Zach LaVine's impending Free Agency

[dice]

Why would a player get “rightfully dragged” for taking a little less money to help with team building?

because it's more optics than genuinely helping. and when a team is over the cap, there is no team building benefit other than helping management avoid luxury tax

Then so what? The only person harmed in that situation is the player himself. So what is the reason for criticism?

i believe the term the kids use is "virtue signaling." that's basically what melo was doing. a PR stunt. i'm not sure why somebody has to be harmed in order for criticism to be warranted

[dice]

The part of this (and most arguments here) is the "compared to what" portion. Do we want to pay Zach the max? What's our alternative?

Let him walk? If we did, what better player(s) would we be signing with that money?

Trade him this season? Maybe. For who?

As for whether Zach is "worth the max", a young guy who made the allstar team, with future appearances likely, who has no attitude issues, and is just entering his prime, is a bit of a no brainer.

But... we lost Jimmy when we traded for him.

5 years from now, Zach Lavine, one of the most likeable stars in the NBA, will still be hated by a core group of Butler fans. The other players like him. He has really never said a selfish or harsh word about anyone but himself.

The reaction from some is a dysfunctional and disgusting example of petty human personality flaws.

Has anyone ever explained to them that Lavine didn't orchestrate that trade? He wasn't one of the GM's involved?

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

I wouldn't classify ZLV as one of the most likable NBA players by a long shot, at least not amongst fans. Contrarily, he's one of the easiest guys to dislike in the league over the past 5 yrs. There's a reason why, despite the 1%er athleticism/highlight reels & the fact that he plays for the most recognizable sports brand on the planet, that ppl still have disdain for him, and it isn't just the losing records:

He's a great looking trust fund kid with utterly unattainable, alien genetic traits, who typically has played ZERO defense & has historically played pretty dumb/sloppy basketball in general...and on top of all of that, he's a bit of a bland/vanilla outward personality. That's basically the blueprint for a dislikable person lol. The average clock-punching pleb individual sports fan can't relate to any of that

Also, Bulls fans have every right to resent him/hold disdain for him. I'm not implying that it's healthy behaviour, and of course, Bulls fans are the gold (red?) standard when it comes to unhealthy/miserable dispositions & mindsets throughout sports fandom, but when your team trades away a beloved fan favourite Chicago folk hero, who is on the rise & in his prime & has a deep connection to the city/brand/fans, for a package centred around a one-way career loser coming off of a blown ACL, 9 times out of 10, it won't end well.

as president of the 'zach lavine is overrated' club, i can say with confidence that he's far from one of the most dislikable players in the league

That trade was a complete nightmare, from top to bottom, no matter which way anyone slices it, and it ultimately lead to the the longest-tenured, most toxic, filthy FO in the NBA being canned & dismembered, finally. There was no reason whatsoever for that trade to go down; it was done solely to appease the collective egos (or lack thereof) of GarPax, and to protect Fred f****ng Hoiberg. No other reason(s)

nonsense. they didn't want to pay jimmy the max into his mid 30s. end of story. as for protecting hoiberg, he was gone a year plus after jimmy

You can tell that he knows how fans view him/have viewed him, and I'm sure he understands completely

IMO It's going to take ample playoff success as a positive two-way player for the entire Bulls fanbase to universally come around, and I'm not so sure ZLV is capable of being that guy, but we'll see

your perception of how bulls fans view lavine is...quite the alternate reality

[DuckIII]

because it's more optics than genuinely helping. and when a team is over the cap, there is no team building benefit other than helping management avoid luxury tax

Then so what? The only person harmed in that situation is the player himself. So what is the reason for criticism?

i believe the term the kids use is "virtue signaling." that's basically what melo was doing. a PR stunt. i'm not sure why somebody has to be harmed in order for criticism to be warranted

Because there’s nothing to criticize?

[Chicago-Bull-E]

The part of this (and most arguments here) is the "compared to what" portion. Do we want to pay Zach the max? What's our alternative?

Let him walk? If we did, what better player(s) would we be signing with that money?

Trade him this season? Maybe. For who?

As for whether Zach is "worth the max", a young guy who made the allstar team, with future appearances likely, who has no attitude issues, and is just entering his prime, is a bit of a no brainer.

But... we lost Jimmy when we traded for him.

5 years from now, Zach Lavine, one of the most likeable stars in the NBA, will still be hated by a core group of Butler fans. The other players like him. He has really never said a selfish or harsh word about anyone but himself.

