dougthonus wrote:kodo wrote:Both AK & Billy's big focus next season is:
- Defense
- 29th in forcing TOs
- 29th or 28th in offensive boards
- 29th in drawing charges
- Poor on loose balls
- Can't handle physicality (play-in game vs Miami mentioned many times)
Basically all hustle/energy plays.
When it comes to the first tip-off, I bet all that gets thrown out the window and we see Vuc & Williams starting again as always.
From their words you would think the starting lineup would be: Giddey, White, Okoro, Buzelis, Collins. But I doubt it will be that.
The strategy of "just try harder" feels like an awful strategy unless you feel like your head coach was an utter failure and your players were not motivated or trying hard last year.
Coaching up to try and dive on the floor and draw charges feels like a particularly poor plan in that you are physically punishing yourself considerably and increasing wear and tear and injury for plays that have a relatively low chance of generating meaningful differences as well.
But it's also all meaningless fluff. They also said we're going to protect the rim, play zone, and threw out every basic defensive buzz word you could think of. None of the things they described actually match our personnel.
This 100%.
But the head coach is an utter failure and this is exactly the reason why. It is what I have been saying for multiple seasons.
I guess "playing as fast as we can and launch shots early" is a strategy. It is a very, very weak approach that doesn't translate to success in the NBA. Over the past few decades multiple teams have tried it. There are certainly isolated examples of success with it. Generally it has been a losing strategy. The only thing I will say is that the Bulls personnel may be able to actually execute this strategy. Hell, they traded away all the real talent based on "they don't play fast enough" so the guys left better at least be able to run.
Yes. You want to take a significant number of 3 point shots. So you design an offense that frees up shooters at the 3 point line. You don't just run fast and launch 3's as you come across half court.
I said the same thing about charges 2 seasons ago when Coby took a bunch of them early in the season. There are a few players in the league who are adept at it, understand how to get in position to take them, when it is safe to take them and when not to. Maybe one of the new guys is one of those. But the average NBA player isn't and you certainly don't want your top 3 scorers throwing their body around the floor. There are 12 players in the NBA who averaged over .2 charges per game last season. That amounts to 1 every 5 games. And that is the top 12 in the league! THAT is one of your strategies for taking the team to the next level? If the coach really knew what he was doing, he would be talking about playing defense more up in players faces and more physical post play. Because that results in "offensive fouls drawn", that may be, but are not necessarily, charges. That would be an actual defensive strategy.
I think the Bulls will improve slightly in offensive rebounds assuming Vuc plays less. Because Collins and Smith are the Bulls best offensive rebounders. Giddey will help some also. But the only strategy in that is the coach actually playing lineups and rotations that give his team the best chance to win. Something he has not done in his last 3 seasons as Bulls head coach. If Vuc and/or Williams are getting more than 24 and 15 minutes respectively than this is all lip service. Of course, what I kept hearing is that the Bulls were being coached to get back on defense and not try for offensive rebounds. I guess he is now admitting that was another coaching failure.
As far as physicality, who are these enforcers on the roster? The 11 "positionless" guys on the roster who are all between 6'1" and 6'8" and under 210 pounds? I guess Collins and maybe Okoro (6'5" but 225 pounds)? I can sure as hell say with certainty it isn't going to be the biggest guy on the roster (Vuc) or Patrick Williams.
All we hear from the head coach, and it is exactly what I have been saying for multiple seasons, is "we have to play harder. Try harder." As if for whatever reasons when players become Chicago Bulls they suddenly no longer try hard enough. And, as if other teams players don't "try hard." How about we hear from Billy what HE is going to do differently to try to make all these things happen, or design offenses and defenses that aren't predicated on out-hustling the other team because they are tanking.
