IlliniOX08
- Bucktown, Chicago
Yup. OKC has the talent, improved last night by bringing in Oladipo, and they can pay him the most. Doubt he goes anywhere.
Chicago Bulls 2016-2017
Yup. OKC has the talent, improved last night by bringing in Oladipo, and they can pay him the most. Doubt he goes anywhere.
I like the 2 picks the Bulls made last night. Don't know much about Zipser, but from what I've seen/read he sounds like a good upgrade over Dunleavy. My biggest question is will they mold Valentine into a PG? I hope so, he needs to have the ball in his hands to make the biggest impact.
Valentine's too slow to play PG.
From what I've read they are looking into seeing what Grant might be capable of. He will be entering just his second season. And they believe that Valentine and Butler can handle the lead gaurd spot if need be.
Valentine is a heady player who should carve out a nice career as a complimentary player, but he graded out as one of the slowest-footed draft prospects on the perimeter this spring and is not nearly quick enough to be a PG in the NBA, even as a backup. He'll play wing as he did in college.
The Bulls won't make the playoffs unless they upgrade the PG position. Calderon was one of the worst starting PGs in the league last year. Grant's skill set looks like that of a potentially solid backup PG. JB is a classic 2/3. If they want to get back to the postseason, they'll have to make a trade for or sign a free-agent starting PG. If Conley checks out medically, he'd be a good candidate. Hoiberg's up-tempo, 3-point-friendly system requires a quick PG who can push the ball in transition, create off the dribble and draw defenders and either finish or find shooters. No one on the current roster fits that bill.
The Bulls have signed Rondo for a 2 year deal. And I LOVE it. As long as we see the rondo we saw last year. Massive upgrade over the new less athletic and inefficient Rose we had.
homesickalien
- Springfield
I don't. What direction is this front office going in? It seems they're just treading water with this move. Either rebuild or go all out. This move does neither. They'll be in the same position they were this year. Barely making the playoffs or late lottery. That's the worst position you can be in.
Plus Hoiberg apparently has already had trouble with getting respect from his players. Now you bring in Rondo?
Plus Hoiberg apparently has already had trouble with getting respect from his players. Now you bring in Rondo?
Treading water is all the Gar/Pax administration has ever aspired to do. The random fluke of Derrick Rose falling in their laps has been the only confounding factor preventing the team from firmly entrenching themselves in the 8-seed, 40 win jail go-nowhere middle of the NBA for their entire tenure.
Gar/Pax are decent talent evaluators, credit where it's due, but there is an organizational culture of mediocrity, lack of chain of command and lack of accountability that goes right to the top and isn't going anywhere as long as Jerry Reinsdorf is alive. Both the Bulls and White Sox are fundamentally unsound organizations that good players and coaches don't want to be a part of. Unfortunately, unlike Rocky Wirtz, Michael Reinsdorf is by all indications a chip off the old block.
In non-Bulls NBA news....Kevin Durant to the Warriors. 2 years, $54.3 million with a player option in the second year.
ChiCityHoops34
- DeKalb IL
Wade to the Bulls. This move is all about the 2017-18 season IMO.
Bulls will be able to offer two max deals after this season.
An all time great isn't going somewhere where he doesn't think he has a chance to win. The Nuggets were just used like the Bulls in 2010.
Wade knows the Bulls have room and will pitch his buddies to come win a ring on his way out with a core 4 including Jimmy and two free agents.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin making the move together? Will Wade call Westbrook and say coming to join them with Blake is his best shot at ever beating KD in the finals?
A guy like Wade calls, you listen. If he looks as good as he did last year people will still want to play with him.
Bulls will be able to offer two max deals after this season.
An all time great isn't going somewhere where he doesn't think he has a chance to win. The Nuggets were just used like the Bulls in 2010.
Wade knows the Bulls have room and will pitch his buddies to come win a ring on his way out with a core 4 including Jimmy and two free agents.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin making the move together? Will Wade call Westbrook and say coming to join them with Blake is his best shot at ever beating KD in the finals?
A guy like Wade calls, you listen. If he looks as good as he did last year people will still want to play with him.
Bulls will move Calderon and Dunleavy to clear cap space to sign D-Wade. Calderon heading to the Nets. Dunleavy heading to the Cavs with Cleveland using a trade exception to acquire him.
I hope you are right. Maybe Wade can just sit out this upcoming season so he doesn't break himself. Kinda like a college junior sitting out the season so he doesn't hurt himself before getting drafted.
How many guys will they have to get rid of to make room for 2 max contracts?
This is certainly possible, but it's just as likely that this is a last ditch money grab while playing for a team that will win 45-50 games (unlike the Nuggets), and currying some favor with his home town for post retirement opportunities.
I don't think the 2 max FAs after the season is on the table anymore with this signing unless the salary cap jumps massively again, especially if Rondo opts into his 2nd year. The 4 player GS option is only available because Curry is playing on a $12mm deal and Klay/Draymond are on old max deals. Besides, while it was easy to imagine a 28 year old Wade convincing Lebron in 2010, it's much harder to imagine a 35 year old Wade doing the same thing.
