Stratmaster wrote:He never made "a trade demand" . Billy and AK had been trying to trade him for months before Zach said anything.MrSparkle wrote:Jcool0 wrote:
I think this is more to do with being tired of losing and being scapegoated by the Bulls then hating Donovan.
Pretty sure he doesn't like the way the Bulls are coached, doesn't like Vuc's game, and that's why he quit on the team when they were 5-14. I don't blame him in regards to Vuc. They've been a bad pairing, and Lonzo/Demar/Caruso/Javonte were the additions that made us click for 2 months, not Vuc. Still, he got the 3.5X the bags that Vuc did, and a professional making that money should keep a smile on his face and try to elevate/support his team, not pout.
I think on a personal level, they all got along about as well as possible for a group that wasn't gelling at all, WANTED to win, and lost at a really high rate, on a relatively easy schedule. But when he made the trade demand, and on top of it, the Bulls then played better, I believe Billy and AK were like "OK - time to move on," and Zach's probably like 'thank you." Unfortunately for both sides, yet another injury delayed the inevitable.
I also think that Zach and Klutch thought they could be cute and trade their way to the Lakers... but they underestimated that Austin Reaves would have a clearly higher trade value than Zach.
IMO the organization has to keep its thoughts private, but I'm sure they are all incredibly disappointed and pissed off with LaVine for the trade demand, barely a year into his giant 5y max extension that was offered without any pushback. If you're Durant or Kawhi, atleast you back that up with elite play in the worst of times (injuries or bad teammates). Zach had the worst numbers of his career.
Anyway, I'm not debating anything. Just ranting thoughts on Zach and the Bulls. I blame both sides, and I also see both sides. Honestly didn't think it would get to this. This inevitable trade (crap return) is probably going to be the nail in this FO's coffin, if not settling on a 3y deal with Demar. A cap dump would be better, but they're gonna really shoot for some 'replacement level' players that'll just bog the cap and treadmill further down (Herro/Duncan, Gabe/Rui/D'Lo, THJ/Kleiber, or is it a ripe time for 40yo Chris Paul's retirement ceremony in Chicago?). I could see CJ McCollum really fitting AK's (and Billy's) vision as well. 6'2 SG approaching 32yo - what's not to love?
This is exactly what I am talking about in my previous posts.
Again, you're just making this up. It may or may not be true, because none of us knows. It's perfectly possible that the Bulls had been shopping him for years and that he also separately and subsequently made a trade demand. But you can't say "because the Bulls first had trade talks about him, it's not possible he demanded a trade."
My guess (and it's a guess, because we don't know), is that Zach's agent had a conversation with the Bulls' FO indicating Zach would prefer to be elsewhere. That may not be a "demand," but it would be a request. And I'm not critical of him for doing that if he did. If he did it, it appears to have been done privately and did not involve a media circus. Good for Zach!
And the Bulls didn't play better without Lavine. Coby White went on a tear and played better; for a short while. It doesn't matter who you put on the court, the Bulls end result is the same. Which makes you wonder what the coach is doing, doesn't it? No matter the level of talent on the court, the result is the same.
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10-15 with LaVine. 29-28 without. 40% win percentage with, 51% without. By definition, the Bulls played better without him. Maybe that's correlation; maybe it's causation. The reason may have been Coby's improved play, but of course, that's directly related to Zach being out, as it allowed Coby to step into the #2 role. And one thing you have to think about when hanging onto core players when that core has hit its ceiling is whether they are standing in the way of the development of up-and-comers.
Now, neither win % is anything to write home about, I agree. But no, it sure doesn't "make you wonder what the coach is doing." Billy is no great shakes, but the Bulls are not an excellent head coach away from being some sort of legitimate playoff team. This team's problem is the roster. Everything else is way, way behind that concern.