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By See Red Fred

Every trade deadline, every draft night, every rebuild — the same phrase gets thrown around:

“They got multiple second-round picks.”

It’s said like teams just acquired gold.

Fans celebrate it.
Front offices tout it.
Media repeats it.

But here’s the real question no one ever asks: What do second-round picks actually become?

So I went back and looked at every second-round pick from 2010 through 2020 — a full decade of data. That’s enough time for careers to play out and for real outcomes to be measured.

The results?
They’re not what most people think.

The Data SetFrom 2010–2020:

• 11 drafts
• 30 second-round picks per draft
• 330 total second-round picks

To evaluate success, we define a hit as:

A real NBA rotation player
(consistent minutes, multi-year contributor, not a fringe bench guy)

The Headline NumberOut of 330 second-round picks:

Only about 85 became real rotation playersThat’s it.

Rotation success rate: ~26%So historically:

Nearly three out of every four second-round picks never become rotation players.

Let that sink in.

The Bust Rate Nobody Talks AboutIf 26% become rotation players…

That means:

74% of second-round picks fail to become meaningful contributorsThey either:

• Bounce around benches
• Go overseas
• Wash out of the league
• Or never establish themselves

When teams collect second-rounders, this is the reality they’re dealing with.

Star-Level Hits Are Extremely RareYes, there are success stories.
But they’re the exception — not the rule.

From that 2010–2020 sample, true high-end outcomes include:

• Nikola Jokic
• Draymond Green
• Khris Middleton
• Jalen Brunson
• Malcolm Brogdon
• Jordan Clarkson
• Spencer Dinwiddie
• Norman Powell
• Dillon Brooks
• Montrezl Harrell

Roughly 10–12 players out of 330 became star-level or near-star contributors.

Star hit rate: ~3–4%That’s about 1 out of every 25 second-round picks.

So when a team trades for second-rounders hoping to “find the next Jokic”…
History says that’s wishful thinking.

What Multiple Seconds Really EqualLet’s translate this into real-world trade math.

If a team receives:

1 second-round pick→ ~26% chance of rotation player

2 second-round picks→ maybe one rotation player if you’re good

3 second-round picks→ still no guarantee of anything

4–5 picks→ odds improve, but still uncertain

In most cases?

You’re collecting lottery tickets, not guaranteed contributors.

Why Second-Round Picks Get OvervaluedSecond-rounders feel valuable because they offer:

• Flexibility
• Cost control
• Mystery upside
• Hope

But hope isn’t production.

Front offices love optionality.
Fans love the unknown.
Media loves saying “draft capital.”

But historically speaking:

Second-round picks are far more likely to produce nothing than something.

The Bulls (and League-Wide) PerspectiveThis matters when evaluating trades.

Every time you hear:

“They got three second-round picks in return.”

Ask one simple question:

What does that actually become?

History says:

• Maybe one rotation player
• Often none
• Very small chance of a star

That’s not nothing.
But it’s not a haul either.

Final Reality CheckFrom 2010–2020:

• 26% of second-round picks became rotation players
• 74% did not
• Only 3–4% became stars

Second-round picks have value.
Good scouting matters.
Smart teams can find gems.

But let’s stop pretending they’re premium assets.

They’re not gold bars.
They’re scratch-off tickets.

And most of the time?

They don’t hit.

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Whatever you believe Coby White’s ceiling is, it isn’t high enough. So many fellow Bulls fans argued—especially when he signed his first extension—that Coby had settled into the role of a solid sixth man. That assertion, which was common at the time, no longer applies. He shattered that ceiling during the 2023–24 season, finishing second in the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. Then, after a steady but unspectacular start to the 2024–25 campaign, White erupted following the All-Star break. In March 2025, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month—a distinction no Bull had earned since DeMar DeRozan in the 2021–22 season

To put that in perspective, the list of Eastern Conference Players of the Month between DeRozan and White reads like an all-star roster. Here’s a closer look:

Eastern Conference Players of the Month (from Feb 2022 to Mar 2025) * + February 2022: DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls * + March 2022: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks * + November 2022: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics * + December 2022: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers * + January 2023: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers * + February 2023: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks * + March 2023: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers * + November 2023: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics * + December 2023: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks * + January 2024: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers * + February 2024: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics * + March 2024: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks * + November 2024: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics * + December 2024: Karl‑Anthony Towns, New York Knicks * + January 2025: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks * + February 2025: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers * + March 2025:* Coby White, Chicago Bulls

All of these players…outside of Coby are All-Stars. Some are perennial MVP candidates. What’s remarkable? Coby achieved the honor while leading a Bulls team that finished 39–43, the only winner of the award in this stretch for a team with a losing record. It’s proof that, even on teams that underperformed, his individual brilliance stood out.

To truly appreciate how far Coby has come, consider his path: drafted 7th overall in 2019—just after Jarrett Culver and amid debates favoring Cam Reddish. In his rookie season under Jim Boylen, his late-season surge—averaging nearly 26 points with 50/40/90 shooting in the final nine games—hinted at greatness, only to be interrupted by COVID isolation, cutting off vital development.

Year Two brought a shift to traditional point guard responsibilities without a proper offseason, and the expected growing pains followed. The summer of 2021 brought a shoulder injury that required surgery, robbing him of another critical development window, even as the Bulls traded for Lonzo Ball and demoted Coby to the bench. Despite rushing back by mid-November, he was relatively inconsistent that season.

The 2022–23 season, Coby’s contract year, saw him accept a bench role behind Ayo Dosunmu and org decisions to add veterans like Goran Dragic and Patrick Beverley to compete for time and touches —yet he didn’t complain. Instead, he quietly dominated down the stretch—shooting 50/40/100 over the final 23 games—only to see his role diminished in crunch time once again.

Year Five was the one that changed everything. With Lonzo still out and Jevon Carter in camp, Coby won the starting point guard job. When LaVine went down, he seized the reins, becoming Chicago’s primary ball handler with poise, improved defense, and leadership. His performance earned him not just accolades but the respect of opposing coaches, encapsulated by Rick Carlisle’s endorsement: “We have a lot of respect for him and he’s a big part of our game plan.”

And Year 6 brought new challenges. With the arrival of Josh Giddey, Coby once again had to adjust to a shifting role. He began the season playing solid but unspectacular basketball—steady, but not headline-grabbing. Then came the All-Star break, and everything changed. Coby exploded in the final months, putting together the kind of dominant stretch that earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in March 2025, elevating him to a new level of greatness.

And so we arrive at Year 7.

What is in store? If the past is any indication, we can expect more growth, more leadership, and a bigger spotlight. My prediction? A well-deserved All-Star appearance and the rise of Coby White as the unquestioned best player on a surprising, playoff-contending Bulls team. We shall see. But the good news is, my prophetic predictions have been proven right 93% of the time. Go Bulls.

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April 22, 2024

Time to pick the winners of the annual NBA Awards. Naturally, I won’t select a Most Clutch Player, as it is a stupid award & I refuse to recognize it. Additionally, I will include my predictions doomed to fail from back in October.

MVP

• Finalists
  1. Nikola Jokic (Favorite) (My Pick) – He undoubtedly deserves his 3rd, entrenching him in the conversation for a spot on the Top 20 All-Time List. Amazing 4-5 year run he’s on. If he manages to repeat and win a second championship, we need to begin speaking about Joker in a historical context. Is he a future Top 10 player ever?
  2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  3. Luka Doncic
• Initial Predictions
  1. Nikola Jokic
  2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
  3. Luka Doncic
  4. Honorable mentions: Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Finalists
  1. Rudy Gobert (Favorite) (My Pick) – Best defensive player on the league’s best defensive team. The rumors of his demise clearly immature, the French Rejection continues to be a One-Man Top 10 Defense, regardless of the cast around him. Though I believe AD deserves a mention here, the award is Gobert’s once again, his 4th.
  2. Bam Adebayo
  3. Victor Wembanyama
• Initial Predictions
  1. Anthony Davis
  2. Rudy Gobert
  3. Bam Adebayo
  4. Honorable mentions: Alex Caruso, Jaren Jackson Jr., Draymond Green, Evan Mobley

COACH OF THE YEAR

• Finalists
  1. Mark Daigneault (Favorite)
  2. Chris Finch (My Pick) – I think Finch deserves it over Daigneault, though certainly neither would be a poor choice. The reason I pick Finch here is simply that the pressure on him was far greater than on Daigneault. Figuring out the Gobert-Towns pairing, allowing Edwards to take that next step, surviving Towns’ injury, building the NBA’s best defense – incredible job by Finch.
  3. Jamahl Mosley
• Initial Predictions
  1. Chris Finch
  2. Taylor Jenkins
  3. Eric Spoelstra
  4. Honorable mentions: Darvin Ham, Steve Kerr, Mark Daigneault, Ty Lue

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR (aka MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE)

• Finalists
  1. Tyrese Maxey (Favorite)
  2. Coby White (My Pick) – Even for the biggest Sub-Zero supporters, few could have seen this Coby White season coming. Before the season started, there was discussion of him coming off the bench behind Javon Carter! He far outplayed the contract he signed this summer, which was a 3 year deal around $12 million per year. Imagine how much he’d make if his free agency was this summer! He’d be making twice that number, easily.
  3. Alperen Sengun
• Initial Predictions
  1. Desmond Bane
  2. Tyrese Maxey
  3. Mikel Bridges
  4. Honorable mentions: Coby White, Austin Reeves, Jaden McDaniels, Devin Vassell, Trey Murphy, Alperen Sengun

6TH MAN OF THE YEAR

• Finalists
  1. Naz Reid (Favorite)
  2. Malik Monk
  3. Bobby Portis (My Pick) – Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Portis has been in consideration here for years. Though I love Naz, and he played incredibly with KAT out, my pick goes to Bobby. The Bucks have had a wild ride of a season – new coach, injuries, controversies, etc. One of the few constants has been Portis off the bench. It’s time.
• Initial Predictions
  1. Bobby Portis
  2. Immanual Quickley
  3. Santi Aldama
  4. Honorable mentions: Malik Monk, Kyle Anderson, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Andrew Nembhard

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• Finalists
  1. Victor Wembanyama (Favorite) (My Pick) – Yes, I typically like to give this award to a rookie who’s contributed to a winning team. But sometimes a player’s numbers and performance are so head & shoulders above everyone else’s, you simply must reward them accordingly. And being that Wemby stands literally a head & shoulders above everyone else, he’s getting this prize. We’ve never seen a player like him. He’s changing the game right before our eyes. I’ve counted dozens of highlight reel plays he made this year that were unprecedented in bball history. Assuming he stays more or less healthy, he’ll likely win 5+ DPOY awards, plus at least 1 MVP.
  2. Chet Holmgren
  3. Brandon Miller
• Initial Predictions
  1. Victor Wembanyama
  2. Brandon Miller
  3. Jaime Jacquez
  4. Honorable mentions: Amen Thompson, Scoot Henderson, Keyonte George

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NBA All-Star Selections – ’23-’24

Though it’s probably overdue to expand the official all-star selections from 12-15 players (ya know, the size of actual active NBA rosters), I’ll stick with the current format as is:

• The 10 starters – two guards and three frontcourt players per conference – are chosen by a combination of fans (50% of the vote), current players (25%) and media (25%).
• The 30 NBA coaches select the 14 reserves, voting for two guards, three frontcourt players and two players at any position in their respective conferences.
• Commissioner Adam Silver selects the replacement for any player unable to participate in the All-Star Game, choosing a player from the same conference as the player who is being replaced.

Inevitably, some greats are going to be left on the cutting room floor. Happens every year. If we expanded the rosters to 30 players each, there will still be players you shamefully need to leave off. Nature of the biz. I’m just glad these votes have no impact on players’ salaries, as the All-NBA votes do (which is insane, btw). Anywho, here we go:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

• STARTERS
  • Guards
    • Tyrese Haliburton – quickly becoming the face of the league, best offensive player not named Joker or Steph.
    • Damian Lillard – probably Mitchell should’ve gotten this spot, Dame’s crunch-time heroics disguise a down shooting year.
  • Frontcourt
    • Giannis Antetonkounmpo – 2nd best player in the world, a one-man wrecking crew.
    • Joel Embiid – 3rd best player in the world having an all-time great offensive season.
    • Jayson Tatum – best player on the league’s best team, hitting his prime soon.
• RESERVES
  • Guards
    • Donovan Mitchell – deserves to be starting, carrying banged up Cavs to 5th seed & climbing.
    • Jalen Brunson – the face of New York City basketball today.
  • Frontcourt
    • Bam Adebayo – Perennial Top 5 Center is quietly becoming the best player on his team.
    • Jaylen Brown – Is he still the 2nd best player on the Celtics? Their record gives JB this selection more than his actual play, which has been good, but not great.
    • Paolo Banchero – Magic’s best player, the team’s coming back down to earth after a early rise to the top of the East.
  • Wild Cards
    • Tyrese Maxey – Last year wasn’t a fluke. Fastest end-to-end guard in the league besides Fox, a legit number 2, in competition for Most Improved Player.
    • Scottie Barnes – Rap’s poor record dim the shine coming off Scottie’s wonderful all-around season. Darko was right – he’s becoming one of the faces of the league.
• 5 HONORABLE MENTIONS
  • Coby White – best player on an average team, he’ll be back here in the future
  • Trae Young – overrated player with amazing stats, the worst perimeter defender in the NBA
  • Dejounte Murray – Underrated season on a disappointing team, will soon be a Laker
  • Kristaps Porzingis – Thou shalt not pick 3 players from one team, will he play enough games
  • Jimmy Butler – won’t play enough games, but he doesn’t care

WESTERN CONFERENCE

• STARTERS
  • Guards
    • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – The best player the average fan doesn’t know of. Top 10 player now. Legit #1 on a contender
    • Luka Doncic – MVP candidate having another elite season. Will the team be good enough in the playoffs. No one will want to play against them in 7 game series.
  • Frontcourt
    • LeBron James – Kawhi probably deserves to start, but what LeBron is doing at age 39 is unprecedented. Still a Top 15 player – averaging 25, 7 & 7 on 52% from the field
    • Kevin Durant – Has had to carry a bigger load due to Beal’s injuries, still putting up amazing numbers for anyone his age. Also a Top 15 player.
    • Nikola Joker – The Best Player in the World is ready to repeat. He’s never looked better
• RESERVES
  • Guards
    • Anthony Edwards – Best player on the West’s best team. One of the young faces of the NBA, probably its most exciting player.
    • De’Aaron Fox – Best player on struggling Kings team, fastest end-to-end player just about to enter his prime.
  • Frontcourt
    • Domas Sabonis – One of the league leaders in points, rebounds and assists per game, he’s proving that you can win with a Non-Shot-Blocking Center.
    • Anthony Davis – 3rd best center in the league having a phenomenal season for underachieving Lakers, will compete with Gobert for DPOY award.
    • Kawhi Leonard – Best Player on the climbing Clippers, resembling 2019 Kawhi, can he stay healthy?
  • Wild Cards
    • Steph Curry – Grandfathered in despite down year individually and team-wise.
    • Paul George – the perfect #2 for the Clips, plug-n-play perfection who’s healthy and as good as ever.
• 7 HONORABLE MENTIONS
  • Desmond Bane – best player on a horrible team, possibly the Most Improved Player
  • Lauri Markkanen – also the best player on a horrible team, last year’s Most Improved Player
  • Rudy Gobert – 2nd best player on a great team, but is disliked throughout the league
  • Karl-Anthony Towns – 3rd best player on great team, is also disliked throughout the league
  • Devin Booker – Top 10 player in the league, the first injury replacement
  • Alperen Sengun – Half the league is kicking itself for passing on Baby Jokic in the draft
  • Jamal Murray – the 2nd half of the best 1-2 combo in the NBA, won’t play enough games

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December 19th, 2023

Now that we’re a third of the way through the season, I’d like to take a look back and evaluate what I originally predicted the standings to look like in the East & West compared to where it is today. Per usual, I was way way way off on several of these projections (coughchicagocoughbullscough).

EASTERN CONFERENCE

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS STANDINGS AS OF 12/19/23

1. Boston 1. Boston
2. Cleveland 2. Milwaukee
3. Milwaukee 3. Philadelphia
4. New York 4. Orlando
5. Philadelphia 5. New York
6. Chicago 6. Cleveland
7. Atlanta 7. Miami
8. Indiana 8. Indiana
9. Miami 9. Brooklyn
10. Orlando 10. Toronto
11. Toronto 11. Atlanta
12. Brooklyn 12. Chicago
13. Charlotte 13. Charlotte
14. Detroit 14. Washington
15. Washington 15. Detroit

WHERE I WAS RIGHT AND WHERE I WAS WRONG

Boston has come out guns blazing. Arguably the most impressive team in the entire NBA. One of the few squads who are top 5 in both offensive and defensive rating. They’re on the short list of teams who can realistically win the ch’ip this year.

