I noticed that the Bulls removed their front office listings from their website a few weeks ago when I was looking to see if they still listed BD3 as the Windy City Bulls head coach. I wonder if the listing is gone permanently or it will come back. It seems like the Bulls are becoming more secretive. In last year’s media guide, they didn’t list the minority owners which they’ve done in years past.
Sorry, but not going to join in on the complaint about not naming a full-time replacement for King on the broadcasts. He was well-liked and well-respected and getting someone good is better. That's a spot where I think it's absolutely fine to give a few guys some run and see who resonates. They went with a couple ex-Bulls, a Chicago area native, and a rising star in the broadcasting world - not a bad mix at all. I think they probably want Hummel to seize the job, but he likely already had national network obligations and both sides will have to determine what route they want to go (some may remember that the White Sox had arguably the best baseball play-by-play guy in Jason Benetti and he departed over his desire to continue doing national games - very similar situation).
I think it's kinda good to have tryout season because there's no real obvious candidate to me. see who works out well and who doesn't, or hell, put paxson back in there just for the sheer entertainment value
Whenever I see Giddey play, my mind goes to DRose too (not). Jimmy was a late first round pick, so a completely different situation and expectations than Caleb.
This comes across like someone who isn't actually a Bulls fan but has likely decided to start following the Bulls because of Caleb Wilson. And to be clear, we're happy to have you! But those are some terrible comps.
i know more about basketball in my pinky, than you do in your entire body.
Those comps are mine and original, something you should try. I follow the bulls extensively and am excited for the season. I know everything about the players and their backgrounds. Giddey is the best.
More realistically, about 75% of the talent on the roster is Caleb, who 95 out of 100 grandmothers sitting on their couches would have selected if they had the 4th pick in the draft.
The next 20% of talent is Matas, who's a very good player who, unfortunately, has a big stylistic overlap with Caleb.
The next 4% is 2% each for Giddey and Claxton, two guys who have relatively productive numbers but whose fit is essentially so weird that there's very little demand for them or clear ability to place them in a winning framework.
The last 1% is basically a set of half played scratch-offs found in the street and guys who are varying degrees of "fine" but are completely anonymous.
Do we know who the Bulls' current Head Athletic Trainer is? It seems weird that Dionne Calhoun would want to go from Head Athletic Trainer for the Mavs to Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Bulls. Kind of makes me wonder if Graham plans on eventually making him Head Athletic Trainer but couldn't replace whoever the Reinsdorf's have there at the moment.
I don't know if there was a purge post-AKME but if not it's Todd Campbell who was hired in 2020. his prior team was the Pelicans, so Graham has _familiarity_
1. Definitely not ideal from a cap perspective. This year they'll be able to get back under by dealing away vets, but the $10M player option for '27-28 is far from ideal. Not sure if he has a buyout clause? (If so, that makes a huge difference in how I see things)
2. For those who want to see a more competitive team this year, it's actually a decent move (part of me does want that!). While Hield has plenty of warts, what he brings to the Bulls is pretty much the one glaring thing they're missing. With Hield (vs Dillingham) I feel a bit more confident we won't be in the "bottom 3" (assuming we stay relatively healthy).
3. Dillingham is one of my
least favorite players I've had the displeasure to watch in a Bulls uniform. Honestly he always looks so awkward, like an athletic actor or R&B singer who got called up from the All-Star Celebrity game to the Big Show. To me he is a "negative value" player whose value will decrease with every minute of game time he puts on film.
4. I saw a post somewhere saying "yet another Bulls trade where we didn't get draft picks!" But what kind of picks were we going to get for Dillingham? Seriously?
Yes his player option is only $3M guaranteed. That can also be stretched if they need another $2M in space. That's more than zero (which Dillingham had) but not much more.
Thank you for this! It's that kind of underreported detail that is critical to defining the narrative properly.
Also, to clarify, the Hornets have about a month to decide whether to pick up Dillingham's 4th year option (at not much less than $10M) or he becomes an unrestricted FA at the end of the year, is that correct? If I so, that's the position the Bulls would have been in. I can't imagine they'd have chosen to pick the option up after what Rob showed in his limited run with the team last spring. (I'm guessing Charlotte will now do so? Otherwise he's pretty pointless as an asset.)
It seems like that on the surface but some pundits are positioning this as Charlotte looking at Dillingham's potential as an impact player.
Dilly sucks and it's on film, so that's wrong. But Charlotte is way under the tax line already and they're sending back cash considerations to the Bulls so it's not clear how much of that $3M they're actually saving in real dollars (maybe the win is just the $3M 2027 guarantee being off the books?)
there's no reason to pick up the option, if you decline the option, you can still re-sign the player - and have Bird Rights - up to the level of that option. So even if Dillingham somehow 'broke out' would it be to a point where he's commanding more than $8.7M?
