Locked On Bulls - Daily Podcast On The Chicago Bulls

Latest Episodes:

LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/22/2019 - Bulls-Magic preview, ESPN's Tim Donaghy story, legalized sports betting Feb 22, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode, the guys preview the Bulls matchup agains the Orlando Magic and what to expect coming out of the All-Star break. The guys spend some time discussing ESPN's detailed story on former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and how exactly he used to fix games. The guys turn it into a larger conversation about legalized sports betting becoming more widely accepted, how the state of Illinois is looking to legalize it, and what the NBA has done to push its partnership with betting companies over the past few years.

The guys breakdown of tonight's matchup against the Magic starts with the three previous games this season. What can the Bulls do to eliminate a repeat performance of their embarrassing effort back in December? The guys discuss the Magic's incredible four game stretch leading into the All-Star break lead by Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Terrance Ross. How will Jim Boylen game plan to keep pace with the Magic's depth, three-point shooting and their front court's ability to score?

The second half of the show is dedicated to talking about ESPN's detailed article published this week about former NBA referee Tim Donaghy who is widely known for betting on and fixing game back in the mid-2000's. The guys discuss the article in detail, what they found most fascinating about the details, how he was able to get away with it for so long, and some of the challenges the NBA might face in today's era by partnering with betting companies. The guys also discuss if this were to happen in 2019 if it would be caught quicker because of social media and the awareness of fans, media, and the 24-hour news cycle of information? All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/21/2019 - Bulls Mailbag Pt. II (all voicemails) + quick conversation about the ex's Feb 21, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode and part two of their weekly mailbag segment dedicated solely to Bulls fans voicemails. Some of the voicemail topics covered on the show today include Zion Williamson's fit with the Bulls should they be lucky enough to land him, a caller asking about the media's perception of free agents signing in certain markets, why Derrick Rose is being suggested as a free agent target, and a question about the front office post trade deadline.

The guys kick off the show with a short segment talking about the first story in a couple months on former head coach Fred Hoiberg. The guys check in to see what he is up to and where his next opportunity might come. Jordan also follows up with Matt on his thoughts about Bobby Portis' interview with Hoops Hype late last week while he was out.

The guys spend the rest of the episode diving into Bulls fans voicemails, you can drop the guys a line at (331)-979-1369. The guys answer a call similar in question about Zion Williamson's fit with the Bulls alongside Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. should they be lucky enough to land the number one pick this summer. The guys reiterate how this only creates a good problem for the Bulls and you shouldn't worry. The guys spinoff this conversation to talk about Zion's injury from last night's Duke game and the biggest news surfacing in the sports world.

Some of the other topics covered on the show from calls include why the media perception of the Bulls landing top free agents is off and compares it to other markets around the league. The guys discuss some of the good points brought up and also push back on others. A caller asks why the idea of Derrick Rose being pursued in free agency this summer is becoming more of a recurring theme? To wrap up, the guys take a call from Australia who wants to talk about the Bulls front office comments post trade deadline. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/20/2019 - Bulls Mailbag (24-game evaluation, NBA Draft, Kris Dunn, Jim Boylen, jersey nostalgia, and more) Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode, the guys are back in full and the kick off the episode talking about the news buzzing around Chicago about the other team the Reinsdorf family owns real fast. The guys talk similarities in the fanbases disappointments, how Jordan is coping with the loss of Machado, and update Bulls fans on some of the Bulls injuries including Chandler Hutchison, Denzel Valentine, and Wendell Carter Jr. The rest of the episode is dedicated to their weekly Locked On Bulls mailbag.

Some of the questions and topics on today's show include whether or not Bulls fans should be worried about the Bulls sliding out of the top-four picks in the lottery standings before the season is over. The guys take a look at the current lottery standings, reiterate the flattening odds, and also look at the strength of schedule for the bottom five teams in the league in the remaining games.

Jordan and Matt answer a few questions about the possibility of landing the number one pick in this year's draft and having the opportunity of drafting Duke's Zion Williamson. A few questions asked include whether or not the Bulls would entertain trading out of the number one pick for any reason and what are the Bulls options positionally if they do in fact land Zion in the draft?

