PG:New York Minute

[BullChit]

Just finished watching it and without the heart attacks of not knowing we win that game was incredible... Playoff intensity especially in the second half when the Knicks made there run.

Bulls just need to learn to calm it down when the opposition go on a run, they figured it out towards the end of the third and in the 4th but they could have stopped it earlier with a bit of compusure and a return to what was working earlier.

[Almost Retired]

I love Green, but he cannot guard Randle. Should have some sort of upgrade there by the time we play them again.

I might have lost months off my life there. And I don't really have enough to spare, HWhoooo...

I think we are stuck with this dwarf ball until the trade deadline. We really need two more legit bigs. They don’t even need to good. Just competent.

where do you envision two more bigs fitting into the rotation, exactly? if we just wanted bodies we'd be throwing alize and bradley onto the floor. but, as painful as it is when teams are exploiting our lack of size, ~small ball~ has clearly been beneficial on balance for the bulls this season. we're a top 10 defense, top 5 net rating. the schemes are working, even if the aesthetics are atypical.

the way i see it, we could use one (1) guy who is vaguely morris twins-sized to round out our roster. bulky (or long) enough to do a credible job with the rare giannis/davis/randle star PF defensive assignments, but mobile enough to fit into our team defensive scheme.

When does Noah Vonleh's season end in China? I don't follow their league. He'd be a good, cheap addition. He's got size. Not a complete stiff. Has some NBA experience. He'd return stateside hungry. And give us 6 more fouls on tough to cover bigs we might face.

[oldshoolballer]

I took a lot of flack when I picked this team 3rd in the east. I don't think they are anywhere close to their ceiling. Vuc is the key to me if he plays at an all star level the Bulls have a legit shot. I'm not blown away by the Nets or Bucks tbh.

[DaeDae]

It's been a while, but finally interested and enjoying Bulls basketball.

Same. I've been gone for 5 years.

[DaeDae]

Julius Randle's game confuses me, his size and where he operates on the floor has me often times rubbing my eyes.

Everyone wants to be a guard.

[Ice Man]

It's been a while, but finally interested and enjoying Bulls basketball.

Same. I've been gone for 5 years.

There are basketball junkies who like rebuilding, they get into "the process" and draft picks. We had guys on this board last year talking about how cool it would be to be an OKC fan. But 90% of NBA fans couldn't be bothered with that stuff. Just give them a team that can play. My office is talking about the Bulls now, for the first time in 5 years. The team was dead to them until this year. I would guess that is what it's like throughout Chicago. The Bulls are once again relevant.

[sco]

First of all, the Knicks are a very good regular season team. No coach in the league can get his guys to redline their RPM's like Thibs. I look at how he got Fournier to play tough D, and that's how it manifests itself. On offense, Randle is a physical beast, but more importantly, he uses his physicality well. That's also the Thibs way, where he seems to run a high % of his offense through one guy and then put a lot of defenders around him. Having Rose to be that guy off the bench is what has given them extra lift. IMO, Robinson is the Knicks worst C. Noel and Taj are better defenders in space.

[kodo]

Play of the game?

Read on Twitter

For Caruso yes. But Zach wasn't fouled, he didn't finish that layup.
But luckily for us Thibs made a bad call and used a challenge much earlier on a iffy call and lost it, and didn't have it for this foul.

Derozan's finish also was pretty good. Knicks defense actually caused him to lose the ball but mid air he re-gathered and still made the layup. The guy is just such a composed, smooth operator under pressure.

[Michael Jackson]

It's been a while, but finally interested and enjoying Bulls basketball.

Same. I've been gone for 5 years.

There are basketball junkies who like rebuilding, they get into "the process" and draft picks. We had guys on this board last year talking about how cool it would be to be an OKC fan. But 90% of NBA fans couldn't be bothered with that stuff. Just give them a team that can play. My office is talking about the Bulls now, for the first time in 5 years. The team was dead to them until this year. I would guess that is what it's like throughout Chicago. The Bulls are once again relevant.

We obviously hang out here because IIRL no one wants to discuss this much bad basketball lol. My phone blows up during games now, from people who likely haven’t watched a game since the Rose era. It also helps too that they are the only good team in town. I drive down the road and see Gire Nagy signs on businesses lol. The Bulls are filling a void in Chicago now for sure.

