Marc Eversley gets to make his mark with Chicago Bulls | Off the Dribble

Happy Monday, folks!

Let’s make this make this another productive social-distancing week. We have just reached our 47th day since the NBA regular season was suspended March 11. But hey, it’s all about us remaining healthy during this coronavirus pandemic. So please remain safe, keep washing your hands, and practice social distancing. Leave it up to Inquirer.com to keep you updated on the 76ers.

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— Keith Pompey (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

I honestly can’t say that I’ve heard anyone mutter anything negative about Marc Eversley during his three-year tenure in the 76ers front office.

He was the well-dressed dude and polite dude from London that kept a low profile. I also looked at him as Bryan Colangelo’s right-hand man, once the Sixers former general manager/president of basketball operation hired him in May 2016.

But he remained with the Sixers after Colangelo was forced to resign in June 2018 following a Twitter scandal in which his wife was accused of anonymously leaking sensitive information.

Perhaps that was a good thing for the Sixers. Their soon-to-be former senior vice president of player personnel was a huge talent evaluator.

Eversley, who will become the Bulls’ first black general manager, eyed Sixers rookie standout Matisse Thybulle as early as his junior season at Washington. He went on to have a huge hand in the Sixers selecting the standout rookie guard, who is one of the league’s best young defenders. The team moved up four spots in a trade with the Boston Celtics to select Thybulle with the 20th pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

While in Toronto, Eversley was the first to recognize the talent in DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors drafted him with the ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft, and DeRozan became a four-time All-Star.

Eversley was also well ahead of everyone on the potential of five-time All-Star Damian Lillard while working as a Raptors executive. Lillard was eventually selected sixth overall in the 2012 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Weber State.

The executive, however, drew some criticism in Philadelphia for pushing for the Sixers to draft Markelle Fultz in the 2017 draft.

But Eversley should do a solid job in Chicago working with new Bulls executive vice president of basketball operation Arturas Karnisovas.

I remember the moment as if it was last week.

As a college student sitting in a dorm room, I watched the Chicago Bulls sweep the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. The thing that never escaped my mind was how Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas and center Bill Laimbeer were among several Pistons who left the floor with 7.9 seconds remaining without congratulating the Bulls in the fourth and final game.

While interviewed for Sunday’s fourth episode of The Last Dance, Thomas explained why he and some teammates refused to shake hands with the Bulls. It was obvious that Michael Jordan had no interest in hearing Thomas’ explanation.

“I know it’s all bull----,” Jordan said even before watching the video of Thomas speaking during that fourth episode of the 10-part documentary on Jordan’s career and the Bulls’ 1997-98 season. “Whatever he says now, you know it wasn’t his true actions then. He has time left to think about it, or the reaction from the public has changed his perspective.”

Thomas noted that’s not how the torch was passed during the era. He mentioned how most of the Boston Celtics walked off the floor without shaking the Pistons hands when Detroit beat them in the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas said Kevin McHale shook his hand at midcourt only after he had stopped the Celtic.

Jordan didn’t buy his explanation, pointing out that he shook the Pistons’ hands while losing to them in three consecutive seasons in the playoffs. The last two playoff losses came in the conference finals in 1989 and 1990.

“All you have to do is go back to us losing in Game 7. I shook everybody’s hands,” Jordan said of his bitter rivals. “Two years in a row, we shook their hands when they beat us. There was a certain respect to the game that we paid to them. That’s sportsmanship, no matter how much it hurts. Believe me, it hurt.”

Question: I know this is hard to put your finger on, but what do think training camp might look like for the 2020-21 season?— @Aaron_Bracy on Twitter

Answer: What’s up, Aaron? Long time, no see. I hope you and your family are doing well, especially during this pandemic. In regards to your question, you are right in terms of putting a finger on the 2020-21 training camp.

But I would not expect the NBA to start training camp until November, assuming it resumes this season in the summer. That would enable them to start the season in December.

I think the training camp start date would have a lot to do with when the pandemic is over or deemed safe for everyone to go about their normal lives if the NBA doesn’t resume this season. As a result, it could be September or October, depending on when it’s safe.