Milwaukee, New York, and Philly are all in the top 5 in both columns. That said, I thought the James Harden mess would set Philly back further. Instead, it’s unlocked Maxey, Embiid, and Nurse. Nobody will want to play them come playoff time. Also, what Milwaukee is doing is impressive, given they have so many new faces, including a first-time coach.

I was right about Charlotte, Detroit, & Washington bringing in the rear of the conference. However, I was dead wrong about Chicago & Atlanta. Figured continuity would reign supreme. I figured wrong. Furthermore, Cleveland is about to take a tumble in the standings now too, as Garland and Mobley are injured. Plus Mitchell will likely be traded by the deadline. They’re a Play-In team potentially.

My biggest miss was Orlando though. I thought they were another year away. But defensively, they’ve arrived. One of the best defensive teams in all the NBA, even if they fall back in the standings a bit after this hot start, they’ve announced they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. And they’ve done this without their starting C (Carter Jr.) and their starting PG (Fultz). Plus they have tradable pieces if they wanted to make a midseason addition. Hat tip to the Magic.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS STANDINGS AS OF 12/19/23

1. Sacramento 1. Minnesota
2. Minnesota 2. Oklahoma City
3. LA Clippers 3. Denver
4. Denver 4. Sacramento
5. Los Angeles 5. Dallas
6. Golden State 6. LA Clippers
7. Phoenix 7. New Orleans
8. Memphis 8. Los Angeles
9. Dallas 9. Houston
10. New Orleans 10. Phoenix
11. Oklahoma City 11. Golden State
12. Houston 12. Utah
13. San Antonio 13. Memphis
14. Utah 14. Portland
15. Portland 15. San Antonio

WHERE I WAS RIGHT AND WHERE I WAS WRONG

Very proud of my Sacramento, Minnesota, and Phoenix picks. I thought the Suns were a play-in team, too top-heavy, not enough depth, injury-prone. They didn’t disappoint. And I projected SacTown and ‘Sota to be among the best teams in the West. Teams that haven’t “been there before” (and by “there” I’m referring to 1st in the standings) will go extra hard in the regular season to get there. Teams that have “been there, done that” don’t value home court throughout the playoffs as much. Regardless, these teams aren’t going anywhere. The Kings were 3rd last year. They’re here to stay. And regarding Minnesota, this is officially a team that can win the championship. They’re well-coached, they have elite size, and AntMan believes he’s the best player on whatever court he steps on.

The big ones I got wrong here are the Thunder and Mavs. Generally, I bet against Kyrie, no matter what the odds. But Luka’s Greatness beats Irving’s Craziness, and the Mavs halfcourt offense is humming along as well as ever. I expect them to fall a little, but they’re playoff bound. The Thunder, like the Magic, I was too late on. I predicted it would take them another year. But Holmgren is playing like a vet, JDub is one of the best young Wings in the west, and SGA is one of the best players in the league. They’re young, exciting, and well-coached. They’re here to stay, IF they remain healthy.

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In Defense of AKME

• by Paulie G of the NBA Index – 12/8/23

Defending Karnisovas and Eversley is no easy task. They were hired in April 2020, with the promise of fast-forwarding the ongoing rebuild the Bulls seemed perpetually stuck in. In the 3.5 years since, the Bulls have made the playoffs once, and won a single playoff game. They were recently voted dead last in the NBA in combined value of team assets. They aren’t exciting to watch. Their best players don’t play well together. Their young players haven’t developed as quickly as we hoped. And in a world where Ws (125) & Ls (133) are the only categories that matter, it’s hard to argue with the statement that the AKME regime, thus far, has been a failure.

However, I took a deeper dive into this and tried to look at it objectively. I’ve watched literally every single Bulls game since AKME took over and am well aware of the vitriolic hatred spewed on social media every time Patrick Williams steps out of bounce while Tyrese Haliburton hits another stepback 3. I didn’t do this to be a contrarian. My motivation isn’t to zig just because everyone else is zagging. I want to see the Bulls win just as much as anyone else. And that’s the reason why, after evaluating AKME’s performance so far, I’m still quite confident they’re going to turn this around.

Category 1 – Coaching Hire

Let’s begin with the first move they made – the hire of Billy Donovan, who had just led OKC to a 44-28 record in ’19-’20, good for 5th in the West in the first post-Westbrook season. They were expected to immediately go into tank mode, but Billy somehow turned a mixture of journeyman Dennis Schroeder, a 21 year old SGA, a supposedly washed-up Chris Paul, and Danilo Gallinari into a functioning basketball team who became a real threat. After that season, Sam Presti made the decision to dive headfirst into a rebuild, Billy didn’t want to stick around for it, and AKME swooped in and signed him merely days after his resignation from OKC. Billy’s career winning % is .559, known as a players-coach, but is well-respected throughout the league by players & coaches alike. The upgrade over Jim Boylen, by itself, merits a good grade. And though it hasn’t been all sunshine & rainbows here in Chicago, overall, the Billy Donovan hire was a Win for AKME.

Coaching Hire Grade: B+

Category 2 – Draft

Every Haliburton 25 & 10 game I’m sure causes AKME sleepless nights. I actually had Haliburton #1 on my board in 2020. Yes, even ahead of Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Alas, they forgot to call me on draft day. Regardless, though I generally give rookies 4 or 5 years to judge what sort of player he’ll become, it’s fairly clear that the pick of Patrick Williams over Tyrese Haliburton (not to mention Desmond Bane & Devin Vassell) was a big miss. However, let’s quickly take a look back to the summer of 2020. If you recall, the pandemic had just taken over the world. Scouts and execs couldn’t travel to see players in person, the NCAA season was postponed, prospects couldn’t come in for tryouts, there was no pre-draft combine, and interviews were being done over Zoom. Not the ideal atmosphere for real evaluation. Furthermore, Patrick was one of the fastest risers leading up to the draft. In fact, the rumor was that Coach Pop had promised him the Spurs would take him at 11 (where they would eventually take Williams’ FSU teammate, Vassell). Either way, though it’s a miss, it certainly wasn’t a fireable offense (like Wiseman at 2, Bagley at 2, etc.). And, let me go on record here, I still am a firm believer in Patrick Williams. He was one of the youngest players in that draft class, and is still only 22. I think he’ll be an all-star one day.

Looking at the rest of their draft record, it’s way too early to come to a determination on guys like Ayo, Dalen, and Julian. Though there seems to be a universal desire to shit on the Dalen pick, particularly when passing on Walker Kessler, keep in mind that so did 20 other teams. WAY too early to come to any conclusion on Dalen. He’s played 40 games. Total. And he happens to play the same position as Demar. Did we really expect him to come in and produce immediately?

Lastly, can we keep in mind that Karnisovas was the same dude that drafted Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray, and Monte Morris, and Michael Porter Jr., not to mention making the draft day trade that landed the Nuggets both Gary Harris and Jusef Nurkic in exchange for Doug McDermott, getting the better of GarPax. With this sort of track record, shouldn’t we give AK a little more leash?

Draft Grade: C-

Category 3 – Trades and Strategy

At the core of this category sits 4 transactions: Lauri trade, Vuc trade, Demar Trade, Lonzo trade. The Demar trade was obviously a Win for the Bulls. Demar has significantly outplayed the cost to get him. The Lonzo trade started as a W, but his injuries render the grade an Incomplete. Still, for what they gave up to get him, it certainly wouldn’t be considered a Loss. That said, the Markkanen trade was a clear loss. They got back basically Derrick Jones Jr. & a future lottery-protected POR 1st rounder. DJJ has proven to be a valuable role player, he’s starting right now for the Dallas Mavericks and guarding the other team’s best perimeter player. Unfortunately for CHI, Lauri went on to become an all-star. They better make that POR pick count!

Now, the Vuc trade. The basic outline of that deal was Wendell Carter Jr., ’21 1st round pick (became Franz Wagner), ’23 1st round pick (became Jett Howard) for Vuc, who was coming over in his prime, during an all-star campaign, averaging 24 pts & 11 reb while shooting 40% from 3. Now, I don’t value mid-1st round picks as highly as others, and AKME assumed they’d be giving away 2 mid-tier 1sts for Vuc. If you recall, immediately after the Vuc trade, Zach got hurt, then got covid, then they went on a west-coast roadtrip and got smoked, cratering their place in the standings, directly leading to the Magic getting the 8th overall pick in ’21, who became one of the best young Wings in the league in Franz Wagner. If that pick was in the 12-18 range, the trade would be an unmitigated Win for AKME, as Franz would never have dropped that far. Additionally, if ORL had taken Franz with their own pick at #5 (instead of Suggs), or OKC at #6 (Giddey), or GS at #7 (Kuminga), it would have also been a W for AKME. Getting Vuc for WCJ, Kuminga, and Jett Howard sounds much better, doesn’t it? The point is they wanted out of the lottery, they wanted established talent rather than hopeful talent, they wanted the playoffs, they wanted to be relevant, and they were willing to risk a small % of their future to do it. If you think it was too much future, that’s fair. But I understand & respect the strategy.

Trades & Strategy Grade: C

Category 4 – Negotiations

There seems to be a common misconception that the Bulls routinely bid against themselves. But I challenge anyone to come forth with evidence showing that Demar had no other suiters willing to spend similar $ for him in ’21, or Zach in ’22, or Vuc & Coby & Ayo this summer. Why does everyone just assume they had no other offers? You may look around the league, come to that conclusion yourself, but that’s irresponsible because we truly don’t know. That said, if you think we overpaid for them regardless, that’s fine. But I think there’s value in NOT playing hardball with our own players. And besides, the Caruso contract alone should merit a good grade for AKME. And Coby’s is beginning to look pretty damn tasty too.

Negotiations Grade: B

Category 5 – Roster construction

Here lies AKME’s biggest failure. They hitched their wagon to an injury proned dude in Lonzo. They failed to surround a poor rim defender like Vuc with big wings who can help protect the paint. Furthermore, there seemed to be a lack of direction in Style of Play. If Billy wanted to play fast, why run so much through ISO-Centric Flow-Killing Ballstoppers like Zach & Demar? If Billy wants to run more offense through Vuc, why did he have him picking & popping so much for the first couple seasons. Also, they never should’ve started Pwill right away. Too much pressure placed on a 19 year old. They should have taken a note from the Spurs and made Patrick go to the G-League for a while. Get real reps, learn how to be a pro, and then let him join the big club. Additionally, they should have learned earlier that he wasn’t a PF and more of a Wing.

Roster Construction Grade: D

Category 6 – Flexibility:

I often hear that AKME is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge their own mistakes; that they’ve been unwilling to pivot once they (hypothetically) should have known their plan wasn’t going to work; that instead of being flexible and making changes, they chose to double-down. For example, once Lonzo went down, why did they not prioritize replacing him with a real Point Guard. In that instance, if you recall, they thought Lonzo was coming back for the ’22-’23 season. They didn’t learn until later that he was going to miss the whole year. So, looking at it objectively, if the Bulls started so well with Lonzo in the ’21-’22 season before he got hurt, it makes sense to wait and see what they look like when he returns without making any major changes until then. Unfortunately for AKME, Lonzo never returned, which is why AKME aggressively signed Jevon Carter this offseason. But they didn’t really double-down. It’s not like they mortgaged more Future for the current squad. On the flipside though, they clung to cherry-picking Win-Loss stats to show the hypothetical potential of their team. For example, I’ve never seen a front office be so proud of a post-trade deadline record of 14-9 when the only major addition was Patrick Beverly. They should have known after 1 season that the Zach-Demar combo was not going to work, and they should have traded at least one of them before this season began.

Flexibility Grade: C

Final Conclusion

The record is the record, so they’ve failed thus far. The roster construction is their biggest black mark. I do appreciate the strategy. Many GMs cling to their jobs by trading for pick after pick after pick and then selling Hope & Patience to the fanbase, saying “Yes, our team sucks right now, and will likely continue to suck for a few more years. But look at all these draft picks we’ve got!” Ultimately, AKME picked a lane and that lane hit a dead-end. However, they didn’t gamble away all their future assets to do it. And ultimately, shouldn’t we give a management group at least 5 years to turn things around? Jerry Krause had 15 seasons. GarPax had 17. Can’t we give AKME more than 3.5!?

Final Grade: C

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We’re a quarter of the way through a roller-coaster of the season. Storylines are in abundance – the Pacers Offense, the Wolves Defense, the Celtics Everything, In-Season Tournament Success, In-Season Tournament Courts Failure, Kenny Smith’s beard, etc. But for this exercise, let’s hand out some awards!

To provide some clarity, these are my picks for who deserves these awards IF the season ended today. They are not my end of year predictions, which I’ve already written about.

Defensive Player of the Year

• Rudy Gobert
  • Defensive Win Shares: Ranked 1st in the NBA – 1.5
  • Total Reb%: 6th – 19.7
  • Reb/game: 4th – 11.6
  • Blocks/game: 5th – 2.4
  • MIN – 2nd in Points Allowed/game – 105.9
  • MIN – 1st in Defensive Rating – 107.94
• Deserves Mention:
  • Anthony Davis
  • Joel Embiid
  • Mitchell Robinson

Coach of the Year

• Jamahl Mosley – Orlando Magic
  • Record: 14-6
  • Last 10: 9-1
• Deserves Mention
  • Chris Finch – Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Mark Daigneault – Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Rick Carlisle – Indiana Pacers

6th Man of the Year

• Immanuel Quickley – New York Knicks
  • PPG: 15.4
  • 3pFG%: 37%
  • FT%: 88%
• Deserves Mention
  • Bobby Portis
  • Tim Hardaway Jr.
  • Kyle Anderson

Most Improved Player

• Tyrese Haliburton
  • PTS/Game – Last Year to This Year: 20.7 –> 27.0
  • AST/Game – Last Year to This Year: 10.4 –> 11.8
  • FG% – Last Year to This Year: 49% –> 52%
  • 3P% – Last Year to This Year: 40% –> 44.7% (8.8 attempts per game)
  • VORP: 1.7 (5th in NBA
  • Win Shares: 3.1 (5th in NBA)
• Deserves Mention:
  • Alperen Sengun
  • Tyrese Maxey
  • Franz Wagner

Rookie of the Year

• Chet Holmgren
  • PTS/game: 17.6
  • BLK/game: 2.2
  • Reb/game: 8.0
  • Ast/game: 2.6
  • Stl/game: 0.9
  • FG%: 53.1%
  • 3p%: 39.5%
  • OKC’s record: 13-6
• Deserves Mention:
  • Jaime Jacquez
  • Victor Wembanyama
  • Jordan Hawkins

Most Valuable Player

• Nikola Jokic
• Deserves Mention
  • Joel Embiid
  • Jayson Tatum
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • Shae Gilgeous-Alexander
  • Tyrese Haliburton

All NBA Teams

• Using the updated rules, where positions do not apply, and players must play at least 79% of games to be eligible. This is based on the minimum games played rule of 65 out of an 82 game season.
• 1st Team:
  • Nikola Jokic
  • Joel Embiid
  • Tyrese Haliburton
  • Shae Gilgeous-Alexander
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
• 2nd Team:
  • Steph Curry
  • Jayson Tatum
  • Anthony Edwards
  • Luka Doncic
  • Kevin Durant
• 3rd Team:
  • Damian Lillard
  • Jalen Brunson
  • Paolo Banchero
  • Bam Adebayo
  • Tyrese Maxey

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Top 10 best players at each position

*For this exercise, though nearly every player in the league plays multiple positions or redefined positions or nontraditional positions or positionless basketball, we’ll be basing this list on the standard roles of Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, & Center.

*This list is fluid. It will change each season, and often midseason.

*Also important to this exercise, we need to define what “best” actually means. So let me first explain what it does NOT mean.

• ~~Most valuable player to their team~~
• ~~Most physically talented player~~
• ~~Best all-around player~~
• ~~Most dominant player~~
• ~~Player I’d want taking a last second shot~~
• ~~Player I’d want in a must win game~~
• ~~Player I’d start my organization with~~

All of those definitions are fine, but each is flawed. Additionally, we must eliminate variables that can influence the decision, such as contract, organizational situation, head coach, etc. However, variables that are included in consideration are things like proneness to injury and off-court issues, as these issues directly affect on-court availability.

Here is the most accurate way to define what “best” means in the NBA, and therefore, the criteria I use in formulating this list:

• The BEST PLAYER is the first player I would pick – from the entire pool of available NBA players – if I were starting a team today – with the goal of winning a championship THIS SEASON.

So, based on this rule, and with the understanding that the answer will be different for anyone and everyone, here is my list.

