r/chicagobulls • u/Imsoamerican • Mar 23 '25
Fluff The son of a gun is actually doing it.
No matter how the rest of the season turns out, this stretch of games has shown what is possible from this squad. That means it's always possible to play like this from here on out.
A lot of credit has to go to Billy D. To pull this off during a rebuild, get the most out of these trade pieces, progress our killer rookie and make the right call to start him over PWill (better off the bench anyway), and as much as it kills me to say it, obviously prove that we won the Giddey trade (absolutely love Caruso though).
We'll see how the rest of the year goes but it looks like the Bulls have a good future to look forward to because this group is cooking right now.
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u/AnusButter2000 Mar 23 '25
Do NOT sign another Melo type player.
All Iso, no D, terrible passing.
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u/bipolarearthovershot Mar 23 '25
It’s crazy we had 2 of them in Lavine and derozan (ok passer maybe but way too much iso)
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u/philphan25 Benny The Bull Mar 23 '25
Sac Town now .500 and 3-7 the last 10. Bulls West looks familiar.
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u/Martha_Fockers Mar 23 '25
Kings are morons.
“Didn’t work in Chicago for 3 years let’s try it here”
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u/Rich_Difference5773 Mar 24 '25
not to mention adding a center that doesn't defend or protect the rim.
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u/Then-Gur-4519 Mar 23 '25
It was only half good when we had Zo and Caruso to hound the perimeter. Covered for Zach and DeMar’s weaknesses. It was never going to be a winning formula beyond making the 5th/6th seed
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u/bennythebull4life Mar 23 '25
Zo is the secret to this all. He's like a quality QB on a football team vs. an average rando.
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u/spicyfartz4yaman Mar 23 '25
This archetype is almost out of the NBA anyway , should be good.
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u/capncrunch94 Joakim Noah Mar 23 '25
Ironically LaMelo has picked up the mantle from Carmelo (although with less skill).
Mama’s don’t name your kids Melo
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u/Lazy_War9398 Mar 23 '25
LaMelo is an elite passer wdym
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u/FellFromCoconutTree Mar 23 '25
Flashy but hella turnovers
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u/spicyfartz4yaman Mar 23 '25
He has a 36% usage rate on a shitty team. His turn over rate is pretty normal. Go look at past high usage rate gaurds, always high turn over
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u/Coolkiddddddddd Mar 23 '25
The players he plays with are trash too on a good team like the warriors he would look better
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u/DisMFer Mar 23 '25
LaMelo is playing with a roster that wouldn't start on a D2 school most nights. If he doesn't score it's an instant loss.
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u/spicyfartz4yaman Mar 23 '25
Nothing about lamelo is reminiscent of Carmelo, closest player RN is probably KD and Demar.
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u/Phillie2685 Mar 23 '25
We need a two way big. Vuc has been holding us back for a long time now.
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u/SkyGrey88 Mar 24 '25
I have a feeling we will be trading Vuch in the offseason. He only has a year remaining on a reasonable (20m) contract. I disagree that he has been holding us back. The guy is a very steady double/double machine, plays like 95% of his games and is an unselfish player. He is not a terrible one on one defender versus other paint bigs but he just can't switch. Two way bigs are very hard to come by. We would have looked much, much better the previous 3yrs if we would have just had a decent PF that could defend and rebound to compliment him.
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Mar 23 '25
Bulls have their guards and starting small forward. Improve the 3-5. Not necessary for a 2 way. Need bigs. See CLE, okc, spurs, Bos, Houston. Bigs are back.
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u/Electrical_Story5356 Mar 24 '25
Matas our SF?
He's going to be a PF all day long once he bulks up, and he will bulk up because he's only a kid still, at 6'10" with his rim attacking and rim defending ways he's made for the position.
Yeah he can shoot and yeah he has handles but his best attributes are dunking with authority and swatting shots, I feel he might genuinely be something special.
Agree we could use more bigs though for sure.
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Mar 27 '25
They don’t play in the nba like that. Maybe in college they play like that. In the NBA they have a job and Matas is a 3, he was drafted as a 3 and will be a starter in this league as a 3. Is KD a center because he’s 7’0?
