2020 NBA Regular Season Thread

[Tony]

25 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

This forum is a laughable.

@Tonybumps old posts to shame a poster and all the mods circle jerk him and pat his back. Tony always attacking posters and getting high fives from his butt buddies.

I bump old posts where everyone calls me an iidiot when they ended up being wrong again (who knew?) while I dont respond with name calling and the mods delete the thread and hide it.

This after a poster pointlessly attacked me and I respond and a mod tells me to stop responding lol. 

Enjoy the circle Jerk forum fellas. 

iidoit, lol

[bmags]

Lavine going absolutely off

[ron883]

6 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

This forum is a laughable.

@Tonybumps old posts to shame a poster and all the mods circle jerk him and pat his back. Tony always attacking posters and getting high fives from his butt buddies.

I bump old posts where everyone calls me an iidiot when they ended up being wrong again (who knew?) while I dont respond with name calling and the mods delete the thread and hide it.

This after a poster pointlessly attacked me and I respond and a mod tells me to stop responding lol. 

Enjoy the circle Jerk forum fellas. 

I'm just going to fess up to this one. That thread was created by me, so I had the ability to delete it. I went ahead and deleted the thread to erase some incorrect predictions of mine. I didn't want any small blemishes tarnishing my otherwise stellar record. I didn't want one B bringing down my 4.0 GPA. 

This post will also be deleted within 24 hours to remove any other proof on this subject. 

 

[bmags]

5 hours ago, ron883 said:

I'm just going to fess up to this one. That thread was created by me, so I had the ability to delete it. I went ahead and deleted the thread to erase some incorrect predictions of mine. I didn't want any small blemishes tarnishing my otherwise stellar record. I didn't want one B bringing down my 4.0 GPA. 

This post will also be deleted within 24 hours to remove any other proof on this subject. 

 

Wait can you really delete your own thread?

[bmags]

5 hours ago, ron883 said:

I'm just going to fess up to this one. That thread was created by me, so I had the ability to delete it. I went ahead and deleted the thread to erase some incorrect predictions of mine. I didn't want any small blemishes tarnishing my otherwise stellar record. I didn't want one B bringing down my 4.0 GPA. 

This post will also be deleted within 24 hours to remove any other proof on this subject. 

 

Holy shit, don’t ever do this again.

[ron883]

1 hour ago, bmags said:

Holy shit, don’t ever do this again.

I didn't break any rules. No promises. 

[southsider2k5]

8 hours ago, ron883 said:

I'm just going to fess up to this one. That thread was created by me, so I had the ability to delete it. I went ahead and deleted the thread to erase some incorrect predictions of mine. I didn't want any small blemishes tarnishing my otherwise stellar record. I didn't want one B bringing down my 4.0 GPA. 

This post will also be deleted within 24 hours to remove any other proof on this subject. 

 

Too bad I saved the post.

[SoxAce]

Ok that was a hell of a win against Portland. LaVine (who I do rag on at times) with a clutch 3 to seal it.

[Chi Town Sox]

That was an unbelievable comeback, they looked like contenders, every single guy played great in the 2H.  Beat Sac and I think the WC road trip is already considered a win. 

[ron883]

On 1/4/2021 at 9:11 AM, southsider2k5 said:

Too bad I saved the post.

I request that you delete the thread. 

[Jose Abreu]

It was cool to watch LaVine distribute so much. His shot was off and he knew it, but instead of becoming a net negative like he normally would on such nights, he made great passes and even played some solid defense. These were the Bulls I thought we'd see last year. Not a real contender or anything, but perhaps in that 7-10 conference play-in range

[Jose Abreu]

55 minutes ago, SoxAce said:

Ok that was a hell of a win against Portland. LaVine (who I do rag on at times) with a clutch 3 to seal it.

