I'd be curious to find out the primary defender stats on these 3 point possessions because it can't all be Caruso (though I am conceding that a lot of it has probably been Caruso).
During these 4 wins:
SAS Devin Vassell - 4/15 FG (1/9 3pt)
CHA Terry Rozier - 10/24 FG (1/11 3pt)
NOP Herb Jones - 4/11 FG (0/4 3pt) (he got to the line 10 times though)
Upcoming schedule, Bucks, Nuggs, Heat, Heat, Sixers, Lakers. No blowouts and I'll be happy. Bucks are a great record heavy inner turmoil team, all sorts of outcomes can pop out of that one.
Players popping off on the coach(Bobby), Giannis is used to handling the ball the most so they aren't running Dame/Giannis pick n roll like they should be. He needs to learn to adapt his game and realize him dribbling from the top of the arc isn't the most efficient way they should play. Plus they are playing two minus defenders in the backcourt so the defense has fallen off considerably
lol his stats were absolutely ghastly, but for some reason Skiles always had a Griff, even after the real Griff moved on. Then they brought him back! I think the Griff Interregnum was filled by the Griff named Malik Allen.
The funniest thing about that story is nobody was asking why the Bulls always have this adversarial collection of assistants who don't seem to like or even tolerate each other and have zero connection to the head coach other than a shared employer. I'm sure they work together professionally most of the time, like any office, but basketball is not like the HR department at an auto supply distributor.
Which made me look through The Org's chart again. Some of these guys have been involved with this team or the White Sox since the '80s, which is just fucking weird. Like a few things have happened between now and when Chip Schaefer was hired. Jim Paxson is still directing players and personnel from the Glendale Starbucks WiFi. Dave Bollwinkel is scouting. Ivica Dukan is being nudged every 3 years when we actually have a draft pick to scout internationally. We must have the oldest age for basketball operations staff in the league.
Also: Drew Paxson is bootstrapping his way up in this world! Now coordinating business operations, seniorly, which is a huge advancement from selling White Sox tickets. Look out for this scrappy young kid from the asphalt jungles of Deerfield, he's got a chip on his shoulder and fire in his eyes:
I'm not saying I'm fully aboard the Pat train, but he's looked like a genuinely competent NBA player these last several games. Coby, Pat and Ayo have all looked pretty good recently.
Maybe they'd have a solid young core to build around if they decided to blow it up. Too bad all the rumors are that AK is looking to remain competitive despite the Zach trade, meaning DeMar and AC likely don't get moved and DeMar likely gets re-signed if he's willing to come back.
What I'm really afraid is LAL has convinced AK no one else wants Zach and he has no value, so they'll give us DLo, Rui and salary filler for Zach. AK has probably convinced himself with Coby's recent play that he can just take Zach's scoring, and then DLo can be the point guard this team has been missing. Plus, Rui adds more depth to the forward positions.
For most of his career, Pat has already been a competent player outside his super terrible start to this year. His issue is that you want more than competent rotational player outta the 4th pick....you want more consistency....not 14 points one game and 4 the next and back and forth
he's actually stringing together solid performances without the severe dropoffs that he has had in the NBA. I'm more impressed by the fact he is figuring out he can get buckets just by having a high motor and being aware....cutting effectively, finishing well in transition, even catching lobs. Plus the rebounding is definitely improving. He's not floating out there, he is using his body more and being active
He's still never going to justify his draft position but he at least is on a somewhat upward trend.
It's weird he's gonna get 2x what Coby did, but teams need forwards (including the Bulls) and Pat has a high floor of not making whatever contract he gets look disastrous
Maybe I should have worded my original comment more clearly. I don't think Coby, Pat and Ayo are some future playoff nucleus. My point was they all look like they could be solid contributors at the NBA level.
I probably shouldn't have said "build around" but instead should have said you could build a competent team with those guys on it. I'm not sure I would have said that this past summer.
Mikedc made a comment about pop deliberately not playing his best players together.... I had the same feeling.
Like pop only seems to want to try during teachable moments. He basically called the game for both sides with a minute left in it and for whatever reason everyone listened. I feel like Dude wants to take things slow with wemby and is fine building via the draft for now.
Can we talk about Vooch's offensive rebounding? During his previous two seasons in Chicago, he's averaged about two offensive rebounds per game. This year he's averaging three. That's a 50% increase!
On one hand, glad to see the guy going after offensive rebounds more. But on the other hand, clearly he can grab offensive rebounds quite well. Why hasn't he been doing it the past two years when it was more than evident this team struggles on the offensive glass?
At the risk of Voochsplaining, both per 100 possessions and per 36, he's taking more shots overall while taking fewer from 3 point range (and shooting those 3s at a catastrophically bad rate... which is probably why he's taking more 2s).
Looking at his shooting, the increase is almost entirely shots from 0 to 10 feet out — a 12% increase of FGA attempts at the rim over 2022/23, and a 22% increase of attempts from 3 feet out to 10 feet out (10-16ft is down, long 2s are the same, and he's taking 25% fewer 3 pointers than last season. All these numbers reflect +/- as a percentage of his total attempts.) He's also shooting worse nearly everywhere, including the areas from 10 feet to the rim, which I wouldn't have guessed from watching.
