Wiretap: Bulls Hope To Re-Sign Zach LaVine At $14M-$16M

[Repeat 3-peat]

He didn't struggle a bit. He was atrocious.

In his first few games he looked good, then his minutes started to go up and he started to struggle due to tired legs.

His struggles should have been expected. Coming back midseason on a new team with no Summer working on his game, nobody will come back and look good in that situation.

Well yeah they should have been expected. He struggled his first three years and then he had a major injury. Of course he would struggle even more is 4th year.

I thought he was progressing very well before the injury. He came into the league very young and raw and was developing nicely as a scorer.

[League Circles]

In his first few games he looked good, then his minutes started to go up and he started to struggle due to tired legs.

His struggles should have been expected. Coming back midseason on a new team with no Summer working on his game, nobody will come back and look good in that situation.

Well yeah they should have been expected. He struggled his first three years and then he had a major injury. Of course he would struggle even more is 4th year.

I thought he was progressing very well before the injury. He came into the league very young and raw and was developing nicely as a scorer.

As an individual scorer maybe. Not as a player.

[Repeat 3-peat]

Well yeah they should have been expected. He struggled his first three years and then he had a major injury. Of course he would struggle even more is 4th year.

I thought he was progressing very well before the injury. He came into the league very young and raw and was developing nicely as a scorer.

As an individual scorer maybe. Not as a player.

Well he was 22 years old when he went down, how many 22 year olds are complete players in the league?

[samwana]

Just amazes me that the reports were that the FO was high on LaVine when they made the trade but after he struggled a bit coming back from injury "mid season" and only "playing 20+ games" they become uncomfortable (Like wtf was anyone expecting?) in giving LaVine a contract.


That's just F'n dumb.

Why?? They got a good look at him. It was 24 games, but it was clear that he made all players around him worse and especially, he made our offense worse, our defense way worse and blocked out our best player in Lauri. He had a usage rate way beyond his ability and sure he did win us the Minnesota game, but even there it was heroball that doesn't normally win games a lot. It only made him play more selfish.

24 games is a lot of time to see if someone has a tendency to be a team player or be a selfish chucker and at this point in his career LaVine is not a team player and should not be featured as our best player. That can make a FO uncomfortable and I hope it does make GarPax uncomfortable enough to let him go.

[League Circles]

I thought he was progressing very well before the injury. He came into the league very young and raw and was developing nicely as a scorer.

As an individual scorer maybe. Not as a player.

Well he was 22 years old when he went down, how many 22 year olds are complete players in the league?

Not many. And most of them go on to be incomplete players throughout their careers. I don't expect him to be a complete player. If I'm going to spend big money on him long-term I expect him to be a good player. And he most certainly has never been that in the NBA.

[Repeat 3-peat]

Just amazes me that the reports were that the FO was high on LaVine when they made the trade but after he struggled a bit coming back from injury "mid season" and only "playing 20+ games" they become uncomfortable (Like wtf was anyone expecting?) in giving LaVine a contract.


That's just F'n dumb.

Why?? They got a good look at him. It was 24 games, but it was clear that he made all players around him worse and especially, he made our offense worse, our defense way worse and blocked out our best player in Lauri. He had a usage rate way beyond his ability and sure he did win us the Minnesota game, but even there it was heroball that doesn't normally win games a lot. It only made him play more selfish.

24 games is a lot of time to see if someone has a tendency to be a team player or be a selfish chucker and at this point in his career LaVine is not a team player and should not be featured as our best player. That can make a FO uncomfortable and I hope it does make GarPax uncomfortable enough to let him go.

What's bolded can all be linked to the red bolded part.


For the blue writing: 24 games is not a lot.

[samwana]

Just amazes me that the reports were that the FO was high on LaVine when they made the trade but after he struggled a bit coming back from injury "mid season" and only "playing 20+ games" they become uncomfortable (Like wtf was anyone expecting?) in giving LaVine a contract.


That's just F'n dumb.

Why?? They got a good look at him. It was 24 games, but it was clear that he made all players around him worse and especially, he made our offense worse, our defense way worse and blocked out our best player in Lauri. He had a usage rate way beyond his ability and sure he did win us the Minnesota game, but even there it was heroball that doesn't normally win games a lot. It only made him play more selfish.

24 games is a lot of time to see if someone has a tendency to be a team player or be a selfish chucker and at this point in his career LaVine is not a team player and should not be featured as our best player. That can make a FO uncomfortable and I hope it does make GarPax uncomfortable enough to let him go.

What's bolded can all be linked to the red bolded part.


For the blue writing: 24 games is not a lot.

You show how quotes of half sentences don't make any sense.

[WindyCityBorn]

We'll see. I have a little more faith in Pax. I just don't think he's that stupid.

Stupid because he might not agree with you? According to KC Johnson $15 million is a number they would be comfortable with. If they are OK paying that much another couple of million should not be a big deal.

Actually KC Johnson said that "if the offer got around 19-20M per then the Bulls would have to think hard and that things would get really messy".

Did you really just lie about what KC Johnson said or did you misunderstand?

