Buzelis is gonna come out gunnin' and play 2 games. Noa will look lost and out of his depth. Lachlan is gonna kill summer league in all ways and then we'll never see him again.
It's ultimately irrelevant (see above), but I wouldn't expect Noa to look lost. Might happen, but I wouldn't expect it. He's produced at every level and situation he's played in so far. Summer League is even stupider than preseason, but he put up 20 and 8 on 14 shots against the Blazers as a 17 year old in preseason last year.
What I will say, is the NBA, unlike Europe, has quite a few players of the type who will make Noa's life miserable. Like in that Blazers preseason game. He worked over the centers they put on him. He worked over the guards they put on him. But he couldn't do shit against Avidia. 6'8ish, strong, and good on defense will smoke him until (if) he develops more strength and skill.
this may be its own post in the future, but it sure is weird that the Bulls invert the use of their active and two-way rosters
the two-way guys are 21, 24, and 25, and never get used in the regular season
Meanwhile other 'fringe developmental projects' like Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips are 23 and 22 yet taking up active roster spots
Phillips I understand would maybe get claimed on his minimum contract. Terry would pass through waivers and they could re-sign to a two-way deal if they still believed in him, and it would make their roster no longer 'full'
Terry and Phillips both have NBA length. It seems to me they can both play D and make corner threes, which should get them a minimum-contract roster spot on a playoff team. I doubt that anybody would pick up Terry's $5 million, but he could be matching salary in a trade I guess, if Bulls ever pulled the trigger again.
It is a little clunky to have a full roster if you are looking to do more deals, but if the downside is maybe you have to waive Terry that's not the worst thing.
I didn't see anyone in Vegas that was better than those two guys. Miller doesn't look like an NBA player to me, or Muoka. Pereira and Weems were a little bit interesting because they could play defense, but they are 24 and neither can shoot. I wouldn't mind seeing them on WCB but not on the Bulls' roster.
The Bulls gonna regret waiving Josh Primo and all other teams in the NBA finna find out the hard way fr fr you cant hold a supa dupa star down (I'm not Primo)
Grill played at Iowa State so watched him a lot then. Left under mysterious circumstances but had some big scoring outbursts, including bunches of 3s. And seems like did that his last yr in college too. He can get hot and not afraid to shoot
I would like to know if the General Manager of the Bulls is even interested in basketball enough to know the players on his team? If he watched any of the games that the Bulls played in, he should know that they do not need any more point guards and that building a small ball team will probably keep the Bulls in purgatory just like the past 4 seasons. They need a shot blocker/defender and preferably someone taller than 6'10". I do not really want to comment on Giddey at this point. Hopefully we can keep White. I just do not trust the front office getting a good return for him.
I heard that interview and it was much worse than this even implies. The play-by-play guy asked AK what the goals were for the upcoming season and he basically just listed the activities that fall under basketball operations. It was such a non-answer (meandering into the aforementioned 15-5 finish and naming players individually) that the broadcaster rephrased the question while still including 'what's the goal' and he still got nothing close to a measurable goal.
While I think that ownership demands no accountability and AK only really seeks to keep his job, I also don't think you can overstate how stupid that man is. I used to think the evasiveness was about his knowing he's failed and trying to avoid blame, but I've come to believe he's just so so dumb that you can't coax a decent interview out of him (or even a decent reply to a single question) because there's not enough intellect to support one.
I'll spare everything the complicated use of trade exceptions, but suppose something like this:
Bulls send Coby, Vuc, Pat, maybe some sort of pick compensation
Suns send Jalen Green, Maluach, Grayson Allen. Maybe Nick Richards if they want to save some more money.
This would be the Bulls doing their "young vet" thing, hoping that Green takes the next steps he hasn't up to this point. And getting Maluach, who is a center prospect.
I'm not wildly enthusiastic about it because I don't think Green and Maluach are likely stars, but they're at least prospects who have a chance.
