Around The NBA : 2024-25 Season

[2weekswithpay]

Compared to starting Hayes, Ayton is a good signing. DFS has been a solid 3&D player for years, and only the first two seasons of his contract are guaranteed. I don't get the Pat comparison here, DFS is better than him while getting paid less.

I tend to agree that Paolo is overrated, but he's made the playoffs twice already and has surpassed Lavine in playoff wins. On/off numbers aside, Paolo hasn't disappointed, and young players aren't criticized much until expectations change in year 4.

[NocioniHomie]

No question. As a franchise we've been terrible about controlling the narrative around our players and our performance. Glass half empty has been name of game since DRose's injury

One of the narratives getting lost in the shuffle is the amount of expiring contracts on the team and how that could strategically elevate our results.

2023 -

Pat Williams - (expiring) - has best year - got paid

2024 (second half)
Tre Jones - played great - kinda got paid
Josh Giddey - played great - trying to get paid

2025 -

Coby
Ayo
Collins
Huerter
Vuc
Terry
Phillips
Horton-Tucker

Rumor has it there's atleast 8 players regularly working out in the Chicago facility this offseason. Guys putting in extra work to earn themselves extra dough. Anyone close to social media confirm this?

In addition to Giddey, Matas, Noa, Tre (all nice pieces) - you have 7 potential contributors playing for their next contract. So long as Donovan can keep them playing in system - I think we see some players put up significant improvements from last year.

For 25-26, unless wheels fall off, either:

A - We exceed expectations early and are looking like a top-6 East lock
B - Some of these expirings become mighty appealing to contending teams as deadline adds

Sure, we know AK sucks at acquiring draft capital, there's only 1 ball (ie. get rid of Vuc now), and the chorus of "dangerous overpay" potential with guys like Coby is real - but the idea of full tank seems almost impossible with that many decent NBA guys motivated to that extra degree. Not to mention, if PWill shows any semblance of realizing his floor (average 3/D wing), this roster will have done an utter 180 from a year and half ago.

Add Bulls 1rst round pick control and Portland 1rt to mix -- Bulls fans who just want to watch a fun team should quit the chicken little-ing and start drinking half full

[drosestruts]

Was listening to the Score today - Rahimi and Harris.

Harris says he excited for Summer League and that he's a basketball junkie, they then transition to talking about and agreeing with Bill Simmons take and Harris, the self proclaimed basketball junkie, talks about how we're never the type of team to have a surplus of 1st round picks.

Last I checked - we control all our own 1sts and have the Blazer lottery protected first through 2028

Even our own local guys, who are self proclaimed basketball junkies, make such annoying errors when discussing this team.

Unless protected picks just magically don't count towards our control of picks, but magically do count towards other teams'

And the expectations they set - they agreed Buzlies has to dominate in summer league or it will be a disappointment. They're just setting themselves up to have content to rage about the dump on the franchise

Cause in reality, summer league doesn't matter, and there's no correlation between summer league performance and regular season peformance

[DuckIII]

And the expectations they set - they agreed Buzlies has to dominate in summer league or it will be a disappointment. They're just setting themselves up to have content to rage about the dump on the franchise

Cause in reality, summer league doesn't matter, and there's no correlation between summer league performance and regular season peformance

There are a handful of talking heads out there that are worth listening to when it comes to basketball. But almost none. Because saying things that are rational and logical is boring. There's nothing to fire back about.

"Boy, I sure hope Matas dominates in SL this year. But if he doesn't, really doesn't mean anything. Historically, SL performances both good and bad are worthless predictors." How is that gonna make anyone mad enough listen and disagree?

If you start with the premise that virtually every significant sports media personality (with a very small group of exceptions like Jay Bilas or Tim Legler) either: (a) doesn't know your team as well as you do; or (b) doesn't believe what they are saying anyway - then it becomes easy to ignore all of them. I don't follow hardly any of what anyone else says about the Bulls. Or Rams. Or Illini. They have nothing to tell me that matters.

[HomoSapien]

Speaking of summer league, KJ is off to a rough start. He's 1-15 combined in his first three games.

[kodo]

Speaking of summer league, KJ is off to a rough start. He's 1-15 combined in his first three games.

Read on Twitter

Let's be honest, a lot of us wanted KJ. We'd all be meltdown mode right now even though it's SL.

[DASMACKDOWN]

Speaking of summer league, KJ is off to a rough start. He's 1-15 combined in his first three games.

Read on Twitter

Let's be honest, a lot of us wanted KJ. We'd all be meltdown mode right now even though it's SL.

