Preseason Debut PREVIEW! Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers | CHGO Bulls Podcast

Preseason Debut PREVIEW! Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers | CHGO Bulls Podcast

What up, Bulls Nation? We’ve got a live CSO Bulls right around the corner about 24 hours from now. The Bulls are getting set to tip off their preseason opener against the Cleveland Cavs. We’re going to preview that matchup with a little help from our friend Bob Schmidt via the throw podcast. Big Dave talked to him over the weekend. Plus, more intel from Billy Donovan, Isaac Aoro, and Yuki Kawamura who all spoke after today’s practice. All that ahead next. I’ve been What’s going on, Bulls Nation? Welcome in to the CHO Bulls podcast coming to you live from our studios here in West Loop, downtown Chicago. I’m PC Bulls Peek. That’s big day. Bam. BWL sports. Will the goat goore and getting called up on day one of our Oh dear god Katie is gone roulette. It’s our pal Sean Anderson. What up Sean? All you socks fans out there, make sure you’re tuning in to see his show White Socks as well. Hosted by our guy Sean Anderson, a man wearing many hats. Can I just say Sean literally got done with White Socks, came out here, scrambled to get a bunch of video clips ready. Yep. recorded ads and now rocking the Josh Giddy outfit. So, rocking the Josh Giddy sweater. This man is cooking right now. I honestly just feel very remorse that there is no camera on me of shocker. I’m egotistical maniac. I feel like there’s something you can do. I mean, I could I could just run behind camera. Come on back. Yeah. Everybody say hi to our producer and friend and host of Citizar Sean Anderson. Look at the fit. He’s got the kitty sweater. My god. It’s giving. Greatness is what it’s giving, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, goodness. Shout out to that young man right there. Also, the uh and this is just coincidence, too. That giddy fit, if y’all out there in Bulls Nation missed it, I think they posted on on uh Insta and Twitter over the weekend. One of those things where they ask all their players the same question, and that one I think was asked them how old Unk is in their, you know, in their opinion. Yes. Did you Did you happen to catch the the answer that Don Terry gave? What did he say about how Patrick Williams is like already He’s already hung. He say he’s already got the tendency. You know what I like is Patrick was just like Yeah, that’s cool. Like I’ll take that. I like that. That’s what’s up, man. Be a grown man. That’s right. Um, speaking of Bull socials, there was a lot of great stuff that the Bulls shared on their various social media platforms over the weekend, including their first episode of their all access thing that they do on their YouTube uh uh Chicago Bulls YouTube account. behind the scenes footage of scrimmages from training camp, five on fives, players getting miked up all over the place. And for all of the ways that that I, you know, deride this organization from time to time, uh, or all the time, they truly do a great job when it comes to training camp content and getting, you know, a lot of fun stuff from their players, but also like really cool behind the scenes looks at how these training camp practices are being run. Yeah, I like it. And one of the things that we noticed is that in that All Access episode one, there’s an interesting perhaps new side of Billy Donovan that they voluntarily included. Uh Sean, if you want to play that tiny little clip and shout out to our guy Eli and Bleacher Nation Bulls, cuz they’re the ones who uh put this up on Twitter where I found it. Go ahead, take it away, Sean and Billy Donovan. Good job, Zack. Guys, we got to be a whole hell of a lot better right now. And you do it when there’s a little fatigue. I’m sorry you’re sore. Get over it right now. Let’s do it right away. So that there it is. That’s a clip from Bulls All Access. In case you missed that, cuz there was a lot of shoes squeaking and basketball dribbling. Billy Donovan quote. Can you do it when there’s a little fatigue? I’m sorry you’re sore. Get the f bleep over it right now. And let’s do S [ __ ] Uh, bleep the right way. Uh, I said I said the word instead of bleep. Oh well. Sorry, fast partners. Um, I mean, go you’re around Billy Donovan way more than the rest of us watching and those of us on set here. I feel like Billy’s always had the the sort of tag of player friendly coach, nice guy coach, always smiling, always laughing, hugging his guys, supporting his guys. the Billy Donovan that the Bulls voluntarily put in this video sort of like a bad cop to his pre-existing good cop. What do you make of that? I mean, I I feel like that’s Billy. Like, yeah, he’s not like saying it at anyone or like talking to the media that way, but like he’s a super intense competitive guy. Uh he definitely shows frustration from time to time like on the sidelines or whatever, but like I mean today he was like kind of poking fun at IO for taking a charge for the first time. He was like, “We almost ended practice today cuz I finally took a charge.” Like, he’s he’s got for sure. Um, and am I surprised that Bulls TV, who does like an incredible job at getting all this behind the scenes access, uh, captured that? Like, no. Am I surprised that they put it out there? Maybe a little bit more that part. Um, but yeah, I think I mean I I think Billy’s definitely got that kind of an edge. Yeah, I think that’s the difference is it it could be happening, but a lot of us fans, we don’t know. You know what I’m saying? Because we don’t see it. We we have to make our own distinctions and determinations about what we think Billy is doing in practice. So when you’re actually seeing it and you see you’re like yeah you like yo this is wow Billy Donovan is on this. Yeah but like you said he’s always been an intense guy. I’ve always known him as an intense guy. He was like that at Florida. Like you can’t coach Joe Kim Noah without being an intense guy. Like it’s just what it is. So it’s good to see that though. I I think that’s the best part of this is it’s good to see it. Yeah. And so it just removes all the whatever that you’re thinking about it. And it’s like, no, here’s some truth right here. Billy Donovan is cursing at the team and tell them to get back and saying it how you want it to be said as a coach in training camp for a team that you want to get ready for the season. So yeah, it’s it was fun and I watched it a couple of times and it it was great to see. I uh and like I feel like Bulls fans have this tendency to feel grass is always greener when it comes to the type of coach we have. Some Bulls fans back in the day thought Tibs was too hard on his guys and he worked him too hard and had practices that ran too long and played him too many minutes. He is replaced by Fred Hoyberg. Jimmy Butler’s like, “Yo, this dude needs needs to coach his harder.” Yeah. And and some fans thought that Fred was a little too soft and like guys get away with too much and then and then you pivot again the other way and then it’s the bald-headed Menace and he’s like a hard-nosed coach, but in a way that Bulls fans, I think, saw through what was like phony and the players didn’t necessarily respect because they weren’t necessarily sure that he had earned that level of being a hard-nosed coach. Correct. And now I think for the most part of his tenure, Billy’s been known as like a nice guy and a players coach. Dave, do you think maybe some of that is the shift to a younger roster because I think Billy for the most part led Billy Donov or led Demard Rozan. Billy let Dear be Dear and do Demar things and Zack and Bhu was a team full of veterans. Now it’s a team full of younger guys. And do you think maybe that could be a reason why Billy’s getting a little, you know, turn the screws? I I think it could be. Um I agree with Will. like I’m sure has been going on previously. I think it’s more so trying to change the mindset and trying to change the culture of the team because again they’ve spoken about that at Nauseium as far as what they want it to be and a defensive tough team who is taking charges you know who is out there guarding guys and then also getting out and running and having some fun in that way. So I think it’s more so Matt to deal with a actual mental change of this team and where they need or where Billy wants them to be when they’re out there on the floor. He wants them tough- minded. He wants them ready to take these charges. He wants them playing that tough nose kind of defense. He wants the nose to the grindstone kind of thing uh from this young squad. So, knowing what your team needs is a great thing, you know, as far as a coach, like knowing when to yell at somebody and when not to, when to, you know, curse somebody out and when to actually give them a hug. It feels like Billy, you know, has a great idea as far as when to do those kind of things. So, I’m just going to be very sarcastic. I know I’m new to the Bulls show, so like I’m not going to say anything that’s ever serious. Eco Bean saying Billy’s a Hall of Famer. I’m just saying guy was just introdued into the Hall of Fame. Maybe he needed a confidence boost. Maybe he needed to remember who he was. Maybe he needed to get back to that Hall of Fame. He, you know, he stopped believing in himself and now the Naymith Basketball Pro Hall of Fame believes in Billy Don. Isn’t But is that’s a good point. Like isn’t Patino known to be like a a pretty kind of hardass not walking through that door? There’s nobody that has uh shaped Billy more than Rick Patino. And I’ll also say this, like on the topic of the Demar and Zach stuff, um Billy’s superpower as a coach is his adaptability. He gets the most out of the team that he has. He does not force the team to play a certain style. He does not like try to force a square peg into a round hole when it comes to getting the team to play a certain way. But I do think that this is the style that Billy kind of would prefer to play and and always has. Um, and I was asking him about this last week, like are you guys going to wear down or not be able to play as much on the offensive end if you guys are picking up 94 feet and zone pressing and getting after guys like that? And he’s like, well, I would have been I would have liked to play this way the whole time. So, I think that like this is more catered to Billy’s style, but I think what makes him a good coach is that he can coach to any style. Um, but maybe to Sean’s point, like this is just kind of bringing that out of him because it is more to the way that he would