Illini in the Pros (Basketball)

#301      
phats22
illini510 said:
Dosunmu should be a Chicago Bull and Karnisovas is who we have to thank for screwing that up. The fact that he was out 2 months after making that trade tells you all you need to know about how much that guy didn't have a clue what he was doing. Would love to see Ayo re-sign with the Bulls in the offseason but starting to think that him getting a taste of playing with a competent organization will definitely impact his decision on where to sign in the future

The fact that AK never saw Ayo as a cornerstone for the future of the Bulls explains how moronic that guy truly was. All of us Illini fans have seen it for years now. Not a surprise to any of us yet AK clearly devalued him. All I can do is shake my head

I will stick to this opinion: The Bulls were one big man star away from being a competitive 4/5 seed caliber in the East. Between Giddey, Matas, Ayo, and Coby, they had the wings and the positional length and all they needed was a big man to complement that core 4 either through free agency or a trade
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haven't seen this discussed here but Mn acquired Ayo's Bird rights with the trade.

assuming they view this as a championship window they might be willing to push into luxury tax to do what it takes to resign Ayo
 
#305      
illiniguy24
Rocket City Illini said:
Ayo was one of the stars of the game. Great post game interview. Announcers really fawning over him. Super proud of that kid at the Jordan Brand store who picked us over Wake Forest. Great human being too.
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Extremely happy for him. Incredible job capitalizing on this opportunity on the big stage with the Wolves.

Amazing PR for us Illini fans and I can’t say enough how awesome it is that he played so well last night with Illini family in person
 
#306      
Mobi
illini510 said:
Dosunmu should be a Chicago Bull and Karnisovas is who we have to thank for screwing that up. The fact that he was out 2 months after making that trade tells you all you need to know about how much that guy didn't have a clue what he was doing. Would love to see Ayo re-sign with the Bulls in the offseason but starting to think that him getting a taste of playing with a competent organization will definitely impact his decision on where to sign in the future

The fact that AK never saw Ayo as a cornerstone for the future of the Bulls explains how moronic that guy truly was. All of us Illini fans have seen it for years now. Not a surprise to any of us yet AK clearly devalued him. All I can do is shake my head

I will stick to this opinion: The Bulls were one big man star away from being a competitive 4/5 seed caliber in the East. Between Giddey, Matas, Ayo, and Coby, they had the wings and the positional length and all they needed was a big man to complement that core 4 either through free agency or a trade
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honestly, the last thing career wise Ayo should do is to go back to Bulls when Reinsdorf still owns it.
 
#309      
illini510
phats22 said:
haven't seen this discussed here but Mn acquired Ayo's Bird rights with the trade.

assuming they view this as a championship window they might be willing to push into luxury tax to do what it takes to resign Ayo
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I see. Well, Minnesota's front office definitely outsmarted the incompetent AKME regime
 
#313      
champaignchris
I know this will sound like blasphemy to some of the Bulls fans here, but Ayo’s game would suit the Knicks perfectly. He’d love playing in front of that crowd, and that crowd would love his game.
 
#316      
Grandpa
champaignchris said:
I know this will sound like blasphemy to some of the Bulls fans here, but Ayo’s game would suit the Knicks perfectly. He’d love playing in front of that crowd, and that crowd would love his game.
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Knicks are as good as anyone. I disliked every team except the Bulls, and now I don't like them either. Waiting for new owners.
 
#317      
Emerson Bigguns
pruman91 said:
Ayo is one of my top 5 Illini players ever.............he really really is..................
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Ayo made it okay to be an Illini again... Which was huge for the program, but I think Kofi sometimes gets lost in that conversation despite his arrival being the catalyst that took us from a scrappy rebuilding team to a real PROBLEM in the B1G.

Such a unique player and character. Too bad the rules we have now didn't apply then.
 
#319      
ChiefGritty
Emerson Bigguns said:
Too bad the rules we have now didn't apply then.
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Obviously the NIL deals have inflated into the stratosphere, but the sad reality is that they did. Kofi turned down a million bucks here for his doomed quest at the NBA. Which stinks.

My favorite memory of Kofi as a player were those not-infrequent times where you knew two possessions in that the game was over because the opponent didn't have a coverage for him that stood any chance of working.
 
#320      
1m4tr

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#321      
Illini2010-11
IllinitripleJ said:
Why exactly did the Bulls give up on Ayo?
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1) They have (had) disaster front office and terrible ownership
2) See #1
3) See #2
4) He was on contract season, and the old FO probably did not see him in future plans (or did not see the value his new contract would have required) -- decided to get something before letting him go for virtually nothing.
5) I think the Bulls really wanted to just have another fresh slate going into the next season

Items 4 and 5 could have some merit in the discussion, but due to items 1-3, the Bulls get no benefit of the doubt.

Either way, the trade works out best for Ayo -- he showcases his skills on the big stage, which has earned him a lot bigger contract than he would have received had the Bulls kept him at the trade deadline.
 
#322      
lstewart53x3
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“So anyways, I was trying to explain to my friends on X that most teams have a short point guard, about yay tall, whereas we recruit tall point guards, 6’7 minimum, but then the fools on Field Of 68 say we don’t even have a point guard. Anyhow, I like your vibe, you should be on tv.”
 
#324      
OrangeBlue98
lstewart53x3 said:
View attachment 50112

“So anyways, I was trying to explain to my friends on X that most teams have a short point guard, about yay tall, whereas we recruit tall point guards, 6’7 minimum, but then the fools on Field Of 68 say we don’t even have a point guard. Anyhow, I like your vibe, you should be on tv.”
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dennis weening lol GIF by SBS6
 
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