PG: SIMPLY UNBEATABULL

[ShouldaPaidBG]

At the end of last season and before the play in i was saying Giddey looked like a 35-40m player. I think I was right and we got a total steal, with a great attitude to boot.

[Seccci]

I'm having fun but tempering my expectations. 45 wins, a good first-round playoff showing (win or lose), and strong seasons from Giddey & Matas would work just fine for me. We can build from there.

I said in prediction thread after preseason

46 wins, 2nd round 4-1 loss

I might have underestimated how much of a difference makers Giddey and Matas and Tre are

[DuckIII]

Boy, was AKME right about Josh Giddey, in preferring him to those crappy 2024 draft picks that most Bulls fans wanted. That makes up for the Vuc trade, when most Bulls fans were concerned, if not outright unhappy.

And of course Matas looks great -- but no controversy there, as we were all delighted when he dropped to #11.

The Bulls possess a young duo that every team in the NBA would love to have.

I realize with Giddey he’s going to have detractors due to his historically dreadful defense and how obsessed everyone is with this notion that if you aren’t a three point shooter you create ripples of roster chaos. That’s basketball analysis and people have differing views on how many different ways the game can be played effectively. And those are legitimate basketball points and concerns anyway.

But you’ll never convince me that this board’s negative response to that trade, and reluctance to credit Giddey with observable improvements and even eventually an explosion of productivity and success, isn’t somehow connected to him becoming a temporary laughing stock on social media due to the girl.

[ghostinthepost1]

This team reminds me of the 2004-2005 squad the most. No stars, but massively overachieved. They didn’t replace AD and Curry appropriately and the next year was a step back.

That's precisely why the threads discussing how to go all in or who to trade for are actually valid in case of bulls and not just daydreaming-
We all have seen this multiple times...

This kind of magic run bench mob, power of friendship teams last exactly one season until there's time to pay mid guys/ bench mob guys starter money- it all falls apart from there. Need one more stud to enhance Giddey/Matas combo

Can I interest you in 1 contract year Coby White?

[sco]

Jalen Smith bounce back was nice. Giddey spoon feeding him a dunk was great to see.
One of six guys in double digits.

Okoro chipping in 9 helps, but he has to bring just a little more juice on that side of things. 9 on 9 shots isn't what anyone wants to see.

Tre Jones is a giant. 11 points, 5-6 shooting, 5 assists, 2 steals. He doesn't play like the littlest guy on the court.

Not really meaningful, but Jones is the 25th ranked player in my fantasy league. Dude really contributes on both ends. I will say that's in contrast to a guy like Caruso or Daniels who are less consistent offensive contributors.

[sco]

Another one bites the dust. Bulls got sloppy at end of first and until 2 minutes left of the second quarter, but after that they start running and gunning, Matas and Giddey took over and that was that.
Great game from Zach, but dude just is oblivious to bball momentum- he attacks when he should slow it down and he gets deliberate into movements and **** clock when he should speed it up, it's strange....

Great- Giddey, couple rebounds from triple double, took charge together with Huerter and Matas during that slump to get us back
Matas, yeah lot of mistakes, by dude is just such a difference maker along with Giddey and Trae Jones, they always affect play any way, offense, defense, shooting, pushing pace. It's awesome

Pat the big decent Williams again with decent second half along with VUC and Jalen Smith and Huerter, bench again nearly 50 points, think it was 46, though this time starters outplayed them.

Need Coby back soon, we can kind of see the limitations on not having scoring lead guard, even though Giddey is pretty awesome at it, still lacking that explosive scorer- Matas was close today,just sat on bench too long in 4th...

Just feels so good and comfy to watch bulls basketball again after so many years. Thank God, guys like Matas and Giddey are just winning players that make winning plays on offense, defense, rebounding, playmaking. Any way they can affect winning they do it, that all while still having major holes in their games to improve on and do silly turnovers and fouls.