-As of 10/24/23-

POINT GUARDS

1. Steph Curry
2. Luka Doncic
3. Damian Lillard
4. Jamal Murray
5. Tyrese Haliburton
6. De’Aaron Fox
7. LaMelo Ball
8. Darius Garland
9. Jrue Holiday
10. Tyrese Maxey

SHOOTING GUARDS

1. Devin Booker
2. SGA
3. Donovan Mitchell
4. Anthony Edwards
5. Desmond Bane
6. Jaylen Brown
7. Dejounte Murray
8. Zach Lavine
9. Klay Thompson
10. Bradley Beal

SMALL FORWARDS

1. Jayson Tatum
2. LeBron James
3. Kawhi Leonard
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Paul George
6. OG Anunoby
7. Mikel Bridges
8. Franz Wagner
9. Scottie Barnes
10. Demar DeRozen

POWER FORWARDS

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Kevin Durant
3. Aaron Gordon
4. Lauri Markkanen
5. Pascal Siakam
6. Jaren Jackson Jr.
7. Paolo Banchero
8. Evan Mobley
9. Zion Williamson
10. Julius Randle

CENTERS

1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Anthony Davis
4. Bam Adebayo
5. Domas Sabonis
6. Karl-Anthony Towns
7. Rudy Gobert
8. Kristaps Porzingis
9. Nikola Vucevic
10. Myles Turner

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In the same way that “Remember when…” is the lowest form of conversation, coming up with trade proposals is the lowest form of basketball fandom.

First off, whatever idea you’ve thought up while on your lunch break or chatting with your friends, pro-sports organizations have entire departments consisting of really smart people whose job is literally to study the team, league, numbers, trends, analytics, contracts, and salary cap to come up with ways to improve the squad, often via trade. And they’ve surely discussed your idea months ago and likely poo-poo’d it. So, believe me when I tell you, I’m nowhere near my high-horse. I don’t own a horse, never wanted a horse, barely know how to ride a horse. I’m not discovering anything new..

Secondly, when a player gets traded, his wife gets traded, his kids get traded, their schools get traded, their friends and families get traded, etc. A trade completely upends a player’s life. Anyone can live in a fantasy world above the clouds and throw around ideas, but the reality is pretty sobering. Most people don’t want to get traded (unless their name is James Harden). So it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

That aside, here are some Zach Lavine trade ideas!

1. Timberwolves
   • Wolves receive Zach Lavine
   • Bulls receive KAT Towns
   • Why it works:
     • Minnesota needs shooting and halfcourt scoring. Zach provides both. Plus, they’d immediately have the 2 most athletic wings in the league with Zach and Ant-man. They won’t have to worry about any Towns vs Edwards battle over whose team it is anymore. And Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid can easily fill those KAT minutes and provide 75%+ of his production.
     • For Chicago, KAT would slide in at the 4-spot, immediately providing some much needed size and shooting. And if Billy can get a team with Demar, Zach, and Vuc to play top 5 caliber defense, then he can get KAT to be consistent at that end too.
   • Why it doesn’t work:
     • ‘Sota probably wants to see where this season is going. They’re the 2nd best team in the West right now, and they’re a real threat. They have size, defense, veteran leadership, shooting, coaching, and one of the most exciting players in the league in Edwards. They probably don’t want to make any crazy midseason trades and risk messing it up.

2. Knicks

   • Knicks receive: Zach Lavine
   • Bulls receive: RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, 2025 Bucks 1st rounder, unprotected Pistons 2024 2nd rounder

   • Why it works:

     • The rumors have swirled for about a year now that the Knicks made calls about the price of Lavine. For NY, Zach immediately becomes their 2nd best player and best scorer. Their halfcourt offense routinely stalls out and Zach would pump some life into it. Thibs tends to play a very basic, ISO-heavy offense, which Lavine would thrive in.
     • The Bulls would be overjoyed with this haul. Fournier still has some life left. the 2nd round Pistons pick will certainly have value, though the Bucks pick likely will be in the 20s. But the key here is Barrett. He’s a real hooper, a reliable 20-5-5 guy who gets to the rim and plays defense. He’ll never be a superstar, but you could do worse as a 3rd or 4th option on a contending team.
       • Why it doesn’t work:
     • Word around the campfire is that the Knicks have soured on Zach since the summer, likely due to the fact that Barrett (and Quickely, DiVincenzo, & Hart) has looked so good. Zach’s a better player, but they can get 75% of the production for half the cost. Furthermore, it sounds like Zach’s Klutch representation doesn’t want to do business with the Knicks CAA connections, a’la Leon Rose.
     • Lakers
       • Lakers receive: Zach Lavine
       • Bulls receive: D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, 2029 unprotected Lakers 1st round pick, 2025 Clippers 2nd rounder
       • Why it works:
     • The expected rise of Austin Reaves has stalled slightly. The Lakers were relying on him to be the lead creator for 20 minutes a night while LeBron rests. That may be too much, too soon for Reaves. Enter Lavine, who would immediately become the 3rd best player on the team and potentially its leading scorer. LeBron would get the most out of him certainly. Plus the Klutch connections are undeniable. And besides, the Russell and Rui contracts were essentially written with a clause saying “We’re paying you this much because we’re probably going to trade you.” The longer the Mavs and Kyrie play well, the less likely he’s coming to LA. And Zach is a pretty good consolation prize.
     • For the Bulls, the draft pick is the main thing. That’s the prize here, as they’d be looking to replenish their draft stock. Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura just proved that they can play crunch-time minutes for a championship contending team. This deal would give the Bulls flexibility as well, in case they would want to continue making moves this offseason.
       • Why it doesn’t work:
     • It’s probably a useless exercise, honestly. All three Lakers players can’t be traded until December 15th at the earliest. And I predict AKME doesn’t want to wait that long, losing games while this cloud hangs over the team. Plus, 2 of them are guards, and the Bulls already have a crowded backcourt rotation. I like Rui and that 2029 pick could be gold, but I think the Bulls could do better.
     • 76ers
       • 76ers receive: Zach Lavine
       • Bulls receive: Tobias Harris, 76ers 2026 1st rounder, 2029 Clippers 1st Round Pick Swap, Knicks 2024 2nd rounder
       • Why it works:
     • Morey is on record saying he wants that 3rd star to make a real championship run. Zach would certainly suffice. They don’t want to waste anymore prime Embiid years, and this deal would immediately put them neck and neck with the Celtics. The draft picks are very valuable, but it’s a worthwhile cost for Lavine. Furthermore, though Tobias Harris has played well for them so far, getting Covington and Batum in the Harden deal should make Harris expendable.
     • For Chicago, the Harris’ contract expires at the end of the season, so no long term commitment. Meanwhile, this draft compensation is really enticing, particularly that 2029 Clippers 1st Round swap. The Clips core is getting older and is injury prone. By 2029, they’ll likely all be retired. And besides, and Clippers draft pick will almost always have value.
       • Why it doesn’t work:
     • Two main reasons. First, though Morey wants a 3rd star, he has the draft assets to go after bigger fish than Lavine. Second, the Sixers are playing the best ball they’ve played in 4 years right now. And Tyrese Maxey is the engine. I don’t think they would want to upset the chemistry they’re playing with right now. The Maxey-Embiid pairing is quickly climbing the ranks of best duos in the league. And guys like Melton, Covington, Batum, and Harris are the ideal role players to surround them with.
     • Raptors

   • Raps receive: Zach Lavine

   • Bulls receive: Pascal Siakim & 2026 1st round pick
   • Why it works:
     • The Raps need shooting and halfcourt scoring. Zach provides both. Furthermore, if they know Pascal is walking after this season, they can’t go down the Fred VanVleet road again. They have to get SOMETHING in exchange for their best player since Kawhi. And Zach is more than something. Plus he’s under contract for 4 years. The Raps would have to throw in a future 1st round pick because the Bulls are risking Siakim leaving next summer. But this deal allows Barnes to play PF, and they can run out Schroeder, Lavine, OG, Barnes, and Poeltl. That’s a bonafide playoff team in the east.
     • The Bulls would do this deal because they know Pat Williams isn’t a PF by now. He’d be moved to his more natural SF spot, where he & Pascal can provide the front line defense that Vuc doesn’t offer.
   • Why it doesn’t work:
     • The Bulls don’t want to trade one ballstopper for another. The criticism of Siakim has been, despite his obvious success, he often takes a lot of time to get into his shot, stalling an offensive flow. Though accurate in the past, Pascal has adapted his game and rarely pounds the air out of the ball anymore. But Chicago might not want to risk it anyway.
   • Pelicans
   • Pels receive: Zach Lavine
   • Bulls receive: Brandon Ingram and Kira Lewis
   • Why it works:
     • New Orleans is struggling right now, and besides health, the number 1 reason is lack of shooting. With Tre Murphy & CJ McCollum out, they’re actually relying on rookie Jordan Hawkins to spread the floor. Zach would immediately upgrade their offense via his shooting alone. Plus, with Zion, they have a bonafide Alpha that will allow Zach to play off the ball and be a secondary creator, which is a better fit for him. Furthermore, the Zion-Ingram tandem has always been a clunky fit because they both play best with the ball in their hands and they aren’t great C&S players. Additionally, with guys like Dyson Daniels, Tre Murphy, and Herb Jones waiting in the Wings, Ingram is somewhat expendable. Kira Lewis would be a throw-in for salary matching purposes.
     • Chicago could use the additional size Ingram will bring. Though not a great rebounder, he is better than Zach in that department. He’s young still and still has room for improvement. The Bulls need big wings.
   • Why it doesn’t work:
     • The last thing AKME wants is another ballstopper who doesn’t know how to play off the ball & refuses to catch and shoot when given open Catch & Shoot opportunities. I love the idea of Ingram, seems like a good kid who works hard and can get you 20+ on any given night. But he might just be a Forward version of Zach
   • Magic
   • Magic receives: Zach Lavine
   • Bulls receive: Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Magic 2025 1st rounder unprotected
   • Why it works:
     • For Orlando, they’re loaded with young talented players, especially in the backcourt. But it’s become a logjam because they essentially all offer the same exact skills – none of which is shooting. Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black – all talented, but none are consistent shooters. Enter Lavine, who would immediately become their best player, while also won’t dominate the ball. He’ll allow Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero to continue to play their style and lead the team. Plus he’ll open up driving lanes for them. And he has that Seattle area connection to Paolo. Love this deal for the Magic.
     • This one is my favorite. To begin, I love Suggs. He’s not a shooter, but he’s a pitbull defensively and knows how to play. Plus he’s improving from beyond the arc. Isaac, as he showed against the Bulls already this week, still has some spring and plenty of defensive chops left, despite his poor injury history. He’d slide in at the 4 and immediately be our best rim protector. Harris would be needed for salary purposes. The 1st rounder would certainly be in the teens, as I don’t anticipate the Magic becoming a top flight team right away. But still valuable
   • Why it doesn’t work:
     • No reason, besides the Magic might just not be too into Zach Lavine. If Zach doesn’t show them something soon, this deal could be off the table entirely. He sucked in Game 1 this week. He has another opportunity tomorrow.

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See Red Fred, Paulie G of the NBA Index, and Basketball Historian Tim Gallagher discuss the win vs the Jazz, Dalen Terry, and the early season surprises in the NBA.

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See Red Fred and The Podfather Doug Thonus discuss the sorry state of the Bulls after the loss to Denver. The Bulls stand at 2-5 and last place in the Central Division…SRF & DT discuss the reasons why.

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Fred Pfeiffer & Mark Lewinthal recap the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Lone Star State and what it means for the team’s sluggish start to the season.

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The James Harden Trade Details:

Clippers receive:

• James Harden
• PJ Tucker
• Filip Petrusev (flipped to Sacramento)

Why the Clips decided to trade so much draft capital to the 76ers for Harden will never make sense to me. Nobody else wanted him! The market was dry. They were literally bidding against themselves. They had all the leverage, especially because they’ve looked good so far this season. 28 other teams in the league, and not a single one had any interest in James Harden. The Clips were the only game in town. And still, Morey got the better of them. Perhaps they looked around the West and realized, even IF Kawhi & PG13 are healthy come playoff time, they likely couldn’t beat the Suns, Lakers, or Warriors (much less the Nuggets). So I understand taking a swing, especially as they’re about to enter their new stadium, the Intuit Dome, next season. I just wish they didn’t swing for chronic quitter James Harden. Grade: C-

76ers receive:

• Nic Batum
• Rober Covington
• Marcus Morris
• KJ Martin
• Unprotected 2028 first-round pick (via Clippers)
• 2024 & 2029 2nd-round picks (via Clippers)
  • The 2024 second-round pick acquired by the Sixers will be either the Raptors’, Pacers’, Jazz’s, or Cavaliers’ pick, whichever is most favorable. If either the Jazz’s or Cavaliers’ pick is the most favorable, Philadelphia would instead receive the second-most favorable of the four.
• 2026 1st-round pick from Thunder
  • Either the Rockets’ (top-four protected), Clippers’, or Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable)
• Top 3 protected 2029 1st-round pick swap (via Clippers)

Morey does it again. Don’t get me wrong. He’s received 4 role players, one of whom doesn’t even play anymore (Morris) and some draft capital for James Harden. Furthermore, if you took a 20,000 foot view of the assets involved in this, it actually looks much worse, as they essentially traded the 2016 #1 overall draft pick (Ben Simmons), the 2023 1st round pick (Brice Sensabaugh), their 2027 1st round pick, Seth Curry & Andre Drummond for 4 role players and some draft capital. However, when no one the league wanted him, except for one team in the other conference who doesn’t really even need him in the first place, the fact that they got the draft compensation haul to begin with is phenomenal. Plus, they get rid of a major headache, a team distraction, a selfish player whose game was slipping. Oh, and make no mistake, just because he led the league in assists doesn’t mean he’s unselfish. He was chasing those assists. He’s a stat padder. ESPN ranked him #43 on their overall player rankings. He’s lucky to be that high. Good riddance. Grade: C+

Thunder receive:

• Acquire the right to swap either their own 2027 first-round pick or the Nuggets’ 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected) for the Clippers’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected) and cash ($1.1MM; from Clippers).

Basically, this means the Thunder now have the right to swap (what is likely) a mid to late 1st rounder (either theirs or the Nuggets’) for an unprotected 2027 Clippers 1st rounder, which, given the Clippers’ aging roster, has a chance to be pretty high. In other words, they’re betting on themselves to be much better than the Clips in 2027. Grade: C+

RECAP

Let me be clear: I hate James Harden. He and Bill Laimbeer are neck and beard competing for the number 1 spot on my Most Hated Players list. Harden is one of the most selfish “superstar” players in NBA history. The fact that he has managed to get his way, AGAIN, simply doesn’t sit well with me. So, I’m biased. My opinions should be taken with a big fat bottle of Morton Salt.

Let me be clear a second time: I’m all for Player Empowerment. 99.9999% of the time, I side with the players over management/ownership. But it’s important to identity the difference between Player Empowerment and Player Scumbag:

• Player Empowerment is LeBron deciding to leave Cleveland, as a free agent, to sign a $100mil contract to play basketball with his best friends in South Beach.
• Player Scumbag is James Harden quitting on 3 consecutive organizations despite A) initially demanding a trade to each of those organizations, and B) being under contract – a contract he willingly signed.

All this aside, this is not a “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” situation. Because I hate his game too. If the history of the NBA has proven anything, it’s that heliocentric basketball – one where an entire offense revolves around a single player whose usage rate is above 27% season after season FOR 10 YEARS – does not lead to playoff success.

Furthermore:

• He refuses to move without the ball
• He refuses to set screens
• He’s arguably the worst defender in the NBA not named Trae
• He flops and flails and plays the ref more than he does the defender
• He bitches and complains more than anyone not named Luka
• He fails over and over in the playoffs & never accepts accountability
• His “Dribble a Dozen Times, Make No Passes, Waste 20 Seconds on the Shot Clock, Then Shoot a Contested Stepback 3” style of offense is cringe-inducing.
  • Seriously, if anyone you speak with says he finds Harden’s game exciting, consider disassociating yourself from that person. For he/she does NOT know Ball.

Yes, he has some good qualities. Wait, let me rephrase. His Game has some good qualities. He’s a terrific 3pt shooter, solid ball handler, and is a pick and roll genius on the level of a Nash or Stockton. But, gross, I despise even giving this dude a compliment. He represents all that is wrong with the NBA. And that’s all I have to say about James Harden, the individual person or player.

What will the Clippers look like?

• Kawhi, Harden, Russ, and PG13 all play their best with the ball in their hands
• PG13 is probably the best player of that group (when Kawhi is banged up), and he’s really the only one that can play off the ball. He’ll make the biggest sacrifice.
• Norm Powell’s and Terrance Mann’s Field Goal attempts just took a massive hit
• Russ & Harden already have been teammates, twice. The last attempt didn’t work out well. Played one season in Houston and became sick of each other. I have no reason to believe this will turn out any differently.
• I anticipate they’ll use Harden as an “innings-eater,” meaning the guy who will carry a regular season load, allowing Kawhi & PG13 to stay healthy so they can take over from Harden come playoff time.

What will the 76ers look like?