So it seems plausible he's spending more time around the rim and getting more offensive boards (including his own misses)?
Vuc has still been mostly inefficient during the win streak. He is only sitting at just above a 50 TS% for the season. That's a pretty steep dropoff (he was nearly 60 TS% last season and averages 54.3 TS% for his career. He shot just under 50 TS%during the streak. That said, he has seemed more effective somehow. He's getting better shots, and he is keeping the ball moving. Maybe with a few more games of productivity, the efficiency will come up?
This season, the Bulls have averaged 287 passes made, good for 11th in the league, and 44.5 potential assists, good for 21st in the league.
In the last four games for every team, the Bulls have averaged 323 passes!! That beats the next closest team by a full 12 passes. This has led to more potential assists as well going up to 50.5, good for 6th in the league.
Now, this fits the eye test. The Bulls are really moving the ball, making the extra pass, and playing team basketball. Now, none of this means anything if it hasn't led to an offensive uptick, right? Playing team basketball could just be a side effect of not having anyone who can score :), though the potential assists are meaningful. The Bulls on the season are a 110.5 ORtg, good for 25th in the league. Last 4 games? 118.1, good for 11th in the league over that stretch, and if they could maintain it, would be top 5 in the league.
They need to keep playing this brand of basketball! #tradeZachLaVine
* Lakers and Sixers are "expected suitors for LaVine, but both are operating from positions of patience and due diligence."
* "A bevy of teams has been expressing interest in trading for Bulls utility star Alex Caruso, league sources say, but the franchise has shut down those calls."
The Bulls have a player that doesn't really fit their current timeline and is also worth an insane amount to other teams, so what are they doing? Telling those teams to fuck off. The most Bullsian thing possible.
Can't wait to let him walk for nothing in the summer of 25.
OPEN THREAD IS UP: https://substack.com/chat/1508779/post/c5c24d8a-63ef-430c-a0b8-7be35af317df?utm_source=post-permalink
If Pop doesn't like Tre Jones, I'd take him.
I'd say we should trade for him but Popovich will apparently just waive these guys now, so we just have to wait.
I'd be curious to find out the primary defender stats on these 3 point possessions because it can't all be Caruso (though I am conceding that a lot of it has probably been Caruso).
During these 4 wins:
SAS Devin Vassell - 4/15 FG (1/9 3pt)
CHA Terry Rozier - 10/24 FG (1/11 3pt)
NOP Herb Jones - 4/11 FG (0/4 3pt) (he got to the line 10 times though)
MIL Damian Lilliard - 7/16 FG (1/6 3pt)
MIL Malik Beasley - 7/19 FG (5/15 3pt)
Last 4 games 3 point defense: 51/152 - 33.6%
Previous 4 games: 70/170 - 41.1%
24 offensive rebounds. caveat, the spurs, but even against bad teams that's a change.
Upcoming schedule, Bucks, Nuggs, Heat, Heat, Sixers, Lakers. No blowouts and I'll be happy. Bucks are a great record heavy inner turmoil team, all sorts of outcomes can pop out of that one.
What's going on with them? Dame not fitting in?
Players popping off on the coach(Bobby), Giannis is used to handling the ball the most so they aren't running Dame/Giannis pick n roll like they should be. He needs to learn to adapt his game and realize him dribbling from the top of the arc isn't the most efficient way they should play. Plus they are playing two minus defenders in the backcourt so the defense has fallen off considerably
Griff appears to be out of his depth, which is sad, he was Skiles' magical glue guy and the designated adult for about 50 games of Baby Bull glory.
Glue guy who turned it over a quarter of his possessions. Man he was so washed, it makes sense he has affection for Skiles
lol his stats were absolutely ghastly, but for some reason Skiles always had a Griff, even after the real Griff moved on. Then they brought him back! I think the Griff Interregnum was filled by the Griff named Malik Allen.
Wasn't he the GarPax spy or am I misremembering that?
I think that was Randy Brown, or maybe both wore that badge.
The funniest thing about that story is nobody was asking why the Bulls always have this adversarial collection of assistants who don't seem to like or even tolerate each other and have zero connection to the head coach other than a shared employer. I'm sure they work together professionally most of the time, like any office, but basketball is not like the HR department at an auto supply distributor.
Which made me look through The Org's chart again. Some of these guys have been involved with this team or the White Sox since the '80s, which is just fucking weird. Like a few things have happened between now and when Chip Schaefer was hired. Jim Paxson is still directing players and personnel from the Glendale Starbucks WiFi. Dave Bollwinkel is scouting. Ivica Dukan is being nudged every 3 years when we actually have a draft pick to scout internationally. We must have the oldest age for basketball operations staff in the league.
Also: Drew Paxson is bootstrapping his way up in this world! Now coordinating business operations, seniorly, which is a huge advancement from selling White Sox tickets. Look out for this scrappy young kid from the asphalt jungles of Deerfield, he's got a chip on his shoulder and fire in his eyes:
https://www.nba.com/bulls/chicago-bulls-staff-directory
Thx
I'm not saying I'm fully aboard the Pat train, but he's looked like a genuinely competent NBA player these last several games. Coby, Pat and Ayo have all looked pretty good recently.
