Kap & J. Hood

6/21 7 AM: Chicago.... The Rebuild City

Hour 1: For Chicago professional sports we are "The Rebuild City". The Bulls finally made a trade sending Alex Caruso to OKC for Josh Giddy. Your thoughts on the Bulls Caruso for Giddy trade? Reggie Jackson says racism he experienced playing in Birmingham made his return for Negro Leagues tribute ‘not easy’. Jesse Rogers was in for Kap.

Duration:: 47m
Broadcast on:: 21 Jun 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

(crunching) - Chicago. - This is your morning routine. - Listen to this- - I mean- - Cap and G hood. - That's right, that's right, we bad. - Watch the show on Twitch. Follow ESPN 1000 Chicago. - Stream the show on the ESPN Chicago app. - And on in there. - 100.3 HD2 and on ESPN 1000 Chicago. Now, no, no, no. David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood. - Good morning, everyone. - Bring 'em out, bring 'em out. - Whoo! ♪ Bring 'em out, bring 'em out ♪ ♪ Bring 'em out, bring 'em out ♪ ♪ Bring 'em out, bring 'em out ♪ ♪ Bring 'em out, bring 'em out ♪ - Thank God it's Friday. Whoo! (whistle blows) - Oh, God. Welcome into the Cap and G hood morning show. On ESPN 1000 and we're streaming on the ESPN Chicago app. With Jesse Rogers in for Cap. I'm Jay Wood, we've got the fastest man in Northbrook. Put up in full lines for you, 3-1-2, 3-3-2 ESPN. 3-3-2-3-7-7-6, our full number we've got. Charlie, we got Jay Moore. We got you on this fabulous Friday. Jesse's good to see you, my friend. - Might be the fastest guy in Northbrook. Not exactly the smartest guy. 'Cause as I'm driving down for the 7 a.m. shift with you, so happy to be with you on the day after the Bulls break up 13. I got off the highway and started driving to Wrigley Field. - That either means I've been in the same job too long or my brain is starting to malfunction. I started driving to Wrigley Field at 6.10 a.m. Quickly did a U-turn, texted you, and luckily the traffic wasn't so bad I got here on time. - Of course, that song you just heard, that was in Jesse's car. That's all you was thinking about. You think about the Oregon and Wrigley Field. - The Cup and the Met this weekend. - That's what he was thinking about. - Two juggernauts. - Actually, I was thinking about the Bulls in this big trade. It's a big trade because it's the only trade. Like, you know, they haven't done a lot lately. So for them to do something like this, it's big news. - It's natural though, Jesse, for you to think about this big Bulls trade and drive to Wrigley Field. Of course, that's where you'd report it for ABC7, of course. - Exactly. - In front of Wrigley talking about the Bulls. - I am wearing my ABC7 shirt for those of you watching on Twitch and YouTube, hello, good morning. A little Dion Jesse Rogers show over there today later. - That's fantastic. - That'll be on overtime on ABC Online. - Okay, you done with your plugs now? - I know, I have a few more, but I'll just save them. - Yes, of course. You have, of course, there's always plug, I mean. - I got two books and a Sunday night baseball thing to plug. - Yes, of course. So have plug will travel. - And Steinoffels. - Okay, now again, not even three minutes in. Not even three minutes in. Can't even get to the top. - I gotta talk about me. Know what I mean? Move the hands around, it's Jesse Rogers. That's why he's the fastest man from Northbrook. - Enough about me. Let's talk about one Josh Giddy. - Or you, not enough about him. Let's talk about more of Jesse. - Yeah, exactly. - The Bulls are trading two time all defensive team guard Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City for guard Josh Giddy. This came from Adrian Wojnarowski. Yesterday, it just dropped in our laps yesterday afternoon, Jesse, and so when I saw the deal, my thought was, well, there are several reasons why this is happening. Number one, the Bulls are not gonna pay Alex Caruso a four-year $80 million deal 'cause that's what's on the line. That's how much, and there's no way for someone who's 30, they're gonna pay him that. You would think that if you were ready to win, that he would be a nice piece for you, but they traded Josh Giddy. My initial thoughts with this is, okay, I've seen Josh Giddy play with Oklahoma City. He's a guy, he's 21 years of age, and I think he could get better with Donovan as his head coach, but he's not gonna be this immediate difference maker. I wanna make sure Bulls fans know that here's a talent that's very raw and very green. He can pass the ball well, but doesn't shoot well. You know in the NBA, as you well know, Jesse, if you cannot shoot especially from distance, then you're limited as a ball player, and even though for a big guy, he can pass the ball, this is not one of those moves. He's like, oh my God, it's a seismic change for the Bulls 'cause that's not the case. - Yeah, so here are my initial thoughts. First of all, I would ignore the end of his season, where he faded, he is 21, that'll be long forgotten if he improves here in Chicago, and remember, plenty of time to improve at just 21. I know he'll be a restricted free agent, but my initial thought also was, okay, they got nine years younger, that's good. They got nine years younger, that's good. You have to give up something to get something. So my next thought also in the positive way was, okay, Caruso's good, but he does have a ceiling as a player at 30 years old. Josh Giddy ceiling should be a lot higher. His skillset says that, and his age certainly says that. I'm gonna keep harping on the idea that he's 21. Think about it, he could play three more years and start entering the peak of his career if the Bulls handle 'em right and keep 'em on the roster. So those were all the good things. I think the negative things, I align myself with Mike Wilbond's take yesterday on Waddle and Sylvie, and that was simply that they traded 'em at the wrong time, Caruso. They didn't get as much for 'em. They probably could've gotten draft pick compensation plus a player like Giddy if they had done it at the deadline. And let me five minutes in, make a baseball analogy, and I think it's a good one. I talk a lot about closers. Closers are much more valuable at the trade