• Maxey is now the man. He was already probably a better player than Harden anyway. Now he doesn’t have to worry about him.
• They’ve replaced Tucker with 3 guys who do Tucker-esque things, only better.
• Embiid is probably overjoyed that he doesn’t have to worry about the distraction anymore
• Their draft treasure chest is now restored, and Morey has stated publicly he wants to trade for another star caliber scorer (coughzachcoughlavinecough)

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To provide some much needed clarity:

*These are MY predictions on who SHOULD be the winners of these awards. They are NOT my predictions of who WILL receive the most votes. For example, last season I would have predicted Jokic to deserve the MVP. Yet, I would have predicted Embiid would win it. See the difference there? Good.

*Secondly, I listed 3 players (with some honorable mentions mixed in) for each award category. These are not my predictions of who will wind up 2nd or 3rd in, for example, MVP voting. Instead, these are my predictions of who is most likely to be the most deserving of the corresponding award. No, it’s not a major difference, but it needed to be mentioned.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Honorable mentions: Alex Caruso, Jaren Jackson Jr., Draymond Green, Evan Mobley
• 3rd: Rudy Gobert
• 2nd: Bam Adebayo
• Winner: Anthony Davis

Why AD: The ultimate “IF” player, as in “If Anthony Davis stays healthy…”, he’s been flirting with this award for years now. He’s now the undisputed “Best” player on the league’s most popular team. The Lakers are expected to make a run at the Finals, and AD is the most important piece of it. Plus, with guys like Rui and Vandy to accompany him in the frontcourt, it should allow AD to toggle between the 4 & 5 and do the roaming he so dearly loves.

COACH OF THE YEAR

• Honorable mentions: Darvin Ham, Steve Kerr, Mark Daigneault, Ty Lue
• 3rd: Chris Finch
• 2nd: Taylor Jenkins
• Winner: Eric Spoelstra

Why Spoelstra: I flip flopped between Spo and Jenkins here. One of the most underrated coaches in the league, Jenkins has a .579 winning percentage since getting the Grizzlies gig in 2019. Despite Ja being suspended for the first 25 games of the season AND losing Stephen Adams for the season, Memphis still has some pretty big expectations. Those are 2 pretty big blows to overcome, which is why I’m taking Spoelstra. He’s the best coach in the league, and he routinely squeezes the most out of his guys. It’s a crime he hasn’t won one already.

6TH MAN OF THE YEAR

• Honorable mentions: Malik Monk, Kyle Anderson, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Andrew Nembhard
• 3rd: Santi Aldama
• 2nd: Immanuel Quickley
• Winner: Bobby Portis

Why Portis: Over the last 10 years, the award has been given to Jamal Crawford 2X, Lemon Pepper Lou Williams 3X, Tyler Herro, Jordan Clarkson, Malcolm Brogdon, and Montrezl Harrell. One of these is not like the other! Trez was the only Big on the list. Typically, the league simply awards the highest scoring guard off the bench of a winning team. I think Portis breaks the trend this year. The Bucks aren’t deep at all, and Bobby averaged 14.1ppg, 9.6rpg last season. Milwaukee needs him. Quickley and Aldama have legitimate shots as well. Quickley is likely hurt because Josh Hart will steal some of his bench Thunder for the Knicks, while Aldama is totally under the radar now with Adams out for the season.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (aka MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE)

• Honorable mentions: Coby White, Austin Reeves, Jaden McDaniels, Devin Vassell, Trey Murphy, Alperen Sengun
• 3rd: Mikel Bridges
• 2nd: Tyrese Maxey
• Winner: Desmond Bane

Why Bane: It’s a bizarre award to predict because you’re literally trying to predict the most unpredictable player to make the most unpredictable jump. Opportunity is the big factor here, as Maxey (Harden) and Bane (Ja) become go-to scorers on their respective teams as a result of the previous go-to guy being out of service. Although Maxey was a finalist a year ago, I think he makes an even bigger jump this year, now that Harden quit on his team again. But Bane is a star in the making, and I think he swoops in to steal this one.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• Honorable mentions: Amen Thompson, Scoot Henderson, Keyonte George
• 3rd: Jaime Jacquez
• 2nd: Brandon Miller
• Winner: Wemby

Why Wemby: Well, why not Wemby? Have you seen this guy yet?! Immediately must see TV. He will likely set the record for blocks by a rookie, assuming he stays healthy. Rarely does a rookie actually contribute to winning, but Wemby will.

ASSISTS TITLE

• Honorable mentions: Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, LaMelo Ball, Tyus Jones
• 3rd: Luka Doncic
• 2nd: Nikola Jokic
• Winner: Tyrese Haliburton

Why Tyrese “Oil Smooth” Haliburton: He’s already a borderline top 5 point guard (Steph, Luka, Dame, Murray, Fox/Haliburton). He finished 2nd last season despite playing on a poor Pacers team. He’s one of the best passers in the league already. Indiana should be better this year, and improvements from guys like Toppin, Mathurin, and Nembhard should only increase assist totals.

SCORING TITLE

• Honorable mentions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell
• 3rd: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• 2nd: Joel Embiid
• Winner: Luka Doncic

Why Luka: Slimmed Down Luka is my favorite Luka. He finished 2nd behind Embiid in scoring a year ago, and Embiid was chasing MVP all season. With Kyrie taking pressure off of him, and Luka in better shape, I predict Luka’s 3pt% rises, resulting in being 1st in scoring, in his age 24 season.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

• Honorable mentions: Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum
• 3rd: Luka Doncic
• 2nd: Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Winner: Nikola Jokic

Why Joker: Well, he is the best basketball player in the world. So there’s that. Secondly, though I consider Giannis the 2nd best player in the world, there will be a learning curve in Milwaukee as he and Dame figure out how to play with one another, and for Adrian Griffin. Luka and AD are legit outside shots here. Wouldn’t be surprised if either makes a real run at it. But there will be lingering regret from voters who chose Embiid over Joker last year, and then watched as Joker tore through the playoffs en route to a ch’ip.

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OKC 124 CHI 104

What a mess! In the words of Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, “Boy, do I hate being right all the time.” The Bulls talked all offseason about updating the offense. Specifically:

• Create more open 3s by getting into the paint and “getting 2 on the ball.”
• Less Catch & Hold
• Less ISO
• More offensive run through Vuc in the high post or FT line extended
• More catch and shoot opportunities via off ball movement & cutting

I loved what I was hearing. Excited to see the changes implemented. No more head-scratchingly poor shot selection by Zach, or motorless Pat, or Hero-Ball Demar. Enter a modern offense, with scoring threats everywhere; where defenses can’t turn their heads for a split second; where Pace & Space and Run & Gun are celebrated; where 3 pointers are the objective and not the alternative.

Well, we’re 0 for everything after Game 1. Here’s what I saw:

DEMAR

• Though he shot 3 of them, Demar passed up multiple 3pt attempts. He’s going to have to be willing to take them, even if it torpedoes his overall FG%.
• He showed pretty good chemistry with Vuc, with solid pocket passes and PnR actions
• He was attacked on defense by OKC, especially with off-the-ball screening. Opening play, he got caught on a screen leading to JDub’s open 3 to start the game. In the 2nd quarter, as soon as he was subbed back in, he lost Dort on a wide open corner 3. Later left Cason Wallace wide open for backbreaker open corner 3.
• Aggressive getting to the rim in the first half, rather than settling for contested midrange Js
• Bad habits:
  • When things are going bad, Demar resorts back into ISO 7 dribble possessions that, if defended reasonably well, lead to 24 sec bail out shots, which inevitably miss. These possessions are essentially turnovers.
  • When shooting contested midrange Js, Demar tends to fall after the shot in order to get a whistle from the ref. If he doesn’t get one, and if the shot misses, it immediately puts the Bulls D at a 5 on 4 disadvantage because Demar is on the ground out of the play and slow to get back.
• The lineup to start the 4th was JC, AC, Demar, TC, and Dre. It was brutal. It’s essentially “stand-around-and-watch-Demar-ISO”

ZACH

• This one was ugly. By the end of the season, it may be Zach’s worst game.
• He had 2 turnovers in the first 3 minutes of the 1st qtr
• He had 4 turnovers and 3 (stupid) fouls by the 10:37 mark in the 2nd qtr.
• Had multiple No-Pass-ISO-Possessions that led to missed shots. These are essentially turnovers. I call them the Lavine Special. Brings the ball down, dances around for a few seconds, gets a screen, but doesn’t go anywhere, continues to dance around, then resorts to contested step-backs.
• Several times he fell asleep on D and got beat backdoor or got caught on a screen. OKC attacked him relentlessly.
• On the positive side, he was able to get the the FT line 6 times, not that it negated the 25% FG% or the 4 turnovers, or the fact that he was completely outplayed by OKC’s guards

VUC

• Frisky Vuc is my favorite Vuc. Only 9 recorded rebounds, but his tip outs and relentless pressure on the O-glass led to other rebounds for teammates.
• He’s one of the best in the league at sealing his man in the paint, as he did to Chet multiple times tonight. Unfortunately, the Bulls are incapable of making a post-entry pass.
• Excellent passing today. Only 4 assists, but fed several teammates for open Js that were just missed. Easily could have had 10 assists tonight.
• He was solid defensively as well, with 3 steals, 2 blocks and several deflections.
• He was the Bulls best player for the first 3 quarters
• 5 for 8 from the field, including 0-2 from 3. He passed up multiple open 3s, clearly didn’t feel comfortable shooting them.
• No idea why Billy continues to put him at the top of the key, where he’s not a threat. Vuc is not a long distance sniper. Have we not learned this after 2+ years. He’s so damn talented and can be dangerous in so many ways, why does Billy put him in the one place on the court where Vuc isn’t effective?
• All the talk is about Vuc’s frustration in the 3rd quarter after being subbed out. It’s understandable. He has had to do the most sacrificing since he came here. Was the #1 option in Orlando, then comes to Chicago and becomes the #3 option who is being forced to play out of position out beyond the 3 point arc. And yet ignorant Bulls fans see him as the whipping boy because he’s the easy target. Well, Vuc isn’t having it this year. I was glad to see him stand up for himself. He needs to be a leader on this team.

A FEW MORE NOTES ON BULLS PLAYERS

• Pat was aggressive early, but started missing jumpers and still seems allergic to the paint. He won’t be a scorer in this league unless he’s willing to get to the paint and get fouled. It’s that simple.
• On the glass, Pat only recorded 3 rebounds. I bad habit he has is trying to snag the board with one hand only. I get it, his nickname is PAW. But my man needs to secure the rebound with 2 hands. Billy has to enforce them in him.
• Coby was quite good throughout the game, though he fell into some bad habits late in the game, as did everyone else. When he’s under control, he’s lethal. But once he starts dribbling in traffic, he’s a walking turnover. He, Vuc, and Demar seemed to have pretty good chemistry.
• Caruso, Carter, and Craig were a mixed bag. On offense they were fine, and they were able to turn up the pressure 3/4 court on the defensive end as well. But eventually OKC started to run them out of the building with their Drive & Kick for open 3 offense.
• Drummond had the highlight of the game with a steal and transition crossover that dropped the rookie Chet Holmgren. He’s one of the best backup Bigs in the league.

Lastly, give OKC credit. Even if the Bulls played well, I don’t think they could’ve gotten this one. OKC shot nearly 49% from 3 on 39 attempts. At least half of them were wide open, but still. That’s a helluva percentage. Furthermore, Shai has solidified himself as a Top 10 player. At 24 years old, he was by far the best player today. OKC has a good one.

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WASHINGTON WIZARDS: 24.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Tyus Jones (trade)
• Bilal Coulibaly (draft)
• Jordan Poole (trade)
• Landry Shamet (trade)

Key Subtractions

• Bradley Beal
• Kristaps Porzingis
• Monte Morris

Rotation

• Guards
  • Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Delon Wright
• Wings
  • Corey Kispert, Landry Shamet, Bilal Coulibaly
• Forwards
  • Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, Danilo Gallinari
• Bigs
  • Daniel Gafford, Mike Muscala

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

I don’t want to be too hard on them. When you give a guy a no-trade clause, you can’t possibly expect fair value in return. Beal wouldn’t have gotten a Gobert/Durant/Mitchell bag back, but, I mean, Jordan Poole & pick swaps? That’s rough. From the John Wall, Brad Beal, Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat era, what they have to show for it are Poole, Jones, Kuzma, and…. and that’s it. But they picked a direction, finally. They’re going to let their youngins “explore the studio space” a little, build up their trade value, and hopefully move them down the line for future assets. Almost every team in the NBA would love to have a guy like Kuz, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he fetches a price worth more than what they got for Beal.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 35-47, 12th in the East
• Danilo Gallinari is on this team?

Keys to Success:

N/A – the tank is in. The last thing they want is team success of any kind.

Potential Obstacles:

lack of talent, possible the worst defense in the league, no legitimate starting center

Hot takes:

• Kuzma, Avdija, Kispert, & Tyus Jones will all average career highs in ppg
• Jordan Poole will average more than all of them & approach 30ppg
• Coulibaly will make All Rookie 1st Team
• They’ll have the worst record in the league

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 15TH IN THE EAST

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DETROIT PISTONS: 28.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Monty Williams (Coach)
• Ausar Thompson (draft)
• Joe Harris (trade)
• Monte Morris (trade)

Key Subtractions

• Coach Dwane Casey

Rotation

• Guards
  • Cade Cunningham, Monte Morris, Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes
• Wings
  • Ausar Thompson, Alec Burks, Joe Harris
• Forwards
  • Bojan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley
• Bigs
  • Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

They do have reason for optimism in Detroit. But it’s unrealistic to expect a massive improvement just because Cade is healthy and they decided to outbid themselves to the tune of 6 years for $78.5 million for Monty’s services. He’s a good coach, definitely. Possibly top 10 in the league. But $13mil/year good? Ehhhh, I don’t think so, Tim.

That aside, the truth is a really like a lot of these players. If Cade is healthy, he’s already a borderline all-star. Though I’m not high on Duren or Wiseman or Beef Stew, I am super high on Ivey. I think he’s Westbrook with a J. A “Cade & Jade” backcourt could dominate for years to come. And if Ausar can hit the corner 3, then watch out. But word around the league is that Troy Weaver and Pistons ownership expect significant improvements this year, and perhaps even compete for a play-in spot. I wish it were true, but they’re a couple years away.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 17-65, 15th in the East
• 29th in PTS/G: 110.3
• 27th in Opp PTS/G: 118.5
• 28th in Offensive Rating
• 28th in Defensive Rating
• Cade Cunningham has played in 76 out of a possible 164 games so far

Keys to Success:

Miracles happen, hell freezes over, pigs start flying, etc., Ivey and Duren each take a leap, Ausar is ready to play from day 1, Cade stays healthy

Potential Obstacles:

A roster with 4 centers all under the age of 24, Ivey and Jalen and Killian all stagnate, Cade gets frustrated with injuries and losing, whispers start to come out that he may not want to resign

Hot takes:

• Monty plays Morris, Bogdanovic, and Burks in crunch time
• Jaden & Ausar bust their ass to gain Monty’s trust
• Bagley and Wiseman do not
• Marvin Bagley’s dad demands a trade midseason
• No market for Marvin, but there is for Bogdanovic, he’s traded by the deadline, along with Burks, Joe Harris, and possibly Killian Hayes

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 14TH IN THE EAST

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INDIANA PACERS: 38.5 WINS – OVER

Key Additions

• Bruce Brown (free agent)
• Jarace Walker (draft)
• Obi Toppin (trade)

Key Subtractions

• Chris Duarte

Rotation

• Guards
  • Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard
• Wings
  • Bennedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Aaron Nesmith
• Forwards
  • Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker
• Bigs
  • Myles Turner, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

Seemingly becoming a national fan favorite overnight, the Pacers are everyone’s pick to either A) Make the play-in, and/or B) Lead the league pass rankings. Their front office drafted well and pivoted nicely from the Sabonis-Turner era to the Haliburton-Mathurin-Turner era. They refused to tank, and now find themselves in prime position to leapfrog a few teams in the East, specifically in that Knicks, Heat, Bulls, Hawks, & Nets tier. Carlisle is one of the best offensive minds in the league, and he’s got plenty of weapons to play with: athletes on the wings, Bigs who can shoot, and one of the best young PGs in the league in Tyrese “Oil Smooth” Haliburton. For the record, I had him 1st overall on my Draft Board from 2020. Unfortunately, the Warriors, Bulls, Cavs, Hawks, Pistons, Knicks, Wizards, & Suns didn’t.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 35-47, 11th in the East
• Opponents PPG: 119.5 – 29th in NBA
• 4th in Pace
• 117.7 Defensive Rating – 26th in NBA
• Tyrese Haliburton YoY 3P%: 40.9%, 41.4%, 40%
• Myles Turner averaged 18 ppg, 7.5 reb, 2.3 blocks on 55% FG%

Keys to Success:

Tyrese stays healthy, Benny Numbers keeps his FG% above 45%, Obi & Myles shoot 35%+ from 3, Bruce Brown proves he’s worth every penny

Potential Obstacles:

Tyrese gets banged up early & often, Obi loses minutes to Walker for defense, Benny Numbers trends more Jordan Clarkson than Anthony Edwards, Turner finds himself on the trade block yet again.

