These two games gave the complete Zach Lavine Experience: some amazing clutch shots, many idiotic shots, flashes of incredible athleticism, momentary glimpses of good defense, a lot of mediocre-to-poor defense, some bad turnovers, and a lot of low basketball IQ.
This Bulls lose hurts. We all knew the season was a dud compared to the success we had last season with pretty much the same players, but the way they choked this win away was horrifying to watch and so frustrating. Such a good game back and forth, Bulls bench players balling out like Coby White and then losing the game because Miami went on what, a 15-1 run in the last 3 minutes or so to close the game out. Like seriously, that's how you let the game end when you played so well for 45 minutes of the game. So frustrating as a Bulls fan it made me want to pull my hair out. Lavine putting up 40 and then disappearing in this game is nothing unusual sadly. I think we had no choice but to pay him the max but he's not clutch in these big moment spotlight games, he's hit or miss. I don't know what Arturas is gonna do with the Bulls, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't know what direction this team will go in.
Bill Donovan, I don't even know what to say about him. His rotations are god awful and I don't think this team is coached good enough to mitigate the many flaws we seriously have. Why didn't he continue to play Drummond when he was rebounding so well?? Coby White didn't play as much as he should have, we never made any adjustment on Strus who absolutely cooked us from the 3 point line with his 31. We all know what Jimmy Butler can do, but how Billy not make any adjustments? I know he's signed long term with the Bulls but I don't see how he's here much longer if this team continues to fail. He's a player coach and obviously the front office likes him which is why he's been here longer than I think he deserves, but the Bulls are so up and down and I don't know if he's developing the young guys efficiently. Vooch is up for a contract and as much as I think we should let him walk even though he bounced back this season, you just can't. The Orlando trade was awful and you just can't let him walk without getting something. Coby I want to keep because he's proving he can be a 2 way player and wing defender that the Bulls need. I have no idea what Patrick Williams's ceiling is but I give him one more year to show me he's worth an extension.
They're in such a weird position, sitting 11th and owing their pick to Orlando if it doesn't fall in the top 4 which mathematically is possible. Regardless, what's their direction moving forward, their top 3 just don't have enough to make a deep playoff run. Lonzo Ball is whole nother topic but they gotta continue their search for a floor general because he's likely out for all of next season with his 3rd surgery. As Bulls fans, we're used to this mediocrity post Jordan era, but cmon the fans deserve better.
Could you imagine if they actually went for a rebuild? They could trade DeRozan and LaVine and let Vuc off the books. They could probably get some good draft capital.
For as much criticism as Vuc receives from this fan base, he led the league in defensive rebounds, was top 3 in double-doubles, has a versatile offensive skillset while passable on the defensive end, is an incredibly healthy starter, and was on a reasonable contract which should have been probably extended or traded. The real issues with Vuc come from the way AK handled him; the picks he gave up in acquiring him, and the inaction towards trading or extending him last deadline while also seemingly still wanting him hence leaving yourself negotiating a new deal this offseason from a point of low leverage. There were plenty of times this year, like with Coby recently, where Vuc was cooking in the first half and then the Zach/ Demar show just didn't give him the ball in the 2nd half because they have to get theirs. Vuc was never a perfect fit in our offense or defensive systems, but he was serviceable. IMO we can easily find tall rim protectors undrafted (no one drafts those types out of college any more) or in other leagues as a good bench center to develop. Who really would be much better than Vuc for this team as a competitive starting center? I look around the league and I don't many teams excited about their centers. Seems to be a good scapegoat position.
For Billy Donovan, I spoke a ton on him at the SB Nation site (including saying swap him out last playoffs way before the extension), but yet another thing I'll say about Billy: this fan base only talks about Billy after losses. They win about as much as they lose with Billy, but when they win it's all due to Zach or Demar or Caruso etc (he just beat Nick Nurse, the in-game genius, but got no credit), but when they lose it's definitely Billy's fault. Seems odd. For what it's worth, Billy forecast during the fervor of the DeMar DeGod stretch last year that it was unsustainable and warned fans (and management?) that changes needed to happen for the team to be sustainably competitive. He told everyone it was fool's gold. Those changes never happened roster wise (until kinda Pat?). You can in hindsight argue about some rotations here and there, or his odd use of challenges, but he's probably somewhere in that top 10-15 coaches range which isn't a major point of concern to a guy like me on why this team underachieves and has hit their ceiling.
Well, we’re about to find out how bad AK really is at this job.
He said at the start of the season that the goal was to win a playoff series. Instead, the team doesn’t even make the playoffs. Falling incredibly short of your goal should result in change, no?
If he gives an end of season press conference, I hope the media reminds him of this goal he set for the team. Put some pressure on him to make changes.
Let Vuc walk. Trade DeMar. Operate under the assumption that Lonzo isn’t coming back and get a new starting PG. Focus on building a team filled with three-point shooting.
1. I could be surprised, but I don't think there's a good trade out there for DeMar. Nobody's floated anything that I would do if I were another team... it mostly seems to reek of wishful thinking by Bulls fans.
