S49 Chicago Bulls Presser

[garbageman]

phpBB [video]

Welcome to another PBSL season with YOUR Chicago Bulls. We're very excited to get back to playing basketball, and we're very optimistic that our plan to retool the team and compete without a long, exhausting process is running smoothly.

Last season, despite injuries and a lackluster record, we managed to still secure the 6th seed in the playoffs. We signed Chris Ridley in free agency, and after a hot start and the realization that there weren't a lot of very strong teams in our conference, we aimed to speed up our timeline for success by trading for Miguel Thomas. We managed a deal with the Kings that didn't cost us anyone who was getting playing time so that Migs, who was injured at the time, could come back and give our lineup that little extra push.

Unfortunately, before that happened, Chris Ridley suffered a severe concussion that kept him out the entire season. When he came back, we didn't have enough time to figure out how to jell and limped out of the regular season to get swept by a strong, cohesive Timberwolves team in the first round.

Our major problem last year was putting points on the board. While there were certainly worse offensive teams, we played at a slow pace and weren't terribly efficient offensively. That's not winning basketball.

So, this offseason, we made a plethora of moves to address that problem. We patched up the holes in our starting lineup by trading for Richard Hunt and Michael Morley, and our second unit should let the good times roll with the additions of future hall of famers Boban Marjanovic and Bryce Dejean-Jones. If it were up to us, Wanderlei Silva would be a surefire hall of famer, too, but we're a little biased since he helped win us a championship.

There are a lot of tough teams out there, and I think there are a few teams that are a move or two away from serious contention, but we'd like to get another ring on Wanderlei's finger [strike]by asking for his hand in marriage[/strike], and we think Boban and BDJ might still have room for one more somewhere on their hands.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's way too early for a coronation, the final countdown before hope turns to work, and the perfect time to answer any questions you may have.

[NOLa.]

This team is solidly built and looks ready to make a run for the Finals, and obtaining Hunt was a huge get. Do you see any competition in your division to challenge you? It looks like a lot of teams in transition.


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[MexicanMamba]

Besides age driving their prices down, was there anything else you still saw in the big time veterans you signed that made you hand out contracts to them over trying to get other guys in the free agency pool? Anyone you swung for but disappointed you missed on?

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[garbageman]

This team is solidly built and looks ready to make a run for the Finals, and obtaining Hunt was a huge get. Do you see any competition in your division to challenge you? It looks like a lot of teams in transition.


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I'd say overall, the division looks better. We feel strong about our chances at another division title, but it's a long season. Right now, I think our team has the most talent up and down, but the Suns still have the best player in the division in David Leiker, and William Pearman is looking fantastic. Unfortunately, they have no depth or leadership. The Thunder look stronger than last season, but I think they need a couple more seasons under Zaire's belt to be a true contender. The Clippers have lower expectations than last year, but I think better depth. The Rockets always overperform their roster, and the Jazz and Blazers are still rebuilding, but it's a fickle league, and trades can shift the landscape if one of those teams sees now as the time to capitalize. I like where we're at, but you know what they say about counting chickens.

[IamQuailman]

Do you think this team could take the Timberwolves in a series this season? Horns and Fangs

[garbageman]

Besides age driving their prices down, was there anything else you still saw in the big time veterans you signed that made you hand out contracts to them over trying to get other guys in the free agency pool? Anyone you swung for but disappointed you missed on?

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Going into free agency, we needed a starting SF and good second unit players. Luckily, talks that we thought had dried up on Michael Morley picked up right before the free agency period began and we were able to get things done. So with a limited window, we shifted our focus on looking for solid, offensive veterans for our second unit. We looked for players that were very productive last season, and Boban, as a starter for the Rockets, had a season we thought would qualify him for a lot of interest, even at his age. We think if he played that well against the rest of the league as a starter, he'll still be a huge problem for second unit defenses. BDJ and Wanderlei were both icing on the cake since they were vet min contracts and came with no opportunity costs.

We did take a swing or two with our MLEs, and if Boban hadn't have signed with us, we had our eyes on another former Bull, Jaren Jackson Jr. and we offered a contract to Bjorn Ironside, figuring that the Pacers might not bring him back since they were already more expensive than they'd ever been. Other than that, with the remaining MLE money we had, we had put in offers for Dominic Haber and Slim Jenkins. We were interested in what Dominic could become, but he preferred a shorter contract to the three year deal we offered him, and we felt like Slim would've made our offense unstoppable for 48 minutes a game, but he wanted more money, and then when we offered him more in round 2, there were teams that were able to overbid us.

[garbageman]

Do you think this team could take the Timberwolves in a series this season? Horns and Fangs

I think so, but it'd be a great matchup. A lot of similarities between our squads including Felicio and Robinson looking very similar right now and strong, offensively-minded 2nd units with great veteran presence.