Hot takes:

• Tyrese Haliburton’s nickname should be Oil Smooth
• Bennedict Mathurin’s nickname should be Benny Numbers
• Buddy Hield is traded by the deadline
• Nesmith replaces Hield without breaking a sweat
• Haliburton makes his first all star game
• So does Myles Turner

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 8TH IN THE EAST

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NEW YORK KNICKS: 45.5 WINS – OVER

Key Additions

• Donte DiVincenzo (free agent)

Key Subtractions

• Derrick Rose
• Obi Toppin

Rotation

• Guards
  • Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride
• Wings
  • RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Donte DiVincenzo
• Forwards
  • Julius Randle, Josh Hart
• Bigs
  • Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jericho Sims

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

Shockingly, a Thibs-coached team finished 19th in defensive rating, and yet 3rd in offensive rating. This is the type of statistic that exists in the bizarro world. Or in a world where Jalen Brunson is your starting point guard. Either way, the Knicks finished 47-35 (good for 5th in the East), and proved they were much more aligned with the ’20-’21 team than the disappointing ’21-’22 version. The move to pass on mortgaging their future for Donovan Mitchell turned out to be a win for everyone. Brunson is the hero New York didn’t realize it needed. And he’s surrounded by dogs like Grimes, Quickley, and Hart. They’ve swapped Obi Toppin for DiVincenzo, giving them more shooting on the perimeter. At the 5, the Robinson-Hartenstein combo is one of the more underrated in the league. They have depth, shooting, size, and leader in Brunson. The 2 wildcards are Randle and Barrett. Both talented players, but I question if their ISO heavy games help or hinder the team’s ceiling. Wouldn’t be shocked if one (or both) is traded by the deadline. Regardless, I consider the Knicks the best of the rest (anyone not named MIL, BOS, & CLE) in the East.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 47-35 record last year, 5th in the East
• 117.8 Off Rtg: 3rd in the NB
• 3rd in Total Rebounds
• 3rd in FTA
• Julius Randle ppg in reg season: 25.1
• Julius Randle ppg in postseason: 16.6
• Julius Randle FG% in reg season: .459
• Julius Randle FG% in postseason: .374

Keys to Success:

Julius Randle is only allowed 3 dribbles per possession, Brunson repeats his all-star caliber season, RJ Barrett shoots closer to the 40% than 30% from 3, Mitchell Robinson doesn’t wait ’til the playoffs to dominate the glass, the “Grimes, Hart, Quickley, DiVincenzo” quartet all shoot in the high 30s from 3

Potential Obstacles:

Julius Randle continues to see himself as a stretch 4, Hartenstein outplays Robinson, the ‘Nova crew of Hart, DiVincenzo, and Brunson demand the front office trade for Mikel Bridges, Evan Fournier becomes a distraction

Hot takes:

• Jalen Brunson makes his first all-star team
• Julius Randle makes his last
• They trade for an all-star midseason using Fournier, Barrett, and draft compensation
• Fournier plays meaningful playoff minutes, but not for the Knicks

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 4TH IN THE EAST

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MILWAUKEE BUCKS: 55.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Damian Lillard (trade)
• Cam Payne (free agent)
• Malik Beasley (free agent)
• Robin Lopez (free agent)
• Adrian Griffin (coach)

Key Subtractions

• Jrue Holiday
• Coach Mike Budenholzer
• Jevon Carter
• Grayson Allen
• Wesley Matthews
• Jordan Nwora
• Joe Ingles

Rotation

• Guards
  • Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Cam Payne
• Wings
  • Khris Middleton, Pat Connaughton, Marjon Beauchamp
• Forwards
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jae Crowder
• Bigs
  • Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Robin Lopez

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

So, let me get this straight. The Bucks finished with 58 wins, leading the NBA. They’re bringing back their core, which includes arguably the best player in the league, and they’re replacing their starting PG with a TOP 75 player of all time. And yet, everyone seems to think they’re done.

Look, I get it. Losing in the 1st Round was a massive disappointment. But when you lose your best player, and you’re going up against the Zombie Heat (Bill Simmons), who happen to be coached by the best coach in the league, it’s not a total shock to me.

However, we all tend to be much too quick to anoint, and yet, also much too quick to dismiss. The Bucks aren’t going anywhere. Losing Bud is a factor, sure. He’s one of the best regular season coaches in the NBA. But his stubbornness always came back to bite him in the playoffs. Last season was simply the final straw. More importantly, the upgrade from Jrue to Dame. I LOVE Jrue Holiday. Always have. But I find it serendipitous that one of the most underrated players in the league is being replaced by THE most underrated player in the league in Dame Lillard. I’m convinced that if you put Dame on the Knicks or Lakers all these years, he’s being discussed in the same historical breath as guys like Kidd, Payton, Stockton, and CP3. Dude’s that good. I’m so excited to watch the Dame-Giannis Pick & Roll. Just hope everyone stays healthy. They’re my pick to come out of the East.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 58-24 last year, 1st in the entire NBA
• Def Rating: 111.9 (4th in the NBA)
• 4th in 3s made and 3s attempted
• 1st in Total Rebounds
• Jrue averaged 19.3 ppg on 48% shooting
• Jrue averaged 17.8ppg on 40% shooting in the playoffs

Keys to Success:

The Dame-Giannis Pick & Roll becomes this generation’s Stockton-Malone, Middleton stays healthy, Brook Lopez fights off Father Time, Adrian Griffin blends seamlessly with his stars, Pat Connaughton shoots 40% from 3, Bobby Portis becomes legit 6th Man of the Year candidate

Potential Obstacles:

Brook can’t continue to win his battle against Father Time, their lack of depth kills them in the regular season, Middleton remains consistently inconsistent, Adrian Griffin is overwhelmed as a rookie head coach with all the expectations and all eyes on him

Hot takes:

• TyTy Washington puts an end to the run of Kentucky guards thriving in the NBA (Booker, Murray, Herro, Maxey, Quickley)
• Giannis establishes himself as tied with Jokic as Best Player in the League status
• Dame has second straight All-NBA caliber season
• Middleton makes it back to the all-star team
• Brook Lopez plays less than 65 games
• Drew Timme makes the team

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 3RD IN THE EAST

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: 50.5 WINS – OVER

Key Additions

• Max Strus (trade)
• Georges Niang (free agent)
• Emoji Bates (draft)

Key Subtractions

• Cedi Osman
• Ricky Rubio

Rotation

• Guards
  • Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome
• Wings
  • Max Strus, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro
• Forwards
  • George Niang, Dean Wade, Emoni Bates
• Bigs
  • Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

Strong Over for me. The team won 51 games last year and then got better this offseason. Yet their line is at 50.5 Wins? Makes no sense to me. The Donovan-Darius-Evan-Jarrett core all stay together, along with key rotation players LeVert and Okoro. The Cavs had one of the worst half court offenses in the league last season. Pick & Roll after Pick & Roll after Pick & Roll. With the 2 Bigs in the starting lineup, unless they have shooters, it’s going to get pretty mucked up. Queue Strus and Niang. I’m excited to watch how Bickerstaff uses Strus’ off-ball movement to open up paint touches for Mobley and Allen. I think their starting 5 will be one of the best in the league.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 51-31 record last year, 4th in the east
• Def Rating: 110.6 (1st in NBA)
• Opp PTS/G: 106.9 (1st in NBA)
• Donovan Mitchell regular season: 28.3ppg on 48% FG
• Donovan Mitchell postseason: 23.2ppg on 43% FG
• Evan Mobley regular season: 16.2ppg on 55% FG
• Evan Mobley postseason: 9.8ppg on 46% FG

Keys to Success:

Strus’s presence makes life easier for the 4 other starters, their halfcourt offense takes huge leap without hurting their halfcourt defense, Donovan’ and Darius’ chemistry improves into their 2nd season together, Mobley gets bigger and can guard opposing 5s, Mobley starts hitting the corner 3

Potential Obstacles:

Bickerstaff’s lack of offensive creativity fails to incorporate Strus’s gravity, Mobley isn’t a threat from the short corner, though they’re over the Tax they need to upgrade from Ty Jerome at backup PG.

Hot takes:

• Max Strus is team’s 3rd leading scorer
• Mitchell doesn’t sign extension
• Jarrett Allen’s name is in trade rumors
• So is Isaac Okoro’s
• Bickerstaff is on the hot seat if the team is straddling .500 by new year

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 2ND IN THE EAST

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BOSTON CELTICS: 55.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Kristaps Porzingis (trade)
• Jrue Holiday (trade)

Key Subtractions

• Marcus Smart
• Grant Williams
• Malcolm Brogdon
• Robert Williams

Rotation

• Guards
  • Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard
• Wings
  • Jaylen Brown, Delano Banton, Sam Hauser
• Forwards
  • Jayson Tatum, Jordan Walsh
• Bigs
  • Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

For most teams, if you finish 57-25, 2nd in the East, and lose in 7 games in the ECF, you had a pretty damn good season. However, all didn’t seem swell in New England. Between Mazz being second-guessed constantly, Rob Williams’ inconsistency, and Marcus Smart losing crunchtime minutes to White & Brogdon, it was clear Brad Stevens needed to make changes.

Last season marked the end of a mini-era of the Celtics. From the ‘16-’17 Celtics team who finished 1st in the East and went to the Conference Finals (losing to LeBron’s Cavs), only Jaylen Brown & Al Horford remain. Former key rotation players like Smart, Rob Williams, Grant Williams, & 6th Man of the Year winning Malcolm Brogdon are all gone. In their place are Jrue Holiday (arguably the best guard defender of the last 10 years), and Porzingis (fresh off his best season as a pro). They probably have the most talented 1 through 6 rotation in the NBA, each of whom fits the others well. Come playoff time, if they’re healthy, only the Bucks in the East can beat them in 7.

That aside, in terms of the regular season, they might not be as dominant. Depth matters in an 82 game season, and the Celtics have next to none. And if KP gets hurt, Luke Kornet will need to play big minutes. I still have them 1st in the East, but I don’t see them winning more than 55 games to get there.

Last Year – Interesting Stats:

• 2nd in NBA in both 3s made and 3s attempted
• Porzingis shot 49.8% from the field (career high)
• Porzingis shot 38.5% from 3 (2nd highest in his career)
• Teams shot 4th worst from 3 vs BOS (34.5%)
• Tatum averaged 30.1ppg on only 21 shots
• Al Horford shot 44.6% from 3 (career high)

Keys to Success:

KP’s health, Big Al’s fights off Father Time, Jaylen Brown’s left hand learns how to dribble, Mazzula takes a step, Someone from the Pritchard/Hauser/Brissett/Gabriel/Walsh group becomes a reliable rotation player

Potential Obstacles:

KP’s health, Big Al’s age, Jaylen Brown’s new contract puts undue pressure on him, Mazzula starts feeling the pressure

Hot takes:

• KP plays less than 65 games
• Horford plays even less
• Pritchard plays the most mpg of his career
• Horford plays the least mpg
• Jordan Walsh becomes key playoff contributor

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 1ST IN THE EAST

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UTAH JAZZ: 35.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• John Collins (trade)
• Omer Yurseven (free agency)
• Taylor Hendricks (draft)
• Keyonte George (draft)
• Brice Sensabaugh (draft)

Key Subtractions

• Rudy Gay….I guess?

Rotation

• Guards
  • Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Dunn, Keyonte George
• Wings
  • Ochai Agbaji, Talen Horton-Tucker, Brice Sensabaugh, Simone Fontecchio
• Forwards
  • Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Taylor Hendricks
• Bigs
  • Walker Kessler, Kelly Olynyk, Omer Yurtseven

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

As stated previously when covering the Wolves, Trader Dan certainly got the best of Tim Connelly. Turned Rudy Gobert into five 1st round picks and Walker Kessler. Then nearly duplicated it by taking disgruntled Donovan Mitchell and turning him into a very gruntled Lauri Markkanen, along with Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, 3 future unprotected first round picks from the Cavs, with a couple pick swaps thrown in for good measure. That said, the best move Ainge made was snagging Will Hardy from the Celtics. One of the youngest coaches in the league, Hardy also happens to be one of the most innovative, turning Markkanen into an all-star (and Most Improved Player) and dusting off a resurgent Kris Dunn.

However, a full year without Mike Conley only hurts them, and Ainge has no intention of making the playoffs this year, as he’s in full tank mode. Despite John “Trade Block” Collins’s strong play while looking for redemption in Utah, expect a step back from the Jazz this season, partly due to the loss of Conley, but mostly due to the West’s overall improvement across the board. Additionally, Keyonte George, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson are all essentially the same player. But Keyonte is cheaper. Wouldn’t be shocked if Ainge trades Sexton & Clarkson at the deadline for even more draft picks.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• Finished 5th in 3 point attempts per game, but 20th in percentage.
• Lauri flirted with a 50/40/90 season
• Kris Dunn averaged 13 ppg. He played 18 total games in the previous 2 seasons combined
• Went 8-14 post Mike Conley trade

Keys to Success

Lauri & Collins figure a way to compliment each other, Ochai & “Walker Texas Ranger Kessler Edwards” take a step

Potential Obstacles

Lauri & Collins detract from each other, Hardy is forced to play Dunn big minutes, Sexton & Clarkson try to out-Lou Williams each other, Ainge reminds everyone they’re supposed to be tanking and trades away their best players

Hot takes

• Kris Dunn starts more games than Collin Sexton
• Keyonte George outplays Taylor Hendricks
• Lauri Markkanen tries to grow a beard

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 14TH IN THE WEST

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SACRAMENTO KINGS: 44.5 WINS – OVER

Key Additions

• Chris Duarte (trade)
• Nerlens Noel (free agency)
• Sasha Vezenkov (free agency – Europe)
• JaVale McGee (free agency)

Key Subtractions

• Richaun Holmes

Rotation

• Guards
  • De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Malik Monk
• Wings
  • Kevin Huerter, Chris Duarte
• Forwards
  • Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Sasha Vezenkov
• Bigs
  • Domantas Sabonis, Trey Lyles, Alex Len

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

It wasn’t a fluke. Mike Brown brought the Warriors offense over from Golden State, used Sabonis as a Jokic-lite fulcrum, and the Kings O became the best in the league. They hit on 2 big trades. The first was trading Tyrese Haliburton for Domas Sabonis, criticized throughout the league, but turned out to be one of the rare deals that help both teams equally. The second transaction was giving a 1st rounder to the Hawks for Kevin Huerter, who averaged 15ppg along with 40% from 3.

I recall several years ago, when Vivek Ranadive decided to fire Michael Malone, he stated that he wanted the Kings offense to “look more like jazz than a marching band.” In other words, faster, more free-flowing, unexpected, unpredictable, etc. He wanted it to look like Golden State’s, in truth, and not the DeMarcus Cousins-Tyreke Evans ISO Ball snooze fest. Well, now he has his offense, with the fastest player in the league end-to-end in all-star De’Aaron Fox, a battering ram with passing chops in Sabonis, and both of them surrounded by shooting all over the court. And finally, a respected veteran head coach in Coach of the Year, Mike Brown. They’re not a fluke. They’re not going away. Go Kings!

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• 119.4 offensive rating – 1st in the NBA
• 120.7 points per game – 1st in the NBA
• 2nd in FG%
• 3rd in Assists per game
• Domas averaged 11.9 FGA per game, his lowest since becoming a starter.
• Domas averaged 19.1ppg, along with 7.3 AST and 12.3 REB
• Domas shot 61.5% from the field

Keys to Success

They grab a serviceable 3&D wing off the buyout market like Reggie Bullock, De’Aaron’s 3pta go down but his FTA go up, Sabonis begins to hit the 12-15 ft jumper consistently, Murray takes a step

Potential Obstacles

De’Aaron continues to try to be a volume 3pt shooter, Huerter’s poor playoff performance carries into the regular season, Monk & Huerter butt heads for the starting SG spot, Sabonis’ physical style of play catches up with him via nagging injuries,

Hot takes

• The Kings blow away their over under and reach the 50 game plateau
• They once again finish in the top 5 in ppg and offensive rating
• Malik Monk puts up two 50 point games this season
• Malik Monk finishes top 3 in 6th Man of the Year voting
• The Beam becomes a cowbell-level annoyance

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 1ST IN THE WEST

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PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: 28.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Scoot Henderson (draft)
• Kris Murray (draft)
• Rayan Rupert (draft)
• Robert Williams (trade)
• Malcolm Brogdon (trade)
• Deandre Ayton (trade)
• Toumani Camara (trade)

Key Subtractions

• Damian Lillard
• Jusef Nurkic
• Nassir Little

Rotation

• Guards
  • Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Malcolm Brogdon
• Wings
  • Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle,
• Forwards
  • Jeremi Grant, Kris Murray, Jabari Walker
• Bigs
  • Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

Love Dame, but he really did Portland dirty. He’s an easy Top 75 All Timer for me. If he played in New York or L.A., he’d be one of the most famous athletes in the world. He’s been the most underrated player for the last 10 seasons. He’s a dog, fearless, a leader, & respected throughout the league. But don’t cry for Dame, Argentina!

