Options to fix the PF hole

[PrimzyBulls81]

Batum, J.Grant, Barnes, Nance Jr., Kleber, Wood, Covington, Morris Sr, Birch, Achieuwa, B. Clarke, etc etc..many options to consider!?
I want at least 6'8 player, not smaller!

I dont wanna lose DJJ btw., he is a keeper..

[DxC17]

Grant is not worth it. He’s also better than we need him to be at PF, which would require us to trade actual assets. I’d rather keep our group and get the right fit of PF without moving Pat / Coby etc.

That is the essential question: how well is Jerami Grant going to fit or how well do we need him to fit?

I'm going to be honest - he's probably looking at being the 5th option in the starting lineup. Yes, even behind Lonzo who I am not interested in seeing shoot less considering he's one of the premier snipers in the league. Going from the 1st option to 5th in a single season would be a much bigger adjustment than people are letting on. Is he going to want 12-15 shots a game, and if so is he going to just hunt for those instead of playing in the flow of the offense?

Will Grant close games? Lonzo, Zach, Caruso, DDR & Vuc have been one of the best 5-man lineups in the entire league by net rating and the reason the Bulls have been one of the best late game teams in the league. Are we confident we want Caruso off the floor late in the playoffs? I sure as hell don't & I don't care who is on the other end of the floor. You got a winner like Alex you play him, matchups be damned. The Lakers knew this.

So, if you already have your 5 to close games why are we comfortable giving up some combination of Pat, Coby, DJJ and 1st for someone who is potentially not even going to crack the crunchtime rotation? That's a lot.

Obviously we need a size upgrade at PF, but I agree with what Bill Simmons said recently: the Bulls are contenders & probably need a small move to round things out.

[FriedRise]

I’ll just let AKME cook. If they can’t find somebody who can guard Durant, maybe they’ll just get Durant to Chicago instead.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

who is a player that can rebound, switch, and shoot the 3? kinda sounds like kleber but why has he never played more than 27mpg in his career? grant's lack of rebounding is concerning, i don't see the fit for that reason (beyond what it would take to get him here).

i keep thinking niko would be the perfect fit but that's never going to happen. what about kuzma?

[jordanwilliams6]

Torrey Craig is another interesting option that could be had for practically free. He gives us a bigger wing defender and can shoot a bit as well. He's not good enough to be a starter but he can give us solid rotation minutes as a lower quality candidate.

[bad knees]

Javonte is out 2-4 weeks with a groin injury. So the pressure to make a trade now increases.

Read on Twitter

[1985Bear]

I say we try out Tyler Cook, McKinnie and Ersan Ilysova and keep all our assets. Covid is allowing us to trot out a bunch of tryouts here in the middle of the season. We are playing great and don’t need a superstar PF.

Heck the plan was to play passive Pat there. Saw that Pat didn’t have a cast but more of a wrist guard sitting on bench. I want to wait and see f he can come back at end of year and get some playoff burn. So, I am fine trying out these other guys and hoping one sticks.
Cook and McKinnie look good on their minutes.

Closing lineup of Ball, Zach, Demar Caruso and Vooch wouldnt have room for a new guy anyway. Why is that in need of an upgrade?


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[Pax for Prez]

I say we try out Tyler Cook, McKinnie and Ersan Ilysova and keep all our assets. Covid is allowing us to trot out a bunch of tryouts here in the middle of the season. We are playing great and don’t need a superstar PF.

Heck the plan was to play passive Pat there. Saw that Pat didn’t have a cast but more of a wrist guard sitting on bench. I want to wait and see f he can come back at end of year and get some playoff burn. So, I am fine trying out these other guys and hoping one sticks.
Cook and McKinnie look good on their minutes.

Closing lineup of Ball, Zach, Demar Caruso and Vooch wouldnt have room for a new guy anyway. Why is that in need of an upgrade?


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Ersan Ilysova contract has expired and no longer on the roster.

[jump]

Now Cook is hurt too, eh? We haven't see Bell yet.

[nomorezorro]

Closing lineup of Ball, Zach, Demar Caruso and Vooch wouldnt have room for a new guy anyway. Why is that in need of an upgrade?

1. vuc might not be playable in some playoff situations
2. caruso might not be enough size or offensive punch in others
3. most playoff teams play more than 5 people per game

[nomorezorro]

i get the reticence to cash in pat/coby right now, but i do not understand the "i don't know if we need an upgrade at all!" people. you can't half ass an opening with a good roster and no undisputed elite teams in your conference. the path to the finals is there; don't just hope everything happens breaks your way

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

Javonte is out 2-4 weeks with a groin injury. So the pressure to make a trade now increases.

Read on Twitter

Ehh I think it stays about the same. We have a lot of perimeter defenders, and green is not an actual big anyway

[BullsTTF]

Hi Bulls Nations,

It has been great to watch this Bulls team this year. I am loving it. I really think we have a shot for a championship. However, I think the Bulls are 1 piece away. They need another big. The Bulls statically get out-rebounded. The only big the Bulls play is Vucevic. They hardly play Bradley, who is more of a 3rd string center. Neither Green or Jones are PF. Simonovic never plays. Cook has been nice as an energy big off the bench.They have recently signed 10 day contracts with Ilyasova and Bell but neither have played. What if Vucevic gets hurt or is in foul trouble.

