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2022-2023 PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND (GAME #5) 1st RD / GAME 5 (United Center) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F TOR | 35 | 21 | 30 | 24 | -- | 78 CHI | 26 | 25 | 15 | 23 | -- | 95 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL (4) | (1) PHO 127 (4) (8) PHI (0) | (8) DEN 100 (1) (4) ORL 114 (2) | (4) NOP 94 (2) (5) BOS 123 (3) | (5) POR 104 (3) (3) CHI 95 (4) | (3) LAL 119 (3) (6) TOR 78 (1) | (6) OKC 115 (2) (2) CHA (4) | (2) UTA 103 (3) (7) MIL (0) | (7) SAC 91 (2) ---------------------

2022-2023 PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND (GAME #4) 1st RD / GAME 4 (Scotiabank Arena) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F CHI | 35 | 21 | 30 | 24 | -- | 110 TOR | 26 | 25 | 15 | 23 | -- | 89 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 112 (4) | (1) PHO 119 (3) (8) PHI 100 (0) | (8) DEN 122 (1) (4) ORL 110 (2) | (4) NOP 93 (2) (5) BOS 118 (2) | (5) POR 102 (2) (3) CHI 110 (3) | (3) LAL 97 (2) (6) TOR 89 (1) | (6) OKC 107 (2) (2) CHA 94 (4) | (2) UTA 113 (2) (7) MIL 80 (0) | (7) SAC 87 (2) ---------------------

2022-2023 PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND (GAME #3) 1st RD / GAME 3 (Scotiabank Arena) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F CHI | 22 | 26 | 26 | 30 | -- | 104 TOR | 23 | 19 | 29 | 25 | -- | 96 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 121 (3) | (1) PHO 140 (3) (8) PHI 116 (0) | (8) DEN 127 (0) (4) ORL 110 (2) | (4) NOP 98 (2) (5) BOS 123 (1) | (5) POR 108 (1) (3) CHI 104 (2) | (3) LAL 89 (2) (6) TOR 96 (1) | (6) OKC 111 (1) (2) CHA 109 (3) | (2) UTA 91 (1) (7) MIL 94 (0) | (7) SAC 100 (2) ---------------------

2022-2023 PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND (GAME #2) 1st RD / GAME 2 (United Center) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F TOR | 22 | 33 | 33 | 28 | -- | 116 CHI | 22 | 30 | 37 | 22 | -- | 111 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 114 (2) | (1) PHO 129 (2) (8) PHI 100 (0) | (8) DEN 119 (0) (4) ORL 112 (2) | (4) NOP 107 (2) (5) BOS 73 (0) | (5) POR 100 (1) (3) CHI 111 (1) | (3) LAL 111 (2) (6) TOR 116 (1) | (6) OKC 90 (0) (2) CHA 114 (2) | (2) UTA 103 (1) (7) MIL 82 (0) | (7) SAC 106 (1) ---------------------

2022-2023 PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND (GAME #1) 1st RD / GAME 1 (United Center) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F TOR | 23 | 30 | 20 | 23 | -- | 96 CHI | 25 | 23 | 32 | 38 | -- | 118 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 129 (1) | (1) PHO 117 (1) (8) PHI 115 (0) | (8) DEN 108 (0) (4) ORL 127 (1) | (4) NOP 117 (1) (5) BOS 120 (0) | (5) POR 109 (0) (3) CHI 118 (1) | (3) LAL 127 (1) (6) TOR 96 (0) | (6) OKC 106 (0) (2) CHA 123 (1) | (2) UTA 92 (1) (7) MIL 96 (0) | (7) SAC 77 (0) ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - APRIL A six game winning streak is never a bad way to end a season and we finally reached our goal of fifty wins with a 55-27 record! Unfortunately, 55 wins is only good enough to get you seeded 3rd in the Eastern Conference playoffs, where we will face off against the Toronto Raptors in the first round. We are injury free, with the exception of Marcus Donovan, but he will be available for game two against Toronto. Okay, the fifty win goal is in the bag, now let's go get that third consecutive NBA Title! APRIL SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | WAS @ CHI | 94-120 | W | ORL @ CHI | 126-131 | W | CHI @ NYK | 122-101 | W | PHI @ CHI | 93-103 | W | CHI @ PHI | 112-98 | W | MIL @ CHI | 99-107 | W | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 55-27 | MONTH | 6-0 | CONFERENCE STANDINGS EASTERN | WESTERN ATL 60-22 | PHO 54-28 CHA 59-23 | UTA 53-29 CHI 55-27 | LAL 50-32 ORL 53-29 | NOP 50-32 BOS 45-37 | POR 49-33 TOR 43-39 | OKC 45-37 MIL 43-39 | SAC 44-38 PHI 40-42 | DEN 43-39 ----------|---------- IND 37-45 | MEM 42-40 MIA 35-47 | LAC 42-40 CLE 33-49 | GSW 41-41 DET 29-53 | MIN 39-43 NYK 23-59 | DAL 35-47 WAS 19-63 | HOU 28-54 BKN 17-65 | SAS 24-58 ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - MARCH Pretty much injury free for the month of March and if not for losing three of the last four games, we would have reached our goal of fifty wins. However, with six games remaining on the schedule, I'm certain we will easily reach our goal, which is great, but this is one of those years where you know your better, but so is your competition. DEPTH CHART PLAYER | POS | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | Kyrie Irving | PG | 34.9 | 28.1 | 6.8 | 4.7 | Zach Lavine | SG | 34.5 | 16.9 | 4.8 | 4.5 | Rui Hachimura | SF | 34.2 | 13.9 | 3.7 | 6.5 | Jimmy Dixon | PF | 34.0 | 13.3 | 1.9 | 6.3 | Jason Robertson | C | 33.3 | 18.1 | 1.3 | 10.4 | BENCH PLAYER | POS | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | Derrick Favors | C | 21.0 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 5.5 | Cedi Osman | SF | 21.2 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 3.2 | DeAndre Jordan | C | 9.1 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 3.7 | Daniel Gafford | PF | 6.2 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 1.3 | Pat Connaughton | SG | 15.7 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 