If he really loves the city of Portland so much, he would never have publicly declared he only wants to play in Miami, which, in theory, would have torpedoed his trade value, a’la Bradley Beal. Furthermore, though the front office failed to put a legitimate playoff contending team around Dame, the fact that they’re paying him so much money truly limits the types of moves they can make. Dame didn’t have to sign that contract. He knows every penny they pay him is a penny they can’t pay to surround him with more talent.

I tip my cap to Portland GM, Joe Cronin. He didn’t cave, didn’t make any rash decisions. He has a responsibility to his organization to get the most value for his team. He waited, Dame loosened up his stance, and wouldn’t you know it, they got a massive haul via the Bucks & Celts (per the corresponding Jrue trade). The final collection they received for Dame looks like this:

• Deandre Ayton
• Robert Williams
• Malcolm Brogdon
• Toumani Camara
• 2024 GSW 1st Round Pick (protected 1-4)
• 2028 MIL 1st Round Pick swap
• 2029 MIL 1st Round Pick (unprotected)
• 2029 BOS 1st Round Pick (unprotected)
• 2030 MIL 1st Round Pick swap

That’s a solid haul for a 33 year old 6’2” point guard making $50+million/year who publicly demanded a trade to only one team.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• 5-19 post all-star break, which helped them land Scoot at 3
• 118.8 Defensive Rating ranked 27th
• 28th in rebounding
• 29th in defending the 3
• Jeremy Grant shot 40% from 3 on nearly six per game

Keys to Success

Depends on how we define Success here, as it probably doesn’t refer to Winning. Instead, Success means Scoot, Sharpe, & Murray develop their games, Scoot shows he’s a threat if his defender goes under the PnR, Ayton reestablishes his value around the league, they’re able to trade their vets for more draft compensation

Potential Obstacles

Hard to have obstacles when you have no real goals, impatience, not being able to trade Jeremi Grant when he has the most value

Hot takes

• Rayan Rupert will be the starting SF in a few years
• Shaedon Sharpe will be the starting SG by the end of the season
• Jeremi Grant, Robert Williams, and Anfernee Simons will be traded at the deadline
• Chauncey Billups will be fired (or “mutual decision to part ways”) next summer
• Scoot Henderson will average 20ppg as a rookie
• Ayton averages 23 and 12

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 15TH IN THE WEST

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SAN ANTONIO SPURS: 29.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Victor Wembanyama (draft), Cedi Osman (trade)

Key Subtractions

• League Sympathy

Rotation

• Guards
  • Tre Jones, Devonte Graham, Blake Wesley
• Wings
  • Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, Cedi Osman
• Forwards
  • Jeremy Sochan, Doug McDermott, Julian Champagnie
• Bigs
  • Victor Wembanyama, Zach Collins

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

*Scroll passed my Standings Prediction to see me wax poetic on my love for the Spurs, and my forlorn wishes for what could have been.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• 101.6 Pace was 1st in NBA (tied with Golden State)
• 22-60 W/L record: ranked 29th of 30
• 110.2 Offensive Rating: ranked 29th of 30
• 120.0 Defensive Rating: ranked 30th of 30
• 123.1 Opponents PPG: ranked 30th of 30
• Keldon Johnson’s PPG each of his 4 seasons: 9.1, 12.8, 17.0, 22.0
• Keldon Johnson is only 23 years old
• Devin Vassell’s PPG each of his 3 seasons: 5.5, 12.3, 18.5
• Devin Vassell is only 23 years old

Keys to Success

Improvement and consistent competition are their version of success (though I’m sure the Play-In is a nice thought), Vassell and Keldon prove to be the best young Wing tandem in the league, Tre starts hitting 3s, Wemby stays confident despite poor shooting and a target on his back, Branham and Wesley establish bench roles, McDermott is dangled for more draft compensation

Potential Obstacles

7’5” and 19 year old brittle bones, impatience

Hot takes

• Wemby has the most blocks by a rookie since Manute Bol in ‘85-’86
• Wemby finishes 2nd on the team in RPG & 4th in PPG
• Keldon Johnson leads team in scoring
• Jeremy Sochan sees legit time at PG
• Wemby’s League Pass draw leads to Keldon Johnson becoming a household name

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 13TH IN THE WEST

*”WHY KAWHI RUINED EVERYTHING”

Instead of discussing last season or their offseason, I’d like to go on a little tangent here. More specifically, I want to present why I hate Kawhi Leonard.

When folks shit on the Warriors for attempting the 2 Timelines thing, they should have known this is what Kerr would have wanted to do, particularly after coming out of the Bulls’ and Spurs’ systems. Kerr, like Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich before him, doesn’t believe in Tanking – losing on purpose for several seasons in order to hoard draft picks and hope/pray for a star. He believes in competing. Always. Every year. And in some years, you know going in that the odds are stacked against you, that other squads may have more talent. But it doesn’t matter. As a front office, and by extension, the head coach, you can’t look your players in the eyes and give them directions & expect them to obey to the best of their ability if they know the organization isn’t really trying to win, that the organization doesn’t really care about the current group of players, and that they’re only looking at them as trade assets to get draft picks for a future group of players. Kerr would never tell Steph, Klay, and Dray “Hey look, we’re not good enough this year, so we’re going to suck on purpose so we can draft guys to eventually replace you.” With this understanding, let’s look at the Spurs of the R.C. Buford/Gregg Popovich era.

The Spurs don’t tank. You may think they do, given their 22-60 record last year. But they never tanked. They had to trade Dejounte Murray and Jakob Poetl because they knew they weren’t going to be able to re-sign them. Had to get value for them rather than wait and let them walk in free agency. That’s not tanking. That’s just good business. Furthermore, though they haven’t been very good the past few seasons, let’s take a closer look:

• 2021-2022: Made the Play-In. By definition, trying to make the playoffs. Not tanking
• 2020-2021: Made the Play-In. Again, by definition, trying to make the playoffs. Not tanking.
• 2019-2020: Finished 1.5 games out of the 8th seed (pre Play-In). Once again, trying to make the playoffs.
• 2018-2019: Made the Playoffs (7th seed), led by DeRozen & Aldridge.
• 2017-2018: Made the Playoffs (7th seed), led by Aldridge, Pau Gasol, & an aging Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. HOWEVER, this is the year Kawhi quit on the Spurs, playing in only 9 games and demanding to be traded. I’ll return to this season in a minute.
• 2016-2017: Finished 61-21, the 2nd best team in the league behind the 67 Win Warriors. The Spurs were led by Kawhi, Aldridge, Gasol, Parker, & Ginobili. Their first season without Timmy, and they were a powerhouse. Had Dirty Zaza not slid under Kawhi on the corner 3, I believe the Spurs would have upset the eventual champion Warriors. Kawhi was the best player in that series – a series which included guys like Steph and KD, btw.
• 2015-2016: Spurs finished 67-14, 2nd again to the 73-win Warriors. One of the best teams of the last 20 years, they were led by Kawhi, Aldridge, Parker, Ginobili, and Tim Duncan’s last season. They were an extension of the Beautiful Game 2014 Spurs. This was LaMarcus Aldridge’s first year with the team.
• 2014-2015: They finished as the 6th seed, led by the usual Kawhi, Duncan, Parker, Ginobili fellas.
• 2013-2014: Won the ch’ip over the Heat. The Beautiful Game Spurs.

I went through each of these seasons to show that, when Kawhi quit on the team, the Spurs were literally in the middle of successfully executing their FOURTH “2 Timeline” process, stemming all the way back to when the Admiral first passed the torch. Take a look at their 5 championship seasons:

• ‘98-99: Best Players in order: David Robinson, Duncan, then Sean Elliott
• ‘02-‘03: Best Players in order: Duncan, Stephen Jackson, Tony Parker & Ginobili
• ‘04-‘05: Best Players in order: Duncan, Parker, then Ginobili
• ‘06-’07: Best Players in order: Duncan, Parker, then Ginobili
• ‘13-’14: Best Players in order: Parker, Duncan, Kawhi, then Ginobili

The torch was successfully passed from the Robinson-Duncan core to the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili core. And then it was passed to the Parker-Kawhi-Ginobili core. All three of those core groups of players won championships. And then they brought in Aldridge as Duncan retired and Ginobili was phased out. The next core was in place. The Dynasty was set to continue. No tanking required!. They had it. They were there. The Kawhi-Aldridge core would have carried the team forward as Parker aged and Ginobili retired, proving to the fans and the League that you don’t need to LOSE ON PURPOSE in order to build a winner. You don’t need to tank. But, alas, ‘twas not meant to be. Kawhi decided to quit on the team and demand to be traded. And that was that, for the Spurs Dynasty. That is why I’ll forever hate Kawhi.

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PHOENIX SUNS: 51.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Frank Vogel (coach)
• Bradley Beal (trade)
• Eric Gordon (free agency)
• Jusef Nurkic (trade)
• Bol Bol (free agency)
• Yuta Watanabe (free agency)
• Nassir LIttle (trade)
• Grayson Allen (trade)
• Drew Eubanks (free agency)

Key Subtractions

• Monty Williams (coach)
• Chris Paul
• Deandre Ayton
• Landry Shamet
• Cam Payne
• Jock Landale
• Torrey Craig

Rotation

• Guards
  • Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon, Keon Johnson
• Wings
  • Josh Okogie, Grayson Allen, Damion Lee
• Forwards
  • Kevin Durant, Yuta Watanabe, Nassir Little, Keita Bates-Diop
• Bigs
  • Jusef Nurkic, Drew Eubanks, Bol Bol

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

The ‘06-’07 Boston Celtics were led by Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, Wally Szcerbiak, and a very young Rajon Rondo. The ‘07-’08 Celts were led by Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rondo, James Posey, and Kendrick Perkins. This is the only team in the modern history of the league to turn over such a large portion of the roster and then immediately win a ch’ip. It really never happens. To win in the NBA, you need more than just talent. Continuity & chemistry make the difference between great teams and champion teams. The Suns had the busiest offseason of anyone, and they’ll be a threat, no doubt. But I think the year they make a real run is the ‘24-’25 season, after they’ve had time to gel.

Sidenote: The Phoenix Suns have arguably the most physically talented team in the league, DESPITE the fact that they wasted their 2020 lottery pick on Jalen Smith (passing on Haliburton), and traded away the 2018 #1 overall pick Deandre Ayton (passing on Luka Doncic) for role players. These are the types of decisions that get people fired. They easily could have a lineup consisting of Luka Doncic, Tyrese Haliburton, Devin Booker, & Kevin Durant right now. How James Jones still has a job is beyond me.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• 4-9 in games decided by 3 points or less (sign of lack of cohesion)
• 8-0 in the 8 regular season games KD played in before he was hurt
• Devin Booker averaged 28, 5, & 5
• 5th in blocked shots
• Since returning from the achilles injury, KD has played in 137 out of 246 games

Keys to Success

KD’s health, Beal’s health, Vogel gets his stars to play defense, role players like Yuta, Nassir, Okogie, & Gordon become real threats, Nurkic proves that he still has something left in the tank, they all can fast-forward their chemistry

Potential Obstacles

Time – will they have enough minutes on the court together to truly be a threat in the playoffs, history – it’s rare for teams to turn over their entire roster and immediately become ch’ip contenders. KD’s health

Hot takes

• Nurkic misses half the season with injuries
• KD misses even more
• Beal has his best season as a pro
• Yuta is the team’s 4th best player
• Drew Eubanks plays crunch time minutes over Nurkic

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 7TH IN THE WEST

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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: 44.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Chet Holmgren (draft / injury return)
• Davis Bertans (trade)
• Victor Oladipo (trade)
• Cason Wallace (draft)

Key Subtractions

• Dario Saric
• Their underdog status around the league.

Rotation

• Guards
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Vasilije Micic, Cason Wallace
• Wings
  • Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe
• Forwards
  • Kenrich Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski
• Bigs
  • Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

It’s not easy to graduate from Rebuilding Team to Competing Team. Yes, you have to collect and develop the right talent along the way. Indeed, you will need a head coach who commands the respect of his players. Also, there needs to be a collective impatience to take that next step, especially by your best players, which requires Learning to Win, a difficult study for young guys who have only ever experienced losing early in their careers.

But ultimately, the major hurdle is that you’re no longer “below the radar” around the league. Last few years, when teams saw OKC on the schedule, they knew they could rest their stars, or try implementing new schemes & plays, or the players themselves could afford staying out late the night before the game. If OKC was in town, it was a W.

Well, that era, short as it was (only 2 seasons), is now over. The Thunder put themselves on the map last season, led by a bonafide superstar in SGA. The league is paying attention, and I think it will be reflected in OKC’s record. As a teacher once told me, It’s easy to get an A. Anyone can get an A once. But KEEPING the A, that’s the real challenge.” And that’s OKC’s challenge. Their rebuild is over. Now, are they ready to be consistently competitive?

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• Led NBA in Turnovers Forced (16.8/pg)
• SGA shot over 90% on nearly 11FTs per game
• Josh Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 6 assists, and 8 boards per game… in his Age 20 season

Keys to Success

Chet’s feet, playing Kenny Hustle more at the 4, improved 3 point shooting by SGA, Giddey, and Wing Jalen Williams

Potential Obstacles

Health, if they stumble out of the gates will “SGA Wants Out” rumors begin, lack of veteran leadership, Giddey extension talk distractions

Hot takes

• Josh Giddey goes on the trade block under the radar
• Holmgren plays only half the season, at most, due to injury/injury prevention
• SGA duplicates last year
• They fall out of the Play-In.

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 11TH IN THE WEST

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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: 44.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Jordan Hawkins (draft)

Key Subtractions

• Jaxson Hayes
• Garrett Temple

Rotation

• Guards
  • CJ McCollum, Jose Alvarado, Kira Lewis Jr.
• Wings
  • Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Dyson Daniels
• Forwards
  • Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Naji Marshall
• Bigs
  • Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance, Cody Zeller

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

“If Zion can stay healthy…” Stop me if you’ve heard that one before. As a personal trainer once told me, “If you don’t take care of your body, your body won’t take care of you.” If Zion Williamson, a professional athlete who’s making 10s of millions of dollars, who has an entire team of trainers, medical staff, and nutritionists surrounding him nearly 24/7, can’t stay in shape, then I ask you, what chance do the rest of us have!?

The Pels were 1st in the West when Zion went down with a bad hammy. That may be legit, or it may be fool’s gold. They have a ton of trade assets so they have the ability to make a midseason move if they’re struggling. Which actually might be a good idea because they’re at the Tax line and they’ll need to worry about re-signing or extending guys like Valanciunas, Trey Murphy & Naji Marshall. Kira Lewis has been surpassed in the rotation by Alvarado, so he’s expendable. They have the talent, undoubtedly. A legit 10 deep team, once Murphy gets back. Also, undoubtedly, they don’t have much shooting. Murphy, Ingram, and CJ can shoot, but Ingram refuses to play off the ball (see his USA Basketball performance as proof), CJ can’t guard anyone, and Murphy is injured. Jordan Hawkins is in prime position to play important stretch-the-floor-for-Zion-and-Brandon minutes. But the Pels are also in prime position to trade for a big time shooter, perhaps someone like Zach Lavine, for example.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• Zion has played in 114 out of a possible 328 since entering the league
• Ingram has played in 223 out of a possible 328 since coming to New Orleans
• Ingram averaged a career high 24.7ppg on 48% shooting (39% from 3)
• Ingram averaged 6ppg at USA Basketball. Austin Reaves averaged 14ppg
• 1st in the league in Opponent’s 3P%, which is sure to regress to the mean
• 5th in rebounds
• 29th in 3PA/game

Keys to Success

Zion’s health, Ingram’s health, Trey gets back sooner rather than later, Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado become legit outside threats, they let Jonas cook in the post every once in a while

Potential Obstacles

Ingram vs Zion #1 Option Status becomes a real issue, Trey Murphy’s injury lasts into the 2nd half of the season, Zion can’t keep his weight below 300lbs, Herb Jones 33.5% three point percent doesn’t improve, CJ can’t keep up with little guards anymore

Hot takes

• Willie Green doesn’t make it through the full season
• Zion will be in trade rumors by New Years Day
• Brandon Ingram has a monster season as redemption for USA Basketball
• CJ is traded at the deadline

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 10TH IN THE WEST

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MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: 44.5 WINS – OVER

Key Additions

• Shake Milton (free agency)
• Leonard Miller (draft)
• Troy Brown Jr.(free agency)

Key Subtractions

• Taurean Prince

Rotation

• Guards
  • Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Wings
  • Anthony Edwards, Troy Brown Jr.
• Forwards
  • Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Leonard Miller
• Bigs
  • Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

The fallout from the Gobert trade was historic. Some say the Wolves lost the trade, while most say they lost the most lopsided trade of all time. Five 1st round picks, along with 2023 FIBA World Cup alum Walker Kessler, for the rights to a 30 year old center with zero post moves and the worst hands in the league? Not only did they drastically lose the trade, but they got blown out in the PR competition too. How did nobody talk the Wolves’ front office out of this?

