Watching the first three games of the season one thought repeatedly stands out to me. The Bulls can not shoot the three. You see teams leaving our perimeter players alone on defense, massively cheating on the strong side of the ball, and jamming three guys in the paint to shut down the drive. That's not the bad news though. The bad news comes when trying to figure out how the Bulls can fix it.
Lack of three point shooting is a critical flaw
Right now, the three players locked into the Bulls future appear to be Derrick Rose [franchise player?], Luol Deng [biggest contract], and Joakim Noah [talented young player we all want to keep]. None of these players can shoot the three. That leaves only two starting positions left, SG and PF to get three point shooters at. Good 3 point shooting PFs are few and far between which is an issue. We were unwilling to pay the best 3 point shooting guard in the NBA [or at least top 5] 9 million a season last summer.
Can John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich do a better job shooting the long ball? Of course. They're not going to shoot this badly for a whole season. However, it only takes a couple games of watching Salmons shoot to recall that he doesn't like spot up shooting. That he needs to shoot in awkward rythyms, and that he's not really a good candidate to ever be a floor spacer. Kirk Hinrich's always been a streaky three point shooter as well, and relying on him to be our three point threat is also dicey.
Even if both players shoot their way back up to normal percentages in the 38-40% range, the Bulls are still lacking enough shooting, because after them, there is no one else. This problem looked big on paper in the off-season, but it looks even bigger on the court now that the games count.
This is going to get real ugly for Derrick Rose if things don't improve. Teams are going to keep cheating more and more to the interior shutting down our drive, because we have nothing else.
The only short term fix out there is to have Luol Deng practice corner threes for an hour every day and hope that he can at least be a threat from the short three. That shot should be within his range, since it's the same distance as the long two he takes from the wing all the time.
Watching this team last night, it became clear, Luol Deng needs a three point shot, or the Bulls need to trade him. A player like Rose needs shooting from at least three of the other four players on the floor and getting shooting from the four and five is a hell of a lot harder than getting it from the two and three. We need guys on offense who can spread the floor, and Luol Deng played a tremendous game but still can't accomplish that.
In the end, the Bulls core is locked into players with sub par range for their position which means everyone else needs better than average range for theirs. They can still become a good team. They can still win 45 games this year. However, until they figure out a solution to this problem they'll never be a great team.
Maybe Tyrus Thomas had it right when he told David Thorpe he just wanted to work on threes two years ago.
Can John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich do a better job shooting the long ball? Of course. They're not going to shoot this badly for a whole season. However, it only takes a couple games of watching Salmons shoot to recall that he doesn't like spot up shooting. That he needs to shoot in awkward rythyms, and that he's not really a good candidate to ever be a floor spacer. Kirk Hinrich's always been a streaky three point shooter as well, and relying on him to be our three point threat is also dicey.
Even if both players shoot their way back up to normal percentages in the 38-40% range, the Bulls are still lacking enough shooting, because after them, there is no one else. This problem looked big on paper in the off-season, but it looks even bigger on the court now that the games count.
This is going to get real ugly for Derrick Rose if things don't improve. Teams are going to keep cheating more and more to the interior shutting down our drive, because we have nothing else.
The only short term fix out there is to have Luol Deng practice corner threes for an hour every day and hope that he can at least be a threat from the short three. That shot should be within his range, since it's the same distance as the long two he takes from the wing all the time.
Watching this team last night, it became clear, Luol Deng needs a three point shot, or the Bulls need to trade him. A player like Rose needs shooting from at least three of the other four players on the floor and getting shooting from the four and five is a hell of a lot harder than getting it from the two and three. We need guys on offense who can spread the floor, and Luol Deng played a tremendous game but still can't accomplish that.
In the end, the Bulls core is locked into players with sub par range for their position which means everyone else needs better than average range for theirs. They can still become a good team. They can still win 45 games this year. However, until they figure out a solution to this problem they'll never be a great team.
Maybe Tyrus Thomas had it right when he told David Thorpe he just wanted to work on threes two years ago.
78 Comments
Mark Deeks said:
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-confidential/2009/07/what-to-do-with-anthony-roberson.html
I want to act surprised, but I'm not. You can't have only two good three point shooters in the rotation - one of whom may merely have had a good year - and get it done.