2.4 | Issac Humphries | C | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.9 | Wade Baldwin IV | PG | 8.3 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | Davis Bertans | PF | 9.1 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 1.0 | Marcus Donovan | PG | 13.7 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 1.4 | INJURIES Marcus Donovan | Out 15 Days (Broken Arm) Projected Return 4/16/23 MARCH SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | DAL @ CHI | 101-123 | W | NYK @ CHI | 93-117 | W | MEM @ CHI | 111-125 | W | CHI @ MIL | 110-113 | L | CHI @ CHA | 102-120 | L | LAC @ CHI | 89-115 | W | CHI @ MEM | 108-100 | W | DET @ CHI | 127-116 | L | CHI @ BKN | 115-101 | W | OKC @ CHI | 102-119 | W | CLE @ CHI | 139-147 | W | CHI @ MIL | 103-106 | L | CHI @ HOU | 127-109 | W | CHI @ ATL | 117-130 | L | CHI @ MIA | 96-115 | L | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 49-27 | MONTH | 9-6 | CONFERENCE STANDINGS EASTERN | WESTERN ATL 57-20 | UTA 50-27 CHA 54-22 | PHO 50-27 CHI 49-27 | LAL 48-29 ORL 49-28 | NOP 46-30 BOS 43-32 | POR 46-31 MIL 41-35 | SAC 43-33 TOR 40-36 | MEM 41-35 PHI 39-37 | OKC 41-35 ----------|---------- IND 34-42 | DEN 40-36 MIA 32-43 | LAC 40-36 CLE 30-46 | MIN 36-40 DET 27-49 | GSW 35-40 NYK 20-56 | DAL 32-44 WAS 18-58 | HOU 25-51 BKN 14-64 | SAS 22-54 ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - FEBRUARY More injuries, with Derrick Favors, DeAndre Jordan and Marcus Donovan missing significant time. Donovan's injury was a little more serious, as he won't return until mid-April at the earliest, due to a broken arm. FEBRUARY SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | CHI @ LAC | 100-111 | L | CHI @ LAL | 109-132 | L | UTA @ CHI | 102-97 | L | WAS @ CHI | 95-121 | W | MIA @ CHI | 99-120 | W | TOR @ CHI | 105-111 | W | BOS @ CHI | 111-123 | W | CHI @ UTA | 112-102 | W | CHI @ PHI | 102-86 | W | CHI @ ORL | 86-89 | L | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 40-21 | MONTH | 6-4 | CONFERENCE STANDINGS EASTERN | WESTERN CHA 45-17 | UTA 42-22 ATL 43-18 | PHO 41-22 CHI 40-21 | POR 39-24 BOS 37-22 | LAL 37-24 ORL 36-26 | NOP 36-26 PHI 34-28 | MEM 34-26 MIL 33-28 | SAC 35-27 TOR 31-29 | DEN 33-28 ----------|---------- IND 27-35 | OKC 33-28 DET 24-26 | GSW 31-29 MIA 23-38 | LAC 31-29 NYK 19-44 | MIN 30-31 CLE 17-44 | DAL 29-33 BKN 11-51 | HOU 21-40 WAS 11-51 | SAS 18-44 ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - JANUARY Injuries, injuries, injuries. Kyrie Irving, Zach LaVine, Rui Hachimura and Daniel Gafford were all injured at some point during the month of January and that definitely had a detrimental impact on our success. However, despite all the injuries we managed a 9-6 record and are on pace to have our best regular season since I took over as GM. I'm confident we will get that fifty win season I've been looking for. JANUARY SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | DEN @ CHI | 118-99 | L | TOR @ CHI | 102-92 | L | CHI @ DAL | 121-116 | W | CHI @ IND | 121-114 | W | HOU @ CHI | 110-125 | W | CHI @ BKN | 99-93 | W | MIL @ CHI | 108-132 | W | ATL @ CHI | 130-109 | L | SAC @ CHI | 110-125 | W | CHI @ CHA | 96-115 | L | CHI @ NOP | 91-107 | L | CHI @ BOS | 111-100 | W | GSW @ CHI | 127-134 | W | CLE @ CHI | 101-103 | W | CHI @ DEN | 93-115 | L | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 34-17 | MONTH | 9-6 | CONFERENCE STANDINGS EASTERN | WESTERN ATL 37-14 | POR 34-17 CHI 34-17 | PHO 32-20 CHA 34-17 | UTA 33-21 BOS 31-17 | SAC 31-20 ORL 32-18 | MEM 29-21 MIL 28-21 | LAL 29-21 PHI 29-23 | DEN 29-22 TOR 24-25 | NOP 28-22 ----------|---------- IND 23-29 | GSW 27-23 DET 21-29 | LAC 26-24 MIA 17-33 | OKC 25-26 NYK 14-38 | DAL 25-27 CLE 13-36 | MIN 23-27 BKN 9-43 | HOU 19-30 WAS 8-42 | SAS 16-37 ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - DECEMBER Despite injuries to LaVine, Hachimura and Gafford, the Bulls were the hottest team in the league during the month of December. The Bulls started the month on a twelve game winning streak and only lost a single game the entire month. Interestingly enough, the lone loss was to the Detroit Pistons. Why is that interesting? Well, they were the only team to put a blemish on our month of Oct. and more importantly, it is the team we traded Coby White to...and yes...Coby lit us up again, I find that rather humorous. DECEMBER SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | LAL @ CHI | 120-122 | W | DET @ CHI | 105-118 | W | CHI @ IND | 123-108 | W | CHI @ ORL | 121-111 | W | BKN @ CHI | 99-127 | W | NYK @ CHI | 112-135 | W | MIN @ CHI | 98-118 | W | CHI @ CLE | 99-91 | W | BOS @ CHI | 87-109 | W | MIA @ CHI | 113-130 | W | CHI @ DET | 104-122 | L | CHI @ NYK | 109-98 | W | CHI @ CLE | 104-93 | W | BKN @ CHI | 106-122 | W | IND @ CHI | 118-137 | W | CHI @ WAS | 111-104 | W | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 25-11 | MONTH | 15-1 | CONFERENCE STANDINGS EASTERN | WESTERN CHI 25-11 | POR 26-11 ATL 25-11 | SAC 24-13 CHA 25-11 | PHO 22-14 ORL 24-12 | LAL 22-14 BOS 23-13 | UTA 22-15 MIL 21-14 | DEN 20-15 PHI 21-15 | MEM 21-16 DET 17-19 | LAC 19-16 ----------|---------- TOR 15-19 | OKC 19-17 IND 16-21 | DAL 20-18 MIA 14-23 | NOP 18-18 NYK 13-27 | GSW 16-19 CLE 10-24 | MIN 14-23 BKN 6-30 | HOU 11-24 WAS 6-31 | SAS 7-30 ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - NOVEMBER A brutal road schedule and key injuries to Hachimura, Robertson, and Donovan really derailed our great start to the season. Obviously it is too early to panic and I have faith in coach Wittman, but I would really love to see this team win fifty games. Then again, we have won back-to-back NBA titles with identical regular records of 47-35. Sure, regular season wins and division titles are great, but an NBA title is far better. Still, in the three years I've been the Bulls GM, we've never won more than 47 games in a regular season and that is a little disappointing. NOVEMBER SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | CHI @ ATL | 115-125 | L | CHI @ MIA | 122-114 | W | NOP @ CHI | 99-113 | L | CHI @ TOR | 103-93 | W | IND @ CHI | 119-125 | L | CHI @ SAS | 116-101 | W | CHI @ POR | 87-105 | L | ORL @ CHI | 117-121 | L | CHI @ PHO | 105-131 | L | CHI @ GSW | 81-103 | L | CHI @ MIN | 118-107 | W | CHI @ SAC | 106-121 | L | ATL @ CHI | 99-106 | L | PHO @ CHI | 110-105 | W | CHI @ OKC | 113-92 | W | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 10-10 | MONTH | 6-9 | ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON - OCTOBER Great start to the season and as I anticipated, coach Wittman has decided to go with Jason Robertson at center. Robertson is averaging 15.6 ppg and 11.2 rpg. What I didn't anticipate was how much better the defense seems to be. It's early days, but in the first five games we are averaging only 92 points allowed per game. Obviously, that is unlikely to last, but it is a good sign. OCTOBER SCHEDULE GAME | SCORE | W-L | CHI @ TOR | 86-79 | W | SAS @ CHI | 87-118 | W | CHI @ DET | 93-101 | L | *Coby White POTG 31 points (lol - Payback for being traded?) CHA @ CHI | 107-115 | W | POR @ CHI | 86-104 | W | RECORD W-L OVERALL | 4-1 | MONTH | 4-1 | ROSTER STARTERS PG | 4.0 | Kyrie Irving SG | 3.5 | Zach Lavine SF | 3.5 | Rui Hachimura PF | 3.5 | Jimmy Dixon C | 4.5 | Jason Robertson BENCH C | 3.0 | Derrick Favors SF | 3.0 | Cedi Osman C | 2.5 | DeAndre Jordan PG | 2.5 | Marcus Donovan PF | 2.5 | Daniel Gafford SG | 2.0 | Pat Connaughton PG | 2.0 | Wade Baldwin IV C | 2.0 | Isaac Humphries PF | 2.0 | Davis Bertans SF | 2.0 | Charles Wallace (Assigned to D-League) ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON The Kyrie Irving Dilemma continued... I just couldn't see myself parting with Kyrie. He IS the franchise and if he ultimately decides to leave at the end of the season, so be it. I plan to do whatever it takes to resign him, but that meant I was now forced to deal with Coby White. White is also in the final year of his contract and he wants playing time...now! I'm certain he sees himself as the heir apparent to Kyrie, but another year coming off the bench isn't going to improve his attitude and I don't need a cancer in the locker room. The season hasn't even started and White is already disgruntled; what kind of mood is he going to be in once the season is over? Resigning him might become impossible at that point and I can't afford to lose both Irving and White at the same time. Too much risk and uncertainty for my taste. So, trading White seemed like the most logical decision. Parting with White was certainly difficult, but I secured a solid backup point guard for two years with a rookie option and a center with All-Star potential for two years. The funny thing is, I didn't go into the trade seeking out Robertson. I was just trying to find a decent backup for White, but when Robertson became a possible addition to the deal, I simply couldn't pass it up. Robertson was drafted in 2020 with the 15th overall pick by the Pistons. In his first two years with the Pistons he only started 12 games, but he has a tremendous amount of potential and I see him challenging Derrick Favors for the starting position before too long. TRADES Bulls trade PG Coby White, a 2025 1st round pick and a 2024 2nd round pick to the Detroit Pistons for PG Marcus Donovan and C Jason Roberston. CONTRACTS Player | Pos| Ht | Wt |Age | Contract | Notes Kyrie Irving | PG | 6-2 | 195 | 30 | $36,503,300/1y | (PO) Planning to test the free agent waters Zach LaVine | SG | 6-6 | 181 | 27 | $20,828,934/3y | Star player just reaching his peak Derrick Favors | C | 6-9 | 246 | 31 | $17,818,113/2y | (TO) A little pricey, but a great defender DeAndre Jordan | C | 6-11| 265 | 34 | $8,821,842/1y | Excellent backup in the twilight of his career Jimmy Dixon | PF | 6-8 | 229 | 22 | $8,443,800/3y | NBA Rookie of the Year(2021) Cedi Osman | SF | 6-7 | 215 | 27 | $7,350,000/2y | Solid backup at a reasonable price Rui Hachimura | SF | 6-8 | 230 | 24 | $6,397,184/1y | Superstar! Will want Kyrie money $30 mil, but worth it Marcus Donovan | PG | 5-11| 168 | 21 | $5,413,729/2y | Solid backup point guard with a lot of potential Jason Roberston | C | 6-10| 254 | 22 | $3,284,793/2y | Excellent backup center with All-Star potential Pat Connaughton | SG | 6-5 | 209 | 30 | $2,394,656/2y | Good backup, re-signed to a two year deal for Davis Bertans | PF | 6-10| 225 | 30 | $2,234,164/1y | Former Chicago Bull returning in a backup role Wade Baldwin | PG | 6-4 | 200 | 26 | $2,073,671/2y | Good bench player, re-signed to a two year deal Daniel Gafford | PF | 6-10| 234 | 22 | $1,930,681/1y | Very good backup, but will demand a lot more money Isaac Humphries | C | 7-0 | 255 | 24 | $1,848,983 2y | Former Chicago Bull returning in a backup role Charles Wallace | SF | 6-8 | 198 | 23 | $1,390,675/1y | Bench player with potential for improvement ---------------------