Which Bulls player will be under the most pressure to succeed in the final stretch of games? The guys tie this conversation into a few questions about Kris Dunn and what Bulls fans are feeling about his future going forward. What kind of conversations will the front office and Dunn have this offseason and if the Bulls address the need at point guard what does that mean for Dunn's future?

Other topics discussed on the show from Bulls fans include whether the guys have opened up to the idea of Jim Boylen returning as head coach after this season if the Bulls continue to play well. Jordan and Matt discuss some of the improvements Boylen has made recently but are still very wary the sample size, the players buying in, and about his return next season. The guys also have a fun conversation about Adam Silver's tech summit at NBA All-Star Weekend and whether or not they like the advancement in jersey changing. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/18/2019 - Guest, Producer/Host Tony Gill from 670 The Score Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode - Jordan Maly is joined by first time guest of show Tony Gill, producer and podcast host (No Zones Podcast) at 670 The Score. The guys recap NBA All-Star Weekend, what they liked about the event, if the popularity of the event is continuing to grow, and what they would like to see changed.

The guys spend the majority of the episode discussing some of the more recent events from the Chicago Bulls season in year two of the rebuild. Tony talks about how trading for Otto Porter Jr. has put the Bulls in a position to exit the conversation on top tier free agents the next two summers and the guys discuss when the decision was made. Do the Bulls have a clear direction and plan for the rebuild heading into year three or four? Do they need to have the rebuild all mapped out right now?

The conversation continues by talking about what Zach LaVine's steady improvements since the month of November. What does Tony see in Zach LaVine's game that's different from the start of the season - most importantly, will it last? The guys discuss what LaVine's discussions will be like with Bulls management this summer and what he will demand as far as direction. Does Tony see a scenario where LaVine could ask out?

The guys talk about some of the building blocks around this team including the insertion of Otto Porter Jr., what it means for Chandler Hutchison's growth as a player, Kris Dunn's role with this team going into next season, and how Lauri Markkanen can use the remain games to continue to develop his game.

The guys talk about the point guard position and how the Bulls will address that need this summer, will it be through free agency or the draft? Jordan and Tony talk about the lottery positions, building chemistry equating to winning meaningless games, and what happens if the Bulls lose out on Zion and Ja Morant. The final conversation circles around Jim Boylen and if he's seen any growth from him as a head coach in his first few months interacting with him everyday. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/15/2019 - Bulls-Grizzlies recap, Otto Porter Jr. career night, Bobby Portis-Hoops Hype interview Feb 15, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode, Jordan Maly goes solo to bring you into the weekend. He breaks down the Bulls win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, their final game before the All-Star break. He also talks about Otto Porter Jr.'s career night, how the team has increasingly improved on the offensive side, one big question in the absence of Kris Dunn, and Bobby Portis sheds some light on what went down last week before he was traded.

Otto Porter Jr. has only played four games for the Chicago Bulls but Wednesday night was the first time in his career he has taken 20 or more field goal attempts. Jordan discusses his confidence level, whether he really was the third wheel to John Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington, and how we should still temper expectations in the remainder of the season. Jordan talks about Zach LaVine's impressive night as a distributor, how he is continuing to improve his vision as a passer and facilitator.

Jordan gets to his one biggest question of the night: what speaks bigger volumes about the Bulls win, Kris Dunn's absence from the lineup or a point guard like Ryan Arcidiacono playing so well with the starting five? He tries to weigh the odds with a small sample size and discusses some of the factors that might play out the rest of the year.