Doug Thonus said:
I'm not surprised that we're talking about needing three point shooting, but I'm a bit surprised at exactly how bad it's been.
Mark Deeks said:
One option for internal improvement might be giving Brad Miller more looks from outside. He's never taken a huge amount of threes, and a career three point percentage of .327% isn't exactly brilliant, but it's something. It's better than Deng and Rose, at least.
Doug Thonus said:
I think, like Deng, you could use Miller on corner 3s, but I don't think you can have him shooting from the wing or dead on. His natural range seems to be good enough to hit the corner 3 shot though.
GuniGuGu said:
Agreed... even last year with all the Kirk Vs Ben talk... I kept thinking, if Rose is our point, we need a great shooter to space the floor.
What irks me, is why we couldn't of just traded Kirk or Deng last year? Remember when Pax was talking about saving more cap?!?
I like both of them, don't get me wrong, but if Rose is our guy, we need at least one deadly 3pt shooter in our starting rotation...
Just look at how the magic are playing right now with all that spacing...
Doug Thonus said:
It goes beyond three point shooting. It's really about offensive efficiency.
To be efficient offensively you typically need one of these three things:
1) Great three point shooting.
2) Ability to draw lots of fouls and get to the free throw line
3) Ability to generate lots of high percentage shots close to the basket (most commonly throw a low post game)
The Bulls have none of those things. No one consistently draws lots of fouls, no one shoots the three, and they don't have a dominant post game.
There is no source of efficient offense.
The Bulls defense looks like it can be very, very good this year, but the offense looks like it's going to be bottom 10 and has a shot at being bottom 5.
MrHappy said:
Doug and Mark,
"How does this problem get fixed?" Maybe, the better question is, "Who fixes this problem?"
MrHappy said:
Can you answer those questions or is your stubborness preventing you from doing that?
(Derrick Byars - 50%)
Mark Deeks said:
All this time, I've tried to maintain a thin veneer of professionalism with you regarding this Derrick Byars thing. But no longer can I be bothered. So here goes;
You don't read a single freaking thing anyone says, and then use things they haven't said to attack them personally, and it's both insufferable and unproductive. So shut up.
evilhoban said:
I would think our Bulls will regret not signing Gordon over Byars. Maybe this is something we can resolve with a trade....maybe pick up someone with the caliber of Korver or Kapono? Do you think we can pick up something like that without trashing our flexability? Just (please) not Damon Jones or Mike Miller. Miller's 3-pt shot has fallen off of a cliff and I can't stand looking at the guy. He makes Michael Ruffin look like GQ material... (Btw....Mark Rules.....MrCrappy drools.)
MrHappy said:
They had Derrick Byars. He can shoot 3pt shots. They should have kept him.
evilhoban said:
You're right. We should snatch up Derrick Byars so we can go 79-0 for the rest of the season. Is he your cousin or something?
MrHappy said:
That's professional.
All I'm trying to figure out what are the solutions to the Bulls 3pt shooting woes? You apparently know basketball, so offer up some brilliant ideas.
MrHappy said:
Doug and Mark,
I laugh at your excuses for the Bulls management. You must have to kiss their butts or something, because of your access to the Berto Center.
All this talk about the Bulls needing cap money, to make a significant trade, is down-right laughable. There aren't any significant and/or big-time trade, outthere, to make.
* DWADE is not getting traded to the Bulls.
* LBJ is not getting traded to the Bulls.
* Joe Johnson is not getting traded to the Bulls.
* CB4 is not getting traded to the Bulls, at least not until the summer, if ever.
* STAT is not getting traded to the Bulls, at least not until the summer, if ever.
* DLEE is not getting traded to the Bulls, at least not until the summer, if ever.
* Boozer is not getting traded to the Bulls, at least not until the summer, if ever.
The Bulls aren't going to be able to make a significant trade this season, because all the teams that have a big-time free-agent want to keep those guys long-term. Therefore, the only possibility for the Bulls is a sign-and-trade, which won't happen until next summer.
You guys need to wake up and so do the Bulls management.
The Bulls need to win now, in order to lure top notch free-agents next summer. Shooting poor from the arc won't help their cause. That is why I think adding Derrick Byars, to the roster, couldn't hurt.
