Illini in the Pros

#651      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
ChiefGritty
Roundball Sage said:
The Bulls showed something last night that has often been missing: Character. They could have packed it in and given up when they fell way behind in the third quarter
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I don't have numbers to back this up, but it feels anecdotally like the Donovan-era Bulls have been unbelievably prone to wild in-game swings both positive and negative.

I would guess they've had the most 20+ point leads vanish in either direction by far, it seems like it happens every other game.
 
#652      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
ChiefGritty said:
I don't have numbers to back this up, but it feels anecdotally like the Donovan-era Bulls have been unbelievably prone to wild in-game swings both positive and negative.

I would guess they've had the most 20+ point leads vanish in either direction by far, it seems like it happens every other game.
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Twenty-point game swings used to happen 'occasionally' in the NBA years ago. But today, these big wild swings are much more common. Big deficits can routinely be made up with greater ease and frequency. Credit the fast pace of play and all the guys who can drain Threes from Downtown now. In short, the Curry-fication of the NBA.

And also, the often-porous defense that teams display now. Young players who are enticed by the offensive-side of the game and who haven’t yet learned that defense wins most titles.
 
#654      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Roundball Sage said:
The Bulls still need upgrades at all positions but LaVine and Ayo can stay.

As for Ayo last night... they wanted to do nothing to disrupt the mojo that LaVine was on. He was In-The-Zone. It was great when after he’d shred the Raptor defense and go through them like a hot-knife-through-butter and score. And then he’s just turn the other way like... ‘Hey, no big deal. I OWN YOU GUYS!’
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Lavine yes. Ayo...eh, no offense but there are a lot more important players on the Bulls him.

And Ayo not playing last night had nothing to do with the heater that LaVine got on in the 2nd half. Rotations shorten in the playoffs (or in this case the play-in) and coaches aren't going to go nearly as deep into their bench. That's why Coby and PWill got most of the playing time off the bench. The main reason Ayo didn't play as much is because of Caruso, who is a far better defender than Ayo.
 
#655      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
... Ayo not playing last night had nothing to do with the heater that LaVine got on... coaches aren't going to go nearly as deep into their bench.
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That's true of course that coaches will shorten their bench at key times and games. But it still would have been nice to see Ayo get a bit more time if for no other reason than for him to experience the importance and intensity of that game out on the court. There's no substitute being in that kind of situation in the flesh. Imagine preparing your whole life for moments like that and then having to watch from the sidelines. If the Bulls can advance it sure would be great to see Ayo get some minutes that matter.
 
#656      

spillini

spillini
spillini
5 mins for him tonight. Will be interesting to see what the Bulls do with this roster.
 
#657      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Roundball Sage said:
That's true of course that coaches will shorten their bench at key times and games. But it still would have been nice to see Ayo get a bit more time if for no other reason than for him to experience the importance and intensity of that game out on the court. There's no substitute being in that kind of situation in the flesh. Imagine preparing your whole life for moments like that and then having to watch from the sidelines. If the Bulls can advance it sure would be great to see Ayo get some minutes that matter.
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If Donovan saw as him being worthy of more minutes, he would have gotten the same level of playing time as Coby and P Will in last night's game as well as the game in Toronto.

I like the Illini as much as everyone else on here, but some of you all really need to take off your orange colored glasses sometimes and look at things logically. Ayo at this point is a bench player on a team like the Bulls. His lack of quality play at PG is part of the reason they had to sign P Bev off the buyout market.
 
#660      

Ryllini

R
Lombard
Ryllini
I know this is a Illini in the pro thread, but man do the Bulls need a pg. Easy for me to say here, but I promise you can ask anyone I talk sports with, I've always said we should've never got into bed with Ball.
This Bulls team needs to run the offense though Vuv and watching the Kings, a pg like Fox is something to dream of.

Also, I wish Thibs was still the coach. That dude has an identity and a rare nba coach who conveys that identity to his team every year.
 
