Chicago Bulls Thread

[air gordon]

When gar forman is not speaking at these and the anger from the dumbass moves from recent years subsides… you appreciate Paxson’s honesty and candor

I can do without the payne topic. I dont think the media was going to troll pax and ask about him but still he went ahead and shared his thoughts

I stopped watching after around all star break. Maybe last game i watched start to finish was against the t’wolves

Overall i thought it was an ok season. Im not sure if this is an indictment on the league but really.. I think the bulls contend for a playoff spot if they keep Niko and above replacement players like Lopez and Holiday didn’t sit out. Not that i’m advocate for that to happen this season but it’s a good sign for Dunn & Lauri.

Disappointed Dunn, Lavine, and Lauri couldn’t get a lot time on the court together.

Encouraged with Dunn’s improvement but still are questions on how him and Lavine fit together.

These 3 seem like good pieces but i don’t think these are franchise type players. Maybe Lauri out of the 3 has the potential but still has to show more.

odds are against them finding that player @pick 7.

[Andrew]

The tanking looked better when they were 3-20, but at least they didn't end up contending for a Playoff spot. Let's see what kind of savvy they have in the Draft...and what kind of luck they have in the lottery.

[Valor]

Couple of positives (won't mention the negatives, too many) I took away from Paxson's presser...
1. Lauri is the cornerstone to build around - Kid ticks the boxes, has great potential. Good rookie season. I wouldn't say he's a franchise player but he's got enough talent to maybe become a 3rd or even 2nd option on a playoff regular side in the future.
2. Will look for a wing in the draft - Some hope regarding Doncic. I doubt our odds in the lottery but anything can happen, and imo they should trade the farm to move up and select Doncic. Trade multiple picks if that's what's necessary. He's that good.

....and that's about it, I can't think of another positive.

[air gordon]

no love for portis? the guy is a rotation player. even valentine proved himself.

[air gordon]

early thoughts on who the bulls should pick?
valor likes doncic. i'm neither a believer or non believer in him. in all honestly i haven't followed him or the college game this year other then the tourney

mikal bridges skillset seems to make the most sense as he does fill the team's biggest need and does fit management's preference of drafting players from strong college programs

someone like michael porter even with the his injury risk is an intriguing prospect.

pretty sure they pick grayson allen with the NOR pick

[Andrew]

Valor has sold me on Doncic. Beyond that, I'm not sure, and open to suggestions as to who else is viable. If they do pick Allen, he'll fit right in with their policy of indefinite suspensions.

[air gordon]

what sells you on his game? and what would you be willing to trade to move up to get him?

[Andrew]

Anyone but Markkanen, basically.

[air gordon]

Well ok. Doncic or bust

[Andrew]

I'd like to make a snarky comment along the lines of with GarPax running the show, "bust" seems like an inevitable outcome. However, I do have to give them credit for the Markkanen pick. I can't shake the pessimism that they'll find a way to make blunders that outweigh any good moves they make, but as far as good moves are concerned, right now I'd say that drafting Markkanen qualifies as one.

[air gordon]

oh c'mon. i set that one up perfectly for you

Gladly, as soon as they give me reason to feel more positive about them.

you see this guy's per 36 and 3pt% the last 2 months

[Jackie Kong]

That picture looks like a dumb injury about to happen.

[Andrew]

Nothing will be as dumb as Pervis Ellison dropping a coffee table on his foot or Dino Radja being stung on the lip by a bee (during a game, no less), but it's close.

[Jackie Kong]

Would have been funny if Manu missed any game because of the bat situation, lol.
dnp - bat slapping protocol and old

[Valor]

Why I'm sold on Doncic
- Proven winner on the big stage with both his national team and club team. Already a multi-champion which is something we lack in Chicago atm.
- Superb fundamentals that the other draftees simply do not have
- Already a professional
- Most recent season averaged 21-8-7 (per 36) in the toughest league outside the NBA and has been a star since 16, 17. Don't believe any of those American college kids in this draft class can do that in Europe amongst grown men. For comparison, his production has been better than guys like Mirotic, Rubio, and Gallinari when they were in Euroleague.
- Versatile, can shoot, can handle, can pass (fantastic passer in the pick and roll, imagine him and Markkanen doing that all day long)
- Fantastic size and length for a PG/SG (6-8, 230)
- Endorsement of fellow European players who are in the NBA (Porzingis, Dragic etc)
- Has gotten better every year at taking care of the ball
- Fantastic court vision
- Not the greatest athlete but offsets it with skills like a Manu Ginobili
- Still not sold? Just watch a few of his games, like this one

phpBB [video]

- Lastly...I just don't like/rate any of the other prospects as much as I do Doncic, he's miles ahead and it's not even close imo.

what would you be willing to trade to move up to get him?

Anyone but Markkanen, basically.

^ That.

I'd like to make a snarky comment along the lines of with GarPax running the show, "bust" seems like an inevitable outcome.

Yep. I have a feeling even if they somehow get #1 they will end up passing on Doncic for this year's version of Anthony Bennett or something. Makes me want to puke thinking about it.

[Jackie Kong]

lol, yeah. Some people compare him to Hezonja but Mario never made an actual impact for Barcelona.
Dondic's numbers are just unreal for someone of his age playing at a very competitive level on Europe . Not even Rubio had this sort of numbers.

[air gordon]

is that anthony randolph in the vid haha

in all seriousness... the lack of athleticism/who can he defend in the nba are legit concerns but he does have an impressive resume. at that age playing that well i can understand why you're all in.

shirley there's a few teams drooling over this kid picking before the bulls

instead of pimping him more and posting vids- let's play the hypothetical anyway-
realistically do the bulls have the assets to get it done and not derail the bulls rebuild further at the same time? specifically what do you offer to get him?! im curious to see. maybe even bring those proposals to the team specific boards over at realgm too

[benji]

Doncic has been #1 or #2 in every ESPN mock draft (which is now run by the DraftExpress guys instead of Chad Ford) of the season pretty much.

