Final thoughts from a fun-filled All-Star Weekend in Chicago

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY SportsCHICAGO — I had the pleasure of covering my first All-Star Weekend thanks to SB Nation, and the experience was truly a blast. While the Bulls have their major problems, it was still fun to be in the scrums for Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter Jr. (he wants to be back after the break) during their respective media days, and former Bulls star Jimmy Butler was entertaining as always. Jimmy still loves Chicago, and he got a ton of love from the fans before the All-Star Game.

It helped that the All-Star events themselves were terrific, from Buddy Hield winning the 3-Point Contest to the epic dunk-off in the Slam Dunk Contest to a genuinely thrilling All-Star Game. Here…