Optimistic Thread

[Hangtime84]

AK slightly admitted he was wrong by trying to skip steps. I like what he doing with acquiring smith and giddy.

Bulls need lotto luck and smart pick. Matas looking like a gift. And Portland pick is too.

[Guru]

Coby value will be lower because of the contract you have him on. Will be in its last year. Vuc will just be slower and older.

Coby has zero value.

Vuc has zero value.

Why don't they have any value?

Cobys on a good contract and Vucevic only has one more year on his

Just block him and Muzbar. It's all negative all the time.

[dougthonus]

Things that they have going for them:
1: Matas seems to be progressing
2: Pat seems to be doing better off the bench, and (I think anyway) won't be as bad contract as people think
3: Ayo/Coby are still assets for another year that they can use
4: Lonzo extension was really good IMO, I think he has potential huge value this off-season on this deal
5: If the team is really bad without Zach they might be able to move to 7th odds pretty easily which is starting to get to the real reasonable chance of moving up area

That's the best I can do.

[cocktailswith_2short]

Things that they have going for them:
1: Matas seems to be progressing
2: Pat seems to be doing better off the bench, and (I think anyway) won't be as bad contract as people think
3: Ayo/Coby are still assets for another year that they can use
4: Lonzo extension was really good IMO, I think he has potential huge value this off-season on this deal
5: If the team is really bad without Zach they might be able to move to 7th odds pretty easily which is starting to get to the real reasonable chance of moving up area

That's the best I can do.

nice assessment . We pretty much have to just wait till lottery night at this point .

[Guru]

Things that they have going for them:
1: Matas seems to be progressing
2: Pat seems to be doing better off the bench, and (I think anyway) won't be as bad contract as people think
3: Ayo/Coby are still assets for another year that they can use
4: Lonzo extension was really good IMO, I think he has potential huge value this off-season on this deal
5: If the team is really bad without Zach they might be able to move to 7th odds pretty easily which is starting to get to the real reasonable chance of moving up area

That's the best I can do.

It seems like Ayo and Giddey are 2 guys they want around long term. If they are at a reasonable price how do you feel about them?

I understand Giddeys deficiencies but he's playing well of late.

[MrSparkle]

I expect them to be development projects... but Ace, Dylan and VJ look excellent. High-ceiling; two-way. Speed, size, power, shooting, handles... I think Cade and Jalen Green show most guys need 3-5y development cycles. I'll bump Coby all day to make room for VJ or Dylan. Sadly we're at 25% odds for top-4.

The next tier would be frustrating, knowing AK's draft history and these guys' limitations: Kasparas (sorry Illini fans), Saraf, Egor... They look like interesting, versatile system players, but coming to Donovan... DNP ringer, and their long-term ceiling projects more in the role-player realm. Tre could score, but adding another undersized scoring guard to the mix sounds like hell.

Cooper Flag would be the most immediate prize for the Bulls since Rose. I think he's day-1 ready to start and impact every category. Currently 6%.

Now I don't think it'll actually happen, because Portland's shown no reluctance to embrace the tank when a pick is at stake (I can see them shutting starters down if this current run hits a snag, get back down in the standings)... But if we get their 15th-16th pick, Maluach would be a nice project.

Not optimistic with 25% odds , but I'll take them over 12%. Of course, I'm personally NOT convinced that we'll be worse the rest of the way. Zach and Vuc don't win games. They helped us win with a hot start, but the late season decline begins!

That top-4 pick would be a huge break for the org. If not, it's gonna be another year of "where are we going?"

[Guru]

I am excited about a framework of

1 Giddey-Open
2 Ball-Ayo
3 Open-Terry
4 Buz-Williams
5 Open-Smith

There is an argument that you may have your guards. There is a ton of roster flexibility because of the length of who is playing. Any player they draft can fit with small shifts.

[Rose2Boozer]

Draft night 2025 and 2026

[SfBull]

Optimistic Thread????
Seriously????
How about changing the name of this thread for Optimistic Thread by tanking???
Optimistic Thread with AK ???

