Surprise! AKME aren’t really rebuilding

[DuckIII]

From the wiretap:

The Chicago Bulls have received interest from a number of teams on a trade for Alex Caruso, but sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that those inquiries have been shut down.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/273928/Bulls-Not-Interested-In-Discussing-Alex-Caruso-Trade

Caruso is our best trade asset and when combined with one or more assets could return some significant value to a rebuild. But, if Shams report is accurate, AKME aren’t even willing to discuss him.

Which means they are likely going to attempt a retool by bringing in more vets for another run at mediocrity.

I guess incompetence is to be expected at this point, but even I thought there was a chance they might correctly comprehend what they are seeing right now and what it means. But evidently not.

Hopefully by the time trades start happening they will have changed their mindset.

[Chi town]

Meh. They said the same about Zach and then talked with teams about him and are now trading him.

If we have a shot at the play in AK will def keep DDR and Caruso.

[drosestruts]

pretty undetailed report - were the talks shut down because the offers sucked or because they've designated Caruso unavailable?

But if you want to flame AKME - feel free to interpret in the way that allows you to double down on your hate of the front office

[dougthonus]

Meh. They said the same about Zach and then talked with teams about him and are now trading him.

If we have a shot at the play in AK will def keep DDR and Caruso.

I mean Zach asked them to trade him, and we're now trying to trade him at what seems like a lower point in his value than when most people wanted to trade him. The rumored Knicks deal from last year (regardless of which parts you put in it) looks much better than what people are throwing out there now.

[TheSuzerain]

I want to trade Lavine, Derozan, Vuc. But I'm good with keeping Caruso unless it's a crazy offer.

[sco]

From the wiretap:

The Chicago Bulls have received interest from a number of teams on a trade for Alex Caruso, but sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that those inquiries have been shut down.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/273928/Bulls-Not-Interested-In-Discussing-Alex-Caruso-Trade

Caruso is our best trade asset and when combined with one or more assets could return some significant value to a rebuild. But, if Shams report is accurate, AKME aren’t even willing to discuss him.

Which means they are likely going to attempt a retool by bringing in more vets for another run at mediocrity.

I guess incompetence is to be expected at this point, but even I thought there was a chance they might correctly comprehend what they are seeing right now and what it means. But evidently not.

Hopefully by the time trades start happening they will have changed their mindset.

I've long been of the mind that while it may be in the fans' interest to rebuild, but it may not be in AK's interest. Rebuilds can take 4 years or longer to pull off. I think AK doesn't think he'll get that long, so he's better off retooling and hoping he gets lucky.

IMO, if that's the case, DDR and AC are both ideal vets to keep around young guys to show how to "do it right".

[DuckIII]

Meh. They said the same about Zach and then talked with teams about him and are now trading him.

The reports about Zach this year, this summer and last year were never that the Bulls refused to discuss him. Rather that they found the offers unsatisfactory.

If we have a shot at the play in AK will def keep DDR and Caruso.

That’s kind of my point.

[Muzbar]

I mean, did anyone truly believe they were going to rebuild? Especially not after this 4 game winning streak.

[dougthonus]

pretty undetailed report - were the talks shut down because the offers sucked or because they've designated Caruso unavailable?

But if you want to flame AKME - feel free to interpret in the way that allows you to double down on your hate of the front office

If you want to wait until absolute 100% unarguable proof of an event, feel free to wait until AKME's career in Chicago is over before having any opinion whatsoever about them.

The concept that it appears we will try to retool rather than rebuild from what has been reported thus far seems like by far the most reasonable way to read the current information based on their past actions, past statements, and current reporting.

There is rumor that many teams are interested in Caruso, but we do not want to entertain a trade, which I would tend to interpret as we will only trade Caruso in a circumstance where we are significantly overpaid for doing so and that directionally we would prefer to retool and keep his on court value while his trade value diminishes because we value the outcome of the present season over improving our options for future seasons.

This view is exclusive to Caruso, because he is in demand and his trade value will diminish considerably after the trade deadline when he will only help you for one playoff run before requiring a new contract and also be an unrestricted FA where his bidding price could easily exceed what you want to pay.

For many Bulls fans, if that interpretation of events is true, it would represent further complete ineptitude and continuing down this path of lessening our asset base rather than increasing it to chase a higher level of short term success but that short term success likely culminating in a worse lottery pick and still missing the playoffs.

[DuckIII]

pretty undetailed report - were the talks shut down because the offers sucked or because they've designated Caruso unavailable?

But if you want to flame AKME - feel free to interpret in the way that allows you to double down on your hate of the front office

I’m not interpreting the report. I’m stating the report as it is. And it does support my strong disapproval of the FO’s performance.

On the other hand, you are the one unilaterally adding hypothetical details that aren’t otherwise there to support a viewpoint. I don’t have to invent details for it to support mine.