The other main topic on the show today includes Bobby Portis' interview with Alex Kennedy from Hoops Hype on Wednesday afternoon. Portis tells Hoops Hype about how he found out he was getting traded, whether or not he knew that he was being discussed as part of a deal prior to the deadline, and what his feelings were like after it all went down. Jordan gives his take on why he thinks Portis still believes the Bulls and Chicago were a great overall but this latest and last situation was handled poorly. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/14/2019 - Locked On Bulls Mailbag + Voicemails Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode, the guys spend the entire show taking your mailbag questions and voicemails - drop them a text or voicemail at (331)-979-1369. Some of the topics include Joakim Noah becoming the next veteran mentor, testing out Zach LaVine at point guard, other options if the Bulls lose out on Zion Williamson, the aftermath of the Otto Potter Jr. trade, is this the last rebuild for management, and so much more.

Locked On Bulls starts with a question about Joakim Noah potentially coming back to the Bulls in a veteran leadership role to help mentor Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. - the guys discuss some of Noah's comments before the Bulls game Wednesday night and what Noah's goals might be. The guys also take a look at the free agent market should Robin Lopez get bought out or go elsewhere this summer and who could fill that void.

The guys field some hypothetical trade scenarios that lingered from after the trade deadline and have a larger discussion about the equal value of players overall. The guys get a question about stretching and waiving players on a roster, what it would do to the Bulls cap space, and what advantages and disadvantages it would have. Locked On Bulls answers a question about Denzel Valentine vs. Wayne Selden Jr. and what the Bulls should do with both of players this summer.

Locked On Bulls voicemails include more reaction to the Otto Porter Jr. trade and fans are continuing to feel like it was the right move. Another caller discusses the front office from the perspective of the ownership and how they might see them as being successful over the last few rebuilds but believes this might be their final chance.

Some of the other discussions on the show include Paxson and Boylen having similar basketball philosophies, where Zion Williamson would play if the Bulls were to land him, Dunn's defense, and what will Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis get on the free agent market this summer? All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/13/2019 - Bulls fighting through injuries, trying to define what a "core player" is, three-point shooting Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode, the guys kick off the show talking about the growing concern of players battling through injuries to stay on the floor and Jim Boylen's philosophies about "toughness" and "grit". The latest examples comes with point guard Kris Dunn injuring his tailbone against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, leaving the game but coming back late in the fourth quarter. The guys discuss if it's in the best interest of a rebuilding Bulls team to make players fight through injury if it could end up with risk of long-term effects.

The guys have a conversation about what it means to be a Bulls core player after the recent trade deadline moves made. The guys discuss the Bulls core since the rebuild started and even prior to that. Jordan asks the question if there are qualifications or requirements to be a part of the core? The guys discuss if roster turnover is just part of being in a rebuild and if it's all just part of the process in getting to the final result of a competitive, championship level team. Is the message consistent about the evaluation and patience level there is for "core players"? What do Bulls fans believe a core player means and what do standard do they hold them to?

The final segment of the show the guys talk about the three-point shooting in the Jim Boylen era. The guys talk about Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine's improved three point shooting numbers from last year to this year and how the additions of Wayne Selden Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. have only strengthened their ability to from beyond the arc. The guys dive into the analytics of all the players on the Bulls from three and what they want to see in the remaining games going forward. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/12/2019 - Bulls-Bucks recap, LaVine-Markkanen finding their stride, Boylen pressing players? Feb 12, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Locked On Bulls, Matt goes solo and breaks down the Bulls' Monday night loss to the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

The conversation starts with a close look at the way Zach LaVine has increased his assist numbers while maintaining his efficient scoring streak and his growing chemistry with Lauri Markkanen. Matt notes the poor shooting night from Lauri, but discussed the ways in which the Finnish kid positively affected the game despite the 6-21 shooting. Notably, his continued success grabbing rebounds, and his willingness to put the ball on the floor to jump-start transition offense opportunities after corralling boards.

In the second segment, Matt discusses Jim Boylen's latest attempt at a small-ball lineup from last night, which saw Otto Porter Jr. getting minutes at the 5. With Cristiano Felicio essentially being unusable in an NBA game, Boylen has started to use more small looks with Markkanen and now Porter at the center position for certain stretches. Unfortunately, the Bulls are so weak in their second unit that the Porter-Luwawu-Harrison-Selden-Arcidiacono experiment last night looked awful. But when the Bulls hopefully add some better depth to this roster, they should - with or without Boylen - continue to experiment with these small-ball kind of lineups.

