O'Connor: Bulls interested in Gobert and Mitchell Robinson

[Bullflip]

Just keep Vooch and sign a backup C

[TheSuzerain]

Gobert is interesting. In most respects, he'd immediately be our best player. But he is a guy you have to be willing to sit in the playoffs in certain circumstances which is a bizarre state of affairs for your best player.

I think it'd be a good move all in all. Just build the #1 defense in the league around him and let Lavine shoot 30 times a game.

[dougthonus]

People need to go look at Gobert's contract.

You should not be wanting to give up alot of assets...

I noted above, I think Vuc+ DJJ (S&T to match salaries) might be all you'd need to do. It'd be an upgrade, but also a roster locking move. I'm not sure if Utah is that desperate to dump him, but they might be given their cost situation and that Gobert/Mitchell dislike each other.

We'll see what happens, but i'd bet the return on a Gobert trade is really small for Utah due to his awful contract.

[drosestruts]

I don't know how you watch Milwaukee wall of the paint, dare us to shoot, expose our lack of shooting, and comfortably beat us in 5 games then go out and want to trade for a guy like Gobert.

And I think Gobert is really good - but you have to have the right team around him. We were last in the league in 3-point attempts and we were middle of the pack in fast-break points.

We're slow and we can't shoot - Gobert makes issues stemming from that worse.

He is a very impactful paint defender.

Just not sure the pro's outweigh the cons - unless we somehow add more shooting too.

[ChettheJet]

Let's pump the brakes. O'Connor hears from a source and that means nothing. That 10 more people post somewhere what O'Connor did does not make it any more valid, they just want to get on the bandwagon.

The Bulls would have to trade a lot more than Vucevic to match salaries and that would be scorers. They needed more scoring last year so trading more than one scorer for a defender who is not a scorer isn't going to happen.

Mitchell is another story. He could be had but he's not a scorer so they can't give up any for him and they still are in need.

You can run this up to 50 pages if you like but I don't buy it.

[dougthonus]

I don't know how you watch Milwaukee wall of the paint, dare us to shoot, expose our lack of shooting, and comfortably beat us in 5 games then go out and want to trade for a guy like Gobert.

And I think Gobert is really good - but you have to have the right team around him. We were last in the league in 3-point attempts and we were middle of the pack in fast-break points.

We're slow and we can't shoot - Gobert makes issues stemming from that worse.

He is a very impactful paint defender.

Just not sure the pro's outweigh the cons - unless we somehow add more shooting too.

Well theoretically, next year you have Pat Williams replacing Green/DJJ as a shooter which is a huge plus. You also hope that you have Lonzo for more than 1/3rd of a season which is a huge plus. Vuc shot a ton of shots at a horrific rate, so just removing those attempts would be a huge plus (granted, Vuc might be better this season so that may be fixed even without replacing Vuc, but those weren't good attempts last year).

The Bulls defense during the tail end of the season was a disaster, and Gobert obviously helps there, we had no one at all to defend the paint and despite removing him from the rotation, Tony Bradley actually had some of the best on/off metrics on the whole team (though likely also partially due to nearly all of his playing time coming before Lonzo went out and the team tanked). Having an elite version of Tony Bradley instead of a scrub version might make a huge difference.

I don't know that Gobert is the answer, but if the cost is Vuc + nothing meaningful, it would be a big step up. Again though, the problem is even if you make that trade, boy is your roster in a tough space to do literally anything else at all with. YOu're 14M+ into the tax this year with Zach back.

[biggestbullsfan]

We traded alot of picks to get Vuc and Demar. Don’t think Rudy is a great option since he can’t score. I’d rather go for Ayton if we have to give up assets. Or just sign someone outright if possible.

I think there's a fair chance you could get Gobert for Vuc + S&T of DJJ to match salaries and nothing else. Gobert's contract is pretty hideous. I don't think there's a robust market to pay a one way center 160M over the next four years who may also age poorly.

My only argument with that is that, Rudy has too many accolades for a straight up salary swap. They have to be viewed as winning the deal to sell it to their fans. Unless Rudy is just toxic and worn out his stay, i think they want either picks or a great young talent to make it sellable to the fan base.

[jordanwilliams6]

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2022/6/6/23156358/donovan-mitchell-rumors-jazz-nba-finals

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported last month that the Raptors have expressed interest in Gobert. I’ve heard those rumblings too. Sources have also indicated the Bulls are a team with interest in Gobert (and other centers on the market, including Knicks free agent Mitchell Robinson).