deadline than they are in January. Libertores would never have been traded for a Raldis Chapman in January 2016. That only happens when your team has World Series aspirations and you need to overpay a little bit and that's what the Yankees did. Or, I'm sorry, that's what the Cubs did. In trading for Chapman for two months, Cliber's still starting for the Yankees. Same thing here, Caruso was so valuable at the deadline, especially for a team like Oklahoma City, that Bulls could've gotten more, but they didn't, now you go in off-season trade and that's why it's more of a one for one. - Now, the question is whether or not the story is true from CHGO. On whether or not the Bulls said, we're not gonna trade out Caruso because we're trying to make a playoff push. So, if that's the case, then that says a lot about the Bulls. If that story is true, then the Bulls said, "No, we're gonna keep our core intact. "We're not gonna make any wholesale changes," because if we take some players off the roster, then that will decrease our chance again in the playoffs. The point is, though, Jesse, is that you know that you're not one of the top eight teams at that time, at the deadline, you end up not being one of the top eight teams or nine teams in the NBA. As a matter of fact, you had to be in the play-in just to be able to get involved in some kind of post-season. The object should not just be, let's turn the lights on for one night at the United Center and then just say, "Well, that's all she wrote." You can't do that, Jesse, like you either have to be all in or all out. - Yeah, it's very Jerry Rhines-Dorf like to turn it on for one night. - How would you think, I already must be true, because why else wasn't he traded? And then you trade him three months later? - It doesn't make sense, right? - Unless they think they were blown away getting Giddy at his lowest. You know, maybe Oklahoma City doesn't trade Giddy if he has a great playoff, but he didn't. So, I don't know. I think, of course, they wanted to go for it because that's been their mindset the last few years. Let's just get in, let's just get in. - That doesn't mean anything to the Bulls, man. Like, I believe that there's value of Giddy the playoffs, but it's the play in. There's a difference in that. Like, the Bulls didn't have enough to be able to get themselves into the playoffs and do some damage. Not at that position, right? And so, my overall point, though, when it comes to Josh Giddy, this is the first actual trade by the Bulls since August of 2021. I want you to think about this. Think about the sport that you work in, in baseball. And our front office stood pat and said, "No, we like our core." Think about a GM not making a deal since August of 2021. That GM would be fired. - And that's why it's big news. It's big news here because they finally did something, and that's why I'm actually okay with it. Just on that basis, the definition of doing the same thing over and over and getting a bad result is insanity, right? The definition of insanity, I should say, is doing something over and over and over getting in the same bad result. So at least they've tried to break up the pattern here and they did get nine years younger. - Caruso's more of a final piece for a championship contender than any lead dog. Maybe Giddy can be a lead dog. It's a risk versus reward thing, and I think the risk was certainly worth it. But I agree with Wilbonne, it could've came with more if it happened at the deadline. - The reason why that Wilbonne and all of us that watch the NBA say that is because Oklahoma City's that can relate at like 7,000 picks. I want you to just do, just one Google search, Jesse, of how many picks Oklahoma City had. You would be stunned of how much capital they have for the future. That's why if you-- - While having a good current team. - Yes, I mean, which is hard to do by the way, but this is smart on the part of Presti to be able to build as much, as many draft picks as they have. And for the Bulls not to get at least one of them, I just don't understand that. I just don't get that. I also would say this. It makes me wonder about Lanzo Ball's future because I could see a back court of Giddy and Kobe White on this team. What does that mean? I just feel like it's just a lateral move, Jesse. I don't believe that this move is something that you say what, now the Bulls have improved 'cause they have not. It makes me wonder about the future of Lanzo Ball one. But another thing that it makes me wonder about is what's next. Are you retooling or are you rebuilding if you're the Bulls? That's the big question on the table. - I think we get asked a lot of different questions. I'd like people just to rate the trade one to 10, you know? One to 10, 10 being, 10 being, you know, Baseball analogy, Jake Arietta come to town and one is what's one of your bad white sock straights. Pick a, what's a one? - Well, just choose one. - Yeah. - That's not what you mean, but it's what you mean. Just choose one. - Choose any written on Kenny Williams project for sure. So I'm with you, like, and it is an initial step back because Caruso is proven player, defensive player, but sometimes you take one step back to take two or three, four forward of Giddy, could Giddy turn into a star star? - You will not, but go ahead. - Could he? - You will not. - Okay. - Well, maybe you're putting his ceiling a little bit lower than I am just because based on age and what he can do, he's a great passer. You're a great passer. If that's all you're known for, by the way, and it's nice, okay, but you better get something else to your NBA game. - Yeah. - I don't know. I feel like the ceiling is certainly higher with Giddy than Caruso. I think we could admit that. - I think that is fair, based on the age as you just mentioned. And as I said at the Open, I believe that Donovan can make him a better player. I just think there was so many talented players at Oklahoma City that Giddy became expendable. That's why he's a bull right now. Oklahoma City is one of those young, hot teams in the West that will be heard from. They are the rocking your shoe right now. And I think that they're building towards