Nick Baumgardner

I'm glad to be here.

Believe it or not, always ready to talk Bulls.

But I also, I love basketball.

We need some more stuff to talk about.

So I'm ready for the games to start up again.

Okay, so you're ready for the games to start.

Do you expect the Bulls to play their players?

And when I say their players, those four guys I just mentioned, are they going to play or are they going to truly go for the tank?

I do, and I think there's some importance there.

you know, there as well, because Josh Giddey, especially that's someone that you want to have on the floor next to some of these new pieces that you, that you have welcomed in, especially Jade and Ivy, Rob Dillingham, guys that more so seem like they could be a part of what you're building, what they're building.

Elias, I look at this tanking situation in the NBA right now, and I say the system is designed for teams to do this, right?

Like if I'm one of these 10 worst teams in the NBA, and the Bulls are the 10th worst team in the NBA for everybody out there at this point,

It's probably worth it for me, even with the fines, to say, you know, if I have a chance at the big three, we'll call them.

You know, in college basketball, that could be available in the draft.

It's probably worth it, even if I get fined, let's call it a million dollars between now and the draft.

Yeah, because they didn't have Josh Giddey or Trey Jones or Isaac Okoro or Jalen Smith.

This is Elias Schuster joining us here on Rahimi Harrison-Grody, the publisher for Bulls on SI.

Here's the problem, Elias.

They're not catching the Hornets.

The Hornets are a team that is taking big steps this season.