News off the court for the Bulls: The Bulls have waived guards Milton Doyle and Justin Simon, as well as forward Simisola Shittu. Chicago's roster now stands at 16.
More thoughts on the Bulls as we approach Wednesday's opener at Charlotte:
Lauri Markkanen can be as good as anyone in the league. He can shoot the three, he can take it to the basket, he can rebound and he's a smart basketball player. I'm expecting him to have a big year - an All-Star type season in 2019-20.
Kris Dunn is a professional. Everyone wants to start; more importantly players want to finish games. He has handled himself with character and professionalism after receiving news his role as of now, is that of coming off the bench. When he enters the game the ball will be in hands a ton and he can be an impact player.
I love the grit of Ryan Arcidiacono. He's tough, smart and selfless.
Luke Kornet has played himself in to the rotation after getting an early training camp injury.
The Bulls have depth and versatility and should they stay healthy, they could wind up playing meaningful games in April. The Bulls are a better team today than they were a year ago. But games aren't won on a piece of paper. I like the chemistry and make up of the Bulls. Now it's time to take care of business.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Skill, hard work and player development has paid off for Pascal Siakam of the Raptors. He inked a four-year, 130 million dollar extension.
Frank Isola of The Athletic reports the Knicks were "stunned and depressed" when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed with the Nets.
Utah locked up Head Coach Quinn Snyder on a long term deal.
The Miami Heat suspended guard Dion Waiters for conduct detrimental to the team.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
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