something. That's for sure. - I mean, he's not the Paul DeYounger of the Bulls now. I can't start anywhere else, but he'll start with the White Sox. - Let me ask you a question. - He's not that. - Let me ask you a question. Do you want me to throw you out before the first segment? I'd be glad to throw you out. I could do this myself. If you want me to throw you out, I could do that right now. - I mean, how many times does that thought going through your head sitting next to Cap? I mean, come on, a lot, a lot. - Ah, come on now. I mean, every segment. (laughing) Maybe every other segment. - Every time I come on with you guys. - Every other segment, he wants to throw you out. - I like what you say to me. I'm asking Jesse, Cap. I'm asking Jesse. - Boy, I guess a direct question to you. And he steps in there. If I ask him a question, I ask him a question. I'm asking you. - Jesse, you're right, he's the expert. As the assay expert. Caruso, by the way, also shot 40% from three. So yes, he's a great defensive player. And again, you know what he is? He's a Swiss Army knife. - And he got better offense. - He's a Swiss Army knife. - Yeah, he does. - Like every little thing that you need done, Caruso, if healthy, can get that done for you. So now he's not with the team. Now here's the thing. Now, both fans, you fan how you want a fan, but from my standpoint, as a Bulls fan, I will tell you that now, I respect the Caruso. Many teams want a Caruso because of the little things he does, you know, but the point is those that Caruso on this team is kind of useless. - Yeah, and Waddle said that as the trade went down, like much more valuable to Oklahoma City than to the Bulls. And for the Bulls to recognize that is good. And if, I don't know, 21, he's been in the league a few years, he's got some game. If he turns into something special, it'll be a great trade. And in the moment, it's not as good. And a lot of people panned it that are more, that have more expertise about this than me. - Our tourist, Carus Showvis was asked earlier this year about exactly what he's selling to Bulls fans. - I'm selling competitive group that is competing right now for playoffs. And that's just evidence and, you know, you bring it up the standings. I mean, we're all bunched up in that area in the middle. So that's, you know, that's what I see with this team at this point. Any adjustments will be made in the future, but, you know, this group is really good. - Yeah, at the time, at the deadline, he said this group's very good. And then, of course, he goes on to say after the season was over that he that was not enamored with the group and is gonna be able to make some changes. I mean, what took you so long? August of 2021, finally, you get a deal made. - And there's such a difference, again, the sport that I cover, man, sneaking in, you can win a World Series sneaking in. In the NBA, yeah, once in a blue moon and eight beats a one and wins the championship. But really, come on, sneaking in in the east, yeah, it meant it would be nothing. Yes, it means turning the lights on for Jerry Ryan's door for a couple more nights. But like, your goals should be championship three stars to bring you a champion. Like, that's really what you have to shoot for. We're in a sport like baseball. You can kind of shoot to sneak in, like the Diamondbacks did last year. So I don't even like a competitive group that's trying to get to the play in or whatever he said. - Josh getting just for people tuning in. He's a guy here now, the part of the Chicago Bulls. Not a very good outside shooter. Solid playmaker, though. He's got soft hands. And again, for him to distribute the basketball, that's great, but to whom? Is Zach Levine gonna be on this team? Is Demar DeRozan gonna be on this team for the future? If our, kind of show this, if Art Carney is gonna be there and say, "Oh, we're gonna make some changes." Okay, make your changes. But again, it just shows you that you don't have, don't understand the art of the deal because you have a lot of draft picks that you could have chosen with Oklahoma City and you didn't do that yesterday. And then before that, of course, you could have traded Axkarusso by the time you got to the deadline and had the same result at the end of the season. You could actually win into the play in game loss and would have been the same result with or without Karusso. - And let me give a caveat to what I just said, because a year ago, Miami did go to the finals after winning the play in, right? But, and they beat the Bulls. There is no way you can convince me in any scenario if the Bulls had beaten the Heat, they would have gone to the finals. No chance. - No Miami either. I mean, there is something shown into the fabric of the Heat that allows me to do stuff like that. - Absolutely, no way. So, but my point is it does happen once in a blue moon, but you really need to build championship rosters heading into the playoffs, not sneak in and be out and around with no chance. - So, Charlie, let's open the phone lines this morning. 3-1-2-3-3-2-E-S-P-N, 3-3-2-3-7-7-6 is our phone number. Jesse and I want to find out from you, Bulls fans, hey, grade the trade. Alex Caruso is gone. He's gone to Oklahoma City, and Josh Giddy is now with this team. We laid out for you. - Charlie, it's Giddy for Giddy. - Okay, that's awful. But we're talking to you about Josh Giddy, now being part of this Bulls team, how does it make you feel? And again, do you, I think the other question is, Jesse is like, not only grade the trade, but also what is next for the Bulls? 'Cause to me, that's course going to be breaking up, broken up, and that could be a retool or a rebuild for the Chicago Bulls. We're talking to you about it on the cap and J-hood Morning Show. (upbeat music) - This is Cap and J-hood. They beat in the traffic commute, so you don't have to. (upbeat music) - I think, no, say it again, say something, oh. - On ESPN Chicago. - It's a cap and J-hood Morning Show on ESPN 1000, and we are streaming on the ESPN Chicago app. Also, you're watching show live on YouTube, YouTube.com, look for ESPN Chicago, hit that subscribe button, the same thing is, Twitch, Twitch.tv/espen1000Chicago. Here's hoping that you're going to have a great Friday and a great weekend here on ESPN 1000. We have Shout-or-No-Shot coming away at eight o'clock. We've been talking to you about Josh Kitty from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now a Chicago Bull, Alex Caruso is gone. Caruso, the heart and soul of this Bulls team, is now a Oklahoma City Thunder, and we're just getting your reaction to exactly what's next for the Bulls. It's one move, the first move, the first actual trade with bodies since August of 2021. And so, what does this mean for the future for this Bulls team? 