January 2020 Game Thread

**dabears34ft** · 01-23-2021, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by ChitownbullsBG7

I can care less about trading zach for Harden. My problem is the over rating of Zach in here. For example, Most in here say Coby isn't a playmaker. Yet he has over a 2 to 1 assist\to ratio while only having a 22% usage. Yet alot of people in here has it likely for him to not improve even though he has but zach who has a 1 to 1 assist/to ratio in his 7th year can still improve on his playmaking even though he isn't that good at playmaking for others.

Or

The fact that you are comparing a 25 y/o Zach to Harden and Kobe.

I honestly feel like that's why I'm meh on him and wouldn't care if he is traded or resigned. I know you didn't say this but saying that if he didn't make an all-star game then something is wrong with the nba and that defense shouldn't matter when they take allstars into account....... Statements like that would mean he should be a lock to get in. Meanwhile you have guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie, Harden, KD, Jrue, Middleton, Brogdan, Beal......etc

It's like because he can score he gets a pass for his weaknesses but no one else on the roster gets that same pass. A high usage guy who isn't a good natural playmaker is tough to win with. Honestly I can only think of one guy who had similar weaknesses to Lavine win it all as a #2 and that was Jason Terry. And again he was on the perfect team as the #2 and everything had to fall perfectly in line for them to win.

I agree with you on the Coby hypocrisy. People forget how old he is. He has ages to grow, and he's already far along. He's showing signs of Lou Williams at 20 years old.

As for my Zach/Kobe/Harden debate, you can't deny the numbers on offense. And offense is the only he deserves a comparison at this point. He is efficiently dominating on that end right now. As a pure scorer, when he reaches his prime, he will probably be a top 3 scorer in the league. I don't think we give him a pass on his faults though. I gave him like 75% of the blame for our loss to OKC. Coby the other 25%. In our 4 game losing streak, Lavine took a bad heat check late in every game that cost us. But then after getting openly called out by Billy D, you saw growth vs. the Rockets, in a late game scenario that he's been struggling with. When it comes to skills, Lavine is a star already. Mentally he still has a ways to go, but there are signs of improving there. Will his mind catch up to his talent? We don't know, but at 25, I don't expect him to be a finished product.

For what the Bulls are trying to build, 25 year old Zach Lavine is a better fit than a 31 year old James Harden. Lavine is going to get a max, no doubt about it, but that max will be played out in his prime. 27-32 years old. Harden is going to get paid even more for his next contract, and it's going to be on his wind down.

**dabears34ft** · 01-23-2021, 03:42 PM

Over this entire month, I haven't felt like the Bulls were a true underdog since the Bucks game, and this months schedule was brutal. The main reason why I feel comfortable every game is because A) who is going to stop Lavine B) our veterans are stepping up C) Billy D can coach and that I trust he will make the right adjustments throughout the game.

**KG2TB** · 01-23-2021, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by dabears34ft

Over this entire month, I haven't felt like the Bulls were a true underdog since the Bucks game, and this months schedule was brutal. The main reason why I feel comfortable every game is because A) who is going to stop Lavine B) our veterans are stepping up C) Billy D can coach and that I trust he will make the right adjustments throughout the game.

They should at least be .500 right now because of the GS game. They let some others slip away but they’re growing from that. There’s going to be some bumps along the way, but they could really start clicking the second half of the season, and POTENTIALLY be a team no one really wants to face in the 1st round. If they get to the playoffs this year, which should absolutely be the number one goal. No playoffs this year and it’s hard not to look at the season as a little bit of a disappointment. That experience is invaluable for LaVine, Coby, Lauri, WCJ, and Williams.

**dabears34ft** · 01-23-2021, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by KG2TB

They should at least be .500 right now because of the GS game. They let some others slip away but they’re growing from that. There’s going to be some bumps along the way, but they could really start clicking the second half of the season, and POTENTIALLY be a team no one really wants to face in the 1st round. If they get to the playoffs this year, which should absolutely be the number one goal. No playoffs this year and it’s hard not to look at the season as a little bit of a disappointment. That experience is invaluable for LaVine, Coby, Lauri, WCJ, and Williams.

