a wild onslaught that finally awakened a dynasty six-pack from the 1990s. His buzzer-beater from halfcourt was stunning, the third three-pointer in the final 10 seconds for the Bulls, who somehow beat a lackadaisical LeBron James and the Lakers for their ninth victory in 11 games. Giddey kept his hand in the air until the ball swished in a nutty arena. If no one ever will contest the follow-through of Michael Jordan, in the final shot of his last championship, consider where this team has been.
Nowhere, for a long time.
And Giddey’s Giddy Gulp suddenly demands significant attention from … ugh … Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf. They need to produce a massive contract for a player who will be a restricted free agent this summer — and is certain to command a long-term deal beyond $35 million a season. James always has been fond of Giddey, who might be attracted to Los Angeles and a long-range partnership with Luka Doncic. Other teams will make a run at him. Coby White, who is making national noise with his offensive impact, also wants an extension when his $36 million contract expires next year. First things first. If Immanuel Quickley earns $162.5 million for five years, let’s quickly do the contract for Giddey. Can you say $180 million? Or $200 million?
Pay up. No one needs to hear that Jerry never has paid more for a baseball free agent than Andrew Benintendi’s $75 million. If another franchise moves in and the Bulls say no, this would be another reason the Reinsdorfs should sell when the franchise is worth $5.8 billion. They should hear how Giddey spoke after the 119-117 victory.
“We’ve shown over the last month to six weeks that we can beat anybody,” he said. “The way we play the game, I think it wears people down. We get up and down. We run. We put heat on them to get back. A lot of veteran teams don’t particularly want to get back and play in transition.”
And he said: “As soon as I left my fingertips, it looked good. It looked straight. It just felt good. It was just really special. It was a hell of a team effort. We’ll enjoy this one.”
And he said: “I’m going to watch this all night tonight.”
And he said: “Let it fly with confidence. A walk-off like that from halfcourt, I’ve never done it before. I may never do that again.”
But he might. Something is special in the way he gathers a team. He had 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists only five nights after finishing a blowout in Los Angeles with 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and eight steals. They are headed for a play-in spot … and if they remain in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls might play top-seeded Cleveland in the first round. Jordan made The Shot against the Cavaliers.
What might Giddey have in store?
If nothing else, the Bulls have made LeBron look old. After his buzzer-beating tip led to a victory Wednesday night in Indianapolis, James threw away an inbounds pass thanks to Giddey’s commotion. White hit a three, after Patrick Williams hit a three, followed by Giddey’s prayer. In the fourth quarter, the Bulls made 11 of 14 three-pointers. “We put ourselves in position to win, gave up a lot of 3s in the fourth quarter, still put ourselves in position to win,” James said. “Horrible turnover by myself, miscommunication the play before that.”
“Devastation,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “It’s a hell of a way to lose a basketball game.”
Somehow, the Bulls took a chance on Giddey and sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City. It’s the best gamble yet by basketball boss Arturas Karnisovas. He moved forward when police said Giddey wouldn’t face charges in California, where he was investigated for a relationship he had with an underage girl. Now, we are seeing his immense skill.
The Bulls have lost too often since 1998. Victories have people sensing promise. The owners will have to budge for the boy-bander. Otherwise, they will continue to budge their way out of town.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.