Nikola Mirotic Emergence...

[FirstTimer]

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.

I'm not sure if you understand what the athletic prime is.

 

[The Hawk]

hate Nikola at the 3 it pretty much negates what he brings

don't want to hinder him by forcing him to play out of position

he has flourished at the 4 and has been pretty underwhelming at the 3

Now that really is bassackwards. A "four" does not stand at the top of the key , draw defenders to him and take them to the hole. A four doesn't grab a rebound and both start and finish a fast break the other way. Mirtoic does this. You guys should start taking a look at what fours in this league can do skill wise and what they cannot do.

 

[The Hawk]

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.

He is wasted at the four where he will continually get manhandled. He's best at the three where his size and skill allow him to overmatch the smaller defenders. Defensively he is not a typical three and that is why he will not guard many threes. Butler or Snell will. THe NBA is all about match-ups and Mirotics ideal match-ups are against the large majority of the threes in the NBA.

 

[clonetrooper264]

Once again, pigeonholing a player into one position or the other seems to be the cause for needless arguing. Is Jimmy Butler a SG or a SF? The answer is yes. Is Niko a SF or a PF? Again, the answer is yes.

 

[The Hawk]

i think hes gotta go for Nikola's development

Taj is not really a 5 and Nikola is not a 3 so i don't see a spot

maybe we can still get a decent wing for him

NO, Taj is not a five. taj is a four and a four, period. Gasol is not a five. Gasol is a four. Mirotic is a three who can play the four. The weakness of the Bulls right now is in the back court and at small forward. Mirotic solves half of that weakness, namely the small forward. They need help from the outside at PG and SG.

I do agree that Gibson could be traded in order to improve the PG/SG situation. Ideally it would have been someone like Dragic IF(and only IF) they could have made sure that he stayed beyond this year. IT is a solvable situation which Paxson should have done a better job at solving.

 

[clonetrooper264]

Gasol is not a center? He calls himself a center(/forward).

 

[The Hawk]

I think Niko will develop with time at the 3, but McDermott was drafted for that, as Dunleavy will only be getting older. McDermott is being groomed as that replacement. Snell can also play the 3, and he is developing very well.

I think that it is a nice problem to have. McDermott, as I see it, will be in competition with Snell for a SG/SF slot off of the bench next year. As it stands now, neither is going to earn a starting job next season barring a major trade or another significant injury.

 

[The Hawk]

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.

I think that you are a bit short sighted. When I see Mirotic, I see a less athletic, less physical Lebron James. James is 6'9" 250#. Mirotic is 6'10" 225#. Lebron pretty much could play any position on the court except point guard and I think that Mirotic might also with a bit more experience.

I essence, I have come to believe that Mirotic is headed to stardom in the NBA. I am not saying he is Lebron or an elite player yet, but I do not see much to stand in his way from stardom. I do not think that his future is at a limited power forward role for this team or as someone who would merely take the spot of Taj Gibson or Pau Gasol for that matter. I think that right now, he is better than Gibson and as good as Gasol and he is 24 years old. I want the guy in the front of this team dictating to the defense like Lebron does, not waiting to be set up by someone else. The Bulls need to change their mindset.

 

[FirstTimer]

I think that you are a bit short sighted. When I see Mirotic, I see a less athletic, less physical Lebron James. James is 6'9" 250#. Mirotic is 6'10" 225#. Lebron pretty much could play any position on the court except point guard and I think that Mirotic might also with a bit more experience.

Dubya

Tee

Eff

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Stop calling players just 4's or 2's or 3's....that shit doesn't meant anything anymore.

 

[Bear Pride]

Once again, pigeonholing a player into one position or the other seems to be the cause for needless arguing. Is Jimmy Butler a SG or a SF? The answer is yes. Is Niko a SF or a PF? Again, the answer is yes.

Nice post, this pretty much sums it up easily and nicely, imo. I remember all the countless 'debates' I had where people told me that Butler was a SF and not a SG. My argument was that Jimmy at the SG makes the Bulls bigger and tough to matchup.

I think Jimmy has proved to be a pretty good SG, with his AS appearance, and yet he is a pretty good SF as well. It's a similar argument for Niko. Niko gives the Bulls great size at the SF spot, and great shooting and athleticism at the PF spot.

