nitetrain8601

QUOTE (The Critic @ May 22, 2016 -> 03:33 PM) They were going to let his contract run out so he asked to be released early. Can't blame him, really. He was spinning his wheels there. Not sure where he would fit, though. ROH, maybe? I see him as a "maybe" fit in Japan and for sure not in Lucha Underground. I think he could fit in TNA as a heel.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 21, 2016 -> 11:32 PM) Well, as far as the Thompson trade goes, it might as been as much about the Dodgers believing he would be happier in his home state and closer to his brother. Plus, it's more beneficial for their marketing (which doesn't need so much help, except for the tv viewership issues) for him to play in SoCal. He's also very good friends with Nolan Arenado, who makes his home in the NL West. That elevated comfort level has to be a significant part of his success. If you realistically look at it, with Pederson, Van Slyke, Puig, Crawford, Hernandez (can play everywhere) and Ethier, at the time of the deal....he seemed quite superfluous (even more than Micah). Now with Ethier injured and Puig/Crawford struggling, he's become vitally important. 930 OPS with 7 homers and 19 RBI's in only 88 AB's is pretty darned impressive. So far, he's actually raised the OPS he put up with the Sox, which was heavily inflated by a hot streak for 3 weeks or so in the beginning. It is a bit frustrating we haven't even come close to producing even an 800 OPS guy since Beckham's 2009 season and now we have Carter at 893 and Trayce well over 900. Marcus Semien also has 10 homers and a 742 playing half his games at 0.C0. 7 of Semien's homers have come in that park, where there aren't any cheapie homers, especially at night when it's cold and crisp. It would have been awesomely exciting to see a Sox line-up with Thompson, Eaton, Avi Garcia, Semien, Tim Anderson, Micah Johnson/Saladino/Sanchez and Carter take the field together as a unit. Well, MAYBE not Avi. Well I think you could've pushed the deal to just make it between you and the Reds. No one else was going to trade for Frazier. I am glad I get to catch Thompson live now as I live in LA and have gone to a couple of Dodger games because of him, but I thought it was an overpay for the White Sox since the Reds had no other suitors for him.

