khans2k5 wrote:lipoli390 wrote:kekgeek1 wrote:lipoli390 wrote:I've given a lot of thought lately to what the Wolves should and likely will do. My prediction is that the Wolves will trade for Jimmy Butler. I'm convinced the Bulls are going enter full rebuild mode this summer and Butler will be their key to getting draft assets to jump start their rebuild. We will likely have a top 6 pick and could have a top 3, which the Bulls would covet. The Celtics will have the best collection of the sort of assets the Bulls would want in exchange for Butler. But Thibs' single-minded obsession with the guys he coached with the Bulls suggests he'll give up a lot to compete for Butler. If we end up with a top 3 pick, I guarantee we'll end up with Butler. If it's #6, then I'd say it's 60/40 we end up with Butler.
It is a possibility but I think you are way to harsh on Thibs saying he has an obsession with his former players.
Butler: Rumored lavine and draft rights for Dunn on draft night trade not made.
Deng: rumored on him in the offseason, not on team.
Noah: Same as Deng rumored but not on the team.
Rose: all we heard is it was a done deal rubio for rose. Well no trade was made.
Gasol: The one player I think we tried hard to get not on the team.
Snell: Rumored near the trade deadline. Not on the team.
For all his obsession over these players none are on the roster. Makes it feel to me that the media is trying to connect the dots that are not there.
Geek -- Your list can cut both ways. I think it illustrates my point. By all media accounts, Thibs pursued all the guys you mentioned. No reports at all about him pursuing any other players via trade or free agency. That he pursued all these guys and no others to speak of is more telling than the fact that none of them ended up here. Apparently, our trade offers weren't enough for non-free agents and the money wasn't enough for the free agents. Or maybe the free agents didn't like playing for Thibs.
I guess all these reports from multiple sources could have been fake news manufactured by the sports media. But where there's smoke there tends to be fire.
So I guess those Reggie Jackson rumors never happened and we didn't sign 3 free agents who weren't Bulls when we had the money to sign any of the ones we wanted.
Wow, you sure got me there, Kahns. Thibs was rumored to have pursued 7 players through trades or free agency and one of them, Reggie Jackson, wasn't a former Bull when he was coaching there. Hmm. No doubt, most or even all the reports could have been wrong or grossly exaggerated -- including the report that the Wolves were engaged in trade talks for Reggie. But assuming the reports were true, then Thibs sure seems to have a pretty laser-like focus on pursuing players he coached with the Bulls unless you assume that what Thibs does is only reported when it involves Bulls players -- except of course in the case of Reggie Jackson.
The fact that none of these players, including Reggie, didn't sign here or weren't traded here doesn't change the apparent scope of Thibs' pursuit. It just tells us who ended up here. That we didn't end up with any of these guys tells us that Thibs is not willing to spend or give up anything to get guys he wants -- and that's a good thing, which I've praised in previous threads. It might tell us something about a lack of enthusiasm among former players at the prospect of playing for Thibs again, but that's more speculative. Of course, Thibs has only had one summer and season with us so far. So let's see what he does this summer.
I do know Thibs is very interested in Butler and that comes from a friend of mine who is close to someone high up inside the Bulls organization. That shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us since there are lots of good reasons for the Wolves to be interested in Butler and Thibs knows Butler well. But my friend's contact with the Bulls seems to believe that Thibs will give up a lot this summer to get Jimmy. They're counting on that. Apparently, last summer the Bulls didn't want to trade Butler because, at the time, they wanted to give their current roster one more shot. I'm told the Bulls have flipped and now see the need to start rebuilding.
By the way, I'm told that no one in the Bulls organization likes Thibs, but contrary to speculation they are perfectly happy to do a deal with him if they think the deal's a good one for them. And they think Thibs is so intensely interested in Butler that the Bulls will end up with what they consider a favorable deal. But Thibs could certainly be outbid by another team like the Celtics. Just what I've heard. We'll see.