Lauri:' I can make the comeback'

[sco]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Some more bubble fluff

Let's see him do that over a 5'10 guard and I call it progress!

[ZOMG]

I'm at a point where I'd be fine trading him for a protected second round pick just to get rid of the fanboys that can't see the flaws in his game.

What really makes me laugh are the comparisons to Nowitzki LOL. Do these people not watch him play? He literally has nothing whatsoever in common with Nowitzki. Nowitzki was a 7 foot guard with unreal foot speed for his size & brilliant handles. Markkanen is a cement-footed stretch 4

Regarding a trade, I personally believe it is imminent. I’ve heard Markkanen just wants out, the rift with Carter Jr (and the brass/coaching staff not doing anything to curb it) really left a bad taste in his mouth, as did the rest of the shenanigans that went down over the past couple of years. I think he just wants a fresh start elsewhere & it’d probably be best for the franchise as well. Apparently he & WCJ just don’t like one another, and I think that AKEVS will choose to move forward with WCJ instead due to his projection as a passer/defender & due to monetary factors, and again, because Lauri just wants out

Who knows, perhaps he magically transforms into a completely different human elsewhere & lives up to these bizarre Dirk comparisons

OK, enough comedy. Here's one reason why Lauri isn't going anywhere.

Karnisovas and Eversley want to look good right out the gate. A handy way to achieve this is to make Jim Boylen look as incompetent as possible. It's common knowledge around the league that Markkanen had a pretty bad season, and it's also no secret that it had a lot to do with how Boylen utilized him. Hence, I suspect the new FO will make Lauri their special reclamation project. He'll be the guy whose improving play will signal the changing of the guard and a clean break from the awful Boylen years. If Markkanen picks it up and returns to FebruLauri status this season, it's basically a jackpot for the Bulls. Sure, he'll be slightly more expensive to re-sign, but knowing Lauri is a guy who appreciates security, stability and loyalty, I'm 100% sure he'll agree to a team-friendly deal as long as he's not insulted with a lowball offer.

Trading Lauri before he's had a new chance under Donovan would be akin to admitting that Boylen was right when he made Markkanen a spectator on the perimeter. Not gonna happen.

Oh, as for Wendell's "projection as a passer/defender" - his projection is an undersized garbageman who can't shoot or dribble.

[TallDude]

Zomg that is a best post at this topic. Bulls have nothing to lose with cheap Lauri. Only winning. And i know that now Lauri enjoy being Bull again. Last season it is no secret he would been playing any other team but not Boylens team. And he was not only one. I hope Lauri, Lavine and Coby find way to win games. WCJ and rest of the team will improve also.

[Dez]

What skills does Lauri possess that are currently NBA level?

[Michael Jackson]

What skills does Lauri possess that are currently NBA level?

While I am not a big Lauri fan, he obviously has NBA skills. Elite skills? Not so much. In stretches though he as looked like he could be a marginal allstar. Will that ever come to fruition? I’d bet no. Lauri can look like the guy that showed up on opening night though against Charlotte. He needs to know how to take care of his body first and foremost though. He has done mostly everything wrong even last season trying to be “tough” and playing hurt very very poorly.

[SfBull]

What really makes me laugh are the comparisons to Nowitzki LOL. Do these people not watch him play? He literally has nothing whatsoever in common with Nowitzki. Nowitzki was a 7 foot guard with unreal foot speed for his size & brilliant handles. Markkanen is a cement-footed stretch 4

Regarding a trade, I personally believe it is imminent. I’ve heard Markkanen just wants out, the rift with Carter Jr (and the brass/coaching staff not doing anything to curb it) really left a bad taste in his mouth, as did the rest of the shenanigans that went down over the past couple of years. I think he just wants a fresh start elsewhere & it’d probably be best for the franchise as well. Apparently he & WCJ just don’t like one another, and I think that AKEVS will choose to move forward with WCJ instead due to his projection as a passer/defender & due to monetary factors, and again, because Lauri just wants out

Who knows, perhaps he magically transforms into a completely different human elsewhere & lives up to these bizarre Dirk comparisons

Not acting like a Lauri's fanboy as I bashed his game so many times but I'm intrigued by the possibility of a breaking year under a real coach .I wouldn't trade him or WCJ.