Trader Dan certainly got the best of Tim Connelly, as Ainge is one to do. However, consider the fact that Minneapolis is arguably the least sexy free agent destination in the entire league, a place that generally stays below freezing from Thanksgiving to Easter every year. The T-Wolves are the NBA’s equivalent to the Moneyball Oakland A’s. The odds are inherently stacked against them. So, they took a swing. A big swing. And, though they didn’t hit a homer, they did make contact. This is a good team that is well-coached, and Gobert is still one of the best defenders in the NBA. PLUS, they didn’t have KAT (injury) or Conley (mid-season trade) for most of the year, and still made the playoffs. They’ll be much better this season, healthy, with more playing time together, and the leap Anthony Edwards has seemingly made.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• Since January 1st, the Wolves went 26 – 19 despite KAT missing most of that time.
• 3rd in FG%, 4th in BLK, 5th in STL
• Mike Conley shot 42% from 3 on nearly 6 per game
• Jaden shot 40% from 3 on over 3.4 per game

Keys to Success

KAT’s Health, Jaden’s corner 3 consistency, Rudy catches in traffic

Potential Obstacles

Ant vs KAT, Rudy’s Fist vs Kyle Anderson, Jaden’s Fist vs Wall

Hot takes

The Wolves win 66%+ of games Conley, Ant, KAT, and Rudy all play in, while finishing 3rd in the West.

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 2ND IN THE WEST

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MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: 45.5 WINS – UNDER

Key Additions

• Marcus Smart (trade)
• Derrick Rose (free agency)

Key Subtractions

• Dillon Brooks
• Tyus Jones
• Stephen Adams (injury)
• Brandon Clarke (injury)
• Ja Morant’s gun…hopefully

Rotation

• Guards
  • Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Derrick Rose
• Wings
  • Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, Ziaire Williams
• Forwards
  • David Roddy, Santi Aldama, John Konchar
• Bigs
  • Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman, Kenny Lofton

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

The Griz eff’d around and found out. From start to finish, they were an arrogant bunch. From Ja’s declaration that they were “good in the West” to Idiot Dillon Brooks’ attempt at “poking the bear,” the Grizzlies essentially made a fool of themselves. Unfortunate, since they have so much talent on the team and they’re super well coached.

Gone is Dillon Brooks, whose refusal to face the media after a miserable playoff series vs the Lakers that was compounded by his empty trash talking toward Lebron inspired the franchise to publicly announce they weren’t resigning him under any circumstances. Understandably. He was an embarrassment. Lost a lot of respect around the league, except in Houston, who miraculously decided to outbid only themselves and gave him an $80 million bag. As a result, I’m rooting against Houston next year.

But, back to Memphis. Brandon Clarke is likely out for the year recovering from a severe knee injury. Now, the news is Stephen Adams is having surgery on his knee too. That’s the 2nd and 3rd Bigs in their rotation. The West is going to be a slaughterhouse this year. Memphis has the talent & coaching to overcome a lot, and if they make the playoffs, watch out. But they’ll likely take a step back during the regular season.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• 2nd in NBA in total rebounds, 3rd in steals, 3rd in blocks
• The Griz are 33-17 without Ja Morant in the lineup over the past 2 seasons
• Jaren Jackson won DPOY despite only averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.

Keys to Success

JJJ staying out of foul trouble, the Marcus Smart-Desmond Bane chemistry, Steven Adams’ health

Potential Obstacles

Ja Morant’s friends, JJJ’s rebounding (or lack thereof), Marcus Smart’s shooting, Steven Adams’ health

Hot takes

• Ja is on his best behavior upon his return
• Desmond Bane is an all-star
• Marcus Smart has a miserable shooting year
• Santi Aldama gets votes for 6th Man of the Year
• Memphis makes the playoffs and upsets the favorite in Round 1

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 8TH IN THE WEST

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LOS ANGELES LAKERS: 47.5 WINS – OVER

Key Additions

• Jalen Hood-Schifino (draft)
• Jaxson Hayes (free agency)
• Taurean Prince (free agency)
• Gabe Vincent (free agency)
• Christian Wood (free agency)

Key Subtractions

• Dennis Schroder
• Malik Beasley
• Troy Brown Jr.
• Lonnie Walker
• Lebron’s status as best player on the team

Rotation

• Guards
  • D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino
• Wings
  • Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Max Christie
• Forwards
  • LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt
• Bigs
  • Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood

Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.

The Lakers’ ‘22-’23 season was a tale of 2 halves. A nightmarish first half, caused in large part by Russell Westbrook’s inability to play basketball when the ball itself isn’t in his hands. His poor shooting only compounded it, leading to LeBron & AD losing faith in him. As the deadline approached, LeBron was basically declaring publicly that he wanted Russ to be traded for Kyrie. And, though it wasn’t for Kyrie, Russ was finally shipped out.

However, the Lakers finished 16-7 after the deadline, despite LeBron missing time. The surprise here was the rise of Austin Reaves, who essentially outplayed Russell Westbrook, D’Angelo Russell, Troy Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker, Kendrick Nunn, and Malik Beasley to entrench himself as the clear cut 3rd option after ‘Bron & AD. Additionally, Schroder showed the league that he can still play big minutes on a playoff team, becoming the best perimeter defender on the team (and eventually a nice new contract from the Raps).

No one would have predicted the Lakers would’ve gotten all the way to the WCF. It’s a compliment to Darvin Ham, ‘Bron, AD, Reaves, and, most of all, Rob Pelinka, who somewhat redeemed himself after the disastrous Westbrook deal. And he wasn’t done either. The Lakers had an amazing offseason, bringing back Reaves & Rui on team-friendly deals, and then grabbing Gabe Vincent, fresh off averaging 12.7ppg in 22 post-season games last year while starting for the Heat in the NBA Finals. Expect some regression to the mean for opponent’s 3P%, but the Lakers will be a threat once again this year.

Last Year – Interesting Stats

• 1st in the NBA in FTs attempted
• 1st in the NBA in FTs allowed
• 2nd in opponents 3P% allowed
• 16-7 record post all-star break
• LeBron has played 278 out of 410 reg. season games since becoming a Laker.
• LeBron played in more games with the Heat (294) in 4 seasons than with the Lakers (278) in 5 seasons

Keys to Success

No More Russell Westbrick, Austin Reaves continues his rise, Rui & Gabe prove the playoffs weren’t a fluke, AD wins Defensive Player of the Year

Potential Obstacles

AD’s health, LeBron starts to finally lose the battle vs Father Time, D’Angelo Russell plays juuuuuuust well enough to keep his starting PG job, Austin Reaves’ defense becomes a massive liability

Hot takes

• LeBron plays in less than 50 games this season
• Anthony Davis plays in 65+ while being named to an All-NBA team
• AD wins DPOY
• Christian Wood is released before the end of the season
• Austin Reaves is seen at a club in West Hollywood with a Kardashian

STANDINGS PREDICTION: 5TH IN THE WEST

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See Red Fred interviews Basketball Historian Tim Gallagher about the Blazers Loss and witnessing Lonzo Ball play in high school. In part 2, Bucks’ expert Jeff Tyree is interviewed for our Eye on the Competition segment.

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In a new segment of the Chicago Bullseye, See Red Fred interviews the Amazing Gustavo, one of the many stars on Bulls Twitter. Gustavo’s Start 1:25 Coby White 2:52 Extending Zach? 5:00 Lauri 6:00 Least and Favorite Bulls Player 7:00 Lonzo Ball 8:30 Coby for Ball? 9:20 Lauri for Ball? 9:45 Trading Thad or the Keep for the Playoffs? 11:23 Expectation met? 14:00 Shining Lights of Bulls Twitter 15:30 Denzel 17:00 Doug or MarkK? 24:00 Who bothers you on Bulls Twitter? 26:00

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Chicago Bullseye 455 – Interview with Kevin Bulldog Anderson See Red Fred interviews Kevin Bulldog Anderson about the Beloved Bulls. They discuss Zach LaVine, Coby White, and the future of Lauri Markkanen with the team. 00:16 The Fulfillment of Fred’s Prophecies 1:41 Why Doesn’t the Fanbase Love Zach LaVine 7:40 Should the Bulls Trade Zach or Give him a Max 10:00 Zach and Dallas 12:17 In Defense of Coby White 20:30 What do we do with Lauri? 26:45 Do we trade the Vets? Follow Fred on Twitter: @cbefred

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See Red Fred interviews legendary sportscaster Mark Schanowski. They discuss a variety of topics about his history covering the team and the current iteration of the Red Leviathan. This episode is sponsored by IDIQ: www.identityIQ.com/chicagobullseye 1:00 The Mark Schanowski 411 3:30 Kareem leaves Milwaukee & Superstars Departing 13:42 Experiences Covering the Team 15:30 Will the Bulls Make the Playoffs? 17:30 Should the Bulls Keep the Vets and Make a Playoff Run? 19:00 Would you trade LaVine? 21:00 If Lauri get 20 million per year, do you match? 24:45 Coby White 25:75 Patrick Williams Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkSchanowski Listen to “Gimme the Hot Sauce” and “Sharp Shooters” on all platforms to hear Mark.

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See Red Fred interviews Bulldog Kevin Anderson of NBC Sports Chicago. He provides an overview of his top 5 prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft. See Red Fred’s Call with Waddle and Silvy on 11/11 (0:01) Kevin’s Top 5 NBA Prospects (5:00) #5 Killian Hayes (7:00) #4 Deni Avdija (8:45) #3 James Wiseman (19:20) #2 Anthony Edwards (23:00) #1 LaMelo Ball (27:45) Should the Bulls Extend Zach LaVine this offseason? (44:00) Support our Sponsor: www.identityIQ.com/chicagobullseye

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Please support our Chicago Bullseye Podcast Sponsors: 1. NBA TOP SHOT: NBA Top Shot is a platform to buy, sell, and trade NBA digital collectibles. These collectibles are video clips that are sold in packs and owned by you. Powered by blockchain technology, these “Moments” are the evolution of conventional sports trading cards. A moment is defined as a Play (eg Shot, Pass, Steal, Dunk)+ Set + Serial number. Affiliate Link: https://hoo.ps/ChicagoBullseye 2. IdentityIQ services offers industry-leading credit report monitoring and identity theft protection. Benefits include monthly 3-bureau credit reports and scores, so you can be prepared when you apply for a loan or other credit. Along with credit report monitoring, IdentityIQ services include identity theft protection; dark web and...

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See Red Fred and Doug Thonus break down 2 of the top 10 NDA draft prospects: Draft Prospect Analysis Avdija is an Israeli-Serbian professional basketball player who last played for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the I1:30 Born: January 3, 2001 (age 19 years), Beit Zera, Israel Height: 6′ 9″ Weight: 220 lbs (1:30) Onyeka Okongwu is a Nigerian-American basketball player. He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. Listed at 6 feet 9 inches and 245 pounds, he plays the power forward position. Okongwu was a four-year starter at Chino Hills High School in California, playing alongside Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. (12:30) Born: December 11, 2000 (age 19 years), Los Angeles, CA Height: 6′ 9″ Weight: 245 lbs (12:30) Billy...

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The Big Red Bus 31 – Billy Donovan is our Coach & a Devin Vassell Breakdown See Red Fred and the Great One Doug Thonus aka The Podfather break down the hiring of Billy Donovan. THE BULLS HIRE BILLY DONOVAN! 1:00 Bradley Beal, future Bull? 15:00 The Current State of the Playoffs 22:30 Will this Title Be Tarnished? 25:45 Draft Prospect Analysis: Devin Vassell, SF, 6 ft, 7 inches, 194 lbs. 26:45 Draft Prospect Analysis: Cole Anthony, SG 6 ft 3 inches, 32:00 Would you trade for Paul George? 40:00

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The Big Red Bus #30 – See Red Fred @cbefred and the Podfather @doug_thonus take out the Big Red Bus for a lively discussion on a variety of Bulls-related topics. In this show: Billy Donovan, Mike D and Experienced Coaches for the Bulls 1:30 Draft Prospect Analysis: Isaac Okoro, 6 ft 6 inches, 225 lbs, 19 years old from the University of Auburn (8:04) Trading Back (12:00) Do you like Okoro more or less than _____? (14:00) Revisiting the Jimmy Butler Trade 19:00 Can you win a Title with Jimmy Butler as your Best Player? Where is Jimmy Butler in relation to the rest of the League?

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See Red Fred and the Podfather Doug Thonus discuss a variety of Bulls topics, most notably whether or not Giannis will jump on the Bus in 2021. James Wiseman and the Evolution of the Center position 1:00 Tyrese Haliburton 5:00 Keep the Pick or Trade It? 12:10 Giannis on the Bulls 24:00 Coby White’s Last 10 Games Bulls Free Agent Destination in 2021 29:00

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See Red Fred and the Podfather Doug Thonus take the Big Red Bus out for a ride to discuss a variety of Bulls topics: Ranking the Bulls Head Coaching Candidates: Nate McMillan, Ime Udoka, Adrian Griffin, Kenny Atkinson, Mark Jackson and others are discussed. 1:00 Would you trade LaVine, one of the other core 4, and the pick for Ben Simmons? 14:00 Who would you prefer to send to the Sixers in addition to Zach to complete the trade? 16:00 If you were the Sixers, which player would you prefer to trade to the Bulls, Embiid or Simmons? For the next 2 seasons, which player would you prefer to have: LeBron, Kawhi, Luka, or Giannis? 24:00 Early Draft Talk 29:00...

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See Red Fred interviews NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer on a variety of topics, highlighted with his top 4 prospects in the upcoming NBA 2020 draft. Rob 411 (1:00} Bulls 2017 > Celtics 2017 (4:00) Defending Thibs (6:30) The Knicks Future (12:00) Would you make the Butler Trade Again? (14:30) Rob’s Top 2020 Draft Prospects (23:00}

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews Chicago legend Silvy @waddleandsilvy (aka Marc Silverman), ½ of the ESPN 1000 iconic duo “Waddle & Silvy”. A variety of Bulls-centric topics are discussed in this interview guaranteed to please young and old alike. 1:00 What advice would you give to the youngsters listening in order to achieve broadcasting domination? 2:22 What are the memories that come to mind first when you sit back and recollect about your years covering the Bulls? 4:50 What member of the Bulls did you enjoy covering the most? The least? Silvy relates the story of his big break at WGN with the MJ Interview. 9:00 Were you as irritated about the fall-out after the last Dance against Michael as...

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews NBC Sports Chicago’s Kevin Anderson @Kevin_NBC5 regarding a variety of NBA topics. 01:00 Will We Finish this Season? 8:00 Will the 2020 NBA Title Require an Asterisk? 14:40 The NBA Contenders 21:21 Who will win the 2020 NBA Championship? 23:49 Are the Bulls Missing the Bubble Detrimental to their Future? 29:52 Zach LaVine’s Growth 32:00 Lauri’s Regression 33:00 Wendell Carter Jr. 34:53 Coby White’s Development

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See Red Fred interviews Kent McDill @KMcDill, the only Bulls Beat Writer to cover all 6 Bulls Title Teams. Kent McDill 411 2:25 Doug Collins vs. Phil Jackson 7:00 Why was Doug Collins Fired? 8:30 The Game 7 Loss to the Pistons in 1990 11:30 You were the only Beat Writer to cover all six championship teams. Which one of those teams did you feel was the best? What team represented the best competition? 13:30 What players/coaches did you enjoy the best relationship with / who did you enjoy interviewing? What players/coaches/FO were more problematic? 16:30 Do you feel the unfair coverage and speculation from the national media in 93 spurred MJ’s retirement? Or do you feel it would have...

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See Red Fred is joined by 3 generations of Bulls fans (Gabrielle Blackwell, Stuart Lazarus, Coach Colucci) in a pregame prep for Episode 9 & 10. Topics: 1:00 What were the interesting revelations for you in Episodes 7 & 8? 8:15 What do you want to see in Episodes 9 & 10? 11:45 Better or Worse? Who do you feel better or worse about after viewing this Documentary? Jordan / Pippen / Coach Jackson / Krause

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews the great Darnell Mayberry @DarnellMayberry of the Athletic in this wide-ranging interview. Part 2 can be found at BullsHQ. This interview includes the following topics: What would you estimate the chances are for Jim Boylen to be back? What do you feel Jim did well in his time as coach? What do you feel he did poorly? A recently report stated some players defended him, while some key players blasted him. Who do you feel was his biggest fan? Who do you feel was not? Rank the core 4 for me in terms of who do you feel are most integral to turning this around: LaVine-White-WCJ-Lauri. Knowing what you do about the new management team,...