2. If there's an option to trade Lavine for either a Mitchell/Murray/Gobert kind of haul or Trae, I probably pull the trigger on it. I don't think that's in the cards either.
3. I'm not bringing Vuc back for any more than $1M over the MLE, and for no more than a 3 year deal with the last year NG. I'd be active in trying to S&T him for a guy like Batum, RoCo, Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince... basically a guy with actual 4 size but some game. Then I'd use exceptions to backfill the center position. I'd kick the tires on Porzingis if the Wizards don't want to pay him but want to pretend Vuc is comparable. He's an injury risk, but he's been solid these last two years. If he'd re-sign for Vuc's current salary, I'd feel good about it. Not at the $30M he's making now. I think that's unlikely, but kind of a wild card I'd investigate.
4. My asking price for Caruso is probably like a 1st and a decent 2nd. This is a really good draft and there are several guys I'm targeting in the late first or early second that I'm confident about. This would be a great year to buy a pick or two.
5. The biggest single problem going forward is that we owe $40M in cap space to a guy who will likely never play again. I'd try to get him taken off the cap with the career ending injury exception. The Bulls don't seem to be signaling that, and if they don't, I'd hope they at least get a DPE, which is another $10M player to add.
6.A The second biggest problem with the team is that we've got this weird, inverted roster that revolves around Vuc. Good offense/Bad defense center + "complementing" Bad offense/Good defense guards is a losing recipe. Unless Vuc is back at a really big discount, I'd just start throwing a bunch of guys at the problem for cheap (Landale, Reid, Hartenstein, Gafford, Biyombo, Plumlee, Bamba, Goga, etc).
6.B. And then go for guys who can shoot elsewhere. Retain Coby, and hopefully bring in a couple guys on top that can shoot. Good teams don't just have one or two guys, they've got a bunch. The Bulls need to prioritize shooting.
The goal is to bring back Vooch, Coby and Ayo while also somehow addressing shooting, rebounding and interior defense.
I don't know the math, but do they even have enough to bring back all three of those guys? And if they do, there's no way they're also going to have the money to address the shortcomings this team has...
I'm so over Vucevic and Donovan. Fully bracing myself for them to be Chicago fixtures for another 10 years.
I really think the move to make is to break up DeMar and Zach, but haven’t seen any evidence the team is going to do it
How are you going to explain this, AKME? Hmmm? How?
“Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye”
In Zach’s greatest game, he needed help from a screaming child to get the win.
Man can't wait to run it back with the same exact squad next year. Maybe Lonzo will be healthy!
These two games gave the complete Zach Lavine Experience: some amazing clutch shots, many idiotic shots, flashes of incredible athleticism, momentary glimpses of good defense, a lot of mediocre-to-poor defense, some bad turnovers, and a lot of low basketball IQ.
This Bulls lose hurts. We all knew the season was a dud compared to the success we had last season with pretty much the same players, but the way they choked this win away was horrifying to watch and so frustrating. Such a good game back and forth, Bulls bench players balling out like Coby White and then losing the game because Miami went on what, a 15-1 run in the last 3 minutes or so to close the game out. Like seriously, that's how you let the game end when you played so well for 45 minutes of the game. So frustrating as a Bulls fan it made me want to pull my hair out. Lavine putting up 40 and then disappearing in this game is nothing unusual sadly. I think we had no choice but to pay him the max but he's not clutch in these big moment spotlight games, he's hit or miss. I don't know what Arturas is gonna do with the Bulls, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't know what direction this team will go in.
Bill Donovan, I don't even know what to say about him. His rotations are god awful and I don't think this team is coached good enough to mitigate the many flaws we seriously have. Why didn't he continue to play Drummond when he was rebounding so well?? Coby White didn't play as much as he should have, we never made any adjustment on Strus who absolutely cooked us from the 3 point line with his 31. We all know what Jimmy Butler can do, but how Billy not make any adjustments? I know he's signed long term with the Bulls but I don't see how he's here much longer if this team continues to fail. He's a player coach and obviously the front office likes him which is why he's been here longer than I think he deserves, but the Bulls are so up and down and I don't know if he's developing the young guys efficiently. Vooch is up for a contract and as much as I think we should let him walk even though he bounced back this season, you just can't. The Orlando trade was awful and you just can't let him walk without getting something. Coby I want to keep because he's proving he can be a 2 way player and wing defender that the Bulls need. I have no idea what Patrick Williams's ceiling is but I give him one more year to show me he's worth an extension.
They're in such a weird position, sitting 11th and owing their pick to Orlando if it doesn't fall in the top 4 which mathematically is possible. Regardless, what's their direction moving forward, their top 3 just don't have enough to make a deep playoff run. Lonzo Ball is whole nother topic but they gotta continue their search for a floor general because he's likely out for all of next season with his 3rd surgery. As Bulls fans, we're used to this mediocrity post Jordan era, but cmon the fans deserve better.
