Bulls vs Wizards 7pm CT Apr. 11 2025

[WesPeace]

It's too bad that the Bulls can't trust Lonzo's health. It would be great to have another PG to back up Giddey and keep the pace going. If Tre Jone's wasn't hurt I bet he'd help in this regard, but how much? Plus they probably won't re-sign him.

Yeah it's crazy they're all on the IR Lonzo-Tre-Ayo. That's like $45M in backup PG salary and we still don't have one to backup Giddey.

I know roster space and money is a concern, but it makes me wonder if the Bull should re-sign Tre Jones. It'll help having a point guard to run the 2nd unit or when Giddey is out.

I hope they re-sign Jones to 2yrs, 8-10M per deal.. we need Ball insurance for 2nd unit and they can actually play together a lot as well.

[eierluke]

Yeah it's crazy they're all on the IR Lonzo-Tre-Ayo. That's like $45M in backup PG salary and we still don't have one to backup Giddey.

I know roster space and money is a concern, but it makes me wonder if the Bull should re-sign Tre Jones. It'll help having a point guard to run the 2nd unit or when Giddey is out.

I hope they re-sign Jones to 2yrs, 8-10M per deal.. we need Ball insurance for 2nd unit and they can actually play together a lot as well.

He appears to be way better, than a "Ball backup". To me depending on the matchup Huerter and he should start. In case the opponents do have a strong scoring PG (Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, ...) he should start and try to contain them. In case we should dictate out game let us start Huerter and run.

[Dan Z]

Yeah it's crazy they're all on the IR Lonzo-Tre-Ayo. That's like $45M in backup PG salary and we still don't have one to backup Giddey.

I know roster space and money is a concern, but it makes me wonder if the Bull should re-sign Tre Jones. It'll help having a point guard to run the 2nd unit or when Giddey is out.

I hope they re-sign Jones to 2yrs, 8-10M per deal.. we need Ball insurance for 2nd unit and they can actually play together a lot as well.

I'm not sure how that works with the team salary, but roster space is also an issue. The Bulls will have Giddey, Carter and Lonso at the PG spot. Ayo can play there at times too.

[Ice Man]

I was wondering when watching the game if the Wizards' starting lineup was the worst in NBA history, at least since the days of plumbers and house painters, and .... I think I was correct. The average Box Plus/Minus score for the Wiz's starting lineup last night was -5.3. For comparison's sake, Pat is at -3.9 this season and Jerian Grant's worst year was -3.1.

That Wiz squad would get rolled in a good European league.

[drosestruts]

It's nice to not only win games you should win, but also win comfortably. We initially looked to be missing Giddey, but eventually our talent just won out.


Happy to see Phillips with a career high. Really liked the way he competed for rebounds.

This Wizards lineup - starting 4 rookies, seems like what most of you want. It would be awful to watch.

I don't have the energy to defend Patrick Williams, but I think he can still be a fine player. I do think it's unlikely to happen here, seems like a classic case of a guy needing a change of scenery. Somewhere in there there's the guy that at minimum can shoot 40% on 3's and play good defense, and at one point was rated the best iso defender in the entire NBA. Current Pat is a long way off from that Pat. I'm not sure why, I'm also not entirely interested in being on the Pat Williams experience ride any more. There's a player in there - but he's been surpassed by pretty much every other forward on the team at this point.

have been pleasantly surprised by Huerter's passing

Let's get into the playoffs and give our young team some playoff experience. Playoffs for Giddey, for Giddey in a lead role, Coby in a bigger role (aka not getting benched when hot in a play-in game for Patrick Beverley)

[Jvaughn]

Missed the game and been trying to watch the highlights from last night, but NBA hasn't uploaded them. Was this some super secret game or something?

[ChettheJet]

This game showed the striking difference in teams that tank and the Bulls. The Wiz seemed to put a genuinely talented group out there 8-9 deep. That said none of those 8-9 showed any direction to play as a unit on either side it was man on man coverage, blocked shots and steals but no switching or weak side help to be found. On offense 2-3 passes and then it became, you got your shot the last trio, now it's my turn. So for the WASH FO evaluating who they have and who they want to keep, it becomes a very difficult task to figure out IF we decide to try to win games next year which of these talented guys is capable of giving up showing off and are willing to start blending together as part of team, give up some of their game to allow the others to contribute and win us some games?