Believe me, I’d like to see it too. It’d certainly be a huge weight off of AKEVS’s shoulders if he “broke out”. The problem is, I just don’t see any realistic avenue in which such a thing takes place

I’ve been going back & watching some of his gaudier performances from during his rookie year, and it’s clear as daylight, that they were primarily products of teams just not having scouted for him. He does have considerable skills on offense. The problem isn’t his skill level, it’s his foot speed; I’ve been repeating it ad nauseum, but once a team has scouted for him properly, everything he does is immensely telegraphed. All it takes is a few defensive adjustments to render his game borderline-moot. He was still the same guy over the past two seasons, it’s just that teams were game planning for him now, and he doesn’t possess the natural speed/athleticism to be able to navigate around it. He will never possess those things, it’s simply who he is

I also just don’t see how he & WCJ fit together. Two mediocre, slow (extremely slow in LM’s case) big men, neither of which is an elite shooter, and neither of which can create for himself. It made zero sense to draft WCJ over SGA, and drafting LM over Mitchell was really stupid too

Drafting WCJ was also an inexplicably dumb move by Tweedle Dee & Dum in regards to the toxic & confusing message that it sent to Markkanen. WCJ was rather infamous for his public vying of the starting PF position on Duke. Anyone in the know (which PaxGar obviously should have been) could have seen that collision between the two players coming from a mile away. They were asking for friction/disruption of team chemistry by drafting WCJ

I just feel like one of them has to go, and I think it’ll be LM due to his being jaded toward the franchise/previous environment, & due to money

The way you describe them we should trade both and rebuild the frontcourt by draft or trade.

[SfBull]

If that's stealing, I'd hate to see a "fair" deal.

I think we can get more for lauri. Maybe rj hampton will be there are 13th but other than that your getting pretty much another filled roster spot at 13th of this draft and then a protected pick next year that likely wouldn't pan out then 2 bleh players.

Only way I do this deal if I'm taking the picks to flip them for another trade.

I REALLY don't think you'd get more for Lauri than that deal. Now, I'm not saying I disagree about consolidating assets to upgrade the roster. Give me those 2 picks, throw in WCJ and trade them to ATL for Collins. Then draft Wiseman. Could be interesting.

A completely rebuilt frontcourt.Very interesting.

[PhilLeotardo]

I'm at a point where I'd be fine trading him for a protected second round pick just to get rid of the fanboys that can't see the flaws in his game.

What really makes me laugh are the comparisons to Nowitzki LOL. Do these people not watch him play? He literally has nothing whatsoever in common with Nowitzki. Nowitzki was a 7 foot guard with unreal foot speed for his size & brilliant handles. Markkanen is a cement-footed stretch 4

Regarding a trade, I personally believe it is imminent. I’ve heard Markkanen just wants out, the rift with Carter Jr (and the brass/coaching staff not doing anything to curb it) really left a bad taste in his mouth, as did the rest of the shenanigans that went down over the past couple of years. I think he just wants a fresh start elsewhere & it’d probably be best for the franchise as well. Apparently he & WCJ just don’t like one another, and I think that AKEVS will choose to move forward with WCJ instead due to his projection as a passer/defender & due to monetary factors, and again, because Lauri just wants out

Who knows, perhaps he magically transforms into a completely different human elsewhere & lives up to these bizarre Dirk comparisons

OK, enough comedy. Here's one reason why Lauri isn't going anywhere.

Karnisovas and Eversley want to look good right out the gate. A handy way to achieve this is to make Jim Boylen look as incompetent as possible. It's common knowledge around the league that Markkanen had a pretty bad season, and it's also no secret that it had a lot to do with how Boylen utilized him. Hence, I suspect the new FO will make Lauri their special reclamation project. He'll be the guy whose improving play will signal the changing of the guard and a clean break from the awful Boylen years. If Markkanen picks it up and returns to FebruLauri status this season, it's basically a jackpot for the Bulls. Sure, he'll be slightly more expensive to re-sign, but knowing Lauri is a guy who appreciates security, stability and loyalty, I'm 100% sure he'll agree to a team-friendly deal as long as he's not insulted with a lowball offer.

Trading Lauri before he's had a new chance under Donovan would be akin to admitting that Boylen was right when he made Markkanen a spectator on the perimeter. Not gonna happen.

Oh, as for Wendell's "projection as a passer/defender" - his projection is an undersized garbageman who can't shoot or dribble.

