Chicago Bulls Thread

[air gordon]

You called it, andrew. Denzel Valentine.

You'll have to sell me on this one. Another non athletic wing player who can shoot but can't defend. Has knee issues but can pass.

Garpax can't be comfortable with the current PG situation... Right??

[benji]

Forman says he still hasn't spoken to Derrick Rose.

lol

[NovU]

Garpax can't be comfortable with the current PG situation... Right??

Rondo and Conley are the best PGs avail on market this summer. Perhaps Lin or Jennings, might provide best bang for the buck.



Hiw about Jimmy Butler damage control? Will trade rumour have any impact on feelings and relationship between?

[Andrew]

The way I heard it, teams were pursuing him, but he wasn't being actively shopped.

You'll have to sell me on this one. Another non athletic wing player who can shoot but can't defend. Has knee issues but can pass.

I've heard that his knee issues are overblown, but it's a nagging thought. Apparently he only missed four games during his college career, so fingers crossed. Hopefully he can become an adequate defender, and make up for it in other areas of the game, as it seems he does have a good offensive skillset at least. There seems to be some promise there, so I'm remaining optimistic at this juncture. It's not like they had a bunch of no-brainer, can't-miss options at fourteen either, so I think it was an acceptable risk taking a chance on him.

That's about the best I can do for the moment. He's got to do the rest, and prove himself to the team, and all of us fans.

[Moz]

Garpax can't be comfortable with the current PG situation... Right??

I'm already worrying of the possibility of having Niko, Valentine, and Calderon as starters... I really hope that they're not done yet and they will ship Calderon (perhaps with a pick just to bait someone) elsewhere to get a serviceable/underappreciated rim protector (I don't have any on my head right now but I know the FO knows who were those) who can relieve Lopez. With Gasol's and Noah's departure, I'm not confident what's left of their reserve bigmen because they're either under-sized or the tweener types. Butler, Moore, and even Valentine can play point so I reckon the PG issue should be a lesser priority.

Not really concerned about his health since, as Andrew mentioned, it's being overblown. Being a defensive liability is what repels me on Valentine. I don't want another 40 mpg season for Jimmy. You can really tell that he's beginning to have the effects of it with the multiple injuries he sustained last season. There should be someone who can defend the perimeter aside from him (hence why I prefer Baldwin or even that French guy who has a Hawaiian sounding name). I just hope that his other skills will make up for it. Meanwhile, I like their 2nd round pick. He's quick for his size, capable of playing defense, and athletic enough to be a rotation player. He have a worse injury history though but he's been healthy for the past 2 years.

I don't know if Forman is lying since minute by minute there are insiders' reports regarding the status of their negotiations with Minny the time that they drafted Dunn. Or perhaps it's just some of those distractors like that fake Woj twitter account...

Somewhat relatable to the current Bulls' situation...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2648 ... g-national

McGrady said Thursday on The Jump that Bulls general manager Jerry Krause brought him to Chicago for a meeting that could have been a prelude to a trade involving Scottie Pippen

[mp3]

Good article.

From a knicks standpoint I think iam gonna coin the phase "At least we didn't give up a draft pick"

[air gordon]

I share the same concerns with the defense. Would have liked Baldwin picked as well. Management talked about getting young and athletic yet they drafted Valentine. LOL

They still have some $ so maybe the holes will get addresses via free agency. And maybe Felicio can be that backup big

I don't believe a word Forman says. So you weren't trying to trade Pau and he's part of the core?

[Andrew]

I guess T-Mac presents an interesting What If? scenario, but I'll take the sixth championship over what might have been.

[Sauru]

his entire career is a, what might have been

[Andrew]

Kind of, yeah. He still turned out pretty well.

[Moz]

DWade can't be so Rondo it is... I don't know why most of the press hate this signing. Yeh it's $28M but It's only for 2 years with a player/team option on the 2nd year. Perhaps they don't agree with it since he's not fitted to that "gonna be young and athletic" team that Gar Forman is re-tooling which, so far, hasn't been the quality of players he's getting in the deals he made... He's PG instinct and basketball IQ is an upgrade from Rose although he got a broken jumpshot... Though he's not forcing himself to be a shooter unlike the former guy at the helm. Also he can coach and will be a big help whenever Hoiberg is having brainfarts. I'm not worried about Butler since he had no problems with Gay in SacTown. I don't know if they will deal/waive Calderon now that ET is gone but I reckon they should and sign perhaps Jordan Hill or Crabbe/Harkless with the remaining capspace.

[Andrew]

He did shoot the ball a little better last season, and he's obviously an accomplished point guard who is a far better distributor than Rose. Of course, it remains to be seen whether he'll be a good fit with Butler and Hoiball in general, but again, he's talented, and like you said, it's not a bad deal by current standards. My only other concern is that his attitude leaves something to be desired at times, but sometimes a fresh start can work miracles in that regard, and the flexibility in the second year of the deal would allow them to part ways if it's not working out. I wouldn't say that I'm excited by the move, but I too am keeping an open mind about it.