Even though his shot was off, the 3 possessions before he hit that shot were a Thad Young miss, a Thad Young miss, and a Thad Young turnover. Young has been solid this year, and much better than he was last year, but I like that LaVine recognized that even on an off shooting night, he needs to be the one taking those big shots at the end of games. That's quite a few clutch moments for him this year

[Chisoxfn]

26 minutes ago, Chi Town Sox said:

That was an unbelievable comeback, they looked like contenders, every single guy played great in the 2H.  Beat Sac and I think the WC road trip is already considered a win. 

Yeah - That was a really fun game. The way they grinded it out and battled back from a 20 point early deficit. Solid defense in 2nd half and the ball movement in 2nd half was really good as well. Nice tempo, etc. One of the more entertaining games in a while and quietly Bulls have won 4 of 5 (with the one loss being on the last minute 3).  You are right - if they can steal one more win - major success.  

I'm just glad the games have been entertaining.  Williams is pretty slick too. I didn't know what to expect out of him, but he looks like not just a good athlete but a guy with some legit skills. 

[Chisoxfn]

2 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

It was cool to watch LaVine distribute so much. His shot was off and he knew it, but instead of becoming a net negative like he normally would on such nights, he made great passes and even played some solid defense. These were the Bulls I thought we'd see last year. Not a real contender or anything, but perhaps in that 7-10 conference play-in range

Lavine's defense was really good tonight. Quite a few times where I noticed his on the ball defense as a plus. I'm a big Lavine fan - every year he has gotten better and he can make things (offensively) look so easy at times. To your point - he had a rough night from the field, but still found a lot of ways to contribute.  

[Jose Abreu]

6 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

Lavine's defense was really good tonight. Quite a few times where I noticed his on the ball defense as a plus. I'm a big Lavine fan - every year he has gotten better and he can make things (offensively) look so easy at times. To your point - he had a rough night from the field, but still found a lot of ways to contribute.  

I'm with you, for the most part. I think people are too quick to lazily write him off as a volume scorer on a bad team, and nothing more, while ignoring that he is a great shooter, quite efficient, and does his damage against defenses that know he's the only threat on the floor. I just need to see some improvement with playmaking and/or off-ball defense to feel ok with the Bulls giving him another contract, assuming he isn't traded. If tonight was any indication, both areas of his game have seen significant growth

[Stinky Stanky]

5 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

I'm with you, for the most part. I think people are too quick to lazily write him off as a volume scorer on a bad team, and nothing more, while ignoring that he is a great shooter, quite efficient, and does his damage against defenses that know he's the only threat on the floor. I just need to see some improvement with playmaking and/or off-ball defense to feel ok with the Bulls giving him another contract, assuming he isn't traded. If tonight was any indication, both areas of his game have seen significant growth

All net from 29 feet to win it.  Worth staying up for.  Wendell still gets pushed around by larger centers.  He did learn about the little things, like screening, maybe from RoLo and they don't show in the  box score, but in many ways I'd rather see Gafford in there than Wendell missing shots from godknowswhere.  All academic if you don't play either one at the end of games.

[scs787]

Loved hearing Donovan say he wants Lavine to be more aggressive. From a scoring standpoint he's incredible and really the only thing he doesnt do is get to the free throw line. He shot better than Harden last year, but Harden just has the knack to get to the line. 

 

I've been all aboard the Bulls are gonna be considerably better train since they hired Donovan. I still think playoffs are not that crazy to think about.

Still need to hit on a star free agent, and those are dwindling.......Trading for Bagley intrigues me depending on the price.

[Kyyle23]

 

[thxfrthmmrs]

Watching Williams play, it’s not hard to see why Bulls wanted him at 4th, good athlete with the tools to be a good shooter and defender. I think his floor is a good 3 and D player but if he gets better at creating his own shot and gets stronger and finishes better at the rim, he could be an all star and more.

[bmags]

The noticeable thing last few weeks has been so many scorers in double digits. I obviously missed this game and was shocked when I saw teh score update. I went to bed with them down 20. Really glad they fought back because in those games vs. pacers/hawks they just crumbled.

