'Nooooooorm!' makes old school entrance with the Bulls on Saturday
<p>LAS VEGAS – Norman Powell was born five days after the show “Cheers” aired for the last time.</p><p>That didn’t damper Saturday afternoon’s old-school moment.</p><p>The newest Bull was headed into a conference room of the Wynn hotel to meet with the media after his two-year, $45 million deal was made official 24 hours earlier, and as he entered the doorway, Hall of Fame writer Sam Smith, 78, wasn’t going to miss the obvious opportunity.</p><p>“Nooooooorm!” Smith yelled, referring to the affectionate greeting the fictional Norm Peterson often received in the television show.</p><p>Powell didn’t skip a beat, walking toward Smith, shaking his hand and saying, “Cheers, right?”</p><p>Just an old-school vet, doing old-school vet things, and one of the main reasons the Bulls signed the guard off of his All-Star season.</p><p>“I just think my overall experience, my knowledge of the game,” Powell responded when asked how he can help this organization. “On the court, everyone is super young, I think I’m the only 30-year-old on the team, 30-plus. Just help guide them, give them the knowledge I’ve gotten and received over the years from the vets that I’ve had, and then just helping them just focus on the details of the game. How to improve and how we can improve to play winning basketball every single night.</p><p>“Off the court, helping them navigate life as a professional.”</p><p>Powell seems to have that all down at this point, not that he took the road frequently travelled.</p><p>As a second-round pick (No. 46 overall in the 2015 draft), Powell saw frequent roll and rotation changes his six seasons up north with Toronto, until he was traded to Portland during the 2020-21 season. Then came some impressive seasons in Los Angeles with the Clippers until taking his talents to South Beach last year.</p><p>All Powell did with the Heat was become an All-Star, average 21.7 points per game, and become one of the more attractive free agents in the class.</p><p>Did Powell want to stay with Miami? He admittedly did, but once he saw the writing on the wall in the Giannis Antetokounmpo acquisition, he knew plans would have to change.</p><p>That’s where the Bulls stepped in, not only financially, but from a flexibility standpoint for both parties. Year 2 of the deal is a team option, so that makes Powell a moveable asset rather than a long-term commitment.</p><p>“I just think with the way the league is and free agency, just the aprons and things like that, teams are trying to get creative,” Powell said of his deal. “For me, I go into every situation wanting to be here, wanting to help win and contribute anyway I can, but looking at the business of it, I’ve been around so long that those things have crossed my mind. I’ve thought about it, but I don’t pay too much mind on it. My focus is on being here, being in the moment, and how I can help.”</p><p>Help that not only will show up in his experience, but what the roster needs.</p><p>Rookie Caleb Wilson isn’t likely going to hit seven three-pointers a game like he did in his Friday Summer League debut, and other projected starters like Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey can get hot from outside but also lack consistency.</p><p>Powell is a multi-dimensional scorer who has shot 40-plus% seven seasons of his career, while also showing an improved ability to get to the free throw line. Both needed skills for this roster to not only space the floor but give the Bulls a go-to option in tight situations.</p><p>And one never knows when that 90s television pop culture knowledge might come in handy.</p>