Caruso on recent free agency

[Clocian]

Watch on YouTube

[kodo]

Very interesting. When I read about the contract we gave him I assumed we just outbid everyone by a significant margin to get him to come to a crappy team like Chicago. I didn't expect multiple teams to be offering what Chicago offered.

[HomoSapien]

That was interesting to hear. It's pretty clear that AKME's impressive in the room.

[Axl Rose]

I liked the signing but i didn't realize just how good he actually was. It's also a good thing AKME sold him on the team and didn't have Benny go meet him at O'Hare

[TheFinishSniper]

One of best signings Bulls ever made in FA. I mean overall this last free agency is likely best one in team history. Which tells how badly this franchise was run for 20+ years. What Bulls fans had to endure is basically Dante's circles of Hell.

I personally like this now established fact where AKME gets in room with players and do well. DeRozan had similar experience. It's working. And it's nice to hear it around the league even if its on players podcast.

If we only had AKME in 2010...

[Bullflip]

One of best signings Bulls ever made in FA. I mean overall this last free agency is likely best one in team history. Which tells how badly this franchise was run for 20+ years. What Bulls fans had to endure is basically Dante's circles of Hell.

I personally like this now established fact where AKME gets in room with players and do well. DeRozan had similar experience. It's working. And it's nice to hear it around the league even if its on players podcast.

If we only had AKME in 2010...

Lol could you imagine?

Rose
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Noah

[PaKii94]

One of best signings Bulls ever made in FA. I mean overall this last free agency is likely best one in team history. Which tells how badly this franchise was run for 20+ years. What Bulls fans had to endure is basically Dante's circles of Hell.

I personally like this now established fact where AKME gets in room with players and do well. DeRozan had similar experience. It's working. And it's nice to hear it around the league even if its on players podcast.

If we only had AKME in 2010...

Lol could you imagine?

Rose
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Noah

While imagining we could add drafting jimmy into that mix

[Michael Jackson]

One of best signings Bulls ever made in FA. I mean overall this last free agency is likely best one in team history. Which tells how badly this franchise was run for 20+ years. What Bulls fans had to endure is basically Dante's circles of Hell.

I personally like this now established fact where AKME gets in room with players and do well. DeRozan had similar experience. It's working. And it's nice to hear it around the league even if its on players podcast.

If we only had AKME in 2010...

Lol could you imagine?

Rose
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Noah

While imagining we could add drafting jimmy into that mix

Deng is the sixth man in this team… consider that too. Rose never reaches MVP level Rose but still. That’s on Paxson. He did everything right honestly, except he isn’t Pat Riley. Pat is better at the job so you go work for the better boss.

The big 3 enter the room Paxson is in the corner back turned talking
“Guys remembered I choked Del Negro that was hilarious”

Someone says ahem and Paxson turns around…

“Oh hey guys welcome, didn’t know you were here. Let me tell you a little about the culture here. We do like firing coaches, sometimes even on Xmas. Weather is not great, taxes are high but you get to play with Derrick Rose!”

Wade “ where is Derrick”

Pax - “oh he doesn’t recruit not really interested in meeting you, but I got this guy you are going to love… Gar come on over here”

[Michael Jackson]

I liked the signing but i didn't realize just how good he actually was. It's also a good thing AKME sold him on the team and didn't have Benny go meet him at O'Hare

He had to sell billy too the year before. He is at the very least a better salesman than Pax

[MisterRoy]

Lol could you imagine?

Rose
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Noah

While imagining we could add drafting jimmy into that mix

Deng is the sixth man in this team… consider that too. Rose never reaches MVP level Rose but still. That’s on Paxson. He did everything right honestly, except he isn’t Pat Riley. Pat is better at the job so you go work for the better boss.

The big 3 enter the room Paxson is in the corner back turned talking
“Guys remembered I choked Del Negro that was hilarious”

Someone says ahem and Paxson turns around…

“Oh hey guys welcome, didn’t know you were here. Let me tell you a little about the culture here. We do like firing coaches, sometimes even on Xmas. Weather is not great, taxes are high but you get to play with Derrick Rose!”

Wade “ where is Derrick”

Pax - “oh he doesn’t recruit not really interested in meeting you, but I got this guy you are going to love… Gar come on over here”

I believe the reason this didn't happen was because we couldn't trade Deng. The Clippers were going to trade for him but they got cold feet. At least, that was the last story I heard.


Sent from somewhere you've never been.

[Michael Jackson]

While imagining we could add drafting jimmy into that mix

Deng is the sixth man in this team… consider that too. Rose never reaches MVP level Rose but still. That’s on Paxson. He did everything right honestly, except he isn’t Pat Riley. Pat is better at the job so you go work for the better boss.

The big 3 enter the room Paxson is in the corner back turned talking
“Guys remembered I choked Del Negro that was hilarious”

Someone says ahem and Paxson turns around…

“Oh hey guys welcome, didn’t know you were here. Let me tell you a little about the culture here. We do like firing coaches, sometimes even on Xmas. Weather is not great, taxes are high but you get to play with Derrick Rose!”

Wade “ where is Derrick”

Pax - “oh he doesn’t recruit not really interested in meeting you, but I got this guy you are going to love… Gar come on over here”

I believe the reason this didn't happen was because we couldn't trade Deng. The Clippers were going to trade for him but they got cold feet. At least, that was the last story I heard.