like to to coach. And I think having a young team definitely, yeah, makes sense there. Like you’re not going to get after a, you know, 35, 34 year old Hall of Fame all-star caliber player like Demard Rozen who takes care of his body. Like, he knows how to do that. He knows how to be a pro at that level. This is a much younger team. Um, and I think there’s maybe a little bit more freedom and and ability to get after guys like that. But I also know like Billy has gone really hard on Patrick over the last couple years. He was really hard on Modis, especially early last year. And Modus asked for it, right? Like that’s what he that’s what he asked for at me today. So I I don’t think this is new. I think this is just the new thing that we’re seeing. Um, but but I always think that Billy’s been a very strong coach in that way. And it just so happens that this is kind of a the system that um allows him to coach that way and maybe get the most out of his players in this in this style. I I I enjoy the duality of of Billy Donovan and how he does it because you mentioned the other coaches, Matt. They were leaning hard either way on both those sides. Leaning hard with the ballheaded menace. Got to prepare the children for the road, Dave. You know, with Fred Hoyburn forget like no. Oh, how can I? You know, how can I? So, I want to throw things burned in my brain. Burned in my brain. But having a coach that knows when to do both of those things. Yeah. And who those things need to be done to and sometimes when the team needs, you know, to hear those things cuz you can’t be like that with everybody individually cuz sometimes you’re going to get frustrated and be mad at everybody and you need to let them know that or sometimes you’re going to be proud of everybody and you need to let them know that. But Billy has always, at least in my opinion, seemed like he understood when to hand it out and basically when to give, you know, guys candy and when to give guys corn. Yeah. And I think just one more thing, I think to the point of like authenticity, I think that really speaks to guys like to me when and we talked to Don about this when he was on our show, like there’s a a level of like sincerity in the way that he coaches that does not come off as phony. It comes off as authentic. And so when you are asking guys to dig deep in that way or go the extra mile or trying to coach that effort out of guys like they can I think you know follow that leadership a little bit more than they would if they didn’t really trust the guy to be authentic and sincere and and I think Billy that’s what to me what makes him a player’s coach. And you were talking with about Billy and his adaptability with some of those veteran guys uh earlier a go CMDR videos in the chat saying I feel like with no Zack or Demar he’s finally able to coach seems different this year. Fish putting out no ma max contract guys that maybe Billy feels like he has to, you know, give special treatment to. Uh, and referencing Billy’s spicy language in that clip. Jetros, what up? One of our regulars saying, “I’ve been cursing at this team for years. Billy and I aren’t so different after all.” Uh, personal freedom saying, “They’re a younger team. It’s about culture.” Uh, Viper Strike Zero. A good play, a good coach gives players what they need. Some players don’t respond well to some things and it’s a sign of a good coach. Uh Paul Sorenson luckily believe isn’t dealing with the alphas. You’re referring to the three of them. All three of those alphas who could forget. Uh Alberto asking uh goat who’s starting this preseason if Kobe White isn’t playing. I think Billy did give an update about Kobe White. What’s going on with that calf strain? And then also he you know shed some light on minutes for tomorrow night’s preseason debut. You want to share with the rest of the class what’s going on there? Um basically I think just that everybody was able to play. I know there’s been a few ankles uh with Patrick and with Giddy. Um, but both of those guys have been back in practice. No other injuries. So, Kobe’s going to be out um, as expected. I don’t know who the starters are going to be. I know we are going to preview the game, but my guess is everybody’s been, is it going to be her or is it going to be a Cororo? I think tomorrow it’s going to be both of them with Giddy in the back court. Um, and obviously, uh, Vuin Modis, but yes, uh, it does sound like probably he said like 10 or 11 relatively normal rotations in the first half and then I think in the second half more guys will play five preseason games this year. Um, no need to really start putting a heavy minutes load on on anyone. Yeah. At this point. And and also you like you want to see what some of these younger guys like we don’t the Bulls have not really done the like gift out minutes or like you know player develop through guaranteed minutes. Uh but I think the preseason is a time where you can do that. So um the younger guys I think even the two-way guys will get some run and would not surprise me if they go uh you know all 18 players tomorrow. Yeah. Basically what you’re saying second half is Yuki time. That’s all I heard. It’s all I heard. And along those same lines, and shout out to our guy, Drew Stevens, who found this on Twitter, retweeted it. Danny Cunningham covering the Cavs said, “Kenny Atinson said, uh, at their practice today, starters will play for the Cavs in their preseason opener tomorrow against the Bulls. Won’t be big minutes, but they’ll play.” So, we could see perhaps 15 to 20 minutes of like the real Bulls. Yeah. Versus the real Cavs. ifob’s not a part of that because they’re being cautious with him because it’s preseason. Disappointing but understandable cuz like you talk about measuring sticks. Yeah. This Cavs team was a 60 plus win team last season. Top seed in the East. How do you how you going to fare against that this season, Bulls? Cuz you’re going to see plenty of them. Yes. In those Central Division games. A lot. What do they play five times? Four times. I think they do back toback on preseason. Yeah. So, it’s Cavs tomorrow night and then Cavs again on Thursday. Yeah. And then four regular season. Yeah, man. is going on. Uh let’s take a our first break right there. We’ll come back in the other side. We also heard from Isaac Aoro and Yuki Kawamura after practice today. Shout out to the goat for getting that. We will touch on what they had to say after the break. Hit the like button. Hit it. Listen to some ads. Do it for Sean. Hey show brought to you by bet 365. Good news everybody. Playoff season is here in baseball. Football’s here. Basketball’s around the corner. We got hockey going on. and new customers when they download that bet365 app get $200 in bonus bets when you bet your first $5 win or lose that $200 in bonus bets is hitting your account either way on Thursday night football they’ve got a $10 safety net bad offer Sunday night football $365,000 jackpot going on. Get in on that action. And tonight it’s a Monday night. Yes, we got clubs playoffs, but we also have Monday Night Football 50% super profit boost token on same game parlays. You can double your winnings on parlays with Bet365’s 100% parlay boost. So, what are you waiting for? Download that Bet365 app. Be sure to use promo code CHGO365 when you sign up to take advantage of that bonus offer of $200 in bonus bets when you make your first $5 bet. Must be 21 and older if you were someone you know has a gambling problem. Crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1800 gambler. Matt, you seem parched after reading that amazing ad. Woo! Sure am. I think you need to punch yourself. Okay. Right in the thirst. Oh, and that’s what he’s doing. Pow, slap, prank. You hear that? That was the last punch sip. Oh, drank all of it. All of it. Cuz it’s RC cola. And that’s what it is, y’all. A punch to the thirst. It’s that original cola that does not, and I repeat, does not fold under pressure. It’s that OG cola in a world of spineless soft drinks. Get out of here. Spineless soft drinks. No trends, no gimmicks, no woozies, and no wazies at all. Ladies and gentlemen, RCA has not changed up his stripes since 1905. Why? cuz they didn’t need to. It’s that same bold crisp flavor that it’s always been. So do yourself a favor. Grab some RC right at your local store. Shout out stock up for all your end of summer parties and fall parties, back to school celebrations, or just watching the game. RC Cola is the move for whatever you are doing cuz it’s RC Cola, the true taste of Chicago. And we’re back. CS Joe BS hanging out on Monday afternoon. the uh the eve of Bulls preseason action. Bulls eve. I’m so excited, Dave. Yeah. So excited. I can’t wait. Honestly, actual basketball. I want to see basketball. Heck yeah. You guys are excited for the Cubs game tonight. That too. Cubs are playing. Shout out to our COS crew. They are heading to uh Old Crow on Clark Street, right in the heart of Wrigleyville for a uh a wash party tonight for game two. They’re going to do live pre and postgame from Old Crow. So, if you are sitting around in the Chicago area wondering, “What am I going to do for the Cubs game tonight?” There’s your answer. There it is. Go hang out with Stucky and Joey and Sarah Bear and everybody else. I think Braggs is going cuz Braggs is a doesn’t sleep robot of Chicago Sports and Zoo. Steve’s going to be there hanging out in the house, too. I can’t believe they both survived a week of Vegas. A week. They’re both back safely. Yeah, man. Back safely. A whole week in Vegas. Looked like they had a great time and now they’re back and we’re happy they’re here. That’s right. To work. Shout out to Draft Rocks for uh you know a wellness check on who whoever ends up producing for CSO Bulls this upcoming season. We you know it’s going to be a patchwork until we uh you know find a more long-term solution. But today Shawn and as he just told you that that’s a white sock guy that teflon Shawn don’t you worry about it when it come I’m thrilled to watch some bulls basketball let me tell you baby he is excited. They did not set the league record for most losses last season. You can’t you can’t lose 100 games in basketball. They don’t play 100. Can’t do it. Can’t happen. Impossible. Even if you go 0 and82, lose all your preseason games, that gets you to 0 and87, then you lose the No, you wouldn’t go to the playing tournament if you went 082. So, yeah, you can’t you can’t get there. Nope. Can’t do it. Maybe some exhibition games. I think if uh what 28 teams folded and you just lost to the other NBA team, maybe that’s how you get