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It seems like everybody is saying that we need to get rid of Taj this offseason. Niko needs more minutes. There is no doubt about it. Why not keep Taj and trade Pau? Pau is on a GREAT contract while putting up great box scores. I think his raw numbers make him look better than her really is. His defense is trash. I think there will be a gm that overrates him. With that contract, I think Pau has some very great value. Taj, Noah, and Niko will be enough to handle down low IMO. Opinions? Would you still rather get rid of Taj?

After I saw combination of Taj/Gasol/Mirotic together on floor. I think NOBODY should get traded. Noah is great center who can run offense when Rose in not in the game. And yesterday Taj/Gasol/Mirotic completely destroyed Raptors. You dont trade your obvious advantages. Two great passing big-mans, one post-up and one stretch 4 player.

Like I said before, I don't care how garbage his defense is, when you have a big man who can get 20 and 10 in his sleep, especially on a team that acts stunted on offense at times, you keep him.

If you move Pau against his will, good luck ever trying to sign a star free agent -- especially one willing to come on the cheap.

Without Pau, the Bulls are barely above .500. He's by far been our most consistent player.

22.4 PER
55%TS
18.3 ppg
12.0 reb
2.8 ast
2.0 blk

Some weak link.

We needed a throwback season from Pau and we got it. He's been an elite big this season.

Red Larrivee wrote:Without Pau, the Bulls are barely above .500. He's by far been our most consistent player.

22.4 PER
55%TS
18.3 ppg
12.0 reb
2.8 ast
2.0 blk

Some weak link.

We needed a throwback season from Pau and we got it. He's been an elite big this season.

Given his age though, I think he will start declining next season. What I'm saying is that I think we have 4 quality bigmen. Losing Pau vs Taj will not create a huge gap in production IMO (given that Taj stays healthy). I think Pau has some huge value right now given what he is doing. Bulls can land a quality player at a position of need.

Grubdawg wrote:Losing Pau vs Taj will not create a huge gap in production IMO (given that Taj stays healthy). I think Pau has some huge value right now given what he is doing. Bulls can land a quality player at a position of need.

Pau is better than Taj...by a lot. He also makes less money. I won't dismiss that Pau will eventually decline. Before the season, we all thought that decline was already happening, but it appears he still has a lot left in the tank. Gasol might not put up 18/12 every season going forward, but he could still put up solid numbers on acceptable efficiency with less minutes. Gasol in a Duncan/Boston KG role is not out of the question.

I'd rather trade Taj than Gasol.

Grubdawg wrote:

Red Larrivee wrote:Without Pau, the Bulls are barely above .500. He's by far been our most consistent player.

22.4 PER
55%TS
18.3 ppg
12.0 reb
2.8 ast
2.0 blk

Some weak link.

We needed a throwback season from Pau and we got it. He's been an elite big this season.

Given his age though, I think he will start declining next season. What I'm saying is that I think we have 4 quality bigmen. Losing Pau vs Taj will not create a huge gap in production IMO (given that Taj stays healthy). I think Pau has some huge value right now given what he is doing. Bulls can land a quality player at a position of need.

I don't see him declining unless he gets constantly injured.

He is already slow, nonathletic, can't jump, etc..

The beauty in his game is he does not rely on any athleticism at all, it is just a masterclass of footwork and jump shots, along with elite passing.

Those are skills that will never deteriorate, as long as his body can hold up he will be out there getting double doubles.

All you need next to Pau is a big who is great at help defense, because Pau has a hard time rotating, his one on one defense has been fine for the most part, I would put it at the high end of average.

He can also turn it up when he feels like it, when we played his brother recently you could tell he turned back the clock energy wise, he is a smart vet who is obviously pacing himself and is still having a monster year.

With the injury history of Pau and Noah, and even Taj, we should keep all 4 bigs. Let Dunleavy walk after the season and start either snell or miro at the 3 with mcdermott and the one who is starting splitting dunleavys minutes.

Something like this for minutes.

Rose 34 Moore 14
Butler 36 McDermott 12
Snell 32 Miro 16
Pau 28 Miro 16 Taj 4
Noah 28 Taj 20

Kirk and Bairstwow chilling, use draft pick to draft and stash

Pau is our best big man post scorer of the bunch.....why would we want to get rid of him? People thought he was done before he came to the bulls, and he is having a pretty damn good year. As much as Taj has improved in the post, he still is no Gasol....and neither is Niko. I'd rather keep the array of big man talent. We have a true post up big man....the best point center in the league......probably the best stretch 4 in the league within the next year or two.....and a great forward off the bench who could probably start on the majority of teams in the league. Can any other team say that? We can kill teams in the post (Gasol, Taj), kill teams with passing (Noah, Gasol), kill teams with shooting from the outside (Niko, Gasol), or kill them with post defense (Noah, Taj). That isn't even mentioning the backcourt (if healthy).

bullboy18 wrote:With the injury history of Pau and Noah, and even Taj, we should keep all 4 bigs. Let Dunleavy walk after the season and start either snell or miro at the 3 with mcdermott and the one who is starting splitting dunleavys minutes.

Something like this for minutes.

Rose 34 Moore 14
Butler 36 McDermott 12
Snell 32 Miro 16
Pau 28 Miro 16 Taj 4
Noah 28 Taj 20

Kirk and Bairstwow chilling, use draft pick to draft and stash

I can see this as the end result. I don't really have much faith that the Bulls will part with Taj to fix a larger hole on the team.