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See Red Fred Interview @cbefred interviews Coach Michael Colucci. Coach Colucci was a former Knicks fan with a unique perspective on the rivalries of the late 80’s and 90’s. A wide variety of topics are discussed about that era.

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews John Watson, Paul Conner, and James Kim in a Bulls Roundtable discussing “The Last Dance” Parts 1 & 2. 0:00 See Red Fred with Waddle & Silvy 5:00 What was your biggest surprise in episodes 1 & 2? 16:30 What do you want to see in future episodes? 27:00 Better or worse? Who did you feel better about after watching the doc? Who did you feel worse about?

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“I watched two Jordan playoff games on NBA TV last night — his 45-point evisceration of the ’90 Sixers (Game 4), and the night he rammed a stake into the hearts of the Bad Boy Pistons (Game 3 of the eventual 1991 sweep) — and came away wondering if Jordan was actually underrated. A strange takeaway from someone who already believed Jordan was the greatest basketball player ever, and that we’d never see anyone like him again. But that’s how I felt. When will I see the league’s best athlete, hardest worker, smartest player and most ruthless competitor in the same body again?” – Bill Simmons 9.12.2011 The countless debates I’ve had over the past 5 years with seemingly knowledgeable...

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews Bulls Outsider Big Dave Watson on a variety of topics. 0-4:20 See Red Fred on Waddle & Silvy 4.17.20 6:17 AK for the Sevens 8:57 Head Coach and General Manager 11:20 The top 3 Moves of Pax 17:50 Big Dave doesn’t like Scott Skiles 19:45 Rose over Beasley 21:21 Core Four Discussion 34:00 The Last Dance

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See Red Fred and Basketball Historian Tim Gallagher interview Coach Kamal Assaf, who has strong ties to the Denver Nuggets. Kamal played college basketball at UC-San Diego & Whittier College. He was Head Coach of La Jolla High School and won several CIF championships. He coached against Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard, among others. 1-4 Coach Assaf background 4:25 AK the Man 16 Roster Construction 18 Changes to the Game 21:40 JJ Polk 25 The Draft 30 Luka Doncic

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews the great Bulls Master of Prose Stephen Noh @StephNoh about Arturas Karnisovas. Topics discussed include: AK History and Philosophy Adrian Griffin Fire GarPax and the Kevin Anderson Tweet Will the Core 4 be back? The Athletic Bulls Free Agent Signings Hinkie is a Bum The players in Review Lauri Ranking the Core Email the show: ChicagoBullseye@gmail.com Follow See Red Fred: @cbefred

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See Red Fred @cbefred interviews Bulldog Kevin Anderson @kevinAnderson for a discussion on the Bulls and his top-10 Star Wars Scenes. This latest episode of the Chicago Bullseye was recorded after 3 straight games of 30+ for the incredible Coby White. Topics Include: 1:00 Should Coby White Start? 6:30 To tank or not to tank? 10:00 Are you angry about Pax moving upstairs? 12:30 The Roster 14:30 How much will Kris Dunn get paid? 21:00 Bulldog Kevin Anderson’s Top 10 Star Wars Scenes 29:00 What was your process for the Top 10 32:38 THE TOP 10 STAR WARS SCENES OF ALL-TIME

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The show begins with an excerpt of See Red Fred’s visit with Kyle Long and David Kaplan on ESPN 1000 from the 2.6.2020 morning show. NBC Sports Chicago’s Kevin Anderson (@Kevin_NBC5) chats with See Red Fred about the Core 4 Bulls. At the 31 minute mark, Star Wars talk begins about the new movie. Kevin also ranks all the Star Wars films. Email the show at ChicagoBullseye@gmail.com

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Interview with Artis Gilmore

Early Life

Artis Gilmore was born in Chipley, Florida as one of 10 children. He was reared there, and attended Roulhac High School. Gilmore was 6'5′ at age 15. When public schools were integrated, he attended Chipley High School for one week before leaving home to attend Carver High School in Dothan, Alabama, a larger community 35 miles to the north. He graduated from Dothan's Carver High School in 1967, at 6'10” as a Third Team All-American.

A star center during his two collegiate years at Jacksonville University, Gilmore led the Dolphins to the NCAA Division I championship game in 1970, where his team was beaten 80–69 by the UCLA Bruins. Gilmore remains the top player in rebounds per game in the history of NCAA Division I basketball.

Artis Gilmore followed five All-Star seasons with the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA by becoming the first overall pick in the 1976 ABA Dispersal draft, which dispersed the players in the ABA clubs, such as the Colonels, that did not join the NBA. During his career, Gilmore was an 11-time All-Star, the ABA Rookie of the Year, and an ABA MVP. Nicknamed “The A-Train”, the 7 ft 2 in Gilmore once played in 670 consecutive games.

Playing career 1971–1989

Position Center

Number 53

Career history

1971–1976 Kentucky Colonels

1976–1982 Chicago Bulls

1982–1987 San Antonio Spurs

1987 Chicago Bulls

1988 Boston Celtics

1988–1989 Arimo Bologna (Italian League)

Career highlights and awards

ABA champion (1975)

ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player (1975)

ABA Most Valuable Player (1972)

6× NBA All-Star (1978, 1979, 1981–1983, 1986)

5× ABA All-Star (1972–1976)

ABA All-Star Game MVP (1974)

5× All-ABA First Team (1972–1976)

4× ABA All-Defensive First Team (1973–1976)

NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1978)

ABA Rookie of the Year (1972)

ABA All-Rookie First Team (1972)

ABA All-Time Team

Consensus first-team All-American (1971)

Second-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1970)

Career ABA and NBA statistics

Points 24,941 (18.8 ppg)

Rebounds 16,330 (12.3 rpg)

Assists 3,050 (2.3 apg)

Nicknames: (The A-Train, Late Sleeper)

Position: Center ▪ Shoots: Left

7-2, 240lb (218cm, 108kg)

Born: September 21, 1949 (Age: 70-106d) in Chipley, Florida

Colleges: Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University

Career Averages:

1,329 games

18.8 Pts

12.3 Reb

2.3 Assists

58.2% FG%

15% 3PT%

69.8% Free Throw %

eFG 58.2%

21.4 PER

Bulls Timeline

March 29, 1971: Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 7th round (117th pick) of the 1971 NBA Draft.

August 5, 1976: Drafted by the Chicago Bulls from the Kentucky Colonels in the dispersal draft.

July 22, 1982: Traded by the Chicago Bulls to the San Antonio Spurs for Dave Corzine, Mark Olberding and cash.

June 22, 1987: Traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Chicago Bulls for a 1988 2nd round draft pick (Shelton Jones was later selected).

December 26, 1987: Waived by the Chicago Bulls.

January 8, 1988: Signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics.

Career Accomplishments

Most Defensive Rebounds in Professional Basketball history with 11,514.

5th in Professional Basketball History in Overall rebounds 1 – Wilt Chamberlain (23924), 2 – Bill Russell (21,620), 3 – Moses Malone (17,834), 4 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17,440) 5 – Artis Gilmore (16,330).

Bulls

When you get to the Bulls, you came back from San Antonio in the summer of 1987 in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick, and for a brief time you are on the court in Chicago with not only Michael Jordan but it was Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant's rookie years together.

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It’s the Bulls Podcast #52 hosted by Marcus Couch and Wyse Black with guest Kenyatta Wright. We’ve got full Bulls vs Celtics Reaction, our State of the #Bulls, Trade Rumors and Game predictions for the coming week.

Welcome to the Bulls Podcast, coming to you from BullsPodcast.com. This is where we bring you the latest news, reviews, rants, rumors and opinions on the players, coaches and front office of the Chicago Bulls.

And this week we pleased to present regular contributor Kenyatta Wright to the show.

We’ve got several topics for this episode. Including:

• Bulls vs Celtics Rundown

• Bulls Trade Rumors

• State of The Bulls

• Game predictions for the coming week

Bulls vs Celtics Post-Game

Tonight the Chicago Bulls took on the Boston Celtics in Boston and got blown out 1XX – XX.

The Bulls made it a game throughout most Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatom padded their lead the whole way through and the Bulls expectedly lost the game. In fact, 6 Celtics scored in double figures on our defense. We wouldn’t stop anyone tonight. And no wonder.. Lauri sat out most of the game.

Bulls Trade Rumors

Denzel Valentine

It may not be the move that propels this team in the right direction, but it’s clear that small forward Denzel Valentine needs to be traded before the deadline this season. It’s not entirely his fault, but both sides seem to want to move on.

Valentine played limited minutes this season despite the Bulls being thin at forward due to injuries. He was getting some playing time up until last week when Boylen reportedly told him he was out of the rotation.

It’s surely frustrating to get the news you won’t be playing regularly anymore, but Valentine clearly wanted more of an explanation than what he got from Boylen. He spoke to the media before Saturday’s game and said this about the situation [Via Chicago Sun-Times]:

“I’m definitely not happy about it. I’m a competitor. I want to play, I want to be productive, I want to help the team win. But that’s out of my control…[Boylen] kind of told me a couple of games ago that I was out of the rotation. He didn’t really say why.”

Valentine kind of trailed off after this and didn’t say more about Boylen’s conversation about his spot on the team. Even though Valentine didn’t go scorched Earth with the media on Saturday, it’s clear he’d rather play elsewhere.

The Bulls may not be able to get much in return for Valentine, but if they can get someone that would fit into the rotation it’d be an improvement. Even if it was just an end of the bench type of guy, it’d be a slightly better fit.

Acquire center Andre Drummond from Detroit

While Valentine may or may not be involved in this move, the Bulls could actually pull off a trade for center Andre Drummond. The center for the Detroit Pistons is a player who many were expecting more at this point in his career.

Despite Drummond playing in his eighth NBA season this year, he’s only 26 years old. He’s got a player option he could exercise for the 2020-2021 season, but he could be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

It would require a lot from the Bulls to acquire Drummond, but reports suggest that the Pistons are determined to trade him before the NBA trade deadline this season. The Bulls could make an offer as it appears several other teams have already.

It would be great if we could get Rose in the deal too…

Others on the Block: EVERYONE but Lauri, Zach and Coby.

State of the Bulls

At 14-27 there isn’t much to say about the Bulls except we need a new coach, a new lineup and a new Front Office. It’s a wonder this team has any fans left at all, but we’re still here, with hope in our hearts and prayers in our mind for the team to deliver us from mediocrity. Time will tell what this season turns out to be and what trades may happen in the next few months,

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It’s the Bulls Podcast #51 hosted by Marcus Couch and Wyse Black. We’ve got full Bulls vs Pelicans Reaction, Our #Bulls 2020 Resolutions, Trade Rumors and Game predictions for the coming week.

Welcome to the Bulls Podcast, coming to you from BullsPodcast.com. This is where we bring you the latest news, reviews, rants, rumors and opinions on the players, coaches and front office of the Chicago Bulls.

We’ve got several topics for this episode. Including:

Bulls vs Pelicans Rundown

Bulls 2020 Resolutions

Game predictions for the coming week

51 Bulls Players

And as you heard in the intro by none other than #51, Ryan Arcidiacono, it’s episode 51 of the Bulls podcast. (We’re stepping things up here in the new year Wyse!). Now we’re getting the actual players to get in on the episode numbers being their jersey numbers. And we will say this is just kind of a teaser by mentioning that, because another player with a number in the 50’s is going to make an appearance on the show soon too.. And it’ll be more than an intro…

Beyond Ryan Archidiacono as our featured #51, the Bulls also had a few others that wore that jersey number. In addition to Arch, we have only 2 others to have number 51.

Michael Ruffin was the first to wear #51. He was drafted by the Bulls in the 2nd round (3rd pick, 32nd overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft.

Next, Lawrence Funderburke wore #51 in the last year of his career as he joined the Bulls briefly in 2005 after missing the previous season due to an Achilles injury. He played in 2 regular season games and 5 playoff games for the Bulls in 2005 before closing out his NBA career as the season ended.

Bulls vs Pelicans Post-Game

Tonight the Chicago Bulls took on the New Orleans in The Big Easy and lost 123 – 108.

The back-and-forth contest wasn't the prettiest game either team will play all year. Both squads struggled to find an offensive rhythm while continually turning the ball over.

There was hope at the beginning of the week that Wednesday would serve as rookie phenomenon Zion Williamson's first game of the season, but the team has still been treating its franchise player with an abundance of caution in the wake of his preseason knee injury.

Notable Performers:

• Zach LaVine, G, Bulls: 32 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds

• Kris Dunn, G, Bulls: 15 points, 6 assists, 5 steals, 4 rebounds

• Brandon Ingram, SF, Pelicans: 29 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds

• Derrick Favors, PF, Pelicans: 12 points, 9 rebounds

• Jaxson Hayes, C, Pelicans: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks

Our Bulls 2020 Resolutions

With the start of the new year, we’re going to present a number of resolutions for the Chicago Bulls to consider and strive for during the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.

Zach Lavine to the All Star Game and Dunk Contest

Derrick Rose is already coming home to compete in the Skills Contest during All Star weekend. Why not make it a Chicago affair by commiting to the dunk contest? Zach is carroting the all star votes, saying he only wants to enter the contest if he’s also an All Star. There is a lot of competition in the East, and voting is going in all directions, even to DRose.

Lauri Markkanen locks in on Beast Mode

He’s getting better here as we approach half way into the season, but Lauri is still nowhere near the beast he was projected to be. What do you have to lose Lauri? Tear it up! Get so aggressive that it’s actually offputting to opponents. Play a little dirty. You’ve earned the league currency with the refs that y ou can get away with some of that. Take over games the way Zach does. We need you.

Resign Kris Dunn for 3 years, 12 million per year.

Where would this put Dunn in the ranks of highest paid point guards? https://www.spotrac.

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It's the Bulls Podcast #50 with Marcus Couch and Wyse Black with our special guest, long-time PA Announcer and Chicago Radio Legend Tommy Edwards. Tommy graciously shares insight from the Bulls scorers table, his favorite behind the scenes Bulls memories, upcoming NBA developments and how he feels the current roster will grow in the future. All in this exclusive 60-minute Tommy Edwards interview on the Bulls Podcast.

Follow Tommy Edwards on Twitter: http://twitter.com/liltommyedwards

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It’s the Bulls Podcast #49 hosted by Marcus Couch and Wyse Black. We’ve got full Bulls vs Wizards Reaction, Our #Bulls Christmas Wish List and Game predictions for the coming week.

Welcome to the Bulls Podcast, coming to you from BullsPodcast.com. This is where we bring you the latest news, reviews, rants, rumors and opinions on the players, coaches and front office of the Chicago Bulls.

We’ve got several topics for this episode. Including:

Bulls vs Wizards Rundown

Bulls Christmas List – What do we wish for?

Game predictions for the coming week

Bulls vs Wizards Post-Game

The Bulls hit DC in what we hoped would be an easy W against a limping Washington Wizards team with nearly 6 players for the Wizards listed as out of action. An easy win? Not exactly. In fact, we needed until the last minute of OT to pull off the one point victory.

Lauri Markkanen led the Bulls with 31 points and 9 rebounds. It was a Sato revenge game of sorts, as he had 17-7-7 in his return to DC. Zach Lavine went 11-11 from the line including 4 nail-biting free throws down the stretch.

Bulls Christmas List — What do we want?

[Marcus Wish List]

New Head Coach

A true point guard

Felicio’s Vicious Comeback

Stocking Stuffer – New TV Announcers (Chuck Swirsky & Bill Wennington)

[Wyse Wish List]

New Head Coach

New Front Office

New Ownership

Stocking stuffer – Another forward (3)

Let’s predict our next few games for the coming week

SATURDAY DEC 21 6:00PM CT vs Detroit @Little Caesars Arena

Marcus: L, Wyse: L

MONDAY DEC 23 6:00PM CT vs Orlando @Amway Center

Marcus: L, Wyse: W

SATURDAY DEC 28 7:00PM CT vs Atlanta @United Center

Marcus: W, Wyse: W

MONDAY DEC 30 7:00PM CT vs Milwaukee @United Center

Marcus: L, Wyse: L

Wyse Social Links:

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/radical_creator

• Instagram: http://instagram.com/radical_creator

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6vBYCVNxRnzuxvdQVkWfgg

Marcus Social Links

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/marcuscouch

• Instagram: http://instagram.com/marcuscouch

Everything show related you can find @bullspodcast. Please make sure you are connected with us everywhere we are.

If you can’t remember any of these, you can check out our show notes for this show over at our website, which is BullsPodcast.com where we have all the links we mentioned in today’s show.

Until next time, Thank you for listening everyone, Go Bulls!

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