Sky's the limit folks

About Zach, now that I watch him on the other side, his biggest weakness is feel for the game. I think his IQ have developed quiet well compared to when he first came here. He's better in playing within his limitation and not forcing things as much as he used to. But his lack of "feel for the game" is why there's a disconnect between his individual production and the team outcome.

About this team's potential, if this is the floor and this group being in Year 1, then yes the sky is indeed the limit. I think the irreplaceable pieces for this team is Matas and Giddey because both are really unique. I think Ayo and Tre are 2 glue pieces that we need to keep to continue the momentum. I like how Vuc fits with this team, but we also need to be careful not to fall into the trap of wanting to keep him long-term. Vuc is a proxy of what type of center do we need to pursuit to replace him that fits the current core's timeline. We basically need a poor man's Jokic type who is a good passer, good rebounder, can give double digit scoring, interior defense is a bonus.

Zach's biggest problem is that he still forces stuff (Ill advised shots or trying to drive when the paint is crowded) during crunch time. He's Mr. Anti-clutch.

[Almost Retired]

Josh Giddey was supposed to be poor man's Ben Simmons, not the other way around. Can't say enough about his rebounding. Really underrated part of his game. His athleticism is average (below average for today's league standard), but he knows how to use his size. I've said this before but he reminds me a lot of Magic in that way.

Really surprised with the mental toughness. This team doesn't have a blue collar game, but definitely have that blue collar mentality. That's a good base culture to have.

Sometimes a high BB IQ overcomes some physical limitations. Seeing the floor, anticipation....now I'm not saying Giddey is a Larry Bird but Bird wasn't the greatest athlete either. But he saw the floor, anticipated plays and made his teammates better. Giddey does the same. (If he could shoot like Bird we'd have a bona fide Top 5 Superstar.)

[Jello Biafra]

Obviously, we are super early, but the Pacers aren't going to be sniffing the playoffs. Boston is looking shakey. That's potentially two playoff spots that have freed up for new teams. Orlando is off to a bad start too, I'm sure they'll figure it out.

Orlando is too talented to not figure it out. But this happened to the 2021 Hawks team that went to ECF, they have been struggling since. I think the coaching situation in Orlando will also determine which way they're going this year.

Miami Heat will be there, Spo is the best in maximizing talent.

The Orlando hype is a mirage in my opinion. Sure, Franz and Banchero are good, but they kinda play the same position and Bane is fine, but I don't think Suggs is a primary ball handler who can control the game at the end. I think that's part of the reason the Bulls didn't win more with LaVine. The ball was in his hands at the end of the game, and he'd turn it over more often than not when he'd begin his dribble or when he made an up move off the dribble. I guess we'll see if I'm wrong or not.

[jnrjr79]

I'm having fun but tempering my expectations. 45 wins, a good first-round playoff showing (win or lose), and strong seasons from Giddey & Matas would work just fine for me. We can build from there.

"Tempering expectations" at 13 wins above the Vegas projection just goes to show you how quickly the perception of a team can change!

I don't know if the Bulls can keep this up, but it's fun as hell. I was certainly in the "one more time in the lottery, please" camp, but if the Bulls make the real playoffs on the backs of the young guys, I won't be upset about it.

[Ice Man]

"Tempering expectations" at 13 wins above the Vegas projection just goes to show you how quickly the perception of a team can change!

Ha! A very good point. Although in truth, this board never believed Vegas (nor did I), so we had the Bulls in the upper 30s entering the season.

[ConstableChaos]

Imagine essenguae is a thing

[DuckIII]

I'm having fun but tempering my expectations. 45 wins, a good first-round playoff showing (win or lose), and strong seasons from Giddey & Matas would work just fine for me. We can build from there.

"Tempering expectations" at 13 wins above the Vegas projection just goes to show you how quickly the perception of a team can change!

I don't know if the Bulls can keep this up, but it's fun as hell. I was certainly in the "one more time in the lottery, please" camp, but if the Bulls make the real playoffs on the backs of the young guys, I won't be upset about it.

