Lonzo Ball Recovery tracking thread update p76 - Lonzo Has Started Sprinting!

[CROBulls]

Good for Lonzo to collect that money from prick Reinsdorf. Aint gonna defend ever anyone in management or owner from Bulls side ever. Rob them free, like they robbed me of my fandom.

[Rose2Boozer]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

[sco]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

I get the anger sentiment, but I have a hard time seeing the team hurt its chances after next season (which we all know is a transitional year) by putting some of Ball's salary into the future. At the very least, he'll have trade deadline value as an expiring contract.

[ChettheJet]

Anybody who didn't think he would opt in is too dumb to post. The Bulls signed a guy who got hurt, grow up it happens, people invest millions of dollars in racehorses and maybe they win, maybe they're slow maybe they break down and have to be put down. You know that going in.

I wonder what kind of updates on his recovery will come and when. I can't be in the death and dismemberment club like some of you. I don't mind being the optimist that thinks he might play this year. And you know what, I think he could have enough character and love for the game that I can see him signing with the Bulls for a couple of years at less money in appreciation of sticking by him like man and NOT trading his contract like he was a piece of meat.

[DuckIII]

I can see him signing with the Bulls for a couple of years at less money in appreciation of sticking by him like man and NOT trading his contract like he was a piece of meat.

Maybe even on the veteran minimum, or like a barter situation where the Bulls provide him with uniforms and a place to practice for free and in return he provides point guard services.

[Axl Rose]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

1 and done sounds better than turning it into 3 years. Bulls are dead in the water anyway, stretching Lonzo is nonsensical.

I can see him signing with the Bulls for a couple of years at less money in appreciation of sticking by him

Appreciate that he appreciates (though the story is more like the Bulls couldn't trade his contract) but no thanks.

[fleet]

Anybody who didn't think he would opt in is too dumb to post. The Bulls signed a guy who got hurt, grow up it happens, people invest millions of dollars in racehorses and maybe they win, maybe they're slow maybe they break down and have to be put down. You know that going in.

I wonder what kind of updates on his recovery will come and when. I can't be in the death and dismemberment club like some of you. I don't mind being the optimist that thinks he might play this year. And you know what, I think he could have enough character and love for the game that I can see him signing with the Bulls for a couple of years at less money in appreciation of sticking by him like man and NOT trading his contract like he was a piece of meat.

What kinds of tempting offers do you think would have been on the table for the Bulls?

[SalmonsSuperfan]

Anybody who didn't think he would opt in is too dumb to post. The Bulls signed a guy who got hurt, grow up it happens, people invest millions of dollars in racehorses and maybe they win, maybe they're slow maybe they break down and have to be put down. You know that going in.

I wonder what kind of updates on his recovery will come and when. I can't be in the death and dismemberment club like some of you. I don't mind being the optimist that thinks he might play this year. And you know what, I think he could have enough character and love for the game that I can see him signing with the Bulls for a couple of years at less money in appreciation of sticking by him like man and NOT trading his contract like he was a piece of meat.

What kinds of tempting offers do you think would have been on the table for the Bulls?

big baller brand boost, don't sleep on that!

I see the point though, it does seem like the Bulls were very gracious with Lonzo regarding this whole situation. At least publicly. Personally if I was the GM I would have been forcing him into medical retirement. Lonzo's contract has crippled this team for years and the Bulls seemingly didn't shame him for it. Maybe that counts for something. I don't know why we would want to resign him though, I'm still not convinced he's ever going to play basketball again.

[WindyCityBorn]

No need to stretch Lonzo for this dead end roster. Just let him expire.

[Evil_Headband]

My concern is they might waive and stretch for luxury tax reasons.

[MisterRoy]

I'd be surprised if they did that. Bad look for the organization and the Bulls don't need that.


Sent from somewhere you’ve never been.

[Red8911]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

I get the anger sentiment, but I have a hard time seeing the team hurt its chances after next season (which we all know is a transitional year) by putting some of Ball's salary into the future. At the very least, he'll have trade deadline value as an expiring contract.

Why not ? Gives the bulls an extra roster spot instead of having an injured guy who will be limited (if he even plays) and would give them a bit more cap space to work with as well.

They should obviously try to trade him if it’s even possible but if not then waiving him is the best second option. Just need to move on from him already, there’s no benefit of him staying on the Bulls anymore.

[sco]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

I get the anger sentiment, but I have a hard time seeing the team hurt its chances after next season (which we all know is a transitional year) by putting some of Ball's salary into the future. At the very least, he'll have trade deadline value as an expiring contract.