'Cause to me, I think the next step is Zach Levine, and we'll talk about it. 3-1-2-3-3-2 ESPN is our phone number. We're also giving away all elite wrestling tickets. They're going to be at the Wind Trust Arena on Wednesday, July 3rd. And when you hear this song, (upbeat music) the AEW Champion Swarf Strickland, this is his theme. And so when you hear this, make sure that you're the 10th caller at 3-1-2-3-3-2-3-7-7-6 to be able to win tickets for you or for someone. AEW coming to town, Wind Trust Arena on July 3rd. So, Jesse, here we are, man. Josh Kitty, now part of this team. And to me, I mean, that's just a stool on the Titanic. That is the Chicago Bulls right now. You removed the stool, all right. And so now what? You still got the moving chair, right? - What's next? What's next? Is it a bigger sign of a retool rebuild? What is it exactly? I mean, what are the chances of Levine and Damara both gone before training camp? - That's a good question. - Pretty good. - Yeah. - Pretty good. But not 100% with this team. Who know? You know what I mean? Like, they may say, "Oh, we made a change. "We're bringing everyone else back, but we made a change. "We have Giddy." But boy, this team defensively right now. - Whoo! - It's gonna be a lot of 131, 20 scores. - Yeah, it is, it is. And as I mentioned before, I think that Giddy can improve under Donovan, but again, it's just one move. At 21, he has to be able, he's a really poor outside shooter. He's gotta get it in better with that. And I know that there wasn't a lot of shots from him also Oklahoma City, because if you watch that team, that team has gotten so much better over the last 12 months. And so I would just say that Zach Levine, and I told Cap this. You know, I've done shows with Reggie Theus on SiriusXM, on the NBA radio channel. And I asked him, I said, "Reggie, "what's it like to be the best player on a bad team?" - It's a great question. - You remember, you and I grew up watching, before Michael, it was Reggie Theus. - Yeah. - Oh yeah. - And so all the pompous circumstances, you know, Rush Street, Reggie's got a blonde on one arm, he's got a brunette on the other, and you know, everybody wants to be him. He's got a mint coat in the summer, and he's walking around. He was the guy, man. Him, Walter, you know, all these guys. But I asked him, and he talked about how difficult it is, because all the pressure is on you. No matter how good you are individually, it's about team. And there was never a team built around Reggie, to be able to win a championship. And he says, he says, "I feel for Zach Levine," 'cause I've been there. - I mean, you need to be old enough to remember the old Chicago Stadium, where there was nobody in the stands watching Reggie Theus and those Bulls teams. It was empty for a long time, which is inconceivable for anyone that's grown up since, basically, since the Jordan years. - Yeah. - I mean, it was empty back in the day. When Jerry Sloan was the coach, I was friendly with Jerry Sloan's daughter. I went to school with her, and they would get me tickets all the time, you know? And it would be empty there, and Theus was the attraction. It's great, but that's a great question. What's it like being the best player in a bad team? - Paul lies on you 24/7, and you need to perform every night. - And you get the blame. You get all the blame. - Right. - And so this is what's going on with Zach. Now, Zach can score the ball. We know of a great scorer than he is, but again, what is the matter being on this Bulls team? The other story is, Jesse, that we talked about earlier, is that if the story from CHEO is correct, that the Bulls stood in the way of a deal at the deadline, then what is the worth of AK and Eversley? - Yeah. - If you have ownership stepping in saying, no, we need to keep the lights on at the United Center. Wilbahn basically said the same thing on Why Don't Silver yesterday that, and that was what was most upsetting to him about this deal, that it could have been a better deal at the deadline and for some reason they didn't pull one off. - Let's go to the phone lines and talk to you. 312-332-ESP has our phone number, Jonathan and Jesse here on The Captain Jhood Morning Show. Albany Park, here's Seth on Captain Jhood. Seth, good morning. - Good morning, guys. Thanks for taking my call. - Yes, sir. - So I think this is a middling trade at best. It doesn't move the needle at all. And most of all, I'm kind of upset about that the bulls would make a trade for a guy who has character flaws and character issues. Those allegations against Josh Giddy, I know we were panning Mike Clevinger in the White Sox when he was traded or picked up, and I just think that this is a poor move by the bulls to trade a high character guy, high motivation guy like Caruso, the heart and soul of the team, for a guy like Josh Giddy, who doesn't even move the needle in terms of basketball? Well, hang up and listen to you guys in this box. - Well, two thoughts. I mean, I understand what you're saying. Giddy had a moment there of controversy was cleared, right? From what I understand, it was all clear whether you want to buy that or not. The difference is also Clevinger was the middle of an investigation when they signed him. Here, the investigation is in the past. Now, if you still want to say that investigation gives you red flags, you have every right to say that. So I get the negative part. I would say maybe it doesn't move the needle completely, but he's 21. He's 21. It could move the needle in the coming years. Give a guy a chance to grow into his own. It's