[Michael Jackson]

Play of the game?

Read on Twitter

For Caruso yes. But Zach wasn't fouled, he didn't finish that layup.

But luckily for us Thibs made a bad call and used a challenge much earlier on a iffy call and lost it, and didn't have it for this foul.

Yeah that was not a good layup attempt for Zach lol. Kinda the opposite of what you think with him. That looked more like me.

[DaeDae]

It's been a while, but finally interested and enjoying Bulls basketball.

Same. I've been gone for 5 years.

There are basketball junkies who like rebuilding, they get into "the process" and draft picks. We had guys on this board last year talking about how cool it would be to be an OKC fan. But 90% of NBA fans couldn't be bothered with that stuff. Just give them a team that can play. My office is talking about the Bulls now, for the first time in 5 years. The team was dead to them until this year. I would guess that is what it's like throughout Chicago. The Bulls are once again relevant.

Despite the fact that THIS account says I've been here since 2011, I've actually been here under a previous name (The Krakken) MUCH longer. Like "Elton Brand/Eddy Curry/Tyson Chandler" long. Basically, twenty years (wow). So I know all about rebuilding with this team. I was here during the "Baby Bulls" debacle. I was here when the debate was about who the leader of the Bulls was - HInrich vs Gordon. I was here when we though Tyrus Thomas was going to be Amare Stoudamire Jr. I was here when we we debated choosing Michael Beasley over Derrick Rose.

I think the turning point for me was the ineptitude of the Front office AFTER the Derrick Rose Trade. They were never serious about winning, and it showed. So I withdrew my overt support, and covertly kept my eye on them for the last 5 years or so. The product was horrible. When I arrived here I was somewhere between 22-24. Now I'm 44 years old, with grown children. The product has to be worth my time. I'm glad that FINALLY, it is. Enough to where I can come back home to RGM.

[DuckIII]

It's interesting with the whole Lavine being a 1b or a number 2 even.

If you are talking about scoring it's obvious just by PPG and by when the key scoring is being done its obviously DDR who is our 1 or 1a.

When it comes to the question of paying Zach the Max and is he the best player on the team I have to think again of Booker and CP3 on the Suns.

Books clearly the future of that team but CP3 is the most important and their best player right now... Especially in lasy years run

What does CP3 and Booker have to do with the Bulls? We have an entirely different situation.

Your reply seems to imply that you feel like I am questioning you or something.

We have been discussing in other threads LaVine's upcoming contract and how DeMar's emergence this season does or does not effect it.

Zach and Book are both young shooting guards often compared.
CP3 is the veteran leader.. Demar has taken that role here...

The similarities are there.

There are people questioning maxing Zach because of how DDR is playing? Zach is getting the max and the Bulls would enthusiastically let him sign the deal today if the CBA allowed it.

[Ice Man]

Last night's game made the Vuc trade look very good.

1) When Vuc's shot isn't falling, he's not a particularly strong player. But when it is falling, he is better than Wendell can be. Last night he was better than Wendell could be.

2) Without that trade, we probably don't get DeMar.

And without the good version of Vuc and, even more, having DeMar, we don't win that game. The Vuc trade gave us an upside that we would not otherwise possess. It made this team relevant in a way that retaining Wendell would not. I think it remains the right decision, despite concerns about Vuc's mobility and his 2021 offensive problems.

[DaeDae]

Same. I've been gone for 5 years.

There are basketball junkies who like rebuilding, they get into "the process" and draft picks. We had guys on this board last year talking about how cool it would be to be an OKC fan. But 90% of NBA fans couldn't be bothered with that stuff. Just give them a team that can play. My office is talking about the Bulls now, for the first time in 5 years. The team was dead to them until this year. I would guess that is what it's like throughout Chicago. The Bulls are once again relevant.

Despite the fact that THIS account says I've been here since 2011, I've actually been here under a previous name (The Krakken) MUCH longer. Like "Elton Brand/Eddy Curry/Tyson Chandler" long. Basically, twenty years (wow). So I know all about rebuilding with this team. I was here during the "Baby Bulls" debacle. I was here when the debate was about who the leader of the Bulls was - HInrich vs Gordon. I was here when we though Tyrus Thomas was going to be Amare Stoudamire Jr. I was here when we we debated choosing Michael Beasley over Derrick Rose.

