8 minutes ago, bmags said:

I fully believe Zach will be back and am not going to get sucked into the Free Agency drama. If it falls through, I'll deal with my emotions then. He has every right to pursue what he wants after the first four years of his bulls career, but I think he stays.

Agree - and if he goes elsewhere - than I have confidence this front office will be creative and take some swings. I am curious what ultimately happens this offseason.  

3 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Dude has been through some rough negotiations with the Bulls in the past.  Hopefully this is just him ensuring he gets his full max deal,  and not him feeling like management destroyed the relationship.

In general though - he was taken care of pretty good, has gotten national endorsements, etc.  That said - I don't know why, but I can picture Lavine in a Trailblazers uniform and heading back to his home roots over (or closest there can be since Seattle isn't around).  

2 hours ago, Chisoxfn said:

In general though - he was taken care of pretty good, has gotten national endorsements, etc.  That said - I don't know why, but I can picture Lavine in a Trailblazers uniform and heading back to his home roots over (or closest there can be since Seattle isn't around).  

Yeah, pretty sure he is married to his high school sweetheart and from what I understand is a very low key guy. Just basketball and family.

edit: so I could see him being fine in smaller markets

12 hours ago, bmags said:

I fully believe Zach will be back and am not going to get sucked into the Free Agency drama. If it falls through, I'll deal with my emotions then. He has every right to pursue what he wants after the first four years of his bulls career, but I think he stays.

Same. The most I'll pay attention until then is mocking ESPN for proposing this:

Note that this scenario is impossible due to the Stepien Rule, or they're genuinely proposing the Bulls throwing in a first round pick.

1) Bad 

2) Thoughts on trying to get involved in a Ayton S&T?

that is absolutely brutal news. Every knee injury on the bulls ends up worst case scenario. Now worried about Lavine.

This was the risk with Lonzo.  My only hope is we still have a # of months until the start of the season - but man - this has been a long time. Kind of like Kwahi and his random injury with the Spurs and I guess there have been a few others.  But its been what - 5 months since the injury or something along those lines?  

2 hours ago, Quin said:

1) Bad 

2) Thoughts on trying to get involved in a Ayton S&T?

Ayton is hard to judge - he clearly has talent though and while i think whoever gets him will grossly overpay - his fit around the rest of the team is good.  I don't know what the Bulls best bet is - but it might be package Lavine and Vuc or Vuc & Derozan to get something else at some point.  I always said - just package your stuff and find someone better that is in-demand and go for it. 

Despite all the tea leaves from front office that say its going to be a pretty status quo off-season, I am expecting some out of nowhere moves from this group.  

3 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

Ayton is hard to judge - he clearly has talent though and while i think whoever gets him will grossly overpay - his fit around the rest of the team is good.  

The thing is that would you pay Ayton $177 million over 5 years? Coby + Vuc works for him in a S&T money-wise, but this would be a huge financial burden on the Bulls, especially if they retain Zach on a max. I also think you need to be careful with centers that CP3 plays with. They usually don't do as well without his distribution skills. 

3 hours ago, Quin said:

1) Bad 

2) Thoughts on trying to get involved in a Ayton S&T?

I don't know if it will be Ayton per se, but this is the TYPE of deal the Bulls need to pull off.

24 minutes ago, chw42 said:

The thing is that would you pay Ayton $177 million over 5 years? Coby + Vuc works for him in a S&T money-wise, but this would be a huge financial burden on the Bulls, especially if they retain Zach on a max. I also think you need to be careful with centers that CP3 plays with. They usually don't do as well without his distribution skills. 

Excellent points - plus centers in general don't age that well. So on many lens I don't like it - cause he really isn't worth that kind of money and you really start to lock in the team (than again - i feel like these days - if you are a modern GM, you just figure out how to wheel and deal anyway).  

49 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

Excellent points - plus centers in general don't age that well. So on many lens I don't like it - cause he really isn't worth that kind of money and you really start to lock in the team (than again - i feel like these days - if you are a modern GM, you just figure out how to wheel and deal anyway).  

