Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Jamal Collier talks Bulls' search for a new identity under Tiago Splitter (Hour 4)
18 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Why do you think things did not maybe work out in Portland? Obviously, you made the playoffs and had success. But just kind of what is your view there? There's been a lot of reports about sort of the financial situation they had there.
Chapter 2: What are the main insights from Tiago Splitter's introductory press conference?
Was that a factor in this as well?
Yeah, I mean, that's a good question, but I really want to leave that behind. You know, I'm going to think about the Bulls. That's my goal right now, and I want to keep that behind.
Chapter 3: How does Jamal Collier view the Bulls' past struggles in Portland?
I respect all opinions. I think there's too many things being said already, and I think that's enough. I'm past that, and I want to think about the Chicago Bulls.
Oh, Tiago Splitter had the talking points ready for that question, which you got to ask.
Taking the highest of roads with our Jamal Collier.
Yes, he did. As we welcome you back into Rahimi Harris and Grody on 104.3. The score, the man that asked that question right there is... Jamal Collier, and he joins us now on 104.3 The Score. Of course, Jamal Collier, NBA reporter for ESPN. Did you expect to get a better answer from Tiago Splitter on the Portland thing? Because we're all very interested in it.
Yeah, of course. You know, you got to take your shot. You got to shoot or shoot, right? So you never expect to get, you never expect what OG and I didn't expect to miss.
You didn't miss.
It was just well defended, you know? No, you've asked the question the right way. I would ask the question. I was waiting for the question. And sometimes you just don't get the answer. But Jamal, more importantly, what do you think about the hiring of Tiago Splitter as the Bulls head coach?
Thanks for having me, first off, guys. Yeah, thank you. just that situation that he was handed with Chauncey at the beginning of the season. I mean, that's a team that really could be dead in the water from jump there. And for him to rally those troops, you know, they were playing really well by the end of the season, think that they won 30 of their last 45 games.
Their defense made a whole bunch of improvements. You saw improvements in their – the talent there. So just a lot to be excited about. from the job that he did in that one year sample in Portland. Uh, but it is just so hard to tell. I mean, I think I'll just kind of calm everybody down as, as far as we're getting ahead of ourselves. It is a, it's still a pretty unproven coach with a roster.
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Chapter 4: What is the significance of Tiago Splitter's hiring for the Bulls?
If that happens, this assumed thought of Caleb Williams... See, there we go.
Caleb Wilson. You get 10. You get 10 times.
Caleb Wilson in Chicago might not happen the way we think because the people I talk to in Memphis say they don't want to bring in a guard if John Morant's still there. Now, he may be gone by draft night. Who knows? But if it falls right where Caleb Wilson goes to, say, Memphis, could you see a possibility of Darren Peterson being in Chicago?
I think the Bulls have the best position, maybe outside of number two. No, one and two. Obviously, all these are great positions to be in. But the Bulls have maybe the easiest position in the draft. They're going to take whatever of those four guys, I would assume, falls to them. And they're going to be happy because, again, when I talk about sort of the –
You know, you shouldn't be drafting for need at any point in the draft, especially if that's high of a draft pick. So I would still maybe have some skepticism of, you know, if Memphis is sort of talking about a guard or who, you know, what exactly their pairing is. You take the best player available. And the Bulls, with there being such a clear delineation of the top four, I just think you're
Just have to be thrilled to be in this spot to have jumped up and have a position to grab one of these guys that has this sort of franchise-changing ceiling on each of them. So I think for Bulls fans, for the most part, you can kind of sit back and let all that stuff play out and know that the guy that you're going to get at number four is somebody you're going to be excited about.
And to my last point, I don't think that this roster really – It doesn't have the rigidity. It should be pretty flexible that you should just take the best player available and start building around that person regardless of position.
Yeah, I don't think Bryson Graham, especially in his first year, should overcomplicate things for himself because there's not a lot to overcomplicate. Maybe with that second first-round pick, it could be interesting to see if they move up to get Keaton Wagler. But what have you thought so far about Bryson Graham and the hiring of him?
Yeah, similar to my answer with Tiago, where I think there's a lot to be excited about. There's a lot of the background is there, you know, the initial press conferences and things that you've seen from him so far, I think are all positive. It's just, you know, I think it's worth remembering that this is essentially the exact same spot the Bulls were in six years ago.
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Chapter 5: What challenges does the Bulls roster currently face?
I mean, we've been sort of waiting and seeing for a long time of what will happen with Milwaukee if and when they will actually sort of, you know, pull the trigger there. I think really like, you know, what's exciting is the next week and especially the start of the draft is just going to kick off really the whole NBA offseason. Like there's
You know, there's not a lot of free agents or at least like traditional, you know, they start the free agency period is normally the big player transaction. But it feels like a lot of the things now are going to have to come down through trades, through, you know, sign and trade draft day kind of moves because, you know, it's not like there's sort of a robust system.
free agent market that sort of people are going to be waiting on to decide things.
Well, it seems like there's going to be one free agent out there that I wasn't expecting anyway. Trey Young apparently is going to decline his $48.97 million player option and become a free agent on Monday. That's according to your colleague. Wait, where was he? Mark Spears. Washington. Washington. The Wizards. That's the right thing. And so... The Hawks moved him to Washington.
They thought maybe Trey Young and Anthony Davis and some young guys could get together and have a party in the East. And I know Washington's one of the places he could resign. Are you surprised, though, that he's opting out? Is he in that much of demand, Trey Young?