Could you imagine if they actually went for a rebuild? They could trade DeRozan and LaVine and let Vuc off the books. They could probably get some good draft capital.
Only joy I got was knowing that ownership was going to miss out on playoff revenue. Suck it long, suck it hard Jerry.
For as much criticism as Vuc receives from this fan base, he led the league in defensive rebounds, was top 3 in double-doubles, has a versatile offensive skillset while passable on the defensive end, is an incredibly healthy starter, and was on a reasonable contract which should have been probably extended or traded. The real issues with Vuc come from the way AK handled him; the picks he gave up in acquiring him, and the inaction towards trading or extending him last deadline while also seemingly still wanting him hence leaving yourself negotiating a new deal this offseason from a point of low leverage. There were plenty of times this year, like with Coby recently, where Vuc was cooking in the first half and then the Zach/ Demar show just didn't give him the ball in the 2nd half because they have to get theirs. Vuc was never a perfect fit in our offense or defensive systems, but he was serviceable. IMO we can easily find tall rim protectors undrafted (no one drafts those types out of college any more) or in other leagues as a good bench center to develop. Who really would be much better than Vuc for this team as a competitive starting center? I look around the league and I don't many teams excited about their centers. Seems to be a good scapegoat position.
For Billy Donovan, I spoke a ton on him at the SB Nation site (including saying swap him out last playoffs way before the extension), but yet another thing I'll say about Billy: this fan base only talks about Billy after losses. They win about as much as they lose with Billy, but when they win it's all due to Zach or Demar or Caruso etc (he just beat Nick Nurse, the in-game genius, but got no credit), but when they lose it's definitely Billy's fault. Seems odd. For what it's worth, Billy forecast during the fervor of the DeMar DeGod stretch last year that it was unsustainable and warned fans (and management?) that changes needed to happen for the team to be sustainably competitive. He told everyone it was fool's gold. Those changes never happened roster wise (until kinda Pat?). You can in hindsight argue about some rotations here and there, or his odd use of challenges, but he's probably somewhere in that top 10-15 coaches range which isn't a major point of concern to a guy like me on why this team underachieves and has hit their ceiling.
Well, we’re about to find out how bad AK really is at this job.
He said at the start of the season that the goal was to win a playoff series. Instead, the team doesn’t even make the playoffs. Falling incredibly short of your goal should result in change, no?
If he gives an end of season press conference, I hope the media reminds him of this goal he set for the team. Put some pressure on him to make changes.
Let Vuc walk. Trade DeMar. Operate under the assumption that Lonzo isn’t coming back and get a new starting PG. Focus on building a team filled with three-point shooting.
Wow!
"The way we finished, it looks like we're on the right path." - AK
https://www.nba.com/bulls/bullstv/live
1. I could be surprised, but I don't think there's a good trade out there for DeMar. Nobody's floated anything that I would do if I were another team... it mostly seems to reek of wishful thinking by Bulls fans.
2. If there's an option to trade Lavine for either a Mitchell/Murray/Gobert kind of haul or Trae, I probably pull the trigger on it. I don't think that's in the cards either.
3. I'm not bringing Vuc back for any more than $1M over the MLE, and for no more than a 3 year deal with the last year NG. I'd be active in trying to S&T him for a guy like Batum, RoCo, Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince... basically a guy with actual 4 size but some game. Then I'd use exceptions to backfill the center position. I'd kick the tires on Porzingis if the Wizards don't want to pay him but want to pretend Vuc is comparable. He's an injury risk, but he's been solid these last two years. If he'd re-sign for Vuc's current salary, I'd feel good about it. Not at the $30M he's making now. I think that's unlikely, but kind of a wild card I'd investigate.
4. My asking price for Caruso is probably like a 1st and a decent 2nd. This is a really good draft and there are several guys I'm targeting in the late first or early second that I'm confident about. This would be a great year to buy a pick or two.
5. The biggest single problem going forward is that we owe $40M in cap space to a guy who will likely never play again. I'd try to get him taken off the cap with the career ending injury exception. The Bulls don't seem to be signaling that, and if they don't, I'd hope they at least get a DPE, which is another $10M player to add.
6.A The second biggest problem with the team is that we've got this weird, inverted roster that revolves around Vuc. Good offense/Bad defense center + "complementing" Bad offense/Good defense guards is a losing recipe. Unless Vuc is back at a really big discount, I'd just start throwing a bunch of guys at the problem for cheap (Landale, Reid, Hartenstein, Gafford, Biyombo, Plumlee, Bamba, Goga, etc).
6.B. And then go for guys who can shoot elsewhere. Retain Coby, and hopefully bring in a couple guys on top that can shoot. Good teams don't just have one or two guys, they've got a bunch. The Bulls need to prioritize shooting.
My summary of AK's press conference.
The goal is to bring back Vooch, Coby and Ayo while also somehow addressing shooting, rebounding and interior defense.
I don't know the math, but do they even have enough to bring back all three of those guys? And if they do, there's no way they're also going to have the money to address the shortcomings this team has...
Who you guys got in the Heat/Clippers finals?