This seems to indicate that there are other centers beyond these two that the Bulls have shown interest in. Wonder who else?

I’d say Poetl would be another option after last years trade deadline.

[MrSparkle]

In addition to Pat playing from the get-go… while I hate being optimistic … I imagine that whoever sticks around, should be shooting better next year (Vuc, Javonte, Ayo, Coby, Caruso). Feel like it’ll be a point of focus in summer training.

Also we were 2nd to last in offensive rebounds, though. That hurts 3P confidence a lot, knowing your shot attempt is more crucial than the other teams. Big part of successful teams is knowing that can hoist high volume 3Ps with no repercussions. Combined with our terrible defense, you could tell Bulls players tightened up on their FGAs.

I absolutely think Gobert would be a strong upgrade over Vuc. I just don’t think he’d be worth Utah’s asking price, and like I said- good chance Vuc has a strong bounce back from his low 3P%.

[rosenthall]

I like the idea of getting Gobert. I think people overlook the fact that for the last four years, he's been elite in terms of wins added. The only people who have been above him are tier 1 superstars like Giannis and Jokic.

I think when people talk about him and his contract they overlook the fact that he's a tier above rim running centers. It's not fair to group him in with guys like Mitchell Robinson and Clint Capela. He's much better than them. You will have a top 10 defense if you add him to your team.

Last year he posted career bests in PER, Rebound %, TS%, and was just a touch below his all time high in WS/48, (0.264 vs 0.268). Getting above 0.25 WS/48 is elite territory. Here's the list of people who have done it since 2000: https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&match=player_season&order_by_asc=0&order_by=ws&year_min=2001&comp_type=reg&comp_id=NBA&display_type=totals&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=0.25&cstat%5B1%5D=ws_per_48&ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&cval%5B2%5D=50&cstat%5B2%5D=games&ccomp%5B3%5D=gt&cval%5B3%5D=1000&cstat%5B3%5D=mp&season_start=1&season_end=-1&locationMatch=is&as_selections_comp=gt.

That is basically the mendoza line for superstars in their prime, and Gobert is on the right side of it.

I get that Gobert influences his team in very lopsided ways, but I think people lose track of the fact that, given his impact stats, Gobert today is not really overpaid. For sure, the last years of his contract will probably be an albatross, but acquiring him for Vuc + parts would be a huge boon to this team for the next 3 years.

Better yet, his impact is lopsided in ways that compliment what we currently have. Last year our 'Big 3' proved incapable of maintaining even an average defense. We also saw how Vuc is little more than a glorified two-point spammer. He's incapable of increasing his output when Demar and Zach received additional defensive attention. So I don't see our offense losing much with Vuc's absence, but I see our defense benefitting tremendously by having Gobert in the fold.

I would expect this positive influence to last for at least three years, which coincides reasonably well with the rest of the team's timeline.

Last offseason we traded away three first round picks to acquire 'win now' vets, which shut the door of playing the flexibility/rebuild game. Acquiring Gobert when his value might be low would be another way to keep moving in that direction.

[dougthonus]

My only argument with that is that, Rudy has too many accolades for a straight up salary swap. They have to be viewed as winning the deal to sell it to their fans. Unless Rudy is just toxic and worn out his stay, i think they want either picks or a great young talent to make it sellable to the fan base.

I don't think they can get those things for him. They will be in the tax, are coming off two 1st round exits, their coach just quit, and the star player they want to keep doesn't like him. I think there will be considerable pressure for them to move him. They absolutely won't get a great young talent. They might be able to get picks, but they will be protected / bad picks and even then getting more than 1 feels unlikely. I think most of the league (maybe all of the league) looks at him like a talented player but an awful contract.

[Axl Rose]

And I think Gobert is really good - but you have to have the right team around him. We were last in the league in 3-point attempts and we were middle of the pack in fast-break points.

and for comparison Utah was 2nd in attempts (ahead of Golden State!).

Bulls are the worst fit for Gobert in the league.

[coldfish]

The general question is if the Bulls truly are planning on paying the tax frequently. If they are, the problems with Gobert's contract go down significantly.