That is a totally broad & unfounded assumption. You’ve got no idea what they’re feeling or thinking, no one does. For all we know, they want everyone except Cobi/WCJ/Gafford gone

AKEVS aren’t stupid, and Markkanens flaws are clear as day. Sure, Boylin misused him & set him back, but he’s never going to be fast enough to be a true multi-faceted weapon in the NBA, nor a competent defender, and he doesn’t possess Joker-esque vision that would be needed to make up for his physical & athletic deficiencies

You may be right, but everything you typed could also be utter nonsense. AKEVS aren’t PaxGar, they aren’t concerned with egotistical crap. They won’t keep an inferior player just to prove some nobody that doesn’t even work for the franchise anymore wrong. They’ll keep the guys who are talented & want to be there, and get rid of the guys who don’t. Lauri is a guy who’s upside isn’t nearly as high as people are making it out to be, and will likely wind up making too much money. I don’t think anyone would be shocked to see him get traded

And WCJ could definitely be better than just your average garbageman. We’ve seen flashes of a really good player when he’s been in shape & locked in. He’s a very good passer for a C, and has quality shooting mechanics. He went #7 in a GOAT draft for a reason. He’s very skilled, underrated athletically, and very very young

[PhilLeotardo]

Not acting like a Lauri's fanboy as I bashed his game so many times but I'm intrigued by the possibility of a breaking year under a real coach .I wouldn't trade him or WCJ.

Believe me, I’d like to see it too. It’d certainly be a huge weight off of AKEVS’s shoulders if he “broke out”. The problem is, I just don’t see any realistic avenue in which such a thing takes place

I’ve been going back & watching some of his gaudier performances from during his rookie year, and it’s clear as daylight, that they were primarily products of teams just not having scouted for him. He does have considerable skills on offense. The problem isn’t his skill level, it’s his foot speed; I’ve been repeating it ad nauseum, but once a team has scouted for him properly, everything he does is immensely telegraphed. All it takes is a few defensive adjustments to render his game borderline-moot. He was still the same guy over the past two seasons, it’s just that teams were game planning for him now, and he doesn’t possess the natural speed/athleticism to be able to navigate around it. He will never possess those things, it’s simply who he is

I also just don’t see how he & WCJ fit together. Two mediocre, slow (extremely slow in LM’s case) big men, neither of which is an elite shooter, and neither of which can create for himself. It made zero sense to draft WCJ over SGA, and drafting LM over Mitchell was really stupid too

Drafting WCJ was also an inexplicably dumb move by Tweedle Dee & Dum in regards to the toxic & confusing message that it sent to Markkanen. WCJ was rather infamous for his public vying of the starting PF position on Duke. Anyone in the know (which PaxGar obviously should have been) could have seen that collision between the two players coming from a mile away. They were asking for friction/disruption of team chemistry by drafting WCJ

I just feel like one of them has to go, and I think it’ll be LM due to his being jaded toward the franchise/previous environment, & due to money

The way you describe them we should trade both and rebuild the frontcourt by draft or trade.

I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it. Of course, you’d rather not have to do that, but often times when there’s an extreme regime change & complete cultural transformation/evolution, it makes sense to start fresh in every way you can

Markkanen (and perhaps WCJ also) has a bitter & negative view of the Chicago Bulls franchise due to the horribly toxic way they operated over the past three years & handled him specifically. Of course that’s all over with now, but the resentment could still linger, possibly toward ownership

I dunno about a complete front court overhaul, but I could see them trading Markkanen. WCJ imo will remain due to the rookie contract & the fact that he hasn’t really gotten an opportunity to show out yet. He was looking very good alongside Coby over the last 9/10 games of the season, prior to the abrupt ending

[TallDude]

We still don`t have real PG. Lauri is no Jocic and nobody else our team. I would love to have Jocic. Lauri in Finnisher not playmaker.

[drosereturn]

Believe me, I’d like to see it too. It’d certainly be a huge weight off of AKEVS’s shoulders if he “broke out”. The problem is, I just don’t see any realistic avenue in which such a thing takes place

I’ve been going back & watching some of his gaudier performances from during his rookie year, and it’s clear as daylight, that they were primarily products of teams just not having scouted for him. He does have considerable skills on offense. The problem isn’t his skill level, it’s his foot speed; I’ve been repeating it ad nauseum, but once a team has scouted for him properly, everything he does is immensely telegraphed. All it takes is a few defensive adjustments to render his game borderline-moot. He was still the same guy over the past two seasons, it’s just that teams were game planning for him now, and he doesn’t possess the natural speed/athleticism to be able to navigate around it. He will never possess those things, it’s simply who he is

