Around The NBA : 2024-25 Season

[drosestruts]

Bulls were also missing players - Lonzo, Ayo on a more permanent basis.

Other players sporadically.

It should be so simple to equally value the Warrio's post deadline record and the Bulls post deadline record.

Stop making excuses just to hate on the Bulls.

Did the Warriors only play teams at full strength? No.

[Ice Man]

This argument is more mood than anything else. Nobody disputes the basics, which is that the Bulls with Giddey, Coby, and Matas, plus some support players, are neither a terrible team nor a contender. People disagree on the potential future for those guys, but not where they are today.

[Chi town]

This argument is more mood than anything else. Nobody disputes the basics, which is that the Bulls with Giddey, Coby, and Matas, plus some support players, are neither a terrible team nor a contender. People disagree on the potential future for those guys, but not where they are today.

Yep.

However, if we get Coby Giddey and Buz from that post AS stretch Bulls are probably a 6th seed.

If Coby takes a step, Giddey improves that 3, and Buz gets better combined with Vuc being replaced with a defensive C and full mins from Ayo or Zo or Tre…

We start looking like a real playoff team that has contender potential.

IMO it all really comes down to Buz. If he’s a star then we may have enough in that core if we nail the supporting cast.

[2weekswithpay]

The Bulls had the 10th best defense post-ASB. The defense was 27th pre-ASB and was better than the offense during the last 2 months. Some winning stretches are real, and others are fake, and what the Warriors showed was more sustainable. The Bulls had a top 10 defense in the last 2 months of the season but not a single player could stay in front of Herro.

[DASMACKDOWN]

The Bulls had the 10th best defense post-ASB. The defense was 27th pre-ASB and was better than the offense during the last 2 months. Some winning stretches are real, and others are fake, and what the Warriors showed was more sustainable. The Bulls had a top 10 defense in the last 2 months of the season but not a single player could stay in front of Herro.

Simple put. We didn't have Ayo.

[sco]

The Bulls had the 10th best defense post-ASB. The defense was 27th pre-ASB and was better than the offense during the last 2 months. Some winning stretches are real, and others are fake, and what the Warriors showed was more sustainable. The Bulls had a top 10 defense in the last 2 months of the season but not a single player could stay in front of Herro.

Simple put. We didn't have Ayo.

We didn't have Ayo, Ball or Jones...I want to say that Ayo isn't just an average defender and that his injury had been hampering him, but man, he's been a mediocre defender for a long time now. Personally, I think he bulked up too much and lost his rookie quickness, which was his strength.

[Chi town]

The Bulls had the 10th best defense post-ASB. The defense was 27th pre-ASB and was better than the offense during the last 2 months. Some winning stretches are real, and others are fake, and what the Warriors showed was more sustainable. The Bulls had a top 10 defense in the last 2 months of the season but not a single player could stay in front of Herro.

Simple put. We didn't have Ayo.

We didn't have Ayo, Ball or Jones...I want to say that Ayo isn't just an average defender and that his injury had been hampering him, but man, he's been a mediocre defender for a long time now. Personally, I think he bulked up too much and lost his rookie quickness, which was his strength.

Tre and Zo would have slowed Herro for sure.

[DASMACKDOWN]

So it will be interesting what Cleveland eventually does with the team going forward. This was telegraphed a few years back the moment they traded for Mitchell. I think Cleveland will be a 2nd apron team once Mobleys deal kicks in due to the Rose rule.

[Dan Z]

This argument is more mood than anything else. Nobody disputes the basics, which is that the Bulls with Giddey, Coby, and Matas, plus some support players, are neither a terrible team nor a contender. People disagree on the potential future for those guys, but not where they are today.

Yep.

However, if we get Coby Giddey and Buz from that post AS stretch Bulls are probably a 6th seed.

If Coby takes a step, Giddey improves that 3, and Buz gets better combined with Vuc being replaced with a defensive C and full mins from Ayo or Zo or Tre…

We start looking like a real playoff team that has contender potential.

IMO it all really comes down to Buz. If he’s a star then we may have enough in that core if we nail the supporting cast.

I'm sure the rest of the East could play the "If" game too.

What if Embiid was at full strength and McCain never go hurt?

What if Toronto was healthy all season long? Orlando too? Or the Hawks...maybe Jalen Johnson plays more than 36 games. Etc. Etc.

[Chi town]

This argument is more mood than anything else. Nobody disputes the basics, which is that the Bulls with Giddey, Coby, and Matas, plus some support players, are neither a terrible team nor a contender. People disagree on the potential future for those guys, but not where they are today.

Yep.

However, if we get Coby Giddey and Buz from that post AS stretch Bulls are probably a 6th seed.