For the Suns, they get better fit and vets
Coby
Booker
Dunn, Royce O'Neale
Brooks
Vuc, Williams
I don't really like that either, but I can see why both teams might think it better fits what they think they're doing.
Green seems like he's just going to be a worse version of Zach tbh. Zach is his absolute ceiling and we know how that went. But yeah i'd still do it just to get off Pat's contract
Noa on defense was interesting to watch. He easily stays in front of players 6 inches shorter than him, and has great foot work. I think whatever they were doing with the full court zone in the first quarter was dumb as hell, but Noa is so long it really seemed to give Toronto problems.
The offense was bad, the Toronto defense was exceptional, they could barely get the ball up court and they could barely pass the ball in a half-court offense. 34 TOs. I don't think this was representative, but also yeah his results were horrible.
I don't know. I guess the raps d was fine. But mostly for just saw the summerbulls display atrocious spacing and repeatedly attempt out of control iso drives directly into a walled off paint. Noa was the worst offender.
I hope he gets better, but he looked like Aleksej Pokusevski (derogatory)
Curious to hear your thoughts after tonight's game if you watched. He looked much better to me. Obviously he's extremely limited offensively, but he's got some serious defensive skills and moves his feet really well for his height.
Even during the early games when Matas looked bad last summer I still saw something that "popped". He didn't play well tonight but you could see the juice he brings, and I continue to believe he's going to be a special player.
Noa, on the other hand, does not "pop" for me. He's not a twitchy athlete, and his motor doesn't seem to run very hot. His length and other strengths will likely be enough to keep him in the league for a while but I feel like a good "long 3&D PF" off the bench is the best we can hope for.
But even with all that said, I think Noa is going to be a more useful and enjoyable player than PWill by the end of this season. I'm so damn sick of Pat and all he represents for this team.
Julia Poe's Trib writeup today said this more eloquently than I did above:
"Essengue and Buzelis may be billed as similar players — even by the Bulls front office — but they carry starkly different builds. While Buzelis may be a leaner version of a forward, even as a rookie he looked comfortable in his body, possessing a bouncy explosiveness around the basket that defined his strength as a dunker.
In comparison, Essengue is a bit ganglier, still growing into his hands and feet with a plodding stride."
I don't love "gangly" as an attribute. Among high level guys in the league, Siakam (a top Essengue comp) is maybe the most gangly, but he also has more "bounce" than Noa.
While I do agree with you, I think most guys grow out of the 'gangly' stage and hopefully Essengue does too.
Matas did look more much comfortable and sure of himself last year in Summer League than Essengue did last night though.
I was in favor of the Essengue pick and I'm surely not going to write him off after one Summer League game, but he definitely isn't as confidence inspiring as Matas was last year.
Same. I'm not going to write dude off after a shitty summer league game. But he is going to be in the G League all year. Anyone who thought he was gonna get real minutes of any sort this year in the majors was sorely mistaken.
Hindsight 20/20 but Beringer might have been a better project to draft...
I watched all of the first game and some of the second game. Here’s what I saw:
Buzelis looked confident and I like the idea of getting him more comfortable with the ball in his hand. Not all of his shots were falling, but I didn’t notice any particularly bad shots. He has the foundation of a very well rounded player.
Essengue looked ok in the first game and better in the second game. Overall, he’s really good in transition and on defense. For an 18 year old, his awareness on the defensive end and ability to get around screens is impressive. I also like how easily he draws fouls. That’s rare for someone that skinny. His jump shot is a major work in progress and his handle is bad (anytime a defender pressured him, he fumbled the ball). I think he has real potential as an NBA player, but it’s going to require patience.
Olbrich had a couple of moments, but mostly looked bad from what I saw. Looks like a classic second round pick who’ll be in the G League a couple years and then out of the NBA world entirely after that.
The team is just a mess. No cohesion whatsoever. The coaching seems nonexistent.
I just wish Javon Freeman-Liberty wasn't so hesitant to look for his own shot....