into the PL uh the finals with an 0 and87 record. But yeah, I think the world’s probably going to hell. That’s right. You lose 28 NBA teams. Uh Dread’s just asking where can I apply to produce uh for your show. I think they are posting something soon. Um a want ad production hires king and queen makers on this show, baby. That’s That’s right. We’ll we’ll get you an even better job offer after you produce our show for a few months. Guaranteed. Guaranteed, baby. But yeah, for those interested uh in our viewing audience, uh we will um share that with you when that when that comes. U going back to today’s uh training camp practice and media availability. Uh we talked to Billy. Now, is there anything that Bulls fans are more excited about than a potential buddy cop comedy between Modest Buselis and Yuki Kawamura? Look, man, cuz like, yes, I’m excited for basketball, but somebody needs to be writing that screenplay for real as we speak. You absolutely right. I freaking love it. Yeah, man. Like, yeah, they’re the best. They’re the best. We already love Yuki as we do. And you know that we love Modis, man. Of course. So, the fact those two powers are combining and just turning into a buddy cop movie. I just tell me when it’s coming out. I’ll be there. I’ll show up. I can’t wait. Goat will be in that movie for some reason. So, uh Goat, you and your fellow beat had a chance to talk to Yuki today. I like Dave and I every day last week was like who you know if you we asked the Bulls players to talk to you after practice. Dave every every day every minute of every day Dave’s answer is Yuki. And I’m slowly getting there myself. Yuki and number two is Modis. So the the media did get a chance to talk to Yuki after today’s practice and he was talking about his growing friendship/rivalry with Modis Buzzel. Sean take it away if you would. Playing with in some of the scrimmages and anybody stand out. I’m impressed by Mais, you know, uh Maurice uh he he’s very talented. Uh sometimes, you know, trash talk with me, but definitely he starts every time, you know, I don’t start, you know, I’m very competitive, you know, that’s why uh in the heat of moment, it happen, you know. Um but like yeah, you know, he he’s very good. Uh he’s very talented. Uh he h he has a bright future. Uh he’s gonna be great great he’s going to be great great player you know soon. How do you answer his trash talking? It’s not good for TV you know but sometimes F something like that. Yeah. But right now I I can’t I cannot say right now. Yeah. Sorry. I’m so sorry. Okay. Would you be surprised if he said that you started? He said that. He kind of said that. No, he he’s he was lying. He was lying. I never start. He he starts every time, you know, but I’m very competitive. It’s I I I’m enjoying not serious, you know. Yuki after practice today, uh footage courtesy of our one and only Willie Golly Giggities in the comments saying, “The great ones usually do a bit of trash talking and fine day saying I hope he Yuki gets some playing time.” Dave, yes, you want all of the Yuki minutes. We’ll probably see a good amount of Yuki in the preseason as uh go told us, you know, before the break. Billy said today, yeah, you’re probably going to see a pretty deep bench tomorrow. Yeah. So, that’ll probably include some Yuki and we haven’t seen other than a few snippets that the Bulls have shared from their training camp practice, you know, five on fives since summer league, but I loved watching him play in summer league. Looking forward to it. It was so much fun. I mean, that’s where it grew for me. um before you I was I remember when we were watching it in summer league and in his first game and you’re seeing all the people you know cheering and things like that and he hadn’t really you know played or really did anything and I remember saying to you like man I hope it this isn’t like some novelty thing man I I really hope this dude can play and I mean he answered that question immediately I was like sports that are top 10 plays all over the place I was like man I think I love him bro I think I love this dude right here yeah because he’s doing you know like I told you go point guard is my favorite position. So when I watch somebody who is playing it like that and playing it the right way and the way that he’s doing it and then it doesn’t hurt when he they asked him who he was studying and he said Jason kid that didn’t hurt either. One of Big Dave’s all-time faves. Yeah, that didn’t hurt anything either. But just watching him play, man. And knowing where he needs to be on the floor, he knows where everybody else is on the floor. how he can move without the basketball is also impressive and the effort he puts on defensively because he’s picking you up immediately and he’s not somebody who’s known is going to be known as a defensive stopper. But also the way he fights through those screens, man, like you can’t he’s doing everything to show you that his height is not a detriment and not something that you can just say, “Oh, well, he’s we can do this to him.” No, you’re going to get burned. You’re going to get smoked. And those are the kind of guys I love on my team. Those are the guys that inspire you and you want to just rally around as a player and as a fan. Yeah, he he just brings like a level of flare and excitement to the game. And you can see it even in his personality. Like I mean he’s really like gotten a lot better even like in the last couple months since uh since summer league at English. like he’s kind of making jokes and uh having fun with the media and like showing his personality through that despite the language barrier. Um on media day Modis was referencing one of the things that he learned about him is that Yuki loves to talk trash and so that was kind of where that back and forth came from. But he’s just like a fun personality to have around. A lot of these guys are like very serious or like maybe a little bit more timid with the media at times. But like I mean we talked about this with Julian Phillips uh the other week. Um, but I just think he plays and brings a flare and some excitement to the team that’s really refreshing. Um, this is a guy who I think will probably spend a lot of time in Windy City this year. I think he’s going to help make some of the younger players, whether it’s Windy City or maybe Noah Sen goes down there and and he makes him better because of the way that he plays. Um, but I also think he just like competes and and when you have guys around there around the team like that, um, we’ve talked about it with Aora where it’s like he is so physical that it’s helping raise the physicality of everybody around him. I think you can probably say that is true for Yuki too where it’s just like this dude competes. He’s the shortest player in the NBA. He’s 5’8. Um, he’s like against all odds here like trying to carve out an NBA role. And this is what he said to us today was like his goal is still to get an NBA contract. And I think that can’t help but inspire a lot of the players around him to work harder and work uh better. And I think he whether it’s by virtue of the fact that he’s like setting people up and making incredible plays or just that effort level and you know desire to to get the next contract, get the next job. Um I think that makes everybody better around him. And then he just like brings that personality every day which is really fun to be around. It it’s uh he does seem to have that eyes in the back of his head. Yeah. skill set when just thinking back to some of the plays I watched him make uh in those summer league minutes and I saw somebody recently posted a awesome highlight reel of his that was mostly Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis hustle from from last season. I was like my god like especially for a Bulls team that wants to play up tempo that wants to get out and score in transition. Also shout out Kobe White. That stat was going around over the weekend. led the NBA in total transition point score last season taking down Giannis who had like a six-year reign of that stat leading that statistical category. So, like, you know, some people thought at first Yuki was just like, “Oh, it’s the next generation Mugsybo, the short guy. He’s makes a fun play.” Like, he’s not actually going to make a career. He’s here and like we were talking about it and I think maybe our our last summer league episode from out in Vegas. Like, he seemed to me to earn a two-way spot. Yeah. With his play. Yeah. and comparing it to the competition he had for one of the Bulls three-way contract spots or for one of the Bulls three two-way contracts this year. So, you know, by by steps of logic, if this then that, if this, then maybe also that. Like I I would not be shocked if Yuki finds himself signing an actual like fullyfledged NBA contract sometime. Yeah, I if he continues to get opportunities to prove himself because I don’t care that he’s 5’8 if he plays that way on NBA court and makes defenses look silly. Yeah. Chasing around a dude who’s a foot and a half shorter than all of them. Mhm. Great for him and great for the Bulls if he’s in a Bulls jersey. And and the one thing about him I feel is the equalizer is his ability to hit that three-point shot. I think that’s the equalizer. And I don’t mean just good. I mean like oh snap. did one of his number games he knocked down like six of seven or something like that like yes having that in your back pocket it’s like okay he and he can use his size and you know manipulation as far as getting to the lane getting some floers up and doing those things which is great but man there is nothing back there when you got a guy who can shoot like that it will absolutely be a problem yeah and last year with the Grizzlies he was only seven of 23 on threes in 22 games uh 30% but in the G-League he was uh up over 40% I believe. Yeah, 41%. 