2022-2023 SEASON Current team salary is $126,608,717 and we are $5,264,417 over the cap. There are eight teams with less payroll than us, but only four of them are at or under the cap. There are seventeen teams paying a luxury tax. The Atlanta Hawks have the highest payroll of $206,278,826 and are paying a whopping $58,238,780 in luxury tax. FREE AGENCY My goal during the free agency period was to simply fill out the depth chart. I was looking for solid players that I could trust, so I resigned Baldwin and Connaughton to two year deals. Then I signed two former Bulls, Isaac Humphries and Davis Bertans. Chicago Bulls re-sign Wade Baldwin IV to a 2-year contract worth $4,307,835 Chicago Bulls re-sign Pat Connaughton to a 2-year contract worth $4,949,805 Chicago Bulls sign Isaac Humphries to a 2-year contract worth $3,762,163 Chicago Bulls sign Davis Bertans to a 1-year contract worth $2,234,164 Note: The Memphis Grizzlies signed Tacko Fall to a 2-year contract worth $20,461,034...WOW! Really!?! He has been on my Summer League team a couple of times, but that kind of money is insane. It is no wonder why so many teams are bleeding cash. Who pays $10+ million a year for a player who can't crack the top ten on their depth chart?!? The Memphis Grizzlies, that's who! TRADES Traded SF Otto Porter Jr. and our 2023 1st round pick to the Phoenix Suns for SF Cedi Osman and SF Charles Wallace. This was strictly a cost cutting measure. Porter may be a slightly better player, but he's simply too expensive and Osman can fill his role for far less money. Wallace will help fill the depth chart, but I'll probably assign him to the D-League. The Suns definitely got the better deal, but I wanted to make some cap space and I was willing to give up a 1st round pick to do it. Fans think I'm crazy, but all I have to say about this is..."Back-to-Back!" That usually quiets the naysayers. ROSTER PG | 4.0 | Kyrie Irving SG | 3.5 | Zach Lavine SF | 3.5 | Rui Hachimura PF | 3.5 | Jimmy Dixon C | 3.0 | Derrick Favors BENCH PG | 3.0 | Coby White C | 2.5 | DeAndre Jordan SF | 3.0 | Cedi Osman C | 2.0 | Isaac Humphries PF | 2.5 | Daniel Gafford PF | 2.0 | Davis Bertans SG | 2.0 | Pat Connaughton PG | 2.0 | Wade Baldwin IV SF | 2.0 | Charles Wallace (Assigned to D-League) CONTRACTS Player | Pos| Ht | Wt |Age | Contract | Notes Kyrie Irving | PG | 6-2 | 195 | 30 | $36,503,300/1y | (PO) Planning to test the free agent waters Zach LaVine | SG | 6-6 | 181 | 27 | $20,828,934/3y | Star player just reaching his peak Derrick Favors | C | 6-9 | 246 | 31 | $17,818,113/2y | (TO) A little pricey, but a great defender DeAndre Jordan | C | 6-11| 265 | 34 | $8,821,842/1y | Excellent backup in the twilight of his career Jimmy Dixon | PF | 6-8 | 229 | 22 | $8,443,800/3y | NBA Rookie of the Year(2021) Coby White | PG | 6-4 | 185 | 22 | $7,572,714/1y | Heir to the Irving throne, well worth $20+ mil Cedi Osman | SF | 6-7 | 215 | 27 | $7,350,000/2y | Solid backup at a reasonable price Rui Hachimura | SF | 6-8 | 230 | 24 | $6,397,184/1y | Superstar! Will want Kyrie money $30 mil, but worth it Pat Connaughton | SG | 6-5 | 209 | 30 | $2,394,656/2y | Good backup, re-signed to a two year deal for Davis Bertans | PF | 6-10| 225 | 30 | $2,234,164/1y | Former Chicago Bull returning in a backup role Wade Baldwin | PG | 6-4 | 200 | 26 | $2,073,671/2y | Good bench player, re-signed to a two year deal Daniel Gafford | PF | 6-10| 234 | 22 | $1,930,681/1y | Very good backup, but will demand a lot more money Isaac Humphries | C | 7-0 | 255 | 24 | $1,848,983 2y | Former Chicago Bull returning in a backup role Charles Wallace | SF | 6-8 | 198 | 23 | $1,390,675/1y | Bench player with potential for improvement FUTURE FREE AGENTS Kyrie Irving, De'Andre Jordan, Coby White, Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, Daniel Gafford and Charles Wallace. What to do about Uncle Drew?" I would love to keep him, but he has already indicated his desire to test the free agent waters at the end of the season. He is only 30 years old, but he is also making over $36M and he is certainly going to want a big pay increase. Then again he has 3 bird years, which allow me to offer him a maximum salary, despite being over the cap. However, if I were to fail to re-sign him, I would absolutely have to re-sign Coby White, but I'm not fully convinced that White can carry the load in Irving's absence and White is going to want 20+ million next year. There is also Rui Hachimura, who I would also like to keep, but he too is going to want around $30 million a year. Also, trading Irving is almost certain to result in a huge backlash from the fans. They would most definitely want my head on a pike after I traded away the teams marque player, coming off back-to-back NBA Titles! Trading Irving for someone like a Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Ben Simmons, Trae Young or even De'Aaron Fox, might ease the fans pain, but that is a risky proposition. If we don't win a third straight title, I will be forever known as the guy who traded away a potential