actually better to get him on his second stop after a few years in the league, you know? A little less expectations with the draft status when you move on to your second place. You have a few years under your belt. You have a new scenario, new coach. He could blossom into the player. Everybody wants him to be. - The NBA had an exhaustive investigation on Josh Giddy. This goes to the Newport Beach, California Police Department said that there was unable to cooperate any criminal activity in an investigation that Giddy had in a proper relationship with an underage girl. - Yeah, I think the family didn't cooperate or something, I don't know. But at least legally and through the NBA, it's behind him. I just hope that's the only thing that ever pops up. - 3-1-2-3-3-2-3-7-7-6. Our phone will ask you to grade the trade as Caruso's gone. And Josh Giddy's here. We go to Denver, Colorado, listening on the ESPN Chicago App. Here's Isaac on Captain Jay Hood. Isaac, good morning. - Hey, good morning, Hoodie. Good morning, Jesse. Love this show and love hearing you guys. Hey, one special threat, Jay Hood. If, you know, if Jerry Ryan's door decides to make an appearance today, AKA Hoodie's amazing impression, that would be awesome. - Yeah, I should be loud to prefer it from him. It's the sense Jerry that lives over at guaranteed rate won't do an interview with me. Maybe I can interview the Jerry's sitting next to me. We'll talk about that. - I'll be glad. So yeah, what I basically feel is just math. And now I've heard a lot of people say that go the same sentiment, just, I mean, okay, great, they did something finally, but why did they take so long? And like, what is this actually accomplishing? And I know, Jesse, you just kind of brought up, you were talking about the heat of last year, where they snuck in and then they made that run and how the bulls wouldn't do that. And that kind of made me think about how people talk about how, oh, if only the cubs, not to talk about the cubs on the home of the White Sox, he is pretty much out of the butt. How if the cubs have made the post-season last year, like the Diamondbacks and then no, maybe they could have made it wrong. It's like, why are Chicago, Chicago, the second or third biggest markets, sports market, in the US, why are they striving to be like that when they should strive to be more like the Celtics or strive to be like the Phillies, like the teams that are consistently in it. And yeah, maybe they don't win every year, but they're making a deep run at least. And why can't the bulls front office or ownership just come out? I mean, clearly the fans are gonna come watch and go to games. So it's not an issue with fan participation, but why can't they just come out and say, hey, we're gonna have some struggling years, we're gonna build this thing right, we're not gonna pay for expensive contracts, like Boots or DeRozin or the Bean, we're gonna build through the draft. And then when we realize that we're ready to win, we're gonna spend money, like some work, we're not gonna spend money, but we're gonna do it the right way. - Well, I'll tell you why. - And this feels like they're just doing the wrong way. - Well, here's the reason why Isaac is because the ownership across the board in this town takes advantage of our loyalty as fans. The bulls are number one on that list because they were number one in attendance again this past season, Jesse. Number one on the tennis, the bulls. How could that be? Is Jordan walking through the door? Pippin' walking through the door? How could that be? - So they won't even walk through the door when they did the thing for, what was that? - Just the ring of honor. - Yeah, the ring of honor, then they won't even walk through the door. - No, so that's the whole point. You're there for Red Panda and the, betting the bull in the popcorn trick. That's why you go to the games, because it's not about the basketball, because the basketball is substandard. Here's the reason why, Isaac, that a city like Boston is able to flourish. They had their parade today at the Celtics. You know why? Because of patience. That's why, because of patience. The Bruins, the Red Sox, those teams, they find a way to get themselves around the mix or in the mix for the championship. And here in Chicago, we got two damn near last place teams in baseball. We are rebuilding Sky Team, rebuilding Hawks Team. You know, and that's the problem around here is that they take advantage of our loyalty. It's like, oh, it's Chicago, they'll come. And that's not right. - There's a lot of truth to that. We don't have any sort of modern day, aggressive owner that we're seeing these billionaires that have come up, the younger billionaire that has come around and bought teams. We don't have that in Chicago. It's kind of an older billionaire class, I guess. Certainly when it comes to the Bulls, and actually Jerry Reinsdorf's two teams, he has taken advantage of it. And the answer to your question about rebuild, well, because the fans will stop coming. Not all of them. Some people like to get in on the ground floor and watch, but some will stop coming if it's just some young team that's gonna lose 60 games. And he doesn't want to see that. So a little hope keeps the fans interested, but it's really taking advantage of the fans 'cause it's just a little hope. So that's why it's happening with the Bulls, but he's right about the Cubs and White Sox too. Why aren't they building 100 win teams? Not, let's sneak in the playoff kind of teams. The White Sox weren't building towards 100 even in 2122. They were building towards 90-ish, 95-ish. Now, the Cubs are similar, right now building to the late 80s. No, we're close to upper 90s. So he's right, he is right, and you are right about taking advantage. - AEW tickets, we're gonna give those away this hour. So if you're gonna go to all elite wrestling at the win trust arena, we get your hookup between nine, eight o'clock. Listen closely, when you hear Swerve Strickland's theme, you are locked in and be caller 10 on the regular line, 3-1-2-3-3-2-3-7-7-6. Both fans, great to trade, as Caruso's gone and Josh Giddy's part of the Chicago Bulls. Also still to