I think you're overdoing the "seeing the worst in everybody" part of your job. At this point in the season no one believes the Bulls are making the play-ins or are falling more than one spot. Players should be playing hard regardless. Simons, Sexton and Collins are likely cap casualties, but play whoever is healthy. More roster turmoil now is the opposite of what they need now; they did that only a month ago. Your ire would be more impactful if it was more selective. Any bright spots in any games lately? Or has every player on this youthful team become jaded already?
You noticed they traded for two older Centers, Yabusele and Richards. That's because, having traded Vucevic and with Collins injured, they needed someone. You don't want a mismatch. It's not boxing, where a player could be knocked out and to the hospital in the first round. But you want your younger players to at least be in a contest. They wouldn't want to start: Dillingham, Giddey, Miller, Buzelis, Olbrich.
Free agents? Caruso, but this summer they're aiming higher. We'll find out if good young players will accept the highest offer for the opportunity to become the star player for a rebuilding team in a big market.
Richards and Yabu aren't stopping us for getting our teeth kicked in anyway
I know you're on a Pollyanna trip but come on. None of us want to be negative and bitch for no reason but when you see a team get run like a clown college for about a decade....it gets tiring and deflating
The above sounds like circular logic. But I get it, until you win a championship you're still no good. Ya know, this bitterness must date back to Krause and Reinsdorf not giving the keys to Michael and Phil. And nothing will change that.
Nice straw man. At this point a lot of us would settle for even just a perennial playoff 47-52 win team that probably isnt a true contender. AKME has shown they're not even qualified for that. They had their shot, it didn't work out besides a hot 3 month start.
Why should they be in charge of another rebuild? They've shown no aptitude for it.
As somebody who has actually watched most of these games lately, I will answer the question seriously about positives…the answer is mostly no!
These games have largely been downright awful and unwatchable, with endless comical turnovers and poor play. Even the game they won they were terrible for a half and then the Bucks played maybe the worst half of basketball of the season. Leonard Miller was a legit bright spot in that game and I do think there’s something there, but he’s clearly only playing out of absolute necessity due to injuries. Hope he actually stays in the rotation when others get back.
Besides him, there’s just not much. I have very little interest in Sexton, Yabu, Richards. We know what those guys are. Giddey has had some decent games but also some awful ones and on the whole has been pretty blah since his injuries. There are still major questions about the viability as an actual foundational piece.
And for the other young guys, Matas has done some cool stuff and I think has gotten better this season, but he’s still pretty far away from being a legit two-way impact guy. Dillingham is a pretty rough watch and his 3-point shot has liked legit embarrassing. And obviously the Ivey situation has been weird.
Overall, it’s a pretty huge indictment on the FO that Billy felt the need to play an 8-man rotation in a game, even with the injuries. As noted, the use of the 2-way spots is just incredibly lazy. Even if those guys don’t usually pan out, the fact that they have what they have there in these circumstances is silly. At least try some other guys out and maybe you find a hidden gem.
There’s just very little for the team to hang its hat on now and for the future in terms of real building blocks…which is why I’m just praying for lottery luck haha
I could see Billy quitting, but I still don’t think it’s going to happen.
Where else is he going to find this combination of job security, limitless roster control, minimal front office involvement, and job opportunities for his son?
If he was willing to throw that all away because he wanted to coach a team that actually had a plan, he would have left years ago. Any smart coach knew this team had no real future for at the last three years. Yet, Billy has stayed.
I’m not convinced he’s going to leave now just because they’re a 12-seed instead of a 10-seed.
I think he might retire. His dad just died and that can be an eye opening event.
From the outside, that might look like quitting, but would have a different internal motivation. I think we could tell the difference, by what he does afterwards. If he takes another high level coaching job (NBA or NCAA head coach), then he quit. If he either doesn't take a job or takes a job with far fewer responsibilities (maybe assistant to his son), then I'd consider that a retirement.
Do we think there's any chance Billy wants to try his hand at a front office job and is sticking around in hopes of taking AK's position when he's eventually fired?
You know, Jerry, you're spending an awful lot of your hard-earned money on players who aren't playing and a team that is no longer perfectly mediocre. And look at Billy out there! He's trying so hard to win, but he just can't get you 38 games with this roster. If only there was something you could do to trick the fans into thinking the Bulls are a competitive organization again...
It makes sense not to play Rob Dillingham right now If the Bulls see as a potential asset, he's been just awful and I don't think it does him any favors to throw him out in the court with him playing this way. Give him the offseason and preseason to try to get right and maybe he'll turn things around.