I don't think the Bulls will make a major mid-season trade. They won't trade Patrick Williams. He was the front office's first draft pick, 4th overall and has only played one season. Coby White is the only holdover outside of Lavine. He is up for an extension after this year. He has played well recently. However, he is a luxury! When Caruso comes back White will be the 4th guard. Ayo can fill that role. Who is the Bulls' second legitimate big??? It is Bradley or Cook which is not good enough.

I have been looking for PF/C who are on bad teams which need back-court depth. Teams are not going to trade their starting PF/C and leave themselves with a hole upfront when they are battling for the playoffs. The best option is to get a PF/C who can shoot, rebound, and play defense. A veteran with playoff experience and one with good attitude (the Bulls have great chemistry and shouldn't mess with that = therefore no Wood or Bagley). The salary would have to be between 4-13 million. The Bulls can include Brown Jr to make salary work. Players like Kevin Love or Myles Turner make too much money and would deplete our bench to make salaries work.

Options: (in order of my preference)

1. Kelly Olynyk: The Pistons are rebuilding and don't need him. They have Cunningham but not one else of note in the back-court.
Positives: He is signed for 12 million for 2 years after this one, which is not a bad price. He can play PF/C. He has playoff experience. He is a very good 3 pointer shooter. He is a good passer.
Negatives: He is not much of rebounder or defender. He is not athletic.

2. Robert Covington: Portland is struggling. They might not make the playoffs and might look to trade Lillard or McCollum in the near future. Covington is a free-agent next year. I don't think he is in their long-term plans.
Positives: He is a great defender (blocks and steals). He has playoff experience. He is a good 3 point shooter. Very good FT shooter.
Negative: Not very big. Not a PF/C but rather a 6.8/6.7 athletic PF. Not a very good shooter overall. Only signed for this year.

3. Chris Boucher: Toronto is not going anywhere. Boucher is a free-agent next. After playing well last year he is riding the bench this year. Not in their long-term plans. Toronto needs a backup guard behind VanVleet and Trent Jr.
Positives: He is great defender (especially blocks). He is athletic. He can shoot the 3 pointer fairly well (not much this year). Good rebounder. Has the size to play a little C.
Negatives: Only signed for this year. Not much playoff experience.

4. Derick Favors: The Thunder are rebuilding and he is not in their long-term plans. He has a player option next year and I am sure they would like out of that contract. They could use another guard to pair with Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey.
Positives: He has the size to play PF/C. Tough defender and rebounder. He has playoff experience.
Negatives: Not a 3 pointer shooter at all. Not a good FT shooter. More of backup C than a true PF/C.

I originally liked Covington and Favors the best but after looking at their numbers I actually like Olynyk the best. He doesn't sound sexy as a trade target. However, he is the best 3 point shooter of the group and the best passer. Unlike Convington he can play both PF and C. He has experience both starting and coming off the bench. He can replace a lot of things that Vuvevic can do. The only negative is that is not athletic and not a great defender.

[CaPiTanAK]

I am down with Kelly Olynk as my enforcer against the Cavs. Kevin Love is still having PTSD from that can of whoop ass.

[dabig3]

i get the reticence to cash in pat/coby right now, but i do not understand the "i don't know if we need an upgrade at all!" people. you can't half ass an opening with a good roster and no undisputed elite teams in your conference. the path to the finals is there; don't just hope everything happens breaks your way

I don't get it either. I don't know if some are thinking we're like the early 2010s Warriors here with a bunch of young gems on cheap rookie contracts, but we're not. The window for this team is literally built into the current payroll situation.

At the moment Bulls will have 5 guys under contract after the 22-23 season, and 2 of them are Marco and PWill.

The championship window is now and DeMar/Vuc are on the wrong side of 30. If Bulls can do a move this season to win now and fast before they have to commit even more of their cap to keep the core together (Zach's deal), then it should happen. I don't see why we need to wait for an inevitable 2nd round bounce just to hang onto some of our 2nd and 3rd level talent guys, who all might be leaving shortly anyways to find better years and money.

[1985Bear]

i get the reticence to cash in pat/coby right now, but i do not understand the "i don't know if we need an upgrade at all!" people. you can't half ass an opening with a good roster and no undisputed elite teams in your conference. the path to the finals is there; don't just hope everything happens breaks your way

I’m not in the “don’t upgrade camp” at all. Of course if AKME find a deal that will improve the team go for it. I feel the new Managment has the pulse of the team and how guys fit down pretty good, so I will be on board with a move.

Im just NOT in the “ if we don’t fix PF right now, we are never going to win and this team sucks”camp.


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[Hangtime84]

This team would be amazing with a Bobby Portis type or Mirotic...

Oh wait...

We preferred Lauri

[sco]

This team would be amazing with a Bobby Portis type or Mirotic...

Oh wait...

We preferred Lauri

On the Lauri topic {lighting fuse} his numbers have been very bad of late. I wonder how CLE is misusing him?

[prolific passer]

Portis would be nice with his size, skill set, and motor.
If the bulls arent going to trade for a power forward. Then the only option is to cycle through the left over bigs on the FA market till they can find the one that fits that the best.

[mj234eva]

When the Bulls made those trades last year, the only guy I was mad they traded away was Daniel Gafford.