dynasty. ...if...and this is a big if...If I trade Irving, it will have to be for a player that is similarly skilled, preferably younger, less expensive and with at least two to three years remaining on his contract. Ja Morant isn't an option, because he is also a free agent at the end of the season. Luka Doncic is a possibility, but he is kind of expensive, as is Ben Simmons. De'Aaron Fox is nice player, but hardly a player the fans will accept as a replacement for Irving. That leaves Trae Young. Young is very similarly skilled, maybe better. He is only 24 and he has five years left on his contract. Having said that, I find it hard to believe that the Hawks would part with him. They just re-signed him for $174.4 million, but...they are also drowning in $206 million dollars of salary, so you never know. To pull off a deal like that, I'd certainly have to give a #1 pick, but if that were the case, I wouldn't hesitate. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I do need to make a decision before the season starts. ---------------------

2022-2023 PRE SEASON REPORT OWNER MEETING I told Jerry we were championship material and I'd keep salaries around the cap. He was happy, I'm happy, everyone's happy. STAFF CONTRACTS HC Randy Wittman and assistants Jason Thompson and Phil Weber are locked up for the next three years. 1st Assistant Fred Hoiberg has one year remaining and I won't be able to afford him. The staff budget is ridiculous and there is no way to increase it, unless I export the db and edit it. There should be a mechanism to negotiate for an increase in the staff budget. DRAFT REPORT We have no picks in the draft. UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS We have five UFA's, C Anzejis Paceniks, SG Pat Connaughton, PG Wade Baldwin, SG Furkan Korkmaz and SF Torrey Craig. I kept the rights to all five. ROSTER PG | 4.0 | Kyrie Irving SG | 3.5 | Zach Lavine SF | 3.5 | Rui Hachimura PF | 3.5 | Jimmy Dixon C | 3.0 | Derrick Favors BENCH PG | 3.0 | Coby White C | 2.5 | Deandre Jordan SF | 3.0 | Otto Porter Jr. PF | 2.5 | Daniel Gafford CONTRACTS Player | Pos| Ht | Wt |Age | Contract Kyrie Irving | PG | 6-2 | 195 | 30 | $36,503,300/1y (PO) - Planning to test the free agent waters Zach LaVine | SG | 6-6 | 181 | 27 | $20,828,934/3y - Star player just reaching his peak Otto Porter Jr. | SF | 6-8 | 198 | 29 | $19,609,857/3y (TO) - Overpriced backup (Potential Trade) Derrick Favors | C | 6-9 | 246 | 31 | $17,818,113/2y (TO) - Pricy, but a great rebounder and defender Deandre Jordan | C | 6-11| 265 | 34 | $8,821,842/1y - Excellent backup in the twilight of his career Jimmy Dixon | PF | 6-8 | 229 | 22 | $8,443,800/3y - NBA Rookie of the Year(2021) Coby White | PG | 6-4 | 185 | 22 | $7,572,714/1y - Heir to the Irving throne, well worth $20+ mil Rui Hachimura | SF | 6-8 | 230 | 24 | $6,397,184/1y - Superstar! Will want Kyrie money $30 mil and worth it Daniel Gafford | PF | 6-10| 234 | 22 | $1,930,681/1y - Very good backup, but wants $14+, which is pricey ---------------------

2022-2023 OFF SEASON REPORT League News The salary cap for the 2021-2022 season has been set at $121,344,300 (Last year $117.8 mil) and the luxury cap is now $148,040,046. We are currently $9.4 mil over the cap. Contract News If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Hey, didn't I say that last year...and then immediately lose my mind in the draft and trade for and subsequently release the player I coveted, just because I got cold feet and needed to completely restructure the bench...yea...I did pretty did much all of that, but I think I've learned my lesson. I'm sincerely going to limit my forays into the free agent market and it's not very likely that I'll be very active on the trading block. Of course, the truth be told, my starting lineup is pretty much set in stone. I was finally able to negotiate an extension with Zach LaVine and he is signed through the 2024 season. Virtually the entire team is signed through 2022 and I have nine players returning for next season. Essentially, I only have to fill spots 10 thru 13 on the bench. The off season is going to be a breeze! Fun Fact...during the draft I traded up to select center Jaquay Bailey with the second overall pick, only to have him stolen out from underneath me. Then I made a ridiculous trade to get him, only to get cold feet and trade him away. Well...he made 2nd team All-Rookie. Granted, I did use my pick to select forward Jimmy Dixon, who was named 1st team All-Rookie and Rookie of the Year, but I had Bailey...and let him go. Not exactly a shining moment, because I was pretty sure he was going to be a bust...on the bright side, I put together a team that has won back-to-back NBA Titles, so there's that. Meeting with Jerry Reinsdorf The post season owner meeting leaves a little bit...okay...a LOT to be desired. We're coming off back-to-back NBA titles and the owner has to ask how we did? This really could use some improvement, because it really breaks the immersion level. Part of being a GM is obtaining and maintaining owner approval, but in this particular instance, there is a gigantic disconnect between how I feel about the game and how the game interacts with me. This seems pretty important, because if the owner can be so bitchy about being a little over the cap, that should be weighed against actual results. Remember, the reason I was allowed to exceed the cap was to bring home a title. I did that, but the owner is oblivious to that notion and I find that disappointing and distracting. Decisions...Decisions... What to do about Randy Wittman. Well, I was eventually going to have to chose between him and Fred Hoiberg, but my head coach has now won back-to-back NBA titles, so he gets the nod. I negotiated a new contract with Randy and he is signed through 2024. Hoiberg has one year left on his contract, but I won't be able to afford him after that. Speaking of that, the budget for coaches is pathetic and there doesn't seem to be a mechanism to negotiate for more money, that needs to be fixed. ---------------------