As of Thursday, the Kings were poised to own roughly $18.7 million of salary-cap space when the NBA’s new fiscal calendar begins. If they choose to go the LaVine route, that would mean a four-year offer worth roughly $80 million, which the Bulls would have 72 hours to match.

The Bulls, who are expected to offer LaVine a multiyear deal at an annual salary lower than he is seeking, would almost certainly match that. But the Kings could make additional moves to clear more cap space and come closer to the max deal of four years and roughly $108 million that a rival team can offer LaVine. Such an offer could give the Bulls pause.

Sounds like they would match $80 million which the Kings could offer as of now with no problem.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-spt-bulls-zach-lavine-free-agency-20180628-story.html

[johnnyvann840]

Sounds like they would match $80 million which the Kings could offer as of now with no problem.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-spt-bulls-zach-lavine-free-agency-20180628-story.html

No, it sounds like either that was KC Johnson's opinion or maybe just what the FO wanted him to say. Do you know how many times KC has been dead wrong about what the Bulls do/did ?This is the same guy who said they definitely were not trading Luol Deng, then three days later, they traded Luol Deng. There's been so many of these instances in his time covering the team. I don't take anything he writes as speculation or opinion seriously. It's either simply what he thinks or what the FO wants him to think and/or write or say. Certainly not gospel.

The Bulls would be complete idiots to match $19M/per and commit to four years for a player of Lavine's quality and caliber. The guy has done nothing but make his teams a lot worse. Oh, and he won the dunk contest. lol. He's just not very good at playing winning basketball. It's even painful for me to watch him play. I want to break things when I see him play.

Also, I thought I heard one of the radio guys in Chicago say they spoke to KC and he said exactly that. That if the Lavine received and offer of $19 or 20M "that they would have to think very hard and that things would get messy". It wouldn't be the first time KC Johnson said something contradictory to what he wrote. In fact, it wouldn't even be the first time this week. lol. He's been all over the place lately. The front office has him going in circles since he is their mouthpiece.

[johnnyvann840]

If the Kings make that kind of offer it's the perfect opportunity for the Bulls FO to save face and get away from a player that makes them worse. They wouldn't have to actually admit a mistake. They can just say that they don't feel the value is there and that the Kings are grossly overpaying for what he is. And it would be absolutely true.

I've been watching the NBA for over forty years and I've seen a fockton of players come through the league that were great scorers but not good basketball players. There is much better chance that Lavine is one of those and not a winning player.

[Repeat 3-peat]

Why?? They got a good look at him. It was 24 games, but it was clear that he made all players around him worse and especially, he made our offense worse, our defense way worse and blocked out our best player in Lauri. He had a usage rate way beyond his ability and sure he did win us the Minnesota game, but even there it was heroball that doesn't normally win games a lot. It only made him play more selfish.

24 games is a lot of time to see if someone has a tendency to be a team player or be a selfish chucker and at this point in his career LaVine is not a team player and should not be featured as our best player. That can make a FO uncomfortable and I hope it does make GarPax uncomfortable enough to let him go.

What's bolded can all be linked to the red bolded part.


For the blue writing: 24 games is not a lot.

You show how quotes of half sentences don't make any sense.

Smh. It was pretty simple.

He played 24 games which was midseason, on a new team with new teammates he never worked with "in game", no training camp, nothing.

That is going to cause struggles. individually and team wise.

[johnnyvann840]

Smh. It was pretty simple.

He played 24 games which was midseason, on a new team with new teammates he never worked with "in game", no training camp, nothing.

That is going to cause struggles. individually and team wise.

You know what he showed us in those 24 games? He showed us how truly stupid he is. Since he was on a new team, coming off a serious injury, with "no camp, nothing", then why in the F was his usage almost 30%? Why was he jacking up 20 shots per 36 minutes. Why was he playing hero ball? Why? When he was sucking complete and total ass. He plays like a moron. He has for four years now. See, when a smart player is struggling he doesn't increase his usage and shots by 25%. Smh, it's really pretty simple.

[thedarkstark]

If a team like the Lakers who are trying to hit a home run with Lebron/Kawhi etc. strikeout, I could see them spending a boatload on 2nd tier free agents like Boogie, Kemba, or Lavine.

I'm not very high on Lavine but it would stupid to let Lavine walk if the market is low, but if he gets offers of 20+ I think it'd be even more foolish to spend that kind of money on him. He's not an impact player on a bad team, he could be huge off the bench or as like a 4th option offensively, but he's proven to be a very flawed player who can score in iso situations and not much else.

[coldfish]

Smh. It was pretty simple.

He played 24 games which was midseason, on a new team with new teammates he never worked with "in game", no training camp, nothing.

That is going to cause struggles. individually and team wise.

You know what he showed us in those 24 games? He showed us how truly stupid he is. Since he was on a new team, coming off a serious injury, with "no camp, nothing", then why in the F was his usage almost 30%? Why was he jacking up 20 shots per 36 minutes. Why was he playing hero ball? Why? When he was sucking complete and total ass. He plays like a moron. He has for four years now. See, when a smart player is struggling he doesn't increase his usage and shots by 25%. Smh, it's really pretty simple.

