WT- Nate unlikely to be back (WAIT! + instagram pic pg 81!)

[League Circles]

@ESPNSteinLine: A return to Chicago, even after Nate's playoff heroics, appears unlikely in the extreme given reservations of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau

Man...

I called this a while back. You can totally tell that Thibbs' mind respects Nate's game and that he WANTS to like his game because he knows Nate is a warrior with huge balls....

BUT, Thibbs' instincts are just so overpowering to not want NAte and everything that would come with him being back on the team.

I think part of it might have to do with how he might perceive possible Nate vs. Kirk vs. Teague vs. a possible rusty Rose vs. Snell indirectly dynamics play out. Maybe Thibbs thinks Nate is one too many cooks in the kitchen.

One thing we know about Thibbs is that he clearly believes in having a defined role for every player on the roster. I mean hell he made sure Teague was our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter end of quarter defensive stopper at PG for like 10 seconds each time. It was obvious that although Teague generally sucked and Thibbs knew it, he wanted him to get a role for some accountability and for the sake of keeping the young guy's head in it. It's gotta be weird going from playing big minutes in every game ever and then at age 19 all of sudden you're a 12th man.

Anyways, I'm not even saying it's about Teague particularly, but just that I think Thibbs values the subtleties of chemistry far more than maybe many of us or even the FO do, and that he's not convinced that having Nate on the roster won't lead to chemistry problems. Not that Nate isn't a great teammate, but just the having him here might lead to unclear roles for a lot of players.

I'm sure Thibbs is outright against Nate coming back, but his reservations probably mean that he is looking for a better fit than Nate (a true SG) while the FO waits for Nate and Nate waits for other offers.

[Chi]

I don't get why Thibs hates him so much. I understand he's hard to control, but his energy is unlike anybody else in the league. We need that off our bench. Also I don't want Teague to ever play another minute.

I don't get posts like yours. Why wouldn't you want Teague to play?

Barring injuries if Teague is playing its because Thibs has faith in him. That's a good thing it shows he's coming along.

I have no trust in Teague, and I don't think he has any confidence. He can't shoot AT ALL. I don't think he will develop a better shot by next season, judging by he didn't his first year either. I like when he drives in rather than shooting, but he doesn't try to much. Would you rather have Nate or Teague play? I rather have Nate play. Nate can at least spark an offense which we clearly lack when DRose isn't in the game.

EDIT: I understand what ur saying btw, I just don't believe Teague will be that much better next year, in the future who knows. But for next yr I rather have Nate.

I've got to agree. And i'm not a Teague hater what so ever, I actually believe he has a very bright future as a backup fast paced floor general.

But the key word there is Future... He hasn't shown the slightest signs of being ready to positively contribute on a consistent basis yet. Since when do the Bulls throw a young player into the fire before they're ready?

That is so out of character for this organization, and right now you're picking the worse time in history to do it because you have a much more than solid player like Nate Robinson who is good and ready for any role we need. And he provides things this team sorely lacks for minimal money. There's no downside here.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

Have you guys ever thought about the possibility that the Bulls simply do not even want Nate back?

I always viewed him as nothing more than a stopgap for last season. That's all.

[League Circles]

We have 12 guys that are pretty much sure to be here:

5: Noah, Nazr, Murphy
4: Boozer, Taj
3: Deng, Dunleavy
2: Butler, Snell
1: Rose, Kirk, Teague

Sadly, it's quite possible that we may just sign one more player which might even be Thomas, and roll like this. Id' like one more big C like Diop for emergency defense if/when Noah or Nazr are hurt, and I'd like one more guard who can create a bit, ideally Nate.

[Mr Funk]

Honestly, I think Stein might be talking out of his ass. Thibs is the reason Nate was on team last year, not Gar or Pax. Thibs was the one who decided to play Nate instead of giving Teague entitlement minutes.

"The thing is about Nate, and again thought he had a very good year, but in the last month and a half I thought he and Kirk played extremely well together, and Nate was more at the two. I like that versatility, so I wouldn't rule anything out." - Thibs


The permeation of Debbie Downers in this thread is gross.

[Carl25]

If Nate comes back here, he'll probably expect a considerable amount of playing time after what he did for the team last season. With Rose, Hinrich, Butler, and possibly Teague getting minutes in the backcourt, there isn't a whole lot of space for another guard. Thibs would probably prefer someone like Daequan Cook, who wouldn't be expecting much playing time.