So far the season is going good. Hard not to believe they'll keep getting better as they find stuff that works. It truly is still a bizarre roster. But Markannen looked good, Coby is at least developing, and Williams is getting good chance to develop with strong challenges.

It is still hard to look at the roster and not think they'll be outside looking in. But if they are playing competitively, witht he right guys playing well, it will be worth it.

One guy I kinda wonder about is Bagley. Really rough start to his career, and seems to be getting caught in the perpetual unhappiness that sac creates.

I wonder if there will be a buy low opportunity there. He was my least favorite in that draft class, and is playing like the reason why, yet he's still super talented.

[Chi Town Sox]

WCJ is insanely frustrating on defense now, he was and should be the catalyst on this D but there are a lot of boneheaded mistakes and laziness on standard plays that shouldn't happen consistently in rookie years, let alone now.  I do agree, he can set a good screen now though and does get bullied by guys like Nurkic but not many Centers like that in the league.  We need to have a banger on defense as a backup when facing teams with C's like that.  

I really like Lavine but IMO if we do not have a superstar, he is pointless to have here and they should be looking at trading him when he has a stretch of good games.  This isn't a 2 way player like Jimmy Butler, he works hard but he just doesn't appear to want to pay defense consistently.  So far, he looks lost nearly every other game and he needs to be the consistent one but he has the ball in his hands less with Coby handling so much now and .    If we can somehow land a star, I think he has the potential to be a lethal #2.  He's got nearly a 1:1 Assist to Turnover ratio right now, very bad.  

Lauri can't stay healthy and not worthy of an extension at this point unless he comes back and looks amazing, even then, hard to give a guy that cash that can't stay on the court consistently.    

There's going to be some tough decisions to make but At this point, I think  Coby and Williams are the future.  Coby does need to increase efficiency and improve defense over the rest of this year in his new role.  

[southsider2k5]

11 minutes ago, Chi Town Sox said:

WCJ is insanely frustrating on defense now, he was and should be the catalyst on this D but there are a lot of boneheaded mistakes and laziness on standard plays that shouldn't happen consistently in rookie years, let alone now.  I do agree, he can set a good screen now though and does get bullied by guys like Nurkic but not many Centers like that in the league.  We need to have a banger on defense as a backup when facing teams with C's like that.  

I really like Lavine but IMO if we do not have a superstar, he is pointless to have here and they should be looking at trading him when he has a stretch of good games.  This isn't a 2 way player like Jimmy Butler, he works hard but he just doesn't appear to want to pay defense consistently.  So far, he looks lost nearly every other game and he needs to be the consistent one but he has the ball in his hands less with Coby handling so much now and .    If we can somehow land a star, I think he has the potential to be a lethal #2.  He's got nearly a 1:1 Assist to Turnover ratio right now, very bad.  

Lauri can't stay healthy and not worthy of an extension at this point unless he comes back and looks amazing, even then, hard to give a guy that cash that can't stay on the court consistently.    

There's going to be some tough decisions to make but At this point, I think  Coby and Williams are the future.  Coby does need to increase efficiency and improve defense over the rest of this year in his new role.  

The crazy thing is WCJ has played 95 games at this point in his career, he is barely past his rookie year in terms of games played.

[Balta1701]

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

The crazy thing is WCJ has played 95 games at this point in his career, he is barely past his rookie year in terms of games played.

And this is basically the first time since Krzyzewski that he's been coached.

[Chisoxfn]

27 minutes ago, Chi Town Sox said:

WCJ is insanely frustrating on defense now, he was and should be the catalyst on this D but there are a lot of boneheaded mistakes and laziness on standard plays that shouldn't happen consistently in rookie years, let alone now.  I do agree, he can set a good screen now though and does get bullied by guys like Nurkic but not many Centers like that in the league.  We need to have a banger on defense as a backup when facing teams with C's like that.  