If further reports state that instead of the Bulls “shutting down” attempts to acquire Caruso, the Bulls are in fact interested in trading him but the offers have been bad, then obviously that would call for a different reaction and perhaps a celebratory toast.

[DuckIII]

I mean, did anyone truly believe they were going to rebuild? Especially not after this 4 game winning streak.

I had started to open up to the possibility that the recent developments might incite a change. I should have known better though. Of course they would interpret a few wins to mean that they can actually compete right away in the postseason.

I imagine AKME now having a dry erase board with a countdown to 40 wins on it, as they giddily put up 4 recent hash marks and started awkwardly high-fiving each other.

“Only 31 more to go, Mark!”

“Wow boss, you sure are good at math!”

[madvillian]

The report is the report, but I don't take much faith in it, either way.

[DuckIII]

The report is the report, but I don't take much faith in it, either way.

That’s true of pretty much all reports. The problem with this report is that it’s consistent with pretty much everything AKME has said and done since they got here.

[Bulliever2020]

This could easily just be posturing and is really nothing to make a big deal about at this point imo.

We haven't even hit Dec 15th yet, let alone Jan 15th, and the trade deadline is 2 months away. I'll save my bitching until after that date.

I really don't think anyone actually expects them to nuke this team anyways when they said they wouldn't go full rebuild all along.

[FriedRise]

AK looks for any signs - big or small - to continue on their continuity plan. I believe this latest winning streak is going to extend that plan another several weeks if not more.

None of us should be surprised if they end up retooling and prioritizing win-now veteran players instead of future draft assets. When the team continues to lose, they will cite this 4 game winning streak - with a W over the Bucks without Zach and DeMar - as the reason to why they chose that path. If this team continues to win or even play .500 ball up until the deadline, that's all they need to see to go all in again on continuity.

How do I know? Because that Nuggets team that AK was a part of did exactly this for so many years. They never purposedly bottomed out and were more than fine with staying mediocre up until they got extremely lucky and landed Jokic. And that was when the lottery odds were more or less guaranteed.

[prolific passer]

I think the 4 game win streak has something to do with them not wanting to rebuild but just try to add to it with more players who are relatively young who can also fit the system.

[MikeDC]

I look at things differently than a lot of people in this thread in that I don't philosophically believe in "rebuilding". What I believe in is continuously looking for opportunities to improve.

From that perspective, we're a team with very limited options for improvement. Ayo, Coby, and whatever SG we get back from trading Zach (because it's pretty evident it's going to be a Jaden Ivey/Austin Reaves/Jalen Green type of return) is still going to mean we have three relatively young players at the guard positions that we'd like to see play significant minutes.

Given that reality, trading Caruso is blindingly obvious. He'll get the best return on the team, and there are deserving candidates to play those minutes.

This isn't rocket science, it's just common sense. Which AKME lack. So, sure, maybe they're just posturing or whatever, but their track record doesn't suggest that.

[PaKii94]

I was all aboard a full teardown last season but in general I'm not about rebuilding. It should be continual improvement like MikeDC said. What I disagree on Caruso is just trading him because he has value. I would only trade him if someone overpays for him. Caruso is on a terrific contract and can fit in any team building plan. You don't let go of an asset that easily.

Building through the draft is fools gold and takes years of suffering. I want to set a baseline of good play and keep adding to it in the hopes of snagging a disgruntled star (not Lavine)

[drosestruts]

Much like MikeDC I just don't really believe in this black/white view of rebuilding or continuity.

"we can't win so we should be bad to then be good" - is just a line of thinking that doesn't make sense. You ideally want to continuously add players that positively impact winning.

Can you take one-stop backwards to take one-step forward? I guess, but most often it's just taking a step back and then being a step back.

Caruso is a good player that makes significant impacts to winning. His on/off numbers that past two seasons we're in the 90+ percentile. He's top 10% in terms of impact. And he's on a great contract, and from all reports, he likes being here. He's only 28 years old, it is ideally a player you'd like to keep.

If we trade Caruso it's for what - to instantly attempt to find another Caruso?

It's entirely different than discussions centering on other players on the team:

Zach - appears to not want to be here anymore.

Vuc - frankly isn't that good

DeRozan - is legitimately entering the twilight of his career.


Caruso? His entering the likely prime of his career, again on a great contract, and seems to like being here. I'd be shutting down those conversation too.

[madvillian]

The report is the report, but I don't take much faith in it, either way.

That’s true of pretty much all reports. The problem with this report is that it’s consistent with pretty much everything AKME has said and done since they got here.

Well it doesn't help anybody's trade value to be yelling "FIRE SALE" so that's why I don't but much faith in any report. Actions will speak louder than words. If Lavine, Demar and AC are still on the team come February I'll react with great vigor against AKME.