Well, no matter what happens from here on out, at least we know that Kyle Korver has a sense of humor.
The veteran sharpshooter showed that throughout his opening session with the Chicago media on Tuesday afternoon, deep in the bowels of the United Center. From the moment he stepped up to the podium, you could tell that the 29-year-old probably wouldn't have much of a problem fitting in with the rest of his new teammates.
As Bulls general manager Gar Forman unfurled his new No. 26 jersey, Korver looked down and uttered a phrase from a Saturday Night Live skit that any Chicago fan can appreciate, "Da Bulls."
Of course, a few moments later, Korver revealed that he didn't particularly care for the Bulls when he was younger.
"I thought Michael Jordan was selfish and I hated the Bulls growing up," he said. "I was a Lakers fan because I was actually born in L.A., so showtime basketball, that's what I grew up watching. As I got older and worked harder at my game I came to respect Michael's game that much more, obviously. And this is really cool standing here with the Bulls’ uniform. I've played on a couple different teams in my career, but the Bulls, that's pretty serious stuff, it's pretty cool."
What's even cooler for Korver is that he realizes that after playing with Deron Williams for about two and half seasons in Utah, he gets to play in Chicago with Derrick Rose.
"I'm really looking forward to it," he said of playing with the 21-year-old All-Star. "I know in playing against him the last couple years, when he would take those three backpedals and then have that high screen and just come at you full speed, he was really hard to guard. Obviously, there usually needs to be two or three different guys guarding him and hopefully that opens up looks for me, and if guys want to stay closer to me, he's going to be able to drive all the way to the basket, so I think it's a really good fit."
The scary part for Korver, and for that matter Rose, is that the pair have a chance to help each other out a lot. Korver's shooting prowess combined with Rose's drive-and-kick style isn't just a good fit, it has the chance to be great. Rose has the ability to break down opponents off the dribble and create space for shooters. The biggest problem the Bulls had last year is that they didn't have any shooters who could consistently knock down shots. If Korver shoots anything close to the 53 percent from beyond the arc that he did last season, he and Rose could form one of the deadliest drive-and-kick combinations in the league.
Maybe that's the biggest reason why Korver seemed so at peace with his decision as he stood up at the podium.
"I thought it was the best fit for me," he said of coming to Chicago. "They need some shooting, I'm very comfortable with [Carlos Boozer] obviously. I really love the direction this team is going. I feel like I fit in very well and I'm excited to be a Bull. There wasn't really a negative aspect to coming here. I'm really excited."
Speaking of Boozer, don't think he didn't have some impact as to where Korver ended up. The Bulls' major free-agent acquisition has been in constant contact with Korver over the last week, and now Korver is trying to throw on the same recruiting pitch for another former Utah teammate, Ronnie Brewer. If the Orlando Magic match the offer sheet that the Bulls gave J.J. Redick, you can bet the Bulls will go hard after Brewer.
"[Boozer] reached out to me and we talked about it for sure," Korver said. "And I was texting Ronnie Brewer earlier, so we're trying to start the Chicago Jazz here. I don't know if you knew that."
The sense of humor popped up once again, before being deflected by the talk of his mindset over the last few days.
"You definitely talk to different players," he continued. "Me and Booz are good friends. I love playing with him. Obviously, he helps me out a lot in my game and I think I help him out a little bit too. We were definitely texting a lot in the last few days."
If Korver works the floor as well as he subtly worked the room at times on Tuesday, the Bulls should be in good shape.