chefo wrote:Watching Vuc this year is like some "Twilight Zone" episode where the Bulls' starting C enters a warp in the time-space continuum where a repeating loop occurs that makes them all suck really bad. Vuc this year is as bad or worse than WCJ was last year, having the exact--and I mean exact--same issues--can't buy a bucket, rebounds well, not much of a difference on D.
The problem is not the FO chose Vuc, per say. Vuc from any of the last 5 years makes this team incredibly dangerous. The problem is, based on 25 odd games, the FO last year gave up on WCJ, Lauri and Gafford.
* Gafford is arguably one of the best and most productive backup bigs in the entire NBA ever since he got traded. Given that we're rolling with a 6'7 stick of a man as the backup "C", and Bradley is just a big meh, it sure would have helped to have Daniel still in a Bulls jersey.
* WCJ is the same player he was on the Bulls, except he obviously spent the summer shooting rather than pouting and it shows. He still doesn't move the needle on D that much, and that's with playing next to Bamba, but at least he's a serviceable player now that he remembered he doesn't need to have a heart attack when left open 15 feet and out.
* Lauri started the year in some alternate reality where he played stellar D at the 3, but couldn't buy a bucket to save his life... but, over the last 4, he's averaging 19/8 (sound familiar?) and he's still not shooting great, while their big lineup, when playing together, seems to give all kinds of teams problems on O.
Here's the worst part--all three of these guys are immensely better fit for the D (organized chaos) the Bulls try to play than a slow-footed guy like Vuc.
Man, watching Vuc struggle as bad as he is struggling, missing 3 foot bunnies over guys half a foot shorter than him, unable to buy a bucket from deep, hesitating to pull the trigger when wide open... I've watched plenty of Vuc in Orlando, and he's just not the same player. I don't ever recall him hesitating on pulling the trigger--if anything, he was often accused of having blinders and bombing away too much.
It would really suck if Vuc for whatever reason turns into a 15/10/3 guy on 55% TS because he did cost WCJ, 2 1sts and Lauri indirectly (I think it's pretty obvious that the FO decided they'd only pay one tall Euro dude and Vuc was a proven 24/10 guy coming in) and so Lauri did not fit the picture of what they were trying to build, it seemed.
But darn... if WCJ, Gafford and Lauri continue on their most recent trends, and Vuc does NOT revert to his old self, that whole sequence may turn out to be one colossal F@k up on the FO's part.
It was always bigger than that though. The Vuc trade wasn’t all about talent it was about respect. The NBA will always respect Vuc more than any of the players mentioned and that means something in games.
Aside from Gafford who I truly miss, they are playing on bad teams just like Vuc and putting up better numbers, but unlike Vuc won’t sniff an all star game. Yup Vuc kinda is an empty stats guy, no argument here, but he has more gravity than the guys traded. Can’t say it was an effe up though by the FO. This team is interesting and like GarPax opposite. I’ll take that everyday over the past few years, or any year since they decided to let Thibs go. Trend is way better.