The only reason he hasn't been #1 for a while is because the Suns took over the #1 slot and literally everyone assumes if they have the pick it's guaranteed to be DeAndre Ayton. Especially since they're already full of young wings.

is that anthony randolph in the vid haha

yeah, he had a few minutes of fame earlier in the season when he took shots at the NBA for not recognizing his skills while Europe does, while saying he more or less invented the ballhandling stretch four/five (nobody tell Bob McAdoo) but the NBA didn't care at the time and now it's all the rage (ignoring that he couldn't shoot the three in the NBA or even the 15 footer), then like a week later he got benched or something by his team for not playing hard enough which was always the criticism from NBA coaches, lol

somehow he acquired Slovenian citizenship at some point, he's on their national team now too, had to beat (but not outplay) my boys Ognjen and Boban in the eurobasket final

[Valor]

air gordon,
Last draft Sixers traded their third and a future first for the first overall, assuming we stay pat at 7 we'll have to give up a bit more than that to move into top 3 (probably 2, since everyone's hyped on Ayton) where Doncic should be picked....I would have no problems if we have to give up both our first round picks plus one future unprotected first and a future protected first (4 in total), plus anyone on the roster not named Markkanen as a sweetener. We have enough cap space to fill other needs in FA, getting the next face of the franchise is the most important thing and Doncic-Markkanen is a fantastic foundation to build the team around moving forward. We (Well, GarPax) need to do everything we can do make that happen.

Lack of athleticism is more like lack of elite athleticism, and guys like Manu and Nash who are/were just as crafty and not as athletic did more than alright in their careers. Let's say he plays in the backcourt with Dunn or LaVine, he can guard the bigger/slower matchup and the other will guard the quicker one. At 6-8 230 he can definitely hold his own.

lol, yeah. Some people compare him to Hezonja but Mario never made an actual impact for Barcelona.
Dondic's numbers are just unreal for someone of his age playing at a very competitive level on Europe . Not even Rubio had this sort of numbers.

Yep, Hezonja (5.2 ppg for Barcelona) isn't even close to the player that Doncic was from 17 yrs onwards.

[benji]

The Sixers were trading with a team coming off a 53 win season and Eastern Conference Finals appearance. And who didn't want a point guard in a draft where the consensus top two picks were point guards.

There's no situation like that in this years draft, all the teams with a greater than 5% chance at a top three pick are just plain bad. And outside of Phoenix, they all would take Doncic without a second thought. Especially Memphis who considers themselves still a playoff team and who he couldn't be more perfect for really.

One further note, the Bulls are more likely to be #6 than #7. Tie-breakers with Sacramento mean the Kings have a 0% chance at being #6.

[Valor]

Which is why we'll need to trade the farm and I'll have no problems with it. The above package was just an example, throw in more firsts, take some bad contracts back, trade some of our younger guys with stock. Everything has a price...

[benji]

say Memphis gets the pick, why do they want the #6 pick, #22 pick, a protected 2020 first and an unprotected 2022 first, along with Bobby Portis, Denzel Valentine, and Jerian Grant along with you taking on Chandler Parsons contract rather than Doncic?

Atlanta would gladly have you eat Kent Bazemore and Miles Plumlee's deals except they're under the cap massively already with them, and they aren't going to want to drop down to #6

I doubt Orlando would want out of Biyambo's deal bad enough to drop to #6 either

maybe if the Cavs jump up to #2 they'd be willing to do it to stick you with George Hill and J.R. Smith's contracts and land a gaggle of cheapo reserves

[air gordon]

much obliged, benji. i thought i did see ant-rand playing in euro tourney this past year. stud.

. the lack of athleticism

my error there. lack of elite athleticism i should have said.

Lack of athleticism is more like lack of elite athleticism, and guys like Manu and Nash who are/were just as crafty and not as athletic did more than alright in their careers. Let's say he plays in the backcourt with Dunn or LaVine, he can guard the bigger/slower matchup and the other will guard the quicker one. At 6-8 230 he can definitely hold his own.

well shoot, really this guy has to have some kind of concerns with his game otherwise the bulls handing over the farm for him wouldn't be enough

those are hall of famers you are comparing him to. if i had a nickel each time someone dropped the "crafty card" to make up for not being so fast jump high....

i don't view lavine as a franchise player but just saying that a defensive pairing of him and lavine is laughable

jokes aside i look forward to seeing him play, in a bulls uniform or not.

[Valor]

well shoot, really this guy has to have some kind of concerns with his game otherwise the bulls handing over the farm for him wouldn't be enough

Lack of hype due to not being American or playing in the NCAA where coverage is insane. European talent often goes overlooked and I'm hoping that's what gives us a shot at drafting him (that's if GarPax don't pass on him for a stiff as a result). Obviously if we luck out like we did with Rose in 08 then it'll be the best case scenario.

and no, I don't rate LaVine as a franchise player either, he's at best a sixth man on a ECF calibre team. Dunn-Doncic wouldn't be too bad though.

[air gordon]

the boys at draftexpress seem to know their stuff. euro talent gets overlooked? while we're generalizing, the knicks picked smokin frank. the kings a few years picked papi no longer in the league opoulus at #12.

the lavine situation is interesting. he didn't do enough (understandingly coming off the injury) to dispel the questions/knocks on his game. the bulls can and mostly likely match what he can get in the open market. still just 23yrs old