I also just don’t see how he & WCJ fit together. Two mediocre, slow (extremely slow in LM’s case) big men, neither of which is an elite shooter, and neither of which can create for himself. It made zero sense to draft WCJ over SGA, and drafting LM over Mitchell was really stupid too

Drafting WCJ was also an inexplicably dumb move by Tweedle Dee & Dum in regards to the toxic & confusing message that it sent to Markkanen. WCJ was rather infamous for his public vying of the starting PF position on Duke. Anyone in the know (which PaxGar obviously should have been) could have seen that collision between the two players coming from a mile away. They were asking for friction/disruption of team chemistry by drafting WCJ

I just feel like one of them has to go, and I think it’ll be LM due to his being jaded toward the franchise/previous environment, & due to money

The way you describe them we should trade both and rebuild the frontcourt by draft or trade.

I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it. Of course, you’d rather not have to do that, but often times when there’s an extreme regime change & complete cultural transformation/evolution, it makes sense to start fresh in every way you can

Markkanen (and perhaps WCJ also) has a bitter & negative view of the Chicago Bulls franchise due to the horribly toxic way they operated over the past three years & handled him specifically. Of course that’s all over with now, but the resentment could still linger, possibly toward ownership

I dunno about a complete front court overhaul, but I could see them trading Markkanen. WCJ imo will remain due to the rookie contract & the fact that he hasn’t really gotten an opportunity to show out yet. He was looking very good alongside Coby over the last 9/10 games of the season, prior to the abrupt ending

except your making sutff up. Lauri showed why he is a Dirk archetype along with KP a season ago but Boylen and management targeted him to intentionally suck which is why he had resentment. why would he be pissed at jr when he got punished for being cheap and had to pay 2 coaches at the same time?

its funny you claim WCJ has rookie contract when he is barely 1 yr apart and he has shown nothing he will never eclipse Lauri even if Lauri missed 82 games. call me back when Wendell puts up 19 and 9 bc he never will in his entire career.

[Dez]

The way you describe them we should trade both and rebuild the frontcourt by draft or trade.

I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it. Of course, you’d rather not have to do that, but often times when there’s an extreme regime change & complete cultural transformation/evolution, it makes sense to start fresh in every way you can

Markkanen (and perhaps WCJ also) has a bitter & negative view of the Chicago Bulls franchise due to the horribly toxic way they operated over the past three years & handled him specifically. Of course that’s all over with now, but the resentment could still linger, possibly toward ownership

I dunno about a complete front court overhaul, but I could see them trading Markkanen. WCJ imo will remain due to the rookie contract & the fact that he hasn’t really gotten an opportunity to show out yet. He was looking very good alongside Coby over the last 9/10 games of the season, prior to the abrupt ending

except your making sutff up. Lauri showed why he is a Dirk archetype along with KP a season ago but Boylen and management targeted him to intentionally suck which is why he had resentment. why would he be pissed at jr when he got punished for being cheap and had to pay 2 coaches at the same time?

its funny you claim WCJ has rookie contract when he is barely 1 yr apart and he has shown nothing he will never eclipse Lauri even if Lauri missed 82 games. call me back when Wendell puts up 19 and 9 bc he never will in his entire career.

You accuse someone else of making stuff up and then follow up with "Lauri is a Dirk archetype", really? Pot. Kettle.

Explain your mythological theory of Lauri being any way relatable to Dirk other than tall and European.

[wonderboy2]

I’m actually very excited about Luari this year. I think he’s going to have a comeback year. It’s all about confidence. I remember after that Otto Porter trade, Markannan, Lavine, and Porter was playing very well together. They fit was excellent. I feel with White penetration Lauri is going to have a lot of open looks. Lavine gave Lauri some nice looks last year but he couldn’t knock his shots down. I’m anxious to see a White-Lavine-Porter-Markannan-Carter starting line up with a good coach. The bulls won’t be playing Sato that much either this season which will be a plus.

[dougthonus]

I'm 100% sure he'll agree to a team-friendly deal as long as he's not insulted with a lowball offer.

Guys whom people will sign team friendly deals: Everyone except Ben Gordon
Guys who will actually sign team friendly deals rather than getting the most money possible: No one.

Trading Lauri before he's had a new chance under Donovan would be akin to admitting that Boylen was right when he made Markkanen a spectator on the perimeter. Not gonna happen.

I don't think this factors in at all, and if it does then Karnisovas is a complete moron.

