The Chicago Bulls Beat

Pippen, Butler, and setting culture

• A different take on the Scottie Pippin interview
• What culture means inside a team and inside a front office
• An unnecessary defense of Jimmy Butler
• Why the Bulls shouldn't apply for a DPE on Lonzo Ball

New CBA impact on the Bulls

I discuss the new CBA and how it will impact the league as well as the Chicago Bulls.  I get into Jimmy Butler's magic run a bit as well as various older trade rumors.

Individual Player thoughts

• Discuss individual players going forward
• Discuss the Bulls offensive / defense
• A bit on the best path forward as a team
• Random old NBA topics

AK Press conference and the Bulls 2023 offseason plan

I discuss AK's press conference and the Bulls 2023 off-season plan.

Relax, the Bulls are Still Very Good

The Brooklyn Nets walloped the Chicago Bulls last night, but people need to relax!

One regular season game doesn't change the narrative or make the Bulls less of a contender, something the lads try to ram home on the show.

From there, the conversation moves to the NBA trade deadline, with questions asked about whether Patrick Williams or Coby White should be moved, if Jerami Grant solves the Bulls' Nets problem, if the Bulls should pursue PJ Washington, and much.

The emergence of Coby White

With Fred and Mark out for the week, I discuss Coby White's outstanding play and the impact this has on the trade deadline and Bulls long term decision making as well as throw a bunch of flowers at the Front Office for their brilliance this off-season.

Chicago ＞ Atlanta

The Bulls play the Hawks twice in one week, and on both occasions, it was Chicago that proved too good for Atlanta.

Sure, the Hawks had most of their players in health and safety protocols, but Nikola Vucevic has looked awesome the past five games, which begs the question: Is Vooch all the way back from his season-long slump?

The lads discuss if this is the case, as well as pondering where the Bulls' big 4 of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball compare to other foursomes around the league.

Finally, the show closes with some well-earned love for Ayo Dosunmu, who continues to be a rookie revelation. 

Bulls Beat - Solo Addition

Mark and Fred are on holiday, so you are left with a classic, Doug Thonus solo Bulls Beat today.  I discuss coming to terms with the Vucevic trade, how AKME may deal with mistakes in the future, and the league's shifting stance on COVID testing, and no Bulls Beat would be complete without a special story time.

Was the Vucevic Trade a Mistake?

With two games postponed and most of the roster remaining in health and safety protocols, there hasn't been development for our Chicago Bulls this week. 

So, with little news to discuss, naturally, Doug, Mark and Fred get into the most pressing topic: arguing about the Nikola Vucevic trade for the millionth time.

Doug wasn't a fan of the trade at the time it occurred, and continues to voice his concern with the trade, whilst Mark tries to fly the flag for Karnisovas, suggesting the trade remains a win for the Bulls.

Later in the show, the lads dive into several trade suggestion offered up by the listeners, as well as Fred offering up a Coby White for Derrick Rose trade.

Should the Bulls Trade their Young Guys?

Doug, Mark and Fred are back with a new episode of the Bulls Beat, and given the number of Bulls players entering the NBA's health and safety protocols, naturally, the podcast begins with this pressing topic.

Can the Bulls navigate through this period without five rotation players? Should the league even be letting the Bulls play games when half their rotation is out? Worse still, why are they playing if they could be passing on the virus to other teams?

From there, the lads get into the Ayo hype, specifically wondering the city of Chicago has overrated and fallen too quickly for the hometown kid.  A sacrilegious question or is there some merit to this idea?

The Ayo talk leads nicely into an open debate about the Bulls trading their young players for ready-made, win-now veterans such as Harrison Barnes, Domantas Sabonis, or Myles Turner.

Finally, the show closes with a story, this time from Doug. Make sure you're not eating when listening to that part...