You always have to remember though, its summer league. Which means its worth as much as watching practice.

[DASMACKDOWN]

And so it begins... Chet getting rookie max deal that could potentially go up to 250 mil.

Jalen Williams is next with most likely the same contract.

I said OKC window with this group is 2 years.

[Chi town]

And so it begins... Chet getting rookie max deal that could potentially go up to 250 mil.

Jalen Williams is next with most likely the same contract.

I said OKC window with this group is 2 years.

Yep. I don’t think they can pay all 3.

If Bulls can get Giddey and Coby for 50M combined we could be in really good shape.

[jnrjr79]

And so it begins... Chet getting rookie max deal that could potentially go up to 250 mil.

Jalen Williams is next with most likely the same contract.

I said OKC window with this group is 2 years.

They can pull it off longer than that. Shai's extension doesn't kick in until 27-28. He's got a 35% of the cap max. Chet's is only 25%. Obviously, we'll have to see what their appetite for tax/aprons will be, but there sort of set up where their older guys will come off the books and they can supplement with all their draft picks to backfill.

[MrSparkle]

And so it begins... Chet getting rookie max deal that could potentially go up to 250 mil.

Jalen Williams is next with most likely the same contract.

I said OKC window with this group is 2 years.

They can pull it off longer than that. Shai's extension doesn't kick in until 27-28. He's got a 35% of the cap max. Chet's is only 25%. Obviously, we'll have to see what their appetite for tax/aprons will be, but there sort of set up where their older guys will come off the books and they can supplement with all their draft picks to backfill.

Yeah, I think 2028 is where the potential issues start. Namely with key role-players either wanting to get to paid. Of course, their future farm looks as good as good as any (good argument to be made that some would take the OKC bench and future/incoming FRPs over the Bulls').

But still, the no-brainer is to pay the big 3, and improvise the rest of the roster. Keep flipping the most expendable/expensive guys (Hartenstein, Dort... unless they take pay-cuts... possibly Caruso as he ages and the younger guards step up).

[Jcool0]

Speaking of summer league, KJ is off to a rough start. He's 1-15 combined in his first three games.

Read on Twitter

Let's be honest, a lot of us wanted KJ. We'd all be meltdown mode right now even though it's SL.

Doesn't really mean much...

2008 Derrick Rose Summer League: 9.5 ppg on 29/00/64 with 5.5 assists and 4 TOV

[Red Larrivee]

You always have to remember though, its summer league. Which means its worth as much as watching practice.

I'm old enough to remember when:

- Bulls fans were losing their mind over Malcolm Thomas
- Andrew Goudelock
- Not signing Jevon Freeman-Liberty after SL was a big mistake
- Fans being legitimately concerned after Rose was bad in Orlando SL

It's just a big nothing burger.

[DuckIII]

Speaking of summer league, KJ is off to a rough start. He's 1-15 combined in his first three games.

Read on Twitter

Let's be honest, a lot of us wanted KJ. We'd all be meltdown mode right now even though it's SL.

Anyone who melts down over anything that happens at summer league must be new to summer league. But yeah, he's had a terrible one so far. I watched one of them, and he looked all out of sorts. Its not just the stats. He was a mess.

[DuckIII]

You always have to remember though, its summer league. Which means its worth as much as watching practice.

I'm old enough to remember when:

- Bulls fans were losing their mind over Malcolm Thomas
- Andrew Goudelock
- Not signing Jevon Freeman-Liberty after SL was a big mistake
- Fans being legitimately concerned after Rose was bad in Orlando SL

It's just a big nothing burger.

SL is for looking for traits. That's it.

[DASMACKDOWN]

You always have to remember though, its summer league. Which means its worth as much as watching practice.

I'm old enough to remember when:

- Bulls fans were losing their mind over Malcolm Thomas
- Andrew Goudelock
- Not signing Jevon Freeman-Liberty after SL was a big mistake
- Fans being legitimately concerned after Rose was bad in Orlando SL

It's just a big nothing burger.

Good ole Goudelock. Was going to be the stop gap after Derrick's injury.

You dont have to be old to remember even guys like Patrick Williams in summer league. He looked like a beast.

Then went from Thundar Cat to Cowardly Lion.

[Andi Obst]

You always have to remember though, its summer league. Which means its worth as much as watching practice.

I'm old enough to remember when:

- Bulls fans were losing their mind over Malcolm Thomas
- Andrew Goudelock
- Not signing Jevon Freeman-Liberty after SL was a big mistake
- Fans being legitimately concerned after Rose was bad in Orlando SL

It's just a big nothing burger.