I mean, you know my feelings about the chances Rob's going to "break out" so yes for all practical purposes that's correct. But just because you have Bird rights doesn't mean the player wants to resign with you. And you're maybe underestimating the proclivity of NBA teams to pay stupid amounts of money to young players with even a hint of star potential (or even those like PWill who've already proven they won't be stars)
I think I was one of few who liked Dilly and wanted to see him after his wrist surgery. That said, I get this move in terms of building a more balanced roster. There's a slim chance you can flip Hield at the deadline, and an even slimmer chance he helps the Bulls compete for a play-in spot. I hope they aren't making any decisions to stay out of the bottom 3.
Why do the Bulls care one way or another whether they're above or below the cap this year? Elias over at SI said the same thing. They don't have any meaningful cap space anyway, and they do have their RMLE to use if they want. Like yfBB mentioned, there's a small guarantee for next year, which probably won't end up being an issue (but it's something).
The NBA cap is so soft and non-punitive. I guess it really doesn't matter (I mentioned "getting back under the cap" in my comment above, but didn't really think about the meaninglessness of that outcome). Unless someone can correct me here, maybe the only real benefit of operating under the cap DURING the season is to be able to take in players via trade without having to match salaries. Though not sure how "barely under the cap" really helps in that regard.
The cynical among us might also say that any amount of millions under the cap equates to the same number of millions less in team operating expenses and millions more in Reinsdorf pockets. (Not that that the cap itself is specifically relevant to that pursuit...)
I don't understand why this wasn't done months ago and I don't think I want to know the answer:
>>@JoelXLorenzi
Bulls have posted this listing for an Executive Director of Research & Development in the FO. I’m told they’re currently focused on building their analytics department and are looking to add several similar roles.<<
I noticed that the Bulls removed their front office listings from their website a few weeks ago when I was looking to see if they still listed BD3 as the Windy City Bulls head coach. I wonder if the listing is gone permanently or it will come back. It seems like the Bulls are becoming more secretive. In last year’s media guide, they didn’t list the minority owners which they’ve done in years past.
yeeeeaaaaaowwww
Sorry, but not going to join in on the complaint about not naming a full-time replacement for King on the broadcasts. He was well-liked and well-respected and getting someone good is better. That's a spot where I think it's absolutely fine to give a few guys some run and see who resonates. They went with a couple ex-Bulls, a Chicago area native, and a rising star in the broadcasting world - not a bad mix at all. I think they probably want Hummel to seize the job, but he likely already had national network obligations and both sides will have to determine what route they want to go (some may remember that the White Sox had arguably the best baseball play-by-play guy in Jason Benetti and he departed over his desire to continue doing national games - very similar situation).
I think it's kinda good to have tryout season because there's no real obvious candidate to me. see who works out well and who doesn't, or hell, put paxson back in there just for the sheer entertainment value
Minor league
I wish i knew the context of that
tryouts? if you're the Chicago Bulls you hire someone who you know will be good, and if he's not then you fire him after the season.
Most talented bulls team in a while. Caleb is giving young Jimmy butler vibes with Giddey playing like D Rose.
The scouting obviously has been pretty good with how much talent is on the roster.
those are some comps I know I've never seen before
Whenever I see Giddey play, my mind goes to DRose too (not). Jimmy was a late first round pick, so a completely different situation and expectations than Caleb.
This comes across like someone who isn't actually a Bulls fan but has likely decided to start following the Bulls because of Caleb Wilson. And to be clear, we're happy to have you! But those are some terrible comps.
i know more about basketball in my pinky, than you do in your entire body.
Those comps are mine and original, something you should try. I follow the bulls extensively and am excited for the season. I know everything about the players and their backgrounds. Giddey is the best.
"i know more about basketball in my pinky, than you do in your entire body."
I hope you interviewed for the Bulls head coaching job this past spring with all that knowledge!
No need, i signed off on Splitter. He's a great coach for this group. He's gonna lead us to ECF this year.
More realistically, about 75% of the talent on the roster is Caleb, who 95 out of 100 grandmothers sitting on their couches would have selected if they had the 4th pick in the draft.
The next 20% of talent is Matas, who's a very good player who, unfortunately, has a big stylistic overlap with Caleb.
The next 4% is 2% each for Giddey and Claxton, two guys who have relatively productive numbers but whose fit is essentially so weird that there's very little demand for them or clear ability to place them in a winning framework.
The last 1% is basically a set of half played scratch-offs found in the street and guys who are varying degrees of "fine" but are completely anonymous.
30 min of Caleb working on his game.
https://youtu.be/vDLffWEZZhI
Bulls did announce front office hires eventually. https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/chicago-bulls-announce-basketball-operations-staff-updates-for-2026-27-season
but nobody new, outside of someone to the athletic training staff
also in the announcement was Brian Hagen, eloquently described by KC Johnson as "longtime worker", getting a promotion.
I guess Bryson Graham needs time to find new people, but had more than enough time to assess Hagen.
Wasn’t Hagen Gar’s bagman at Iowa State?
