Nikola Mirotic Emergence...

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MassHavoc

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Because Niko is really a 4 and not a 3. He can occasionally play the 3 if the matchup is good, but it is not ideal. He is not a full time 3 unless you want him to get wrecked defensively almost every game.

That's what I figured, but I thought I was reading a lot of folks saying he could be a 3... carry on. nothing to see here. I still think you can keep all of them. hah.
 

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That's what I figured, but I thought I was reading a lot of folks saying he could be a 3... carry on. nothing to see here. I still think you can keep all of them. hah.
Yeah I was making the argument that you could keep all of them and still be ok. I see what AirGordon's getting at though. Niko going forward will be the primary PF option so it makes sense to give him as much time there as possible.
 

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Yeah I was making the argument that you could keep all of them and still be ok. I see what AirGordon's getting at though. Niko going forward will be the primary PF option so it makes sense to give him as much time there as possible.

Soooo... Taj for a wing, we aren't convinced Snell Cat yet?
 

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Soooo... Taj for a wing, we aren't convinced Snell Cat yet?
He's solidified himself as a backup option right now. The wing we'd get for Taj would ideally be starting caliber (personally I don't think Snell is there just yet). It's more Dunleavy's replacement than lack of belief in Snell.
 

Axl Rose

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not just on defense but you hamper him on offense as he wont be able to beat anybody off the dribble

plus his shot fakes are more potent against bigs then wing players
 

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not just on defense but you hamper him on offense as he wont be able to beat anybody off the dribble

plus his shot fakes are more potent against bigs then wing players
Gotta use dat post game doe...he's got some good moves that he can use against the smaller guys that he can't beat off the dribble.
 

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I'm not saying he'd be fast, but I'm amazed at how deceptively fast he looks, especially that spin/swim move last night from behind the arch. Of course that wasn't against a 3 but still. I expected him to be more like Asik, but he seems much more athletic to me.
 

Axl Rose

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Gotta use dat post game doe...he's got some good moves that he can use against the smaller guys that he can't beat off the dribble.


then we got another player doing work in the same area everybody else on this team likes to work lol
 

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maybe down the road after niko improves his defense more he can play some more 3. but right now IMO he needs to spend 90% of the time at the 4. I think he is a matchup problem for teams at the 4 whereas at the 3 he can be exploited a little bit defensively. he has tremendous basketball IQ though IMO so the ceiling is very high for him. bulls will have to explore trading taj this offseason for a 2 or a 3
 

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The Bulls are depleted with three key players out, that's why they've lost recently. Not being impressed because they're struggling is kind of harsh given the Bulls current situation....if that is what you were talking about, Noshayah.

I have been high on Mirotic since watching game footage on him when he played for Real Madrid. He has all the skills to be a force in the NBA. It's nice to see him get playing time. Early on he was clearly caught off guard by the pace of the regular season. Just takes some adjustments, and we're seeing the fruit of his work.

Very true. He really sees the floor well and anticipate plays. There were a couple fo times in that game(notably the missed Dunleavy dunk) when he made a split second decision and delivered a perfect pass to a player. I've said it before but don;t be surprised if this guy doesn;t become a 6'10" point forward in this league. He can throw passes over defenders, presents an outside threat and can blow past defenders after his shot fake. I love watching this guy play.
 

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I'll admit I'm surprised he's come through like he has. I think injuries have gotten him on the floor much more than he would have with Gibson, Dunleavy, McDermott and now Butler out but he's made the most of the opportunity. We kept hearing how he's a stretch 4 but I'm more impressed with how he goes to the basket, even if it is with a lame eyebrow fake, but he is playing well inside and rebounding well. If he hits the weight room during the off season and can develop better on defense I think you have the opportunity to start him next year and have Gasol come off the bench to reduce his minutes and trade Taj.
 

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I think that Mirotic definitely is a three, He has great skill for a 6'10" guy. He really cannot be very well defended by other 3's and if they move bigger guys on him he'll just take them outside and blow by them. And why have the guy bang against these big slower guys? Let him destroy the other tteam with his skill.

Mirotic could've played the 3 in the 90's and earlier, but not anymore. Dirk Nowitzki wasn't even effective playing the 3 in the early 00's. Both players are too slow. Mirotic belongs at the 4. He cannot drive past perimeter defenders. He can't hold perimeter defenders either when they take him off the dribble. He is most effective when he is drawing opposing big men out towards the three point line- leading to easier baskets by the other four Bulls, and also leading to more offensive rebounds. Mirotic is also surprisingly good at rebounding and blocking shots. He is invaluable as a 4 in this league. Hell, against some lineups, you could get away with using him as a 5 for certain stretches of a game.
 

