Nikola Mirotic Emergence...

[Gustavus Adolphus]

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.

I agree with the general sentiment that this is a post full of fail.

 

[The Hawk]

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

And that is what I have always maintained also.

 

[The Hawk]

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.

Myself also. this guy may end up with an NBA scoring title in his future. What registered with me is that nothing scares him. He is not afraid of anything or anyone and isn't in awe of anything or anyone. And he is not afraid of taking the big shot.

 

[The Hawk]

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

He has a huge body and knows how to use his body to keep the smaller guys away from the ball. Its the exact same thing Lebron does. Lebron is not as nearly as quick as the smaller guys are but he hardly loses the ball and why is that? It is because he knows how to use his body to protect the ball and smaller guys bounce off of him when they make contact with him. This is the same thing that Mirotic does. There were three or four times in that game when he totally undressed the smaller guys who tried to guard him using his length and ball skills. Smaller guys do not have an advantage over bigger guys when the bigger guys can effectively shield the ball and with a power move get by them.

 

[The Hawk]

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."

So short-sighted. This is a guy who can arguably play four offensive positions....SG...SF.....PF..... and C

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I must offer my sincerest apologies to The Hawk. All this time I thought he was a complete moron. Turns out it's one big troll job.

Kudos sir.

 

[Crystallas]

No, no no no no nooooo

Let's not start this SG stuff again. Niko is not a capable SG unless the other team decides to play out of position players at SG too. Carmelo Anthony is not a SG, does not play SG, is not a capable SG, neither is Nikoloa Mirotic.

Josh Smith is not a SG, David Robinson is not a SG, Wilt Chamberlain is not a SG, Manute Bol is not a SG. Wayne Gretzky is not a SG. Joe Montana is not a SG. PewDiePie is not a SG. Julius Caesar is not a SG.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I think the better question to ask is why make more out of this? You have a guy that is playing great in the 4th quarter, and keeping you in/winning games. He's a good player - let's not start throwing superlatives around like it's candy. Just enjoy it.

 

[Scoot26]

 

[RoseMVP1]

It's incredible how far he's come. He's been fantastic in the 4th for us. Baring anything catastrophic happening, he's a future allstar/allpro. Dare I say it, he may very well match or exceed his Dirk comparison.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

It's incredible how far he's come. He's been fantastic in the 4th for us. Baring anything catastrophic happening, he's a future allstar/allpro. Dare I say it, he may very well match or exceed his Dirk comparison.

Dirk Nowitzki is the only player in the HISTORY of the NBA to have at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks, and 1,000 3 pointers. He is one of seven players in the HISTORY of the NBA to have reached the 27,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. Those other seven? Just guys like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Shaq, Moses Malone, and Elvin Hayes.

Please, I beg of you: just enjoy this now. There is no need to make silly comparisons.

 

[Diddy1122]

What's been most impressive to me has been his consistent improvement on the defensive end. I knew he'd be a great scorer in the NBA after watching his Euro League play. But the defensive improvement has just been incredible to watch. He is rarely beaten by his man off the dribble. He's not biting on pump fakes. His positioning is getting better and better with each game. He's using his length to disrupt passing lanes. The only knock is his lack of strength which can cause him to be overpowered by some of the bigger 4's out there but that will come when he gets in the weight room more.

All in all, we have a legitimate perrinial All-Star with dare I say, MVP-caliber talent on the team. Maybe I'm drinking a little bit of the kool-aid on that comment but when other rookies fall off the face of the planet after the all-star break, Niko has been soaring to incredible heights and there doesn't seem to be any stopping him.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Dirk Nowitzki gets to sit at the table with the all-time NBA greats. Nikola Mirotic at this point can't even get a job as a bus boy in the restaurant.

Let's slow down.

 

[clonetrooper264]

Niko may not be Dirk yet...or at all, but he's pretty darn good.

 

[Scoot26]

Niko is showing great potential, but yeah its silly to say hes' going to better than Dirk. We don't know what's going to happen. But the All-Star potential is certainly there. But it won't happen until Noah or Pau Gasol are out of the way.

 

[clonetrooper264]

Niko is showing great potential, but yeah its silly to say hes' going to better than Dirk. We don't know what's going to happen. But the All-Star potential is certainly there. But it won't happen until Noah or Pau Gasol are out of the way.

In theory, Pau will be out of here just in time for Niko's prime.

 

[Scoot26]

In theory, Pau will be out of here just in time for Niko's prime.

Well Pau has that player option... Noah expires after next season. Depending on what the Bulls want to do..They could start Niko in year 3 and Pau comes off the bench in the Taj role.. or they let Noah go and Pau plays center for a year.

 

[The Hawk]

What's been most impressive to me has been his consistent improvement on the defensive end. I knew he'd be a great scorer in the NBA after watching his Euro League play. But the defensive improvement has just been incredible to watch. He is rarely beaten by his man off the dribble. He's not biting on pump fakes. His positioning is getting better and better with each game. He's using his length to disrupt passing lanes. The only knock is his lack of strength which can cause him to be overpowered by some of the bigger 4's out there but that will come when he gets in the weight room more.

All in all, we have a legitimate perrinial All-Star with dare I say, MVP-caliber talent on the team. Maybe I'm drinking a little bit of the kool-aid on that comment but when other rookies fall off the face of the planet after the all-star break, Niko has been soaring to incredible heights and there doesn't seem to be any stopping him.

I agree. His ceiling is very high and it will be fun to watch him soar to it. He also is a prime example to me of how much the over-seas game has improved over ten years or more ago. I just think that their top players are better schooled in team basketball and over-all shooting than the American kids.

 

[The Hawk]

Dirk Nowitzki gets to sit at the table with the all-time NBA greats. Nikola Mirotic at this point can't even get a job as a bus boy in the restaurant.

Let's slow down.

What a silly statement. Why bag on Mirotic like that? Why can't we get fucking excited over this kid? No one here called Mirotic an all-time great. No one bagged on Dirk. Talk about a stupid post. It was your own.

 

[The Hawk]

I think the better question to ask is why make more out of this? You have a guy that is playing great in the 4th quarter, and keeping you in/winning games. He's a good player - let's not start throwing superlatives around like it's candy. Just enjoy it.

Poor Gus. He really cannot see the obvious very well. Mirotic, at this point, is more than a "good player". He is playing as good as anyone in the NBA is playing right now, particularly in the 4th quarter. That is something to be excited about not disliked like you are doing. You should know that as the master baiter of the dislike.