GT # 42, Bulls @ Cavs, 15 Jan 2024, 6 PM CT, NBCSCH

[Indomitable]

Get a 6'9 powerforward.
Get Stanley Johnson
Cut the 64 center.

[drosestruts]

We could cut Terry Taylor and sign 2 of:

Kai Jones - 22 years old. 6'11". Very mobile. Uber athletic.
Darius Bazley - 23 years old. 6'8". Averaged 14 and 7 just two years ago.
KZ Okpala - 24 years old. 6'8". Honestly not that good - but would be taller than Taylor.
Meyers Leonard - 31 years old. 7 feet tall. Career 40% 3P%.

right now.

I'd personally sign Kai Jones and Bazley.

Someone is going to sign Kai Jones before the end of the year. Maybe he's still a headcase. Maybe he's never that good. But I'd rather be the team that finds out first hand then the one kicking ourselves in two years saying "why didn't we sign Kai Jones?"

[Red8911]

Vuc for WCJ/Okeke. Who says no? Oh, the Magic.

Both sides say hell no. Why in the world would you want WCJ back ? Even the Magic want to get rid of him.

[madvillian]

This drives me nuts because I feel AKME purposely constructed the roster like this and have done nothing to change it for several years now.

The irony is that as recently as 2017 we led the NBA in true power forwards. We began that year with Lauri, Niko, and Portis all on the roster -- three true #4s. Now we have zero.

Ugh. BP would be a god send on this team just for his size and attitude and of course bench scoring. MikeDC is right, there's no magical combo BD can use with this bunch to get them better than .500 or so, not with the only options for big men Drummond and Vuc. We desperately need a mobile big man.

[Red8911]

This drives me nuts because I feel AKME purposely constructed the roster like this and have done nothing to change it for several years now.

The irony is that as recently as 2017 we led the NBA in true power forwards. We began that year with Lauri, Niko, and Portis all on the roster -- three true #4s. Now we have zero.

Problem is we’ve had zero for over 2 years.

[jacoby1us]

We could cut Terry Taylor and sign 2 of:

Kai Jones - 22 years old. 6'11". Very mobile. Uber athletic.
Darius Bazley - 23 years old. 6'8". Averaged 14 and 7 just two years ago.
KZ Okpala - 24 years old. 6'8". Honestly not that good - but would be taller than Taylor.
Meyers Leonard - 31 years old. 7 feet tall. Career 40% 3P%.

right now.

I'd personally sign Kai Jones and Bazley.

Someone is going to sign Kai Jones before the end of the year. Maybe he's still a headcase. Maybe he's never that good. But I'd rather be the team that finds out first hand then the one kicking ourselves in two years saying "why didn't we sign Kai Jones?"

Unfortunately, this makes TOO much sense for Bulls management. So therefore it will NEVER happen.

[MrSparkle]

This team is in trouble until they can get some asset(s) for Zach. The squad before he returned obviously wasn’t great, but the two-way effort, chemistry and development looked much better.

I don’t want to sound dramatic, but watching Zach play games past January just sounds painful. They either need to settle on a return before the deadline, or sit him until draft night and figure out something.

Step 2 will be pumping Vuc’s numbers again and moving him for some kind of minor, lateral upgrade. **** happens: NOP got Valanciunas for Adams (granted that deal was more complicated, but Pels won in the end). I think Vuc’s cap friendly deal could definitely be moved on draft night. Depending on our FRP, there could be trade-up options (or down for 2).

Demar might end up being a summer S&T. Seeing as over-the-cap contenders will be most interested in his services, that may end up being our best avenue for getting some late pick(s).

But honestly, I’m eager to move on from all 3. I could think of any mediocre starters in the NBA, and have a hard time time seeing us lose a beat. Replace Zach with Huerter/Divencenzo/Quickley, Vuc with Drummond/Zubac/Capela/Goga… These are replaceable, flawed MLE guys taking up half the cap.

Demar is special at what he does (and extra special when defensively exposed) but he’s 35. So at this point, you replace him with a 3D guy like Bruce Brown, and we probably play better.

Just time to move the pieces. I can’t handle seeing this net neg. group repeat the early season misery again. It’s clockwork. We don’t just lose to good teams; we get absolutely embarrassed by squads, which have their own injuries and issues.

[FriedRise]

We will get another chance on Thursday, because beating Toronto in their building would certainly qualify as a quality win.

Probably not. Toronto will be at home, but they're gonna be on a second night of a back to back (vs Miami).

After that we face a super shorthanded Memphis team at home, so that needs to be a W (i.e. a nailbiter to the last possession because some guy we've never heard of will have a career night shooting from the logo).

Then we get an away game in Phoenix, but Phoenix will also be on a second night of a back to back (vs Indiana).

Our next "quality" game will be @ Lakers, but they're obviously a struggling sub .500 team themselves. We play a tanking Portland team after that.

