Chisoxfn

Hell yeah!!!

I am warming up to Montgomery.Very shifty with a very good ability to stay low with strong center of gravity.

That is phenomenal

They are getting one comp pick at best and it will be a fourth rounder at best. They will have four picks in the top four rounds in a two year window (this year and next year) and only two within the first two rounds during a 2 year span. That really makes it hard to make yourself better and in the NFL teams and rosters can change damn near overnight. It happens every year.

Trading away as many picks as the Bears have is just not a good recipe for long term success. You can’t just keep doing it. Interesting that the Pats ended up taking a back too. Let’s also not forget Bears have made decisions to push cap costs out as well. Combine that with losing picks out in the past and they play a dangerous game. On Amos and Callahan you might be right since Bears didn’t make any major signings. That said I think they only get one cause of the dB they signed counters losing Callahan since comp picks are based on a net loss (I think).

What comp picks?

Seeing what the Bears gave up, I really don’t like this move at all. We are just giving up picks all over the place when they don’t have the draft capital to do it. Always taking from your future just is a bad long term strategy. You will get burned.

I don’t love the pick, but I want to know what we gave up. I really don’t like how we are always mortgaging draft capital. One thing to move around in the draft but it’s another when you are always going one way. I am a huge fan of the Patriots model...than again that approach tends to line up with my financial mindset. Don’t hate the pick either. High character guy but seems like he isn’t great in the passing game and he isn’t very quick. Not sure what he gives us that Davis or Cohen don’t. Hope I am wrong. Fantastic character though.

Yeah - I think he took the dragon and is going to get Cersei. Would be quite the plot shift and I now kind of totally expect it.

This works for me as well. I don't think Klay is leaving Golden State (and if he does I would expect it is for the Lakers) but you never know. I just don't know why the Bulls wouldn't at least try to set-up some meetings with a few of the top tier free agents and go for the wing and the prayer.

He is a good player. Great d, great passer, athletic. Horrid shot but not that bad in college and I think it can improve. I think he has upside and if he stinks, oh well. Now his dad is the bad part. Like awful. But Ball the player is a significant upgrade over Dunn and he has the ability to be a top 3 PG in this league.

I literally LOLd. This can't be true, can it? Is it more that they just want to essentially make the rest of their decisions without any further bias (i.e, just quiet time for them to relax because they have enough input)? I have largely wondered that at this point, what more are you going to identify on individual players given all the scouting that is done leading into the draft? At what point do you end up making worse decisions because you over-think / over-analyze. Did Mayock and Gruden actually let go of all the scouts? Essentially becasue they are all former McKenzie guys?

Big Hurt with Walt Hrniak.

This team is kind of fun.

Ok - So your delusional scenario is win lottery, get Zion, max out Klay. Trade Dunn and other parts (maybe future pick) for a PG. I figure Ball running the floor would be pretty with those other guys.

My completely delusional and dream Bulls off-season. Start first by winning lottery. Draft Zion. Acquire Lonzo Ball (for Dunn and other spare parts). Shed salary and find a way to have space to offer and sign Kawhi or Durant to a max deal. I dont' know who they have to trade but I'm going to assume they could find a way to make space. My thoughts are if the Bulls land Zion, its ups their cache and gives them an ability to sign one big name max guy. Probability 0.01%. Alternative scenario is Kyrie or Klay as the max guy. If you get Kyrie...no Ball trade. If it happens, it may not be the perfect team design but you would have a team that would have a lot of interchangeable parts that I think fits in the new NBA. They would be a very long and athletic team, with a variety of guys who can defend multiple positions, most notably Porter and Kawhi. The key to all of this is winning the lottery as without that I presume the Bulls aren't going to have enough cache this year to pull a Durant or Klay or Leonard. Wendell Zion Lauri Kawhi Porter Lavine Ball

Jrue Holliday makes the team better, but him and Porter are just one too many good but overpaid players to have, imo. Than again, you never know where you could flip said player when you ultimately need to take another step forward. Its just a lot of money to have tied up to a guy who isn't top 10 at his respective position (albeit he's right on that border and has had his own health issues in the past).

Some reports out there that the Bulls have talked to the Lakers about Ball (or vice versa). I've long said that Ball would be a very good fit for the Bulls and worth the risk. His value is at an all time low given the fact that he hasn't stayed on the court. That said, point guards take time to develop and I've watched enough of him to think there is some big upside still there. His vision as a passer is elite and defensively he has the ability to be the same. The jumper may not come around but he was never that bad of a shooter in college so despite his form I think he has a better ability to at least be able to hit a spot up 3 and if you combine that with his ability to get in the paint and create, that should work. I'm thinking Dunn plus future picks or something and it gives the Lakers extra cap space. Lakers probably don't do it, but you never know.

Very entertaining first episode. Got a lot of the pleasantries (and initial drama) out of the way and should set-up for a very exciting and thriller remainder of the season.

One of my quotes (of many) since I was very adamant at how foolish it was to trade Tatis (at the time). They can't just sign a million of them. They have a limited pool and limited resources in these areas and a farm system that has lacked. What I'm saying is you can't write this guy off because he is so young that he's more likely to bust. Initial reports have been very encouraging and he's the type of kid who has the talent to emerge as one of the better prospects in the system with time. This could be an impact player. Yes, I said could, but when you are trading a guy who could be that for a guy who another team had to eat half his contract and is only slightly better (at his current clip) than your other options at the respective position (while actually still costing a decent amount of financial flexibility), I say that you shouldn't give up that type of piece for said player.

Separately...I tip my cap to two legends, Dirk and Wade, on outstanding careers (even if Wade's run with Bulls was sub-par).

Next on the news....Lakers give Jerry West blank check to lead the reorganization of their front office. Of course they'll have to outbit Ballmer, but the brightest executive in professional sports (Jerry West) is a free agent. Basketball savant. Too old to run day to day of being a president but still the exact mind any owner would want on payroll.

Lakers front office is a real train-wreck. Total dumpster fire. This has nothing to do with Bron. Unless it is because we are blaming Bron for the Lakers not being world champions this year. Magic never wanted to put in the work necessary to be a president, but always wanted the glory to go with it. This just wasn't what he signed up for and now that things are getting hard I think he just realizes that it isn't for him. They also have the worst GM in the game as well. Literally no front office in the game wants to work with Pelinka...Magic had to do all the negotiations given how much the rest of the league despises their current GM. They do have LBJ though so that still puts them in a favorable position.

I hope if Moncada proves himself that Sox are committed to giving him a long term extension. Man I wish all of these extensions were lining up with having Manny on roster but either way good to see Yoan starting red hot!

Taxes alone take half so add agent and spend and I’m going to guess a lot less.