The good thing with Ayton is that he's still only 24 next year. So even if you sign him to a 5 year max, he's 29 at the end of that deal. 

If AKME thinks that he can be an anchor defensively while being a solid offensive center, then it might be something worth pursuing. The advanced stats really don't like him. RAPTOR has him as barely better than Vuc this past year. Although because he played on a such a good and deep team, the on/off numbers might really not be in his favor. 

 

Sixers fans are excited about getting Coby White for Thybulle. That makes me think they've never seen Coby White play basketball. 

Thybulle seems a bit redundant as he's a lot like Alex Caruso. The Bulls need more shooting, not more PoA defenders unless Lonzo's knee is toast. 

A lot of smoke that Lavine coming back not a slam dunk. None of this due to what Lavar said.  Seems like as much as he said all the right stuff - plying next to Demar was probably tough. I saw it a ton with my own eyes with his body language down the stretch where DDR went full ball hog mode after that run. 
 

Something changed midway through the season and yes there were injuries, but DDR tried to make it his team vs their team in terms of how ball dominant he is. You could just see how disengaged Lavine would be and that pissed me off every time I watched (Donovan and DDR on that - I don’t blame Lavine). 
 

That said - I think they genuinely like each other and having Lonzo around probably reduces the DDR ball hog dynamic. And it will be hard for him to turn down all that money - but whose to say we don’t see a sign and trade and a bigger shake up this offseason. 
 

I just know Vuc is not a winning ball player. 

17 hours ago, chw42 said:

 

Sixers fans are excited about getting Coby White for Thybulle. That makes me think they've never seen Coby White play basketball. 

Thybulle seems a bit redundant as he's a lot like Alex Caruso. The Bulls need more shooting, not more PoA defenders unless Lonzo's knee is toast. 

I'd try to use the TPE for Thybulle, just because I want to use Coby in an Ayton S&T.

Gimme Vuc/Coby+ for Ayton, TPE for Thybulle, then use every other resource imaginable on shooters. Obviously, the Suns and 76ers will accept this.

36 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

A lot of smoke that Lavine coming back not a slam dunk. None of this due to what Lavar said.  Seems like as much as he said all the right stuff - plying next to Demar was probably tough. I saw it a ton with my own eyes with his body language down the stretch where DDR went full ball hog mode after that run. 
 

Something changed midway through the season and yes there were injuries, but DDR tried to make it his team vs their team in terms of how ball dominant he is. You could just see how disengaged Lavine would be and that pissed me off every time I watched (Donovan and DDR on that - I don’t blame Lavine). 
 

That said - I think they genuinely like each other and having Lonzo around probably reduces the DDR ball hog dynamic. And it will be hard for him to turn down all that money - but whose to say we don’t see a sign and trade and a bigger shake up this offseason. 
 

I just know Vuc is not a winning ball player. 

Lavar also said he'd go to the Lakers ... where'd be the third string. In Portland, he's a bigger second string. 

25 minutes ago, Quin said:

I'd try to use the TPE for Thybulle, just because I want to use Coby in an Ayton S&T.

Gimme Vuc/Coby+ for Ayton, TPE for Thybulle, then use every other resource imaginable on shooters. Obviously, the Suns and 76ers will accept this.

Lavar also said he'd go to the Lakers ... where'd be the third string. In Portland, he's a bigger second string. 

You think Philly is that desperate to dump his $4.4 million salary? Seems like they're gonna want something back, not just salary relief. 

1 hour ago, Quin said:

I'd try to use the TPE for Thybulle, just because I want to use Coby in an Ayton S&T.

Gimme Vuc/Coby+ for Ayton, TPE for Thybulle, then use every other resource imaginable on shooters. Obviously, the Suns and 76ers will accept this.

Lavar also said he'd go to the Lakers ... where'd be the third string. In Portland, he's a bigger second string. 