I'm not saying that I see him as an asset, the fact that the Timberwolves gave up on him that quickly, plus what I've seen of him thus far, makes me think he's probably not long for the NBA.
I know I’m in the ever-decreasing minority, but I feel like there’s something there with Dillingham. Don't get me wrong, he has not been good. But I like his athleticism and on-ball juice (as loose as his handle has been). He's obviously got to get stronger. I think he needs to play, take some lumps, and take what he's learned into the summer. Him becoming a fun 2nd-string PG still seems possible to me.
Dieng is 6'9 185 ... not a Center. I watched last year's game where Smith got wiped out by KAT. Size matters. With all their guards and if they had no true Centers!?! OMG!
20 more games, then in 4 months we'll see what the youth core looks like. That'll be a milestone; not today. I could be wrong but I think AKME has at least one more season.
What the hell were they doing and have to show for the seasons up to now? You can’t just say hey let’s start over and not have something even a last place finish to build on. What team has ever done what AKME just did? And kept their jobs?
This is getting so repetitions. I've taken a stab at it. AKME is on a timeline, a short rebuild: 3 offseasons and 2 seasons. The new, young core should be here in Oct 2026. Sub-par records: last half of 25-26 and first half of 26-27. Then the arrow's pointing up or AKME is out after 26-27.
I'll repeat my reply to the repeated criticism. AKME didn't win a championship but he dug the Bulls out of the GarPax hole (certifiably bad) with 4 seasons that averaged .500 (granted middling - not bad, not good). Reinsdorf doesn’t pull the trigger as fast as other owners, but he has done and could do next year.
BD’s handling of Patrick Williams playing time invalidates on every level any nice thing you might want to say in this regard from zero development to massive overpay an all time disaster.
true, Pat's always been a counterfactual. But I suppose he does 'know where to be', which in Billy's mind is more important than 'being able to get there, and do anything once there'
You're too kind. Pat has no idea where to be in the natural flow if a game. He DOES kinda know, like a robot, where he SHOULD be. That's not the same as having any sort of feel for the game.
If the bull's owners and management were serious about being contenders, they would hire another coach. Donovan has coached the equivalent of at least 6 different teams, and he do not know how to play the guys he's got and if he has a good player, it will take him a whole season to find out after pulling him from G league.
AK needs to let someone else pick talent because he does not know what to look for. Small ball players will not work for the bulls, and 8 guards do not make a team. AK doesn't know the difference between a shooting guard and a point guard. If the bulls plan is to tank to get some good players next season, I do not trust their ability to select the right people.
Who is the French guy that is out for the season? Bull management only picked him because they want teenagers that they do not have to pay and hope that they can hoop. Bulls management are so used to picking players within their budget that they overlook good players that go on to become stars. As long as Donovan is coaching these guys they will continue to go nowhere just like the castaways on Gilligan's Island. The silver lining is that they do have some good players that needs other players to complement them and Donovan better pay attention to which players have a hot hand and stop limiting their minutes. Play 12 guys because some one may have a great shooting night
Stop playing guys that make the most money all the time. You have a couple of diamonds, and they need to be paired together. We desperately need a shot blocker who cans score and everybody needs to practice free throws at least 100 per practice. If you have 3 point shooters make them work on it relentlessly and stay on these guys about turnovers.
Thanks for the compliment. This is not AI, just a former fan telling the truth. As far as Jim Boylen is concerned, I did not know that you were a fan of his.
Don't think that Donovan is the problem. At times, the Bulls have been competitive because of Donovan's good coaching. No coach can win with the roster that the Bulls had at the beginning of the season or now. Bulls need more size and athleticism. Bulls get manhandled by teams such as Detroit and Portland.
Sometimes I read that the Bulls are going to build around Giddey and Buzelis. Hope that the Bulls aren't delusional and think that having a team with Giddey and Buzelis as their best two players will be a good team. Any team that has Giddey and Buzelis as their best two players will be a very bad team. I understand that Buzelis is only 21 years old and in his 2nd season.
Mickey Mouse March in full effect. Collin Sexton season-best game while Billy pushes him all out with 38 minutes, Tre Jones domination, Yabu clutch 3s, Suns with a truly appalling effort from the opening tip and they admitted they didn’t take the game seriously. Also Jalen Green is the most damaging player in the NBA.
the funny thing is Dilly was actually decent in the first half! his jumper is of course an abomination, but he joined in on the parade to the basket a number of times and was getting some stuff done. but his second-half stint wasn't very good and that was that for him. gotta push Sexton almost 40 to win! (and they still almost blew it in hilarious fashion)
Winning games because of Collin Sexton and Guerschon Yabusele as this team pursues the 11-seed is the perfect way to wrap up a season that’s been a middle finger from this front office.