I think the turning point for me was the ineptitude of the Front office AFTER the Derrick Rose Trade. They were never serious about winning, and it showed. So I withdrew my overt support, and covertly kept my eye on them for the last 5 years or so. The product was horrible. When I arrived here I was somewhere between 22-24. Now I'm 44 years old, with grown children. The product has to be worth my time. I'm glad that FINALLY, it is. Enough to where I can come back home to RGM.

Side note: This post just aged the heck out of me. I just realized, I've been a Bulls fan for 36 years. The fact that its been that long is remarkable.

[Ice Man]

Side note: This post just aged the heck out of me. I just realized, I've been a Bulls fan for 36 years. The fact that its been that long is remarkable.

I was your current age when the Baby Bulls arrived. I had stopped watching the Bulls for the previous 4 years, except out of the corner of my eye, for the same reason that you mentioned. Kids, family. The team wasn't just going to get my time automatically. It had to earn my attention, and in the early 2000s it had failed at that task.

When the Bulls rebuilt again over the past 5 years, I tuned in, even though that also sucked and even though the organization didn't really deserve the support, because ... empty nester.

[DuckIII]

Last night's game made the Vuc trade look very good.

1) When Vuc's shot isn't falling, he's not a particularly strong player. But when it is falling, he is better than Wendell can be. Last night he was better than Wendell could be.

2) Without that trade, we probably don't get DeMar.

And without the good version of Vuc and, even more, having DeMar, we don't win that game. The Vuc trade gave us an upside that we would not otherwise possess. It made this team relevant in a way that retaining Wendell would not. I think it remains the right decision, despite concerns about Vuc's mobility and his 2021 offensive problems.

I’m sure there were fans more critical of the Vuc trade than me. But probably not a lot of them. But, to me, every game makes the Vuc trade look like a good idea. Except maybe the Indians game.

For me the issue with the Vuc trade was that it created a path to contention, but the path was conditional and so narrow that AK had only a couple extremely specific ways to make it work. And he succeeded. I don’t see any way to rationally criticize that trade because I’m 100% convinced that without it, there’s no Ball, DDR or Caruso either.

These guys weren’t coming here to be Zach’s only help in turning around a Baby Bulls team.

[DaeDae]

Side note: This post just aged the heck out of me. I just realized, I've been a Bulls fan for 36 years. The fact that its been that long is remarkable.

I was your current age when the Baby Bulls arrived. I had stopped watching the Bulls for the previous 4 years, except out of the corner of my eye, for the same reason that you mentioned. Kids, family. The team wasn't just going to get my time automatically. It had to earn my attention, and in the early 2000s it had failed at that task.

When the Bulls rebuilt again over the past 5 years, I tuned in, even though that also sucked and even though the organization didn't really deserve the support, because ... empty nester.

Bingo. Wow. I'm not alone. I would check in here every year around draft time. Just to see who we were going to waste our pick on.

[NecessaryEvil]

Read on Twitter

?s=20


1a or 1b, he's a leader in his own right

[Ice Man]

1a or 1b, he's a leader in his own right

I'm not sure if Zach can ever be a team's alpha, but he does want to play and he does want to win. We can work with that.

[dougthonus]

Last night's game made the Vuc trade look very good.

1) When Vuc's shot isn't falling, he's not a particularly strong player. But when it is falling, he is better than Wendell can be. Last night he was better than Wendell could be.

Agree if Vuc can play like this on offense with any remote consistency, this team is awesome and this trade worked out great.

2) Without that trade, we probably don't get DeMar.

I don't understand why people think this. We know of no one else who offered him significant money. He was literally deciding between us at 87M and the Clippers at 15M. There were no contenders that could offer him money and also no reason to think our team was a significant talent base or title contender. Vegas had us as a .500 team after the off-season was over.

He didn't come here for the talent, he came for 70M+ extra dollars.

That said, #2 doesn't really matter if #1 can be shown to be consistently true.