Why not ? Gives the bulls an extra roster spot instead of having an injured guy who will be limited (if he even plays) and would give them a bit more cap space to work with as well.

They should obviously try to trade him if it’s even possible but if not then waiving him is the best second option. Just need to move on from him already, there’s no benefit of him staying on the Bulls anymore.

I just think that whatever benefit they get through waiving him, given their current cap/tax situation next season, will have a negligible impact vs. the benefit of not having to carry any of his $ into the following year(s). And I base this on the fact that they won't contend next season no matter what they do with Ball. Honestly, I think the probability weighted best outcome is that Ball regains his previous game and is healthy because on that 5% chance, we are actually adding a major positive player to our rotation and could conceivably keep him going forward.

[WindyCityBorn]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

I get the anger sentiment, but I have a hard time seeing the team hurt its chances after next season (which we all know is a transitional year) by putting some of Ball's salary into the future. At the very least, he'll have trade deadline value as an expiring contract.

Why not ? Gives the bulls an extra roster spot instead of having an injured guy who will be limited (if he even plays) and would give them a bit more cap space to work with as well.

They should obviously try to trade him if it’s even possible but if not then waiving him is the best second option. Just need to move on from him already, there’s no benefit of him staying on the Bulls anymore.

Because of financial reasons. That extra $5 million per year or whatever that gets stretched might really matter two or three years from now with how aggressively ownership avoids the luxury tax. This is play-in team at best no matter what happens with Ball. It’s that simple.

He could actually have value as a big expiring deal next trade deadline.

[poolshark52]

Quick extend him now. Continuity baby.

[jnrjr79]

Stretch dude and let him go play with his brother. Just over seven million over three years isn't going to hurt the team going forward.

I get the anger sentiment, but I have a hard time seeing the team hurt its chances after next season (which we all know is a transitional year) by putting some of Ball's salary into the future. At the very least, he'll have trade deadline value as an expiring contract.

Why not ? Gives the bulls an extra roster spot instead of having an injured guy who will be limited (if he even plays) and would give them a bit more cap space to work with as well.

They should obviously try to trade him if it’s even possible but if not then waiving him is the best second option. Just need to move on from him already, there’s no benefit of him staying on the Bulls anymore.

I suspect the Bulls see whether they can pull off a draft night trade of LaVine before they make a decision on whether to stretch Ball. If they can maneuver themselves out of the tax without stretching him, I'd imagine they'd prefer that.

[Rainwater]

He is never playing another NBA game, and AkME could ne should have gotten a medical removal from the cap, but ownership would rather pay less in total salaries due to insurance covering ball.

Pretty certain Ball will play again, the medical relief point is thing is kinda moot.

[Rainwater]

the poor man's derrick recovery thread...extended mix!

I think Lonzo has a better shot of being his old first self when compared to Rose. The surgery Lonzo had is not as complex.

[sco]

the poor man's derrick recovery thread...extended mix!

I think Lonzo has a better shot of being his old first self when compared to Rose. The surgery Lonzo had is not as complex.

Oh you mean the "not as complex" surgery that Lonzo had that nobody has ever come back from?

That said, to me it's not just the coming back part, but the staying back part that I question. If there's a good part to the Lonzo risk profile is that his game was not predicated on jumping or sprinting.

[dougthonus]

He is never playing another NBA game, and AkME could ne should have gotten a medical removal from the cap, but ownership would rather pay less in total salaries due to insurance covering ball.

Pretty certain Ball will play again, the medical relief point is thing is kinda moot.

I think the Bulls should have tried to get medical relief for him last summer. Even if he popped back on the cap this summer, they would have had him fully off all of last year and we would have had some wiggle room. You knew he wasn't going to come back that year.

This year, you are right, there is a risk that if you remove him from the cap he gets picked up somewhere and plays in 12 games and you get screwed, so you'd be in a high risk situation using your space. The one advantage you'd have is that you'd know by all-star break how likely it is, so at the deadline you could probably make moves with certainty as to whether he'll hit your books or not.

If we got medical relief, insurance would still pay his bills, so the cash outflow isn't really changing unless you are bringing in other players, but given we don't have any meaningful avenues to do that even if we get medical relief, it probably wouldn't change the total cash outflows a whole lot. I think it's just bitter stuff thinking that ownership is really that cheap, they've shown no real signs of it.

What they have shown is: We will not pay the luxury tax unless you are getting into the 2nd round and have a legit chance to go further. AK even said it at the press conference (top 4 in the conference). That's a reasonable bar and about what everyone else does too. We definitely aren't a spendy franchise by any stretch of the imagination, but we aren't showing any spending constraints outside of the tax line.