2.7 threes made per game on six and a half attempts. Um so I do think that that can be like he’s been you know there like some bad misses, some good makes uh which happens uh during during summer league. But I think he like if he can just like compete, pick guys up full court. Yeah. Make plays uh and then learn how to play off the ball a little bit more. He is 24, so it’s not like he’s, you know, 18, 19 coming in the league and sort of carving out a role, but like there’s probably as like a third string guard, you know, like this Bulls team is pretty deep. Um, and you have guys who are at the back end of the rotation like making more money and so it’s hard to shuffle those things around, but like it would not surprise me if eventually he’s able to do that because of how hard he works and and what kind of effect he has on everybody around him. Uh, all right, let’s knock out our second ad break there. When we come back on the other side, we’ll hear from Isaac Aoro after today’s practice talking about his return to Cleveland from whence he came before that trade. And then a crossover chat between our guy Big Dave and Bob Schmidt from the Fear of the Fro Cavs podcast. Hit the like. Hit the like. Here’s some ads. Today’s show brought to you by Four Seasons. Winter will be here before you know it, y’all. Even though it’s like 80° again today, storms coming, temps are going to drop. Is your home’s heating up for the challenge? Maybe you have a plumbing or electrical emergency. Call Four Seasons. Thinking about a whole home generator? They’ve got you covered. At Four Seasons, they guarantee same day insulation for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, and generator needs with no extra charge for nights, weekends, or even holidays. Save up to $4,000 on furnaces and comfort systems with Four Seasons heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and electric. Furnaces start at $39 a month. Furnace AC combos from $57 a month. So call today and save $50 from your trusted local experts. Four Seasons Heating, Air Conditioning, Plumbing, and Electric been serving Chicagoland for over 50 years. Visit them at four seasonasons heatingcooling.com to check out all their special offers and moneysaving coupons because Dave Uhhuh. for all the right reasons. Call 8664 seasons. Ow. Bam. That special stuff in your face. This ad right here is Baby Joey approved. Baby Joy. Oh, he hit me up and he started talking and I didn’t understand him because he’s a baby. You know why? You know what he said? What he said? He never understood. Never got it. Why? Why? Why these glasses cost so much money to look so dang on cool? Well, Shady Racer set out to do something about that, y’all. They got seriously good-looking glasses that are polarized, durable, and they are not ridiculously expensive, y’all. And here’s the awesome part. Say you’re watching a preseason basketball game and glasses on your hat. Gets tossed, cracked, splat, dread. You were upset about that, but then you remember that you’ve got that lost and broken replaces plan. So, you put them right back in the mail and right back on your face, you get a brand new pair. No guilt trap, just replacements, y’all. And Shady Rays, they’ve teamed up to bring us his exclusive offer. Head to shady.com. Use the code cho for 35% off those premium polarized shades. And try for yourself. The shades already five stars over 300,000 people cuz it’s Shady Rays, y’all. With a Sean Anderson, everybody. It’s been rated five stars by over 300,000 people. There you go. It’s rated 1 2 3 4 five stars. Over 300,000 people. And look at that. Hey, my hat’s back. Uh we are here CO Bulls hanging out on a Monday afternoon. Um heck big Dave Goat Sean on the controls. Um also heard from Isaac Aoro after today’s practice talking about his first trip back to Cleveland where he played his first five NBA seasons. There you go. uh and whether or not it’s a different feel uh than than any other game. Uh and here’s what Aoro was talking about with his return to Cleveland. Sean, what is that experience going to be like, not only going back there, but playing against some of your friends? Yeah. Uh I don’t really know. I don’t know how I’m going to feel about it. Um I think once I get there and we’re able to shoot around and be able to be on the court back there again and uh see them, I think it I don’t know how I’m going to feel. Um of course, I I miss those guys. You know, those are my brothers. I played with him for five years, but uh like once the game starts, you know, like not really thinking about that. Yeah. Yeah. I know it’s just a preseason game, but some people view getting traded as like, oh, that’s the enemy. I got to go at those guys. I mean, is that is that kind of your view, or you kind of look at as like, I had a great five years there. Now, this is a new opportunity. Uh yeah, it’s a new opportunity here. Um of course, I’m on I’m going at anything. I don’t care if it’s Cleveland. I don’t care whoever we’re playing against. I’m going at them. So, um it’s not just because like I trade from them, I’m going at them. I take pride in what I do and whoever is going against us, I’m going straight at you. Billy was just telling us that one thing that stands out about you beyond your physicality, which we’ve already talked about, is your IQ out there. Is that kind of always who you’ve been as a player? He said you know exactly who you are and you play within that, you know, construct. Is that kind of always who you’ve been as a player? Yeah, exactly who I am. I I know what my strengths and weaknesses are on the court. Um, I know like cutting, um, finding my teammates, hitting open shots, um, just doing everything that I know is going to help the team win. Uh, I’m not out there just to do the stuff that I know are not my strengths. So, that was Isaac Aoro after today’s practice. Um, basically saying, eh, you know, yeah, I’m going back to Cleveland. Yeah, they traded me. But I it seems to me like he uh you know, and he’s one example of many of a young NBA player who is excited about getting a fresh start. Yeah. Where you saw similar to Josh Giddy, I’m not trying to trigger anything here, but just kind of the role steadily decreased, the minute steadily decreased on a team that was going like this, and your role on that team is going like this. Yeah. So, I’m sure that there’s some extra motivation and some level of chip on his shoulder going against to play his former team that traded him away, but it’s, you know, more so probably, you know, not anything like, oh, screw you, Cleveland, but just like, hey, I I want to show the Bulls and everybody in this league that I’m I am who I know I am. Yeah. Cuz it’s not like they traded him to a place where he won’t get an opportunity uh to do his thing. He, you know, has an opportunity to be a starter right here on this team. And the Bulls definitely lack what he offers. So that’s a great feeling, you know, to go somewhere where you know that you’re not only needed but wanted at the same time. So I think he’ll have a, like you said, Matt, have wonderful uh opportunity to prove himself. Uh, we’re going to see it. I think for sure. I don’t think that intensity will be dialed down for him. I think it will definitely be dialed up. I I’ve the many times I’ve seen him play, I’ve never not known him as a non-intensity guy. like he’s always been out there in that kind of way and you have to be that way if you’re going to be a great defender. So, I think all that will kind of come into play tomorrow uh when we sit and we get an opportunity to look at him. Uh I wanted to ask you though, go because you you talked about Yuki and how you felt about him just you know in your interactions you know with him. What’s it been like for you in your conversations with Isaac Aoro? What what do you feel kind of his his mentality is? Yeah, I mean I think well one we’ve we’ve talked to him twice now. Uh he didn’t speak at media day. We’ve gotten him twice after practice so it’s been very limited. Um and usually it is kind of like a slow buildup with new players. Um but he just seems like a guy who’s very like level-headed like he said. I mean he knows his strengths. He knows what he brings to the team. Um and I think he’s just like very confident. Like I was asking him today about like his role as it relates to like the greater defensive scheme now playing on a team without an Evan Mobley and a Jarrett Allen back there and he was just like, “Yeah, I mean we have good room protection. Like it doesn’t really change what I need to do even though from my perspective like it puts more pressure on him as the point of attack guy to be able to keep those guys out of the paint in the first place.” So I know that’s something that Billy is uh prioritizing. Um, and I and I do think there’s going to be a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, but I but I think he’s just like one of those guys that knows what he knows who he is in this league, knows how he can contribute. Um, and is going to go out there and work. Like he I mean he said at the beginning of this interview like I don’t care who I’m going against. Like I’m going to go as far as I can. Like he’s a real competitor. Um, and I I do think that like he will ingratiate himself with the fans because of how he plays. Um, for me it’s just like a matter of I know what he’s going to give you defensively. Like I think he’s going to be really solid. I think he’s going to help uh raise the floor on that end. Um I don’t think he’s going to like be the magic bullet that like solves all their problems, but I do think he’s really going to help because I don’t I don’t think any one player could be that except for maybe WByama. Sure. Um but to me it’s about like how can you in addition to being additive on the defensive end, be additive on the offensive end. And one of the things that Billy was talking about today is just his IQ, his ability to read the floor, cut, make quick decisions with the basketball, attack closeouts. Like for me, and this going back to Matt’s point about like losing opportunity in Cleveland, to me, it’s always like a red flag when you trade for a guy who’s lost opportunity because the team around him has gotten better. Like that’s not like something I’m overly excited about because if this guy was better, he’d be playing. Yeah. Right. And so that’s how I felt about Giddy. That’s how I felt about Aoro to a certain extent. At the same point, um I do think that a lot of it is about sort of the way that the team around them, what what talent they have and can you maximize that player. Um and I think in a lineup with two smaller guards who like to dominate the ball and two more traditional bigs who are kind of clogging up the floor, it’s just it’s a hard place to make a living uh as a you know, I don’t want to say non-shooting, but as a like shooting challenged wing. Um, and he’s he’s made a high percentage and he’s always gotten better year after year, but he’s not somebody that the defenses are really scared about. And I do think that to me, more than percentage, more than anything, like how scared a defense is of you is probably the most important thing because it changes the floor. Um, very true. And so I think Aoro, like with all that being said, I I do think Aoro is going to have more opportunities here just