PG: Bulls bumslay Grizz

[Dan Z]

Game is over and the Bulls won by 29. Game thread is on its 4th page. AKME killed the Bulls realgm.com board.

For me personally, I just cant escape apathy and the feeling like this is a dead end team. Feels like there are less than 5 players on the team now that will still be on the team when they start taking building a consistent winner seriously. There's barely even youth to watch develop, its Coby and then Flat Pat who unless I watch really carefully looks the same as when we got him in 2020. Feels like NBA purgatory, ill get excited again close to draft time since the BUlls thankfully actually have a pick this year.

I wish I could get excited about a Bulls draft pick

This front office absolutely SUCKS at drafting

There's no point

AK has drafted two times in the first round (PW and Terry) and once in the 2nd (Ayo). That's not much of a track record to go by, but I tend to agree with you. You could also count Julian Phillps who he drafted in the 2nd through a trade.

The other thing is that he's said that he doesn't want a high draft pick (he said this after picking PW).

[BullChit]

Very costly for the organization. Good riddance to him for his error in judgment. He created a lot of drama and distraction in the first month of the season, and basically derailed the year.

If he regrets the demand, then he should play his ass off instead of posting career low stats in every category. A great player should not have this hard a time fitting onto any team, even with a bruised knee. He makes $45m, not $20m or 27 like DeVuc.

Go with your disdain, you’re entitled to fan however you see it. I’ve argued plenty on behalf of a player I don’t even like that much. The things that bug you are probably why. I take them in and don’t see a particularly likable guy. On the other hand, I don’t dislike him, and certainly don’t see him as some villain like much of the board does now.

The man who derailed the season, and the franchise is actually Arturas Karnisovas.

I don't think he's a villain or anything, but the bolded part is a big deal. The internet makes everyone a contrarian, even against their own better judgement. Your better judgement is that you don't like him much. Being a fan shouldn't be some kind of dissociative disorder where we're compelled to defend guys we don't like the way people do with politicians. The whole point of being a fan is to have fun and enjoy it, and cheering for a guy who isn't very likable is not very fun.

I like to call that particular dissociative disorder "Amin'ing" where you feel like you need to continually look like you support everybody even when you don't or don't need to.

[Wingy]

I don't think he's a villain or anything, but the bolded part is a big deal. The internet makes everyone a contrarian, even against their own better judgement. Your better judgement is that you don't like him much. Being a fan shouldn't be some kind of dissociative disorder where we're compelled to defend guys we don't like the way people do with politicians. The whole point of being a fan is to have fun and enjoy it, and cheering for a guy who isn't very likable is not very fun.

Just being some ‘look at me!’ contrarian is about as opposite as it gets when it comes to my world view and who I am. This is simply what I believe.

I do legit like Zach. I just don’t like him a whole lot. I do absolutely think he’s getting the villain treatment in these parts. I think that’s absurd, and why I’m having these debates. There’s a broad, dramatic group think, bitter mob mentality from a good number that’s just out of whack with reality. I’m not some individual, special bright spot to highlight it. Just calling it as I see it.

Though yeah. I just can’t bring that much more energy to defend any of these guys, even a Coby White who I’m a 10 out of 10 in terms of being a fan of on this current team. These are a bunch of rich, wildly talented beyond our dreams guys who I’ve already spent enough time “defending” and I don’t feel the need to go on for another 10 pages doing so when it’s completely inconsequential to them, and isn’t going to ultimately change any of your minds.

[DropStep]

Am I the only one enjoying watching this team?

This is what I have been waiting on. I don't believe in tanking and the idea our franchise guy is in the draft anymore. I believe in finding players putting them together finding a system and continuing to flip the roster until something begins to click and winning begins to happen. Then once that winning takes place find the holes and fill them without disrupting your core.

Right now it appears we have at least found the core that will compete and get some winning going. Now it's about the next phase, identifying the holes and filling them, adding quality players to help catapult us into a contending team. Then once you get the contending team it's simply about match ups and luck. Just how the NBA works which is why out of all these years the league has been in existence its still only a handful of franchises that have won titles.

Interesting. I don't think you can really luck your way to a trophy, most times - the champ usually ends up being one of three teams you could have named before the season. It's not like you can usually just be a legit 48 win team and beat the Nuggets or the Warriors or Spurs in their prime in a best of seven finals. Recently Miami is about the closest I can immediately think of to "matchups and luck," but I think most people feel they are a special case - a veteran team springing from an all-time great infrastructure that doesn't care about the regular season and pulls this magic act repeatedly, but (so far, in this iteration) they never get over the final hump. Even getting that far is a minor miracle - you have to have Riley and Spo, I think. The fact that only a (big) handful of teams have won NBA titles speaks against the importance of matchups and luck, not for it - if luck was such a big part, there would be more parity of championships. You don't really get a 1985 Villanova championship in the NBA. That sounds more like the NFL (Eli Giants, for example), or especially MLB (Nationals, 2014 Giants). Winning 90 games every year in baseball and sneaking in is a pretty good way to eventually end up with some championships.

Maybe the Raptors were close to matchups and luck, in a way, if you consider "luck" as having Durant and Klay get hit by snipers, and Kawhi not only joining the team briefly, but having that shot bounce six times and go in. But, even they had the second best record in the league.

[Indomitable]

Who’s talking about his play?

1. I highlighted why it makes sense that he wants out.

2. The team isn’t somehow this new winning group without him.

So beating the worst team in basketball not named the Pistons means something.

Bulls fans deserve to be stuck in this mediocre hell.

We lack length which is why we struggle against most teams. Ball and Craig really helps with that. People do you watch other teams.

Look at how many deflections are caused by having longer people simply having their hands up.

Looks like Chicago is 8th in deflections per game and 4th in total deflections. Tied for 6th in Loose Balls Recovered. 10th in Total Screen Assists. According to the NBA Advanced Stats site.

21 in pts off screens
13 assist off screens
14th loose balls recovered offensive
8th def loose ball
10th loose ball recovered
22nd % off loose balls recover
9th def loose balls recovered

[wojoaderge]

Am I the only one enjoying watching this team?

No, this is the my favorite Bulls teams to watch ever

Yes, indeed

[Ice Man]

Ha! This "bumslaying" turned out to be more impressive than it seemed. The past 5 games for the Griz -

Warriors - Home win
Wolves - Road loss
Bulls - Road loss
Raps - Road win
Heat - Road win

We're looking mighty good by that measure.