2018 Draft Thread #6

[RememberLu]

I would not mind trading Kriss Dunn if the Bulls got Trae Young. I don't see Star potential with Dunn

Trae Young is garbage. We should stay away from him.

I don't know if he's garbage but yeah, we should stay away from him

[Benedict Miller]

Nah his ceiling isn't that high compared to the other guys in the top 7. He's small, weak and not that quick.

Yep, that's how you end up picking Jonny Flynn over Stephen Curry.

Who's Johnny Flynn and who's Steph Curry in this draft?

[biggestbullsfan]

Trae Young’s getting exposed - teams are locking in on him. Neither Krueger nor Young is making the adjustment to the adjustment. Come next level NBA defenses are going to be better than what he’s facing now. I’m not a fan but if you’re all that you find a way. Curious to see how the season plays out for him and curious to see how he does in the draft process.

I do think he may have peaked early and might not have a sure higher ceiling than other top 8 prospects, but you have to draft BPA regardless. Say what you want about young but if he is clearly the best prospect on the board we have to take him. We don't have the luxury on passing on certain players. If he is the best on the board, then that's what we have to take. Every prospect has weaknesses. And most wont stay in the league. If he has potential and longevity, then that's all that matters.

[bigworld2017]

Porter at #6 (if he's available and if Bamba or JJJ are gone) and Gafford at #18 would be ok with me.

The more I see of Gafford the more I like him with our Pelicans pick. However, he might not even be coming out this year. And if he does and keeps showing the kind of performances he has had lately he might be gone by the Pels pick. His stat line from the game yesterday against Auburn: 21 points on 10-15, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks in 27 minutes. He's quick, bouncey, athletic, and long. I project him as a "5" with 10-15 more pounds that will come with time. Not a 3 point shooting threat, but we have enough guys that can shoot 3s. He looks to be a potentially very good rim protector and if he gets an offensive rebound down low he knows how to go back up and throw it down with authority. The kid is fun to watch.

[bigworld2017]

Freshman steals the show on senior night
Daniel Gafford put on a show in Arkansas' win over Auburn on Tuesday.

Andrew Hutchinson - 11 hours ago 2

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas’ six seniors had their moments, but a freshman stole the show on senior night.

In what fans hope wasn’t his last game at Bud Walton Arena, potential one-and-doner Daniel Gafford threw down seven dunks and notched his second double-double in the Razorbacks’ 91-82 win over SEC-leader Auburn on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-11 freshman from El Dorado, Ark., made 10 of his 15 shots and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He also matched a career high with seven blocks.

“He’s a force to be reckoned with,” senior Daryl Macon said. “I think he’s the best big man in the country. I haven’t seen anybody better than him when he comes to play.”

Two of Gafford’s dunks came in the first minute of the second half as Arkansas pushed its lead to 19 points. The No. 14 Tigers managed to get within six late in the game, but they missed their last four shots and the Razorbacks made just enough free throws to preserve the victory.

[bigworld2017]

The Bulls fans’ guide to tanking over the final 21 games of the regular season
BULLS 02/28/2018, 10:26am

Joe Cowley

Fred Hoiberg is holding out hope that his young “big three’’ can figure it out over the last 21 games.

The Bulls fan base? They’re fine with Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn figuring it out going into next season, especially if it means a higher draft pick come June.

“They hopefully will get it going on the same night,’’ Hoiberg said after Tuesday night’s 15-point loss in Charlotte. “It hasn’t happened yet, but they’re obviously fully capable of doing that.’’

They likely are, but the people that actually want that to happen over the next five weeks are in a small minority.

The Bulls front office showed its hand out of the All-Star Break, benching veterans Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday, resulting in four losses since that decision. Yet, almost no ground has been made up in the tanking effort.

Digest this number for a moment: The eight bottom teams currently occupying the NBA’s basement entered Wednesday a combined 1-41 over their last 42 games. Two of the teams – Memphis and Phoenix – are on 10-game losing streaks.

There is a realization that Bulls fans need to grasp at this point: Forget falling into the bottom five of the draft lottery. Not happening without some lucky bouncing balls.

So here’s the Bulls Fans’ Guide to Tanking the Final 21 Games.

Who to cheer for:

1. Obviously, whoever is playing the Bulls – The losing streak is up to five, but the team currently still sits in the No. 8 spot in the battle for last place.