#662      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Ryllini said:
I know this is a Illini in the pro thread, but man do the Bulls need a pg. Easy for me to say here, but I promise you can ask anyone I talk sports with, I've always said we should've never got into bed with Ball.
This Bulls team needs to run the offense though Vuv and watching the Kings, a pg like Fox is something to dream of.

Also, I wish Thibs was still the coach. That dude has an identity and a rare nba coach who conveys that identity to his team every year.
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The Bulls needing a PG has been a thing since the Lonzo injury. Hopefully they'll be able to bring back P Bev for next season.

I loved Thibs as much as many Bulls fans but he wore out his welcome in Chicago. That and playing the top players, even in meaningless late season games, hard minutes meant that his time in Chicago was going to run out.
 
#663      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
If Donovan saw as him being worthy of more minutes, he would have gotten the same level of playing time as Coby and P Will in last night's game as well as the game in Toronto.

I like the Illini as much as everyone else on here, but some of you all really need to take off your orange colored glasses sometimes and look at things logically. Ayo at this point is a bench player on a team like the Bulls. His lack of quality play at PG is part of the reason they had to sign P Bev off the buyout market.
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I agree with what you're saying. But I'm looking at this from another angle. The Bulls need to have and promote a home-town connection for the franchise. With Ayo they have that unique opportunity to develop a young local player. He has shown enough so far to merit at least the last Guard spot on the team and have the team work with him to develop his personal talents and a tie-in to the larger Chicago community. To me, Ayo isn't just a borderline NBA player. He may be that in a strictly statistical sense... but the Bulls are missing a big opportunity here with him for something bigger.

Bulls ownership has not exactly been fan-friendly over the years. This is a chance for them to show they can do something beyond just taking fans for granted. And if Ayo got that real and 'invested' chance with the Bulls and he still didn't measure up... then they would be justified in finding another place for him. And he would have no reason for regrets.
 
#664      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Roundball Sage said:
I agree with what you're saying. But I'm looking at this from another angle. The Bulls need to have and promote a home-town connection for the franchise. With Ayo they have that unique opportunity to develop a young local player. He has shown enough so far to merit at least the last Guard spot on the team and have the team work with him to develop his personal talents and a tie-in to the larger Chicago community. To me, Ayo isn't just a borderline NBA player. He may be that in a strictly statistical sense... but the Bulls are missing a big opportunity here with him for something bigger.

Bulls ownership has not exactly been fan-friendly over the years. This is a chance for them to show they can do something beyond just taking fans for granted. And if Ayo got that real and 'invested' chance with the Bulls and he still didn't measure up... then they would be justified in finding another place for him. And he would have no reason for regrets.
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The Bulls promoting a hometown connection didn't really become something they did until they drafted D-Rose about 15 years ago (and to be fair the Bulls had the lottery balls fall the right way that year). If Ayo is a good enough player on the NBA level, the marketing of him in the city will work itself out. He could develop into a decent NBA player but at this point he is what he is. A not very good PG who does not have a consistent enough 3 point shot for opposing NBA teams to respect.

There is a lot of criticism you can make towards Bulls ownership over the years but not being fan-friendly is a bit overblown. If they were still taking their fans for granted, they wouldn't have tickets to games at the UC still being so tough to get. In fact, you'll see a lot of Bulls fans that will go to games played at Indiana because it's easier to get tickets there than it is for games at the UC.
 
#665      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
There is a lot of criticism you can make towards Bulls ownership over the years but not being fan-friendly is a bit overblown. If they were still taking their fans for granted, they wouldn't have tickets to games at the UC still being so tough to get. In fact, you'll see a lot of Bulls fans that will go to games played at Indiana because it's easier to get tickets there than it is for games at the UC.
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Bulls fans are passionate about the Bulls. This is a Chicago thing. Cubs fans, Bears fans, Blackhawks, Sox fans... all treat the teams like members of their own personal family. But Bulls Managament is not passionate about Bulls fans. I used to be a Bulls season ticker holder. And many of us were Bulls supporters not because of Bulls management but in spite of Bulls management. And Bulls management has not exactly been featured lately in any business magazines about how to run a franchise well.