because of the way that the Bulls play. I think he’ll be able to attack closeouts. I think he’ll space the floor well and and cut to the basket and probably get a few more easy opportunities per game just based on their style. Um, but I don’t, you know, think he’s going to come in and like become a star all of a sudden. I think he’s just going to be a really solid role player that hopefully can keep getting better incrementally in ways that, you know, prevent him from being basically played off the floor, right? like if he’s able to come out and just make open threes and also make plays when he’s being left alone because I think those are two different things, uh I think he’ll be really good because I I feel very confident in what he’s going to give you defensively. Yeah, I love how you said how it changes the floor. I I think it goes for both sides too, like the offense and the defensive side. So if teams have that fear in him on the defensive side, it’s going to change how it’s going down over there as well. In the same way that like him uh you know becoming a really elite shooter is not going to change the like entire layout of the floor. The same thing is true on defense. Like he he’s a very good point of attack defender. I don’t think that’s going to make the Bulls a great defense. Everybody else has to also lift their game around him. But I think one he is challenging guys to do that in practice. Billy is as well and that’s helping raise the floor. But too, uh, you know, you there are some things that you can get around just by having one talented player. It’s just like teams can switch up those matchups. They they can manipulate that stuff. So, um, I I I don’t want to sit here and say any one player is going to, unless it’s like a superstar is going to revolutionize the team. Uh, he just has to, you know, be a part of a group that is changing in multiple different ways. Will, how do you view him as a defender, though? I know you said that he’s a decent on ball defender. I look at his defensive ratings and it’s like a 114 over the past three years. That’s like where Patrick Williams is. Do you think that he’s a better defender than Patrick Williams? Do you think that it’s tough to grade him in Cleveland’s system? Yeah, it’s always tough. Um because so much of it is context and like how good is the defense around you? How good are they when you’re on the floor? How good are they when you’re off the floor? Um and Aoro like I think he is one of those players that’s like better. I think he’s better than Patrick Williams in terms of on ball defense. Um, and I think the way that he impacts the game is not going to show up in the box score the same way it would for an Alex Caruso or Alonzo Ball, guys that get a ton of steals and deflections. Um, that’s not really who he is, but I do think that like, and I was going to, you know, talk a little bit about this or read about it. Um, but Billy today and I was asking about like the rim protection and like keeping teams away from the basket because that was a big switch that flipped for them in the first half of the year to the last half of the year was like the rim protection, keeping teams away from the basket. I think a lot of that’s going to have to start at the point of attack. And so if Aoro can like create a little bit more resistance out there, force an extra pass, force a team to get into their offense maybe five, six, seven seconds later than they otherwise would have. Um, I think that like that helps your rim protection, right? Because it’s preventing drives. it’s preventing those things from happening in the first place. So, a lot of it is like super nuanced in the way that it strings together, but I don’t think he’s going to like come out there and get, you know, two and a half, three steals per 100 possessions and, you know, turn this Bulls defense from like, you know, I they were much better after the break, but like 20ome before the break into like a, you know, average or better team. So, um, I do think he helps. The last year he was, uh, the the Cavs defense was two and a half 2.1 points per 100 better with him on the court. Um, but like is some of that due to the fact that like he was subbing in for a guy like Max Streus or DeAndre Hunter who are not great defenders? Um, probably part of it. Um, but still playing alongside other great players. So, it’s just it’s really tough to evaluate that and I kind of want to just see what he looks like next to some of the Bulls players in in some of these units before really making that assessment. Isaac Aora, one of many topics uh that Dave you talked about uh with our pal Bob Schmidt from Fear the Fro. Also, by the way, just another quick plug coo.com you can read goats. Isaac Aoro can’t transform the Bulls defense on his own column from over the weekend available now. Um, and I’ll let you tee this up, Dave, but just a quick note, uh, we’re going to play this whole chat you had with Bob from Fear the Fro uh, to wrap up today’s show. We might go past that hour mark. So, if those of you watching on our streaming services, you see the end of this chat get cut off, fear not. Just head to lcow.com to get that bonus coverage. Dave, te it up. Yeah, was uh talking to my guy Bob Schmidt, like one of the best voices in the podcasting world, Milky. Um, and obviously one of the most knowledgeable guys also as well. Uh, we talked about Josh Giddy. Uh, we talked about Isaac Akuro as you as you mentioned and we talked about Lonzo Bald and if Cleveland has water. Big Dave CHGO Bulls podcast. join. You see him the always handsome with one of the best voices in America from the Fear the Fro podcast. That is my man Bob Schmidt. How you feeling, Bob? Big Dave, you’re too kind. Thank you for the kind. Just tell the truth. Just tell the truth, sir. So, I mean, uh, Bulls Cavs preseason going to start it off here with those two teams. Let me ask you immediately when you’re watching this preseason game. Obviously, you know, wins and losses don’t really matter, but when you’re watching this, what are you looking for in this game from your team and what you might see from the Bulls? Well, for the Cavs, I would say the thing I’m looking for is they’re preaching a message of, which this is every preseason, so take it with a grain of salt. I think you could take any NBA team in the league and it’s always, you know, we want to get out and run. We want to play more uptempo, quick decisions. I want to see how they do that. I want to see specifically if Lonzo Ball can have his kind of effect on a Cavs offense, which has always talked about pushing the pace. The second story line, which will dominate in the absence of Darius Garland as he recovers from this turf toe surgery that he had, is Evan Mobley because all summer it’s been this guy, it’s different. His mindset’s different. He’s talking like a veteran. He’s he’s taking control and leadership and we’re going to play through him more, the ball in his hands more. Now again, these were things that were said when Bickerstaff was here. Uh but it’s different. He’s coming off his best season to date in the least minutes he’s played. Got close to a 20 and 10. The defensive player of the year. I certainly think a lot of the faith and optimism people have had in him has been I mean you’re really starting to see it bear fruit. second team all NBA last year and now a runway in it for the if Garland is out through Thanksgivingish time mid November he’s going to have an opportunity to build up some momentum and prove that they can be successful playing through him more and hopefully that will allow that to sustain when the Cavs are back at full strength as far as the Bulls the story line I’m most eager to see is I love the Aoro versus Cleveland element of it because this is a guy who he fogged, you know, perimeter guard. Like his best matchups when he was with Cleveland were, you know, Dame Lillard, Jaylen Brunson, Trey Young, those type of guys who were those very cy, intelligent with the ball, crafty guys. And the only sad part here is that Garland will not be in the lineup. So, and it’s preseason, so I don’t know how hard the guys will go. But even as this translates to regular season matchups, I am excited. I’m always excited to see a guy who has moved on to another team who would presumably play a larger role, get a chance to take on players of the the star level of a Donovan Mitchell and a Darius Garland and take all that corporate knowledge of what they like to do, where they like to be, and use that against them. So, and and admittedly, we may only get to see that with Donovan Mitchell and Aoro a little bit in this preseason game. Um, but I’m eager to see that. I’m eager to see the type of season that Giddy can put forth in in a full campaign. I’m eager to see the step forward that Amadus Bazllis makes and and and yeah, essentially those are the types of things because I felt like the second half version of the Bulls that we saw looked a lot better, looked a lot more cohesive uh than the early season results that they had last year. And that is despite the fact that Getty didn’t even play both the late games. I just thought the team as a whole looked very good and if not for a, you know, a missed three-point shot by Kobe White, they could have stole that one. I want to see if they can carry that momentum forward. Yeah, I do. We do, too. That’s what makes the season so exciting. I think I talked to you about that. Like, we’re going to get a lot of answers, you know, strictly from the beginning uh for the Chicago Bulls team. Let’s go back to Isaac Auroro um because we had you on when that trade was made and you spoke very glowingly about him and rightfully so. Uh looking at him on this team defensively, I think there will be a lot put on his shoulders as far as changing the culture of what this team wants to be defensively. AK has spoken you at Nauseium about wanting to be a more physical team, wanting to be a more defensive team. Already Billy Donovan after one of the practices practices said they’ve taken more charges than they did all of last year in the first couple of days in training camp. and Isaac Kuro is definitely a huge part of that. Do you think it’s fair to put all of that on Isaac Kuro’s shoulders as far as being the new culture setter for the defense for this team? I don’t know if it’s fair, but I also think he probably wants that. you know, he’s been in this environment where just due to the star power on the Cavs, despite his high draft status, he’s just kind of got pushed down the pecking order to the to the point where he was penciled