Why is that so hard for you guys to understand and acknowledge? Byars' can make 3pt shots and he wouldn't put them over the cap or force them to pay the luxury tax.
How could having him on the roster hurt them, given everything I just laid out for you guys?
Mark Deeks said:
No, all you're doing is pushing an agenda. This particular post may have some Byars relevance, but even when posts don't, you normally bring up the subject anyway. And you do so with a holier-than-thou attitude that is utterly misplaced, an abrasiveness that hardly facilitates conversation, and while taking potshots at me and Doug that we truly do not deserve. So kindly don't thank you so much.
Vohaul79 said:
Ban hammers work well in this situation...
MrHappy said:
I'm pushing it, because as you said, it has relevance.
MrHappy said:
All you need to do Mark is put two-and-two together.
The Bulls aren't a good 3pt shooting team. They waived a guy shooting 50% from the arc. Think about it!!!
Justin said:
Doug and Mark, is there a way to put someone on ignore?
MrHappy said:
Like yourself, maybe? (laughing)
ChicagoBullsEye said:
Perfect analysis DT. 16.3% from the 3-point line so far as a team won't cut it. Kirk's 0-8 in the last 2 games. Once they start hitting, Derrick will start looking a lot better.
TheStig said:
If only we had a top 3 pt shooter like that guy Detroit signed. Oh well, I hear that Deng fellow is the next best thing to sliced bread.
Vohaul79 said:
I would have said before watching the three opening games, that we should be just fine at 3 point...Meaning I figured Hinrich can be hot sometimes, Salmons should be pretty good...even Miller can drop 3's once in a while.
However, after watching said games Im left really worried about this team now. Our 3 point shooting has been abysmal so far. That being said, I don't expect Salmons / Hinrich to be that bad for too long. As a whole, our team's shooting has been absolutely terrible, bottom up. Hopefully they can get comfortable and makes some shots.
As for Rose, hope its just his ankle thats bothering him. So far he's been pretty much a non factor in everything. And didn't we hear his 3 point shooting practice had paid off? What happened to all this shooting he was doing?
Without Roses explosive play from last year this team is doomed. This year he looks passive and out of sync. Last year he was getting 16-20+ a game. This year....not even close so far. Its either his ankle or he's being pushed in the direction of vanilla point guard for the "teams" sake...which I would disagree with...Rose needs to attack. Attack again, then attack some more....
Not feeling so hot about this season so far, our offense just isn't there unless Rose goes off again and Hinrich / Salmons find their shots.
I think Vinny is giving Tyrus the door already as well. Couldn't we have at least tried to play him this year and hoped to make a slick trade? Can him for a rookie all year and he wont be worth a dime.
Marcos Felipe Leal said:
Doug and Mark,
I work always with you in Brazil and always read that Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and other players are training grounds on which sound skips and I hear nothing of Luol Deng. Deng will not stay, does not seek to evolve? Perhaps it's time for him to leave Illinois? Do you have a team that has the courage to accept this contract to pay a shame that LD receives?
Doug Thonus said:
I would say that we could move Luol Deng's contract because 30% of his salary is deferred. That means we could offer to take back salary for someone else even though the salary cap hits are the same.
Still, I see Luol Deng staying with the Bulls.
Dmband said:
I think the solution to this is pretty clear guys. We need to re-sign Byars and trade him for Kobe Bryant. That should really open up the floor for Rose.
I cant believe you guys havent suggested it yet. Its a steal for the Lakers as far as Im concerned.
And in reference to a previous thread regarding game 2 of the season being a statement game....Mr. Happy said that it was an opportunity for the Bulls to be considered the #4 team in the East...Come on man...seriously? What world do you live in...this team is a 6 seed AT BEST. If you watching this season expecting more than that, your delusional.
Sorry man...I just call it like I see it.
Vohaul79 said:
I dunno if Mr. Happy would like that trade. Bryant + a few pieces for Byars sounds like a more plausible trade scenario.
MrHappy said:
Seriously though...