If you candidly speak with many Bulls fans about Bulls management you'll get some very 'passionate' responses... just not the kind of passion you want to hear as a business owner.

That's the 'Olive Branch' idea I was getting at with Bulls Management and Ayo. Show that you have some love for a home-town and State of Illinois hero. I know that might be kind of a sappy thing from a bygone era... but sometimes that's not a bad business plan.

And since the Bulls share some Ownership with the White Sox... if you ever want an earful talk to Sox fans about how they feel about Sox ownership. Just make sure the kids can't hear.
 
#666      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Roundball Sage said:
Bulls fans are passionate about the Bulls. This is a Chicago thing. Cubs fans, Bears fans, Blackhawks, Sox fans... all treat the teams like members of their own personal family. But Bulls Managament is not passionate about Bulls fans. I used to be a Bulls season ticker holder. And many of us were Bulls supporters not because of Bulls management but in spite of Bulls management. And Bulls management has not exactly been featured lately in any business magazines about how to run a franchise well.

If you candidly speak with many Bulls fans about Bulls management you'll get some very 'passionate' responses... just not the kind of passion you want to hear as a business owner.

That's the 'Olive Branch' idea I was getting at with Bulls Management and Ayo. Show that you have some love for a home-town and State of Illinois hero. I know that might be kind of a sappy thing from a bygone era... but sometimes that's not a bad business plan.

And since the Bulls share some Ownership with the White Sox... if you ever want an earful talk to Sox fans about how they feel about Sox ownership. Just make sure the kids can't hear.
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While I get where you're coming from, the Bulls situation is a bit different than the Sox. Yes, Reinsdorf owns them both but there is more to criticize about what's going on at the corner of 35th and Shields than there is on the west side. In the Bulls case, it was more about ineptitude during the GarPax era with some of the moves that were made by those too. While things have gotten a little better under AKME, there's still a ways to go.

The Olive Branch idea might be a good idea in the short term but the long term viability of it is questionable at best. If Ayo becomes D Rose, great. You can use that. But there's nothing to indicate at this point that Ayo will be anything more than just a guy on an NBA roster.
 
#667      

Grandpa

G
Grandpa
For me of course! If you want to watch the Bulls live, Indy is the place to go. That's how all the Bulls fans I know do it.
Same deal to watch Meyers regardless of who he is playing for. Zip over on 70, back home the same day.

I didn't realize that Chicago people went to Indy to watch the Bulls. That's a horse of a different color! That would be like me flying to Florida to watch the Cubs play the Marlins. Great seats, cheap, surrounded by other Cub fans. Daughter and her family live there.
 
#668      

GrayGhost77

GrayGhost77
Centennial, CO
GrayGhost77
When I used to live in Phoenix I'd catch Blackhawks games over in Glendale all the time. There were usually more Hawks fans than Yotes fans there, so basically like a home game, but way cheaper seats. Same with Bulls vs. Suns and Cubs vs. DBacks in downtown Phoenix. Unfortunately not so easy to do that living in Denver area now. :(
 
#672      

Illinicpa14

I
Chicago
Illinicpa14
Grandpa said:
For me of course! If you want to watch the Bulls live, Indy is the place to go. That's how all the Bulls fans I know do it.
Same deal to watch Meyers regardless of who he is playing for. Zip over on 70, back home the same day.

I didn't realize that Chicago people went to Indy to watch the Bulls. That's a horse of a different color! That would be like me flying to Florida to watch the Cubs play the Marlins. Great seats, cheap, surrounded by other Cub fans. Daughter and her family live there.
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Comparable would be there are tons of cubs fans when the play the brewers in Milwaukee