Chicago Bulls 2024-2025
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Ayo back on the court tonight.
As bad a team and wrong mix of players as the Bulls currently are -- it's nice to have at least one guy to root for and one reason to watch this failing team.
Let's hope at some point the Bulls get a clue and put a quality team on the floor and Ayo can compete with a group of guys who have a chance to do something successful.
Win two lose two, win two lose three, this has been the pattern for the past few years. I think we have had talent and have it now. Look at some of the successful rosters, look at some of the no names that are doing well and put some of our guys in that spot and they would be winners also. All NBA players have talent, it’s how management pulls it together.
I know there are changes coming, just a couple opinions i have:
-Dump Patrick Williams. He has Athleticism, size, and the great all around talent and is a dud. I’m tired of even looking at his box score. Rather have a forward that consistently scores 3 points, grabs 10 rebounds, and plays defense than the mediocrity of a guy that’s been a potential star for 6 years. He has the ability to take over a game but not the head to do it.
-Dump Donovan - just not getting it done.
-Dump GM staff - mediocrity is unacceptable - find a basketball mind!
I know there are changes coming, just a couple opinions i have:
-Dump Patrick Williams. He has Athleticism, size, and the great all around talent and is a dud. I’m tired of even looking at his box score. Rather have a forward that consistently scores 3 points, grabs 10 rebounds, and plays defense than the mediocrity of a guy that’s been a potential star for 6 years. He has the ability to take over a game but not the head to do it.
-Dump Donovan - just not getting it done.
-Dump GM staff - mediocrity is unacceptable - find a basketball mind!
Ayo returned from injury a couple games ago. Got the start tonight. Nice win against Denver. 17 points and led the team in +/-.
So Bulls are so inept that they have to trade one of better assets to get back their #1 pick that they were in jeopardy of losing cuz they can’t even tank well.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
the only hope of winning is a clean slate. trading LaVine had to happen, if only for a ham sammich. Vuc's gonna get moved by the deadline. Ball is on an expiring contract. clean slate. but tearing it down is the easy part. they have to get lucky and make shrewd decisions. are you confident? rebuild city, here we come
I don’t think anyone has an issue with trading LaVine (or Vuc or Ball) — I surely don’t. That was the worst kept secret in the NBA. My issue is they putzed around trading those guys to the point that the team was in jeopardy of losing its first rounder to SA. So they had to trade LaVine for a pick they already should have had.
If they had traded LaVine and Vuc in offseason and just tanked like they should have, they’d have that first pick plus whatever draft capital they would have have gotten in those deals. Maybe they couldn’t have traded both in offseason, but I’d be surprised if they couldn’t have traded one of them, which likely would have been enough to keep their first round pick safe.
As far as I can tell, this means that they no longer owe SA a frp, so don't have to sweat losing next year's or the year after's top 8 protected pick to them either.
Correct, but like I said, if front office wasn’t inept and started cleaning house this past offseason, next year’s pick wouldn’t have been in jeopardy and likely not the year after’s. So basically all they got for LaVine was insurance that their ineptness didn’t bite them in the a$$.
I don’t know what they could have got for LaVine this past offseason, but I don’t think a future first and a second rounder or two/three is an unreasonable expectation. So say they got a 2028 first rounder and 2025 and 2027 second rounders. With no LaVine, 2025 first to SA would have been safe (and likely a fair amount higher than it will be in what is considered a very good draft at top). Doesn’t eliminate risk of losing first rounder in 2026, but in a full rebuild that they would have been in, good chance that pick wouldn’t have been at risk either. And they’d have the draft capital I mentioned instead of 3 guys who likely won’t be with team past next year. Heck even if the only got a couple/few second rounders for LaVine this past offseason, they’d still be better off.
Get rid of everyone except Ayo. He's the soul of this franchise. Everyone else is just a bad fit.
Signing LaVine to the contract they did was the mistake. They weren’t going to get anything in return other than begging someone else to pay him. In a year they will be trying to hope someone wants to take Patrick Williams and his $18 million a year. I doubt they will be as lucky as they were with LaVine.
Definitely agree on LaVine’s contract, which is why I said not sure what they could have gotten for him this past offseason. Even with the contract he had some value. Not would Bulls (or we) would have liked, but how they thought waiting around would improve it much is beyond me.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
it takes 2 to tango. LaVine was basically untradeable w/that huge contract. he helped his cause a ton by being a good soldier and having a VG season. Bulls fans should be happy, if not ecstatic, that they were finally able to move him
Yeah, kind of agree, but since when does FO take any kind of risk?
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
they took a big risk on Ball being healthy when they acquired him. that didn't turn out well
Ayo has been discussed as a possible trade chip also. In addition to Vuc and Lonzo.
Dislike
As someone who lives in the Chicago area I like having Ayo around, but for Ayo's career it might be best to be elsewhere. I don't think the Bulls will be competing anytime soon. On the plus side, he would get a lot of tick, but on the minus side, he might rather be a contributor to a team with something to play for than a key player on a team playing for the draft.
I would hope every player is being discussed as a possible trade chip. Ayo is certainly at the bottom of a list of players I’d like to see traded and hope he stays with Bulls, but the shape the Bulls are in no one should be untouchable. Main issue I’d have with Ayo being traded is that I have no confidence that front office would get the value needed to include him in a trade.
Serious question for you and many of the posters on here. Would you feel the same about Ayo if he didn't play at Illinois?
No. I like his game, but no doubt that the enjoyment I get seeing his development is fueled by the “personal” connection I feel based on him being an Illini. So while I’d like to see him remain a Bull, if they can get good value for him I’d get over the disappointment relatively quick. And a trade could put him in the position to be playing in meaningful games in the postseason.
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