The reaction from some is a dysfunctional and disgusting example of petty human personality flaws.

Has anyone ever explained to them that Lavine didn't orchestrate that trade? He wasn't one of the GM's involved?

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

I wouldn't classify ZLV as one of the most likable NBA players by a long shot, at least not amongst fans. Contrarily, he's one of the easiest guys to dislike in the league over the past 5 yrs. There's a reason why, despite the 1%er athleticism/highlight reels & the fact that he plays for the most recognizable sports brand on the planet, that ppl still have disdain for him, and it isn't just the losing records:

He's a great looking trust fund kid with utterly unattainable, alien genetic traits, who typically has played ZERO defense & has historically played pretty dumb/sloppy basketball in general...and on top of all of that, he's a bit of a bland/vanilla outward personality. That's basically the blueprint for a dislikable person lol. The average clock-punching pleb individual sports fan can't relate to any of that

Also, Bulls fans have every right to resent him/hold disdain for him. I'm not implying that it's healthy behaviour, and of course, Bulls fans are the gold (red?) standard when it comes to unhealthy/miserable dispositions & mindsets throughout sports fandom, but when your team trades away a beloved fan favourite Chicago folk hero, who is on the rise & in his prime & has a deep connection to the city/brand/fans, for a package centred around a one-way career loser coming off of a blown ACL, 9 times out of 10, it won't end well.

That trade was a complete nightmare, from top to bottom, no matter which way anyone slices it, and it ultimately lead to the the longest-tenured, most toxic, filthy FO in the NBA being canned & dismembered, finally. There was no reason whatsoever for that trade to go down; it was done solely to appease the collective egos (or lack thereof) of GarPax, and to protect Fred f****ng Hoiberg. No other reason(s)

And to be frank, Zach LaVine being on the Bulls & having individual success (and hopefully being poised to have team success going forward) still feels.....'off'. There's still the Paxson stink on him due to the way in which he was brought in, and how @$$-backwards that trade was for everyone involved (minus Paxson & his posse of dunces...although it lead to him losing his job, but that was years later). You can tell that he knows how fans view him/have viewed him, and I'm sure he understands completely

IMO It's going to take ample playoff success as a positive two-way player for the entire Bulls fanbase to universally come around, and I'm not so sure ZLV is capable of being that guy, but we'll see

Is this a bit you’re doing? Where are the cameras, is Ashton Kutcher going to pop out any minute?

[GoBlue72391]

The part of this (and most arguments here) is the "compared to what" portion. Do we want to pay Zach the max? What's our alternative?

Let him walk? If we did, what better player(s) would we be signing with that money?

Trade him this season? Maybe. For who?

As for whether Zach is "worth the max", a young guy who made the allstar team, with future appearances likely, who has no attitude issues, and is just entering his prime, is a bit of a no brainer.

But... we lost Jimmy when we traded for him.

5 years from now, Zach Lavine, one of the most likeable stars in the NBA, will still be hated by a core group of Butler fans. The other players like him. He has really never said a selfish or harsh word about anyone but himself.

The reaction from some is a dysfunctional and disgusting example of petty human personality flaws.

Has anyone ever explained to them that Lavine didn't orchestrate that trade? He wasn't one of the GM's involved?

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

I wouldn't classify ZLV as one of the most likable NBA players by a long shot, at least not amongst fans. Contrarily, he's one of the easiest guys to dislike in the league over the past 5 yrs. There's a reason why, despite the 1%er athleticism/highlight reels & the fact that he plays for the most recognizable sports brand on the planet, that ppl still have disdain for him, and it isn't just the losing records:

He's a great looking trust fund kid with utterly unattainable, alien genetic traits, who typically has played ZERO defense & has historically played pretty dumb/sloppy basketball in general...and on top of all of that, he's a bit of a bland/vanilla outward personality. That's basically the blueprint for a dislikable person lol. The average clock-punching pleb individual sports fan can't relate to any of that

Also, Bulls fans have every right to resent him/hold disdain for him. I'm not implying that it's healthy behaviour, and of course, Bulls fans are the gold (red?) standard when it comes to unhealthy/miserable dispositions & mindsets throughout sports fandom, but when your team trades away a beloved fan favourite Chicago folk hero, who is on the rise & in his prime & has a deep connection to the city/brand/fans, for a package centred around a one-way career loser coming off of a blown ACL, 9 times out of 10, it won't end well.