Yes I'm kidding about that, but I feel the same about Noa as I did after game 1. I believe he'll be a useful NBA rotation player in a few years. That's not a bad thing, it's just nothing I can get excited about.
Olbrich...sigh...feels like maybe he could compete for backup center minutes at Gonzaga. Not an NBA talent.
His awareness for his age and for how he only started playing basketball a handful of years ago is super impressive. He has almost no offensive game, but he's super impressive on the defensive end.
AK has picked some raw players over the years but Essengue has got to take the crown by quite a bit. We'll see if the Bulls can develop him properly. I wish I could trust that they would.
I still think he was the correct pick. Since AK refuses to acquire additional picks or tank to increase his chances at higher picks, I think taking home run swings is basically their only chance of drafting someone that becomes a star.
I don't know if that'll be Essengue, but he certainly has the physical tools and seems to have the mental aspect for it. He could also never develop his game and be nothing more than a 9th man. Time will tell.
I know it's cliche but I'd much rather the guy have the defensive tools to start with at his age. Much harder to teach awareness than how to shoot (not that I trust the bulls to actually do the latter).
Underselling Yuki he is awesome. Unfortunately 5'8". If he stays on a two way the Windy City Bulls become worth watching.
Buzelis is gonna come out gunnin' and play 2 games. Noa will look lost and out of his depth. Lachlan is gonna kill summer league in all ways and then we'll never see him again.
what's Australian for #MarkoHours
It's ultimately irrelevant (see above), but I wouldn't expect Noa to look lost. Might happen, but I wouldn't expect it. He's produced at every level and situation he's played in so far. Summer League is even stupider than preseason, but he put up 20 and 8 on 14 shots against the Blazers as a 17 year old in preseason last year.
What I will say, is the NBA, unlike Europe, has quite a few players of the type who will make Noa's life miserable. Like in that Blazers preseason game. He worked over the centers they put on him. He worked over the guards they put on him. But he couldn't do shit against Avidia. 6'8ish, strong, and good on defense will smoke him until (if) he develops more strength and skill.
this may be its own post in the future, but it sure is weird that the Bulls invert the use of their active and two-way rosters
the two-way guys are 21, 24, and 25, and never get used in the regular season
Meanwhile other 'fringe developmental projects' like Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips are 23 and 22 yet taking up active roster spots
Phillips I understand would maybe get claimed on his minimum contract. Terry would pass through waivers and they could re-sign to a two-way deal if they still believed in him, and it would make their roster no longer 'full'
Terry and Phillips both have NBA length. It seems to me they can both play D and make corner threes, which should get them a minimum-contract roster spot on a playoff team. I doubt that anybody would pick up Terry's $5 million, but he could be matching salary in a trade I guess, if Bulls ever pulled the trigger again.
It is a little clunky to have a full roster if you are looking to do more deals, but if the downside is maybe you have to waive Terry that's not the worst thing.
I didn't see anyone in Vegas that was better than those two guys. Miller doesn't look like an NBA player to me, or Muoka. Pereira and Weems were a little bit interesting because they could play defense, but they are 24 and neither can shoot. I wouldn't mind seeing them on WCB but not on the Bulls' roster.
Maozinha also played in the Uruguayan league recently, helping Nacional of Montevideo win the title last June.
Watched him in the finals and I'm not impressed.
Josh Primo gonna shock the world homies (I'm not Josh Primo).
your username is so convincing.
Remember everyone: summer league and preseason are literally meaningless, as well as unpleasant to watch.
And such small portions!