Basically, Nate seems like a guy who could become disgruntled if he isn't getting minutes. Thibs doesn't want to ruin chemistry just to have Nate back on the team.

[RastaBull]

I don't get why Thibs hates him so much. I understand he's hard to control, but his energy is unlike anybody else in the league. We need that off our bench. Also I don't want Teague to ever play another minute.

I don't get posts like yours. Why wouldn't you want Teague to play?

Barring injuries if Teague is playing its because Thibs has faith in him. That's a good thing it shows he's coming along.

I agree with you Johnny. I think Thibs actually likes Teague and was happy with the potential he showed. He already looks like someone who will put in the grind defensively and can, at this moment, be above-average against most point guards. He obviously likes that.

He showed he can get to the hoop offensively but needs work on finishing and needs a lot of work on running/initiating the offense. Rose is a great mentor for problem one and Kirk is excellent for problem two.

Teague never complained about not getting playing time. And, we know Thibs runs his players hard in practice and I'm assuming Thibs probably like how Teague handled that pressure and/or took it seriously.

All that said, I'll still think it unwise to not offer Nate the 120% because Thibs/FO/whoever wants to see more of Teague. I have faith we'd be fine in that scenario, but depth and versatility is SOOO important when Indiana (Copeland, Watson), Brooklyn (obvious), NY (Bargs), Miami (possibly Oden) are all adding new dimensions and depth to their rosters. Yes, we are adding Dunleavy and that's certainly the kind of step we need to take, but losing Rip (just as depth), Beli, and Nate is hard when looking at the other top teams' moves.

[League Circles]

Have you guys ever thought about the possibility that the Bulls simply do not even want Nate back?

I always viewed him as nothing more than a stopgap for last season. That's all.

Yeah. Nate played the role of Derrick Rose last year. Derrick Rose is now back. It's potentially awkward. Derrick already has/had mental roadblocks to playing. Personally, I think part of that had to do with the fact that Nate was often lighting it up. Not that Nate is as good as Rose of course, even offensively, but he certainly capable of better individual offensive games on occasion (MJ-esque 4th qtr and OT vs Brooklyn) and Nate is such a "star" and garners so much attention when he's on that maybe the Bulls secretly think it's better if Nate isn't back. Rose was filled with doubt and having an unreal athlete with a better shot and maybe even bigger balls backing him up might potentially lead to a less than perfect team.

The thing is, we really are short on offensive creation if Nate isn't back. That is unless Teague takes a big step up and can be the primary backup PG with Kirk playing the 2. Because Kirk trying to feed Taj in the post and Dunleavy and Snell for jumpers is not going to be pretty.

[JackFinn]

"The thing is about Nate, and again thought he had a very good year, but in the last month and a half I thought he and Kirk played extremely well together, and Nate was more at the two. I like that versatility, so I wouldn't rule anything out." - Thibs

[TheStig]

Have you guys ever thought about the possibility that the Bulls simply do not even want Nate back?

I always viewed him as nothing more than a stopgap for last season. That's all.

If all it takes is the minimum. I think he played himself into a spot on this team.

[Stolos26]

Hate to see Nate leaving but now time to sign Goudelock

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

Have you guys ever thought about the possibility that the Bulls simply do not even want Nate back?

I always viewed him as nothing more than a stopgap for last season. That's all.

Yeah. Nate played the role of Derrick Rose last year. Derrick Rose is now back. It's potentially awkward. Derrick already has/had mental roadblocks to playing. Personally, I think part of that had to do with the fact that Nate was often lighting it up. Not that Nate is as good as Rose of course, even offensively, but he certainly capable of better individual offensive games on occasion (MJ-esque 4th qtr and OT vs Brooklyn) and Nate is such a "star" and garners so much attention when he's on that maybe the Bulls secretly think it's better if Nate isn't back. Rose was filled with doubt and having an unreal athlete with a better shot and maybe even bigger balls backing him up might potentially lead to a less than perfect team.

The thing is, we really are short on offensive creation if Nate isn't back. That is unless Teague takes a big step up and can be the primary backup PG with Kirk playing the 2. Because Kirk trying to feed Taj in the post and Dunleavy and Snell for jumpers is not going to be pretty.

I highly doubt that Rose is intimidated by Nate in any way.

The simple truth is that there's really no room or minutes for Nate on the team next season. The Bulls are not gonna trot 5'6" Nate Robinson out on the court with Rose. Teague is entering his second year, which means that he will more than likely see consistent minutes.