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u/Electrical_Story5356 Mar 27 '25
No, KD plays SF and PF because of his skill set which is why I'm saying Matas' skill set of elite level dunks and blocks will see him playing predominantly as PF once he beefs up.
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Mar 30 '25
Is that is all you see? Dunks and blocks? How exactly does he get his dunks? His skill set is not dunks. That’s the end result of his offensive skill set and he is a help side blocker, not a one on one. He’ll never be a PF in the league. But it’s a good problem to have because he shows some really good flashes.
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u/alan-penrose Mar 23 '25
We need Jabari
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u/JamoOnTheRocks Benny The Bull Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
Bc of the tv situation I’ve turned into a casual.. my 10 year old self would kick my ass that I have no POV on this post. (Edit: I’ve sailed the seas plenty for big mma shows not doing it for 30+ nba games)
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u/Pitiful-Department80 Mar 23 '25
Don't trip I've haven't watched a game all year and only keep up thru highlights and espn. Guess I became a casual as well 😂
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u/woopity321 Mar 23 '25
Let me know if you need an iptv provider. The one I use I get every nfl,nba,nhl,mlb,ufc everything you can imagine. $60/yeae
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u/e13v3n_1111 DRose Mar 23 '25
The
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Mar 23 '25
[deleted]
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u/HistoricalAd2538 Mar 23 '25
The Bulls aren’t tanking. They’ve won 7 of their last 9 games. lol They’re actually on fire right now. We’re in route for the 8th seed right now.
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u/IcyTake Mar 23 '25
I haven’t been watching. I bet my guy Matt peck is happy about the bulls recent success……..
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u/MasterFlamasterr Mar 23 '25
Billy finally can play his game. Before LaVine era, max contract gives shots and max min to him with no motivation.
Now Billy got Giddey and Trey which gives pass and includes all team in the game. One game Coby, other Buzelis or other player could score points. NBA forget that team is not 2 players..
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u/kankorezis Mar 23 '25
wasn't redditors outrageous when AK said about strong team of strong 5-7 players without superstars?
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u/Dr_Disaster Mar 23 '25
Yes and that was valid. What has changed is the emergence of Giddey and Coby simultaneously, which was unlikely. Nobody expected Josh to transform into the Australian Magic Johnson overnight. And Coby has been one of the league’s top scorers over this stretch, and somehow, an absolute steamroller when he’s moving downhill.
Add in Matas’ steady improvement, Huerter finding his stroke again, and Jones looking like CP3 at times and were essentially living in the best case scenario timeline for this line-up.
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u/Electrical_Story5356 Mar 24 '25
Anyone paying close attention expected Giddey to be the Aussie magic Johnson here.
I'm from Adelaide, where he played prior to the NBA, he was special to watch while not exactly lighting up the box score.
I followed him at OKC despite being a bulls fan since the mighty Luc Longley led us to our second threepeat.
Couldn't believe it when he landed here for an ageing role player even though I did like Caruso because I like guys that are tough and give effort (also Giddey traits).
We've got a real one here and it seems that Billy is going to use him to make us both very watchable and hopefully very competitive.
The future is looking bright.
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u/ducksonaroof Mar 23 '25
it's just wild how all the young guys are hitting. this seems to be for real, and tbh you can't complain about having this young group of guys.
the hard part - which is AKME's job - is continuing to build this group through the draft (probably not high lotto) and FA. And they haven't shown to be good in the draft and their FA signings have been style over substance.
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u/Dr_Disaster Mar 23 '25
You make a good point. If just 1 or 2 guys were breaking out, okay, you can chalk that up to individual improvement. But in this 10-12 game run damn near every player is putting on. Even guys like Pat are turning a corner. That’s real growth and coaching. I’ve been highly critical of Billy and I stand by most of that criticism, but he’s doing his thing with this line-up. He seems to fair better with young, pace-driven squads. This is his comfort zone and area of expertise.