Also, absolutely insane how no matter who’s on this roster, the team looks better when Patrick Williams isn’t playing.
He had five points, one rebound, one block and zero assists in 17 minutes. He is just terrible and still has three years left on his deal. Basketball negligence by AKME.
Warriors roster for tonight. A couple of important guys (Draymond, Melton, Post) are questionable. They lost to Jazz last night so a Bulls win is very possible.
I think you're overdoing the "seeing the worst in everybody" part of your job. At this point in the season no one believes the Bulls are making the play-ins or are falling more than one spot. Players should be playing hard regardless. Simons, Sexton and Collins are likely cap casualties, but play whoever is healthy. More roster turmoil now is the opposite of what they need now; they did that only a month ago. Your ire would be more impactful if it was more selective. Any bright spots in any games lately? Or has every player on this youthful team become jaded already?
the point is to prioritize players that could possibly be here long term not play vets who will not be here next year. what is the point in that?
to be honest, there are no younger players really worth much of a look anyway so it's kind of a moot point i suppose.
still there's an absence of an actual plan and don't say cap space because tell me the last free agent of actual note that signed to Chicago
You noticed they traded for two older Centers, Yabusele and Richards. That's because, having traded Vucevic and with Collins injured, they needed someone. You don't want a mismatch. It's not boxing, where a player could be knocked out and to the hospital in the first round. But you want your younger players to at least be in a contest. They wouldn't want to start: Dillingham, Giddey, Miller, Buzelis, Olbrich.
Free agents? Caruso, but this summer they're aiming higher. We'll find out if good young players will accept the highest offer for the opportunity to become the star player for a rebuilding team in a big market.
they have Smith and they could have kept Dieng.
Richards and Yabu aren't stopping us for getting our teeth kicked in anyway
I know you're on a Pollyanna trip but come on. None of us want to be negative and bitch for no reason but when you see a team get run like a clown college for about a decade....it gets tiring and deflating
"Your ire would be more impactful if it was more selective."
When every single move is the result of bad process, you actually don't have to be that selective!
The above sounds like circular logic. But I get it, until you win a championship you're still no good. Ya know, this bitterness must date back to Krause and Reinsdorf not giving the keys to Michael and Phil. And nothing will change that.
Nice straw man. At this point a lot of us would settle for even just a perennial playoff 47-52 win team that probably isnt a true contender. AKME has shown they're not even qualified for that. They had their shot, it didn't work out besides a hot 3 month start.
Why should they be in charge of another rebuild? They've shown no aptitude for it.
The team stinks
How about that?
Well, those are all points I didn't make, but thanks for the debate class lesson!
As somebody who has actually watched most of these games lately, I will answer the question seriously about positives…the answer is mostly no!
These games have largely been downright awful and unwatchable, with endless comical turnovers and poor play. Even the game they won they were terrible for a half and then the Bucks played maybe the worst half of basketball of the season. Leonard Miller was a legit bright spot in that game and I do think there’s something there, but he’s clearly only playing out of absolute necessity due to injuries. Hope he actually stays in the rotation when others get back.
Besides him, there’s just not much. I have very little interest in Sexton, Yabu, Richards. We know what those guys are. Giddey has had some decent games but also some awful ones and on the whole has been pretty blah since his injuries. There are still major questions about the viability as an actual foundational piece.
And for the other young guys, Matas has done some cool stuff and I think has gotten better this season, but he’s still pretty far away from being a legit two-way impact guy. Dillingham is a pretty rough watch and his 3-point shot has liked legit embarrassing. And obviously the Ivey situation has been weird.
Overall, it’s a pretty huge indictment on the FO that Billy felt the need to play an 8-man rotation in a game, even with the injuries. As noted, the use of the 2-way spots is just incredibly lazy. Even if those guys don’t usually pan out, the fact that they have what they have there in these circumstances is silly. At least try some other guys out and maybe you find a hidden gem.
There’s just very little for the team to hang its hat on now and for the future in terms of real building blocks…which is why I’m just praying for lottery luck haha
I forgot to mention that Patrick Williams is brutal of course…Tre Jones and Jalen Smith are pretty nice tho
Patrick Wlliams has been a Bull for 17 years (I think).
