2024-25 Chicago Bulls Regular Season Thread

[gflore34]

3 hours ago, BigbadB said:

My first favorite Bull. Yeah, I'm that old. 

I'm not much younger, I remember Artis Gilmore, Reggie Theus, Orlando Woolridge, Johnny Mengelt, think it's just a little after the Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier days.

[Tryptamine]

There is just nothing exciting worth watching on this team

[UMFan83]

1 hour ago, Tryptamine said:

There is just nothing exciting worth watching on this team

I thought Richard Jefferson said it quite well yesterday on the pre-game show before their loss to Milwaukee:

 

 

It's 100% true.  The Bulls are completely irrelevant and they're not headed in the right direction.  They're not really headed in any direction, just kind of sitting there not bad enough to get a top pick in a deep draft, not good enough to likely even threaten for a play-in spot.  I just don't see any sort of strategic vision at all.  

The Thunder literally have 14 first round picks in the next 5 drafts including up to 5 in next year's draft, widely considered to be one of the deeper drafts in years.  They cant possibly use all those picks.  They probably give them out as stocking stuffers.  Caruso was probably the Bulls most in demand trade chip and they couldn't manage to pry a 1st away from the Thunder, instead settling for an unathletic flawed point guard who is 1 year away from RFA and a much bigger contract.  A guy who was so valued by the Thunder that he was benched during crunch time of playoff games the previous year and has already started being benched during crunch time of games for the Bulls this year. 

In fact, going back to that upcoming super deep draft, the Bulls technically don't even own a 1st round pick in the draft unless they finish inside the top 10.  Definitely a possibility that they do, but they seem to be built to be decent enough that they will flirt with not keeping that pick. And if they do keep the pick, that future 1st they own the Spurs for a player who isn't on the Bulls anymore will continue to hurt their flexibility in the future until that pick is conveyed (bc of the rule that you can't trade back to back 1sts).

They have a couple of decent trade chips, especially if LaVine keeps rebuilding his value but nothing that would suggest the Bulls can load up on 1st round picks like the Thunder and Jazz have.  In fact, I'm not sure they can land any 1sts with the players they have on the team outside of maybe Coby White.  They don't really have any young talent with superstar upside unless Buzelis becomes something but were probably multiple years from finding out if that will happen.  So they don't have any superstars and have no pathway towards acquiring a superstar any time soon,  They're just a generic middling NBA franchise that other fanbases forget exists unless they are playing their team. And this is perfectly acceptable to those in charge because somehow the Bulls still draw incredibly well despite sky high ticket prices.  I don't get it...probably because Chicago has a customer pool of 9.5 million to draw from and there's nothing to do in Chicago in the dead of the winter.

This long rant may suggest I'm angry about all of this.  And I guess there is a part of me that is still angry because deep down I'm still a fan of them.  But the feeling I feel most about the Bulls is apathy.  For the past couple of years once it became clear that the direction they have taken is 'no direction' and it became clear there was no urgency to change that, I simply stopped caring.  Anyone who has posted here long enough knows how much emotional energy I put towards caring about sports teams.  But I've lost that emotional energy towards the Bulls.  I'm sure if they somehow figured it out and/or got a superstar or something to be excited about I'd be back.  But as it stands right now, I just don't give too much of a horsefeathers anymore.  I read the news, check out the box scores but I have no desire to actually watch them play basketball or spend time playing with the trade machine to try to figure out ways to make the Bulls good again.  If a Bulls game is close late and I actually have access to the channel (another issue this season), I'll put it on and half watch it but that's about as much effort as I have for them right now.

[SpongeWorthy]

47 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

I thought Richard Jefferson said it quite well yesterday on the pre-game show before their loss to Milwaukee:

 

 

It's 100% true.  The Bulls are completely irrelevant and they're not headed in the right direction.  They're not really headed in any direction, just kind of sitting there not bad enough to get a top pick in a deep draft, not good enough to likely even threaten for a play-in spot.  I just don't see any sort of strategic vision at all.  

The Thunder literally have 14 first round picks in the next 5 drafts including up to 5 in next year's draft, widely considered to be one of the deeper drafts in years.  They cant possibly use all those picks.  They probably give them out as stocking stuffers.  Caruso was probably the Bulls most in demand trade chip and they couldn't manage to pry a 1st away from the Thunder, instead settling for an unathletic flawed point guard who is 1 year away from RFA and a much bigger contract.  A guy who was so valued by the Thunder that he was benched during crunch time of playoff games the previous year and has already started being benched during crunch time of games for the Bulls this year. 