The Bulls on the other hand have put the kids out there with veterans like Jevon Carter, THT and others before this year to keep them in line and not let the game become street ball. You've had Philips, Terry and Williams going back play but not just get the ball and start throwing up shots and running over people. You saw Phillips get 23, he didn't force any contested shots, didn't get a pass and take two steps to get a shot off. He played within the system, cut and got where he needed to be to be open. That's a kid you can put in the weight room, next to Matas this summer and he'll come out a contributing player.

[sco]

I was worried about this one without Giddey.

Phillips had a game. Good for him. He's definitely ahead of PWill in my rotation.

Matas has a decent game. Some rookie stuff. Had trouble finishing some bunnies, but still fun to watch...he got some hustle points from me.

Vuc had another fine game...still hard to admit.

Coby was off...looked like they gameplanned for him, but the made some very nice plays

Huerter kept us afloat with his ball handling and passing and defense.

[cocktailswith_2short]

We bum slayed them with ease without our best guy .not much more to say . It's what good teams do .

[NecessaryEvil]

Read on Twitter

Could this guy be the SF of the future going forward?

I know it was against the lowly Wiz but still. He has all the intangibles.

[Infinity2152]

Read on Twitter

Could this guy be the SF of the future going forward?

I know it was against the lowly Wiz but still. He has all the intangibles.

Was talking about this a few days ago. Not only the intangibles, kid has incredible measurables. 7 foot wingspan, 43 inch vert and he's reasonably quick. Skill development is his biggest need, and he's young. May not be the SF of the future, but I could see him becoming a very useful player. If he becomes a great defender, that might be enough to start with Giddey, White, Matas, etc.

[Tetlak]

I know roster space and money is a concern, but it makes me wonder if the Bull should re-sign Tre Jones. It'll help having a point guard to run the 2nd unit or when Giddey is out.

I hope they re-sign Jones to 2yrs, 8-10M per deal.. we need Ball insurance for 2nd unit and they can actually play together a lot as well.

He appears to be way better, than a "Ball backup". To me depending on the matchup Huerter and he should start. In case the opponents do have a strong scoring PG (Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, ...) he should start and try to contain them. In case we should dictate out game let us start Huerter and run.

Honestly, Tre is not this defensive stud that a lot of board members make him out to be. Even if he was, he's just a little guy. His impact is limited on that end regardless. He's more of a smart guy who plays hard and can kinda do a bit of everything, who isn't high end at anything. Obviously those players are cool, but we need to stop misconstruing his game. Lonzo's inherently just a much more valuable archetype of player in a vacuum, but also has more positional/role versatility.

[Jello Biafra]

Read on Twitter

Could this guy be the SF of the future going forward?

I know it was against the lowly Wiz but still. He has all the intangibles.

Was talking about this a few days ago. Not only the intangibles, kid has incredible measurables. 7 foot wingspan, 43 inch vert and he's reasonably quick. Skill development is his biggest need, and he's young. May not be the SF of the future, but I could see him becoming a very useful player. If he becomes a great defender, that might be enough to start with Giddey, White, Matas, etc.

He's a raw Derrick Jones Jr. on a rookie contract. Right now he's playable when his corner 3 is falling. He runs the floor and is good for dunks in transition and on cuts in the half court. His handles and vision are poor so he can't create for himself or others. If he had Dalen's ball handling he'd be a lot better. His rebounding and D appear passable though his minutes are sporadic so its hard to get a real gauge on if his hops and recovery quickness can mask his lack of strength.

[Hangtime84]

Read on Twitter

Could this guy be the SF of the future going forward?

I know it was against the lowly Wiz but still. He has all the intangibles.

Was talking about this a few days ago. Not only the intangibles, kid has incredible measurables. 7 foot wingspan, 43 inch vert and he's reasonably quick. Skill development is his biggest need, and he's young. May not be the SF of the future, but I could see him becoming a very useful player. If he becomes a great defender, that might be enough to start with Giddey, White, Matas, etc.

He's a raw Derrick Jones Jr. on a rookie contract. Right now he's playable when his corner 3 is falling. He runs the floor and is good for dunks in transition and on cuts in the half court. His handles and vision are poor so he can't create for himself or others. If he had Dalen's ball handling he'd be a lot better. His rebounding and D appear passable though his minutes are sporadic so its hard to get a real gauge on if his hops and recovery quickness can mask his lack of strength.