I've never been a huge fan of Wade, and I don't love the addition to the team. It seems to set up a huge culture clash with the high energy/effort of Butler. Wade doesn't seem to work all that hard (can be out of shape, whines to refs, only tries on defense when he feels like it) that I can easily imagine a bad post game locker room. Add in Rondo and it just feels like a powder keg waiting to explode, especially if things start to go sour.
The need to make the playoffs at all costs mentality here could easily hurt the team in the next 3-5 years.
I don't think the 2 max FAs after the season is on the table anymore with this signing unless the salary cap jumps massively again, especially if Rondo opts into his 2nd year. The 4 player GS option is only available because Curry is playing on a $12mm deal and Klay/Draymond are on old max deals. Besides, while it was easy to imagine a 28 year old Wade convincing Lebron in 2010, it's much harder to imagine a 35 year old Wade doing the same thing.
I've never been a huge fan of Wade, and I don't love the addition to the team. It seems to set up a huge culture clash with the high energy/effort of Butler. Wade doesn't seem to work all that hard (can be out of shape, whines to refs, only tries on defense when he feels like it) that I can easily imagine a bad post game locker room. Add in Rondo and it just feels like a powder keg waiting to explode, especially if things start to go sour.
The need to make the playoffs at all costs mentality here could easily hurt the team in the next 3-5 years.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I really don't understand what the Bulls are doing. Although it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that everything comes together this season, Wade and Rondo act like good pros and buy into whatever concept Hoiberg is pushing, and the young guys over-achieve and they get like a 4 or 5 playoff seed, its more likely they have built a team that is like a 7 or 8 seed or just out of the playoffs, which is the worst place to be as far as rebuilding.
Hoiberg will have to modify his offensive system pretty drastically with 3 perimeter starters who are mediocre to poor 3-point shooters. Throw in Taj at the 4, and this team will face a lot of packed-in defenses daring them to shoot from distance unless they start Mirotic at the 4 and sign a center who can shoot from the arc, though those guys are rare.
I also wonder who will start at the 5 with Gasol and Noah gone. Feliciano is not a starting caliber center, yet he's the lone 5 on the roster at the moment.
Sigh. Forgot about Robin Lopez at C. A lineup of RR, DW, JB, TG and RL will have zero outside shooting. Ouch. Guessing Mirotic starts ahead of TG, though that still means Hoiberg will have to adjust the offensive game plan.
ChiCityHoops34
- DeKalb IL
Good debate that came up at our dinner table last night.
My statement that caused it: You replace Harrison Barnes with Doug on the Warriors team I firmly believe that he would have averaged around 16 ppg. Barnes job was to knock down open threes with people collapsing on Steph and Klay, the amount of missed wide open threes Barnes missed were insane.
Maybe I'm too high on Doug but in that role I think he would be Korver level. Seeing that he is by far the best outside shooting threat for the Bulls this upcoming year I think he will break out.
My statement that caused it: You replace Harrison Barnes with Doug on the Warriors team I firmly believe that he would have averaged around 16 ppg. Barnes job was to knock down open threes with people collapsing on Steph and Klay, the amount of missed wide open threes Barnes missed were insane.
Maybe I'm too high on Doug but in that role I think he would be Korver level. Seeing that he is by far the best outside shooting threat for the Bulls this upcoming year I think he will break out.
He showed the ability to score in loads late last season, McDermott that is
DM's challenge will be defense. But yes, he should get a ton of open looks from 3 as a sixth or seventh man off the bench behind DW and JB.
Foggy Notion
- San Francisco
Barnes was bad in the finals without a doubt, but his role involved a lot more than shooting threes. He was also able to slide over to the four and guard power forwards, which allowed the Warriors to go small with the death lineup.
I think the Bulls have yet again put together a roster where they will find it virtually impossible to play their five best players all at once.
Their defense will be beyond miserable, especially if they're forced to give Mirotic and/or McDermott starter's minutes (at Taj's expense) for the outside shooting. They'll have pretty much no answer for any team that has both a talented big and a big/athletic wing.
Their defense will be beyond miserable, especially if they're forced to give Mirotic and/or McDermott starter's minutes (at Taj's expense) for the outside shooting. They'll have pretty much no answer for any team that has both a talented big and a big/athletic wing.
I get what youre saying for the first part but dont worry. IT wont play out that way. Youll see. But the bolded... umm I dont think thats accurate at all IMO. Ill put Jimmy on any wing and Taj on any big, for the most part. Not to mention Lopez can more than hold his own.
I meant they'll have no answer... When Gibson is not on the floor. Which he might not be if they need to play someone else to get some outside shooting out there because defenses are packing it in.
Summer League champs! Bobby Portis lead the way as expected. Valentine is pretty fun to watch when he's not playing for Sparty.