GT: Bulls @ Cavaliers - 6 CT

[The Force.]

Get ready for consistent 10pt deficits in the first qtr. The starting lineup won’t stop anyone, forcing the reserves to clean up their mess. Fortunately the Bulls arguably have a top 5 bench that will outplay most teams.

I won’t be surprised if Giddey gets benched to close out tight games.

[MikeDC]

Get ready for consistent 10pt deficits in the first qtr. The starting lineup won’t stop anyone, forcing the reserves to clean up their mess. Fortunately the Bulls arguably have a top 5 bench that will outplay most teams.

I won’t be surprised if Giddey gets benched to close out tight games.

Any starting/closing lineup without Giddey (and Coby) is also going to be getting into consistent deficits because they can't score on anyone.

Defense is not even 50% of the the NBA game.

[The Force.]

Get ready for consistent 10pt deficits in the first qtr. The starting lineup won’t stop anyone, forcing the reserves to clean up their mess. Fortunately the Bulls arguably have a top 5 bench that will outplay most teams.

I won’t be surprised if Giddey gets benched to close out tight games.

Any starting/closing lineup without Giddey (and Coby) is also going to be getting into consistent deficits because they can't score on anyone.

Defense is not even 50% of the the NBA game.

I’m not sure if your last sentence is a serious statement.

The Bulls don’t lose much without Giddey, especially if Jones is playing well. Giddey also hurts you on offense due to his defender playing free safety. Time will tell if his off dribble 3pt shooting will improve.

[MrSparkle]

Giddey looked bad last night (besides some passes and steals), and that’s ultimately his limitation: If he’s out-of-shape, nursing a foot injury, then his barely sufficient mobility becomes unplayable. Banking on him to stay in peak shape and health to be worth that contract (or more)… but that was part of the deal.

Anyway, if you want to definitively lose games, all you do is pair Giddey and Vuc. If you want an extra cherry on top, add in Coby and Huerter for a 4-sieve special. The only nice thing about it is you get much stronger 3P spacing (unless Huerter and Vuc continue shooting like yesterday).

[ShouldaPaidBG]

Matas has size, skills, and Jimmy's mentality. Just sit back and enjoy.

[MikeDC]

Get ready for consistent 10pt deficits in the first qtr. The starting lineup won’t stop anyone, forcing the reserves to clean up their mess. Fortunately the Bulls arguably have a top 5 bench that will outplay most teams.

I won’t be surprised if Giddey gets benched to close out tight games.

Any starting/closing lineup without Giddey (and Coby) is also going to be getting into consistent deficits because they can't score on anyone.

Defense is not even 50% of the the NBA game.

I’m not sure if your last sentence is a serious statement.

I'm not sure if your sentence is a serious statement either.

The Bulls don’t lose much without Giddey, especially if Jones is playing well. Giddey also hurts you on offense due to his defender playing free safety. Time will tell if his off dribble 3pt shooting will improve.

Well, that explains why the Bulls just signed Giddey at 3x what they just resigned Jones. The difference isn't defense.

[jnrjr79]

Because it’s fun to stupidly overreact to a single preseason game, I will say my takeaway was that Essengue is going to play himself into a role at some point this season. His physically ability really sort of pops in a notable way.

[kodo]

Matas 19 points and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes on 74%ts?

Didn't see the game but is that a typo?

Stats are whatever in preseason, but he's clearly progressed as a scorer. My favorite sequence was in the 3rd.
- Matas pushes the ball, it's 1 on 5
- Cavs pack in the paint
- Matas pulls up off the dribble for a 3 on Mobley who was backing off of him
- A few minutes later in the same situation and same spot on the floor he dribbles into his shooting motion
- Mobley bites hard on the pull up motion
- Matas takes 1 dribble and he's already laying the ball up at the backboard

His length is crazy, I don't know how you take 1 dribble at the 3 point line and he's already at the rim. The ball didn't hit the ground inside the 3P line.

[kodo]

Other good:
Ayo looked really good

Other bad:
Dalen / Philips don't look like NBA players

Very early on Ayo had like half the team's total points. His role seems to be oddly changing to instant offense vs a POA defender like Caruso.
Depending on the rest of the preseason, might be time to just give up on Julian. He hasn't shown me anything other than being a great leaper, and hasn't translated the leaping into defense either (like Derrick Jones).

Never sure why we gave up 2x 2nd round picks for him.