come, some powerful words from Reggie Jackson last night in Birmingham, Alabama. We'll get into that and more. Along with Jesse Rogers, Jay Hood with you, Captain Jay Hood, weekday morning 7 to 10. Here's to Dave's headline, headline with Captain Jay Hood. - The Bulls traded guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddy. We are talking about it with you this morning. The White Sox lost the rubber match to Houston Astros, five to three again, the bullpen blew that game. They're back in action in Detroit tonight at 540, Jason Benetti on the call for Detroit. - We've got Len Casper. - What? - And Len Casper. - We've got Len Casper and DJ. You can hear coverage of ESPN Chicago starting at five. - Don't forget the Bonetti and Casper podcast. You can also hear on ESPN Chicago. Wait a minute, hold on. - The Cubs return today against the Mets, starting at 120. They had the day off yesterday, showed at Imanaga. We'll get the ball for the Cubs against former Cubs, Jose Quintana, talk about big trades. The Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick to be their next head coach after prolonged coaching search. But anyway, they missed out on Dan Hurley, so they bring in LeBron's podcast partner, JJ Redick. Those are your headlines. - Ben Dart. - Kmart. - Jeff and Jay Hood are back. - We are back, baby. We are back. We are back. - Clap them. - All Chicago's home for sports. - ESPN Chicago. - Cap and Jay Hood on ESPN 1,000 and streaming on the ESPN Chicago app, with Jesse Rogers in for Cap on Jay Hood. We're with you at 10 o'clock, then Mike Greenberg comes in at 10 o'clock. I know nothing. I haven't heard anything. I don't haven't seen anything. I haven't heard it. Go ahead, Hamball. Tell me what's going on. So we got Greenie coming up at 10 o'clock, followed by Carmen Yurco. Carmen Yurco, by the way, with a big announcement at noon. I have no idea what it is. - You don't? 'Cause I certainly don't. - No. Big announcement coming at noon for Carmen Yurco. - Now on from 12 to 4.30. - It could be. - That's, that's the announcement. We're at 12 to three. - The announcement, is it a promotion? Maybe a station promotion? Is it a remote that they're announcing? What could it be? I should spend the next two hours trying to figure it out. - That'll go well on the seventh floor. Just keep doing that. Carmen Yurco from 12 to three. Waddle in Sylvie, 2.30 to five. Into White Sox baseballs, they take on the Tigers. It's a five o'clock pre-game right here on the home of the White Sox. Yes, we know what that is. I can't do a show without, you know, a little, hey Sylvie, I went to Steinhoffals last night. Give me a minute. - Oh, Steinhoffals, I love Steinhoffals, right? I was wearing my shady ways when I walked in, right? Oh my God, Steinhoffals, they're the best. - That's so good. - So good. I love your, I love your Sylvie. - So we're talking to you about Josh Kitty, and by the way, Sylvie, a huge Bulls fan. And I know that yesterday he was getting at it, talking about this trade. Alex Caruso is no longer a bull. He was traded to Oklahoma City. Josh, Kitty now is part of the Chicago Bulls. And again, my breakdown of what I've seen from getting, and talking to people in Oklahoma City, 21 years of age and just not a great shooter, but a really exquisite passer for a big guy. And again, a raw green talent. - Yeah, room to improve. Room to improve. The age certainly says that it makes sense on paper. It's a 30 year old with a specific skillset that's better for a contender for a 21 year old that has a higher ceiling. But I get in the moment, it may have not been enough, especially when you compare it to what they could've done at the deadline. - Marco and Lincoln Park is giving his thoughts. We're asking you to grade the trade now to Caruso's gone. Marco, good morning. - Good morning. Grade the trade, I'd give it a C minus for now. But two interesting things I wanted to bring up. What does this mean for Lanzo Ball? It kind of seems like the Bulls are ready to move on from him then. Second, if you ever watch some of the Australian League play, Giddy is very similar to LaMello. He can become not that type of player. He's not as athletic, but he can do something offensively in a different type of scheme and game. Interested to hear what you guys type of thing. - I think under Donovan, there's gonna be some development there. I'm just trying to figure out where he fits. 'Cause I'm looking at Kobe White, Giddy, Backcourt, and Kobe White, boy, was so terrific last year. To me, he was the comeback player of the year. Is that right, Charlie? Can we give him the comeback player of the year? Would that be right? Or most improved? - It's like an honorable mention. - Or most improved, yeah, that works. - Most improved player. I thought that he should've won that award this past season. And so he and Giddy and the Backcourt would be interesting to see. The only thing is that I'm pausing my thoughts on this Jesse for now, because I need to know what else the Bulls are gonna do. - This is not the only move that the Bulls are gonna do in the front office, for I understand. - No, absolutely not. I think Zach Levine's gonna be traded. The bigger question is what they do with Demarto Rosen. I mean, he's a solid guy, solid player, not at his peak anymore. Good chance they bring him back, I guess. But I don't know, you're right, what is next? Is this the start of something bigger? Or just the end of something, right? - Yes, I mean, if this is all, well, they're gonna do more, but if this was all they were gonna do, boy, what a failure. - It already has been a failure anyway, Charlie, because the point is, is that they did not get more draft picks. You gotta get a draft pick or two from Oklahoma City. - It's just weird that, 'cause we see teams cling on to the past a lot. They usually cling on to teams at one championship, or teams that went to championship. They're attached to this team that got the six seed and lost a gentleman sweep to the box. It doesn't make any sense. They're trying to still build off of this thing that happened three years ago, and insisting that that's a formula that is still working. When we all have eyes