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maybe down the road after niko improves his defense more he can play some more 3. but right now IMO he needs to spend 90% of the time at the 4. I think he is a matchup problem for teams at the 4 whereas at the 3 he can be exploited a little bit defensively. he has tremendous basketball IQ though IMO so the ceiling is very high for him. bulls will have to explore trading taj this offseason for a 2 or a 3

How about getting a solid PG for him. We could definitely use one, although Etuan has been ballin out lately.
 

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Mirotic could've played the 3 in the 90's and earlier, but not anymore. Dirk Nowitzki wasn't even effective playing the 3 in the early 00's. Both players are too slow. Mirotic belongs at the 4. He cannot drive past perimeter defenders. He can't hold perimeter defenders either when they take him off the dribble. He is most effective when he is drawing opposing big men out towards the three point line- leading to easier baskets by the other four Bulls, and also leading to more offensive rebounds. Mirotic is also surprisingly good at rebounding and blocking shots. He is invaluable as a 4 in this league. Hell, against some lineups, you could get away with using him as a 5 for certain stretches of a game.

Yes, right now he is too slow. He should get quicker with functional strength and conditioning. The issue isn't on offense as most have said, he is a matchup nightmare on offense for anyone. He does other things to make his +/- promisiing like rebound, steal, and cause havoc with exceptional arm length, run the floor, spread the floor.

His weakness is that most NBA SF's can draw the foul on him because he over compensates for his quickness. Or if he bites and doesn't foul, they can blow by. He is helpless in that situation due to his body type and strength right now. I'm sure he will improve with strength and experience.

As was mentioned, if anybody dares to play 3 bigs we welcome it, or if they have an aging SF, we can go 3 bigs. Its just not that common, and with Butler out there completely unnecessary.
 

RamiTheBullsFan

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Yes, right now he is too slow. He should get quicker with functional strength and conditioning. The issue isn't on offense as most have said, he is a matchup nightmare on offense for anyone. He does other things to make his +/- promisiing like rebound, steal, and cause havoc with exceptional arm length, run the floor, spread the floor.

His weakness is that most NBA SF's can draw the foul on him because he over compensates for his quickness. Or if he bites and doesn't foul, they can blow by. He is helpless in that situation due to his body type and strength right now. I'm sure he will improve with strength and experience.

As was mentioned, if anybody dares to play 3 bigs we welcome it, or if they have an aging SF, we can go 3 bigs. Its just not that common, and with Butler out there completely unnecessary.

NBA players tend to slow down after their rookie year- not get faster/quicker. The guy is 23 years-old and has already put on miles in a different pro. basketball league. The guy is the type of player who he is at this point and that will never be a perimeter defender or a slasher.
 

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NBA players tend to slow down after their rookie year- not get faster/quicker. The guy is 23 years-old and has already put on miles in a different pro. basketball league. The guy is the type of player who he is at this point and that will never be a perimeter defender or a slasher.

LOL. Yet he is putting up LJ and Harden type of FT numbers cuz he's drawing fouls, even when he hasn't shot well. He must be doing something right. :dunno:
 

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"He's still exploring his game," Gibson said admiringly. "With Niko playing the way he is now, the court is wide open. I was open and playing freely with him as (small forward) and me as a (power forward) and Joakim at (center). It's very flexible. Niko can rebound and push and get easier baskets. We can run more now."

Gibson continued: "We've been yelling and telling [Niko] and Tony Snell to just play like they've been playing. And of course, guys being out gave him an opportunity to get in there and explore his game and help the team at the same time. You can tell a guy 100 times what he has to do, but when you have no other choice but to do it because guys ahead of you are injured, there's nothing like that. Early in the season he'd catch and shoot. ... Now he's pump-faking, sizing guys up and taking them to the basket. ... We were sitting on the bench watching him, and Derrick said, 'I can't wait to get back out there. Look how open the court is with Niko!' "
http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/stor...bulls-nikola-mirotic-deserves-talk-top-rookie
 

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Mirotic could've played the 3 in the 90's and earlier, but not anymore. Dirk Nowitzki wasn't even effective playing the 3 in the early 00's. Both players are too slow. Mirotic belongs at the 4. He cannot drive past perimeter defenders. He can't hold perimeter defenders either when they take him off the dribble. He is most effective when he is drawing opposing big men out towards the three point line- leading to easier baskets by the other four Bulls, and also leading to more offensive rebounds. Mirotic is also surprisingly good at rebounding and blocking shots. He is invaluable as a 4 in this league. Hell, against some lineups, you could get away with using him as a 5 for certain stretches of a game.
Umm what.
 
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