QUOTE (SpankyEaton @ May 21, 2016 -> 07:47 PM) The only players that appeal to me are: Kenley Jansen Gio Gonzalez Carlos Santana Josh Reddick Colby Rasmus Ian Desmond Matt Wieters Wilson Ramos I don't know much about the minor league system that we have but I hope that at least one or two of the guys you've mentioned can come in and contribute. I don't regret trading Thompson to get Frazier either - they needed smeone to play third that didn't suck. Who knows what will happen, I just hope they draft better, play better and get better overall. Otherwise, we'll have to hope they sell the team when JR passes. I regret trading Thompson the day it happened because I still don't believe you needed to give him up to get Frazier.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 8, 2016 -> 11:00 AM) Cowley up to his old tricks again. Says Butler is upset at the smear campaign being thrown his way. Cowley, who reported the Noah/Butler would have come to blows on his own, now seems to claim Gar is behind this smearing. Cowley, in that interview, if that's what you're referencing, actually talked negatively about Noah. Lots of people I know didn't even bother listening to it and have been accustomed to the "Jimmy is a cancer/asshole" storyline and ran with it. Cowley's main source is Jimmy. Friedell's main source is Noah.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 24, 2016 -> 10:11 PM) There's a huge different between taking PEDs and beating women. Yeah, Braun's a douche and handled the PEDs thing wrong, but he's not it Myers class. Didnt he question someone's credibility and get that person fired from their job?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 12:55 PM) Gar is an ass, but I do think he has a pretty good eye for talent. He might not be perfect, but every guy will miss from time to time and while we can point to some of the Bulls misses, they have historically been one of the better drafting teams under Pax / Gar, especially when you consider where they were typically picking. Gar has plenty of issues, but I think from a pure talent evaluation perspective, I like him over Hinkie. Supposedly Hinkie has trouble working with people (not sure how much is true vs. Jerry Collangelo driving that wedge) and I think like Gar, both are best suited in a more assistant capacity than a true GM. Hinkie would great to have in Chicago (but not as a GM). Would love his analytical mind as I think it is a valuable resource that would go great with a GM who appreciates the analytics but also has an adapt eye for talent and a strong ability to work with others. Honestly, I really wonder if we see Hoiberg move to the front office. Would be curious if he'd do it. Or whether Doug Collins would still be willing to take an assistant role to help Hoiberg? Either way, I really hope we see at least some sort of shakeup in the front office (it is imperative, imo). Gar is a huge ass. I wish Shirley never took down the article on him. Basically a weasel who will do whatever it is to get ahead, but he knows how to kiss the babies. Bulls actually have just an OK drafting record since Gar was given a prominent voice in the FO. After Matt Lloyd left, it's been over with though. I don't want Gar or any other New Mexico or Iowa cronies in this organization any further. And I want Paxson gone if he can't handle the media and day to day with drafting. As for Hoiberg, I don't think he's an NBA level coach and his only experience in a FO is for that of a failed FO that was terrible. No thanks. Here are some Gar highlights for drafting. Paxson wanted LaMarcus Aldridge, Gar heavily pushed for Tyrus Thomas. Was so giddy about him, he convinced the whole FO including Jerry, Tyrus was thee guy. Bulls picked LMA, then traded him for Tyrus. Picked James Johnson over Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson and Jrue Holiday. Lloyd had advised into drafting Taj Gibson, DeMarre Carroll or DeJuan Blair. Pax gave Gar the Johnson pick and in turn he took Taj for the 2nd pick. 2010 they avoided their pick to attract big FA. Gar's idea. I'll give him props for that because it was the right move. 2011 Jimmy Butler - Last pick evaluated by Matt Lloyd before he was let go to the Orlando Magic. Gar went with it. Good pick. 2012 Marquis Teague - This is the move Ron Adams was let go over. Adams and Thibs savored over Draymond Green. When he was there with their pick, they both were giddy. For those two, it was either Green or Crowder. They loved Butler, and they had Deng, so they felt Green was by far the target. They were led to believe that was the case with the FO as well. Going into the draft, they felt everyone was on the same page. Once it came to their pick, Gar wanted Teague. Gar and the Bulls really didn't scout Teague at all. I don't even remember them bringing him in for a workout. Thibs argued this would be a big mistake. Ron Adams got loud over it and started telling Gar this was a stupid move. Once Gar called it in, Adams erupted because Gar wasn't trying to help build a team together, didn't care about system, he just wanted to be right. At this point in time, Thibs and Adams felt Gar was truly becoming an asshole and when they saw his cards. Gar told Adams if he didn't like it, too bad. It's my way or the highway. Adams was let go, Thibs became super pissed and the rift that tore Thibs and the Bulls apart became a tear here. 2013 Tony Snell - Another Gar pick. Thibs after the previous year, honestly stopped caring about giving his opinion on it. He wanted Dieng, but he pretty much was indifferent because of what transpired over the past year. Paxson wanted Dieng or Plumlee. Snell was drafted because of his connections with New Mexico. 2014 Doug McDermott - It hasn't worked out. I won't put the pick on Gar. There were others that I liked, but I did love McDermott coming out. Paxson and Thibs did too. Giving up those picks though, wasn't a bright idea. 2015 Bobby Portis - Incomplete. Shows flashes of being competent and could be a rotation player, but he's not a starter and leaves a lot to be desired. And as far as Hinkie, the 2014 draft was 3 stud players and everyone else fell in line. Embiid, even with the injury issues was the best player by far at that position and the only reason he fell to 3 was because Cleveland was scared off of the injury issues. Prior, they had him #1 on the board. Milwaukee always wanted someone they could sell to the franchise so it was going to be Wiggins or Parker.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 01:20 PM) I know everyone wants to blast them for the Thibs debable, but let's not forget who gave him his first head coaching job when no one else would. That actually was reinsdorf. Gar wanted to bring in Lawrence Frank and Mike Brown. Jerry went over Pax and Gar and hired Thibs.

