Bulls Remaining Roster Spot Discussion

[League Circles]

This is getting ridiculous. We are absurdly unprepared at the 4 position and options will continue to decrease as the days pass by. We need 2 fours. For us to not even have one of them signed immediately upon Millsap agreeing with Brooklyn is unacceptable. I don't really care if the results end up being good, it's patently absurd to rely solely on teenage SF Patrick Williams as our 4. And I don't wanna hear how Derozan can play there, even if true, because he'll be starting at SF, and because both he and Vuc are soft defenders, so we NEED a strong athletic defender at the 4.

[WindyCityBorn]

With Millsap off the board I think I would rather go wing like a James Ennis and let DeRozan be our backup PF in main rotation.

Ball, Caruso
Lavine, White(when healthy)
DeRozan, Brown, Ennis, Jones
Williams, (DeRozan)
Vucevic, Bradley

That would be top 11...Last 3 spots being Ayo, Marko and Green with 15th spot left open for now. Sign a big to a two way contract.

We already have a ton of wings. This is becoming just bad roster management now. We need size I don’t care if it is a worse player.

[WindyCityBorn]

This is getting ridiculous. We are absurdly unprepared at the 4 position and options will continue to decrease as the days pass by. We need 2 fours. For us to not even have one of them signed immediately upon Millsap agreeing with Brooklyn is unacceptable. I don't really care if the results end up being good, it's patently absurd to rely solely on teenage SF Patrick Williams as our 4. And I don't wanna hear how Derozan can play there, even if true, because he'll be starting at SF, and because both he and Vuc are soft defenders, so we NEED a strong athletic defender at the 4.

It is actually pathetic. I have no idea what they are thinking.

[BahamaBull]

Read on Twitter

@johnhollinger: Best free agents left by BORD$ projection:

1. James Ennis
2. Denzel Valentine
3. JJ Redick
4. Jarred Vanderbilt
5. Ryan Arcidiacono

https://t.co/AhXqSImb46

That would be a no from me on Denzel and Arci.

Is there a different Denzel Valentine that I'm not familiar with?

Its John Hollinger

[League Circles]

This is getting ridiculous. We are absurdly unprepared at the 4 position and options will continue to decrease as the days pass by. We need 2 fours. For us to not even have one of them signed immediately upon Millsap agreeing with Brooklyn is unacceptable. I don't really care if the results end up being good, it's patently absurd to rely solely on teenage SF Patrick Williams as our 4. And I don't wanna hear how Derozan can play there, even if true, because he'll be starting at SF, and because both he and Vuc are soft defenders, so we NEED a strong athletic defender at the 4.

It is actually pathetic. I have no idea what they are thinking.

I can only guess that they are waiting for "BPA" regardless of fit or skill set, which is outright assinine for your 14th and 15th roster spots. Those exist to address critical weaknesses, and we have obvious critical weakness at that spot /skill set. If it means signing the best undrafted or G league PF defender, REGARDLESS of upside or offensive prowess, SO BE IT. The situation demands to be addressed if only in this simple way.

[Clocian]

We still gonna act like DJJ won't be at the 4, when we also have green and tbj at the 3?

[IliketheBullsNBearstoo]

Maybe they are waiting to see what happens with Love. We'll have the UCLA/USC lineup.

[IliketheBullsNBearstoo]

We still gonna act like DJJ won't be at the 4, when we also have green and tbj at the 3?

He'll definitely get some minutes there. That doesn't satisfy our need for PF depth though. Its still a need.

[Evil_Headband]

We still gonna act like DJJ won't be at the 4, when we also have green and tbj at the 3?

He’s listed at 210 lbs.

[jStuNNa]

I don't think there's any need to panic. There are still some interesting options out there.

Patrick Patterson and DJ Wilson are at the top of my list.

Always been a fan of James Ennis as well. Mike Scott is interesting too because of his perceived toughness.

Milsap would have been great, but it was always stretch given the Nets' interest.

[sco]

I know there is the health concern for Aldridge, but he was playing 26mpg at a high level last season before going out. He's seemingly got more in the tank than Milsap.

[1985Bear]

I am not going to panic about our 12th guy on the roster. Options will become available like they always do. AKME has shown to be aggressive at trade deadline and will do so again. I still feel Thad will be bought out and could see him coming back in Feb. If not Thad, could be a number of unhappy vets for our playoff run. Let the Bison Dele sweepstakes commence!

[GoBlue72391]

It's slim pickings when it comes to defensive power forwards. Here's what's out there at PF:

Isaiah Hartenstein: Could be good, but there's a lot of smoke around him signing with the Nets

Bismack Biyombo: 17th in blocks. Veteran. Can play Power Forward, but might not be his ideal position. Offense is pretty limited (dunks / layups). Not sure about his relationship with Vuc (who took his spot in Orlando)

Norvel Pelle: Lead the league in block percentage (90%). In 10 minutes, he may very well give you 2 points, 3 blocks and 6 offensive offensive fouls

Daniel Oturu: Summer league block leader. OK rebounder. Uneven game, not sure about potential. Would prefer someone more experienced.

Marquese Chriss: Broke his leg last december... not sure he'll play again until 2022

Jordan Bell: Could be great, but just signed a two-way

After that we're looking at Chris Silva, Justin Patton, etc. A lot of these guys could try and play the Theis role on defense, but they might be tough fits next to Bradley...

I think the ball is pretty much in Paul Millsap's court. For what it's worth: Millsap's agent has no other notable clients, so I imagine "more money" would be very intriguing to Paul's representation... But I doubt that has much impact on the final decision

Noah Vonleh - gives you 4-5 versatility and looked like our best big last pre-season outside of Taj

Juan Hernangomez - kind of a poor man's Lauri - a little shorter, not as good a shooter, not a great rebounder or defender, but can give you points on 3 levels

Nico Melli - and older and potentially not as good version of Juan Hernangomez, but maybe a better defender.