I really like Lavine but IMO if we do not have a superstar, he is pointless to have here and they should be looking at trading him when he has a stretch of good games.  This isn't a 2 way player like Jimmy Butler, he works hard but he just doesn't appear to want to pay defense consistently.  So far, he looks lost nearly every other game and he needs to be the consistent one but he has the ball in his hands less with Coby handling so much now and .    If we can somehow land a star, I think he has the potential to be a lethal #2.  He's got nearly a 1:1 Assist to Turnover ratio right now, very bad.  

Lauri can't stay healthy and not worthy of an extension at this point unless he comes back and looks amazing, even then, hard to give a guy that cash that can't stay on the court consistently.    

There's going to be some tough decisions to make but At this point, I think  Coby and Williams are the future.  Coby does need to increase efficiency and improve defense over the rest of this year in his new role.  

I see less in Coby than others. That isn't to say he can't get better, he just has a lot of development left in his arch. Defensively - he started his career last year pretty solid, but was a turnstyle early this season and offensively he can be a black hole.  He has a lot of bad turnovers and takes out of rhythm shots, etc.  His jumper can be really lethal though - but obviously inconsistent.  As long as he can continue to hone his jumper, Coby can be a 6th man type of guy (say Lou Williams / Ben Gordon type).  But if he's going to be a good player - he'll need to be a better defender or a better playmaker (ideally both).  Whether he can do that or not - I have no idea, but this is the year to try and I'll deal with his growing pains.

It is similar to Wendell Carter - I need to see more aggression out of him, especially on the offensive side. I will live with him shooting poorly as long as he can get the confidence and swagger to make aggressive basketball moves, because I believe he has the form to develop that shot.  He is just way to passive at times.  Boylen and the Bulls really wrecked Wendell and I'm glad we have Billy D to try and straighten him out. It is almost like Wendell is still a rookie and in some ways that is true given how many games he missed, but man the Bulls really miss used him (in the sense that you shouldn't pigeon hole a young player that much and basically just tell him to be a defensive stopper who sets screens but can't do anything else with the rock - way too limiting).   

The journey for the two guys above is going to be really interesting to watch, because one is obviously in there 2nd year, but the other in there 3rd year means not a ton of time before you have to decide on whether they are part of your long term future or not.  

I won't comment on Lauri, other than to say offensively he has looked much much much better this year - but small sample size and now out as part of COVID protocol. Want to see how they can all gel together - but while I'm not huge on Billy D's pure X's and O's in-game coaching (I think there are at least a handful of guys in the league better) - i do believe Billy D is very very good when it comes to the developmental side of things and just love the way he speaks to his players. I especially think his style works very well with a young team - but I also think he has that rare mix/aura where his style will also work with a more veteran team.  

I can't say enough how pleased I am to have such a balanced all around coach as Billy D running the day-to-day.  

[Chisoxfn]

22 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

And this is basically the first time since Krzyzewski that he's been coached.

You said this so eloquently and it really is true. This is the first time they are really putting him in a position where he is being asked to do something he isn't yet good at, after the previous regime basically pigeon holed him to the one thing he did very well coming out of college and ignored the fact that he had all of these other projectable attributes which could be "developed" over time.  

Now I'm not blaming WCJ entirely on coaching - because he is responsible for his own trajectory and injuries certainly impacted his overall development as well, but this feels like the first time where the coaching staff is not just looking at Wendell and what he is today - but looking at Wendell and what he could be and focusing their development plan on unlocking the what he could be - which is going to be critical to the Bulls long term success.

Wendell had a play last night against Nurkic - where he was aggressive, had a nice staggered pace to start, through off Nurkic and than exploded past them. It was eye popping to me because it was one of the best moves I've seen WCJ make in 2 years - but it is the type of move he can and should be able to do a lot more of.  Obviously Nurkic is not the fastest guy out there, so easier to do against a bigger C than the more athletic guys - but point is, WCJ is pretty athletic for his size and actually has a lot of smoothness to his game - it just looks incredibly rusty and lacking of confidence and I really think that stems from him not really utilizing those skills much, if at all during his 1st 2 years with the Bulls. He might practice them, but as AI would say, we talking about practice.