The way we are playing, I don't think playoffs is a pipe dream anymore. Especially when you look at how many key contributors we've had miss time due to Covid or small injuries. In a way, we may be benefitting from the short handed lineups. It allowed our young guys to grow.

Last year we had no wings, no depth, but our young guys got us out to a bunch of fast starts. It just wasn't sustainable with our piss poor in game coaching, and the lack of depth and complete lack of a quality 3 for the majority of the season. Our young guys are a year older now, they are improving across the board, we have great wing depth, and our bench is not only deep, but full of veterans. If Coby/Zach/Pat/Lauri/Wendell could keep getting out to fast starts, then Sato/Temple/Otto/Thad should have no problem maintaining and even building those leads. Ideally we stagger Coby and Lavine to always have a go to scorer in the lineup. It also helps having Arci/Valentine/Hutch/Gafford for depth when we aren't at full strength. Valentine is evn making a case to be a part of our 2nd group rotation.

**dabears34ft** · 01-23-2021, 05:51 PM

It would definitely be nice if we can make the playoffs though. Players tend to use the playoffs to springboard their careers. Two guys who definitely did that were CJ Mac and Jamal Murray. I could see Coby White being that guy for us.

Playoff games would also help us with our impending Lauri decision this summer. If he flops like Niko Mirotic always did, that would make our decision on him pretty easy this summer.

**KG2TB** · 01-23-2021, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by dabears34ft

It would definitely be nice if we can make the playoffs though. Players tend to use the playoffs to springboard their careers. Two guys who definitely did that were CJ Mac and Jamal Murray. I could see Coby White being that guy for us.

Playoff games would also help us with our impending Lauri decision this summer. If he flops like Niko Mirotic always did, that would make our decision on him pretty easy this summer.

Absolutely. What type of record do you think the Bulls need to have to get in as the 7th/8th seed?

**dabears34ft** · 01-23-2021, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by KG2TB

Absolutely. What type of record do you think the Bulls need to have to get in as the 7th/8th seed?

That's hard to say because there are a few teams overachieving and a few teams underachieving, so it's hard to judge whether some starts are legit or mirage's. Raptors/Heat the underachievers. Knicks/Cavs the overachievers.

**dabears34ft** · 01-23-2021, 07:03 PM

I think the bottom will be Detroit/Washington/Charlotte/Orlando

I think the Heat and Raptors will get hot and end up in.

I think the Cavs and Knicks will come back down to earth.

I think the final playoff spot will come down to Atlanta or Chicago.

Philly/Indy/Milwauakee/Boston/Brooklyn/Miami are locks IMO.

Toronto should be in but they haven't looked good.

**KG2TB** · 01-23-2021, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by dabears34ft

I think the bottom will be Detroit/Washington/Charlotte/Orlando

I think the Heat and Raptors will get hot and end up in.

I think the Cavs and Knicks will come back down to earth.

I think the final playoff spot will come down to Atlanta or Chicago.

Philly/Indy/Milwauakee/Boston/Brooklyn/Miami are locks IMO.

Toronto should be in but they haven't looked good.

Give me a number, goddamnit lol

**Stunner** · 01-23-2021, 08:50 PM

https://twitter.com/rob_schaef/statu...238994946?s=21

**Stunner** · 01-23-2021, 09:32 PM

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/sta...329152001?s=21

**fanatic** · 01-23-2021, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by dabears34ft

I think the bottom will be Detroit/Washington/Charlotte/Orlando

I think the Heat and Raptors will get hot and end up in.

I think the Cavs and Knicks will come back down to earth.

I think the final playoff spot will come down to Atlanta or Chicago.

Philly/Indy/Milwauakee/Boston/Brooklyn/Miami are locks IMO.

Toronto should be in but they haven't looked good.

Indiana just continues to win games man. Different coach, players in or out. No super star. They just win. Go figure. I look at their roster compared to ours and I’m just baffled by the way they win games

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Stunner** · 01-23-2021, 10:08 PM

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/sta...833439232?s=21

**dyst** · 01-23-2021, 10:27 PM

When we play teams that clearly outmatch us like the Lakers, our focus should be getting their stars in foul trouble.

**dyst** · 01-23-2021, 10:31 PM

Davis is such a bad matchup. To bad we couldn’t pry Embid away from the 6ers for scraps or even Drummond.

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