There was a throw away line where Van Gundy called Mirotic a 3/4 and I have to feel that he got that from Thibs. I just hate it because he's not really a 3.

There won't be a dumping of Gibson (value) or Gasol (loyalty).

If you trade a player of his status who gave you a massive discount--you won't get players of his status at a massive discount anymore.

And no; he's not a weak link at all.

Red Larrivee wrote:Without Pau, the Bulls are barely above .500. He's by far been our most consistent player.

22.4 PER
55%TS
18.3 ppg
12.0 reb
2.8 ast
2.0 blk

Some weak link.

We needed a throwback season from Pau and we got it. He's been an elite big this season.

His stats have been elite, his impact hasn't been. The team has actually been better with him off the floor, raw +/-.

That doesn't mean we don't need him, he provides an offensive threat that Jo doesn't and sets up interesting combinations with Niko and Taj that you couldn't get just having Jo, but I do think his minutes should be monitored closely.

I don't think he needs to be playing 35 mpg unless he is dominating. Nor 12 minutes straight. Not even so much for fatigue or injury, though that is valuable to save him for too, but just because the team doesn't typically play that elite with him on the floor.

No he has been our second best player this season behind Butler. Also no you don't take a crap on player of his status who signed at a discount. Not worried about his age as long he stays relatively healthy he can play for at least two more years.

Rerisen wrote:

Red Larrivee wrote:Without Pau, the Bulls are barely above .500. He's by far been our most consistent player.

22.4 PER
55%TS
18.3 ppg
12.0 reb
2.8 ast
2.0 blk

Some weak link.

We needed a throwback season from Pau and we got it. He's been an elite big this season.

His stats have been elite, his impact hasn't been. The team has actually been better with him off the floor, raw +/-.

That doesn't mean we don't need him, he provides an offensive threat that Jo doesn't and sets up interesting combinations with Niko and Taj that you couldn't get just having Jo, but I do think his minutes should be monitored closely.

I don't think he needs to be playing 35 mpg unless he is dominating. Nor 12 minutes straight. Not even so much for fatigue or injury, though that is valuable to save him for too, but just because the team doesn't typically play that elite with him on the floor.

He only played 28 minutes last night and even got a rest with a minute left in the 3rd! It's a start for Thibs.

Pau is averaging 18/12 with a 22 PER.

Thats an all-star right there. Odd man out is between Noah and Gibson

Grubdawg wrote:

Red Larrivee wrote:Without Pau, the Bulls are barely above .500. He's by far been our most consistent player.

22.4 PER
55%TS
18.3 ppg
12.0 reb
2.8 ast
2.0 blk

Some weak link.

We needed a throwback season from Pau and we got it. He's been an elite big this season.

Given his age though, I think he will start declining next season. What I'm saying is that I think we have 4 quality bigmen. Losing Pau vs Taj will not create a huge gap in production IMO (given that Taj stays healthy). I think Pau has some huge value right now given what he is doing. Bulls can land a quality player at a position of need.

In what way do you see him declining?

His game isn't built around athleticism. Hell, you can't see any daylight between his shoes and the floor NOW when he "jumps" yet he is a top 5 rebounder, top 5 shot blocker, and leads the league in double-doubles. All this while being on a ridiculously good contract and being maybe the most deadly pick and pop big in the league...Yeah I get it, he's not a strong man/help/P&R defender, but who cares??? We have Taj and Noah for that and he makes up for that in spades in other areas (rebounding and blocked shots are defensive traits, too).

And you want to move him for a "position of need?" If you trade him, you know what position we are going to "need?" An offensive big who is deadly in the P&R game, can score in the post, be a top 5 rebounder, shot blocker, and double-double machine...Good luck matching salaries for a guy like that!

Is Pau is our weak link big?...REALLY?!?

MC3 wrote:After I saw combination of Taj/Gasol/Mirotic together on floor. I think NOBODY should get traded. Noah is great center who can run offense when Rose in not in the game. And yesterday Taj/Gasol/Mirotic completely destroyed Raptors. You dont trade your obvious advantages. Two great passing big-mans, one post-up and one stretch 4 player.

THIS!!!

When we had Pau in his "sweet spot" spotting up at the top of the key, w/Taj on the low block and Niko spacing the triangle from the arc, the Raps (and anybody else for that matter) were completely overwhelmed! People talk about how Niko isn't a 3 because it takes his advantages away (speed/ball handling/ability to get to the rim vs. slow-footed PFs), I think there is an element of truth to that, but that's not the end of the story and it's truly oversimplifying the matter. Going forward, this way of thinking is going to become more and more of a moot point as Niko gains more experience at the 3 and Thibs learns how to better deploy him because the guy is a walking mismatch at either position against nearly any defender. First of all, he is not just too quick for PFs at this point. He is also too quick (and long) for most of the SFs in this league to stay in front of him and he is completely capable of dragging those SFs onto the low block and exposing them in the post just as easily as he is currently lighting up PFs on the perimeter. If you have Niko, Taj, and Pau (for example) playing together on the same frontcourt like last night, somebody is ALWAYS going to have an advantage in the post (and more than likely a couple of them are) and Niko could have a 4"-5" advantage. If they switch to cover the post then you have Pau shooting over the top of some midget defender at the top of the key (where he NEVER seems to miss) or Niko pulls the guy away from the basket and abuses him on the perimeter.

Niko is the truth and we are only observing the infancy of what he is capable of. There are very few players in the league that present the type problems that Niko does. He is a matchup nightmare across multiple positions and makes us as dangerous an offensive team going forward as there is in the Eastern Conf.