[greepleairport]

If another injury like Ridley's comes through, it could be the only thing stoping this squad from taking the division, if not the conference. With a deeper bench than most (full of future Hall of Famers), might you spread their minutes out a bit? Or do you want your core going full tilt through the regular season?

[garbageman]

If another injury like Ridley's comes through, it could be the only thing stoping this squad from taking the division, if not the conference. With a deeper bench than most (full of future Hall of Famers), might you spread their minutes out a bit? Or do you want your core going full tilt through the regular season?

We weren't really running guys into to the ground last season. Injuries happen. We're not putting anyone at 48 minutes, but we're going to play everyone where we think they need to be for the team to be the most successful.

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: With wearing a dual hats, being both the Bulls GM and Commissioner, has that afforded you any sort of advantage over time? Have learned more about constructing teams and what it takes to have championship caliber team?

[garbageman]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: With wearing a dual hats, being both the Bulls GM and Commissioner, has that afforded you any sort of advantage over time? Have learned more about constructing teams and what it takes to have championship caliber team?

Excellent question. I feel like the two complement each other. To be commissioner, you need to have a handle on how all aspects of the league work, and the best GMs also need to master strategy in all aspects of the game to be successful.

That being said, as Commissioner, you get no real benefits when it comes to team construction, but you are exposed to a bit more information regarding player development. Just by way of having to handle TC insurance and player training, I get to work way more under the hood with how individual attributes contribute to overall rating and color bands. There doesn't appear to be any secret...it's been out there for a while that INS, 3PS, and to a lesser extent, JPS are important to everyone, and depending on size/position, PRD/STL and PSD/BLK have an impact. Athleticism attributes help contribute because raising an athletic attribute also raises potential since there are no potential ratings. And there are plenty of times where a good green player might fit a team better than a good blue player, which isn't represented anywhere except in the mind of the savvy GM.

Another thing you learn as commissioner is how random all this shit is, especially when you have to resim and see the same DCs get wildly different results against each other...or do test TCs.

I think maybe the most organic advantage comes from having to process everything, so for the most part, you see what every team is doing and which manual bids are being input. I've done my best to have all my decisions in before I take a look at anything that could inform them, but really, you can only believe me on that or not.

[garbageman]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: With wearing a dual hats, being both the Bulls GM and Commissioner, has that afforded you any sort of advantage over time? Have learned more about constructing teams and what it takes to have championship caliber team?

Excellent question. I feel like the two complement each other. To be commissioner, you need to have a handle on how all aspects of the league work, and the best GMs also need to master strategy in all aspects of the game to be successful.

That being said, as Commissioner, you get no real benefits when it comes to team construction, but you are exposed to a bit more information regarding player development. Just by way of having to handle TC insurance and player training, I get to work way more under the hood with how individual attributes contribute to overall rating and color bands. There doesn't appear to be any secret...it's been out there for a while that INS, 3PS, and to a lesser extent, JPS are important to everyone, and depending on size/position, PRD/STL and PSD/BLK have an impact. Athleticism attributes help contribute because raising an athletic attribute also raises potential since there are no potential ratings. And there are plenty of times where a good green player might fit a team better than a good blue player, which isn't represented anywhere except in the mind of the savvy GM.

Another thing you learn as commissioner is how random all this shit is, especially when you have to resim and see the same DCs get wildly different results against each other...or do test TCs.

I think maybe the most organic advantage comes from having to process everything, so for the most part, you see what every team is doing and which manual bids are being input. I've done my best to have all my decisions in before I take a look at anything that could inform them, but really, you can only believe me on that or not.

I will like to add that I think the flipside of being commissioner is that there's a wariness about folks dealing with me. I know I turned down some deals with Wig when I was new that, in retrospect, were either good deals, or at least the best deals I could get at the time, because he was a successful GM who was commissioner, and I thought he knew something I didn't. I can't really fault anyone for viewing me--or anyone with commissioning powers (which at this point is about a third of the league)--in the same light.

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Though Felicio's been a Bull for a while, he's still quite young, and is the lone piece left on your roster that would qualify as a rebuilding piece. Given that you've never been shy about cashing in your chips if the deal is right, is there a chance that Felicio might might also be on the move this season?

[garbageman]

Random Reporter: Though Felicio's been a Bull for a while, he's still quite young, and is the lone piece left on your roster that would qualify as a rebuilding piece. Given that you've never been shy about cashing in your chips if the deal is right, is there a chance that Felicio might might also be on the move this season?

Given that he's on my trade block and I've gotten exactly 0 offers for him, probably not.