QUOTE (bmags @ Apr 7, 2016 -> 01:43 PM) I heard Sam Hinkie is available. He actually was doing the right thing. The thing is, he felt he never had to make his intentions transparent to the fan base or the league. He drafted BPA every year in the draft. Waited for Embiid to come back, and is looking to consolidate to get some wings there. Once you've done that, you can now start trying to make the playoffs and attract FAs. I think Colangelo was absolutely the wrong person to hire. The guy simply wanted to be a GM and used this opportunity to push Hinkie out and insert himself in. He went from consultant to biggest voice in the room within months.

We sure it's a sinker or is it a cutter?

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Mar 27, 2016 -> 04:39 PM) can they fire the hitting coach? I wonder if they'll try and move Jimmy Buckets in the off season I think you keep Butler and Rose. You revamp the entire frontcourt though.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 27, 2016 -> 04:38 PM) One thing is obvious. A significant number of players have quit on this season. You have one of two choices. You can blame management, or you can blame the players. I'll blame the management who thought their roster had no holes and double downed on the roster by firing the last coach for a rookie college coach.

QUOTE (Brian @ Mar 15, 2016 -> 07:28 AM) Well what do ya know? Have a phone interview today. I think? They emailed me yesterday asking what time I'd be free today and I said any and never heard back. Does my indecisiveness ruin my shot? Damn Typically it does depending on the field. If it's retail or for a burger joint, then I'm happy because it means your flexible. The higher up you go though, I feel you need to be decisive. Employers don't want someone who basically says "Whatever, whenever, however, etc."

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:41 AM) Here are the games played for the starting 5 plus Taj Gibson 62 Games Rose 51 Games Dunleavy 63 Games BUtler 65 Games Noah 67 Games Gasol 78 Games So outside of Gasol, the starting 5 averaged about 20 games missed, not a game here and there, plus the guy who was supposed to be the new scoring threat in McDermott missing pretty much the entire year with a bad knee. Thibs had such great reserves as Nazr, Moore, and Snell to put in there with a few awesome starts from the Australian when Noah and Taj went down at the same time. Did Thibs have the same injury issues? Yes. Did he get forced out for a lesser coach who would do what the FO told him? Yes. Have the minutes changed at all since Hoiberg took over? No. QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:44 AM) No, when Joakim Noah is the focus point of your entire offense and Nate Robinson is your scoring threat, that is the worst of it. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:49 AM) Noah has missed 36 games, and counting. It will be nearly 50 by the time the season is done. Dunleavy has missed 50 games. Mirotic missed 15 games, after missing none the year before. Rose is about the only guy that has actually been healthier than normal. There have been times this year where they were running one or two starters out there, while missing 4 or 5 key guys. Thibs never had it that bad all at once. It isn't the whole story, but it has been a large part of the story. Kylle broke it down. There is no logical way to say firing Thibs was the right move considering all of his teams, including the one "he lost" last year did better than the team this year with the exact same roster.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:30 AM) And this year you've had no Noah, Dunleavy out for months, Butler out for an extended period (and now with residual issues potentially), Gasol, Rose and Taj out here and there, Niko out a month. They're relying on guys like Moore and Holiday. How many times has Hoiberg had the expected starting 5 going into the season? A handful? Thibs got wins because he ground it out. Fine, i'm not arguing that. But was that team any better? No. Did he do some amazing coaching job? No. Did he deserve to be fired? Yes. And how is that different than the team having to sign DJ Augustin or playing Marquis Teage at PG? Or signing Nate Robinson off the scrapheap. Anything you think Hoiberg has dealt with, Thibs already went through and proved he was a lot better at dealing with it. Again, I suggest reading the 538 article I posted a page or two earlier. Thibs constantly overachieved with his teams.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 09:39 AM) I 100% agreed on the minutes move by the front office. Those are your assets. I'm sure they told Thibs repeatedly to stop, and he didn't, so they had to move. Who remembers Noah playing like 45 minutes in a meaningless, final regular season game? It was that s*** that drove the FO crazy and something Thibs never EVER bent on. That whole situation was a two way street and few people acknowledge Thibs' role in it. What about Butler and Gasol playing 50 minutes in a meaningless triple OT regular season game?? Oh, that didn't happen under Thibs.