If Coby takes a step, Giddey improves that 3, and Buz gets better combined with Vuc being replaced with a defensive C and full mins from Ayo or Zo or Tre…

We start looking like a real playoff team that has contender potential.

IMO it all really comes down to Buz. If he’s a star then we may have enough in that core if we nail the supporting cast.

I'm sure the rest of the East could play the "If" game too.

What if Embiid was at full strength and McCain never go hurt?

What if Toronto was healthy all season long? Orlando too? Or the Hawks...maybe Jalen Johnson plays more than 36 games. Etc. Etc.

Except our ifs are really simply what our top 3 guys have already shown over a two month stretch.

[drosestruts]

This argument is more mood than anything else. Nobody disputes the basics, which is that the Bulls with Giddey, Coby, and Matas, plus some support players, are neither a terrible team nor a contender. People disagree on the potential future for those guys, but not where they are today.

Yep.

However, if we get Coby Giddey and Buz from that post AS stretch Bulls are probably a 6th seed.

If Coby takes a step, Giddey improves that 3, and Buz gets better combined with Vuc being replaced with a defensive C and full mins from Ayo or Zo or Tre…

We start looking like a real playoff team that has contender potential.

IMO it all really comes down to Buz. If he’s a star then we may have enough in that core if we nail the supporting cast.

I'm sure the rest of the East could play the "If" game too.

What if Embiid was at full strength and McCain never go hurt?

What if Toronto was healthy all season long? Orlando too? Or the Hawks...maybe Jalen Johnson plays more than 36 games. Etc. Etc.

No one doubts that the 76ers are good when healthy.

There's plenty of doubt of this Bulls team ability to play at or near the level we saw them all play at over the last two months of the season.

We can see the 76ers play well and all agree that they're capable of being a good team.

We all watch the Bulls play well, and it's endless excuses about how it's a mirage.

[Dan Z]

Yep.

However, if we get Coby Giddey and Buz from that post AS stretch Bulls are probably a 6th seed.

If Coby takes a step, Giddey improves that 3, and Buz gets better combined with Vuc being replaced with a defensive C and full mins from Ayo or Zo or Tre…

We start looking like a real playoff team that has contender potential.

IMO it all really comes down to Buz. If he’s a star then we may have enough in that core if we nail the supporting cast.

I'm sure the rest of the East could play the "If" game too.

What if Embiid was at full strength and McCain never go hurt?

What if Toronto was healthy all season long? Orlando too? Or the Hawks...maybe Jalen Johnson plays more than 36 games. Etc. Etc.

No one doubts that the 76ers are good when healthy.

There's plenty of doubt of this Bulls team ability to play at or near the level we saw them all play at over the last two months of the season.

We can see the 76ers play well and all agree that they're capable of being a good team.

We all watch the Bulls play well, and it's endless excuses about how it's a mirage.

My point is that is that you can't just say that the Bulls played well (to end the season) so they should finish 6th next year. Other teams dealt with various issues and that happens each year.

Did anyone expect Detroit to finish 6th this year? Nope. Did anyone think Philly would fall apart as much as they did? Not really. You could argue that Toronto was expected to do better. Orlando too.

Could the Bull finish in 6th next year? Sure, but I have my doubts (it also depends on how the off season goes). Will they improve? I think so.

[drosestruts]

I'm sure the rest of the East could play the "If" game too.

What if Embiid was at full strength and McCain never go hurt?

What if Toronto was healthy all season long? Orlando too? Or the Hawks...maybe Jalen Johnson plays more than 36 games. Etc. Etc.

No one doubts that the 76ers are good when healthy.

There's plenty of doubt of this Bulls team ability to play at or near the level we saw them all play at over the last two months of the season.

We can see the 76ers play well and all agree that they're capable of being a good team.

We all watch the Bulls play well, and it's endless excuses about how it's a mirage.

My point is that is that you can't just say that the Bulls played well (to end the season) so they should finish 6th next year. Other teams dealt with various issues and that happens each year.

Did anyone expect Detroit to finish 6th this year? Nope. Did anyone think Philly would fall apart as much as they did? Not really. You could argue that Toronto was expected to do better. Orlando too.

Could the Bull finish in 6th next year? Sure, but I have my doubts (it also depends on how the off season goes). Will they improve? I think so.

For me personally, I think looking ahead to next year it's less - the Bulls will be the 6th seed

and more, Seeds 4 - 10 could be separated by only a few games, like we saw in the west this year with 3-8 all being within 2 games of each other.

I expect us to be part of the competitive muck below (assuming they stay as they are) Boston and Cleveland

[Chi town]

I'm sure the rest of the East could play the "If" game too.

What if Embiid was at full strength and McCain never go hurt?

What if Toronto was healthy all season long? Orlando too? Or the Hawks...maybe Jalen Johnson plays more than 36 games. Etc. Etc.