2. Whoever is playing New Orleans – The Bulls acquired the Pelican’s first-round pick in the Nikola Mirotic trade, and while it’s protected if it falls in the top five, New Orleans has actually won six straight to make it the 20th pick overall for now. Unacceptable. The Bulls need the Pelicans to hit hard times and fall out of the playoffs.

Which five Bulls players matter in order of importance:

1. Lauri Markkanen – The big man shot just 18 percent from three-point range in the month of February.

2. Kris Dunn – His improvement in his second season has been eye-opening.

3. David Nwaba – When Nwaba plays well the Bulls are usually in games. Time to think extension with him.

4. Zach LaVine – The knee is holding up, and the rhythm is coming back. Just get out of the season healthy.

5. Bobby Portis – The third-year big man has established himself as a legit weapon off the bench.

Which five Bulls have nothing left to show:

1. Robin Lopez – A nice trade chip to have going into the offseason because of an expiring contract.

2. Justin Holiday – See Robin Lopez.

3. Cristiano Felicio – Great for tanking, but he’s a fringe NBA player.

4. Jerian Grant – He’s already shown he’s a better option than Cameron Payne as a back-up to Dunn.

5. Fred Hoiberg – The third-year coach has the ears and eyes of the players.

The three college players to watch (assuming the Bulls stay with the No. 8 pick):

1. Michael Porter Jr. – The freshman forward is now cleared to practice after November back surgery, but yet to play a game. If his health checks out come draft time, the Bulls have to hope other teams will be scared off of him and he slides.

2. Trae Young – The Bulls have no intention of drafting the over-hyped point guard, but need another team in front of them to be fooled, so a more talented wing or big man slides down a spot.

3. Marvin Bagley III – Privately, this is the player that several members of the Bulls organization believe is a better fit with Markkanen. It would give Hoiberg two versatile bigs.

[Dresden]

A couple of things stand out in the Cowley article- first, there's this, which is sure to bring up the inevitable "what about his TS%?" responses: " 2. Kris Dunn – His improvement in his second season has been eye-opening."

Secondly, this: "3. Marvin Bagley III – Privately, this is the player that several members of the Bulls organization believe is a better fit with Markkanen. It would give Hoiberg two versatile bigs."

Also: that Payne is behind Grant in the real depth chart.

And: Cowley feels young is over-rated.

[Dresden]

If we end up with Porter or Bagley, I would be ecstatic. Along with Doncic, that's my top 3 right now anyway.

[Dresden]

One thing Cowley is forgetting regarding tanking, is the fact that tanking teams do have to play each other, and that's what will determine the final draft order. I think we can assume that none of the tank teams will beat any non-tank teams the rest of the year (altho DAL did just that a few days ago, so it could happen, just not likely). So it comes down to what happens between the tanking teams.

Bulls have around 7 more games with tanking teams. I assume most tanking teams will have around the number as well. That's a lot of games- maybe around 25-30 wins all told that will be doled out among the 8 tanking teams. It could get quite comical near the end, seeing the lengths teams will go to, to maintain their draft position.

[SfBull]

I would not mind trading Kriss Dunn if the Bulls got Trae Young. I don't see Star potential with Dunn

Trae Young is garbage. We should stay away from him.

I don't know if he's garbage but yeah, we should stay away from him

His attacking skills are impressive but I'm not so sure that he can't improve his defense with good coaching and NBA experience.DRose wasn't an elite defender either( not comparing them, just using a former franchise player).

[SfBull]

The Bulls fans’ guide to tanking over the final 21 games of the regular season
BULLS 02/28/2018, 10:26am

Joe Cowley

Fred Hoiberg is holding out hope that his young “big three’’ can figure it out over the last 21 games.

The Bulls fan base? They’re fine with Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn figuring it out going into next season, especially if it means a higher draft pick come June.

“They hopefully will get it going on the same night,’’ Hoiberg said after Tuesday night’s 15-point loss in Charlotte. “It hasn’t happened yet, but they’re obviously fully capable of doing that.’’

They likely are, but the people that actually want that to happen over the next five weeks are in a small minority.

The Bulls front office showed its hand out of the All-Star Break, benching veterans Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday, resulting in four losses since that decision. Yet, almost no ground has been made up in the tanking effort.

Digest this number for a moment: The eight bottom teams currently occupying the NBA’s basement entered Wednesday a combined 1-41 over their last 42 games. Two of the teams – Memphis and Phoenix – are on 10-game losing streaks.