[MrSparkle]

Other good:
Ayo looked really good

Other bad:
Dalen / Philips don't look like NBA players

Very early on Ayo had like half the team's total points. His role seems to be oddly changing to instant offense vs a POA defender like Caruso.
Depending on the rest of the preseason, might be time to just give up on Julian. He hasn't shown me anything other than being a great leaper, and hasn't translated the leaping into defense either (like Derrick Jones).

Never sure why we gave up 2x 2nd round picks for him.

AK continues to strike out on picks that weren’t “consensus drops” (Ayo and Matas). Hoping Noa changes that trend... I wouldn’t call him a reach, but he wasn’t the consensus. I do like his IQ and potential, but the handles are a concern. (I could see the justification over Queen… but I am worried Yang’s gonna be a superstar, whereas Noa has more of a role-player archetype.)

Phillips is another in a series of darts thrown at “draft athleticism, figure out shooting later.” I think this used to work in the NBA, but the standards for 3P shooting are so high right now, it’s busch league playing a project shooter. 35% on contested 3Ps is more like the new standard. These guys averaged below that, wide open, on low volume (Terry, Phillips, Jalen).

[AhUtopian]

About Patrick Williams .

Except one box out , one missing rebound and one stepping out of bound ,missing free throws ,I give positive opinions on rest of his game .

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[Rose2Boozer]

Solid first run, but I need to see Ayo in the starting lineup next game. If the Bulls don't have Coby's scoring, Ayo and Okoro defensive pressure has to turn into a thing.

This team is not far away from Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue starting at the forward positions. Isaac Okoro will be a solid reserve small forward.

[Evil_Headband]

Drawing fouls was one of Noa's strengths from the scouting reports. Nice to see that materialize a couple times in the game. Maybe Billy will throw him in for some short stints early in the season as, like, an 11th man but I don't think he'll be a staple in the rotation.

It was interesting that Yuki came in before Carter and was also the only 2-way guy to play. Also, Yuki's minutes (14) were similar to some of the other bench players. If Yuki plays well in the G League, I wouldn't be surprised to see Billy give Yuki some rotational minutes if a few ball handlers were out of action. Billy seems to trust him.

It also seems that Smith will be the odd man out of the center rotation. I guess that's not surprising based on how last year ended.

I thought Patrick played OK. There were a few frustrating moments but I've come to expect those. I still haven't given up hope in him being a decent 3 and D guy. Probably not worth his contract but $18 million isn't what it used to be.

[dougthonus]

Other good:
Ayo looked really good

Other bad:
Dalen / Philips don't look like NBA players

Very early on Ayo had like half the team's total points. His role seems to be oddly changing to instant offense vs a POA defender like Caruso.
Depending on the rest of the preseason, might be time to just give up on Julian. He hasn't shown me anything other than being a great leaper, and hasn't translated the leaping into defense either (like Derrick Jones).

Never sure why we gave up 2x 2nd round picks for him.

AK continues to strike out on picks that weren’t “consensus drops” (Ayo and Matas). Hoping Noa changes that trend... I wouldn’t call him a reach, but he wasn’t the consensus. I do like his IQ and potential, but the handles are a concern. (I could see the justification over Queen… but I am worried Yang’s gonna be a superstar, whereas Noa has more of a role-player archetype.)

Phillips is another in a series of darts thrown at “draft athleticism, figure out shooting later.” I think this used to work in the NBA, but the standards for 3P shooting are so high right now, it’s busch league playing a project shooter. 35% on contested 3Ps is more like the new standard. These guys averaged below that, wide open, on low volume (Terry, Phillips, Jalen).

Just curious, do you think there was a consensus where Noa was? I think he was maybe not a consensus, but as much of one as their could be.

I really liked the gamble on Philips. It hasn't worked out, but most second rounders don't work out. He felt like a good guy to take a chance on to me.

My only criticism with Noa was not taking the NOP package. I think people tend to get overly judgy on draft results in the NBA because the sample size is so small. But the outcomes are highly unpredictable which is why my bigger gripe has been more process and not getting more chances. Dalen and Pat felt like big reaches to me that didn't make much sense. Matas, Noa, Philips, Ayo were picks that fundamentally made sense to me.

Not every pick that make sense is a good pick nor every pick that feels like a reach a bad one. I don't know how anyone would have a valid way for judging Yang, and I am not sure if be excited for him now. Chinese players have historically been over hyped, under delivered, and have concerns about falsifying age to blur how much potential is there. The competition is really poor and hard to gauge as well.

Yao was obviously a stud, and Yang may be a stud, but that would be a tough one to take a risk on if you didn't have a ton of resources towards scouting China which hasn't had a viable player come out of it in over 20 years.