Maybe they'd have a solid young core to build around if they decided to blow it up. Too bad all the rumors are that AK is looking to remain competitive despite the Zach trade, meaning DeMar and AC likely don't get moved and DeMar likely gets re-signed if he's willing to come back.
What I'm really afraid is LAL has convinced AK no one else wants Zach and he has no value, so they'll give us DLo, Rui and salary filler for Zach. AK has probably convinced himself with Coby's recent play that he can just take Zach's scoring, and then DLo can be the point guard this team has been missing. Plus, Rui adds more depth to the forward positions.
And the terribleness will go on...
For most of his career, Pat has already been a competent player outside his super terrible start to this year. His issue is that you want more than competent rotational player outta the 4th pick....you want more consistency....not 14 points one game and 4 the next and back and forth
he's actually stringing together solid performances without the severe dropoffs that he has had in the NBA. I'm more impressed by the fact he is figuring out he can get buckets just by having a high motor and being aware....cutting effectively, finishing well in transition, even catching lobs. Plus the rebounding is definitely improving. He's not floating out there, he is using his body more and being active
He's still never going to justify his draft position but he at least is on a somewhat upward trend.
Completely agree.
It's weird he's gonna get 2x what Coby did, but teams need forwards (including the Bulls) and Pat has a high floor of not making whatever contract he gets look disastrous
I think Coby, Pat, Ayo, Julian/Dalen is the worst young core in the league
OK not that grim. Utah and Washington have less promising young players
Maybe I should have worded my original comment more clearly. I don't think Coby, Pat and Ayo are some future playoff nucleus. My point was they all look like they could be solid contributors at the NBA level.
I probably shouldn't have said "build around" but instead should have said you could build a competent team with those guys on it. I'm not sure I would have said that this past summer.
Mikedc made a comment about pop deliberately not playing his best players together.... I had the same feeling.
Like pop only seems to want to try during teachable moments. He basically called the game for both sides with a minute left in it and for whatever reason everyone listened. I feel like Dude wants to take things slow with wemby and is fine building via the draft for now.
Can we talk about Vooch's offensive rebounding? During his previous two seasons in Chicago, he's averaged about two offensive rebounds per game. This year he's averaging three. That's a 50% increase!
On one hand, glad to see the guy going after offensive rebounds more. But on the other hand, clearly he can grab offensive rebounds quite well. Why hasn't he been doing it the past two years when it was more than evident this team struggles on the offensive glass?
At the risk of Voochsplaining, both per 100 possessions and per 36, he's taking more shots overall while taking fewer from 3 point range (and shooting those 3s at a catastrophically bad rate... which is probably why he's taking more 2s).
Looking at his shooting, the increase is almost entirely shots from 0 to 10 feet out — a 12% increase of FGA attempts at the rim over 2022/23, and a 22% increase of attempts from 3 feet out to 10 feet out (10-16ft is down, long 2s are the same, and he's taking 25% fewer 3 pointers than last season. All these numbers reflect +/- as a percentage of his total attempts.) He's also shooting worse nearly everywhere, including the areas from 10 feet to the rim, which I wouldn't have guessed from watching.
So it seems plausible he's spending more time around the rim and getting more offensive boards (including his own misses)?
He still makes a play or two a game where I just shake my head sadly.
Vuc has still been mostly inefficient during the win streak. He is only sitting at just above a 50 TS% for the season. That's a pretty steep dropoff (he was nearly 60 TS% last season and averages 54.3 TS% for his career. He shot just under 50 TS%during the streak. That said, he has seemed more effective somehow. He's getting better shots, and he is keeping the ball moving. Maybe with a few more games of productivity, the efficiency will come up?
Huge massive stat over the last four games.
This season, the Bulls have averaged 287 passes made, good for 11th in the league, and 44.5 potential assists, good for 21st in the league.
In the last four games for every team, the Bulls have averaged 323 passes!! That beats the next closest team by a full 12 passes. This has led to more potential assists as well going up to 50.5, good for 6th in the league.
Now, this fits the eye test. The Bulls are really moving the ball, making the extra pass, and playing team basketball. Now, none of this means anything if it hasn't led to an offensive uptick, right? Playing team basketball could just be a side effect of not having anyone who can score :), though the potential assists are meaningful. The Bulls on the season are a 110.5 ORtg, good for 25th in the league. Last 4 games? 118.1, good for 11th in the league over that stretch, and if they could maintain it, would be top 5 in the league.
They need to keep playing this brand of basketball! #tradeZachLaVine
Shams at The Athletic:
* Lakers and Sixers are "expected suitors for LaVine, but both are operating from positions of patience and due diligence."
* "A bevy of teams has been expressing interest in trading for Bulls utility star Alex Caruso, league sources say, but the franchise has shut down those calls."
The Bulls have a player that doesn't really fit their current timeline and is also worth an insane amount to other teams, so what are they doing? Telling those teams to fuck off. The most Bullsian thing possible.
Can't wait to let him walk for nothing in the summer of 25.