Z-man, I agree we have flexibility

If the best thing you can say about a bad off-season is that it’s flexible enough to only fuck up 1 or 2 seasons, I mean….

re: Z-Man’s ridiculous proclamation that we would have been “locked into mediocrity for 5 years” with the Bulls off-season, I counter that the 4 year deals signed by Ball and Caruso have more flexibility (i.e. the ability to be moved for an asset) than any of the two year deals for Burks, Noel, and Kemba.

the three year deal for DeRozan was and still is a risk, but I don’t believe for a second that the three year deal we gave to French Hardaway can ever be moved without picks attached to it.

You clearly have selective reading when it comes to my posts, willfully ignoring anything I say that is critical of Leon and Thibs

I read the post where you said having the Bulls off-season would have been a horrible outcome. That’s just insane, dude. It is literally impossible, with hindsight, to genuinely believe that Leon’s off-season moves were better than the other ones that the Bulls showed were available. You have to either be trolling or thoroughly committed to an agenda to make that statement.

PS Ayo Dosunmu was the win now player Leon was looking for.

E, all merc’d out:
The last time they had “flexibility,” they spent all their cap room on Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Evan Fournier, and incinerated the 19th pick in the draft.

They should have been in the lottery last year.The empty building year was pure fools gold and it was pretty clear (obvious, really) after they got creamed in the playoffs by the 5 seed.I agree that it would have been tough to act on the realization, but in a hypercompetitive environment, that’s what you have to do.

They’re 7-13 in their last 20 against a not-difficult schedule.They aren’t even mediocre right now.The absolute worst thing they can do now is yet another band-aid move to try to salvage a playoff spot.They should be sellers at the deadline, not buyers.They desperately need young legs and young talent in the organization and the only way to get that is through the draft and better yet, the lottery.

They should trade Randle and normalize the offense and the roster.Broken record on this one.

I’m not sure where you go with Tom Thibodeau as the coach given the true reality of where you are.I don’t see any purpose in keeping him around to squeeze out the occasional Thibs win and continue to agitate for his older guys and continue to bleat to Berman about Bullock and continue to do things like intentionally and willingly play Alec Burks starters’ minutes at point guard.Is he the right coach for the true place they’re in as an organization and the best path forward?Probably not.

I agree. If the bench is outperforming the starters so badly, what do you really have to lose?

I think the older starters (except Fournier) *may* be able to sold off piecemeal because I think they’re better individually than the sum of their parts.

I wonder if Portland is our mark. They seem to want to make one more run with Lillard.

cybersoze:
Please, don’t envy the Bulls until you check how they do in the playoffs. The saying is you can hide a bad defender in the playoffs (eg, Hawks and Trae), but you can’t hide two. Let’s wait to see how they’ll hide THREE (Lavine, DeRozan and Vuc).

I tend to agree, although I do think this is a rare opportunity for teams to make a finals run with Kyrie, Kawhi, and Simmons out of the mix.

Hubert: No actually that’s the outcome we did get. In the alternate outcome, we’re good.

And is RJ shooting like Zach LaVine in this alternate universe? Also don’t forget that while DeMar has been an awesome signing so far, he’s 32 and it’s still only been 24 games.

They should have been in the lottery last year. The empty building year was pure fools gold and it was pretty clear (obvious, really) after they got creamed in the playoffs by the 5 seed. I agree that it would have been tough to act on the realization, but in a hypercompetitive environment, that’s what you have to do.

They’re 7-13 in their last 20 against a not-difficult schedule. They aren’t even mediocre right now. The absolute worst thing they can do now is yet another band-aid move to try to salvage a playoff spot. They should be sellers at the deadline, not buyers. They desperately need young legs and young talent in the organization and the only way to get that is through the draft and better yet, the lottery.

They should trade Randle and normalize the offense and the roster. Broken record on this one.

I’m not sure where you go with Tom Thibodeau as the coach given the true reality of where you are. I don’t see any purpose in keeping him around to squeeze out the occasional Thibs win and continue to agitate for his older guys and continue to bleat to Berman about Bullock and continue to do things like intentionally and willingly play Alec Burks starters’ minutes at point guard. Is he the right coach for the true place they’re in as an organization and the best path forward? Probably not.