Game Day: Bulls (9-11) @ Suns (14-6), Wed 11/30/22

[Split T]

I am also watching the game just now. About 8 min in, DeRozan had a post up on Payne. I don’t understand why that play is not a travel. The announcers and crowd and players all didn’t complain about it, but he clearly picked up his pivot foot before the ball left his hands. And it’s not like he leapt with two feet.

And he pulled the same move again against Booker at the 9:45 mark in the third. Makes me feel like I don’t know anything about the rules.

That step through move been common in Europe/FIBA for some time
Then the ladies started doing it in the WNBA and now yes here we are. I smh every time also cause in my mind I think it is, even an exchange student from Germany at a high school my buddy coaches at goes to that move often

In that case I wish our guys start doing that. Imagine a guy like a Mikal taking an extra step, with all that length …

I haven’t seen the move, I’m gonna watch the game today and look for it, but you can lift up your pivot foot to shoot or pass.

[Split T]

Just saw the play…ya the rule is you can lift your pivot foot to shoot or pass, so falls within those rules.

[Split T]

One thing we should absolutely never do is iso Landry Shamet…that’s not his game at all. He can run a little pick n roll, but be absolutely needs a screen to get past his man.

[Split T]

Not really sure why Biyombo has replaced Landale in the rotation…he’s having a rough game in this one early. He needs to be spoon fed baskets and when he tries to do anything other than dunk, it’s real cringey.

Shamet is having some moments here in the 2nd when he’s not isolating.

[Split T]

Ayton still doing a lot of the same stuff he always does, but he’s doing it with more force. I’d still love to see him add a face-up dribble drive move to his game as every time he faces up in the mid-post it’s a jumpshot, but as long as he’s playing with this energy level and efficiency I won’t be too concerned. He’s giving us enough.

The Booker-Ayton chemistry looks real good in this one…just had a Booker to Ayton lob followed by a pocket pass from Booker to Ayton where Ayton went up big and strong with two hands and dunked it.

James Jones really needs to go all-in on this team.

[Split T]

Oooh, Ayton finding Booker on a fake DHO, back door cut. A lot of promising stuff in this one for the Booker-Ayton duo

[Split T]

I wonder if Booker would ever try to learn the on the drive rip through that guys like Derozan do. Might get him a couple more free throws a game.

[Split T]

Oooh, Ayton catching in space and attacking off the dribble and drawing the foul…Bulls announcers are baffled at why there was even talk of not bringing Ayton back. There wouldn’t have been if this was how Ayton always played. This is a max level player tonight.

[Split T]

Not really sure why Biyombo has replaced Landale in the rotation…he’s having a rough game in this one early. He needs to be spoon fed baskets and when he tries to do anything other than dunk, it’s real cringey.

Landale comes in instead of Biyombo in the 2nd half

[Split T]

Man that was a blistering 3rd Q for Book…He could’ve had 60 easy if he wanted to play in the 4th. Maybe 70. Kinda glad he didn’t play though.

[Split T]

Evidence on why sometimes it’s important for Ayton to dunk.

[Superbone]

Evidence on why sometimes it’s important for Ayton to dunk.

Let's make Jeremy watch this Clockwork Orange style 1000 times.

[pickle]

Just saw the play…ya the rule is you can lift your pivot foot to shoot or pass, so falls within those rules.

I’m sure you are right split, but it just isn’t what I’ve always known. I think you are allowed to jump off your feet to shoot and pass, at least that’s the intent of that rule that I’ve always understood. To actually lift your pivot foot and keep the other one on the ground to extend your reach seems to be changing pivot foots, not lifting them.

[pickle]

One thing we should absolutely never do is iso Landry Shamet…that’s not his game at all. He can run a little pick n roll, but be absolutely needs a screen to get past his man.

I think Landry’s problem is that he lacks the explosiveness at the rim to shoot a high percentage against help with length, so even when he beats his man with the dribble he never puts his head down to go to the basket. I wish he would start doing some of the off the dribble pull ups from 18-22 feet to at least add some variance to his game. Otherwise people just defend his step back three and he’s kind of taken out of the game.

[pickle]

Not really sure why Biyombo has replaced Landale in the rotation…he’s having a rough game in this one early. He needs to be spoon fed baskets and when he tries to do anything other than dunk, it’s real cringey.

Shamet is having some moments here in the 2nd when he’s not isolating.

Biyombo has hands of rock. Watching him get lost on offense makes me appreciate CP3 all the more. Payne tries but his lobs are always off by a foot and his pocket passes are always low.

[AmareIsGod]

Shamet is the worst acquisition, especially for what we paid him before he even stepped on the court for us. He's never going to be the reason off the bench any given night of the season, not one game, that we win. He's such a zero for us.

[The Bobster]

Shamet is the worst acquisition, especially for what we paid him before he even stepped on the court for us. He's never going to be the reason off the bench any given night of the season, not one game, that we win. He's such a zero for us.

And people who are looking for more of him are dreaming. His per 36 minutes numbers are pretty consistent with last year and the rest of his career.

He is what he is. He should be 4th or 5th guard, and out of the rotation when the playoffs come. And that's not enough for $10 million a year.

[specialsauce]

Shamet is the worst acquisition, especially for what we paid him before he even stepped on the court for us. He's never going to be the reason off the bench any given night of the season, not one game, that we win. He's such a zero for us.

And people who are looking for more of him are dreaming. His per 36 minutes numbers are pretty consistent with last year and the rest of his career.

He is what he is. He should be 4th or 5th guard, and out of the rotation when the playoffs come. And that's not enough for $10 million a year.

I hope there’s nobody left defending his contract as a reasonable one. He is a minimum guy or barely above minimum. He offers us nothing that DWJ or ISH don’t in their respective roles.

[specialsauce]

One thing we should absolutely never do is iso Landry Shamet…that’s not his game at all. He can run a little pick n roll, but be absolutely needs a screen to get past his man.

I think Landry’s problem is that he lacks the explosiveness at the rim to shoot a high percentage against help with length, so even when he beats his man with the dribble he never puts his head down to go to the basket. I wish he would start doing some of the off the dribble pull ups from 18-22 feet to at least add some variance to his game. Otherwise people just defend his step back three and he’s kind of taken out of the game.

Landrys problems are all mental. He looks like a player in his first NBA game still out there, nerves running wild, playing too fast.

[Mori Chu]

Shamet has been basically a total failure here. Extending him sight unseen was just unconscionable, a rare nod to hubris from James Jones. "I made a savvy trade for this guy, I'm going to lock him up right away since he's going to be the missing bench guard we need!"

When Shamet has been at his best, those rare stretches of a few games where he is a net positive, it's been when he has shown more versatility to his game. Driving and kicking, initiating offense, all mixed in with his 3-point shooting. I think he needs to hold the ball in his hands a bit to get comfortable to hit shots; he doesn't seem built to be a pure catch-and-shoot guy. And he seems to have lost his confidence or mojo or health or whatever. So when he does get open shots, they don't go in as often as they should.

Some guys feel like they have a different shooting percentage than they really do. Shamet is shooting over 38% from 3, which is almost identical to Booker's 39% this year. But somehow, when Book pulls up I have way higher confidence that it will go in.

As bad as Shamet has been, if I want to be positive, at least I can say that James Jones has done a generally very impressive job at not ruining our cap with a bunch of worthless contracts. On our roster right now, really the only dud contracts are Shamet and arguably Saric. But I don't fault a GM for a guy suffering a major injury, so the Saric one I can live with.