In fact, going back to that upcoming super deep draft, the Bulls technically don't even own a 1st round pick in the draft unless they finish inside the top 10.  Definitely a possibility that they do, but they seem to be built to be decent enough that they will flirt with not keeping that pick. And if they do keep the pick, that future 1st they own the Spurs for a player who isn't on the Bulls anymore will continue to hurt their flexibility in the future until that pick is conveyed (bc of the rule that you can't trade back to back 1sts).

They have a couple of decent trade chips, especially if LaVine keeps rebuilding his value but nothing that would suggest the Bulls can load up on 1st round picks like the Thunder and Jazz have.  In fact, I'm not sure they can land any 1sts with the players they have on the team outside of maybe Coby White.  They don't really have any young talent with superstar upside unless Buzelis becomes something but were probably multiple years from finding out if that will happen.  So they don't have any superstars and have no pathway towards acquiring a superstar any time soon,  They're just a generic middling NBA franchise that other fanbases forget exists unless they are playing their team. And this is perfectly acceptable to those in charge because somehow the Bulls still draw incredibly well despite sky high ticket prices.  I don't get it...probably because Chicago has a customer pool of 9.5 million to draw from and there's nothing to do in Chicago in the dead of the winter.

This long rant may suggest I'm angry about all of this.  And I guess there is a part of me that is still angry because deep down I'm still a fan of them.  But the feeling I feel most about the Bulls is apathy.  For the past couple of years once it became clear that the direction they have taken is 'no direction' and it became clear there was no urgency to change that, I simply stopped caring.  Anyone who has posted here long enough knows how much emotional energy I put towards caring about sports teams.  But I've lost that emotional energy towards the Bulls.  I'm sure if they somehow figured it out and/or got a superstar or something to be excited about I'd be back.  But as it stands right now, I just don't give too much of a horsefeathers anymore.  I read the news, check out the box scores but I have no desire to actually watch them play basketball or spend time playing with the trade machine to try to figure out ways to make the Bulls good again.  If a Bulls game is close late and I actually have access to the channel (another issue this season), I'll put it on and half watch it but that's about as much effort as I have for them right now.

mikal bridges was traded for four unprotected FRPs and a swap like 12 hours ago

we have the raw material to get multiple FRPs but not the will or the competence 

lavine, vuc, white, giddey, williams, ayo all need to be on the block and get this thing ripped down to the studs so we have multiple lottery picks in this draft and more in the future 

won’t happen but that’s the path forward 

[bukie]

The Bulls are the worst run sports organization in Chicago, and there's a healthy competition for that spot.

[Tryptamine]

32 minutes ago, SpongeWorthy said:

mikal bridges was traded for four unprotected FRPs and a swap like 12 hours ago

we have the raw material to get multiple FRPs but not the will or the competence 

lavine, vuc, white, giddey, williams, ayo all need to be on the block and get this thing ripped down to the studs so we have multiple lottery picks in this draft and more in the future 

won’t happen but that’s the path forward 

Except they completely suck at drafting too. The FO needs to be wiped, the roster needs to be wiped and ownership needs to be wiped before they become relevant again.

[gflore34]

16 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

Except they completely suck at drafting too. The FO needs to be wiped, the roster needs to be wiped and ownership needs to be wiped before they become relevant again.

Without a doubt, given a chance, they'll just draft some version of Patrick Williams again.  Like they did with Phillips, Terry and Buzelis, don't get the fascination with long athletic guys who can't shoot and aren't really good basketball players.

[WrigleyField 22]

Bulls timeline cleanser

 

 

 

[17 Seconds]

when does Zach become tradeable? he's playing really well

[SpongeWorthy]

it's a shame the celtics were allowed to win a title before the rules were changed (and they will be within the next 3-5 seasons guaranteed) to nerf three point attempts, their "brand" of basketball is truly unwatchable

 

[UMFan83]

I had a nice 30 minutes of caring about Bulls basketball when I realized that a) the Bulls could win their in season tournament group with a win and b) they were winning.  Deep down I knew that the in season tournament is meaningless and that the Bulls would ultimately lose to Boston but for those 30 minutes I felt excitement about Chicago sports

[NorthsideAvenger]

7 hours ago, SpongeWorthy said:

it's a shame the celtics were allowed to win a title before the rules were changed (and they will be within the next 3-5 seasons guaranteed) to nerf three point attempts, their "brand" of basketball is truly unwatchable

 

To be fair, the NBA in general is very hard to watch not just the Celtics. It is one of many reasons why I simply boxscore follow the Bulls instead of watching.