That's exactly what i thought when Chicago drafted him Derrick Jones Jr. replacement. All we could hope for is our development of him works out better. Hopefully he trains with Coby this summer and improves his ball handling and continues to work on his shot.

[WesPeace]

I know roster space and money is a concern, but it makes me wonder if the Bull should re-sign Tre Jones. It'll help having a point guard to run the 2nd unit or when Giddey is out.

I hope they re-sign Jones to 2yrs, 8-10M per deal.. we need Ball insurance for 2nd unit and they can actually play together a lot as well.

He appears to be way better, than a "Ball backup". To me depending on the matchup Huerter and he should start. In case the opponents do have a strong scoring PG (Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, ...) he should start and try to contain them. In case we should dictate out game let us start Huerter and run.

I didnt say he should be 3rd stringer at all.. Jones is very capable player, him and Ball can both play regulary on 2nd unit.. maybe even Jones more as primary ballhander. Ball 3 & D if healthy

[sco]

Was talking about this a few days ago. Not only the intangibles, kid has incredible measurables. 7 foot wingspan, 43 inch vert and he's reasonably quick. Skill development is his biggest need, and he's young. May not be the SF of the future, but I could see him becoming a very useful player. If he becomes a great defender, that might be enough to start with Giddey, White, Matas, etc.

He's a raw Derrick Jones Jr. on a rookie contract. Right now he's playable when his corner 3 is falling. He runs the floor and is good for dunks in transition and on cuts in the half court. His handles and vision are poor so he can't create for himself or others. If he had Dalen's ball handling he'd be a lot better. His rebounding and D appear passable though his minutes are sporadic so its hard to get a real gauge on if his hops and recovery quickness can mask his lack of strength.

That's exactly what i thought when Chicago drafted him Derrick Jones Jr. replacement. All we could hope for is our development of him works out better. Hopefully he trains with Coby this summer and improves his ball handling and continues to work on his shot.

The real question is whether he can be a PWill replacement. I think he is currently a little ahead now. Maybe next deadline, if Pat can go back to his prior level of play next season (which to be fair, he's been close to of late), we may be able to trade Pat for an older player on a shorter (maybe 1 1/2 year remaining) contract.

[sco]

I hope they re-sign Jones to 2yrs, 8-10M per deal.. we need Ball insurance for 2nd unit and they can actually play together a lot as well.

He appears to be way better, than a "Ball backup". To me depending on the matchup Huerter and he should start. In case the opponents do have a strong scoring PG (Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, ...) he should start and try to contain them. In case we should dictate out game let us start Huerter and run.

I didnt say he should be 3rd stringer at all.. Jones is very capable player, him and Ball can both play regulary on 2nd unit.. maybe even Jones more as primary ballhander. Ball 3 & D if healthy

I love him at 8-10M. And his injury, IMO has definitely lowered his market value (because he didn't really have enough of a good run for some team to pony up full MLE type $). Honestly, I think he is almost elite as an on-ball defender of PG's, which there are many, but is probably better offensively than most of the elite PG defenders, and has real PG skills (better than Coby and Ayo). I go back and forth in terms who would be the best 5th starter between him, Ball and Huerter.

I am growing less confident that we will keep him though. The main reason being that Huerter has really shown his value with the starting unit, and with Ball and Ayo under contract next season, it may just be that we don't have the need. That said, I would rank Jones over both Ball and Ayo.

My current best idea would be to try to trade Ayo and PWill for one of BKN's C's, to free up the roster spot for Jones.

[DropStep]

It's nice to not only win games you should win, but also win comfortably. We initially looked to be missing Giddey, but eventually our talent just won out. ...

Let's get into the playoffs and give our young team some playoff experience. Playoffs for Giddey, for Giddey in a lead role, Coby in a bigger role (aka not getting benched when hot in a play-in game for Patrick Beverley)

The roller coaster of occasional encouraging wins followed by exasperating, eye-rolling, "that's our Bulls" defeats have generally gone away. Every team is going to have let downs, but lately the team isn't just a dice roll, it feels like. The last month or so they seem to beat bad teams based on a rising tide of skill, and occasionally beat good teams. Are our bulls finally, at long last, settling into being... not bad? I feel like the disbelieving fans reacting in Major League as Cleveland slowly got better.