[air gordon]

i'm still waiting for the young and athletic players. by letting go Gasol and Noah doesn't count lol

i don't understand bringing in a PG who can't shoot 3's and defend his position well. their perimeter game is already weak..

looks like no one bought in on Rondo's league leading assists. inflated stats on a dysfunctional Sacto team that finished 1st in pace? or maybe it's his turn to be zach randolph/jr smith redux.

that's fine and dandy it's a short team contract but what direction is this team heading? is this current roster better than this past years?

do the bulls have enough to sign harkless or crabbe?

[Andrew]

The direction seems to be full steam ahead rebuilding around Butler. Their payroll is currently around $66 million, which Rondo's deal will boost up to around $80 million. The new cap is $94 million, so there'd still be room to make a couple more smaller signings. Gibson, Calderon, and Mirotic are expiring contracts, while they have a team option on Dunleavy, McDermott, Portis, and Grant. They can extend a qualifying offer to Snell, though I assume (and hope) they won't. If what they're saying about Rondo's contract is true, they could shed his deal after a season as well. Unless they give out a couple of bad contracts this offseason, that means they should be able to make a run at one of the top free agents in 2017...although, we know how that's gone in the past.

In the meantime, I guess they try their best, and if they do stink to the point of getting a better lottery pick, maybe that'll help in the rebuilding process too. That's my best guess as to what their plans are; nothing to get too excited about in the near future.

[mp3]

Righy now I'd say that Grant is your starting pg who can at least hold his own on the defensive end, I can't comment on the rookie but I know Jose won't be winning any defensive awards.

[Andrew]

I doubt they bring Rondo off the bench.

[mp3]

Ohhhh yeah I forgot about the Bulls signing him!! My bad, do you really need 4 point guards?

Maybe the front office cuts Jose loose.

[Andrew]

With Rondo filling the "veteran point guard" role, and being the superior player besides, it wouldn't surprise me if they do say no way to Jose before the offseason is over. Perhaps he'll become the Luke Ridnour of the 2016 offseason!

[air gordon]

The direction seems to be full steam ahead rebuilding around Butler.
...although, we know how that's gone in the past.

In the meantime, I guess they try their best, and if they do stink to the point of getting a better lottery pick, maybe that'll help in the rebuilding process too. That's my best guess as to what their plans are; nothing to get too excited about in the near future.

I don't think garpax is sold 100% on butler. Just like gasol, they considered trading him but couldn't find a deal they liked. They'll just keep on spinning it like they normally do. I don't think they have the guts to crap out and miss the playoffs again. It will benefit greater this rebuild/retool but not their job security

Given their history on fa's, I hope they be like Detroit and trade for contracts

[Andrew]

Meanwhile, they've cancelled their meeting with Wade. Apparently they'll reschedule if he has any serious interest.

[NovU]

Rondo was a great signing. He came relatively cheap. I am hoping the Bulls would allow him to play to his strength (mainly assists). Butler should be better with Rondo than Rose. He can be the new Paul Pierce for Rondo.

Wade has been declining for years now. He's indeed not the best big name signing and perhaps least likened by the Bulls fans from this offseason. It's going to be interesting to see how he eases into a 2nd/3rd guy role now. But I assume Wade's leadership as a competitive guy will be a key to the success here. Butler is still young and got grow up to do, Rondo just doesn't command as much respect as Wade.

[atlwarrior]

[Andrew]

Meanwhile, they've cancelled their meeting with Wade. Apparently they'll reschedule if he has any serious interest.

Can't trust anything you read, these days.

As I said in the other thread, it'd be more exciting if this were five or six years ago. I'm OK with it though. It might at least make things interesting while the Bulls figure out some kind of long-term plan.

[ThePointForward]

I think Wade is going to provide that veteran mentorship, probably teach Butler a thing or two. And he is a closer, so there's that.

I hope he'll get standing ovation in his first game back in Miami.

[Moz]

Hoiberg better consult Cesar Millan now since they added 2 more rottweilers for him to tame... I reckon DWade's role will be like that of Luol Deng in his later years with the Bulls. I heard that the guy who's suiting up as Benny the Bull has retired. Will Doug give up his number? They should hire that obnoxious guy in Charlotte as his replacement so that we can assure that DWade will be on his top form. I'm already dismissing their season and will just watch games as summer league's but this move kinda made everything interesting. He got the same contract option as Rondo's so expect a non-lazy season for both. As I said earlier, they still need a bigman that can back up Lopez (not sold on Felicio... Big body but not a good rim protector) on that remaining 2M+ they have on their cap. The fairweather fans will put down their Fire GarPax signs for the meantime...

P.S.
Welcome to the club NovU. Enjoy your stay but don't vandalize...