Marcos Felipe Leal said:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ben_gordon/
Supercesto said:
Where is Ben Gordon when you need him! Doug, why Bulls management didn't figure what you correctly point out? Are they are stupid or something. I remember, Gar ask you about who you prefer between Gordon and Hinrich. Your answer was depends. My answer will be Gordon. Hinrich (nice guy, good for the locker room) is the only guy who is inconsistent during the course of six plays. Steal here, missed wide open shot, foul the oponent on 3 point shot, steal again, make shot, turnover, kill rally. That's Hinrich. You will never see Hinrich (except for that milwakee game on Feb 19) be consistent. The bad thing, we are stuck with him, because bulls management loves him and the other teams will only take him if they are giving nothing in return. So my suggestion will be that Hinrich shoot less and make Rose take his shots.
Doug Thonus said:
Rose was 4/15 last night himself, and Rose certainly doesn't have three point range. Part of my point with this article is the players surrounding Rose though. We need shooters to space the floor.
I was hoping that Salmons and Hinrich would do that, but so far they haven't.
Vohaul79 said:
I agree with the "Make Rose take his shots" part. This team really is mediocre unless Rose dominates. I like how unselfish the kid is, but cmon, start being a bit more aggressive and take control of the team / situation.
Doug Thonus said:
Again, he as 4/15 last night, and he isn't drawing fouls or shooting 3s. He was basically awful. So far, Rose hasn't played at a level where him taking shots is helping the team any.
That's not to say he shouldn't continue to fire away, but I wouldn't expect positive results from that unless he improves considerably.
Vohaul79 said:
I see what your saying. I guess my misplaced faith in letting Rose off the chain more is that last year he was way more effective for whatever reason (Gordon's threat, non injury, etc). So far this season he has been pretty terrible.
My poor boy solution to getting him out of this slump is to just let him go at it until it starts to click again. But thats probably narrow minded.
I really feel like he needs to be scoring 16-20 pts per game if this team is going to succeed. But then again, maybe I'm not giving his bum ankle enough credit in his slow start to the season. This years Rose (and hell, its been 3 games so Im of course jumping to conclusions) and last years Rose are like 2 different people.
But like you say, 3pt threat opens up the spacing for Rose who isn't as explosive anyways do to the conditioning / ankle etc etc..I think Hinrich and Salmons SHOULD be a lot better than they've showed so far. Lets hope the rust wears of and quick.
Doug Thonus said:
I'm not entirely opposed to the "let Derrick go nuts even if it kills the team in the short term" approach. If he's not good enough to do that and doesn't get that good in the next two seasons, then he's not a franchise player.
Dmband said:
Supercesto-
They were not going to give Gordon that deal after the emergance of Rose. The bottom line is, we can use the cap space to go after a big name FA.
Also, if you have Rose and Gordon in the backcourt at the same time, you are going to give up 50 points to the opponents backcourt.....they needed a slightly larger 2 guard than Ben.
It just made sense to not resign him, in my opinion.
Vohaul79 said:
Losing BG hurts, but they couldn't lock up the franchise with him either. Pay him 11.6 and we are effectively stuck as is for 5 years. 6th seed out out to a 8th seed and out. So I do see why the Bulls didnt want to re sign him. He just wasn't appropriate to lock the franchise up with. Good player? Hell yes. But he and Rose wern't getting us a championship without an AllStar PF anyways, and by signing him you remove that ability since the Bulls seem to refuse to play the Luxury tax game 1 bit....
The bad part is w/o him we may be too short changed scoring wise to attract a FA in the first place. So it was sorta a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
Everybody pray that we land CB4 next year or it will have been a pretty bad mistake in hindsite I guess.
Vohaul79 said:
Only way I see we get a FA next year is if Rose plays out of his mind. I think VInny needs reminded that there is to be no shackles on Rose at all. Let the boy attack constantly. If everyone else is chipping in, great, but watching Rose passively toss the ball to someone thats jacks up a cruddy shot is getting old quick. Rose needs to start to dominate and that will only happen by becoming a little bit more selfish. I know thats not ideal, but real supar stars IMO usually are a bit dominating / selfish in the first of their careers. He needs to establish that he can score 20+ a night and make people honor that. In turn, it will give the rest of the O more looks.
Doug Thonus said:
Before we talk about letting him loose, Rose needs to improve considerably. I think if he were shooting better that he'd probably shoot more, but right now after 3 games he's shooting 37% and isn't getting extra points from FTs and 3s.