and we all can see that, no, it did not work, it's ceiling already happened. And so you might as well just move on. - I think that that's pretty key. There's no question about that. It's something they should do. Cara Shelves, responding to the lack of moves. This is before the deal took place yesterday, Jesse. He was asked, like, what about the lack of movement? - Well, I think, you know, what we did in 2021, the summer when we turned our roster around, I think we showed that we can be aggressive. In this particular moment, we didn't see, especially at this trade deadline, and the market changes all the time, is when every team or most of the teams in the league are trying to win, it's a biased market. And, you know, we are trying to stay competitive. And try not to take a step back. And so you're looking at all the options on a table and we didn't see anything that can improve our team. - Just a real quick follow-up. What's wrong with taking a small step back if it makes you better at the start of next season's tip-off? - Again, it's a subjective way of looking at things. It just depends on what was on a table, right? So at this juncture, I'm always gonna look at how to improve the team for now that makes us more competitive and for the future. And we didn't have those options available. - Art Carney, everybody. Does this remind you of your days covering the Hawks, listening to him talk? - I may, maybe a little bit. - A little bit? - Maybe a little bit. - All you talk to is Canadians and Russians. What are you talking about? - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, I didn't think of it that way, but yeah. - Doesn't it remind you a little bit? - The staccato way of being able to break things down to almost like in a trip to fanway. That's exactly what he just did there to you. - Yeah, listening to him talk just kind of fortifies what we all think, which is we don't know what this plan is. I mean, again, unless it's just to fill seats. Yeah, I don't know what this meaning. They're not gonna break it all down. I mean, they make this trade to get better, but is it really get them better? Like, what is the long-term plan here? - I think that we're gonna find out. I think it's coming to fruition now. - Unless it's just to get younger, okay. Then let's see it happen. Now you did it with one player. - But you can't be half pregnant though, Jesse. - Right. - You gotta pick a lane here. You know, the worst place in sports to be is in the middle. - Oh, yeah. - Even Kraus recognized that. - Yeah, you have to decide if you're going for it, then build around Levine and DeRozin and just go for it. But the whole thing is that it won't go into the tax because they'll never be a top five team. Remember, that's the old rhymes dwarf credo. If you're in top five, we don't mind spending the money, but if you're gonna underachieve, we can't spend. - So, I mean, so it just-- - He uses that application to his baseball team and his basketball team. - I would rather be the Pistons than the Bulls in this situation because at least the Pistons have young talent. I would rather be them in the basement. - It's true. - I'm not an expert when it comes to that, but I can't argue with that. As bad as the Pistons have been the last few years, you're right. There's young talent in the system. - Yeah. - I'd rather be them with a terrible front office than a horrible owner and Tom Gore's because who fires an NBA coach like Monty Williams on Juneteenth? Who does that? - Right, exactly. - Who does that on Freedom Day, huh? - The Pistons. - Okay, that's exactly what happened. Reggie Jackson shared powerful words yesterday at Rickwood Field. We'll explain what happened in Birmingham, Alabama, coming up next. Jonathan and Jesse, Captain J. Hood on ESPN 1000. - Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention? - I've just been handed an urgent news story. - Kick it out. - And J. Hood are back. - Cannonball! (upbeat music) - On ESPN Chicago. (upbeat music) - Cesar Delgado of North Lake won the tickets to see all elite wrestling. A-W will be in town. A-W will be in town on Wednesday, July 3rd. And A-W a great partner here at ESPN Chicago. With Jesse Rogers, Jonathan Hood with you here on Captain J. Hood, 312-332-3776 our phone number. Jesse yesterday, I thought, again, a win for Major League Baseball rare, but a win for Major League Baseball. That took place yesterday. I was watching the Giants against the Cardinals in Birmingham, Alabama. You say why? It's because it was at Historic Rickwood Field, a place where the Negro League players once played. And I just thought that it was fascinating to watch, a walkthrough history to have information about, not only the late Willie Mays, but also the Negro Leagues. And it was really a celebration of how great that league was, all the stories that came out of there. And I thought baseball did a great job of being able to show tribute to some of the all-time greats that were never heard about in the history of baseball. The stories about Satchel Page. In fact, facing Willie Mays when Willie was 17, that was a great story told last night. And just days after Willie passes, I mean, there's so much meaning, so much history. That's, remember, what baseball is about, tying the generations together and the integration of baseball and recognizing what came before the integration. It's just been cool. It's just been really cool if you love the sport and last night included. You think about the 114-year-old ballpark and they had to refurbish it so that way people can come to the game and a full press box. I'm sure I'm surprised you didn't get the call to get to Birmingham. Um, I did not. You're right. I got, you know, that this was such a big event and I am much lower on the totem pole that I did not get the call. We had other people there. The height has nothing to do with it. The status. It's about the status. And the stature, that's what I would say. My stature is not big enough to make it to Rickwood. I would have loved to be there. Again, one day maybe I will because my hope is that Major League Baseball makes this an annual event to shine a light on some of the names and the unsung