A couple of years ago the Bulls had some super athletic forward on their SL roster who had the craziest srub highlight video I've ever seen. Forgot his name, but I remember that some people here got mad he didn't even get minutes in SL.

Edit: Found him! Troy Baxter Jr., Bulls SL team 2021! 25-year-old rookie at the time. Plays in the Dominican Republic now.

[Dominator83]

I’m not going to listen to it to understand his rationale (pretty sure I know what it is - no franchise player, no picks, too many wins to bottom out), but I know I don’t agree with him. I would have agreed with him had he said it the last 3 years though.

Basically came down to:
- Our strategy is to have huge cap space in 2026...but nobody goes to Chicago. "They've never been that team we've never seen it"
- We have haven't paid the lux tax in forever (Ryen then laughs "small market" and they both joke about how we're a small market team in a big market)
- We didn't make the Derek Queen trade
- Coby White's next contract might be scary
- Won't be a bottom 5 team
- Owners made it clear they will never spend money, terrible handling of the Jordan legacy, free agents will never come to Chicago
- Ryen: Giddey was a good trade, but the rest of the roster... (didn't finish)
- Both Bill & Ryen reiterated they always thought Giddey was a good trade although poorly perceived

Thanks, but this is just more evidence of why I don't understand why fans care what national reporters say. Any educated Bulls fan knows more about his team and has a more nuanced understanding of the circumstances than national media ever will (outside of breaking specific stories). His rationale isn't even as good as the one I'd come up with, and I don't even agree with the premise. Weak effort.

Simmons lost his fast ball about 15 years ago. Just stick to Boston related stuff and pop culture cross overs from 30 years ago.

Hes really not wrong here. We really don't have much of a direction. We're not contending for a championship, we're not looking to aim for the top prospects in the draft (we like to win just enough to miss all those), we aren't looking to stockpile picks to either get more swings, or use to aim for stars in trades.

Ownership and AKME is just sorta A-OK with being an annual playin team as long as the profits keep rolling in. For a market like this and the brand that MJ built, we should be constantly aiming much higher.

[Dominator83]

Was listening to the Score today - Rahimi and Harris.

Harris says he excited for Summer League and that he's a basketball junkie, they then transition to talking about and agreeing with Bill Simmons take and Harris, the self proclaimed basketball junkie, talks about how we're never the type of team to have a surplus of 1st round picks.

Last I checked - we control all our own 1sts and have the Blazer lottery protected first through 2028

Even our own local guys, who are self proclaimed basketball junkies, make such annoying errors when discussing this team.

Unless protected picks just magically don't count towards our control of picks, but magically do count towards other teams'

And the expectations they set - they agreed Buzlies has to dominate in summer league or it will be a disappointment. They're just setting themselves up to have content to rage about the dump on the franchise

Cause in reality, summer league doesn't matter, and there's no correlation between summer league performance and regular season peformance

That Portland pick is as fake of a pick as it gets. You really think Portland is making the playoffs anytime soon? If they were in the East, then it would be possible. But in the west they'll be a lottery time for years to come. How AKME didn't manage get an eventual guaranteed 1st in that trade is beyond me

[MrSparkle]

Was listening to the Score today - Rahimi and Harris.

Harris says he excited for Summer League and that he's a basketball junkie, they then transition to talking about and agreeing with Bill Simmons take and Harris, the self proclaimed basketball junkie, talks about how we're never the type of team to have a surplus of 1st round picks.

Last I checked - we control all our own 1sts and have the Blazer lottery protected first through 2028

Even our own local guys, who are self proclaimed basketball junkies, make such annoying errors when discussing this team.

Unless protected picks just magically don't count towards our control of picks, but magically do count towards other teams'

And the expectations they set - they agreed Buzlies has to dominate in summer league or it will be a disappointment. They're just setting themselves up to have content to rage about the dump on the franchise

Cause in reality, summer league doesn't matter, and there's no correlation between summer league performance and regular season peformance

That Portland pick is as fake of a pick as it gets. You really think Portland is making the playoffs anytime soon? If they were in the East, then it would be possible. But in the west they'll be a lottery time for years to come. How AKME didn't manage get an eventual guaranteed 1st in that trade is beyond me

You’re about right… but I think the West is wide open (besides Utah). I can see them missing the play-in, but equal odds imo that Portland overachieves and upsets a few (NOP, LAL, maybe LAC finally falls apart- dunno if that Collins trade benefits them). Also DAL is giving to the keys to a rookie Flagg, and will not have Kyrie. Regardless how good a rookie he is, Davis is injury prone and it’s a tough ask for 19yo to lead dudes to wins.