I think the ankle or conditioning is a big issue right now, otherwise he's just in a hell of a slump.
Mark Deeks said:
Ben Gordon didn't become worth $11.6 million a year just because we need shooters. Losing him was always going to set us back in the short term, but since when does the short term really matter?
Doug Thonus said:
It will likely set us back long term to have not signed him at 9 million a season, but at 11.6 million that downside is mitigated quite a bit.
Dmband said:
Mr. Happy-
Regarding the need for cap room that you call "Laughable" do you not understand they are not necessarily looking for a trade. They will still need that cap room in the offseason..
They do not need to win anything now. I said it weeks ago, this season is a wash. Its simply to develop guys and see who is going to be a part of this team moving forward. Sure, they can make the playoffs as a 6, 7, or 8 seed, but we are FAR from being a team like boston, cleveland, or Orlando. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT.
My only hope is that Tyrus does go for nothing....that would be dumb.
ps. Salmons is not the answer for anything. He is solid role player at best...he should certainly not be a primary scoring threat.
MrHappy said:
Jerome James ($6.6 million), Brad Miller ($12.2 million), Lindsey Hunter ($1 million), Aaron Gray ($1 million) and Jannero Pargo ($1.9 million) contracts can all come off the books.
MrHappy said:
And YES, they do need to win this season. How does having a losing season attract top-notch free-agents?
Dmband said:
that should read Tyrus DOESNT go for nothing...
Doug Thonus said:
Tyrus will go for nothing almost certainly. Unless they strike out in the off season and resign him as a backup plan. They can't move him in a sign and trade or take back additional salary at the deadline if they move him if they want to keep cap space.
Dmband said:
Mr. Happy:
you also stated "The Bulls aren't going to be able to make a significant trade this season, because all the teams that have a big-time free-agent want to keep those guys long-term. "
Well yes, of course EVERY team wants to keep thier guys, but it doesnt always work out that way. Some leave for money, some for other reasons (i.e. wanting to come back to their home town...he he he)
And D Wade has already said he WILL NOT entertain the idea of an extension this season. So its not out of the realm of possibility that if he flat out says he's not coming back, he will be moved. However, most likely, he will become a FA in the offseason.
redplanet said:
What about Wally Szczerbiak or Morris Almond. I think both of these guys are available. Stick Deng at the 4 with Wally at the 3. Isn't this why they save a roster spot...for an emergency like lack of 3 point shooting.
MrHappy said:
Why Morris Almond over Derrick Byars? That doesn't make that much sense. Wally Szczerbiak is a decent shooter, but how much money would he cost?
MrHappy said:
Why would any of those teams trade their top free agents this season? They don't have too. If anything, they can work out sign-and-trades next summer.
I would be utterly SHOCKED, if the Bulls could acquire any of those top guys during the season. SHOCKED!!!
Dmband said:
VoHaul-
Perhaps Bryant+Gasol is more plausible. My bad....:)
Biggestbullsfan said:
I wonder, How is it that Deng has that long J and yet doesnt take as many threes.
Doug Thonus said:
You are certainly not the first to ask that. Especially the corner three which isn't any longer than his long 2 from the wing.
Biggestbullsfan said:
Do you think it is a mental thing? He hits the deep two with such confidence and even on the move at times that makes you wonder what another foot back to outside the three point line is.
Newskoolbulls said:
Hey Mark is it safe to say that you like me better than atleast one person in the world lol.
Dmband said:
Hey Doug-
Am I missing something here? Why wouldnt they trade him this season then? Why just let him walk...he has to have some value..
Doug Thonus said:
They could trade him, but can they trade him for something that doesn't cause a future cap hold next season that won't screw up our 2010 cap space and still improve the team?
I think that'd be a stretch.
Vohaul79 said:
From Sam Smith
"But for this Bulls team to have success, Rose has to be a scorer. With Gordon gone, I felt Rose should average 20 points per game this season. He can. But not in this condition. Though Rose insists he’s getting closer."
http://blogs.bulls.com/chicago_bulls_blog/2009/11/bulls-shot-down-in-miami.html
My sentiments exactly. Yes, and an appeal to authority : )
Doug I guess I figure, like you later pointed at, that if Rose is going to be our franchise player he has to be getting 20 a game minimum. I don't see anything magical happening with this team as it is, so I'd rather see Rose take the reigns, let loose and just start going nuts. If he can't get it done at that point we don't have a franchise player after all, but maybe a good point gaurd and STILL need to be looking to sign a max FA.