[Chi town]

And I think Gobert is really good - but you have to have the right team around him. We were last in the league in 3-point attempts and we were middle of the pack in fast-break points.

and for comparison Utah was 2nd in attempts (ahead of Golden State!).

Bulls are the worst fit for Gobert in the league.

If Lonzo, Zach, and PW were healthy we would not have been last.

Fit with DDR and the way BillyD wants to play is the real question.

One could argue we were best when our D was the best thereby getting easy dunks and fastbreak points. Gobert would def help with that and playing against Bam and Embiid. He makes Lavine, DDR, and Coby much more effective to shoot and score too.

[Chi town]

The general question is if the Bulls truly are planning on paying the tax frequently. If they are, the problems with Gobert's contract go down significantly.

MR has said repeatedly they would pay the tax if they had the team.

Gobert def makes the Bulls better. I think like Vuc he can always be traded later as well. 4 Years left which really means 3 as he is an expiring then.

Also think Gobert has some value there with a change of scenery. He could be used more effectively offensively for sure.

[Chi town]

Gobert is interesting. In most respects, he'd immediately be our best player. But he is a guy you have to be willing to sit in the playoffs in certain circumstances which is a bizarre state of affairs for your best player.

I think it'd be a good move all in all. Just build the #1 defense in the league around him and let Lavine shoot 30 times a game.

I think our defense would create a significant easy bucket fast break offense which would help us alot overall.


If you can get Gobert for expirings and then fill in with shooters using the 18th pick and MLE I think we would be taking a step forward. I think Vuc will shoot better next year but I also think Gobert will be a monster and DPOY to prove he wasn't the problem in Utah.

[drosestruts]

And I think Gobert is really good - but you have to have the right team around him. We were last in the league in 3-point attempts and we were middle of the pack in fast-break points.

and for comparison Utah was 2nd in attempts (ahead of Golden State!).

Bulls are the worst fit for Gobert in the league.

If Lonzo, Zach, and PW were healthy we would not have been last.

Fit with DDR and the way BillyD wants to play is the real question.

One could argue we were best when our D was the best thereby getting easy dunks and fastbreak points. Gobert would def help with that and playing against Bam and Embiid. He makes Lavine, DDR, and Coby much more effective to shoot and score too.

We would not have been last, but would we have been like 28?

In October we were last in 3-point attempts, in November we were 29th, in December we were 27th.

Patrick Williams' 1.7 attempts per game isn't moving us up that chart much.

[chitownsports4ever]

People need to go look at Gobert's contract.

You should not be wanting to give up alot of assets...

I noted above, I think Vuc+ DJJ (S&T to match salaries) might be all you'd need to do. It'd be an upgrade, but also a roster locking move. I'm not sure if Utah is that desperate to dump him, but they might be given their cost situation and that Gobert/Mitchell dislike each other.

We'll see what happens, but i'd bet the return on a Gobert trade is really small for Utah due to his awful contract.

In what world would AINGE give up Gobert for nothing. Vooch is a expiring and Utah has trouble attracting free agents so they would want picks and lots of young players on rookie deals. They are a old team and Mitchell and Gobert are their youth .

Ainges history suggest that you wont get Gobert without taking back Conley or Clarkson as he traded KG, Pierce, and Terry plus a lot of other players for a boatload of picks and players and those were 35/36 yr old no way he simply gives away Gobert in that market

[nomorezorro]

Gobert is interesting. In most respects, he'd immediately be our best player. But he is a guy you have to be willing to sit in the playoffs in certain circumstances which is a bizarre state of affairs for your best player.

do you reaaaallly have to sit him in the playoffs, though? from what i've seen the problem in utah isn't that people can feast on gobert; it's that you can neutralize gobert by drawing him away from the rim with small lineups, which allows teams to feast on utah's crappy perimeter defenders

which does invite the question: won't we just have that same problem? and the answer is, probably, but i think it's worth the risk knowing we (theoretically) have two plus point of attack perimeter defenders that could change the dynamic. i think it especially helps that caruso/ball are good team defenders so you can maybe get away with cheating gobert towards the hoop more and asking other guys to cover for him, whereas in utah he's basically the single load-bearing player underpinning their entire defense

[chitownsports4ever]

From the original article

The argument executives often have made is that committing so much money to a defender who lacks creation skills is limiting from a team-building perspective. Gobert gets paid like a megastar but no matter how great he is on defense, he can never match the impact of other stars despite being paid around the same.