Getty Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during a timeout.
Sure, the Chicago Bulls are off to a bit of a rough start, dropping two straight games against Eastern Conference foes. The worst was the most recent in which the Cleveland Cavaliers stole the show during the Bulls’ home opener.
It’s all disappointing after they seemed to show many of last year’s flaws were accounted for in the preseason and the regular-season opener against the Miami Heat.
But are things already worse than imagined?
Overnight, a tweet from user @ishigamiGang went out with some not-so-kind remarks directed in the Bulls’ direction and it got some unexpected traffic. Especially on a team that many consider a fairly close-knit group, the context of the tweet makes things all the more interesting as the Bulls prepare to face the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
F*** you Jerry Reinsdorf…….
Go f*** yourself.
That could have been us you money-grubbing sack of f****** zebra b****
LaVine Likes Tweet Ripping Reinsdorf
The tweet was in reference to Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper, per the poster, but several users jumped into the comments taking notice of LaVine liking the tweet. LaVine, who is a San Diego Padres fan but also shows his support for the White Sox, appears to agree with the notion that Sox owner – and Bulls chairman – is a hindrance to at least one of the sports entities that he owns.
Harper’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 5 versus the San Diego Padres clinched Philly’s first pennant since 2009.
BRYCE HARPER ARE YOU SERIOUS?! #Postseason
Reinsdorf’s White Sox finished with a .500 record despite World Series aspirations and are searching for a new manager.
The Padres signed one-time Sox target Manny Machado in 2019.
Neither Harper nor Machado wound up in Sox uniforms when they were available in large part because Reinsdorf did not want to pay – the team has never given out a contract over $100 million while both stars signed for at least $300 million.
LaVine’s contract is clearly the outlier as it is also the richest contract in franchise history surpassing the earnings of Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose in their respective Bulls careers.
Whether the was about the Bulls or not, it is pretty bold for LaVine – to whom Reinsdorf and his son, Michael, gave $215 million this past offseason – to like a tweet degrading his employer so strongly.
Fans React With Confusion
There were some who thought the tweet was in reference to Utah Jazz forward and former Bulls cornerstone, Lauri Markkanen who failed in that role in Chicago but found his niche as a versatile forward after being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.
“Dude looked over at PWill after seeing Lauri’s stat-line on the Jazz and just f****** snapped,” said Reddit user @NBAKefka.
Utah is 3-0 with Markkanen averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals.
Third-year Bulls forward Patrick Williams has gotten off to a disappointing start. He could be in jeopardy of being sent to the bench in favor of spark plug Javonte Green at power forward if it continues.
I knew I always liked Zach LaVine.
Other fans were just hoping this wasn’t a sign that LaVine was having second thoughts.
“Don’t request a trade bro,” tweeted @BullsFansAdo while another user, @prijuna asked the two-time All-Star why he liked the tweet with no response.
The original poster was unsure of what drew LaVine’s attention and expressed concern over reactions after clarifying the tweet was about Reinsdorf’s baseball endeavors. Nonetheless, LaVine liking a tweet with such derisive language aimed at Reinsdorf is not “nothing”.