Bulls Season Opener Preview (w/ Drew Stevens)

Chicago Tribune's Julia Poe joins us for reaction to the Bulls 3-3 start to the season. We begin with the Bulls fast paced, three-point shooting offense that's quickly become their identity. How sustainable is this approach for the season? Then we shift into discussion about Zach LaVine's success off ball and how Josh Giddey and Lonzo Ball are contributing to it. How optimistic should we be about Giddey's play so far? What has Jalen Smith meant to the team's success so far? We have a conversation about Patrick Williams struggles and the identity he wants to find as a player. Are the Bulls approaching Matas Buzelis development the right way? That and more.

Drew Stevens of The Bigs joins us to preview the Bulls season opener. We recap the offseason and try to figure out how the Bulls rotation will shake out. Which players need to get opportunities the most this season? Then we get into discussion about Josh Giddey and his (lack of) contract negotiations. Are we any more encouraged about his fit with this team? We also get into which players have the best shot at being moved at the deadline, Coby White and Ayo's long-term value, and we give our season win total predictions.

In this episode, we start with a quick review of the Bulls offseason and direction moving forward. Are the Bulls bad enough to secure their first round pick from the Spurs? Salim and Edward have different thoughts on just how poor this year's team could be. Then, we shift into Zach LaVine's consistently non-existent trade market. Which teams could be desperate enough to create a market for LaVine during the season? We also got into Summer League discussion with a lot of praise for Julian Phillips and Matas Buzelis. Then we wrapped with a discussion on Josh Giddey's next contract. What should be the Bulls walkaway price on Giddey? 

CHGO's Will Gottlieb returns for analysis of the Bulls free agent activity. We begin with the Bulls signing Pacers Center Jalen Smith, and the optimism that there's a lot of upside left in his game. Then we discuss Patrick Williams $90M extension. Did the Bulls make a good call committing to Williams before the start of free agency? We transition into DeMar DeRozan's FA market. Will the Lakers make a move for DeRozan or will another team come out of nowhere to sign him? We then reacted to more non-updates on Zach LaVine's trade market. Is the perception on LaVine getting out of hand? All this and much more. 

We react to a busy couple of weeks in Chicago. We give our reaction to the Bulls selecting Matas Buzelis 11th overall. How does Buzelis' two-way upside fit with the Bulls going forward, and can he improve his jump shot? We also get into the the Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey trade. Was Giddey the best value the Bulls could've got for Caruso? We look at how Giddey fits with the team long-term and whether he can be a real building block for the team. Then we get into the Bulls new direction, as the team is seemingly embracing a rebuild. What could the team look like in a few weeks and will the Bulls be able to improve their draft capital? We also get into rumors surrounding Zach LaVine's future, DeMar DeRozan's free agency, and whether we're worried about the latest update on Patrick Williams' injury recovery.

Swish Theory's Larry Golden returns to break down the guard class in this year's draft. We go through Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, Stephon Castle, Nikola Topic, Isaiah Collier, Jared McCain and Devin Carter. Larry get into why Isaiah Collier isn't getting the attention he deserves in this class. We question the fit and interest of the Bulls in Rob Dillingham. Is Stephon Castle transitioning to point guard a wise move? Also, Edward pens another love letter to Bulls fans to explain why they need to get excited about Devin Carter. We also get Larry's thoughts on what direction the Bulls should look to go in with this class, our confidence in Peter Patton being able to rebuild a prospect's jumpshot, and much more. 

No Ceilings' Corey Tulaba returns to break down the wing talent in this year's class. First, we get into the recent rumors of the Bulls eyeing a tradeup in the draft. Is it worth it for the Bulls to move additional assets in this type of class? Then, we discuss Matas Buzelis, a rumored Bulls target and whether he has legitimate two-way upside. Corey explains why he is high on Dalton Knecht and why he has one of the safest fits in this class. We also talk Tristan Da Silva, and wonder if he's being overlooked with his smart, versatile, and experienced game. We wonder why there are no rumors about Cody Williams and the Bulls despite him being the prototypical AK draft prospect. We get into a few more G-League Ignite players, specifically Ron Holland and Corey's emphatic stance on why Holland should not be the Bulls target in this class. All that, and much more. 

Can the Bulls land a promising prospect for their frontcourt in the 2024 NBA Draft? No Ceiling's Tyler Rucker joins us to break down several of the top big men in this class. We discuss if Donovan Clingan is worth moving up for. We get into Kyle Filipowski, and whether the lack of excitement about his game is justified. We discuss two high risk, high reward players in Yves Missi and Ke'lel Ware, and Tyler tells us which player is more likely to pay dividends. We also touch the elephant in the room with Zach Edey. Can his game translate to the next level?

After a brief break, we're back in time for draft season! CHGO's Big Dave joins us for reaction to the NBA Draft Lottery. We try to figure out how the Bulls should approach the draft at #11, and if any trades could make sense. Can the Bulls move Zach LaVine for draft capital? We also discuss a few prospects who the team should consider and their fit. We also express frustration at the Bulls missed attempts to acquire more draft picks at the trade deadline. Then we get into the rumors of the Bulls working on a new contract with DeMar DeRozan. We explain why it's time for the Bulls and DeRozan to split amicably and move forward with a youth movement. We wrap today's show by going way off topic and giving our thoughts on the memorable Drake and Kendrick lamar rap beef. 

The Chicago Bulls are headed back to the Play-In Tournament. We reacted to the last stretch of games and gave our predictions for how we think the team will do in the tournament. We also talked about how the team's minutes load is adding up and whether it's realistic or not for veterans to rest in the last six games. Also, we continued to give Ayo Dosunmu some love and discussed whether or not he could make another jump next season.