You make the best decision at all times. You don't worry about "how it makes you look". This isn't marketing. It's proven on the court. Lauri is either good or he isn't. If he isn't, you can't fake it into making him look good.

Even if you were going care about this kind of stuff (which would be a huge mistake) then Lauri is still the old regime's guy, not their guy. They don't need to prove Boylen was a moron vs Lauri was a bust. They aren't responsible for either one.

Make the best decision possible for the team, this isn't running for public office.

Oh, as for Wendell's "projection as a passer/defender" - his projection is an undersized garbageman who can't shoot or dribble.

Weird to be so incredibly low on Carter but think that Lauri is just a star but failed because of Boylen. Both these guys are guys with huge flaws and dwindling potential.

[PaKii94]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

There is an unassisted 3 in there

[dougthonus]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

There is an unassisted 3 in there

You think he called glass on that one?

[Orangey]

Lauri would be an All-Star next to Ben Simmons.

Embiid would look wonderful in red.

[PhilLeotardo]

The way you describe them we should trade both and rebuild the frontcourt by draft or trade.

I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it. Of course, you’d rather not have to do that, but often times when there’s an extreme regime change & complete cultural transformation/evolution, it makes sense to start fresh in every way you can

Markkanen (and perhaps WCJ also) has a bitter & negative view of the Chicago Bulls franchise due to the horribly toxic way they operated over the past three years & handled him specifically. Of course that’s all over with now, but the resentment could still linger, possibly toward ownership

I dunno about a complete front court overhaul, but I could see them trading Markkanen. WCJ imo will remain due to the rookie contract & the fact that he hasn’t really gotten an opportunity to show out yet. He was looking very good alongside Coby over the last 9/10 games of the season, prior to the abrupt ending

except your making sutff up. Lauri showed why he is a Dirk archetype along with KP a season ago but Boylen and management targeted him to intentionally suck which is why he had resentment. why would he be pissed at jr when he got punished for being cheap and had to pay 2 coaches at the same time?

its funny you claim WCJ has rookie contract when he is barely 1 yr apart and he has shown nothing he will never eclipse Lauri even if Lauri missed 82 games. call me back when Wendell puts up 19 and 9 bc he never will in his entire career.

I’m beginning to think that you’re either messing with me, or that there is some inside joke here about Markkanen being a 1st option calibre prospect

If you’re being serious (I don’t think you are), what on earth are you watching? Youve got to be watching a different player entirely. As far as defensive potential ALONE is concerned, Markkanen doesn’t share a dang thing in common with Porzingis. Like, they aren’t even in the same remote stratosphere. Let’s not even mention athleticism, strength, ball handling ability, etc. Markkanen is a stiff, Porzingis is a freak. Porzingis was drafted for his potentially-generational defensive upside

I have no idea why you’re comparing him to Nowitzki. They don’t share anything in common. Are these comparisons racially-driven? What do they have in common? Nowitzki was a singular athlete for his size & even at his most raw, anyone could see that his above average ball handling ability & deft/nimble foot speed were going to enable him to do some very special things as a 7 footer. Markkanen doesn’t have any of that going for him. He can’t create for himself, he can’t create for those around him, he’s slower than a sloth on a Thorazine bender, his ball handling sucks, he’s not a good nor smart passer, etc etc etc I mean the list of deficiencies goes on & on, and are enhanced by his epic lack of foot speed, which isn’t going to magically improve, ever

He’s still an intriguing prospect, but he’s a KVH at best/Ryan Anderson at worst player. He has nothing in common with Dirk nor Porzingis, who both possess generational abilities for their respective sizes. Markkanen doesn’t have any generational skills nor measurements. He’s a tall slow dude with a paltry wingspan, who is an awful defender, and who’s ceiling is probably the 4th best player on a winning team (maybe), provided said team has a competent offensive system in place. He certainly isn’t anyone worthy of being a centerpiece on an NBA squad lol. He’s never shown a Nowitzki nor KP archetype, that never happened. And WCJ May never put up consistently gaudy offensive #s (he could though), but there’s this other facet of basketball, and it’s called defense. Markkanen absolutely sucks at it & likely always will. WCJ is already very good at it & projects to eventually be really, really good at it

[PhilLeotardo]

Lauri would be an All-Star next to Ben Simmons.

Embiid would look wonderful in red.

Lol and? What’s that got to do with anything?

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

Lauri needs to stay lean and quick on his feet. Adding weight I think was the wrong move