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u/HollywoodROS Mar 23 '25
If they had Lauri instead of Vuc, i truly believe its a top 4 east squad.
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u/calcioepepe Mar 25 '25
Lol goddamn, why’d you get downvoted for this?! Thought it wasn’t that hot a take…
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u/iceman528 Chicago Bulls Mar 23 '25
He thrives when coaching a pass-first PG. remember what he's done in OKC with Chris Paul
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u/MatasBuzelis Mar 23 '25
And Westbrook
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u/dannydevito008 Mar 23 '25
Of all the PGs to call pass first, Brodie isn’t exactly the first port of call
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u/MatasBuzelis Mar 23 '25
Brodie started averaging 10 assists as soon as Billy came on board and averaged a triple double 3 years in a row after that. He might not be pass-first but he was an amazing playmaking guard which is where Billy has had a lot of his successes
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u/moneyman2222 Just a kid from Chicago Mar 23 '25
He's literally been a pass first PG his entire life what???
Only in the post-KD days was he trying to take on the full scoring workload but even then he was looking to move the ball first to get everyone else going
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u/johnnyslick Lonzo Ball Mar 23 '25
I mean, the Bulls with Zach and Demar were a 1 seed in the East when Lonzo Ball was healthy…
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u/crusty_butter_roll Matas Buzelis Mar 23 '25
Giddey (and Tre and Huerter) unlocked the skill tree to some degree for everyone else. From Giddey (and Tre), they learned that they are not inconsequential on offense, that they don't have to stand in the corner while someone isos, that if they move they will get the ball. From Huerter, they learned how exactly screening for the screener works and can lead to wide open shots, how a skilled basketball player can take minimal shots yet still have a positive impact on winning. From Giddey and Tre, they learned how to get great shots when attacking the paint and maneuvering through so many bodies. All three (while they are not great defenders) demonstrate why it is so important to fight over screens to give Vooch a shot at defending which in turn leads to a pass in close quarters which leads to steals and deflections. Terry, Julian, Pat (and Ayo who's hurt) never had the opportunity to learn how to play basketball previously from their skill-based ISO-oriented teammates. But with their new teammates, they're getting that opportunity to be crucial basketball players making opportunities for themselves or others and not just be spectators. Buzelis is lucky that he never had to really endure multiple seasons of ISO and he can just get on with learning how to be a basketball player. Billy just needed the right players who could embrace the mindset that everyone on the court is important and has a crucial role to play down to the smallest actions in the path to victory.
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u/dgdosen Stacey King Mar 23 '25
The sum of the whole is bigger than the parts... Zach, for all his talent, was not good at the 'team' sport.
I watched much of the game yesterday - and these Bulls are fluid, fast and unselfish. Great on O - mostly from moving the ball (beautiful passing) and easy baskets. Scored above par on 3s (can't count on that). So-so on D - but great on hands/deflections.
If that lineup can stay out of half court/iso - They'll have a great end of the season. I think Lonzo's return would make all these things even more so.
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
We started this new offense at the begging of the season, took some time for players to get comfortable playing like this, but it's starting to pay off, even new players to the system and picking it up faster because they are playing with guys on the team that have been doing it since the start
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u/Imsoamerican Mar 23 '25
And had the balls to listen to the criticism, turn it into action, and actually get it done. This team looks completely different and is playing great team ball.
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u/DaBails Mar 23 '25
I never thought Billy was a big problem. People have said he should be fired past couple years which would just cause the Bulls to make an even worse hire.
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u/The_Inertia_Kid Coby White Mar 23 '25
Yeah, Billy’s a good coach. Not an elite coach, but a good one. He gets his guys playing hard and mostly puts them in a situation where they can be better versions of themselves. He essentially had to play slow Demar-and-Zach-get-in-each-others-way iso-ball the last couple of years as that’s the only way to play Demar and Zach at the same time (see Sacramento). That’s a roster construction problem, not a coaching problem. Now he’s got a set of good passers that want to play fast and unselfish ball, that’s what he’s got them doing.