Well, look, I don't think you make that kind of move in the NBA unless you have some sort of assurance or some sort of... something on the some confidence on the back end that that's going to work out for you. And, you know, the official whatever negotiating period starts on whatever day. But we kind of know how this works at this point.
I believe my colleague Brian Windhorst reported this also this morning that he expects Trae Young to sign back with the Wizards on a three year or at least a multi-year deal. I'd have to look at the exact for that. But, yeah, I would just say like that for Trae Young. generally you make a move like that because you know you're going to be taken care of on the back end.
And look, Brody, we won't give you any crap for not knowing that Trey didn't play for the Wizards considering he played zero games for them after the trade. Thank you. Thank you. And, you know, considering how that injury worked out, the Wizards got a pretty good prize for that number one pick after that.
Sure did. Yeah. I never thought he would leave the Atlanta Hawks and then he's whisked off to Washington. Dude, That's the way these things work. That is. Jamal, thank you. We really like having you on, man. Appreciate the insight. Great job at the presser yesterday, and hopefully we'll talk to you soon, man. See you, Jamal. Thanks, man.
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Chapter 6: What should the Bulls focus on in the upcoming draft?
It's so hard to commit to anything about the Chicago Cubs. And you could hear his conflict. And some of that probably comes because he literally managed some of the guys that are in that lineup, like Nico Horner. So it's going to be hard for him to go all in. But you hear that tone of voice of these players, and he knows that they're good players and that they still have time.
He didn't mention it in that part of the interview that we just played for you, but of course he mentioned having 90-some-odd games left. So you hear the conflict in his voice, like all of our voices, like, Are they going to get their acts together? And there's reasons to suggest that they might. And with all these pitching injuries, they could bite you eventually.
And I think that's him hitting the nail on the proverbial head. Because notice, the offense and them being in a funk was kind of an afterthought. He went straight to the pitching issues. And I think once you hear the names just called out in a row, because that's what I'm about to do, it all makes sense. Because...
To understand that we're in June and the Cubs are fighting for a wild card spot right now. And that Justin Steele, Jamison Tyone, Matthew Boyd, and Kate Horton. Stop it. All on the injured list right now. And that's, let's be honest, four-fifths of what you thought the rotation would be by season's end.
And Edward Cabrera just left the game. He just left the game. He's not on the injured list. He's not.
And so, add to that, remember Porter Hodge? Old Porter Hodge! Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Shelby Miller, and now Daniel Palencia. I mean... It's a real issue. The issue I have with the Cubs isn't their offense as a whole right now. It's a problem. I'm not going to say it's not a problem.
But the bigger issue as far as holding the line, if you will, from now over the next 90 games is can you get enough pitching to keep you in games against good competition? We already saw what it looks like against bad competition.
Right, and we've also gotten to that point, too, where – We can't be greedy about Ben Brown, but we have to be greedy about Ben Brown because he's been terrific, right? And now I'm like, you have to keep doing that. You have to keep... Same thing with Javier Saad. And there's no track record.
We're in no man's land with these guys right now in terms of how good they have been over the... Well, in Ben Brown's case. Over this length of period of time. Over this period of time, whatever it may actually come out to be. And so you are walking a very fine line. And you're right. I agree with David Ross.
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Chapter 7: How does Jamal Collier assess the potential of Matas Bezelis?
You know how I know that?
Yeah, how?
Because they did it yesterday.
In the second inning. They did it for us nice and early. There was still sunlight everywhere. You saw it. There was no hiding from it. It was all sunny. So that's improvement. Yes. Which was amazing, considering how it was pitch black in here yesterday at this time in downtown Chicago. And it turned out to be a beautiful night at the old ballpark.
As I told you, when we were young, I started listening to me when I forecast things. Ha ha ha! I'm not just saying things.
I've looked at the radar. What are you talking about? You're like Mr. Channel 7. I go over there and I'm just deluged with maps and weather forecasts.
That's kind of how it is.
Weather over everything. Yeah. I understand. Hey, down the hallway. Traffic and weather together. Come on, man. Stay tight. One other thing from David Ross, and that was David Ross continued to discuss overall where he is after being let go from the Cubs after the 2023 season?
You know, it stings for sure. You know, I think time, what's that saying, time heals all wounds or whatever that is. I think just a little bit of letting some things go and watching the team really closely the next year, working through some of that and, you know, being back around my old teammates and celebrating 2016, doing the lovable reunion podcast with Anthony and, and,
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Chapter 8: What are the implications of the upcoming NBA draft for the Bulls?
What percentage of those garbage cans will be returned to the New York City offices of sanitation?
How are they protecting these things from being stolen? They're not. I mean, maybe there's like a beeper on them or something, or maybe they chained every single one down, or maybe they prepared for the possibility that people are going to steal them. And good luck, New York. We're going to have garbage all over the place, but you will have stolen New York Knicks garbage cans.
It's the perfect thing to put in your man cave if you're a sports fan of a team.
I'd steal one.
Yes. Yes, you would.
Come on now.
Carrying it several blocks because we know you're walking. Maybe you get the Uber XL to get home.
I'd consider that. So there's that. So the Knicks parade is happening today. We've chosen some. The returns are coming into us here at the score. Jalen Brunson shared his heartfelt speech to all the Knicks fans.
First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Jim Dolan in the front office for believing the kid no one else wouldn't. Thank you to my teammates, giving me confidence every single day. The belief we had in each other made this possible. Thank you to our coaching staff, our medical staff, everyone that pitched in every single day behind the scenes. Damn. We really did it, dawg.
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