I could see Billy quitting, but I still don’t think it’s going to happen.
Where else is he going to find this combination of job security, limitless roster control, minimal front office involvement, and job opportunities for his son?
If he was willing to throw that all away because he wanted to coach a team that actually had a plan, he would have left years ago. Any smart coach knew this team had no real future for at the last three years. Yet, Billy has stayed.
I’m not convinced he’s going to leave now just because they’re a 12-seed instead of a 10-seed.
I think he might retire. His dad just died and that can be an eye opening event.
From the outside, that might look like quitting, but would have a different internal motivation. I think we could tell the difference, by what he does afterwards. If he takes another high level coaching job (NBA or NCAA head coach), then he quit. If he either doesn't take a job or takes a job with far fewer responsibilities (maybe assistant to his son), then I'd consider that a retirement.
he should go back to college
Yes, it would be like a modern day reboot of "Back to School" with Billy in the Rodney Dangerfield role!
Oh wait you mean go back as a coach. Never mind.
She was out of his league.
iykyk
Do we think there's any chance Billy wants to try his hand at a front office job and is sticking around in hopes of taking AK's position when he's eventually fired?
You know, Jerry, you're spending an awful lot of your hard-earned money on players who aren't playing and a team that is no longer perfectly mediocre. And look at Billy out there! He's trying so hard to win, but he just can't get you 38 games with this roster. If only there was something you could do to trick the fans into thinking the Bulls are a competitive organization again...
Vintage merch!
It makes sense not to play Rob Dillingham right now If the Bulls see as a potential asset, he's been just awful and I don't think it does him any favors to throw him out in the court with him playing this way. Give him the offseason and preseason to try to get right and maybe he'll turn things around.
I'm not saying that I see him as an asset, the fact that the Timberwolves gave up on him that quickly, plus what I've seen of him thus far, makes me think he's probably not long for the NBA.
perhaps. but maybe it'd help to humble him? like he clearly came in thinking that Minnesota was screwing him and all he needed was an opportunity
I know I’m in the ever-decreasing minority, but I feel like there’s something there with Dillingham. Don't get me wrong, he has not been good. But I like his athleticism and on-ball juice (as loose as his handle has been). He's obviously got to get stronger. I think he needs to play, take some lumps, and take what he's learned into the summer. Him becoming a fun 2nd-string PG still seems possible to me.
Why not play Dillingham at least twenty minutes each game? Now is the time to find out what his potential is (if he has potential that is).
Dieng is 6'9 185 ... not a Center. I watched last year's game where Smith got wiped out by KAT. Size matters. With all their guards and if they had no true Centers!?! OMG!
20 more games, then in 4 months we'll see what the youth core looks like. That'll be a milestone; not today. I could be wrong but I think AKME has at least one more season.
What the hell were they doing and have to show for the seasons up to now? You can’t just say hey let’s start over and not have something even a last place finish to build on. What team has ever done what AKME just did? And kept their jobs?
This is getting so repetitions. I've taken a stab at it. AKME is on a timeline, a short rebuild: 3 offseasons and 2 seasons. The new, young core should be here in Oct 2026. Sub-par records: last half of 25-26 and first half of 26-27. Then the arrow's pointing up or AKME is out after 26-27.
I'll repeat my reply to the repeated criticism. AKME didn't win a championship but he dug the Bulls out of the GarPax hole (certifiably bad) with 4 seasons that averaged .500 (granted middling - not bad, not good). Reinsdorf doesn’t pull the trigger as fast as other owners, but he has done and could do next year.
Please don't mention GarPax. They make AK look like he knows what he is doing.
Make or miss league
Reinsdorf want to sell tickets not contend. That would cost too much!
BD’s handling of Patrick Williams playing time invalidates on every level any nice thing you might want to say in this regard from zero development to massive overpay an all time disaster.
true, Pat's always been a counterfactual. But I suppose he does 'know where to be', which in Billy's mind is more important than 'being able to get there, and do anything once there'
You're too kind. Pat has no idea where to be in the natural flow if a game. He DOES kinda know, like a robot, where he SHOULD be. That's not the same as having any sort of feel for the game.
If the bull's owners and management were serious about being contenders, they would hire another coach. Donovan has coached the equivalent of at least 6 different teams, and he do not know how to play the guys he's got and if he has a good player, it will take him a whole season to find out after pulling him from G league.
AK needs to let someone else pick talent because he does not know what to look for. Small ball players will not work for the bulls, and 8 guards do not make a team. AK doesn't know the difference between a shooting guard and a point guard. If the bulls plan is to tank to get some good players next season, I do not trust their ability to select the right people.