[Omar]

On 11/21/2024 at 3:36 PM, Tryptamine said:

There is just nothing exciting worth watching on this team

Good to know, because I don't have CHSN. (YouTube TV)

[Derwood]

4 hours ago, NorthsideAvenger said:

To be fair, the NBA in general is very hard to watch not just the Celtics. It is one of many reasons why I simply boxscore follow the Bulls instead of watching.

I stopped watching NBA several years ago because I found it so dreadfully boring.

Also, they need to stop it with the floor designs. JFC, watching for 2 minutes is enough to give you an aneurysm

[Omar]

Have the players complained about the floor designs?

[Derwood]

1 minute ago, Omar said:

Have the players complained about the floor designs?

No idea, but I just can't with them

[BigbadB]

20 hours ago, Derwood said:

I stopped watching NBA several years ago because I found it so dreadfully boring.

Also, they need to stop it with the floor designs. JFC, watching for 2 minutes is enough to give you an aneurysm

Yeah, I pretty much hate the floor designs. I was actually under the impression they were some sort of AI generated graphic like the yellow first down line in the NFL. Even worse if the players and attending fans see it.

[17 Seconds]

scottie has completely lost it

 

[17 Seconds]

 

[Old Style]

On 11/21/2024 at 10:10 AM, gflore34 said:

I'm not much younger, I remember Artis Gilmore, Reggie Theus, Orlando Woolridge, Johnny Mengelt, think it's just a little after the Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier days.

Don’t remember Mengelt but I absolutely remember the other 3. Loved watching those teams. 

[gflore34]

14 minutes ago, 17 Seconds said:

 

Do the Nuggets have the assets?  In this case the Bulls can and should hold for a big time return, LaVine is playing pretty well, no reason the Bulls shouldn't ask the world for him.

[17 Seconds]

lavine is underrated when healthy, but I hope they just dump the contract while they have the chance

[BigbadB]

13 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Do the Nuggets have the assets?  In this case the Bulls can and should hold for a big time return, LaVine is playing pretty well, no reason the Bulls shouldn't ask the world for him.

I'm not sure I see it that way. This might be the only window to get rid of him, and if you can you must do it. It's one of the worst contracts in the NBA. I had the game on Monday night and I'm not sure I've ever watched a more painful NBA game, and the Bulls actually won. Run down the court as fast as you can and fire up a 3, doesn't matter who it is. And make sure all 5 guys are beyond the arc so there is no one to rebound the likely miss. 

They were 14-51 from 3 point land this past Friday and then 14-40 on Monday. Booooring!

[The_Achiever]

On 11/22/2024 at 11:57 AM, gflore34 said:

Without a doubt, given a chance, they'll just draft some version of Patrick Williams again.  Like they did with Phillips, Terry and Buzelis, don't get the fascination with long athletic guys who can't shoot and aren't really good basketball players.

I disagree with you on Matas, but otherwise, yeah.  AKME has drafted very poorly and have lost on just about every other move they make.  I cannot believe how horrible that Patrick Williams contract is, a player option for this guy in year 5?!?! 

However, one pick they did get right is Ayo and he is really the only reason I follow the Bulls anymore (Illini fan, he brought Illini hoops back).  I still am a fan of the Bulls and want desperately for them to be good, but I doubt I would have watched them much at all this year without him.  

Edited December 18, 2024 by The_Achiever

[Andy]

54 minutes ago, BigbadB said:

I had the game on Monday night and I'm not sure I've ever watched a more painful NBA game, and the Bulls actually won. Run down the court as fast as you can and fire up a 3, doesn't matter who it is. And make sure all 5 guys are beyond the arc so there is no one to rebound the likely miss. 

They were 14-51 from 3 point land this past Friday and then 14-40 on Monday. Booooring!

Unfortunately that's how the game is played now. It's pretty much the same strategy Boston used to win the championship last year, they just have better players so it works.