Jarred Vanderbilt - a taller, somewhat less athletic DJJr. (and an RFA) - but a battler who would give switchable defense and something on the interior, too

DJ Wilson - 6'10 231 PF/small-C whose best season was his 2nd year when he put in ~ 6/4.5 plus .4 blocks and .4 steals in 18minutes, including shooting 36% from 3 on 2.6 3PA in that time... but was hurt and declined in 19-20, and while he rebounded to closer to 2nd year level in 20-21 (actually better, per36), no serious progress... but maybe it was an injury related bump / set-back

Cam Oliver - 25 year old journeyman who played 4 games with Houston last season (only NBA experience) but also looked decent this year in summer league and in ~22 mpg in those four games for an awful team put up 11 pts, 5.5rb, 1 blk, 0.5 stl on 58% FG, 31% from 3 (3.3 3PA)

Jakaar Sampson - more an offensive combo forward but athletic and hustles, 28 years old, best play was 4 games for Chicago in 18-19

Mike Scott - aging small stretch 4 who gives effort on D

Ken Faried - hustle player who will soon turn 32 but played well as a small ball center for Houston in his last NBA action (in 18/19)

Harry Giles - more a too-thin center than a PF who seemingly declined when he moved from Sacramento to Portland, but has flashed talent at times and only 23

TJ Leaf - 18th overall pick the pacers disappointed and never found his NBA footing, but only 24 and has flashed talent on occasion (probably would do great in Europe).

Bruno Caboclo - flashed some legit talent and his skillset fits the needs, but may be signed overseas

Meyers Leonard - more a 5 than a 4/5, and 29 years old, but can shoot and also bring some interior defense and rebounding

Bates-Diop - kind of a poor man's version of Pat (25 years old combo forward who hasn't shoot all that well from 3 but can shoot about 33% when utilized, versatile defender both inside and out but not fantastic at it - at least not yet).

After those racist comments, no one is touching Leonard

Ehh, I would stop short of saying he made racist comments. He used a relatively obscure slur against Jews in the heat of the moment. There's a good chance he didn't even know what it meant and used it as a generic insult. I'm older than him and had never heard of that word until his scandal surfaced, but I've since noticed Cartman from South Park use it a few times.

I'm not sure of his background, but if he has no previous history with racism/bigotry then I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Online gaming is toxic and brings out the worst in people. We've all said things we regret in the heat of the moment, most of us are just fortunate to not have it broadcast to the world. I don't think it's fair to kill the guy's career due to one slip of the tongue that he may not have even understood the weight behind it when he said it.

[GoBlue72391]

He deserves another opportunity. The NBA needs to start giving these players a second chance instead of pushing them aside. Everyone makes mistakes in life no one is perfect.

I 100% agree but, we live in a cancel culture that is not keen on forgiveness. We can look at Riley Cooper, Hulk Hogan, Paula Been and countless others that have made less than savory statements and have been made irrelevant as a result.

In today's 'woke NBA',Myers wouldn't be able to live that down. If fans are being banned for dropping N Bombs, I highly doubt an NBA team picks him up.

I don't think it's fair to compare Leonard's situation to the others you named. Leonard used an obscure slur against Jews in the heat of the moment and may not have even known the meaning of it when he said it. Those others purposefully used the n-word, and there's no obscurity or confusion about that word. I'm not saying one slur is worse than the other, just that literally everyone knows what that one word means and less so for the other one.

Leonard is more deserving of the benefit of the doubt than the others. I don't think someone's career should be killed because of a one-time slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment, but knowingly and purposefully ranting against a group of people and throwing slurs around while doing so is another story entirely.

[FriedRise]

After some time, I'm actually OK with Millsap and Aldridge (if he can still play) signing with the Nets instead of helping any of the other teams we're supposed to be fighting against for playoff positioning (Miami, Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, Knicks, Boston). Would've preferred him here obviously or if they'd gone west, but it's not the worst outcome.

[GoBlue72391]

Read on Twitter

@johnhollinger: Best free agents left by BORD$ projection:

1. James Ennis
2. Denzel Valentine
3. JJ Redick
4. Jarred Vanderbilt
5. Ryan Arcidiacono

https://t.co/AhXqSImb46

That would be a no from me on Denzel and Arci.

You know you're in the dog days of the offseason when Denzel and Archi are on such a list.

[GoBlue72391]

Man, he's probably super duper toast, but I feel like it would be worthwhile to have Joakim Noah just play his farewell tour and be a large body here. I dunno, nostalgia talking, I am sure.

I'm down with it. A respected veteran presence to keep the locker room loose and instill some passion in our younger guys, plus he can provide 6 fouls and wasn't terrible with the Clippers. Based on his social media though, I think he's happily enjoying retirement.

[GoBlue72391]

I don't see Aldridge as a realistic option for the same reason I didn't think Millsap was a realistic option: he'll likely want to go to a real contender, which we are not.

[GoBlue72391]

We still gonna act like DJJ won't be at the 4, when we also have green and tbj at the 3?

DJJ is definitely going to be playing a lot of 4 and probably even some small-ball 5, but we still need more size at the PF/C spot for depth and injury insurance if nothing else. We can go small ball a lot and I'm sure that's what we'll do, but there will come a time when we wish we had more size to throw out there, whether it's due to matchups, injuries, or players underperforming.

[GoBlue72391]

We still gonna act like DJJ won't be at the 4, when we also have green and tbj at the 3?

He’s listed at 210 lbs.

And? Considering he's played more minutes at PF/C the past few years than SF/SG why would his weight suddenly matter?