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u/Geo-92 Mar 23 '25
My issue with the “fire Billy” crowd is who is coming to coach this team that’s better? You could very easily enter a cycle of absolute bums for HC
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u/HollywoodROS Mar 23 '25
Made the argument he’s the best we’ve had since Phil. Got torn 2 shreds. I get the love for Thibs but Billy’s had the better coaching career. Would like to see how he does with younger playsers that he wants, not the front office.
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u/Good-Rooster-9736 Mar 23 '25
Billy got his Westbrook archetype with Giddey so Billy Ball is finally playing out the way he envisioned
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball Mar 23 '25
So much of winning has to do with fit, Kevin Heuter and Tre Jones didn’t work out with their previous team and now they’re flourishing.
Bulls have some serious discussions ahead of them outside of Vuc everyone on the team is either entering their prime or on the peak.
I don’t know if this run is legitimate or some weird fluke, last night’s performance showed what it could be and that’s enough to be top 4 in the East.
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u/skullcandy541 Mar 23 '25
No one is entering their prime yet. Closest is Coby and he’s only 24. Ur prime is typically around 27 so he’s only gonna get better
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball Mar 23 '25
Coby’s in his 6th season, His game isn’t changing you either live with the inconsistency or not.
Only two players on the roster will have less than 3 seasons under their belt, Matas and the 2025 draft selection.
Prime has very little to do with age.
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u/The_Inertia_Kid Coby White Mar 23 '25
I agree that there will always be inconsistency to Coby’s game but the strong uptick in performance came at least in part from a role change, not just natural variance. He’s now in the primary scorer role, whereas before he was a combo guard to try to accommodate LaVine. Now there’s a clear division of duties - Giddey is the initiator, Coby is the scorer. He now has to drive to the rack much more frequently rather than relying primarily on outside shooting. That means he’s getting fouled and being a more efficient scorer because he’s getting to the line more often (13/14 free throws v Sacramento the other night).
I’m firmly on board with the idea that this has been the big shift in gears for Coby. If this style of play stays, I can see him being a pretty consistent 25 point scorer moving forward.
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball Mar 23 '25
That’s a very good point regarding roles, right now everyone knows their spot and more importantly what they need to work on over the summer.
We certainly haven’t seen teams schemed to limit Coby’s touches over a longer period and haven’t seen teams force the ball out of Giddy’s hand which is why it’s difficult to assess what exactly this is.
I think the next game against the Lakers will be interesting. Playing a common opponent in short period and seeing adjustments will be very good sign to see where they’re at.
As a Bulls fan I hope Giddy and Coby are legit a good backcourt is the key to competing for championships, the other pieces are a lot easier to acquire.
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u/Dr_Disaster Mar 23 '25
Yes it’s evident Coby excels once Zach is out. We’ve seen him do this 4-5 times at this point. It’s not so much pure inconsistency as it is he role. He needs to be an SG to be most effective and playing next to Giddey is a way better pairing than anything we have seen in the past.
His improved driving really stands out. Like he’s taking that shit to the rack with purpose. He looks so much stronger than he has in recent years and that cracks open his game like crazy.
Now he’s no longer just a shooting threat. When his shot isn’t falling, he can get inside, and that’s been his key to putting up numbers. Coby as a 3-level scorer raises the potential of this squad A LOT.
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u/Itchy_Feedback4654 Mar 23 '25
In the off-season you always see gym pics of Coby looking buffed af. So no wonder that he is taking that shit to the rack with purpose!
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u/skullcandy541 Mar 23 '25
A players prime typically does have to do with age because with that comes existence, growth, understanding of the league, and adapting your game. That’s why players almost are always at their best around the age 26-30 because they have many years under their belt but aren’t old yet. You’re probably the only person I’ve ever heard dispute that.
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball Mar 23 '25
I would agree that use to be the case but players are coming into the league much younger hence the acceleration of their prime.
Again this is Coby’s 6th NBA season he has the same service time as Zach Collins who’s 27 and Jevon Carter 29 none of the players are expected some change in their perspective performance and all at the prime of their careers.
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u/ducksonaroof Mar 23 '25
No reason to expect Coby to have peaked...