Josh Primo now no longer on the roster. I'm sure we'll find out nothing as to why they keep signing then waiving this guy
https://bsky.app/profile/drew-h-stevens.bsky.social/post/3ltpimqej4k2r
The Bulls gonna regret waiving Josh Primo and all other teams in the NBA finna find out the hard way fr fr you cant hold a supa dupa star down (I'm not Primo)
if only this was the most offensive 'bits' having to do with Josh Primo
I think I read that Primo is hurt.
yes, it turned out that we did find out something on it
though not why they keep giving him chances
Grill played at Iowa State so watched him a lot then. Left under mysterious circumstances but had some big scoring outbursts, including bunches of 3s. And seems like did that his last yr in college too. He can get hot and not afraid to shoot
I would like to know if the General Manager of the Bulls is even interested in basketball enough to know the players on his team? If he watched any of the games that the Bulls played in, he should know that they do not need any more point guards and that building a small ball team will probably keep the Bulls in purgatory just like the past 4 seasons. They need a shot blocker/defender and preferably someone taller than 6'10". I do not really want to comment on Giddey at this point. Hopefully we can keep White. I just do not trust the front office getting a good return for him.
@drew-h-stevens.bsky.social
On NBA TV broadcast, Artūras Karnišovas touted team’s 15-5 finish and called Coby and Josh “a dynamic duo.”
I heard that interview and it was much worse than this even implies. The play-by-play guy asked AK what the goals were for the upcoming season and he basically just listed the activities that fall under basketball operations. It was such a non-answer (meandering into the aforementioned 15-5 finish and naming players individually) that the broadcaster rephrased the question while still including 'what's the goal' and he still got nothing close to a measurable goal.
While I think that ownership demands no accountability and AK only really seeks to keep his job, I also don't think you can overstate how stupid that man is. I used to think the evasiveness was about his knowing he's failed and trying to avoid blame, but I've come to believe he's just so so dumb that you can't coax a decent interview out of him (or even a decent reply to a single question) because there's not enough intellect to support one.
and please for Pete's sake trade Vuce and Patrick.
I'll spare everything the complicated use of trade exceptions, but suppose something like this:
Bulls send Coby, Vuc, Pat, maybe some sort of pick compensation
Suns send Jalen Green, Maluach, Grayson Allen. Maybe Nick Richards if they want to save some more money.
This would be the Bulls doing their "young vet" thing, hoping that Green takes the next steps he hasn't up to this point. And getting Maluach, who is a center prospect.
I'm not wildly enthusiastic about it because I don't think Green and Maluach are likely stars, but they're at least prospects who have a chance.
For the Suns, they get better fit and vets
Coby
Booker
Dunn, Royce O'Neale
Brooks
Vuc, Williams
I don't really like that either, but I can see why both teams might think it better fits what they think they're doing.
Green seems like he's just going to be a worse version of Zach tbh. Zach is his absolute ceiling and we know how that went. But yeah i'd still do it just to get off Pat's contract
Not that we didn't already know this, but holy shit Billy D III cannot coach.
Noa on defense was interesting to watch. He easily stays in front of players 6 inches shorter than him, and has great foot work. I think whatever they were doing with the full court zone in the first quarter was dumb as hell, but Noa is so long it really seemed to give Toronto problems.
I know the expectation was that Noa would look bad. But man did he ever look bad...
The offense was bad, the Toronto defense was exceptional, they could barely get the ball up court and they could barely pass the ball in a half-court offense. 34 TOs. I don't think this was representative, but also yeah his results were horrible.
I don't know. I guess the raps d was fine. But mostly for just saw the summerbulls display atrocious spacing and repeatedly attempt out of control iso drives directly into a walled off paint. Noa was the worst offender.
I hope he gets better, but he looked like Aleksej Pokusevski (derogatory)
Curious to hear your thoughts after tonight's game if you watched. He looked much better to me. Obviously he's extremely limited offensively, but he's got some serious defensive skills and moves his feet really well for his height.
Didn't see it. I'd be interested in others thoughts too.
Definitely don't want to make the mistake of putting too much stock in a handful of summer league games
For sure. Summer League should never be used as a definitive measuring stick for players. If it were, Denzel Valentine would be the GOAT. 😂
Even during the early games when Matas looked bad last summer I still saw something that "popped". He didn't play well tonight but you could see the juice he brings, and I continue to believe he's going to be a special player.