That trade was a complete nightmare, from top to bottom, no matter which way anyone slices it, and it ultimately lead to the the longest-tenured, most toxic, filthy FO in the NBA being canned & dismembered, finally. There was no reason whatsoever for that trade to go down; it was done solely to appease the collective egos (or lack thereof) of GarPax, and to protect Fred f****ng Hoiberg. No other reason(s)

And to be frank, Zach LaVine being on the Bulls & having individual success (and hopefully being poised to have team success going forward) still feels.....'off'. There's still the Paxson stink on him due to the way in which he was brought in, and how @$$-backwards that trade was for everyone involved (minus Paxson & his posse of dunces...although it lead to him losing his job, but that was years later). You can tell that he knows how fans view him/have viewed him, and I'm sure he understands completely

IMO It's going to take ample playoff success as a positive two-way player for the entire Bulls fanbase to universally come around, and I'm not so sure ZLV is capable of being that guy, but we'll see

What in the actual **** is this nonsensical drivel?

[GoBlue72391]

But... we lost Jimmy when we traded for him.

5 years from now, Zach Lavine, one of the most likeable stars in the NBA, will still be hated by a core group of Butler fans. The other players like him. He has really never said a selfish or harsh word about anyone but himself.

The reaction from some is a dysfunctional and disgusting example of petty human personality flaws.

Has anyone ever explained to them that Lavine didn't orchestrate that trade? He wasn't one of the GM's involved?

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

I wouldn't classify ZLV as one of the most likable NBA players by a long shot, at least not amongst fans. Contrarily, he's one of the easiest guys to dislike in the league over the past 5 yrs. There's a reason why, despite the 1%er athleticism/highlight reels & the fact that he plays for the most recognizable sports brand on the planet, that ppl still have disdain for him, and it isn't just the losing records:

He's a great looking trust fund kid with utterly unattainable, alien genetic traits, who typically has played ZERO defense & has historically played pretty dumb/sloppy basketball in general...and on top of all of that, he's a bit of a bland/vanilla outward personality. That's basically the blueprint for a dislikable person lol. The average clock-punching pleb individual sports fan can't relate to any of that

Also, Bulls fans have every right to resent him/hold disdain for him. I'm not implying that it's healthy behaviour, and of course, Bulls fans are the gold (red?) standard when it comes to unhealthy/miserable dispositions & mindsets throughout sports fandom, but when your team trades away a beloved fan favourite Chicago folk hero, who is on the rise & in his prime & has a deep connection to the city/brand/fans, for a package centred around a one-way career loser coming off of a blown ACL, 9 times out of 10, it won't end well.

That trade was a complete nightmare, from top to bottom, no matter which way anyone slices it, and it ultimately lead to the the longest-tenured, most toxic, filthy FO in the NBA being canned & dismembered, finally. There was no reason whatsoever for that trade to go down; it was done solely to appease the collective egos (or lack thereof) of GarPax, and to protect Fred f****ng Hoiberg. No other reason(s)

And to be frank, Zach LaVine being on the Bulls & having individual success (and hopefully being poised to have team success going forward) still feels.....'off'. There's still the Paxson stink on him due to the way in which he was brought in, and how @$$-backwards that trade was for everyone involved (minus Paxson & his posse of dunces...although it lead to him losing his job, but that was years later). You can tell that he knows how fans view him/have viewed him, and I'm sure he understands completely

IMO It's going to take ample playoff success as a positive two-way player for the entire Bulls fanbase to universally come around, and I'm not so sure ZLV is capable of being that guy, but we'll see

You really hate Zach Lavine a lot and it’s kind of sad.

He's really bad at hiding it too.

[GoBlue72391]

"I don't like Zach LaVine because he has the athletic talents and genetic good looks that I could never hope to attain" take is one of the funniest things I've ever read.

[gf2020hotmail]

KC Johnson actually broke a big Zach scoop tonight.

Zach is signing with Klutch sports, leaving behind Innovate Sports who Zach only recently had retweeted a client graphic he was on.

Doesn't change much other than it probably makes it even less likely Zach takes less or any kind of discount. New agents wants to deliver publicly for clients who switch to them. It's Lonzo's agency so Bulls have a good relationship with them so maybe Chicago becomes Klutch Sports Midwest in the vein of the Lakers.