I think this is a pretty crappy move by the organization if its true that he was promised access.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 15, 2016 -> 07:20 PM) question on mcdermott, has he developed as hope or was this a bad trade that the bulls FO made??? follow up, if this was a bad trade, whom could the have drafted with the 2 picks that they gave up that would be helping now??? Zach LaVine or TJ Warren if they made the trade, but drafted someone else. Jusuf Nurkic Rodney Hood Nikola Jokic KJ McDaniels Jordan Clarkson Last 3 were available in the 2nd round.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Mar 15, 2016 -> 04:26 PM) The Timberwolves could become incredible under Thibs. Legit finals contenders in two years IMO. I think there are a lot of teams that can be scary under Thibs. Orlando, Minny, Sacramento has some building blocks, and I think Philly would be crazy good under him. Thibs is definitely a top 5 coach. Only guys ahead are Popovich, Carlisle and Stevens IMO

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 15, 2016 -> 02:45 PM) and i would like to reiterate most of the opinion on here, even tho it was express in different way, the bulls were still competitive, and as you said, with their main superstar being hurt. the person responsible for that, it was not the FO, it was thibs and how he manage to bring the whole team together. ~~~ edit Yep, and it really went awry once the Bulls FO basically told the players they could act insubordinate and to answer to Jen Swanson when it came to minutes and not Thibs. The FO basically told the players its OK to undermine him because he wouldn't be there past the year anyway. What they didn't account for is that you can't tell players its OK to undermine a coach, then immediately respect the next one.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 15, 2016 -> 11:08 AM) McDermott sucked and then got hurt. Now you are saying Thibs won too many games? Were they trying to win a championship or not? For a guy who tells everyone how wrong they are, reading your fiction time and time again is beyond hysterical. Blaming injuries on Thibs is a joke. They were hurt before he came, they keep getting hurt after he left. You think Gar has to go, but you fell for his Thibs narrative hook, line and sinker. There would have been no reason to fire Thibs if the Bulls did the correct thing and launched Gar instead. The team would be better off. Well stated. And even Deng admitted that they were an injury prone bunch before this came.

It was reported over the weekend that in a surprising development, the Bulls had 'cut ties' with Thibodeau's lead Assistant Coach Ron Adams. In that original story, KC Johnson remarked on the peculiarity of the move: given Adams credentials and reputation, as well as the coach's personal relationship with Thibs (and according to Ric Bucher, Adams was also really close with Derrick Rose). Johnson further reported this was a power-play from GM Gar Forman. http://www.celticsblog.com/2013/7/15/45268...eltics-coaching

