UPDATE
Looks like we won’t hit our All-Star break deadline. PSA is now estimating a March 18th turnaround on our submission.
Our costs so far:
2× raw Buzelis Red Ice Prizms + grading fees: $74.43 total ($37.22 per card)
Performance Update
As of January 12, the Bulls are hovering around the 10th seed in the East at 18–20. That’s good enough for the play-in, but locking up a guaranteed playoff spot would require a real run.
On December 29, the Bulls took a major blow when Josh Giddey strained his hamstring and was sidelined for what’s expected to be multiple weeks. Giddey had solidified himself as the engine of this Bulls team. In the wake of Giddey’s absence, someone needs to step up.
A chunk of those minutes has gone to Buzelis, who’s averaged roughly 30 minutes per game since the injury. Over that stretch, Buzelis is averaging 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. The three-ball has started to regress, down to 35%. That’s roughly league average.
His most complete game came against Orlando: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists — capped off by this insane dunk.
The market is losing interest in both Buzelis and the Bulls — fast. Raw Red Ice copies are selling for $13. That’s a 38% drop since our last check-in. PSA 10s are averaging $208, a 19.5% decrease.
This is what happens when a team sours: the hobby moves on. Even Josh Giddey is buried in the All-Star voting. People are just paying more attention to the better storylines of the season.
At this point, we may need to start thinking about cutting our losses.
For now, we’re still holding. But with the Bulls fading and the market already cooling, this is drifting out of flip territory and uncomfortably close to a flop.
Table of Contents
Need to catch up or refresh yourself on the series?
You can find all the major installments below 👇
Part 1: The Plan
Part 2: Dropping Dimes
Part 3: Mail Day
Part 4: Grading
Update: (You are here)
Part 5: Coming Soon
Disclaimer: The content in The Hobby Wire is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Commentary, analysis, and opinions on sports cards, rookies, and the hobby are not financial, investment, or professional advice. Collectors should always do their own research before buying, selling, or trading cards. Market values are volatile and can change rapidly—past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Unless specified, all pricing references are based on the Prizm/Refractor parallels of an athlete’s Chrome rookie card, with prices from alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Gotta love psa turnaround times!
I think matas is a good young player, I've been buying the dip.