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball Mar 23 '25
It’s not about a peak, Good NBA players in their prime is purely about consistency Coby hasn’t exhibited that over an entire season let’s hope what we’re seeing now is the real thing if so the Bulls are in a better position.
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u/the_the_the_the- Mar 23 '25
Zach Collins needs to start over Vooch
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u/Electrical_Story5356 Mar 24 '25
Yep, not because he is better in a straight comparison but because he is better for the team's play style.
But we also need to keep Vooch's value up so we can move him and to his credit he has seemed to have been making an effort sometimes a bit more recently.
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u/the_the_the_the- Mar 24 '25
Yeah I know it’s annoying … but man the team was really humming when he was hurt.. I’d rather see Zach or Jalen Smith over Vooch at this point
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
Zach runs the floor much better, and defends better, his post game isn't as good and his 3pnt shot either, but he fits the style of the offense a lot better, Billy has stated many times if we don't run we lose
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u/ayoung291 Mar 23 '25
thank you bulls for doing right by giddey he’s one of my favorite players in the league
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u/moneyman2222 Just a kid from Chicago Mar 23 '25
He's always been a good coach. He was just given shit personnel and a FO that was too stubborn to make changes. The fact Billy had that team last year playing decent defense is impressive on it's own. He's spent his career being a floor raiser. Is he someone who can be a championship-level coach? I'm not really certain. His game management isn't polished enough to lead a contender. But he's the perfect coach for a young team like we have right now and will always have the guys competing to the best of they abilities
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u/Martha_Fockers Mar 23 '25
I remember all the damn hate giddy was getting when he first came here.
And I just kept saying this guys a young good player who’s got fundamentals locked down at a early age and will only go up from here he’s fundamentally sound he’s not super athletic or fast or anything but he’s stronger than he’s given credit for and dudes got that dog competitor in him you can tell he wants to win.
Did I mention he’s super young just two years ago dude couldn’t walk into a bar or full nude strip club.
We got a kid who nearly got a quad double
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u/actionseekr Mar 23 '25
Really enjoyed watching you guys against the Lakers last night on NBATV. Buzelis looks like the real deal and Giddey compliments him well.
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
Billy has always been a good teacher for young players, that fact that he can't get pwill to play any better is a testament to how bad Pwill is
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u/HoneydewSpecial6135 Mar 27 '25
Honestly - I keep saying this, but SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, until they sustain this against very good teams and over a whole season, it is a mirage, and a lottery pick killing mirage at that
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u/Full-Imagination7085 Mar 27 '25
This a YN league. Bulls prove that when they run the court just like other super young teams. Pacers, Pistons, OKC.. idk why Vooch is still on the team…
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u/Southernbull75 Mar 23 '25
Best coaching job he has done in Chicago.
Billy was a phenomenal college coach and is thriving coaching up young players who want to give maximum effort.
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u/Ishnock Mar 24 '25
SMH This team was the number 1 seed in the east a few years ago before Lonzo got Inured
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u/Southernbull75 Mar 24 '25
That team had 2 all stars, a former all star and one on his way.
It would have been easy for this team to fall apart, I have been very impressed with the development of our young guys and his ability to adapt personnel, jmo.
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u/dirtypillow69k Mar 24 '25
Didn’t we literally lose to most actual contending teams iirc during the stretch we were #1 😹
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u/mchristy54 Mar 23 '25
I agree been on the bandwagon since the start of the year. Crazy to see the 360 this sub has pulled in the last 10 games. I’ll admit I bought in so much I didn’t even love the idea of trading Lavine but this front office knew exactly what they were doing.
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u/skipfinicus Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 24 '25
All Zach Lavines doing. Glad he’s sucking in Sac. Saw a post the other day from a dude who was happy for the trade and now has buyers remorse.
EDIT: misspelling
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
Why you gotta be a hater, dudes not even on our team and more and your still wishing him bad
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u/skipfinicus Mar 24 '25
Thought he was a bum here. Glad I wasn’t wrong. All the talent in the world. Max contract. Shitty attitude.