heroes of baseball that were not mentioned. Yeah. I hope so too. I like a lot of the things MLB is doing in terms of playing in different places. I always fall back on this when a lot of times. It's 162 games. If we can do some different things, whether it be going overseas, whether it be playing field of dreams, it just keeps a weather playing at Rickwood. It just keeps the season moving and gives it more interest and ties it to some things like historically like this. So I liked all these different things. If it was a 60 game season different story, but it's 162, there's monotony that goes on in baseball. This provides something different. The great names of Jackie Robinson and Josh Gibson as the aforementioned Satchel Page, all part of the Negro leagues. And of course, the Birmingham Black Barons, I remember the 90s, it was great. I mean, it still happens now, but the 90s, people are rocking some of the Negro League gear because it was on the shelves. I just remember, as a south side, I was seeing a lot of that. So Alabama, that's the state in which this took place last night. And Reggie Jackson, one of the all-time greats in the game, was on Fox talking about his experience dealing with being in Birmingham and dealing with racism in baseball. When people ask me a question like that, it's like coming back here is not easy. The racism that I played here, when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled. Fortunately, I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me get through it. But I wouldn't wish it on anybody. People said to me today, I spoke and they said, you think you're a better person, you think you won when you played here and conquered. I said, you know, I would never want to do it again. I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and said, I can't eat here. I would go to a hotel and they say, then I can't stay here. We went to Charlie Finley's Country Club for a welcome home dinner and they pointed me out with the N word. He can't come in here. Finley marks the whole team out. Finally, they let me in there. He said, we're going to go to the diner and eat hamburgers or go where we're wanted. Fortunately, I had a manager in Johnny McNamara that if I couldn't eat, if I couldn't thank you, if I couldn't eat in the place, nobody would eat. We'd get food to travel. If I couldn't stay in a hotel, they'd drive to the next hotel and find a place where I could stay. Had it not been for Raleigh Fingers, Johnny McNamara, Dave Duncan, Joe and Sharon Rudy. I slept on their couch three, four nights a week for about a took month and a half. Finally, they were threatened that they would burn our apartment complex down unless I got out. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. - So Reggie Jackson, when he played in the minor leagues in 1967 in Birmingham, those names, I know that Rengabelle with you, those are names that we grew up remembering, that Johnny McNamara's and the Raleigh Fingers and guys like that. - So many thoughts go through my head when I hear stories like that. First of all, the melting pot that brings a team together and how your teammates and your manager and your organization, whether it be Branch Rickey, to the people that Reggie mentioned, coming to your aid just because of the color of your skin. I mean, just because the color of skin is being attacked. That says so much about team sports, okay? That's one thing. The other thing, and we're not gonna go on this rabbit hole, it's just one of the dumbest things in human history is this idea that your skin is black, you can't go into that restaurant. I mean, it's just, you can't sleep in this hotel. It's like the dumbest thing. That's the word I get used, just dumb. Just incredibly dumb. And another thing that goes through my mind is Chicago, like Dusty Baker days, not that long ago, he showed me the letters he got. Jack Jones showed me the letters. Just so you, you know, if you wouldn't believe them, which of course I would believe them. Anybody though, show me the racist letters they would get. Jack Jones once showed me a letter. It had a return address in Hollywood of all places, California, and the Cubs were going there in like a week. I remember this, and Jack's like, I'm gonna go to this guy's house. Like, you are not going to this guy's house. You're not gonna go there. You will, whatever version of going viral back then, let alone maybe end up in jail if you do. You're not going there, but the letters, the letters. You can't just say you suck as a player. You have to say you suck because of this reason, the color of, it's just insat. Just insanity, what Hank Aaron, Willy May's, I'm sure yourself, have to go through. It's just the dumbest thing ever. Well, the dumbest. Jesse, that is commonplace in 2024, as it was in the '60s with Reggie Jackson, as it was many, many, many years before that. Well, I hope we've gotten better. Well, well, I mean, it's not eradicated, that's for sure. Would you like my inbox? Would you like that? Exactly, right. (laughing) The point is, though, is that it's not about me. It is about Reggie Jackson and those that had to endure that strife and endure that feeling of being uncomfortable. And this is why, as you mentioned, why team is so important. Here's the point. Like, I don't care what your skin color is, you're my teammate. I need to protect you just like you'd protect me. And so this is why sport is so interesting in that way, in which no matter if someone's from Southern California, someone's from the deep South, the common bond is you have the same uniform. No doubt. It's not about your religion or your race, your creed, it's about to be a team. Personally, hate that person, but you are gonna back him over anyone outside that locker room. That's just how it works. Whether color of the skin, his personality, whatever, teammates, that word means something. Teammate means something. And at the highest price, it meant something 'cause those teammates would take abuse for being kind to their black teammates. So, Reggie, I've had dinner with Reggie several times. He's quite the person and he's a good storyteller. - Shire no shot in two minutes on Captain J. Hood.