I'm still in the lottery camp. It is what my detached mind knows is best for the future of this team and I consider it more valuable than playoff experience for a team that will likely start getting that next year as a young group anyway. But like you posted the other day, I'm rooting passionately for wins in each individual game and will continue to do so. And certainly, at minimum, the games are a pure joy to watch even without the wins simply because its such a fun and selfless brand of ball that so few teams in the NBA play anymore.

I'm not tempering or inflating expectations yet. We started with a brutal opening 11 games and we've played 4.

But its fun and you don't have to squint to see this team has a promising future.

[LateNight]

It took Zach Lavine 8 years to win 4 games in a row.

[RSP83]

Imagine essenguae is a thing

Essengue will be Darko Milicic to Bulls' 2004 Pistons.

We're going all the way!

[MrSparkle]

Imagine essenguae is a thing

Essengue will be Darko Milicic to Bulls' 2004 Pistons.

We're going all the way!

lol

[cruwinas]

Solid, fun win. Bulls played really well in the first quarter and second half.
Now going will get tougher, but if we can limit turnovers, hit threes, keep running and try on defense - we can make more noise. Drafting talent is nice, though we probably already have two good ones in Giddey and Matas.

[madvillian]

It was nice watching Zach absolutely go off, have several highlight reel plays and then enjoy his usual poor game awareness in a Bulls win. Exciting player, good player, but just doesn't contribute enough to winning, similar to Sabonis imo.

Matas had some bad TOs but that's fine given he's expanding his game in the process. Giddey as I noted in the game thread has a real knack for rebounding, it is a useful skill he's not just vulturing uncontested ones. Jones has been a revelation. He's able to penetrate, shoot and dish while not being a liability on D. Very useful. Vuc had a bit of a stinker but he did enough down the stretch. Huerter has his thread for a reason. Another useful role player. Pat did some pat like moments including blowing two layups but he needs to keep firing from deep. He's a good shooter now get him more volume. Okoro? Eh, not seeing his value but he does seem to pop up once and awhile with a good sequence.

Smith got a fire lit under him a bit and even managed to finish a tough alley oop. If he could just play like this more than once a week it would be nice.

4-0 is 4-0. Hard to not be impressed.

[WesPeace]

UnbelievaBULL 4-0?! Who would've thought about this crazy good start! I'm really happy for the guys.. now tough schedule ahead, if we can push thru with 50-50% score, that would be very good continuation..

[Stratmaster]

I am not one who usually asks for help. But I could really use some right now.

It has been so long since I have been able to feel sports joy and happiness.

I'm not sure how to process this any more. 4-0 to start the season. I am lost. Speechless. It feels like the world is spinning out of control. But in a good way. Like the first time you ever hit the spliff and you just sat and giggled for an hour.

So I really need your help. Could you guys maybe just do a wellness check for me on here every few hours

And if you're suffering from the same feelings, please know that I am here for you. Night, day... doesn't matter. Together, we can get through this until the next game.

Here to help...

Sports joy?!?!

Sports happiness?!?!

Who is this guy? Is Strat experiencing a Patrick Williams like transformation???

Oh, I am going to go even one step further down the road to uncontrollable Giddey-ness. If Billy Donovan is able to take this team into the real playoffs, I will never talk about how meaningless his words are and how clueless he is in his player and rotation handling again.

But please don't tell Doug I said that.

[Stratmaster]

UnbelievaBULL 4-0?! Who would've thought about this crazy good start! I'm really happy for the guys.. now tough schedule ahead, if we can push thru with 50-50% score, that would be very good continuation..

That would be VERY good indeed. If The Bulls go 3-3, in the next 6 games, I will be revising my 35-39 wins into a prediction of home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Because the next 6 games are THAT brutal. If they are 6-4 after the first 10 games, I will be very, very pleased. If they are 5-5, I will still be reasonably happy.