The Chicago Bulls capped an incredible undefeated season with another championship on Monday night in Las Vegas. Move over Golden State, your 73-9 has nothing on the Bulls and their 7-0 run through the 2016 Las Vegas Summer League.
Sure, we could just do the obvious right here and check how many championship trophies every team in the league won in 2016, but there are only two and both of them are in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division.
Sir Charles In Charge
Cleveland fans might be rejoicing because of the spectacular feat performed by LeBron James to overcome a seemingly insurmountable opponent and a deficit never before thwarted, but Bobby Portis is a champion and now the entire basketball world will know it.
The Bulls won seven games in a row and relied on last second heroics from lottery pick Denzel Valentine to help propel them to the ultimate glory. No, not an NBA championship. No, not a Las Vegas championship. Yes, they beat Tom Thibodeau’s team and I’m pretty sure that is all that they care about.
Then again, it is #arrogantszn in Chicago now.
#Trophies #arrogantszn pic.twitter.com/N8OxgrkF2B
— Tyler Pleiss (@Tyler_Pleiss) July 19, 2016
While Tyus Jones of the Timberwolves took home the Summer League MVP award, we still have a whole grip of awards to hand out to the summer Bulls.
The ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Award: Tre Demps
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We profiled every single summer Bull and that included Demps. You might have forgotten because Demps and Aleksandar Marcius both failed to register a single minute this summer. While it seems harsh, he was always behind players like Jerian Grant and Spencer Dinwiddie. Both of those guys are going to be at the pro camp heading into the season and are presumed to be part of the opening day roster so this isn’t so much a condemnation, but a “welp.”
The Shooters Gonna Shoot Award: Denzel Valentine
Remember when Valentine saved the Bulls and their bacon with some unlikely shots? Valentine explained, “Probably left me open for a reason, because I didn’t make no shots during the game. I would have left me open, too.” That’s just about the truth of the matter. Valentine wasn’t alone, Grant was abysmal for long stretches. Still, Valentine comes into the league lauded for his work on the offensive end of the floor while getting blown by, even against D-League opposition, in just about any transition or otherwise fast-paced defensive situation. Despite his poor numbers, 25.5 percent from 3-point range, he continued to crack out shots, 47 from deep alone over the course of seven games, and drilled the big ones when it mattered.
Next: SummerBulls Win LVSL Title
The John Paxson Play Like A Champion Today Award: John Paxson
Of course the Bulls front office is congratulating itself on this meaningless trophy. This gives them the perfect opportunity to double down on meaningless victories and repeat the mantra about regular season wins and all the young and athletic potential of the Las Vegas champion Bulls. In the eyes of Gar Forman and Paxson, the summer league Bulls played like a champion every day. In the eyes of Forman and Paxson, they played like champions all off season and will echo into eternity by denying Thibodeau the sweet, sweet nectar of incomparable Las Vegas glory.