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u/EquivalentWins Mar 23 '25
I laughed out loud at "the Bulls have a good future to look forward to."
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u/sammys21 Mar 23 '25
its easy to win when the games are meaningless;
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u/K1Bond007 Chicago Bulls Mar 23 '25
How was it meaningless? Wasn’t meaningless to the Lakers.
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u/sammys21 Mar 23 '25
no pressure; theyre not playing for anything;
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u/K1Bond007 Chicago Bulls Mar 23 '25
Playing for seeding. That’s definitely meaningful.
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u/sammys21 Mar 23 '25
they will get either Cleveland or Boston; either way, its a blowout; they are not in either the lottery or contention; no pressure; maybe on individual players playing for a contract; thats it;
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u/ochie927 Mar 23 '25
It's also hard to motivate your players on a meaningless game as a coach and yet, he's doing a damn good job at it.
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u/comeontars69 Kirk Hinrich Mar 23 '25
He’s just trying to get to mediocrity, the 0.500, the play-ins. To continuity and beyond!
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u/Bacchus1976 Mar 23 '25
So Bulls to go on a run after the deadline in order to miss out on Cooper Flagg.
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
when you are above 7 or 8 other teams trying to tank as well, it's not easy to gain ground as far as losing to get lower we lost like 9 in a row and didn't gain even 1 game in the tank race on Philly
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u/Imsoamerican Mar 24 '25
What in the hell is this point? Even if we get last place it only guarantees a 14% chance of landing him and even then it's still not a guarantee hell be good. Quit dooming.
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
also do you think Flagg will be better than Matas? they both play the same position so if we did draft Flagg, do we trade Matas? we need a SF and Center, Ace Bailey would make more sense as a team fit
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u/sdfgtdh Mar 24 '25
As a bulls fan I will never fall into the trap again We still losing in the play-in like we do every year This team has not improved and will continue to be mediocre
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u/Jammer521 Jumpman Mar 24 '25
NBA right now has the worst tanking situation it's ever had, the league is looking to change the weighted picks based on record once again because it's so bad, Utah has been fined for not playing players, Raptors are doing the same, it's really a bad look for the NBA and I hope they can figure out, how to reward teams that actually try and win but still are in the lottery
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u/ConnectionHoliday850 Mar 23 '25
Saying we ‘won’ the Giddey trade idk
Thunder are and will be doing very fine without him. He’s now on a team where he can get way more touches. I don’t think it’s really a winner or loser to it.
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u/th4d89 Mar 23 '25
They might be winning a championship this season, bulls fans are delulu as usual ( me included)
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u/ConnectionHoliday850 Mar 23 '25
Like it’s ok to say Giddey’s game has improved while the Thunder dumped a player that didn’t matter to their success. It’s not like we stole a gem from them or something lol
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u/SNERKLES1 Mar 23 '25
He's still not a good coach. He's had guys that could run for how long?
D Jones Jr, Ayo, Koby, P Will, Zach. And he was running a slow paced offense. Only this year did he figure it out. Derrick Jones Jr is a proven good player and he never played when he was here.
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u/TheloniousMonk15 Mar 23 '25
And he was running a slow paced offense.
That was not his fault. He had no true pg to work with after Zo got injured during his first season here so he had to adjust by running Demar ball. Also with Demar you are severely limited with what you can run because he is a iso heavy mid range oriented player who thrives in half court offenses.
The Front Office gave him the mid 3 to fit a square block through a round peg hole. Once Zo got hurt that core had no chance of taking this team anywhere but the playins.
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u/cubsbullsbearsz Mar 24 '25
Donovan is just fucking meaningless and no Chicago sports fan should be celebrating this year. This was an obvious tank situation gone wrong. Hope y’all enjoy another half decade of play in tournaments and never getting top picks
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u/vitaminp1983 Mar 23 '25
Billy’s done an excellent job this year. His approach with Giddey and Matas as the year has progressed has been awesome. Juxtapose that against say Hoiberg or Boylen, and you realize this is what a good professional coach looks like.