[MissileMike]

1. Matas

(huge gap)


2. Portland is on fire right now.
3. Lonzo contract.

[burlydee]

I know we are disappointed that we didn't do more yesterday-but things are not SO bad

1-Matas could be a stud
2-Ayo/Smith look like very solid role players
3-Coby/Vuc still should have value in June
4-PWill has shown A LITTLE sign of life recently (still a bad contract, but something is better than nothing)
5-Ball is back (great signing)
6-Giddy should not get any big offers. Let's PRAY they don't overpay him this summer

Plus, we have all our 1sts plus one (Port looking better, could easily be a '26-28 1st)
We have a BUNCH of expiring deals this summer, and tons of projected cap space coming

So, if we sneak into the Playin again, and get the 9th pick it's not the end of the world.

That's all I got

Lol. I totally forgot we owned the Portland pick.

[burlydee]

The Bulls need draft luck. The best optimism I can muster is that the Bulls are ready made for a young star to come in and take off. The Bulls current roster has guys who can play multiple positions so can easily accommodate a Flagg or Ace Bailey or whoever you like. The vibe in the lockerroom also seems relatively good, all things considered.

Coby has enough suitors that a trade to someone in the pick #16-#21 doesn’t seem infeasible.

The Bulls have finally acquired multiple NBA level bigs so a Vuc trade doesn’t mean Ayo at center. I suspect Vuc gets traded for basically nothing in the offseason to a team that misses out on the center sweepstakes like New Orleans did last year.

The direction is pretty straightforward to me. Now comes the hard part - talent evaluation.

[boozapalooza]

Read on Twitter

?s=46

This is all we got. Hope Philly wakes up, maybe Toronto wins some games with Ingram, and most importantly hope Portland can keep winning. If we can be in the 6-8 range, top 3 is improbable but not crazy. An additional 1st from Portland would be nice.

[dougthonus]

Things that they have going for them:
1: Matas seems to be progressing
2: Pat seems to be doing better off the bench, and (I think anyway) won't be as bad contract as people think
3: Ayo/Coby are still assets for another year that they can use
4: Lonzo extension was really good IMO, I think he has potential huge value this off-season on this deal
5: If the team is really bad without Zach they might be able to move to 7th odds pretty easily which is starting to get to the real reasonable chance of moving up area

That's the best I can do.

It seems like Ayo and Giddey are 2 guys they want around long term. If they are at a reasonable price how do you feel about them?

I understand Giddeys deficiencies but he's playing well of late.

I'm trying not to panic about how dumb a move I think they are about to make on Giddey before they make it because they might not. I wouldn't go much over the MLE on Giddey and fear we're going to do something like 28M a year. If we actually negotiate hard (force him to find an offer sheet), then I think we can get him on a very reasonable deal, but that hasn't been how AK has acted previously.

I like Ayo, but I don't think he's more than a rotation player. I have some concern they'll pay Ayo too much, but I think Ayo will always be desired around the league if he's healthy, the big concern I have here is that there is expected to be a ton of cap room in 2026 available across the league, which means all 2026 FAs (Ayo, Coby for us) are in danger of getting contracts you don't want.

[nomorezorro]

brother, the second thing on your "optimism" list is that our second and third best pieces appear to be "solid role players"

we are beyond cooked

[Guru]

Things that they have going for them:
1: Matas seems to be progressing
2: Pat seems to be doing better off the bench, and (I think anyway) won't be as bad contract as people think
3: Ayo/Coby are still assets for another year that they can use
4: Lonzo extension was really good IMO, I think he has potential huge value this off-season on this deal
5: If the team is really bad without Zach they might be able to move to 7th odds pretty easily which is starting to get to the real reasonable chance of moving up area

That's the best I can do.

It seems like Ayo and Giddey are 2 guys they want around long term. If they are at a reasonable price how do you feel about them?

I understand Giddeys deficiencies but he's playing well of late.