A lot of these games are away, but plenty of rest between them with like 1 back to back at the very end of the month (CHI -> CLT). This is what I mean by having one of the easiest remaining schedule in the league. And all these games more than halfway through the season and we still haven't faced the terrible Jordan Poole Wizards once lol.

[Wingy]

Vuc for WCJ/Okeke. Who says no? Oh, the Magic.

Both sides say hell no. Why in the world would you want WCJ back ? Even the Magic want to get rid of him.

Unhealthy, yup, that sucks. But 24, can move his feet, on a cheap and declining deal ($13MM this year, just under 12, then just under 11). He’s a good risk, imo.

[Indomitable]

Vuc for WCJ/Okeke. Who says no? Oh, the Magic.

Both sides say hell no. Why in the world would you want WCJ back ? Even the Magic want to get rid of him.

Unhealthy, yup, that sucks. But 24, can move his feet, on a cheap and declining deal ($13MM this year, just under 12, then just under 11). He’s a good risk, imo.

What good does this do?

[Dez]

Both sides say hell no. Why in the world would you want WCJ back ? Even the Magic want to get rid of him.

Unhealthy, yup, that sucks. But 24, can move his feet, on a cheap and declining deal ($13MM this year, just under 12, then just under 11). He’s a good risk, imo.

What good does this do?

A good young C on a very good contract, I'd do it but the Magic aren't taking back Vuc.

[jordanwilliams6]

We could cut Terry Taylor and sign 2 of:

Kai Jones - 22 years old. 6'11". Very mobile. Uber athletic.
Darius Bazley - 23 years old. 6'8". Averaged 14 and 7 just two years ago.
KZ Okpala - 24 years old. 6'8". Honestly not that good - but would be taller than Taylor.
Meyers Leonard - 31 years old. 7 feet tall. Career 40% 3P%.

right now.

I'd personally sign Kai Jones and Bazley.

Someone is going to sign Kai Jones before the end of the year. Maybe he's still a headcase. Maybe he's never that good. But I'd rather be the team that finds out first hand then the one kicking ourselves in two years saying "why didn't we sign Kai Jones?"

Kai Jones Not only is he is complete headcase, he's also absolutely terrible at basketball. Leonard is pointless because we have plenty of size at the C position.

That said, there would be nothing wrong with a Bazley signing.

[Indomitable]

We could cut Terry Taylor and sign 2 of:

Kai Jones - 22 years old. 6'11". Very mobile. Uber athletic.
Darius Bazley - 23 years old. 6'8". Averaged 14 and 7 just two years ago.
KZ Okpala - 24 years old. 6'8". Honestly not that good - but would be taller than Taylor.
Meyers Leonard - 31 years old. 7 feet tall. Career 40% 3P%.

right now.

I'd personally sign Kai Jones and Bazley.

Someone is going to sign Kai Jones before the end of the year. Maybe he's still a headcase. Maybe he's never that good. But I'd rather be the team that finds out first hand then the one kicking ourselves in two years saying "why didn't we sign Kai Jones?"

Unfortunately, this makes TOO much sense for Bulls management. So therefore it will NEVER happen.

The Bulls are poorly run

[Stratmaster]

Anybody watching Cavs/ Bucks?

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[FriedRise]

Anybody watching Cavs/ Bucks?

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Didn’t watch the game, but putting up 135 points by shooting only 28 3s and going to the line 19 times is crazy. Maybe even crazier is Georges Niang leading all scorers in a game where both Mitchell and Dame played lol.

I know Giannis didn’t play, but the Bucks are in trouble with that swiss cheese defense.

[Stratmaster]

Cavs have now won 6 straight, 5 against eastern conference teams. Their average margin of victory in those 6 game has been 22 points.

But all 6 were at home. 2 were against the Wizards. One against the Nets. One against the Spurs. And then the Bulls and the Bucks.

Unfortunately, the Bulls don't have any such stretch at home left this season. They do have a 6 out of 7 at home stretch in March but I believe it includes Boston and a couple other relatively tough teams.

[Ice Man]

Unfortunately, the Bulls don't have any such stretch at home left this season. They do have a 6 out of 7 at home stretch in March but I believe it includes Boston and a couple other relatively tough teams.

The difference between the playoff contending teams in the East and the rest of the field appears on the road. No Eastern team in the Top 7 has a losing record on the road. None have really strong records, either, but they are not losing. Meanwhile, every team in the Bottom 8 is below .500 on the road.

We're 6-13.

[Stratmaster]

Unfortunately, the Bulls don't have any such stretch at home left this season. They do have a 6 out of 7 at home stretch in March but I believe it includes Boston and a couple other relatively tough teams.

The difference between the playoff contending teams in the East and the rest of the field appears on the road. No Eastern team in the Top 7 has a losing record on the road. None have really strong records, either, but they are not losing. Meanwhile, every team in the Bottom 8 is below .500 on the road.

We're 6-13.

Not arguing... don't take it that way because I agree. But it should be noted that the #2 and #5 teams are exactly .500 on the road.

Another common thread. The top 5 in the East are all dominant at home.

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