Nate realizes this & it's why he's using his twitter followers to put pressure on the Bulls. He needs the Bulls to drive up his price.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

Very curious to see if Teague balls out in Summer League.

I hope he's the reason Thibs is Anti-Nate.

[jc23]

If nate doesnt return lets hope that gives Teague more room to develop and in turn increase his trade value.

TT is good at its showcasing point guards in his offense.

[jc23]

I would love to keep nate since i think

Noah
Deng
Jimmy
Derrick
Nate

is a nice crunch time 5 vs miami. But its just not in the cards, i really hope the guy gets at least the mmle from somebody. He deserves it.

[-Illmatic-]

Have you guys ever thought about the possibility that the Bulls simply do not even want Nate back?

I always viewed him as nothing more than a stopgap for last season. That's all.

Yeah. Nate played the role of Derrick Rose last year. Derrick Rose is now back. It's potentially awkward. Derrick already has/had mental roadblocks to playing. Personally, I think part of that had to do with the fact that Nate was often lighting it up. Not that Nate is as good as Rose of course, even offensively, but he certainly capable of better individual offensive games on occasion (MJ-esque 4th qtr and OT vs Brooklyn) and Nate is such a "star" and garners so much attention when he's on that maybe the Bulls secretly think it's better if Nate isn't back. Rose was filled with doubt and having an unreal athlete with a better shot and maybe even bigger balls backing him up might potentially lead to a less than perfect team.

The thing is, we really are short on offensive creation if Nate isn't back. That is unless Teague takes a big step up and can be the primary backup PG with Kirk playing the 2. Because Kirk trying to feed Taj in the post and Dunleavy and Snell for jumpers is not going to be pretty.

I highly doubt that Rose is intimidated by Nate in any way.

The simple truth is that there's really no room or minutes for Nate on the team next season. The Bulls are not gonna trot 5'6" Nate Robinson out on the court with Rose. Teague is entering his second year, which means that he will more than likely see consistent minutes.

Nate realizes this & it's why he's using his twitter followers to put pressure on the Bulls. He needs the Bulls to drive up his price.

How can the Bulls drive up his price?

[League Circles]

I highly doubt that Rose is intimidated by Nate in any way.

I don't think he is either. But if you're the Bulls FO and just saw Derrick sit out for months because of confidence issues, can't you imagine that if Derrick starts rusty and bricks some shots, and Nate starts hot and is shooting lights out (both quite possible), that Derrick might get a little down on himself?

The simple truth is that there's really no room or minutes for Nate on the team next season. The Bulls are not gonna trot 5'6" Nate Robinson out on the court with Rose. Teague is entering his second year, which means that he will more than likely see consistent minutes.

Well, Teague being in his second year as a 20 year old following a poor season really shouldn't be entitled to or counted on for minutes. Plenty of 2nd year players don't see consistent minutes. Hell, many 10th year players don't see consistent minutes. Every team will always have at least 2 or 3 guys not seeing consistent minutes. If you start with Nate and Kirk as the 2nd string backcourt, Nate will get plenty of minutes. If Teague outplays him or Kirk, he can play. If Snell outplays Dunleavy or Kirk, he can play. If Murphy outplays Nazr, he can play.

Nate realizes this & it's why he's using his twitter followers to put pressure on the Bulls. He needs the Bulls to drive up his price.

I pretty much agree with this. I mean, I think there's still a notable chance he will return, but I agree he probably doubts his playing time prospects and of course also wants more money.

[League Circles]

How can the Bulls drive up his price?

The Bulls can offer him 20% above the vet minimum. If another interested team believes he's going to sign with the Bulls for that amount, they may offer him a little bit more, like the BAE of about 1.9 mil or something like that.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

How can the Bulls drive up his price?

The Bulls can offer him 20% above the vet minimum. If another interested team believes he's going to sign with the Bulls for that amount, they may offer him a little bit more, like the BAE of about 1.9 mil or something like that.

Thanks for explaining that, Gar.

You're better than me with that technical cap stuff anyway .

[Chi]

I really wish people would get over this Nate height thing. It's almost like no one even saw that epic season he had just last year.

We've all seen him dominate players with the so called "size" that some of us seem to want. Nate proves that the "size" of his heart is much more valuable then the physical size of his competition in most cases.

Ask 6'2 CJ Watson. Or would you actually prefer him? He has size.

Nate's positive impact on this team, with his big buckets and the way he fuels our entire team with energy, far outweighs any negative impact he may have on the defensive end. Especially on such a strong defensive team like ours. His offensive impact and energy are undeniable!