I'm trying not to panic about how dumb a move I think they are about to make on Giddey before they make it because they might not. I wouldn't go much over the MLE on Giddey and fear we're going to do something like 28M a year. If we actually negotiate hard (force him to find an offer sheet), then I think we can get him on a very reasonable deal, but that hasn't been how AK has acted previously.

I like Ayo, but I don't think he's more than a rotation player. I have some concern they'll pay Ayo too much, but I think Ayo will always be desired around the league if he's healthy, the big concern I have here is that there is expected to be a ton of cap room in 2026 available across the league, which means all 2026 FAs (Ayo, Coby for us) are in danger of getting contracts you don't want.

I'm hopeful that pushing that negotiation to this offseason means they plan to let him test the market.

[Indomitable]

My optimism is made up of

Lonzo being resigned shows his people see the organization is do something right. I disagree with the people who instantly say his contract is an asset that they could trade. And then go out to find the exact player he is? That stupid
Williams, Matas and even Smith and Phillips are a good young group that can grow and build around.

the guard group needs to sort itself out 3 guys are just al the same level with nobody standing out
White is the scorer and is capable on defense needs shooting consistency,
Dosnumu has the defense, gets downhill needs better 3pt shooting
Giddey lacks defense, passes and rebounds well

1, 2, or all 3 have to improve or maybe they keep 2 of them to come off the bench and go out and get a #1 scorer

THT, Huerter and Jones are good role players

Very important is getting that pick back. People keep harping on this draft but had the Bulls gotten down to 1-10 they still would have given up the pick in 26 or then 27. Now they're in the next three drafts for sure. AK or the next guy needs to stop trading picks

The fact that PORT did nothing makes it look even less likely that pick ever shows up. The Bulls have several moves to make in the summer PORT should be moving half their roster, including a Bulls trade that includes their pick and if they don't a pair of 2nds stating in 2028 is it

Coby is not capable on defense.

[pipfan]

brother, the second thing on your "optimism" list is that our second and third best pieces appear to be "solid role players"

we are beyond cooked

If we add a good piece in this draft, I think-long term-we have some good potential. Of course, moving up would be awesome, but even in the 7-10 range we should get a good starter

[CROBulls]

brother, the second thing on your "optimism" list is that our second and third best pieces appear to be "solid role players"

we are beyond cooked

If we add a good piece in this draft, I think-long term-we have some good potential. Of course, moving up would be awesome, but even in the 7-10 range we should get a good starter

Do people dont understand that in NBA to be succesful you need difference maker. Did people forget that this franchise had MJ and Pippen? And that's how they won championships. Later Rose, and that's how they won multiple playoff games? Starter wont cut it. Coby White is a starter.

You need superstar(s). At minimum one, and at very least very high All-Star calibre player next to him. You can quote Pistons or whatever, they still had HOF talent on that roster and at minimum two All-Stars.

We are cooked. If you dont draft another Matas type prospect this summer you have no hope getting better short term or long term. And Matas is not even that good prospect. I like him alot and he type of players you should draft, but it's not like he was drafted with expectations be Scottie Pippen. At best he is projected be Franz Wagner, another former Bulls pick.

[WindyCityBorn]

brother, the second thing on your "optimism" list is that our second and third best pieces appear to be "solid role players"

we are beyond cooked

If we add a good piece in this draft, I think-long term-we have some good potential. Of course, moving up would be awesome, but even in the 7-10 range we should get a good starter

Do people dont understand that in NBA to be succesful you need difference maker. Did people forget that this franchise had MJ and Pippen? And that's how they won championships. Later Rose, and that's how they won multiple playoff games? Starter wont cut it. Coby White is a starter.

You need superstar(s). At minimum one, and at very least very high All-Star calibre player next to him. You can quote Pistons or whatever, they still had HOF talent on that roster and at minimum two All-Stars.

We are cooked. If you dont draft another Matas type prospect this summer you have no hope getting better short term or long term. And Matas is not even that good prospect. I like him alot and he type of players you should draft, but it's not like he was drafted with expectations be Scottie Pippen. At best he is projected be Franz Wagner, another former Bulls pick.

I think he could be AK47. Still not a franchise player, but better than Wagner.