[MrSparkle]

Very early on Ayo had like half the team's total points. His role seems to be oddly changing to instant offense vs a POA defender like Caruso.
Depending on the rest of the preseason, might be time to just give up on Julian. He hasn't shown me anything other than being a great leaper, and hasn't translated the leaping into defense either (like Derrick Jones).

Never sure why we gave up 2x 2nd round picks for him.

AK continues to strike out on picks that weren’t “consensus drops” (Ayo and Matas). Hoping Noa changes that trend... I wouldn’t call him a reach, but he wasn’t the consensus. I do like his IQ and potential, but the handles are a concern. (I could see the justification over Queen… but I am worried Yang’s gonna be a superstar, whereas Noa has more of a role-player archetype.)

Phillips is another in a series of darts thrown at “draft athleticism, figure out shooting later.” I think this used to work in the NBA, but the standards for 3P shooting are so high right now, it’s busch league playing a project shooter. 35% on contested 3Ps is more like the new standard. These guys averaged below that, wide open, on low volume (Terry, Phillips, Jalen).

Just curious, do you think there was a consensus where Noa was? I think he was maybe not a consensus, but as much of one as their could be.

I really liked the gamble on Philips. It hasn't worked out, but most second rounders don't work out. He felt like a good guy to take a chance on to me.

My only criticism with Noa was not taking the NOP package. I think people tend to get overly judgy on draft results in the NBA because the sample size is so small. But the outcomes are highly unpredictable which is why my bigger gripe has been more process and not getting more chances. Dalen and Pat felt like big reaches to me that didn't make much sense. Matas, Noa, Philips, Ayo were picks that fundamentally made sense to me.

Not every pick that make sense is a good pick nor every pick that feels like a reach a bad one. I don't know how anyone would have a valid way for judging Yang, and I am not sure if be excited for him now. Chinese players have historically been over hyped, under delivered, and have concerns about falsifying age to blur how much potential is there. The competition is really poor and hard to gauge as well.

Yao was obviously a stud, and Yang may be a stud, but that would be a tough one to take a risk on if you didn't have a ton of resources towards scouting China which hasn't had a viable player come out of it in over 20 years.

My tone might’ve come off wrong… I also didn’t have a problem with the Phillips pick (nor Dalen and Pat, at their draft times)… though I was skeptical when AK said he expected him to contribute as a rookie.

It’s just been a drag to see that AKME have routinely misevaluated these similar types of prospects (inc. trade pickups like Troy Brown Jr.)… who seem to check all the boxes… Jack-of-all-trade wings who fit the prototype, but end up under-skilled across the board (primarily in shooting)… jacks-of-no-trades. I like Noa as a prospect and he was picked in a fair range, but I’m just uneasy with AKME’s picks at this point- that’s all. Do think it was a bit bold skipping on Queen and the NOP trade- both of which have a decent shot at panning better than Noa. I DO like Noa and hope he pans out; all-star ceiling seems foggy, just given his handles. But who knows. Like Matas (and Ayo), he does seem to have a better IQ and feel for system offense than the rest of the Bulls farm.

It’s only my SL hot take, but Yang looks special. He can’t speak English, yet he was making all types of amazing reads with random SL players. His IQ and skills are wild for his size and athleticism.

I agree he’d be a big risk for the Bulls since he came out of nowhere, but I’d like our “Jokic mastermind” AK to be able to correctly locate the Giannis/Jokic drops of the drafts…

We’ll have to see once he plays NBA reg. season. Blazers coaching staff and vets are already talking about Yang like he’s the real deal. Players know when a stud has entered the building (kind of like when baby D. Rose arrived at the Berto Center), and it seems to be the vibe over there. Of course it’s too early to say… and it’s incredibly rare to strike on such gold outside the top-10, but IF he looks like a star by next season? while Noa looks like a 2-4Y utility player project, I think we’ll all be grumpy about another star AK missed out on (an alarmingly growing list, esp. if we include Mitchell and Gobert). IMO Queen also is being overlooked; with better conditioning and focus, he has all-star potential.

[Red Larrivee]

It’s only my SL hot take, but Yang looks special. He can’t speak English, yet he was making all types of amazing reads with random SL players. His IQ and skills are wild for his size and athleticism.

I agree he’d be a big risk for the Bulls since he came out of nowhere, but I’d like our “Jokic mastermind” AK to be able to correctly locate the Giannis/Jokic drops of the drafts….