Noa, on the other hand, does not "pop" for me. He's not a twitchy athlete, and his motor doesn't seem to run very hot. His length and other strengths will likely be enough to keep him in the league for a while but I feel like a good "long 3&D PF" off the bench is the best we can hope for.
But even with all that said, I think Noa is going to be a more useful and enjoyable player than PWill by the end of this season. I'm so damn sick of Pat and all he represents for this team.
Julia Poe's Trib writeup today said this more eloquently than I did above:
"Essengue and Buzelis may be billed as similar players — even by the Bulls front office — but they carry starkly different builds. While Buzelis may be a leaner version of a forward, even as a rookie he looked comfortable in his body, possessing a bouncy explosiveness around the basket that defined his strength as a dunker.
In comparison, Essengue is a bit ganglier, still growing into his hands and feet with a plodding stride."
I don't love "gangly" as an attribute. Among high level guys in the league, Siakam (a top Essengue comp) is maybe the most gangly, but he also has more "bounce" than Noa.
While I do agree with you, I think most guys grow out of the 'gangly' stage and hopefully Essengue does too.
Matas did look more much comfortable and sure of himself last year in Summer League than Essengue did last night though.
I was in favor of the Essengue pick and I'm surely not going to write him off after one Summer League game, but he definitely isn't as confidence inspiring as Matas was last year.
Same. I'm not going to write dude off after a shitty summer league game. But he is going to be in the G League all year. Anyone who thought he was gonna get real minutes of any sort this year in the majors was sorely mistaken.
Hindsight 20/20 but Beringer might have been a better project to draft...
I watched all of the first game and some of the second game. Here’s what I saw:
Buzelis looked confident and I like the idea of getting him more comfortable with the ball in his hand. Not all of his shots were falling, but I didn’t notice any particularly bad shots. He has the foundation of a very well rounded player.
Essengue looked ok in the first game and better in the second game. Overall, he’s really good in transition and on defense. For an 18 year old, his awareness on the defensive end and ability to get around screens is impressive. I also like how easily he draws fouls. That’s rare for someone that skinny. His jump shot is a major work in progress and his handle is bad (anytime a defender pressured him, he fumbled the ball). I think he has real potential as an NBA player, but it’s going to require patience.
Olbrich had a couple of moments, but mostly looked bad from what I saw. Looks like a classic second round pick who’ll be in the G League a couple years and then out of the NBA world entirely after that.
The team is just a mess. No cohesion whatsoever. The coaching seems nonexistent.
The foul drawing could be summer league inflation, but Essengue was also good at it in Europe
I just wish Javon Freeman-Liberty wasn't so hesitant to look for his own shot....
Yes I'm kidding about that, but I feel the same about Noa as I did after game 1. I believe he'll be a useful NBA rotation player in a few years. That's not a bad thing, it's just nothing I can get excited about.
Olbrich...sigh...feels like maybe he could compete for backup center minutes at Gonzaga. Not an NBA talent.
His awareness for his age and for how he only started playing basketball a handful of years ago is super impressive. He has almost no offensive game, but he's super impressive on the defensive end.
AK has picked some raw players over the years but Essengue has got to take the crown by quite a bit. We'll see if the Bulls can develop him properly. I wish I could trust that they would.
I still think he was the correct pick. Since AK refuses to acquire additional picks or tank to increase his chances at higher picks, I think taking home run swings is basically their only chance of drafting someone that becomes a star.
I don't know if that'll be Essengue, but he certainly has the physical tools and seems to have the mental aspect for it. He could also never develop his game and be nothing more than a 9th man. Time will tell.
I know it's cliche but I'd much rather the guy have the defensive tools to start with at his age. Much harder to teach awareness than how to shoot (not that I trust the bulls to actually do the latter).
Completely agree. Too bad the Bulls seem to have gone back to the "they can work on those things on their own time" motto after firing Patton. 🙃
this Bulls fan is a legend for this response on No Dunks: https://youtu.be/2QbXHwVOAq4?si=NFBWTjqTItIb7s4z&t=850