in to a complimentary role player situation. And for I think it’s got to be exciting for him to some degree to have a fresh start to have a team where maybe he can spread his wings a little bit more because what Cavs fans were always hoping was that you would see that you know systematic progression from year 1 to year two and and if you look at the percentages that absolutely is the case. He’s gotten better from three every year. But what people wanted to see him add was some of the other elements specifically offensively. Defensively, I feel like the biggest thing for him was getting into a situation where he didn’t have a short leash where they allow him to because I think sometimes when you’re a very physical player like Isaac, if you’re playing limited minutes, um sometimes you tend to be too aggressive and and it’s finding that blend of like how will they allow me to play in terms of physicality. if I’m expected to play a minute load of 30 minutes, how I need to stay on the court. I need to be available. What’s the blend here? Uh, and I and I feel like as Isaac’s gotten older, he’s definitely gotten stronger. It’s funny when you talk about taking charges because Isaac has always been so solid that if anything, I feel like they’ve tagged him with defensive fouls because he doesn’t move when people hit him. He doesn’t give or he he takes a guy off his spot because he’s just he’s broad, he’s thick. Uh, I’m curious to see how that will translate in Chicago in terms of, you know, probably playing with more minutes, probably playing with more freedom because I think in basketball in general, you always see involvement on the offensive end leads to engagement on the defensive end. And I think there’s a much better opportunity for that with Isaac in Chicago because I think they play a style of offensive basketball that will just force him to be more involved. the running, the transition, the fastest pace in the NBA. Those are all things which I think suit Isaac. I think he’s very he’s got very good last year at setting screens for guys. He’s a solid guy and doing that from a position that you don’t typically expect it. And I think all those things will be beneficial in an offense that has a lot of guys who can move the ball around, too. cuz I think that’s one of the things that’s nice with Isaac is on those roles to have multiple people who are comfortable with a ball in their hand from Makobe to Giddy and otherwise like that that should benefit him. So I I think he’ll make his defensive impact immediately. My hope for this would be my hope as a guy who watched it with the Cavs is he’s he’s solid, he’s rugged, he’ll take any challenge, but I think the places he’s best deployed is against the fast offensive initiators. I didn’t love him as much when they got him into situations where they asked him to guard Tatums or Paulo Beneros. I’m not saying he can’t do it in switch situations, but I think it’s asking too much out of Isaac because he is a very good defender to take those matchups all the time. I think where he’s most effective is I think he can give those primary ball handlers fits. And I’m not looking forward to the the games where Garland has to deal with a Cororo. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully it’s a problem. Hopefully it is for for you guys. As someone who’s seen Aoro start and come off the bench and grow, you know, in those roles that he did, what do you feel like he’s more comfortable where he can provide his services more to this team? Do you feel it’s more so as a starter or do you feel like it’s more so as a guy off the bench or do you feel like it just doesn’t matter and he’ll do whatever he needs to do when he’s out there on the floor? I never felt like it mattered. I felt like Aoro, it’s contingent on him being healthy obviously, but it’s more about consistent opportunity. The tough thing is if he gets jerked in and out of rotations and roles and he doesn’t know the guys he’s playing alongside, I think they’ll probably be a learning curve as he gets to know the guys on the team. But ultimately, I feel like Isaac’s best situation is when he gets consistent opportunity. So, that would be more the focus for me. I think the fact that he spent years in Cleveland waffling between starting and coming off the bench, I don’t think that’s going to be new to him. And I think he’s perfectly capable of doing that. But I think the way to maximize what you get out of Isaac is consistent minutes and opportunity, not jerking him around if he has a bad shift and then he doesn’t go back on. I think you just have to play through that to really maximize cuz he’s he’s got he’s an incredible athlete. He’s an intelligent player. He’s unselfish sometimes to a fault. Uh, and I just think more exposure will get him more respect from the refs, too, which I think will be beneficial. There’s times where I watch guys, you know, Oklahoma City or whoever. And I see the way that they’re allowed to be physical. I never felt like Isaac was given that leash, but I felt like he plays as if he expects to get that leash. And I think that’s something that unlocks a whole new level of effectiveness if he gets that kind of respect. And I think there’s a much better chance for that in Chicago where he’ll be showcased a little bit more. Very well said. Uh let’s let me ask you about Josh Giddy. Um obviously the contract’s been signed. Uh four years $100 million flat. You know, like you said, the salary the percentage of the salary cap is going to go down, you know, each year for him on that contract, which everything looks pretty favorable, you know, as far as that is concerned. But as far as what this means for the play on the floor for a guy like Josh Giddy, what do you see Josh Giddy’s biggest impact being on the Chicago Bulls team? Now again, I’m asking you as someone that’s outside looking in, but just seeing his game and knowing his game from what you’ve seen, what do you think is going to be that impact cuz this will be this first year that he’s it’s going to be on him. He’s going to have the basketball in his hands and be the engine for this team from the start. And it wasn’t like that last season. He kind of had to, you know, fill it out, find his way until that second half when they obviously made all the trades and they were like, it’s your ship now. How do you feel his impact will be just immediately like starting for this team? Well, I I think this is a great situation for him because I think getting the guaranteed money, the four years of certainty, a very reasonable rate, I think it’s a good compromise for both because when you think about it in the context of like look at the Cavs payroll, he’d be fifth on the payroll at this point. I mean, when you factor in Allen’s new deal, I mean, he’s making basically DeAndre Hunter money. So in a year when Vu is off the books and some of these guys are off the books and you’re looking at a a giddy who he’s one of your higher paid guys, but in the final years of his deal, he’s going to be making sub 15% of the salary cap. I think this should empower him in a way of knowing, you know, I’ve got my certainty. I’m not playing for a paycheck right now. He had a great second half of the season. He was top 10 in the NBA in three-point percentage of guys that he fed, which I thought was an interesting stat. I thought it speaks to the fact that he was very effective in creating for others and whether it be Herder or hopefully Akoto continues to carry it forward or Kobe White or whoever it may be, I think he’s one of those guys who’s in a perfect situation because his cap number is not prohibitive. But whether he’s the focal point now and later shifts back to just a guy who similar to the way we talk about Lonzo kind of raises the play of everyone around him, it’s a very palatable position to be in cuz you could be looking at a guy who’s yes, he might be near the top of your payroll now, but in two or three seasons as you move through this next summer with cap space, you’ve got a guy who’s tasked with just a few things which he excels at. like the the most important stuff is make the players around you better, push the pace, get to the ball to the people who have the opportunities, have the looks, and he can rebound too. It’s just going to be, you know, stay engaged defensively, take advantage offensively. His numbers were very good from three, admittedly, small sample, but continue to work on that. And I I just think he’s at that perfect number of regardless of what way it breaks, whether he continues to ascend or whether he stays somewhere similar to the level of what he was providing in the second half of last season, I think the contract will age very well. And I think he’s a guy who can excel in a situation where if he is knocked down the pecking order a couple of rungs as you add more talent or is as the roster shifts, I don’t think that minimizes his importance to the roster at all given the skills that he brings to the table. The most exciting player for fans uh on this team is Modellis. Um coming off a really just exciting rookie season. The man has been around with every celebrity from Will Smith to Shaquille O’Neal. like he’s been all over the place, which lets you know just, you know, how good he’s been for this Chicago Bulls team visually and on the floor. What are you looking forward to with a guy like Misus Ellis going into year two? And do you feel do you have an expectation for him that you feel he can live up to? I, you know, I don’t have an expectation for him, but I do think it’s hard not to get hyped because the second half of the season was very good and then to see Kevin Durant giving him his praise and all these other situations where it’s like, okay, you know, this is a guy who he’s in a great situation because the front court isn’t insanely deep. This is a younger team, so he’ll have he’ll be prioritized in a way that I think that was one of the things with like a Mobly. you know, his rookie year he goes 15 and n it comes in second in rookie of the year to Barnes and people were expecting this big leap, but unfortunately there’s a lot of usage monsters in front of him and there’s a lot of impediments to maybe growing at the speed that people wanted. I think Mis has a chance to really push forward in a way that a lot of other guys may not given their situation. So, I like the opportunity in front of him. I hope he comes out of the gates and he immediately seizes that. I would like to see more. I mean, you talked about it. I feel the same way as when he was coming out of the draft. There was so much talk