All in all its too early to tell. I hope its just injury and conditioning and not management. Rose should have been an automatic captain as well, if even to force the issue that this is his team and he will be the one that gets turned to. There is too much deferral going on with Rose, injured or not, on the court or not.
MrHappy said:
POTENTIAL 3pt. SHOOTERS (other than Derrick Byars):
1.) Kelenna Azubuike (Golden State) - He's a free agent after this season.
2.) Anthony Morrow (Golden State) - He's a free agent after this season.
3.) Rasual Butler (LA Clippers) - He's a free agent after this season.
4.) Ricky Davis (LA Clippers) - He's a free agent after this season
5.) Shane Battier (Houston) - He could be trade bait, since Houston has Ariza, Taylor and Budinger now.
It's pretty slim-pickens outthere. Derrick Byars is available without making a trade. Why not give him a shot? No pun intended.
MrHappy said:
Doug and Mark,
You really need to stop all this BS about cap space and trade money. The BIG-TIME free agents won't be available until the summer. Why would any of their teams trade them during the season? That would DUMB and uncalled for.
You have to admit that the Bulls need to win in order to attract those top free agents. If they can't shoot, it's going to be hard to win, right? Whether you acknowledge it or not, it makes sense to give Derrick Byars another look.
MrHappy said:
I wouldn't mind having either of the two Golden State kids, especially Kelenna Azubuike.
redplanet said:
We need 3 point help now. Wally and Morris are proven shooters that can fill it up, and they're both sitting around doing nothing. Why are we putting all of our hope into a summer of guys that are staying where they are.
MrHappy said:
Wally cost too much. Morris Almond is equal to Derrick Byars. They both came out of the D-league. Byars makes more sense because he played with the Bulls in the preseason and shot 50% from the arc.
MrHappy said:
I forgot too mention Adam Morrison.
I guess the Lakers are letting him explore some trade options. Maybe, they would take Jerome James for him...haha.
Dmband said:
"You really need to stop all this BS about cap space and trade money. The BIG-TIME free agents won't be available until the summer"
This just in...you need cap space for the SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MrHappy said:
FYI:
They will have it.
Jerome James, Brad Miller, Lindsey Hunter, Jannero Pargo and Aaron Gray can all come off their books. Go check their salaries. Derrick Byars will make pennies compared to those guys.
MrHappy said:
By the way, have you heard of the term sign-and-trade?
coldfish said:
I can't believe people argued with me that the three point shooting would be fine. If you added up all the best case scenarios for Salmons, Hinrich, etc. the team would have made a little more than 300 3's on the year, which would have been near last in the NBA. If any of those guys have an off year, the Bulls will be last by a wide margin. Currently the team is on pace to make 191 this year, which would make them the second worst team in the past 10 years.
And no, Derrick Byers wouldn't have helped much. He plays the same position as your other 3 point shooters. Every minute he is on the floor is one that Hinrich or Salmons isn't.
IMO, the team is going to have play Deng at the 4 a lot with Hinrich and Salmons at the 2/3 to generate offense.
Doug Thonus said:
That's a good point. I think our real problem as stated in the article is you've built your team around three guys without three point range. Maybe if you can get some three point range out of Deng and Miller in terms of corner threes you might be able to help, but it's going to be tough add three point shooting to this roster.
It takes more than just getting a three point shooter. It's also a matter of minutes you're chewing up of guys who can't shoot threes. If Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Noah play appropriate minutes, that's around 100 minutes out of 242 total minutes where you have no three point shooting at all.
You've still got 66 minutes or so at PF/C left where you're unlikely to find someone who's good enough to earn court time and also have three point shooting ability as well.
That leaves an awfully small amount of time you'vet got three point shooters on the floor.
A huge portion of the problem is that Derrick Rose can't shoot the three. They could model themselves after the Spurs who also have a PG (and big men) who don't shoot 3s, but then you need your 2s and 3s to always shoot the three adn we have Luol Deng who doesn't.
