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QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 26, 2017 -> 08:31 AM) It's about ratings, and no matter what your opinion on the match up is, even if it was totally legit, Lebron, Curry, KD...those guys bring viewers. There may be a more intriguing match up elsewhere, but not as many people will watch it. Besides, they now have about 4 or 5 games on all day long, so you get to look at plenty of other games if you don't like the marquee choice. Back when the Bulls were at their peak, there may have been 1 in the afternoon, and one at night, at most, and the same teams would be on year after year. Over the last 30 years the Christmas games never repeated from the previous year, except for the Miami - Lakers games with the Kobe Shaq rivalry during the mid 2000s, and those teams never met in the Finals. Overexposing these matchups may have a slight boost in rating on Christmas, but hurt the playoff ratings because fans have seen it far too many times on free TV. I'm fine with them putting on this game once or maybe 2 years in a row, but 3 is way too much given how much they have played.

QUOTE (Da_Goob @ Dec 25, 2017 -> 09:29 PM) There really is nothing better than that matchup for the majority of NBA fans, in my opinion. Two best players in the world that play the same position on the two best teams in the NBA and it seems like the teams legit dislike each other. By far the most intriguing matchup. You must have a different definition of intriguing. These teams played 20 or so Finals games in the last 3 years, and 2 Christmas games before this one. Warriors have won 80% of the games when both teams are healthy. I think all the intrigue are out the window by now, and that not factoring in the loss of Kyrie. Why not showcase a game with the two best players from last season, with the new stars they added to their teams in the offseason. That is by far the most intriguing matchup to me.

I just noticed this. As if seeing the Cavs vs GSW finals 3 years in a row wasnt enough, NBA decided to schedule the same matchup 3 years in a row on Christmas. They really need to come up with something better for the general audience.

You can’t honestly tell me a team is very good at drafting when the best pick they made in the past 6 years is probably Paul Zipser (until we had the 7th pick this year), and traded 2 starters for a bench player, and sold another intriguing prospect for money.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 21, 2017 -> 03:33 PM) When the Bulls beat some halfway decent team at full strength, then I will worry they are too good, but Boston, no Kyrie, Philly, no Embid, Orlando had their 2 top scorers out. You're missing the point. I think most people expect or want the Bulls to finish with bottom 3 or worst record this year. The fact that they are beating middle of the road teams at full strength (minus LaVine, mind you) suggests they are a middle of the road team or better. That absolutely makes fans uneasy before a draft as top heavy as this one.

