re: Stein: Pels want Markkanen with TPE, Bulls want 1st round pick.

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As I said there can be 1 or 2 changes for small ball vs big ball but the basic lineup stays the same. It’s usually the center that’s being swapped out. I hope they figure it out and we can really make some noise because we have added two players with real talent in JV and Graham and we have two more young guys in NAW and Hayes that if they keep developing are going to be giving teams hell. We are close to being a problem in the west.

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You need to think of this team as Zion and BI, and then three players who will play around them. They'll have groupings.

This team is the Clippers who trotted out multiple lineups around Leonard and George.

This has me really excited, especially when you factor in guys like Naji and Herb Jones who can guard multiple positions. I don't mind overpaying for Marrkanen at this point because we would be set everywhere with players under 30 on multi-year contracts.

PG: Graham, Kira
SG: NAW, Didi
SF: BI, Naji, Murphy
PF: Zion, Markkanen, Jones
C: Hayes, Hernangomez

If we can extend Jonas Valanciunas that's 13 roster spots on multi year deals so don't need many draft picks. We should still try to get Markkanen for less than $17 mil per year but at this point it doesn't make sense to hold onto draft picks.

yeah the last thing the Pels need is a 6'10 shooter who can playmake and nail 3s.

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yeah the last thing the Pels need is a 6'10 shooter who can playmake and nail 3s.

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Define playmake

What if the guy you’re looking for is Satoransky? Low usage, 40% on catch and shoot 3P the last few seasons, can create with the ball in his hands and can keep guys honest guarding multiple positions. Czech yes or no?

Big J, i ask, can we discover a shooter before we have to pay them $15 mil per? Like maybe this David DiLeo fella on the summer league squad

LM averaged less than one assist in nearly 26mpg.

I’ve heard people stretch terms pretty thin before, but to call a guy averaging less than one assist and who took 5, yes only 5, 3PA that weren’t catch and shoot and involved more than one dribble. Literally 0 points scored or taken from three involving more than one dribble. Over 90% of his overall shots involved two dribbles or less. 75% no dribbles. To call that guy a playmaker? That’s stretching past it’s limit any definition of that word.

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Name one of those backup PF's that are better than Markkanen. Our priorities probably weren't a backup PF first. Now that we struck out on extra shooting we have a chance to add extra shooting and a backup PF, killing 2 birds with one stone. And you'd rather be a bitchy pessimist.

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Yeah I like it a lot frankly worst case as a really nice backup 4. And hell, is he big enough to close a the 5?

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Markkanen instantly makes our second unit better. He can fill it up. I'm not sure what I'm missing.

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because he wants more money than what’s he’s worth and plays with very little effort.

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Define playmake

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I've watched a lot of bulls games. The role that his coaches have been using him has been totally wrong-- he's a good decision maker and a good passer.

He's had 3 head coaches in 4 years, Hoiberg, Boylen and finally Donovan. The Donovan move coincided with Lavine's usage going WAY up. And like Donovan at OKC, the bulls were over-reliant on 3 guard line-ups, and then Vucevic.

I like Satoransky too. Both can help. Markannen is exactly the type of player that should be playing next to Zion.

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Literally 0 points scored or taken from three involving more than one dribble. Over 90% of his overall shots involved two dribbles or less. 75% no dribbles.

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We don't need players who can dribble. We need players who can catch and shoot. But Markannen CAN shoot off the dribble.

And you need to understand how much role and fit matters when it comes to what players do and are asked to do. Markannen is a good passer.

It's interesting to read this back-and-forth discussion, because there are lots of parallels to the Lonzo Ball discussion.

Lonzo at #2 and Lauri at #7 are both top-ten picks in the 2017 draft. Lauri is just five months older than Lonzo. To this point, neither one has lived up to being a top-ten pick. Both of them seem to have an inflated view of their own value and skill. Both cities had many fans who were tired of waiting for the potential to turn into winning.

In this past week, Lauri has apparently priced himself out of potential deals with San Antonio and Charlotte. I think his agent has served him badly. But he has made it abundantly clear that he wants out of Chicago, and he certainly won't play in Chicago for his $9 million QO.

At this point, I don't think that anyone other than the Pelicans can find a way to pay him more than the MLE. I don't see that Lauri has any leverage, and I don't see that the Bulls have any leverage.

With the Bulls asking for a first-round pick to facilitate a trade, that's just saying FU to Markkanen. It's telling him, "Now you won't get anything more than the MLE, you POS."

But the Pelicans have nothing to lose in this game of chicken. We are not desperate for Lauri. We can put an offer of $11 million per year for three years (with the last year not guaranteed) and offer the Bulls that 2nd-round pick back, and, at this point, it's in the best interest of Chicago and Lauri to take it. But I think both the Bulls and Markkanen just need to work through several stages of grief before they can accept this.

I think we're going to get Markkanen at a good price, because I don't think that Chicago and Lauri have other good options.

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Markannen is exactly the type of player that should be playing next to Zion.

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On one side of the ball....

On the other side of the ball he is the opposite of what Zion needs.

Which will always limit what his worth can actually be for our team.

Which is why it is foolish to overpay for him. If you can do as GOP says and play chicken and get him for 10-13 mil and not give up any assets, great!

But he can't be the long term full time starter next to Zion because he can't protect the rim, can't defend 4's or 5's, and he doesn't rebound. He makes Zion's limitations on that Side of the ball worse, not better. So then you are getting into the same issue this franchise did with AD, which tying up too much money in guys that can't play 30 minutes of winning basketball with your best player and back up his position.