Sent from somewhere you've never been.

Possible but they basically went all chips in and if all 3 had agreed they would have worked something out. I do believe we finished a legit second, but Miami was just more attractive and Riley is a way better salesman. Bulls team would have been better though, Roses refusal to recruit surely didn’t help the cause either.

[Andi Obst]

I expected him to get the full MLE somewhere, which is why I was super excited to see we got him for slightly less than that (and for 4 years). Don’t understand what the Lakers were thinking. They had a brutal offseason.

[meekrab]

I expected him to get the full MLE somewhere, which is why I was super excited to see we got him for slightly less than that (and for 4 years). Don’t understand what the Lakers were thinking. They had a brutal offseason.

Seems like they went all in on "name" players and Caruso just.. wasn't one.

[sco]

I expected him to get the full MLE somewhere, which is why I was super excited to see we got him for slightly less than that (and for 4 years). Don’t understand what the Lakers were thinking. They had a brutal offseason.

Seems like they went all in on "name" players and Caruso just.. wasn't one.

Certainly the trade for Westbrook would have limited his opportunity. Also, they wanted to develop THT.

[sco]

Just saw this:

https://sports.yahoo.com/caruso-details-bulls-recruited-him-160027586.html

I really didn’t hear much from any team — including the Lakers — leading up to [the start of free agency at] 6 p.m., and then they called, and the Lakers made their offer. It wasn’t an offer I was going to accept because I was going to be able to get considerably more money from another team…

“I got on the phone with [Bulls GM Artūras Karnišovas] and with [head coach Billy Donovan], and the way they were just talking about how they wanted to play and how they saw me as a player, I thought they hit the nail on the head. I thought everything they said, I was like ‘I think that’s accurate, I think that’s what I bring to the table, I think that’s how I can help the team win, I think that’s the direction this team wants to go.’ I thought there was a need for the stuff that I had.

“Essentially we got that offer, went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same, they said ‘no.’ Asked for something else that was a little less, they said ‘no.’ So I said ‘OK, if that’s what it comes to, I’m ready to go to Chicago and start the next chapter.’ It’s been great. I think it’s been a great decision for me.”

[IamSam]

That was interesting to hear. It's pretty clear that AKME's impressive in the room.

The new management team sure does seem to be very good at making their targets feel really wanted. I remember getting the sense with the previous mgmt that the Bulls pretty much relied upon whatever good will they could get from the dynasty days to appeal to players (which obviously didn't lead to a lot of overall team sucess).

They also seem to do a good job of communicating a clear vision and truly understanding the players skills as well as the players perceptions of their skills/teammates skills.

[MrSparkle]

Seems like good teams have a FO & HC on the same page, and they recruit players that suit a shared vision. Seemed preposterous to me that G&P started shunning Adams & Thibs’ suggestions… and also never seemed to consult Hoiberg (or equally likely that Fred just didn’t have enough NBA rapport and or instinct to actually have any good suggestions - maybe RoLo, Grant and Payne were his input).

Anyway, great scouting on Caruso. Great recruiting by AK and BD. I was saying since the Vuc trade that AKME needed to rehaul PG with not 1 but 2 higher caliber targets, and they did it… plus a 3rd… plus a pseudo point/wing in Demar.

It’s nice when the FO vastly exceeds your expectations of what’s possible in one stretch of moves.

[dougthonus]

Lol could you imagine?

Rose
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Noah

While imagining we could add drafting jimmy into that mix

Deng is the sixth man in this team…

Not that it matters much, but the Bulls needed to move Deng to make the other part happen.

They actually were trying to lineup a suitor for Deng in order to make room for all three, but couldn't get commitment that they'd come and couldn't get the trade lined up in time, but it was an option they tried to move on.

[madvillian]

Seems like good teams have a FO & HC on the same page, and they recruit players that suit a shared vision. Seemed preposterous to me that G&P started shunning Adams & Thibs’ suggestions… and also never seemed to consult Hoiberg (or equally likely that Fred just didn’t have enough NBA rapport and or instinct to actually have any good suggestions - maybe RoLo, Grant and Payne were his input).

Anyway, great scouting on Caruso. Great recruiting by AK and BD. I was saying since the Vuc trade that AKME needed to rehaul PG with not 1 but 2 higher caliber targets, and they did it… plus a 3rd… plus a pseudo point/wing in Demar.

It’s nice when the FO vastly exceeds your expectations of what’s possible in one stretch of moves.

Players aren't dumb. They want to go where they feel they can contribute, earn their next contract and do some winning. If you have a GM with a vision you can sell them on it as was the case here. It felt like early in Paxson's tenure, and maybe a bit when it was GarPax, that they had a vision (surrounding Rose with the defenders) and could sell guys on it but after the "three amigos" it was clear they were just winging it year to year. AKME has come in with a plan and executed it. The plan isn't perfect, few are, but so far it's been fruitful.

[gardenofsound]

Man, AKME are like assassins.

People (and players, most importantly) are starting to get that reminder of what the United Center is like when the Bulls are good/exciting. Seeing that atmosphere and hearing these stories about the FO can only make Chicago more enticing as a destination.