There is a realization that Bulls fans need to grasp at this point: Forget falling into the bottom five of the draft lottery. Not happening without some lucky bouncing balls.

So here’s the Bulls Fans’ Guide to Tanking the Final 21 Games.

Who to cheer for:

1. Obviously, whoever is playing the Bulls – The losing streak is up to five, but the team currently still sits in the No. 8 spot in the battle for last place.

2. Whoever is playing New Orleans – The Bulls acquired the Pelican’s first-round pick in the Nikola Mirotic trade, and while it’s protected if it falls in the top five, New Orleans has actually won six straight to make it the 20th pick overall for now. Unacceptable. The Bulls need the Pelicans to hit hard times and fall out of the playoffs.

Which five Bulls players matter in order of importance:

1. Lauri Markkanen – The big man shot just 18 percent from three-point range in the month of February.

2. Kris Dunn – His improvement in his second season has been eye-opening.

3. David Nwaba – When Nwaba plays well the Bulls are usually in games. Time to think extension with him.

4. Zach LaVine – The knee is holding up, and the rhythm is coming back. Just get out of the season healthy.

5. Bobby Portis – The third-year big man has established himself as a legit weapon off the bench.

Which five Bulls have nothing left to show:

1. Robin Lopez – A nice trade chip to have going into the offseason because of an expiring contract.

2. Justin Holiday – See Robin Lopez.

3. Cristiano Felicio – Great for tanking, but he’s a fringe NBA player.

4. Jerian Grant – He’s already shown he’s a better option than Cameron Payne as a back-up to Dunn.

5. Fred Hoiberg – The third-year coach has the ears and eyes of the players.

The three college players to watch (assuming the Bulls stay with the No. 8 pick):

1. Michael Porter Jr. – The freshman forward is now cleared to practice after November back surgery, but yet to play a game. If his health checks out come draft time, the Bulls have to hope other teams will be scared off of him and he slides.

2. Trae Young – The Bulls have no intention of drafting the over-hyped point guard, but need another team in front of them to be fooled, so a more talented wing or big man slides down a spot.

3. Marvin Bagley III – Privately, this is the player that several members of the Bulls organization believe is a better fit with Markkanen. It would give Hoiberg two versatile bigs.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

Trae Young is garbage. We should stay away from him.

I don't know if he's garbage but yeah, we should stay away from him

His attacking skills are impressive but I'm not so sure that he can't improve his defense with good coaching and NBA experience.DRose wasn't an elite defender either( not comparing them, just using a former franchise player).

Rose was on his way to being a pretty good defender and Rose could always get up for any matchup at PG. He was never at a disadvantage with his elite athleticism. Young’s going to get abused on that end terribly.

[Peelboy]

One thing Cowley is forgetting regarding tanking, is the fact that tanking teams do have to play each other, and that's what will determine the final draft order. I think we can assume that none of the tank teams will beat any non-tank teams the rest of the year (altho DAL did just that a few days ago, so it could happen, just not likely). So it comes down to what happens between the tanking teams.

Bulls have around 7 more games with tanking teams. I assume most tanking teams will have around the number as well. That's a lot of games- maybe around 25-30 wins all told that will be doled out among the 8 tanking teams. It could get quite comical near the end, seeing the lengths teams will go to, to maintain their draft position.

Games against bottom 8 teams:
ATL(4): Phx, Chi, @Sac, Orl
BKN (6): @Sac, Dal, Mem, @Orl, @Chi, Chi,
DAL(6): @Chi, Mem, @Bkn, @Sac, @Orl, Phx
MEM (7): Phx, @Orl, @Chi, @Dal, Chi, @Bkn, Sac
ORL(6): @Sac, Phx, Bkn, Chi, @Atl, Dal,
PHX(5):@Mem, @Atl, @Orl, Sac, @Dal
SAC(6): Bkn, Orl, Atl, Dal, @Phx, @Mem

Bulls(7): Dal, Mem, @Atl, @Mem, @Orl, Bkn, @Bkn

If you assume home teams win, and none of these teams win ANY other games (or they all win the same amount of other games), then you end up with:
ATL: 3-1, 21 wins
BKN: 3-3, 23 wins
DAL: 2-4, 21 wins
MEM: 3-4, 21 wins
ORL: 3-2, 21 wins
PHX: 1-4, 19 wins
SAC: 4-2, 22 wins

Bulls: 3-4, 23 wins

In that scenario, Bulls end up in 7th, tied with BKN. However if Bulls can lose all of their tank games, they'll be in 2d. The real keys are the 2 Memphis and the 2 BKN. Those get them 6th.