[StunnerKO]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

[WindyCityBorn]

Zach is getting his max. If you are against you have plenty of time to get over it. He is our cornerstone hate it or love it. I love it. He will have a better season overall and we will make the playoffs

[WindyCityBorn]

This is a horrible take.

If the Bulls don’t make the playoffs this year then something terribly went wrong. Unless there are major injuries not making the playoffs is a massive fail and this team will then need to blow everything up. That scenario is extremely unlikely.

it's not only not extremely unlikely, it may not even be unlikely. the bulls are projected as a .500 team. and they have to be a 6 seed to avoid a play-in

bull. Derozan is being extremely undervalued as are Ball, LaVine and Vuc. We will have at least two all-stars and win 50+ games. These journalists are morons.

[WindyCityBorn]

"I don't like Zach LaVine because he has the athletic talents and genetic good looks that I could never hope to attain" take is one of the funniest things I've ever read.

It’s so pathetic it is sad. He won the generic lottery and the jealousy is so easy to spot.

[WindyCityBorn]

[streamable][/streamable]

Is it all nba first team or any of the three?

Any of the three, which is still difficult to imagine happening.

If the Bulls win 50 games I can see it.

[WindyCityBorn]

Bobby Marks's latest article, saying Lavine & Beal are the headliners and only stars of the next FA class.
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/32039279/nba-free-agency-2022-superstars-trades-teams-watch

A once star-studded free-agent class consisting of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and perhaps Kawhi Leonard, is now led by Zach LaVine and perhaps Bradley Beal.

"Because next offseason is average at best in talent, I am expecting the trade market to be extremely active during the regular season," a Western Conference general manager told ESPN.

Better make sure this kid is locked up, because there won't be a replacement for a long while. I wouldn't try to save a few bucks here and risk Lavine finding another city more appealing.

AKME have made it clear LaVine is our future no matter what the critics say. He will get his max on day one of free agency.

[Michael Jackson]

KC Johnson actually broke a big Zach scoop tonight.

Zach is signing with Klutch sports, leaving behind Innovate Sports who Zach only recently had retweeted a client graphic he was on.

Doesn't change much other than it probably makes it even less likely Zach takes less or any kind of discount. New agents wants to deliver publicly for clients who switch to them. It's Lonzo's agency so Bulls have a good relationship with them so maybe Chicago becomes Klutch Sports Midwest in the vein of the Lakers.

Could be. At the very least you kniw they can work with Klutch. All in all a Ball to Chicago deal that had been 2 years in rumors got pulled off under Klutch and this current FO. If Zach signs with Klutch and resigns with the Bulls the two sides would certainly have a good working relationship.

[erlim]

Laker fans are licking their chops.

Read on Twitter

[NecessaryEvil]

Laker fans are licking their chops.

Read on Twitter

hell how? AD, LBJ & RW are getting paid ridiculous sums of money.

[erlim]

Laker fans are licking their chops.

Read on Twitter

hell how? AD, LBJ & RW are getting paid ridiculous sums of money.

They always convince themselves people will take massive paycuts to live in LA and play with Lebron or Kobe before that. Which is exactly what happened when Demar Derozan signed there. Wait…

[erlim]

Interesting article, Rich Paul seems like he kinda does his clients dirty if they aren’t in that Lebron echelon of importance.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2947770-how-nerlens-noel-rich-paul-lawsuit-could-change-nba-agent-landscape

[dice]

If the Bulls don’t make the playoffs this year then something terribly went wrong. Unless there are major injuries not making the playoffs is a massive fail and this team will then need to blow everything up. That scenario is extremely unlikely.

it's not only not extremely unlikely, it may not even be unlikely. the bulls are projected as a .500 team. and they have to be a 6 seed to avoid a play-in

bull. Derozan is being extremely undervalued as are Ball, LaVine and Vuc. We will have at least two all-stars and win 50+ games. These journalists are morons.

it's not just journalists. it's vegas and bettors, including bulls fans, who surely make up a large % of the people betting on the bulls over/under. bet against vegas at your peril

i look forward to your litany of excuses if/when the bulls don't win 50+ games this coming season

and for the record, i don't think that 50 wins would be an outlandish outcome. but it's on the outer edge of realistic. it would require 8.5 game outperformance. know how often a projected middle-of-the-pack team (35-45 win projection) ends up outperforming by that much? about 10-15% of the time. my instinct is that the bulls have a better shot than that, but certainly not by much