Bulls land a pair of intriguing training camp signings |
Despite the NBA season roughly two weeks away, teams are still going to try and add to their roster as they are looking to round things out heading into the regular season. The Chicago Bulls are no different, as they didn't have much money to work with this offseason and can now use these training camp pickups to improve their team.
After releasing Quenton Jackson following their game against the Nuggets, the Bulls had another training camp spot open and one additional spot to fill as the Bulls roster had a pair of openings. The key word there is had as the Bulls not only filled those openings with some bigger bodies, but one of the bodies is an NBA veteran who is not only capable of making this team, but could prove to be a significant asset this season. The first of the additions is the lesser-known name in 22-year-old forward Kahlil Whitney. After spending the past three seasons with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as part of the G-League, Whitney will now try his luck in Chicago with the hopes of, at the very least, landing on the Windy City roster. He averaged just 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds over his past 10 regular season games, so there aren't a ton of expectations for him at this point apart from his physicality, which the Bulls do need.
The other addition comes with a ton more intrigue and is someone certainly worth keeping tabs on the next two weeks as 12-year NBA veteran Derrick Favors has landed on the Bulls training camp roster. The massive 6-10 forward is not only a physical presence that the Bulls need, but Favors has plenty of starting experience under his belt and can play both the PF and C positions, which are very thin in terms of depth.
A former first-round pick of the Utah Jazz (No.3 overall), Favors spent his first 10 seasons with Utah and put together a solid career stat line. During his time with Utah, Favors averaged 11.6 points with 7.2 rebounds and a 52.5 percent field goal percentage. He was a stable of the team’s rotation for nearly a decade and has 790 total NBA games under his belt and 42 playoff appearances. That is far more playoff experience than anyone on this roster, and that alone would be huge for this team to add.
After his tenure with the Jazz, Favors was looking for a new home and latched on with the New Orleans Pelicans before returning to Utah. He then found his way onto the Oklahoma City roster last season but has had difficulty carving out a role the past few seasons. Favors did play in 68 games with the Jazz in 2020-21, but also missed all of last season, which brings his conditioning into question this season.
It doesn't matter how healthy you are. Anytime you miss more than a year of action and are approaching your mid-30s, it will take a lot of work, and Favors knows that, hence why this move makes a ton of sense for the Bulls. Not only is that an intriguing factor tied into it, but Favors plans to play in the G-League, so having him on the Windy City roster would be huge.
Favors had this to say in a recent interview with HoopsHype. "I still love the game. I love everything about it. I love the whole process of working out, getting better, the weight room and conditioning, and the on-court work,” Favors told Michael Scotto. “I still have a love and passion for the game. Obviously, things change, and I have to adjust to it. Part of me joining the G League is trying to continue my career, finding ways to get better, hopefully get back to the league, and be a mentor to the young guys.”
That right there is a guy who feels like he still has something to give but also understands his situation and knows he needs to prove himself again. Knowing that, look for Favors to start his comeback effort with the Windy City Bulls, which not only makes sense for him but is a good thing for the Bulls. Considering this team has only Andre Drummond and Nikola Vucevic as the primary centers, it may only be one injury to get Favors up here, but should he play well with Windy City, he could force the Bulls hand sooner rather than later.
