The Missing Link wrote:
Ron Wolfley wrote:
The Missing Link wrote:
Ron Wolfley wrote:
The Missing Link wrote:
This Ends in Antioch wrote:
So you think if this Bulls team signs Mo Bamba, they’ll be competitive for a championship. Am I understanding that correctly?
With a couple of additional bench pieces yes. Did you actually pay attention to the NBA Finals or are just praying that the Bulls can go out and trade for Kevin Durant like that idiot Twitter Feed?
Do you actually know that Andrew Wiggins, Otto Porter, Robert Williams and AL Horford were starting games in the NBA Finals? Would you have predicted this last season? Or any season in the past 5 seasons? That alone should tell you that it doesn't take nearly as much to be a "contender" these days as you seem to think.
It still takes Steph Curry, Giannis, LeBron, Kawhi, or Kevin Durant to win. Those were the best players on the court in each of the last 5 NBA Finals.
You could replicate what Boston has done but I didn't see DeRozan and Lavine each put up 20+ points consistently versus the Bucks. DeRozan scored 11 points twice in that series. In addition to those two shitty performances, he shot horribly in a winnable Game 1. You need DeRozan and LaVine to be more like what Tatum and Brown did.
I'm interested in seeing what a Bulls defense would look like with Gobert. That would be a lot of fun to watch. I did just realize this morning that Lonzo cannot score a 2-point basket. I forgot about this because he was out so damn long. Gobert can't score a 2-point basket either. I guess there's ways to work around that but me no likey. That's a little scary. It's why I pray looking at my idiot Twitter feed that the Bulls will somehow end up with Durant
But you can't just scrap the season because you don't have those 5 guys however. Lebron has missed the playoffs 2 of the 4 years he has been in L.A. and got bounced in the first round in another season.. And there were a number of seasons that guys like Giannis flamed out too. Until they grabbed Jrue Holiday. And Durant was Swept out of the first round this season. By a Boston team that I was told was garbage only this past season. And the biggest problem in that Bucks series for the Bulls wasn't really scoring. It was defending. They had 6'3 Javonte Green checking 7'0 foot Giannis in a playoff series. Why? Because they had no one outside of the Paw that could take the assignment on the roster. You can't go into a another season with that being your primary strategy. The Bulls biggest issue is interior defense and rebounding. It was especially glaring in that Milwaukee series in fact. Milwaukee went big and just murdered the Bulls because they had no answer defensively. And because they had to collapse on the freak all of the time that allowed bums like Grayson Allen to get wide open jump shots all series long. Bobby Portis as well.
The Bulls need guys that are good at protecting the rim and rebounding. They have enough offense. Those guys do not necessarily have to be starters either. They just have to be guys that can match-up defensively with other teams and their bigs once you reach the playoffs. No more small ball garbage.
I still believe you need a superstar on your team to win a championship. LeBron was the best player in 2020. He missed the playoffs in some of his LA years because of injuries to Anthony Davis. That has nothing to do with him winning the Finals in 2020 though. He was the best player. Giannis put up 50 points to clinch in Game 6 last year. He was the best player on the court. Durant is playing with a bunch of scrubs in Brooklyn but he was the best player on the court when he was with Golden State. Steph Curry was the best player in this past series. Tatum and Brown tried their damnedest but it wasn't enough to beat Curry. Tatum and Brown are excellent players and they're absolutely better than DeRozan and LaVine. That was my point.
Good luck with Lonzo and Gobert on the court at the same time. Again, the defense would be fun to watch but jesus christ, neither dude can create their own 2 point bucket.
We are only 1 year removed from the Atlanta Hawks being in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even if we allow for Ice Cold Trae to be a star, he isn't a Superstar. Before that it was Jimmy Butler taking the Heat to the Finals. Again a "star" but not a superstar player. My guy Tatum is a star but he isn't a superstar and I would take Derozan over Jalen Brown every day of the week.. The question is whether the Bulls can compete for a championship. Not whether they are favorites to win a championship.
There are no "great" teams in the NBA these days. G.S. isn't a great team. Milwaukee isn't a great team and neither is Phoenix or Dallas. How can you be considered "great" when your 2nd best player is Andrew Wiggins? They are a good team and so are the Bulls. This is all you need to be in order to be a "contender" in today's NBA.
I take your point about competing for a championship versus being among the 2, 3, or 4 teams that are favorites. I don't agree with you that there aren't any "great" teams in the NBA though. I think our opinion on that may depend on what happens the next couple of weeks though. I'd be scared of the Clippers getting Kawhi back and healthy. Jamal Murray coming back is big for Denver. What can Phoenix do with a sign and trade for Ayton? The Lakers may be a great team if they can replace Westbrook. The West is a strong conference is what I'm saying. So, I guess I'm playing right into what you're saying as far as the East being more open. Giannis is a tough son of a bitch though.
I think you're so wrong taking DeRozan over Jaylen Brown. I saw Jaylen, despite his trouble dribbling
, take over during periods of the NBA Finals. I love DeRozan, but again, he scored 11 points in two of those 1st Round games, and that is excluding his disappointing performance in Game 1. He can't shoot 3s either.
I agree with you about Vucevic. Wendell Carter can put up whatever numbers he wants to put up in Orlando. I'll take Vucevic any day. I thought he played well versus Milwaukee. He's not going to defend. I get that. I just wish he shot the ball a little better. And maybe that will happen next season. I just can't stand the thought of having Gobert and Lonzo on the court at the same time.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