2021-2022 SEASON AWARDS MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Anthony Davis - Forward (LAL) 28.1 ppg / 4.1 apg / 11.4 rpg / 1.9 spg / 2.6 bpg. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Mitchell Robinson - Center (NYK) 9.4 ppg / 3.4 apg / 10.5 rpg / 1.5 spg / 3.3 bpg. SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR Monte Morris - Guard (DEN) 16.9 ppg / 4.3 apg / 2.9 rpg / 0.9 spg / 0.3 bpg ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Jimmy Dixon - Forward (CHI) 14.0 ppg / 2.0 apg / 6.8 rpg / 1.6 spg / 0.8 bpg COACH OF THE YEAR Luke Walton - Sacramento Kings 53-29 ALL-LEAGUE 1st TEAM G Trae Young (ATL) G James Harden (HOU) F Kawhi Leonard (LAC) F Anthony Davis (LAL) C Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) ALL-LEAGUE 2nd TEAM G Luka Doncic (DAL) G Bradley Beal (WAS) F Paul George (LAC) F Kristaps Porzingas (DAL) C Joel Embiid (PHI) ALL-LEAGUE 3rd TEAM G Kyrie Irving (CHI) G Devin Booker (PHO) F Jayson Tatum (BOS) F Zion Williamson (NOP) C Jusuf Nurkic (POR) ALL-DEFENSIVE 1st TEAM G Ben Simmons (PHI) G James Harden (HOU) F Jayson Tatum (BOS) F Anthony Davis (LAL) C Mitchell Robinson (NYK) ALL-DEFENSIVE 2nd TEAM G Luka Doncic (DAL) G Bradley Beal (WAS) F Paul George (LAC) F Kristaps Porzingas (DAL) C Joel Embiid (PHI) ALL-ROOKIE 1st TEAM G Edwin Simmons (PHO) G Marty Jordan (OKC) F Joaquin Villareal (ORL) F Jimmy Dixon (CHI) C Rickey Thomas (MIA) ALL-ROOKIE 2nd TEAM G Justin Abney (MIL) G Hunter Ford (BOS) F Kevin Wingfield (MEM) F Mike Click (IND) C Jaquay Bailey (BKN) ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 NBA FINALS (GAME 4 - United Center) THE CHICAGO BULLS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS! The Bulls were heavy favorites entering game four and despite trailing 51-49 at the half, Kyrie Irving would not be denied another ring. Irving had a game high 37 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, as the Bulls clinched their second consecutive NBA title. Zach LaVine added 35 points of his own and for the fourth consecutive game the Bulls starting five were all in double figures. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (3) DAL | 26 | 25 | 29 | 24 | -- | 104 (3) CHI | 25 | 24 | 35 | 33 | -- | 117 ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 NBA FINALS (GAME 3 - United Center) For the third game in a row, all five of the Bulls starters scored in double figures, with Zach LaVine leading the way with 25 points. After jumping out to an early first quarter lead, the Bulls dominated play and went in half time up by twenty points (62-42). The Mavericks fortunes didn't change in the second half and the Bulls cruised to a 109-92 victory. The Bulls are now only a game away from clinching their second consecutive NBA title. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (3) DAL | 18 | 24 | 23 | 27 | -- | 92 (3) CHI | 25 | 37 | 24 | 23 | -- | 109 ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 NBA FINALS (GAME 2 - American Airlines Arena) The Chicago Bulls had a dismal first half and trailed the Mavericks 56-34 at the break. In the second half the Bulls began to slowly chip away at the 22 point deficit, but at the end of the third quarter the Mavericks were still up by 15 points. Confident Dallas fans were poised to celebrate an almost certain game two victory, as the contest entered the final quarter. A little over midway through the fourth, Mavericks Luka Doncic, who recored his league leading 23rd triple-double of the year (36 pts/11 ast/14 Reb), fouled out of the game on a very questionable charging call. Mavericks fans were livid, but it would only get worse and they watched in horror as their 15 point lead began to slowly evaporate. Meanwhile Kyrie Irving and company were putting on a shooting clinic. Derrick Favors tied the game in the final minute with a thunderous dunk and after a Bogdan Bogdanovic missed jumper, Zach LaVine completed the comeback by burying a 17 foot jumper as time expired. The series now heads to Chicago, with the Bulls holding a commanding two games to none lead. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (3) CHI | 18 | 16 | 34 | 37 | -- | 105 (3) DAL | 32 | 24 | 27 | 20 | -- | 103 ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 NBA FINALS (GAME 1 - American Airlines Arena) In a pregame press conference, Chicago Bull's head coach Randy Wittman was asked how he intended on dealing with the Mavericks dynamic duo of Kristaps Porzingas and Luka Doncic. Considering how explosive both Porzingas and Doncic can be on offense and because it's no secret the Bulls primary weakness is on the defensive end of the court, it certainly was a legitimate question. However, Wittman was coy with the media, preferring not to reveal his strategy, only hinting that he had a plan. Apparently that plan was simply to allow them to both run wild and shut down everyone else...and it worked. Porzingas and Doncic combined for 78 of the Mavericks 103 points. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, the remainding starters, including the bench could only muster a total of 25 points. If your keeping track at home, eight Dallas players scored a mere 25 points in a combined 156 minutes of court time. Wittman's strategy may have been unorthodox, but it was clearly effective. For the Bull's it was business as usual, as all five starters, Dixon, Hachimura, Favors, Irving and LaVine, would all finish the game in double figures. LaVine led the way with 26 points and Player of the Game Kyrie Irving added 26 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds of his own. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (3) CHI | 36 | 23 | 32 | 23 | -- | 114 (3) DAL | 22 | 25 | 30 | 26 | -- | 103 ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS (GAME 6 - United Center) A close game at the start, the Bulls began to slowly pull away in the second quarter, leading by as many as 24 points before the break. Statistically speaking, when you look at the box score, the Hawks and Bulls were fairly evenly matched, as both teams shot 51% from the field. The difference in the game simply falls to the number of shots that were taken and made. While Atlanta went a respectable 39 of 76 from the field, the Bulls shot 48 of 93 from the field and 10 of 28(36%) from three. What is also interesting, is that the majority of scoring did not come from Kyrie Irving. Irving did score 22 points, which nothing to scoff at, but it was Player of the Game Zach LaVine who led the way with 34 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Also of note, was the play of Coby White. White had an outstanding game coming off the bench, contributing 22 points in only 15 minutes of play. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (1) ATL | 27 | 23 | 23 | 29 | -- | 102 (3) CHI | 23 | 39 | 27 | 31 | -- | 120 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS (GAME 6 - American Airlines Arena) The Dallas Mavericks are the Western Conference Champions! Luka Doncic recorded yet another triple-double, scoring 26 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds, as the Mavericks put on a defensive clinic. What makes this win even more amazing, is they did it with limit service from Kristaps Porzingas. Porzingas left game with an injury after only 12 minutes play, scoring 7 points during his brief time on the court. However, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Taurean Prince stepped up in his absence and combined for 37 points to make up for the loss of Porzingas scoring. Despite a first half that featured 18 lead changes and five ties, the Warriors struggled on offense and the Mavericks completely shut them down in second half, allowing only 42 second half points. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (1) GSW | 27 | 17 | 22 | 22 | -- | 88 (3) DAL | 28 | 21 | 31 | 28 | -- | 108 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 102 (2) | (1) GSW 88 (2) (3) CHI 120 (4) | (3) DAL 108 (4) -- I have to admit, I am once again a little surprised by our tremendous success. Three quarters of the way through the year, I would never have predicted that we would make it this far and yet, we are now only four wins away from a second consecutive NBA Title. That isn't to suggest that I didn't think we had a good team, I knew we were good, I just wasn't certain we had all the pieces necessary to repeat. However, our starting five is formidable when they are on their game and with DeAndre Jordan, Coby White and Otto Porter available to provide significant minutes off the bench, we can easily go a solid eight players deep without compromising our scoring ability. We definitely could be better on defense, but are averaging 112.1 ppg, which is ranked second in the league and scoring is definitely our strength. If we can play average to good defensively, I think we can outscore just about any team in the league. That philosophy is certainly going to get tested in the forthcoming finals. The Mavericks may only be ranked 17th in offense, but they are the number ranked defense in the league. That was evident in the manner in which they essentially shut down a potent Golden State Warriors team, who averaged 109.8 ppg during the regular season. Making them the fourth highest scoring team in the league. Still, I think we should be favored to win the series and I'm fairly confident that we can. I'm not guaranteeing an NBA Title, but if we can keep Porzingas and Doncic from lighting up the scoreboard, we have a very good chance of repeating as NBA Champions. I think Doncic is the key though. We absolutely must keep him in check. Porzingas is going to get his points, but the Mavericks offense goes through Doncic's and if you can diminish his contribution, it won't matter what Porzingas does. Should be an interesting series. ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS (GAME 5 - State Farm Arena) The Atlanta Hawks dominated in every category except one, the final score. Player of the game Kyrie Irving scored 35 points and Zach LaVine added 28 points of his own, as the Chicago Bulls escaped the State Farm Arena with an unlikely 122-116 point victory. The Hawks led by 11 points after the first quarter, but were subsequently outscored 30-16 in the second and the two teams went into the half time break with the Bulls holding a slim 54-51 lead. The second half was a slug fest and despite only five lead changes and one tie, neither team could manage to get the upper hand. For Chicago, they are now poised to advance to their second consecutive NBA Finals and will be favored to win game six on their home court. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (1) CHI | 23 | 28 | 30 | 29 | -- | 122 (3) ATL | 39 | 25 | 35 | 30 | -- | 116 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS (GAME 5 - Oakland Arena) Steph Curry awoke from his three game slumber, scoring 32 points, but it was far too little to late, as the Mavericks opened the game with a 42 point first quarter and never looked back. Player of the Game Krisptaps Porzingis scored an eye popping 43 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but Luka Doncic 23 points, 18 assists and 21 rebounds should not go unnoticed. As a team, the Mavericks shot 53%(45-85) from the field and 57%(21-37) from three. The Mavericks are now the slight favorites to advance to the NBA Finals, as the series heads back to Dallas for game six. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (1) DAL | 42 | 27 | 34 | 28 | -- | 131 (3) GSW | 24 | 34 | 37 | 20 | -- | 115 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 116 (2) | (1) GSW 115 (2) (3) CHI 122 (3) | (3) DAL 131 (3) ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS The Chicago Bulls stormed out of the gate, scoring 39 points first quarter points and then cruised to a dominating 129-110 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Player of the Game, Kyrie Irving, led the Bulls with 33 points, 9 assists and 10 rebounds, but Rui Hachimura contribution should not go unmentioned as he added 33 points of his own. Trae Young led the Hawks with 16 points and 16 assists. With the two teams now tied at two games a piece, the series will shift back to Atlanta for the all important game five. GAME 4 (United Center) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (1) ATL | 23 | 28 | 30 | 29 | -- | 110 (3) CHI | 39 | 25 | 35 | 30 | -- | 129 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS Player of the Game Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double, 27 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis added another 27 points in the Mavericks 114-103 victory. The Mavericks and Warriors are now tied at two games a piece and if not for the 40 point performance of D'Angelo Russell, the Warriors would not have been remotely competitive. This begs the question, what has happened to Steph Curry? Curry, who averaged 29.7 ppg during the regular season, has been nearly invisible in the past three games. Curry has been held to 16, 11 and 15 points since his 41 point outburst in game one. It Golden State is going to make it to the finals, they going to need Curry to step up his game. GAME 4 (American Airlines Center) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F (1) GSW | 27 | 24 | 25 | 27 | -- | 103 (3) DAL | 27 | 28 | 28 | 31 | -- | 114 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 110 (2) | (1) GSW 103 (2) (3) CHI 129 (2) | (3) DAL 114 (2) ---------------------

PLAYOFFS 2022 EASTERN CONFERENCE Although most pundits would agree that the Atlanta Hawks are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls returned to the United Center as a slight favorite. After taking a 49-41 lead at half time, much like game one, it appeared the odds makers might have it right again. However, Trae Young and John Collins would have their say and the Hawks scored 46 third quarter points and led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter. Trae Young was named Player of the Game, with 26 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds. However, John Collins shot lights out, scoring 28 points on 11-13 shooting from the floor and a perfect 3-3 from the three point line. WESTERN CONFERENCE A see saw battle for the first three quarters, this game saw 22 lead changes and 11 ties before the Warriors blew it open in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 27-15 in the final twelve minutes. For the second game in a row, Steph Curry was not much of a factor for the Warriors, as the Mavericks held him to a mere 11 points for the game. However, Player of the Game D'Angelo Russell more than made up for Curry's pedestrian performance, scoring 40 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds, while the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis once again led the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds. CONFERENCE FINALS / GAME 3 (United Center) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT F ATL | 23 | 18 | 46 | 34 | -- | 121 CHI | 21 | 28 | 26 | 31 | -- | 106 PLAYOFF RESULTS EASTERN | WESTERN (1) ATL 121 (2) | (1) GSW 110 (2) (3) CHI 106 (1) | (3) DAL 97 (1) ---------------------