5 On It: What letter grade do you give the Bulls for their flurry of trades?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This hour is brought to you by Vasectomy Clinics of Chicago.
What trades did the Bulls make before the deadline?
The NBA trade deadline is today at 2, but it seems like a bulk of the Bulls' moves are obviously done. If that is indeed the case, and Artur is kind of showing us in company, Stan, Pat, the rest of the way, what letter grade are you giving the Bulls for their moves? Marshall loves that question. Take it away, Marshall.
Professor Marshall, what grade are you giving the Bulls? If they don't do another move after this to where they are right now, they're getting a D+. They're getting a D+. Here's why they're getting a D+. They're getting a D+, because if you look at their roster as it's currently constructed right now, and Billy Donovan doing what he does, they're going to win more games.
They're going to win too many games to tank, is what you're saying.
Not just too many games to tank, but also explain to me what they're going to have at the end of the season when all the contracts that they traded away, they're expiring contracts for, also expire. I'm looking at you, Anthony Simons. I'm looking at you, Colin Sexton.
They gave Josh Giddey more money because they wanted to.
True, true. I don't have as much problem with Giddey as some people do because it's still $25 million for your lead point guard who's going to average close to a triple-double regardless of who you put around him.
What letter grade do the hosts give the Bulls for their trades?
That's just who he is. And I know the defensive liability is there. The problem is... If you still have Jalen Smith starting at center, if you still have Isaac Okoro and Matis Bouzelis, if you still have fill-in-the-blank with whoever you want to put beside Josh Giddey, you're going to be okay. And in a world where there's already 10 to 12 other teams tanking way harder than you, you're going to come up with wins that you don't want to come up with.
Well, that's it. It's that they can tank for the Bulls, but tanking for the Bulls is not necessarily tanking as to what it looks like for the rest of the league. Keep in mind, an Achilles injury has made the team that nearly won the NBA Finals in the Pacers now one of the worst teams in the league. That's what you're up against when it comes to losing and trying to do this in a way that gives you the better chance. The saddest part is what it came down to last time, which was the coin flip for the first overall pick, and it went to the Mavericks because of the tiebreakers. That's the saddest part. Do you think the Bulls are going to get any closer to that chance again?
You know what's sadder than that? If the Bulls had won that tiebreaker and if they had picked Cooper Flagg, do you still trust Arturis Karnaschovas and Mark Eversley to make the moves to surround that young core with players good enough to properly develop him?
Yeah, because they had Jokic in Denver and AK was the assistant GM. If you've got the star of all stars, if you've got that guy, then life becomes infinitely easier in the league.
I don't know that I trust them to make the right moves. Concerning these same players we're talking about, Kobe White, I would assume Vooch. Does Vooch get moved? Are we dealing with the same type of deadline? That's my point.
Why did Marshall give the Bulls a D+ grade?
No, they probably try to win now based on that group.
Exactly, and that would have been a mistake with that group. That's the problem. Vooch is old. He cannot play defense. You've got to have a team like the Celtics with all these defenders to be able to build a championship. We're talking about championship, not just get into the playoffs.
But you're also talking about the difference of four months when you consider that Vooch's contract was up at the end of the year. You're assuming that Vooch would have been extended in that scenario.
Oh, I hope not.
But you see what I'm saying? His contract was up anyway.
Yeah, but you still should get something for him. That's all I'm saying. So what Dallas is doing right now with Cooper Flagg is perfect. They're letting him go out there and do all the things. You know what else they're doing? They're losing, so they're going to have somebody else to put beside him this coming offseason.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:18
2
What trades did the Bulls make before the deadline?
0:18–1:41
3
What letter grade do the hosts give the Bulls for their trades?
1:41–3:27
4
Why did Marshall give the Bulls a D+ grade?
3:27–8:55
5
What factors influence the Bulls' ability to tank effectively?
8:55–9:49
6
How do injuries affect the competitive landscape for the Bulls?
9:49–10:45
7
What are the implications of the Bulls' roster decisions moving forward?
10:45–12:38
8
How do the hosts view the Bulls' management decisions?
12:38–20:01
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Rahimi & Grote Show
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