And finally, Matt wraps up the show questioning the latest head-scratching decision by Boylen and his staff to let an injured player keep playing. Kris Dunn took a nasty fall and landed on his backside. Despite being in visibly serious pain and taking a trip to the locker room, Dunn came back into the game in the 4th quarter. He looked immobile. Why was he out there? It's yet another example on the heels of Zach LaVine playing through a re-aggravated ankle sprain and Chandler Hutchison fighting through 41 minutes with a broken toe. For a team with just 13 wins nearing the All Star break, Matt asks: what is the point of this, and why is no one telling Boylen to stop?

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/11/2019 - Nets-Wizards recaps, Bulls Press Conference, John Paxson Radio Interviews Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a fresh episode and the guys breakdown the chaos that ensued from the weekend including the Bulls press conference following the Otto Porter Jr. trade, John Paxson's heated radio interview on 670 The Score, and Nets-Wizards recap with Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker returning to the United Center.

The guys talk about Otto Porter Jr.'s first game with the Bulls and how the team looked a lot different against the Nets than they did a few weeks ago. Locked On Bulls spent some time on some of the differences they noticed on the offensive side of the ball and where Otto Porter can help. The guys mention how the Bulls second unit will ultimately be the downfall of a lot of wins in the last 28 games. The guys also discuss Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker's return to Chicago, the Bulls deflated back-to-back showing and how the effort was lacking in this game. The Bulls have lost 10 straight games at home for the first time in franchise history.

Locked On Bulls breaks down the Bulls press conference following the NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday. The guys talk about the comments made from John Paxson and Gar Forman after trading Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis to the Washington Wizards for Otto Porter Jr. The guys bounce around from a bunch of different topics including perception of the fan base, being held responsible for failures (such as Jabari Parker signing), and more.

The guys move it along to John Paxson's interview on 670 The Score with the McNeil & Parkins Show. The guys highlight some of the audio throughout the interview and why it become a sparring match between the hosts and Paxson. The guys also take you through the interview Paxson did with the Carmen & Jurko show on ESPN 1000. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls.

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LOCKED ON BULLS, 2/8/2019 - BONUS EP: Bulls fans react to Otto Porter Jr. deal (voicemails + texts) Feb 08, 2019

Show notes

Locked On Bulls is back with a special bonus episode post NBA trade deadline dedicated solely to to Bulls fans reacting to the Otto Porter Jr. deal. The guys take all of your voicemails, texts, tweets, and reactions in addition to any other breaking news in this special edition mailbag episode.

The guys get a lot of mixed reaction as the NBA trade deadline comes and goes, normally the Chicago Bulls are not players at the deadline. Now that the Bulls acquired Porter and have limited cap space will they be addressing the point guard position? Bulls fans want to know why they had to give up a pick in the deal and were unable to get anything back with having to take on so much of Otto Porter Jr.'s contract? Jordan and Matt discuss the value of the deal and whether it's fair to question what kind of leverage the Bulls had.

The guys take some calls from angry Bulls fans who are fed up with the lack of direction from this team. The guys try to make some sense of when the Bulls decided to pull the plug on taking a run at free agency this summer. The guys discuss whether or not Porter will actually help or hurt the draft position in the remaining 28 games this season. Did the Bulls do Bobby Portis wrong by trading him and not staying loyal? The guys discuss how Portis was proving to be one of the glue guys to this team but did turn down an opportunity to stay long-term in the fall.

Will Otto Porter Jr. have an impact on this Bulls team and what do the guys expect out of him? Bulls fans are wondering how the other guys on the team are taking the trade of Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis. Will Porter be able to help bring a desperate need of outside shooting at the wing and open things up for Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine? The guys also discuss how this move will impact the Bulls scouting the upcoming NBA Draft. All of this and so much more on Locked On Bulls. Drop the guys a voicemail or text at (331)-979-1369.

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