If Yang becomes a superstar it will be one of the most unlikely archetypes for a first rounder ever. He wasn't even a first rounder on the majority of respected draft boards.

I don't think you can hold that against any front office for the same ways you can't criticize the entire NBA for skipping Jokic. Denver had 2 firsts from the trade with us and didn't take Jokic until 41.

It just doesn't work that way.

[MrSparkle]

It’s only my SL hot take, but Yang looks special. He can’t speak English, yet he was making all types of amazing reads with random SL players. His IQ and skills are wild for his size and athleticism.

I agree he’d be a big risk for the Bulls since he came out of nowhere, but I’d like our “Jokic mastermind” AK to be able to correctly locate the Giannis/Jokic drops of the drafts….

If Yang becomes a superstar it will be one of the most unlikely archetypes for a first rounder ever. He wasn't even a first rounder on the majority of respected draft boards.

I don't think you can hold that against any front office for the same ways you can't criticize the entire NBA for skipping Jokic. Denver had 2 firsts from the trade with us and didn't take Jokic until 41.

It just doesn't work that way.

Kinda. Come combine, he was a known commodity, though.

[Red Larrivee]

It’s only my SL hot take, but Yang looks special. He can’t speak English, yet he was making all types of amazing reads with random SL players. His IQ and skills are wild for his size and athleticism.

I agree he’d be a big risk for the Bulls since he came out of nowhere, but I’d like our “Jokic mastermind” AK to be able to correctly locate the Giannis/Jokic drops of the drafts….

If Yang becomes a superstar it will be one of the most unlikely archetypes for a first rounder ever. He wasn't even a first rounder on the majority of respected draft boards.

I don't think you can hold that against any front office for the same ways you can't criticize the entire NBA for skipping Jokic. Denver had 2 firsts from the trade with us and didn't take Jokic until 41.

It just doesn't work that way.

Kinda. Come combine, he was a known commodity, though.

People knew about him and he still wasn't a firm first rounder or believed to have clear all-star potential. Find the number of times anyone talked about him at length in the draft threads.

Him becoming a superstar would not mean the Bulls evaluated the draft poorly. It's not like he was some clear franchise player and they took a mid talent instead.

[mack2354]

Not sure the P. Will hate is justified. He scored on all his FG attempts including an off the dribble 3. One of the FG attempts was a nice cut along the baseline that Giddey dropped a nice dime to proving he was moving without the ball instead of just standing in the corner. He drew the most Free Throw attempts on the team which should show you he was aggressive with the ball in his hands. He was guarding Mobley a good chunk of his minutes who is way taller/longer than him. He didn't shut him down but he was forcing him to take some tough contested shots. Of course P. Will didn't play like the superstar we hoped he would be when he was drafted so high. We are being dishonest if we can't admit he played well enough to be considered a low end starter or role player in the second unit. It seems the bar for him seems to be perfection or else he's a scrub.

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[MrSparkle]

If Yang becomes a superstar it will be one of the most unlikely archetypes for a first rounder ever. He wasn't even a first rounder on the majority of respected draft boards.

I don't think you can hold that against any front office for the same ways you can't criticize the entire NBA for skipping Jokic. Denver had 2 firsts from the trade with us and didn't take Jokic until 41.

It just doesn't work that way.

Kinda. Come combine, he was a known commodity, though.

People knew about him and he still wasn't a firm first rounder or believed to have clear all-star potential. Find the number of times anyone talked about him at length in the draft threads.

Him becoming a superstar would not mean the Bulls evaluated the draft poorly. It's not like he was some clear franchise player and they took a mid talent instead.

There was hesitation to mock him high since he popped up out of nowhere... But I don’t think it’s all that comparable to a Jokic. International scouting has improved since 10Y ago (and it will continue to evolve), and I think the old/known draft beat writers are probably falling behind the times. Esp. ESPN, whose draft night ratings are proving to be a joke besides the most obvious choices (A+ for Flagg).

Yang wasn’t picked during a Taco Bell commercial. He was on boards; some people had him mocked in the first, even top-15.

NBA execs know that international prospects are better than ever. Their fault if they let pre-conceived notions dismiss options from their selection. I’m just saying- more and more, it looks like AK didn’t find Jokic. Jokic found AK. His draft vision hasn’t been good. And if Yang turns out to be the real deal, I certainly will hold it against him as it won’t be an isolated mistake of picking the lesser talent in a smaller pool of options. It won’t be my last straw with AK… but, it will be another slip in a dozen.