For fans, our interactions with players begins and ends with the games. For a front office, games are a pretty small percentage of the time they spend interacting with a player. Film sessions, pregame warmups, practices, travel, etc. is a huge amount of time. Guys like Paxson have been around a tremendous number of players. After almost a year with Lavine, you can get a feel for a player and compare him to the countless other people you have seen in the past.

Just as an example, coaching may have point blank told him to not take a certain shot or pass to the weakside in certain circumstances and he ignored them to negative results. We as fans simply can't know that.

Its entirely possible for Zach to play those 24 games the same exact way and have the FO come to two completely different conclusions on him based on off court stuff.

[samwana]

Smh. It was pretty simple.

He played 24 games which was midseason, on a new team with new teammates he never worked with "in game", no training camp, nothing.

That is going to cause struggles. individually and team wise.

You know what he showed us in those 24 games? He showed us how truly stupid he is. Since he was on a new team, coming off a serious injury, with "no camp, nothing", then why in the F was his usage almost 30%? Why was he jacking up 20 shots per 36 minutes. Why was he playing hero ball? Why? When he was sucking complete and total ass. He plays like a moron. He has for four years now. See, when a smart player is struggling he doesn't increase his usage and shots by 25%. Smh, it's really pretty simple.

Couldn't have said that any better, thanks.

[johnnyvann840]

Smh. It was pretty simple.

He played 24 games which was midseason, on a new team with new teammates he never worked with "in game", no training camp, nothing. posting.php?mode=edit&f=10&p=67087401

That is going to cause struggles. individually and team wise.

You know what he showed us in those 24 games? He showed us how truly stupid he is. Since he was on a new team, coming off a serious injury, with "no camp, nothing", then why in the F was his usage almost 30%? Why was he jacking up 20 shots per 36 minutes. Why was he playing hero ball? Why? When he was sucking complete and total ass. He plays like a moron. He has for four years now. See, when a smart player is struggling he doesn't increase his usage and shots by 25%. Smh, it's really pretty simple.

For fans, our interactions with players begins and ends with the games. For a front office, games are a pretty small percentage of the time they spend interacting with a player. Film sessions, pregame warmups, practices, travel, etc. is a huge amount of time. Guys like Paxson have been around a tremendous number of players. After almost a year with Lavine, you can get a feel for a player and compare him to the countless other people you have seen in the past.

Just as an example, coaching may have point blank told him to not take a certain shot or pass to the weakside in certain circumstances and he ignored them to negative results. We as fans simply can't know that.

Its entirely possible for Zach to play those 24 games the same exact way and have the FO come to two completely different conclusions on him based on off court stuff.

One of the first things we heard from Zach when he became a Bull was how cool it was to have a hotel room in Chicago with such a great view of the "ocean". He seriously thought Lake Michigan was the ocean. Then a few days later he was interviewed in Vegas during a Summer League game. I honestly thought the guy was **** he sounded like such an idiot. Then, in Feb we got to watch him play and I realized he was just as dumb on the court.

I'm not even making this stuff up... this was coming from a 22 yr old man who went to college in the Pac12... somehow.

LaVine has a youthful sense of energy and wonder – he initially thought the body of water beyond his hotel window was an ocean, not Lake Michigan – but a wiser, caution-first approach to his injury comeback. It’s possible the Bulls won’t have him on the United Center court until after the season begins.

"youthful sense of energy and wonder". That's a nice way for Aschburner to put it.

[JimmyJammer]

Well, by all accounts, it sounds like Paul George will be resigning with the Thunder, which can present a dilemma to those who want to lowball LaVine. What if the Lakers decide that they want to turn their attention to LaVine to put him next to LeBron and not having to give up any assets in the process? This is a serious possibility because they get to keep Ingram, Lonzo and possibly Randall. Seeing how the Pacers bounced back from losing Paul George has led me to believe that a combination of Lonzo, Ingram, Randall and Lavine is a much better alternative than having one of Leonard and Paul George.

[the ultimates]

Well, by all accounts, it sounds like Paul George will be resigning with the Thunder, which can present a dilemma to those who want to lowball LaVine. What if the Lakers decide that they want to turn their attention to LaVine to put him next to LeBron and not having to give up any assets in the process? This is a serious possibility because they get to keep Ingram, Lonzo and possibly Randall. Seeing how the Pacers bounced back from losing Paul George has led me to believe that a combination of Lonzo, Ingram, Randall and Lavine is a much better alternative than having one of Leonard and Paul George.

The Lakers have already said their big game hunting. Magic even said he'd step down if they don't get major free agents this season or next. I don't believe he'll step down but clearly they don't view 2018 free agency as a make or break for the franchise. Plus if they sign Lavine to a long term deal that takes up the money for Paul George or Kawhi if he hits free agency next year.

The Pacers bounced back because Oladipo became just as good if not better than what George had been in Indiana. In no way shape or form is having Ball, Ingram, Randall, and Lavine better than having Leonard or George.

[bearadonisdna]

Looking at FA wings, Zach is the ideal choice minus the acl concerns.

[bearadonisdna]

Lbj, Durant, PG are too old for this rebuild