I ignore Lavar - but I buy the fact that while Lavine has loved his time in Chicago, I think the way the season ended and how much DDR hogged the ball - plays into what he wants to do.  I don't see him going to the Lakers (cause I don't see that S&T being super attractive) - but he would clearly be a great fit for the Lakers.  Unless of course Bulls get a 3rd team in and get someone they really like in a S&T w/Lavine.  

2 hours ago, Chisoxfn said:

A lot of smoke that Lavine coming back not a slam dunk. None of this due to what Lavar said.  Seems like as much as he said all the right stuff - plying next to Demar was probably tough. I saw it a ton with my own eyes with his body language down the stretch where DDR went full ball hog mode after that run. 
 

Something changed midway through the season and yes there were injuries, but DDR tried to make it his team vs their team in terms of how ball dominant he is. You could just see how disengaged Lavine would be and that pissed me off every time I watched (Donovan and DDR on that - I don’t blame Lavine). 
 

That said - I think they genuinely like each other and having Lonzo around probably reduces the DDR ball hog dynamic. And it will be hard for him to turn down all that money - but whose to say we don’t see a sign and trade and a bigger shake up this offseason. 
 

I just know Vuc is not a winning ball player. 

Welcome to Klutch

5 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

I ignore Lavar - but I buy the fact that while Lavine has loved his time in Chicago, I think the way the season ended and how much DDR hogged the ball - plays into what he wants to do.  I don't see him going to the Lakers (cause I don't see that S&T being super attractive) - but he would clearly be a great fit for the Lakers.  Unless of course Bulls get a 3rd team in and get someone they really like in a S&T w/Lavine.  

They'd also need a team that's willing to take on Russ, knowing the Lakers can barely offer any compensation in return

I don't see the Lakers happening at all.

Jimmy Buckets - I still love you. I was forever right about you. Go win game 7 and than get a title. 

That was not a good shot by Butler. Boston nearly shit the bed but they get it done.

2 hours ago, SoxAce said:

That was not a good shot by Butler. Boston nearly shit the bed but they get it done.

That's the new way to close out a game.  Milk the clock and then shoot a three for the last 5 minutes.

A lot of talk about the bulls being interested in Gobert and Mitchell Robinson. 

 

Not sure I'd go higher than Vooch/White/1R Pick for Rudy. Sounds like it might take that AND Williams.  Definitely gonna pass on that. 

 

Would there be enough scoring if you signed Robinson and traded Vooch for a shooter? Do you think the Bulls would keep Vooch if they signed Robinson and bring Williams off the bench? 

50 minutes ago, scs787 said:

A lot of talk about the bulls being interested in Gobert and Mitchell Robinson. 

 

Not sure I'd go higher than Vooch/White/1R Pick for Rudy. Sounds like it might take that AND Williams.  Definitely gonna pass on that. 

 

Would there be enough scoring if you signed Robinson and traded Vooch for a shooter? Do you think the Bulls would keep Vooch if they signed Robinson and bring Williams off the bench? 

Yeah I kinda buy into the readings that it's not the bulls talking about it as much as everyone else. I am not sure about Gobert. Super exposed, I totally get it, in playoffs as teams neutralized him. But with the current makeup of the east wouldn't he work out a little better than the west?

Not sure where the bulls find 3pt shooting thou

52 minutes ago, bmags said:

Yeah I kinda buy into the readings that it's not the bulls talking about it as much as everyone else. I am not sure about Gobert. Super exposed, I totally get it, in playoffs as teams neutralized him. But with the current makeup of the east wouldn't he work out a little better than the west?

Not sure where the bulls find 3pt shooting thou

Gobert raises the floor of this team a ton in the regular season. But his effectiveness in the postseason is an issue and if the Bulls were to acquire him, they'd have very few assets to acquire any shooters outside of the MLE and the 18th pick. You can also argue that Gobert would clog the paint up for DeRozan quite a bit. I'm not sure those 2 are a great combination. 

If Zack were to sign elsewhere, you can possibly acquire shooting help with a S&T. I've seen some Herro+Lowry trade situations for LaVine pop up, although I'm not sure why Miami would be into a trade like that.