Who is the French guy that is out for the season? Bull management only picked him because they want teenagers that they do not have to pay and hope that they can hoop. Bulls management are so used to picking players within their budget that they overlook good players that go on to become stars. As long as Donovan is coaching these guys they will continue to go nowhere just like the castaways on Gilligan's Island. The silver lining is that they do have some good players that needs other players to complement them and Donovan better pay attention to which players have a hot hand and stop limiting their minutes. Play 12 guys because some one may have a great shooting night
Stop playing guys that make the most money all the time. You have a couple of diamonds, and they need to be paired together. We desperately need a shot blocker who cans score and everybody needs to practice free throws at least 100 per practice. If you have 3 point shooters make them work on it relentlessly and stay on these guys about turnovers.
I don't know which free AI model you used to write this, but I'd suggest trying a different one next time.
Either that or this is Jim Boylen's burner account.
Thanks for the compliment. This is not AI, just a former fan telling the truth. As far as Jim Boylen is concerned, I did not know that you were a fan of his.
"Is it ignorance or apathy, Billy?"
"I don't know and I don't care"
"Let's hear it for Billy 'I hate it here' Donovan everybody!"
The Nikola Vucevic of coaches!
Don't think that Donovan is the problem. At times, the Bulls have been competitive because of Donovan's good coaching. No coach can win with the roster that the Bulls had at the beginning of the season or now. Bulls need more size and athleticism. Bulls get manhandled by teams such as Detroit and Portland.
Sometimes I read that the Bulls are going to build around Giddey and Buzelis. Hope that the Bulls aren't delusional and think that having a team with Giddey and Buzelis as their best two players will be a good team. Any team that has Giddey and Buzelis as their best two players will be a very bad team. I understand that Buzelis is only 21 years old and in his 2nd season.
I think they're just spinning any hope. The "core" changes with who they can acquire and keep
I still think they're trading for Zion in the offseason, nobody - not even ownership - is buying AK's "patient yet skipping steps" approach
Phoenix Suns roster snapshot -> https://substack.com/profile/3012-your-friendly-bullsblogger/note/c-223668546
Bulls might fuck around and win this one?
Mickey Mouse March in full effect. Collin Sexton season-best game while Billy pushes him all out with 38 minutes, Tre Jones domination, Yabu clutch 3s, Suns with a truly appalling effort from the opening tip and they admitted they didn’t take the game seriously. Also Jalen Green is the most damaging player in the NBA.
on the one hand, Donovan had SO many injuries he had to play his young guys
on the other, if he merely gave some Sexton minutes to Dillingham (-7 in 20 minutes) they would have lost.
Can't even say it would have damaged Matas's confidence, he wasn't playing!
the funny thing is Dilly was actually decent in the first half! his jumper is of course an abomination, but he joined in on the parade to the basket a number of times and was getting some stuff done. but his second-half stint wasn't very good and that was that for him. gotta push Sexton almost 40 to win! (and they still almost blew it in hilarious fashion)
Winning games because of Collin Sexton and Guerschon Yabusele as this team pursues the 11-seed is the perfect way to wrap up a season that’s been a middle finger from this front office.
Also, absolutely insane how no matter who’s on this roster, the team looks better when Patrick Williams isn’t playing.
Kings roster for tonight's game. They're even holding out DeRozan. https://substack.com/profile/3012-your-friendly-bullsblogger/note/c-225011662
heh:
@KCJHoop
With Jalen Smith and Patrick Williams back from injury, no Leonard Miller to this point
Billy’s just defying his own logic at this point.
The team is better when Miller gets Williams’ minutes!
It's 4-D chess, Pat is a tank commander
He had five points, one rebound, one block and zero assists in 17 minutes. He is just terrible and still has three years left on his deal. Basketball negligence by AKME.
and the Bulls lost, handily, to that dreck
imagine how bad they'd be if the organization wasn't "all about winning"?!?
Sexton with almost back to back 30 pt games. what is this world
there's a reason players around the league praise Billy Donovan
Warriors roster for tonight. A couple of important guys (Draymond, Melton, Post) are questionable. They lost to Jazz last night so a Bulls win is very possible.
https://substack.com/profile/3012-your-friendly-bullsblogger/note/c-225987159
Sexton and Pat are out of Billy's toolbox tonight
saw after the fact that Okoro was a late scratch with runner's knee
Matas dropped a career high 41 last night, less than half of what Bam scored. 😂