about what an intelligent uh floor positioning defender he was helping guys like weak side stuff. I think seeing that more on the NBA level a lot of times just comes with experience and then adding a little bit of weight is always useful on the NBA level. So to to go from a guy who’s I think he’s hovering around 200 or 205 still uh was what he was listed at. But, you know, usually coming in that second, third year, you really start to see guys realize, I got to put on some beef if I really want to maximize all of my athletic tools. So, that would be the big thing is just seeing him continued to progress on the defensive side of the floor. And I thought he was he made huge strides from the first half to second half of last season. Um, so I would hope that that would continue. He’s definitely the guy that I think people are most excited to see the progress in. Yeah, without a doubt. Um, now as you know the Bulls going into next season have a bunch of guys coming off the books and they should have a lot of money available to them. Is there any player on this team right now that you see coming off those books that you look at and say I wouldn’t mind them being a Cleveland Cavalier? I mean obviously there’s guys I I don’t know the problem with the Cavs being in the second apron is that no deal is an easy deal to pull off. You can’t aggregate salaries. But if you just take all that off the table, I look at your roster and I say, “Okay, anybody who doesn’t want to obtain the bird rights of Kobe White at, you know, 12, 13 million, he he to me would be your most desirable trade asset because he’s cheap, he’s good, he’s only 25 years old. Um, and I think he’s one of your best players, obviously. And then secondary to that, I think I would put Iodumu over Vuch for me personally. And not not because of any reason really other than I think he’s got more NBA career in front of him. But secondary to that, he’s $7 million. Almost anybody can make a trade for $7 million work. I mean, if Dean Wade made just a little bit more money, that would be a one for one that could be pulled off. But I’ve always liked his game. I think he’s he’s one of those guys that does a lot of things well enough even if he’s not a star. Uh I think he will have a market. I hope Zack Collins never plays another game after this season. Um we’ll just skip past him. Vu I think somebody something will be had for Vu. I think with his age there’s a good chance and the fact that he makes in excess of $20 million it complicates things a little bit more. But I do think there should be a market for him with contenders who have maybe another expiring deal who are willing to throw some seconds perhaps. I would hope that the Bulls can extract something for him because I feel like that’s been a trade that’s been talked about forever and it just doesn’t come to fruition and now this is the you know poop or get off the pot year. Um as far as it’s you know you want to use that chip. You don’t want to just let it expire. So um absolutely. Aside from that I think I I know you guys had maybe six free agents. I’m forgetting who the other ones are, but Oh, Herder is another one, I guess. But Herder to me, that’s it’s not super desirable. He makes 17 $18 million, you know. I guess maybe he could be had if you need a deal balancer on a big swing deal, but I’m just kind of expecting him to finish the season on the Bulls or get bought out. I don’t know. That’s fair. That’s fair. Um, final question I’m going ask you. Uh, I have to ask you about Lonzo Ball. Uh, how has he looked to you guys out there? Like, what’s the response been like? And how’s the water in Cleveland? Well, you know, he didn’t know there was water in Cleveland, but it’s okay. It’s It happens. It happens to the best of us. I Maybe he was just so tunnel vision on basketball that he didn’t have time for stupid maps and such. So, get out of my face. Um, yeah, exactly. Maps are for nerds. Um, that’s right. So, yeah, the thing with Lonzo is I have to be irrationally high on him regardless. First of all, from a human interest standpoint, you just want a guy like that to have a redemption arc, similar to the Cavs fans who are old enough remember how difficult Zaduna Siloskus had it at the beginning of his career. Just perpetual foot injuries and surgeries and it it wrecked the early part of his career and then he came back and he had a very long career of relative health, a couple of all-star appearances and became one of the favorite Cavaliers in franchise history. with Lonzo Ball. It just feels like he’s been robbed of so much of the prime to coincide with that. His own brother uh became a Max player, which has got to be tough when you when you grew up in those rivalries and and like I remember when he was at UCLA, Lonzo was the prize. Lonzo was the guy and and it just it didn’t break right for him. So, in that regard, it’s like I want nothing but the best in this situation. I think the way I described it to you on on my pod was I feel like the ceiling is higher than Ty Jerome because I feel like his involvement could potentially elevate a lot of the guys around him in a way where Ty Jerome was kind of like a drop him in. He’ll go get his buckets. I can’t speak to what’s going to happen to the rest of the guys around him, but you know, he’ll he’ll be effective in generating contact into the line, getting his little floaters off. With Lonzo, the biggest area of need in this playoffs is we need guys to show up. We need guys to shoot to their percentages. We have the bench was one of the most effective three-point shooting bench units in NBA history. And then we get to the postseason and you know Merryill in the two rounds that we’ve got dipped, he’s he’s shot 31.5%. You got Dean Wade below 20%. Like these are the guys. Yes, they shouldn’t be the reason you win every game, but they can be if they show up at timely moments when your stars are struggling. Darius Garland having the series he did. We needed more from some of those guys. And my hope is that second units led by an intelligent, you know, collaborative guy who get, as you said, gets the ball to the people in the spots that they need it. It’s just reads the floor correctly. I love Tai for what he did, but my hope is that it’s not just about what Lonzo can do in terms of putting the ball in the bucket. It’s about what Lonzo can do in terms of being able to versatile defend across a few different positions. He’s got reasonable size. His rim defense metrics were surprisingly good compared to what I thought they would be, although I’m not putting a ton into that. But just the fact that you if they can play him anywhere from the one to the three alongside Donovan, alongside Darius, by himself with those guys, whatever the case may be, I think the hope is that he will help some of the role guys settle in and play a more comfortable style of playoff basketball than maybe they have in the past couple seasons. So, if he can be healthy, I think it’s a huge win. U and and not just for the the story itself, but obviously for this roster. Fear of the Frog is the podcast. Bob Schmidt is the wonderful human being who hosts that show. Bob, as always, man, thank you for coming on and you’re always welcome, my friend. Big Dave, I love you, man. And I love all the guys at CHGO. I listen I’ve listened to an insane amount of I was saying to your like you were talking about uh the the the prove it segment and I sent you I I just sometimes harvest clips prove it just just to you know try to send me that just trying to send me that ghost produce your show because I’m invested man I love the energy you guys bring. I just went and bought a bunch of RC Cola just for you know just just to show my support. So, uh, yeah, I’ll I’ll come on anytime, man. And I’m looking forward to these preseason games and all the regular season matchups as well. Looking forward to talking to you again, my friend. All right. Shout out again to Bob Schmidt, host of the Fear of the Fro Pod. Check them out whenever you want some extra Cavs intel, whenever we got Bulls match Cavs matchups around the corner, like we do today with their preseason debut against the Cavs in Cleveland tomorrow night. Uh, wherever you find your pods, he’s got a YouTube channel as well. Well, if you’re the Fro Pod on Twitter, uh, give him a follow. I I mean, can you imagine having the Cavs and watching the Bulls show? Have That is the Cavs as the basketball team. He hosts the Cavs podcast and is like, “Yeah, let me let me let me get a little Bulls action on top of that and enjoys it.” You know, he likes it. We’re We’re a good show. Well, and you know, shout out to RC Cola. Yeah, of course. That’s just a smart decision. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, bada bing bada boom. What is it? What’s the real taste of Chicago? Well, man, get a case up. I I feel good about Cleveland, but they do have RCA. I feel good about my voice as a podcaster. Yeah. Classically trained former actor. I I’ve always felt good about my voice. And it can go high, it can go low, it can go all over the place. I will forever be envious of that man’s podcasting voice. Yeah. Dear God. It’s pretty awesome, man. It’s pretty awesome, man. WBC. It’s pretty awesome. Uh, all right. So, shout out to him. Check out Fear of the Pro whenever you want some Cavs uh intel. That’s going to do it for us today. We will be back tomorrow. for a live postgame show after the Bulls preseason debut against the Cavs. Uh tip off, I believe, is 6 PM Central time. Got a little bit of an earlier tip, which is always nice. And we will be here live after to break down what we see. And uh hopefully we’ll see a lot of everybody cuz it’s a preseason game. Yes, it said that that bench going to run deep tomorrow night. It’s going to run deep, baby. Uh until then, read goat stuff.com. become a die hard. So you can read all of it, the very best of it, including his deep dive feature on Noah Asen, talking to his former German league pro coach, uh the thing he wrote about Isaac over the weekend and the Bulls defensive identity in his smoking all of that. Come to die hard so you can read it. Follow him_ly. Uh big day BWL sports on Bulls we are CS Bulls. Shout out to our king of the controls today, the one and only Sean Anderson. tuning in to CO White Socks and uh those of you in the Chicagoland area getting excited for Cubs NLDDS game two against the Brewers, head to Okrom Smokehouse on Clark. Our CS show Cubs crew is there. They’re doing pregame and postgame. Go hang out with them. Go Cubs go. We’ll talk to you tomorrow. See you. Be good. Peace.