They started the year out without Dunn, Portis and Niko, Nwaba also missed significant time. Dunn has since played back into form and is playing better than ever. Niko looks much improved. I mean seriously, how much better are these guys than Blakeny, Felder, Pondexter, or whoever that guy with the long name is? So I don't think it's hard to envision that they hanging around the 9th or 10th seed for the rest of the year.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 19, 2017 -> 01:26 PM) It's funny...if we weren't a year removed from blowing things up, I think fans would be legitimately excited about this Bulls team. I.e., if this were a team coming off the suck that was the post-Jordan era, we'd like at this roster a bit different. When I look at this roster, this is what I see: 100% Building Blocks: Dunn - Love this kid. Plays D and he is becoming such a confident offensive player. He still needs to develop his jumper but he seems to be improving his creation skills and offensively he can get into the paint. 3 point shot has improved massively from a year ago. Will take time but he's got some real upside (even though he is a bit older...he was behind developmentally due to some injuries, etc). Dunn is a legit building block, imo. Will never be a great passer and he also needs to tighten his handles. But such a good athlete. Lavine - Need to see how he is post-injury but pre-injury he was an ascening above avg player with upside Lauri - It is early but he is a strong rebounder and has showed fantastic athleticism for a 7fter. Defense is quality. Both his defense and rebounding abilities are something I didn't expect and have been pleasantly surprised with. Offensively he gets a little lose with his dribble, but the fact that he can do those things is a major plus. Shot can be inconsistent but clearly he has range and ability to shoot. Post game is solid but room to grow. High upside potential, imo. Not Sure: Nikolai - His contract is a bargain based upon his current production; He is a good defender (unless you play him at the 3) who is long and can shoot the ball well. In the past, he was pretty much a one-trick pony offensively (3 ball) and this year he's emerged with a real low post and mid-range game. The added strength has really enabled him to leverage his athletic abilities (he's very athletic for his size) and those extra dimensions to his game make him difficult to evaluate. On one hand, you can trade him and aid the tank, however, on the other end, he isn't that old (26) and if his long-term performance is going to be closer to the version we are seeing right now, he's an above average starter and someone who would be an asset and part of our rebuilding core. Bobby Portis - I'm not sure if Portis is a solid starter or a good bench player. His defense is not good...offensively he's not a bad scorer. Outside of the Niko incident, I'd say he is one of those hard-nosed guys you like having on the court though (always plays hard and with an edge). Paul Zipser - Last year he emerged as a solid player who I thought was going to be at a minimum, a very good rotational bench player. He isn't playing as well this year and I think some of it is a lack of confidence (as his shot just hasn't been falling). Still, small sample size so who knows. Solid Starter: Robin Lopez - This guy is a rock. Such a solid and dependable guy. Legit starting center; Good...not great player. Really good guy to have around team as well. Never realized how solid of an offensive player he'd be. Bench Player: Denzel Valentine - Can't start, but he's improved a lot from last year. Good passer, inability to score / create his own shot, great 3 point shooter. Definitely has a place and he has taken real steps forward this year. David Nwaba - Easily a good bench player; Might have some upside as a starter. Good defender and a great slasher. Jump shot is non-existent and I'm amazed teams aren't playing off him more (no one must scout that much these days); Will need to develop his jumper, however, if he did, he could emerge as a solid starter. Doesn't Matter: Justin Holliday - Volume shooter who is better suited for a bench role. Fits on most benches, doesn't start for many teams not named the Bulls. Garbage: Jerian Grant - Can't stand him; Can't run the point; Has some solid games but lots of weak games. Plays very hard though; Reality is he plays on most NBA teams (off the bench). Felicio - Disaster; He got fat and out of shape and just sucks at this point; Cap Space: Massive amounts of cap space...who knows if we can do anything with it. An extension to your post is we have seen most of these guys take the next step and have gotten better this year with the additional playing time. Outside of maybe Felicio, all 10 of those guys would be rotation players for most other NBA teams, which is hurting our tanking plans right now. Unfortunately, maybe 1, or 2 if we're lucky, of these guys will develop into allstars, so we're just back in NBA hell right now, good enough for the 9th seed or maybe sneak into playoffs, but not bad enough to get a high lotto pick.

His draft stock went through the roof tonight. He's now on the radar for top 5, perhaps even top 3.

Celts just couldn’t put up a fight against the Bulls tonight.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 9, 2017 -> 08:42 PM) Gonna be fun to watch for the next several years. And Kris Dunn has really been good the past few games now. Dunn, Lauri and LaVine could be a nice core, but we absolutely need to draft a superstar if we want to turn the ship around.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 8, 2017 -> 10:22 AM) Should the Bulls have made a run at Okafor at this price? http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/26311...klyn-nets-76ers I think Booker being a 30 year old journeymen has less value than Portis or Niko. I'm happy to part with either of those guys for Okafor and a high 2nd rounder.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 7, 2017 -> 10:02 AM) Someone who could be a potential claim and project for Cooper. He even has an option left. MLB Trade Rumors‏ @mlbtraderumors 16h16 hours ago Red Sox Place Henry Owens On Outright Waivers https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/12/red-sox-place-henry-owens-outright-waivers.html …://https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017...-waivers.html …://https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017...rs.html …://https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017...rs.html …://https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017...017...rs.html … Dude must have a tough time pitching at 6 foot 7. I've never seen a walk rate that bad for someone who barely touches 90 mph and throws 90% FB and changeup.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 5, 2017 -> 02:25 PM) My 100% belief is this is purely part of the Bulls tank strategy. And that is 100% okay. I do look forward to watching levine play and despite Lauri's recent shooting slump, I'm feeling more optimistic then ever regarding the return we got for Butler. Of course Levine is a huge wildcard in the mix (particularly his health and post-injury play). I pretty much watch the Bulls for Dunn / Lauri at this point. Dunn's growth has been extremely encouraging, including how well he's shot the ball. his ability to drive and score is impressive...passing clearly needs some work (and I don't know that he'll ever be a great defender) but given how much his 3 ball has improved (still small sample size), I look forward to his continued development. A decent mid-range game and he's going to be pretty tough to defend (and we all know he can play defense). LaVine. Levine reminds me of Bruce.

Reading the article, it sounds like to me the guy's contract was not renewed, not terminated. So the poor guy was probably a casualty of the ownership wanting to revamp the operations staff.

