I'm going to choke you with more than just your tie ...




Then bring him off the bloody bench or, better yet, have Stacey King stab him to death on the bench while screaming 'gimme the hot sauce', and get someone from over at Simeon to play a few minutes here and there.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I was always a Kirk fan, but I completely understand the criticism he gets.

And once Stacey takes a seat, he ain't getting up till at least halftime. So you still have to deal with Hinrich for 24 minutes at least, might as well get something out of him.

He was at 24 last year. 20 is way too much. 0 is more appropriate. It wasn't Thibs, the organization has a fetish for Hinrich, and all coaches love him too because he's coach-y.

If he has his legs under him, (which he should under Holberg) he can give you a solid 15-17 minutes a night. I know I'm in the minority on this line of thinking, but I believe it to be true.

Don, you're making way too big of a deal out of Kirk starting. Bogans started 82 games back in 2010-11 and look how many minutes he played. Worry about who's playing in the fourth quarter.

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-- source

Assuming reasonable health, this team will win 50 games, probably low 50's. They do have a good core still and depth up-front; that will matter come the regular season.

The big men in the rotation will all likely be playing less minutes this season which should help them as well.

We know this team isn't likely to beat Cleveland though so we're probably looking at a 3 or 4 seed, win a round or two (depending on match-ups) and then lose whenever they run into Cleveland.

I'm not convinced that teams like Washington, Toronto, and Atlanta are better than the Bulls, and there's improving teams like Orlando, and Milwaukee that will hopefully make the East a more competitive conference, but the conference seems to be Cleveland's to lose for the next few seasons.

They don't have a ton of depth in the backcourt; if Rose isn't playing or is limited, Aaron Brooks/Kirk Hinrich are going to get more playing time by default. Just because Hinrich starts an occasional game doesn't mean he's playing 35 minutes either; he's still probably a low 20's guy when he's in the lineup.

There's not a ton of minutes in the backcourt with Butler probably logging big minutes and assuming (big IF) low/mid 30's on most night's for a healthy Rose. Brooks is the primary backup point, and Snell will probably get some time in the back court as well; Hinrich is more of the veteran insurance policy at this point; probably not good enough anymore to contribute most nights, but occasionally can fill in.

I agree with BD on this and am on board with those expecting a top 3 seed with 50+ wins. They are still talented, deep in big men and have key players that care. That goes a long way during the regular season. If nothing else, they should be more entertaining this season.

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

Lots of red flags about LeBron's health this year, and the season hasn't even started yet.

A lot needs to go right for the Bulls but I'm starting to get this team. Taj and Noah don't matter like they used to and man I can't wait to see Bobby Portis out there.

lotta love for da bull. i don't get it. this team full of medical injury risks and weird attitudes.

positive media vibes mostly a function of picking least ugliest girl at 4am bar?

Boston and Milwaukee won 40- 41 games last year. Boston traded their two best players and still made the playoffs.

If the Bulls were in the west I would not feel as confident about winning 55 games. Playing against mostly eastern conf. teams makes it a lot easier though. The Bulls have talent. Maybe not favorite to win a title type talent, but they should definitely be in the mix. Cleveland is not a juggernaut either. I don't think there is one team that is the prohibitive favorite to win the title right now. Last I checked Vegas had the Bulls 6th best favorite. That is kind of where I have them.

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bump

I'm sticking to my guns on this one but it is becoming increasingly difficult. That got damn Rose is currently killing this assessment.

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that 'cute' Stephen Curry may be too. He's playing better than Rose ever did.

(and most of the other comps look bad too.)

Curry yes but I'm not ready to Ezeli is better than Gasol. Bogut either.

Thompson not blowing up the spot either. I may take Butler.

Barnes better than Snell.

Green better than Mirotic.


Their starting lineup is not drastically better than the Bulls. Curry has had an excellent five games but a number of people believed that Harden should have been the MVP last season. Curry is better than Rose but I don't think that he is better than Rose when Rose was on top of his game. Curry is one of the worst defenders in the league. Noah at full strength is better than Draemond Green also. I dont know how these comparisons are really that far off actually.

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yeah, I'm starting to understand that.

This game against OKC will provide all the understanding that you will need on the subject. Should be playing GS soon too. They usually play them at least once early in the season. Circle that day on your calender.

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I think the sooner we accept it, the end result will be less of an emotional let down..... Sad to say