📬 Chicago sports in your inbox: https://allchgo.com/newsletter

The CHGO Bulls crew preview the first Chicago Bulls game of the preseason against their Central Division rival and reigning #1 seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers! Big Dave sat down with Bob Schmidt of the Fear The ‘Fro Podcast over the weekend to get some intel from a Cavs insider. Will the Cavs be the East’s elite again this season? Can the Bulls compete with them with their fast-paced offense? What can Bulls fans expect from former Cavalier Isaac Okoro? Plus, notes on Isaac Okoro and Yuki Kawamura from Monday’s practice from Will Gottlieb. And is Billy Donovan running a tighter ship than in years past with a younger roster?

0:00 SHOW START
3:10 New side of Billy?
20:00 Can Yuki make an impact in 2026?
32:00 Okoro returns to Cleveland
42:00 Interview with Bob Schmidt

An ALLCITY Network Production

ALL THINGS CHGO: https://linktr.ee/chgosports

BUY MERCH: https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/chgo-locker

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL:
Twitter: @CHGO_Sports
Instagram: @CHGO_Sports

WATCH YOUR FAVORITE TEAMS: https://www.fubotv.com/chgo

Empire Today: Schedule a free in-home estimate today! All listeners can receive a $350 OFF discount when they use the promo code CHGO. Restrictions apply. See https://empiretoday.com/chgo for details.

Monarch Money: Use Monarch Money to get control of your overall finances with 50% off your first year at https://www.monarchmoney.com/chgo

PrizePicks: Go to https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CHGO and use code CHGO for $50 instantly when you play $5. PrizePicks. Run Your Game!

Ray Auto Group: Get into your next vehicle with Ray Auto in Fox Lake!
Ray Chevy: https://www.raychevrolet.com/
Ray CDJR: https://www.raycdjr.com/

Hall of Fame App: Get a 7-Day Free Trial + 50% Off your first month with code CHGO. Just download the HOF app on iOS and Android or visit www.hofbets.com, enter code CHGO, and you’re all set. #ad

Head to https://factormeals.com/chgobulls50 and use code chgobulls50 to get 50% off. That’s code chgobulls50 at https://factormeals.com/chgobulls50 to get 50% off!

HelloFresh – Get 10 FREE meals at https://hellofresh.com/freebulls. Applied across 7 boxes, new subscribers only, varies by plan.

Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CHGO for $20 off your first purchase.

When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

#Bulls #ChicagoBulls #BullsNation