QUOTE (TheTruth05 @ Dec 4, 2017 -> 07:18 AM) I'm not going to lie, the Cubs being one of his finalists either makes him A. full of crap on his so called "requirements" or B. Alot of BS came out of those "sourced" preferences about his wants in a team. Kind of annoyed the Sox didn't even make the finals when we checked of most if not all his preferences yet the established,non west coast Cubs did. This. I've mentioned before that some of what he's looking for may be lost in translation to English. He may also be saying the diplomatic thing interviews, something you would typically see from Asian athletes. Given the choice of Cubs vs. Sox, Sox is in full rebuild, smaller market than Cubs, and could allow him the chance to DH. Sox definitely checks more boxes from his so-called requirements than the Cubs.

Is Ohtani the most hyped newcomer, perhaps, ever? I don't recall there being that much intrigue in a new guy. The scouting report, the foreign media following, and the way he picks his teams, the buzz is unreal.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 10:34 PM) I think you can make a case Justin Holiday intentionally threw the game tonight. Those last 3 plays were hilarious Atta boy! We need to be as bad as we could be right now. We might mess around and win more games once Lavine is back to full health.

Niko accepted Portis's apology. The Bulls are saved now.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Nov 27, 2017 -> 11:55 AM) This is the real issue. Even with the poor talent at WR, he wasn't accurate enough to give them the chance to drop the ball. His accuracy was supposed to be the thing that separated him from the others. He hasn't shown it so far. Maybe he can't read it soon enough or is pressured too much. There are a variety of reasons but he hasn't shown much yet. Yes, I am not impressed with his accuracy so far. I know lack of talent at WR is a real issue, but that isn't the only issue. I hope that is something that could be improved with experienced over time.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 27, 2017 -> 12:09 AM) Marvin Bagley III is a fantastic prospect. Whoever gets him in the draft will be very happy. Dude reminds me of a young Amar'e Stoudemire. I hope he's a more well rounded player than Amar'e. In a top loaded draft like this, I would expect a franchise changing player with the first pick.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 27, 2017 -> 10:23 AM) The Bell move wasn't as ridiculous as it looks because the Bulls wouldn't have picked him if GS didn't buy the pick. It still means there is a problem in GarPaxville, but if the Bulls had kept that pick, they probably would have selected some 2 guard who can't shoot, or a 1 who can't shoot or pass. Matt Lloyd leaving was a blow to this team. He is the reason they drafted Jimmy G. Buckets and Gibson. Once he left, the late picks went to s***. Why not? On a rebuilding team, you don't pick from an area of need, you absolutely pick the BPA. I think Green may have been at the top of the list given he was projected as a late first round pick.

I think yesterday's game was the worst I've seen from Trubisky. He was throwing too many passes behind the receivers instead of leading them. Missed a lot of first downs and led to an interception at the end.

He pwned the Bulls, both on and off the court, last night.

QUOTE (ChrisLikesBaseball @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 06:34 PM) I've noticed them trying to establish secondary feuds for the women. I think we'll see women taking on a bigger role on each show as the roster grows. Then it would come at the expense of the men’s feuds. There just isn’t enough food to feed the mouths, unless they give the women a show of their own, much like 205 live.

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 06:01 PM) The way he talked, he wants to be part of building a winner, and obviously the money isn't a factor for him like most, because if it was, he'd wait 2 years and get $200 million. Since he's not doing that, clearly other factors are important to him, and it seems like the White Sox are uniquely positioned to align with those factors. They just embarked on a rebuilding process that has already begun to yield some positive results despite that fact, and could make Otani a central part of it and maybe even a face of the franchise if he's good enough to warrant it. There's certainly no reason not to try. I highly doubt $2-3 million would make the difference to him, and I think he'll be just fine with $300K and his MLB minimum salary of $507,500 In terms of getting by. You make it sound like he has a couple of destinations in mind, and Sox is one of them. If he really gave off any hints that he's interested in our current situation, RH and KW will be all over him and you'd see more stories of us connected to Otani. Instead, we did not even attend his workout and just traded more pool money to the team that might have the best shot of landing him. What does this tell you from the Sox perspective? Also, keep in mind that he's speaking through a translator, what you read may not be exactly what he meant, especially fluff pieces like not wanting to play for a powerhouse franchise and instead wanting to be part of a rebuilding process.