Yep still fruit from the poisonous Tim Floyd tree
Do we know who the Bulls' current Head Athletic Trainer is? It seems weird that Dionne Calhoun would want to go from Head Athletic Trainer for the Mavs to Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Bulls. Kind of makes me wonder if Graham plans on eventually making him Head Athletic Trainer but couldn't replace whoever the Reinsdorf's have there at the moment.
I don't know if there was a purge post-AKME but if not it's Todd Campbell who was hired in 2020. his prior team was the Pelicans, so Graham has _familiarity_
Man, the Pelicans are really going to take a dip after losing so many guys.
Bulls traded Rob Dillingham for Buddy Hield. My guess is that Buddy gets traded again near the deadline for some second round picks.
How many do you think we send?
Depends how much cash we get?
Hield trade...kind of weird. First thoughts:
1. Definitely not ideal from a cap perspective. This year they'll be able to get back under by dealing away vets, but the $10M player option for '27-28 is far from ideal. Not sure if he has a buyout clause? (If so, that makes a huge difference in how I see things)
2. For those who want to see a more competitive team this year, it's actually a decent move (part of me does want that!). While Hield has plenty of warts, what he brings to the Bulls is pretty much the one glaring thing they're missing. With Hield (vs Dillingham) I feel a bit more confident we won't be in the "bottom 3" (assuming we stay relatively healthy).
3. Dillingham is one of my
least favorite players I've had the displeasure to watch in a Bulls uniform. Honestly he always looks so awkward, like an athletic actor or R&B singer who got called up from the All-Star Celebrity game to the Big Show. To me he is a "negative value" player whose value will decrease with every minute of game time he puts on film.
4. I saw a post somewhere saying "yet another Bulls trade where we didn't get draft picks!" But what kind of picks were we going to get for Dillingham? Seriously?
Agree nobody trading good pick for Dill
But Bulls got Cash so obvious win
Yes his player option is only $3M guaranteed. That can also be stretched if they need another $2M in space. That's more than zero (which Dillingham had) but not much more.
Thank you for this! It's that kind of underreported detail that is critical to defining the narrative properly.
Also, to clarify, the Hornets have about a month to decide whether to pick up Dillingham's 4th year option (at not much less than $10M) or he becomes an unrestricted FA at the end of the year, is that correct? If I so, that's the position the Bulls would have been in. I can't imagine they'd have chosen to pick the option up after what Rob showed in his limited run with the team last spring. (I'm guessing Charlotte will now do so? Otherwise he's pretty pointless as an asset.)
Dillingham makes $3M less than Hield so this is most likely a salary dump by the Hornets.
It seems like that on the surface but some pundits are positioning this as Charlotte looking at Dillingham's potential as an impact player.
Dilly sucks and it's on film, so that's wrong. But Charlotte is way under the tax line already and they're sending back cash considerations to the Bulls so it's not clear how much of that $3M they're actually saving in real dollars (maybe the win is just the $3M 2027 guarantee being off the books?)
there's no reason to pick up the option, if you decline the option, you can still re-sign the player - and have Bird Rights - up to the level of that option. So even if Dillingham somehow 'broke out' would it be to a point where he's commanding more than $8.7M?
I mean, you know my feelings about the chances Rob's going to "break out" so yes for all practical purposes that's correct. But just because you have Bird rights doesn't mean the player wants to resign with you. And you're maybe underestimating the proclivity of NBA teams to pay stupid amounts of money to young players with even a hint of star potential (or even those like PWill who've already proven they won't be stars)
I think I was one of few who liked Dilly and wanted to see him after his wrist surgery. That said, I get this move in terms of building a more balanced roster. There's a slim chance you can flip Hield at the deadline, and an even slimmer chance he helps the Bulls compete for a play-in spot. I hope they aren't making any decisions to stay out of the bottom 3.
Why do the Bulls care one way or another whether they're above or below the cap this year? Elias over at SI said the same thing. They don't have any meaningful cap space anyway, and they do have their RMLE to use if they want. Like yfBB mentioned, there's a small guarantee for next year, which probably won't end up being an issue (but it's something).
The NBA cap is so soft and non-punitive. I guess it really doesn't matter (I mentioned "getting back under the cap" in my comment above, but didn't really think about the meaninglessness of that outcome). Unless someone can correct me here, maybe the only real benefit of operating under the cap DURING the season is to be able to take in players via trade without having to match salaries. Though not sure how "barely under the cap" really helps in that regard.
The cynical among us might also say that any amount of millions under the cap equates to the same number of millions less in team operating expenses and millions more in Reinsdorf pockets. (Not that that the cap itself is specifically relevant to that pursuit...)
I don't understand why this wasn't done months ago and I don't think I want to know the answer:
>>@JoelXLorenzi
Bulls have posted this listing for an Executive Director of Research & Development in the FO. I’m told they’re currently focused on building their analytics department and are looking to add several similar roles.<<
Tiago Splitter on his coaching staff (per KC Johnson)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTkPcKyWkAEY14X?format=jpg&name=small
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTkPcK5XAAAXkMl?format=jpg&name=small