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Mar 14, 2016 -> 11:18 AM) He didn't go about things the right way either but I felt the FO drew first blood on Thibs. and let me be clear, I don't condone eye for and eye s***. They did. And I like how AustinIllini dodged the question of why the Bulls are a whole lot worse than last year with Thibs. And how the minutes haven't changed under Hoiberg, the injuries are as bad if not worse and the only thing that has changed is the team is worse on offense, defense, point differential and wins. How'd they go from the only threat to Cleveland to not knowing if they'll make the playoffs. He tried to implement the Spurs offense and the players couldn't pick it up or wouldn't pick it up. Same with Hoiball. Thibs became a victim of his own success. He constantly overachieved. Here's some analysis from FiveThirty8 for ya'll. http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/the-bul...in-nba-history/ There's a reason why Golden State and San Antonio are asking him for consultations. Also, the Nets tried to offer him the job after Lionel and King were fired, but he didn't want to make a decision right now and he wants to coach either the Knicks, Lakers or wait until a better opening is available. Let us not forget how the Bulls dicked around with his firing too. Waiting waiting and more waiting. And whether Thibs was right or wrong about leaking stuff to JVG messed up his relationship with Jerry. It's funny how GarPax are always about not leaking stuff yet they let Butler and Noah run rampant. And they always leak stuff to the media about how Derrick is cleared to play when he wasn't mentally ready, how they say he's out for general soreness or how Deng is cleared to play, but it's up to his pain threshold when the guy had a broken foot. The basis of Thibs getting fired and that relationship turning sour was all Gar Forman. The guy was pissed because he wasn't getting enough credit for 2010 (how anyone can complain about not getting enough credit when you got backdoor swept in the ECF is anyone's guess) and after that, Gar started trying to consolidate power. The whole Ron Adams thing was a power play that Gar won. Funny how Adams is coaching for the defending champs, is a basketball lifer, and never had any issues with anyone in basketball but Gar. He was named Assistant Coach of the Year last year. And Boston sang his praises when hiring him. Also, Adams was the coach that Rose trusted the most. http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/10/...?event=event12# That's when the leaking really started about how Thibs is stubborn, didn't want to change, didn't want to adjust the offense and he was the reason for losing as if the roster makeup and the constant bs injuries his and now Hoiberg's team is dealing with. Thibs tried different things. Getting the offense to run through Noah and getting Taj to shoot the corner 3(yes, and this was in Zach Lowe's podcast with him too). And last, but not least, was the undermining of him by installing Jen Swanson, making it the worst known secret that Hoiberg would be the next coach of the Bulls a full summer before Thibs was let go and by putting unrealistic expectations on Thibs. Tell me how Jen Swanson is doing now. Tell me how Hoiberg is managing the minutes soooo much better than Thibs and is preventing injuries and keeping guys fresh. Thibs will never be an employee of the Chicago Bulls because Jerry Reinsdorf who originally hired Thibs when GarPax wanted Mike Brown, Lawrence Frank and Doug Collins, saw things Gar's way as he muddied the waters and made Jerry see things his way. He's the ultimate suck up. PS, wanna know why the Bulls don't make trades? It's because of Gar Forman's smug ass. And if Paul Shirley never took down his post on Gar Forman, you'd see how much of a jagoff the guy is.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Mar 13, 2016 -> 12:33 PM) Gasol is now out for a bit with a swollen knee lol. Rose did not contact drills. Butler playing tomorrow. Maybe he'll blow out his knee this time. Apparently, that's what Tanaka and Swanson and Cole want since he's coming back for meaningless games at this point.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Mar 12, 2016 -> 10:35 AM) Thibs had success because he is an amazing defensive tactician. So good, in fact, that we miss the obvious problems in his coaching: He doesn't deal with locker room issues well at all and his offense is terrible. He belongs in the assistant coaching role as that's what he actually good at. Hoiberg isn't any better as far as any of us can tell, but Thibodeau was a severely flawed coach. Thibs tried to implement the Spurs motion offense. The Bulls players couldn't pick it up so they went to a simplified pick and roll again. This current team cannot or will not pick up Hoiball. Yet, we want to keep the players and they're in danger of missing the playoffs. And the core players respected him as a head coach and loved him outside of basketball. You have guys like Butler and Gibson who still have dinner with the guy. Deng came out and even spoke on how dirty the Bulls FO did Thibs and how it was stupid. The whole minutes thing is super funny considering Hoiberg didn't deviate from what Thibs did. The injuries are still there though if not worse. The best thing is, GarPax made this season transparent, even for casual fans who like to push the agenda that Thibs didn't know offense and didn't care for it. Exact same team from last year made it into Game 6 against the EC champs. This year, they'll be lucky to make the playoffs. Keep blaming Thibs though. http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/deng-st...ch-thibs-wrong/

They control the medical staff. Those damn coaches who get out of pocket though, they get fired for having an opinion. Tanaka, Swanson & Cole are safe.