No one doubts that the 76ers are good when healthy.

There's plenty of doubt of this Bulls team ability to play at or near the level we saw them all play at over the last two months of the season.

We can see the 76ers play well and all agree that they're capable of being a good team.

We all watch the Bulls play well, and it's endless excuses about how it's a mirage.

My point is that is that you can't just say that the Bulls played well (to end the season) so they should finish 6th next year. Other teams dealt with various issues and that happens each year.

Did anyone expect Detroit to finish 6th this year? Nope. Did anyone think Philly would fall apart as much as they did? Not really. You could argue that Toronto was expected to do better. Orlando too.

Could the Bull finish in 6th next year? Sure, but I have my doubts (it also depends on how the off season goes). Will they improve? I think so.

I think the Bulls will be next years Pistons because of health and internal improvement and no Vuc.

Our pace and 3s with a good defense would win lots of regular season games. Add Giddey and Coby FTs as a stabilizer and we are a solid team.

Also think Sixers are toast unless they get Flagg due to age and health. Guys that age don’t get better. They miss more games and are less effective.

Think Buz will take a stride fwd next season and Giddey will surprise with a legit 3.

[Chi town]

No one doubts that the 76ers are good when healthy.

There's plenty of doubt of this Bulls team ability to play at or near the level we saw them all play at over the last two months of the season.

We can see the 76ers play well and all agree that they're capable of being a good team.

We all watch the Bulls play well, and it's endless excuses about how it's a mirage.

My point is that is that you can't just say that the Bulls played well (to end the season) so they should finish 6th next year. Other teams dealt with various issues and that happens each year.

Did anyone expect Detroit to finish 6th this year? Nope. Did anyone think Philly would fall apart as much as they did? Not really. You could argue that Toronto was expected to do better. Orlando too.

Could the Bull finish in 6th next year? Sure, but I have my doubts (it also depends on how the off season goes). Will they improve? I think so.

For me personally, I think looking ahead to next year it's less - the Bulls will be the 6th seed

and more, Seeds 4 - 10 could be separated by only a few games, like we saw in the west this year with 3-8 all being within 2 games of each other.

I expect us to be part of the competitive muck below (assuming they stay as they are) Boston and Cleveland

I’d agree with that.

CLE and BOS will probably lose a key player too due to cap.

[WesPeace]

I think Boston will ride it out until 2026-2027.. Horford retires after this season probably 9M opens up. Kornet will probably eat up some portion of it. Porzingis contract end after next season. Also their core is getting old, I think they will add another vet minimum center next season and battle thru. Then comes the evaluation off season before 2026-2027 , they keep going or rebuild..

Cleveland - 210M in salaries with just 10/11 players signed for next season.. they are more in trouble salary wise, unless owners dont mind spending and paying for 2-3 years if they can win championship maybe.

[kodo]

Marc J. Spears : "MPJ may not play Saturday, Jamal's hurting, Russ is hurting, Aaron told me he can barely jump right now."

If MPJ/Jamal/Russ/Gordon are all out or playing well below level, this thing is over. It's going to be remarkable for Joker to have one of the greatest individual performance seasons in NBA history to go out in the 1st round.

[Chi town]

JDub is the best #2 in the league.

How many teams would he be the #1 for?

[Hangtime84]

I think Boston will ride it out until 2026-2027.. Horford retires after this season probably 9M opens up. Kornet will probably eat up some portion of it. Porzingis contract end after next season. Also their core is getting old, I think they will add another vet minimum center next season and battle thru. Then comes the evaluation off season before 2026-2027 , they keep going or rebuild..

Cleveland - 210M in salaries with just 10/11 players signed for next season.. they are more in trouble salary wise, unless owners dont mind spending and paying for 2-3 years if they can win championship maybe.

He been high payer before i don't see see why not if they get deep playoff runs.

[Ice Man]

I'm 99% sure that podcasts from ex-players are making fans dumber. I watched a clip briefly, the podcasters were debating where Steph would rank among top all-time PGs.

First, they decided that Steph was a #2 guard, not a PG. I guess they decided that because that because he scores a lot or something. Never mind that he is always his team's primary ballhandler and assist leader, not to mention its smallest player.

They they decided that Steph was behind Wade in the #2 guard rankings. Never mind that Steph has more career points, more assists, more rings, more All NBA awards, and more MVP Awards. He also ranks ahead of Wade for career Win Shares, Box Score per Minute, VORP, everything. Plus, as LeBron says, Steph has been the most revolutionary player during his career -- the guy is most responsible for changing how the league is played.

Truly, most of these guys are not helpful. They are not.

Edit: OK, I overstated one item. Steph and Draymond have had about the same number of assists over the years, so I wasn't quite right when I called him the team's "assist leader." Assist co-leader, really.