[kodo]

One thing Cowley is forgetting regarding tanking, is the fact that tanking teams do have to play each other, and that's what will determine the final draft order. I think we can assume that none of the tank teams will beat any non-tank teams the rest of the year (altho DAL did just that a few days ago, so it could happen, just not likely). So it comes down to what happens between the tanking teams.

Yep.

And more specifically, it only matters vs teams close to us in standing. If the Suns win, it's not that relevant because they are usually around 3 full games below us. The Knicks are 3.5 games ahead of us, they won't catch up.

We have 2 more games vs Memphis & Brooklyn, 2 of the Nets games coming in our last 3. Those 4 games will more than likely determine our final order. Memphis & Brooklyn are only 1 game below us. Dallas is also 1 game away, we play them once.

[Chi town]

A couple of things stand out in the Cowley article- first, there's this, which is sure to bring up the inevitable "what about his TS%?" responses: " 2. Kris Dunn – His improvement in his second season has been eye-opening."

Secondly, this: "3. Marvin Bagley III – Privately, this is the player that several members of the Bulls organization believe is a better fit with Markkanen. It would give Hoiberg two versatile bigs."

Also: that Payne is behind Grant in the real depth chart.

And: Cowley feels young is over-rated.

1. I think the Fred and Pax love Dunn and think a full summer of working on his shot and game... and he will be their PG of the future.

2. Doesn't surprise me they don't like Young.

3. Doesn't surprise me they like Bagley. They've said that they see Lauri as a future C. Maybe they think Fred can teach Bagley how to shoots 3s.

4. TyrusRose has said Ayton is #1 on their board.

5. I think they should have Luka and JJJ 1 and 2.

[shakes0]

All Trae Young hype men....stand up and be counted. Was he looking more Curry or Nash tonight?

He's looked like trash recently but he still leads the nation in points and assists as an 18 year old Freshman, let's not act like that's some easy task.

Sample size is important, a bad stretch of games doesn't negate what he's done all year long.

Yeah the sample where he has played against his toughest competition...

Use the entire Big 12 schedule and it still won't be flattering. And Big 12 is not even good this year.

HUH?????

Big12 is the toughest conference in the entire country this year.

Trae is a stud. He happens to play with the worst teammates in all of major conference basketball. There literally isn't a single player on his team that isn't terrible. Trae is going to have a much easier time playing in the NBA as opposed to college. Next year no one is going to send double teams at him every time he crosses half court. Next year he will actually have people to pass the ball to.


Have you even watched college basketball this year? Sure doesn't seem like it.

[GDRO10]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/the-bulls-fans-guide-to-tanking-over-the-final-21-games-of-the-regular-season/

''The three college players to watch (assuming the Bulls stay with the No. 8 pick):

1. Michael Porter Jr. – The freshman forward is now cleared to practice after November back surgery, but yet to play a game. If his health checks out come draft time, the Bulls have to hope other teams will be scared off of him and he slides.

2. Trae Young – The Bulls have no intention of drafting the over-hyped point guard, but need another team in front of them to be fooled, so a more talented wing or big man slides down a spot.

3. Marvin Bagley III – Privately, this is the player that several members of the Bulls organization believe is a better fit with Markkanen. It would give Hoiberg two versatile bigs.''

[RememberLu]

2. Trae Young – The Bulls have no intention of drafting the over-hyped point guard, but need another team in front of them to be fooled, so a more talented wing or big man slides down a spot.

YESSSSS....

[Ayman78]

One thing Cowley is forgetting regarding tanking, is the fact that tanking teams do have to play each other, and that's what will determine the final draft order. I think we can assume that none of the tank teams will beat any non-tank teams the rest of the year (altho DAL did just that a few days ago, so it could happen, just not likely). So it comes down to what happens between the tanking teams.

Bulls have around 7 more games with tanking teams. I assume most tanking teams will have around the number as well. That's a lot of games- maybe around 25-30 wins all told that will be doled out among the 8 tanking teams. It could get quite comical near the end, seeing the lengths teams will go to, to maintain their draft position.

Get ready for Falicio running point as an experiment IK/JK

[Ayman78]

Would anyone be interested in the idea of the Bulls trading down to gain additional assess?

Only if the Bulls end up at 9 or 10, and the top 5 or 6 players are off the board.