The OKC game I think was a situational bitching session from Vooch. The Bulls actually did have a size advantage, didn't really use it, and LaVine and Coby just bricked all night. I'm not saying I woulda handled it like Vooch, but I understand it. Vooch will have no such advantage against the Raptors. So, if the game goes bad, and Vooch is still bitching about touches, I'll be more inclined to agree with you.
also hoping it's situational in that they lost. But they were only down 1 when he blew up at Donovan. But I'm thinking winning will help the 'discourse' not buy into Vuc's complaints, which is also important to me (it shouldn't be, but alas)
Honestly, I'm kind of hoping we get a Vooch-centric offense tonight. Let this team score like 85 points and see what happens. Do we think it's possible we get two players-only meetings in just two games??
Great article BaB. While I think Vuc absolutely should have gotten the ball more in game 2, I don't think the same for this game. Toronto is long and strong defensively and Vuc will not score effectively.
I haven't looked at the defense enough. I am hoping they continue to improve throughout the season as they have done in years prior. I think in retrospect they should have let the defense play more single coverage on SGA than rotate so aggressively.
I am also less optimistic on the Bulls 3pt shooting. I think there's a reason why they don't take a lot of threes last year, and while they won't do much worse in many games, they will absolutely shoot themselves out of several games this year with this approach.
Every NBA team ‘shoots themselves out of several games’ with the 3pt strategy. Our 3pt% last year was dead middle but should be better this year. No reason to think we’ll do worse than average with this offensive strategy. Maybe the question is what exactly is a strength of this offense that a coach could double down on? I’m not sure... Starting to think Harden is a good idea. He has top10 ast% and FT rate, plus known as a 3pt shooter. Ship out Debo and Caruso, start Craig and PW at fwds. Promote Bitim and play Phillips more. Maybe trade Vuc for a defensive center (but who?)
That's definitely a fair point. I would say the strength is in DeMar and Zach as individually great offensive weapons, but the team hasn't found ways to use them optimally yet.
By ‘the team’ you mean the coach? This is why I’m so critical of Donny, he’s unable to get the talent we have to play for each other instead of themselves. This is the whole point of a coach! The players are probably also too unwilling, but that’s where Donny’s carrots and sticks come in. He’s not using them well.
Just laughed out loud at work listening to K.C. talk about the players-only meeting after game one being a good thing on the Bulls Talk podcast! He even compared Vooch yelling at Billy to Jimmy and Spoelstra a year or two ago.
Differences off the top of my head: pretty sure that was a game near the end of the regular season, so much more important than game one; Jimmy is THE GUY on that Heat team while Vooch is the third option at best on a crappy team; Spoelstra will go down as an all-time great head coach, Billy will not.
I heard the salient point from Lawrence Holmes on The Score (i know, I'm scared too...) that Billy can't have it both ways with this players-only meeting. Either it was not a big deal, or it was a big deal in that it is good and wouldn't have happened last year.
So it basically comes down to if you are looking at it as a the first time something is being done or if you are looking at it as something normal that should be done on a regular basis.
I should note that I don't have a strong opinion about the players only meeting itself. For all I know it could be the first sign of an utter meltdown.
The OKC game I think was a situational bitching session from Vooch. The Bulls actually did have a size advantage, didn't really use it, and LaVine and Coby just bricked all night. I'm not saying I woulda handled it like Vooch, but I understand it. Vooch will have no such advantage against the Raptors. So, if the game goes bad, and Vooch is still bitching about touches, I'll be more inclined to agree with you.
I hope you're right on this
also hoping it's situational in that they lost. But they were only down 1 when he blew up at Donovan. But I'm thinking winning will help the 'discourse' not buy into Vuc's complaints, which is also important to me (it shouldn't be, but alas)
Honestly, I'm kind of hoping we get a Vooch-centric offense tonight. Let this team score like 85 points and see what happens. Do we think it's possible we get two players-only meetings in just two games??
I think it might be 90-85 game regardless. I looked at the Raptors game late in their 4th quarter and they had 90ish points. 😆
Great article BaB. While I think Vuc absolutely should have gotten the ball more in game 2, I don't think the same for this game. Toronto is long and strong defensively and Vuc will not score effectively.
I haven't looked at the defense enough. I am hoping they continue to improve throughout the season as they have done in years prior. I think in retrospect they should have let the defense play more single coverage on SGA than rotate so aggressively.
I am also less optimistic on the Bulls 3pt shooting. I think there's a reason why they don't take a lot of threes last year, and while they won't do much worse in many games, they will absolutely shoot themselves out of several games this year with this approach.
Every NBA team ‘shoots themselves out of several games’ with the 3pt strategy. Our 3pt% last year was dead middle but should be better this year. No reason to think we’ll do worse than average with this offensive strategy. Maybe the question is what exactly is a strength of this offense that a coach could double down on? I’m not sure... Starting to think Harden is a good idea. He has top10 ast% and FT rate, plus known as a 3pt shooter. Ship out Debo and Caruso, start Craig and PW at fwds. Promote Bitim and play Phillips more. Maybe trade Vuc for a defensive center (but who?)
That's definitely a fair point. I would say the strength is in DeMar and Zach as individually great offensive weapons, but the team hasn't found ways to use them optimally yet.
By ‘the team’ you mean the coach? This is why I’m so critical of Donny, he’s unable to get the talent we have to play for each other instead of themselves. This is the whole point of a coach! The players are probably also too unwilling, but that’s where Donny’s carrots and sticks come in. He’s not using them well.
Agreed. Either the game plan is bad or the players aren't following it, either way it's a coaching issue.
Just laughed out loud at work listening to K.C. talk about the players-only meeting after game one being a good thing on the Bulls Talk podcast! He even compared Vooch yelling at Billy to Jimmy and Spoelstra a year or two ago.
Differences off the top of my head: pretty sure that was a game near the end of the regular season, so much more important than game one; Jimmy is THE GUY on that Heat team while Vooch is the third option at best on a crappy team; Spoelstra will go down as an all-time great head coach, Billy will not.
Apples to oranges, K.C.
I heard the salient point from Lawrence Holmes on The Score (i know, I'm scared too...) that Billy can't have it both ways with this players-only meeting. Either it was not a big deal, or it was a big deal in that it is good and wouldn't have happened last year.
It's all in your frame of reference. For example:
Is taking for first baby steps a big deal? Yes.
Is walking a big deal in general? No.
So it basically comes down to if you are looking at it as a the first time something is being done or if you are looking at it as something normal that should be done on a regular basis.
I should note that I don't have a strong opinion about the players only meeting itself. For all I know it could be the first sign of an utter meltdown.
Nothing they can't solve with a team trip to Dave and Buster's. Everybody give their game play chips to Dalen!
Fred would know how to handle this: a Home Alone DVD marathon!
damnit we need to find that photoshop of Fred working at Blockbuster
Chat is up:
https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/c9384b66-6465-42d0-974b-c81f07af9af0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2bo
Lets dew this man 🤘🏽