MrHappy said:
What was the good point? I'm curious.
You said it yourself. The Bulls are built around three guys without three point range. Yet, you continue to overlook and abuse the fact that they waived a guy who shot 50% in the preseason.
Maybe he could have helped the team? There is only one way to find out.
MrHappy said:
You guys need to stop being so naive.
Derrick Byars' shot 50% from the arc in the preseason. He also shot very well in the D-league. He can play the Shooting Guard or Small Forward positions. If you watched him play before, maybe you would know that.
So what if at one time Hinrich, Salmons, Deng, Johnson or Pargo are not outthere and Byars is? If he's making his shots and contributing, isn't that what matters most?
Potential Lineups:
PG - Rose, SG - Salmons, SF - Byars
PG - Rose, SG - Byars, SF - Salmons
PG - Rose, SG - Byars, SF - Deng
PG - Rose, SG - Hinrich SF - Byars
PG - Rose, SG - Pargo, SF - Byars
PG - Hinrich, SG - Byars, SF - Deng
PG - Hinrich, SG - Salmons, SF - Byars
PG - Hinrich, SG - Byars, SF - Salmons
PG - Pargo, SG - Hinrich, SF - Byars
PG - Pargo, SG - Salmons, SF - Byars
PG - Pargo, SG - Byars, SF - Deng
There are quite a few good combinations the Bulls can put together with Byars on the floor. Most of which, have him sandwiched between two of the Bulls better veterans or players.
All the EXCUSES are getting old. If the kid can help the Bulls win by making 3pt shots, then what's the problem?
Doug Thonus said:
Is there anyone really arguing that Byars sucks and the Bulls shouldn't have kept him?
You're arguing against no one with an argument that no one is fighting against.
The point was made the Bulls won't sign him for financial reasons. It was true a few days ago when they waived him, and it's true today.
Could he help the Bulls? Possibly, but I don't think he'd make a big difference, because he's getting beaten so bad in other areas of the game, and his three point shooting isn't dominant or anything.
I think you could count on Byars to come in and shoot 35% or so. He shot 38% in the dleague, but he'll be going against bigger, faster defenders in the NBA who close out better, so his percentage is likely to decline slightly.
Maybe he's improved somewhat over the off season, and that improvement cancels out the speed of the game and he breaks even on 3 point percentage and gives us 38%. I agree, that he'd be helpful on the team, and I haven't ever argued against that really.
I've just said they won't pay for him, and they didn't. If you want to keep beating the Byars drum you can, but no one has really argued against you. We've only pointed out the way the Bulls view finances as an obstacle preventing them from using him as a solution.
MrHappy said:
Doug,
The question is, "Why aren't you lobbying for him to come back?"
Afterall, the Bulls are shooting an awful 7/43 from the 3pt. arc. Coincidentally, they decided to waive a guy shooting 7/14 from the 3pt. arc in the preseason.
Is saving $457,588 for a trade, that might not even be made, worth losing games over?
Doug Thonus said:
First, you keep bringing up 7/14.
7/14 is an irrelevantly small sample size, especially when spread out over 8 games where almost all of his shots were absolutely wide open.
Second, the Bulls made their decision on him. I'd be cool with Byars making the team, but it's not going to happen or else it already would have happened.
MrHappy said:
50% is 50%.
Doug Thonus said:
And a small sample size makes that statistically irrelevant.
If Byars misses his first shot in the NBA and is pulled, would you say "well 0% is 0% the guy can't play". That'd be crazy.
It's obviously an exaggeration to prove a point as 1 shot sample size is really idiotic, but 14 shots spread over 8 or 9 games is statistically irrelevant.
MrHappy said:
The fact that Derrik Byars isn't on the Bulls is nothing short of CHEAP and PETTYdecision, on the part of the Bulls management.
When San Antonio keeps Malik Hairston, who had similar preseason stats to Derrick Byars, but won't add anything to the Spurs roster, except more luxury tax and another roster spot, it just highlights how CHEAP and PETTY the Bulls organization is.
MrHappy said:
Don't forget he only played 3 minutes in Game 7 of the preseason and 2 minutes in Game 8 of the preseason. So actually, he was 6/13 in the first 6 games of preseason.
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