For the life of me, I don't get why some fans want to 'pigeonhole' him into one position. :dunno: He can play both well, why in the World is that so hard to understand? It's like any job out there that anyone has ever worked... the more things you are good at on the job, makes you more valuable!

With all the things that Niko does so well, and will get better at yet, it's his ability to play both the SF and PF spots that is his best, imo. It's absurd to keep him from this as well.

He's simply great at pulling out the big PF's out of the lane and spreading the floor, and he's also great at playing over top of SF and posting them up. He had a beautiful lefty hook over Kidd-Gilchrist this past game, imo, and will only get better at this.

There will be times when he gets banged by a monster PF, and there will be times when he's out quickened by some SF's, but this is up to the coach to put him in the best matchup. The bottom line is that Niko will be a matchup nightmare for most teams for years, cuz of his ability to play both position very well, just like Butler.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Jimmy is a wing defender. That is what his position should be called. The only time the position '2' or '3' should be involved around him is in simple diagramming of plays.

 

[knoxville7]

Nice post, this pretty much sums it up easily and nicely, imo. I remember all the countless 'debates' I had where people told me that Butler was a SF and not a SG. My argument was that Jimmy at the SG makes the Bulls bigger and tough to matchup.

I think Jimmy has proved to be a pretty good SG, with his AS appearance, and yet he is a pretty good SF as well. It's a similar argument for Niko. Niko gives the Bulls great size at the SF spot, and great shooting and athleticism at the PF spot.

For the life of me, I don't get why some fans want to 'pigeonhole' him into one position. :dunno: He can play both well, why in the World is that so hard to understand? It's like any job out there that anyone has ever worked... the more things you are good at on the job, makes you more valuable!

With all the things that Niko does so well, and will get better at yet, it's his ability to play both the SF and PF spots that is his best, imo. It's absurd to keep him from this as well.

He's simply great at pulling out the big PF's out of the lane and spreading the floor, and he's also great at playing over top of SF and posting them up. He had a beautiful lefty hook over Kidd-Gilchrist this past game, imo, and will only get better at this.

There will be times when he gets banged by a monster PF, and there will be times when he's out quickened by some SF's, but this is up to the coach to put him in the best matchup. The bottom line is that Niko will be a matchup nightmare for most teams for years, cuz of his ability to play both position very well, just like Butler.

with jimmy its easier IMO...hes basically going to play SG or SF based off whomever the better offensive player is on the other team. nikola is going to play PF or SF based off who of the two he can guard easiest, you know his offense will be there either way whether its outside and drive game against a bigger guy or a post game against a smaller guy

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

with jimmy its easier IMO...hes basically going to play SG or SF based off whomever the better offensive player is on the other team. nikola is going to play PF or SF based off who of the two he can guard easiest, you know his offense will be there either way whether its outside and drive game against a bigger guy or a post game against a smaller guy

Well let's be careful here....just because you play the traditional '2' slot on offense doesn't mean you're guarding the 2 on the other end.

 

[knoxville7]

Well let's be careful here....just because you play the traditional '2' slot on offense doesn't mean you're guarding the 2 on the other end.

that was my whole point of my post lol jimmy guards whoever the best offensive player is on the other team that plays on the perimeter regardless

 

[Bear Pride]

Jimmy is a wing defender. That is what his position should be called. The only time the position '2' or '3' should be involved around him is in simple diagramming of plays.

So if Jimmy is a wing, then is Niko a breast? :dunno:

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

So if Jimmy is a wing, then is Niko a breast? :dunno:

Niko is a Stretch-4. A traditional player at the 4 spot who has the ability to put the ball on the floor, drive, shoot a 3, and when situations dictate can be moved down to the "3."

 

[Bear Pride]

Niko is a Stretch-4. A traditional player at the 4 spot who has the ability to put the ball on the floor, drive, shoot a 3, and when situations dictate can be moved down to the "3."

You been hanging out with Captain Serious too much, dude.

 

[PolarBear]

I think that you are a bit short sighted. When I see Mirotic, I see a less athletic, less physical Lebron James. James is 6'9" 250#. Mirotic is 6'10" 225#. Lebron pretty much could play any position on the court except point guard and I think that Mirotic might also with a bit more experience.

:enough:

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

You been hanging out with Captain Serious too much, dude.

He is my bestie.