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By Sam Smith | 11.21.2014 | 10:20 a.m. CT
Trade Jimmy Butler now when his value is high? Kidding. But really, you never know with Bulls fans. Hindsight is 20/20, but looking back at the 2011 draft. Where does Jimmy Butler go, now? Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson & Nikola Vucevic are all players. But Jimmy (not Jimmer) is right there.
Yoni Solomon
Jimmy’s improvement is remarkable, the Bulls need to pony up at the All-Star break if he keeps playing like this, not sure negotiations will go well between the league and the owners with the next agreement, but this kid is young enough and dedicated enough for them to get a deal done.
Craig Chandler
What's with all the delayed whistles in the NBA this year? You see it in pretty much every game. It doesn't seem to favor one team over another. More like, the ref is willing to let the player shoot free throws if the shot doesn't go, but the contact wasn't worth a three-point play. Is this a new league policy? Is it making the game better by reducing time stoppages, or worse by making the officiating seem more situational?
Kirk Landers
I don't really understand the whole minutes thing lately. What's the difference between playing 40 min or 35? Was it the same 20 yrs ago? I find that most of the people who bring this up are analysts that have never played a second of pro ball. I was surprised to see Lebron say that his minutes should be reduced and also earlier in the year say he wouldn't mind playing less games. When MJ was asked the same question in typical MJ fashion he replied that it never crossed his mind because he loved playing ball too much. Are players going soft?
Salvador Sanchez
LeBron cut his weight down, complained about 82 games being too many and said he needs to cut his minutes from his standard 39 a game. Certainly none of this happened in the past. He will be 30 next month and has logged a lot of regular season and post season games since 18. Do you think he is more worried about his future health or is he actually in pain now?
Jeff Lichtenstein
Marc Gasol or Joakim Noah? Who do you think majority of NBA GMs would take?
Justin Swiercz
Do you see Laimbeer getting a chance ever as a head coach in the league? How did his two years with Minnesota go as an assistant? Seems like he'd be a pretty good coach.
Charles Armstrong
Do we still have the Kings' pick from Deng trade? If so, if around the trade deadline they're in the 8th / 9th spot in the West, that would mean they'd be picking anywhere in the 14 - 17 range. Should we pair it with our pick (and a player or two for salary purposes) and trade for another veteran, since we have a narrow window and Thibs already have a couple rookies to integrate into the rotation?
Abram Bachtiar
It seems Chris Paul gets a free pass into 'elite' player status, and maybe the analytics agree. Yet, I've always felt he gets killed on defense and just isn't the player that James, Durant, Paul George (when healthy), Derrick Rose, or even Tony Parker is. With the impressive talent that is around Chris Paul with the Clippers this year (especially with Blake Griffen's emergence) if they don't at least make the finals this year, aren't the excuses for his lack of playoff success running out? It seems to me it's time to recognize that Tony Parker has done substantially more with comparable surrounding talent. After all, Parker was the 'best player' on a championship team last year.
Robert Lininger
It is me or does McDermott and Snell looked like they have regressed since the start of the season? I have been pleasantly surprised by Mirotic's adjustment to the NBA so far.
Kurt Nishimura
Jimmy can shoot. Did you give him my advice about keeping that left elbow down?
John Leichenko