Healthy basketball, starting from eating the old Lakers F4

After two consecutive wins at the start, the Bulls played relatively smoothly, and several games in the Eastern Conference ended in victory.

It wasn't until the second game of the Bulls' six-game road trip in the West, against the Kings, that some problems were exposed.

Although Kings star De'Aaron Fox is only a fourth-year rookie, his skills have matured and his physical condition has reached its peak.

Under the attack of Fox, the fastest player in the league, the Bulls' outside and inside defense were severely tested.

Although Curry is flexible, he cannot defend against fast point guards.

Murray's defense is pretty good, but just good. He can't lock down Fox at all.

As for Duane, he can try to defend Fox when he is at peak morale.

But now that he is at the age to enjoy life, the Bulls will not let Duane have to defend Fox.

Also because the first line of defense on the outside can't do anything to Fox, the Bulls need to rely more on the inside defense to limit Fox's scoring.

But Siakam and Jokic, who were in the starting lineup, are not that good at defense.

The Bulls tried to double-team in advance, or delay with a big center, to limit Fox's possession of the ball and attacking the basket.

But for the current Kings team, there is not only Fox who can play, there is also an All-Star Sabonis Jr. on the team.

Once the Bulls have some defensive loopholes under the basket and his teammates are able to pass the ball to the basket, Sabonis Jr. can confidently shoot the ball into the basket.

It was precisely because the Kings' two star players played well and the Bulls' defensive weakness was exposed that the Bulls lost the away game and suffered their first defeat of the new season.

Perhaps the Kings' victory over the Bulls provided some inspiration to other teams.

The next opponents the Bulls encountered basically focused on being small and fast, relying on small guards to lead the charge and constantly attack the Bulls' increasingly fragile perimeter defense.

Some teams relied on pick-and-rolls at the one and five positions to gradually tear apart the Bulls' defense, while other teams relied on three guards to constantly make transitions, making the Bulls exhausted.

The Bulls won most of the games thanks to their better offensive performance, but they also inevitably lost a few of them.

The Bulls management considered that the main players were playing too hard and might get injured, so they took the initiative to send out signals that the main players should take a rest and play health-preserving basketball.

Anyway, everyone knows that we are not pursuing results this season.

After the team's record has been bad for a while, it is time to trade Siakam and Murray, who have just signed big contracts, before the mid-season trade deadline in exchange for some expiring contracts and draft picks.

As for when the Bulls will rebuild and start their next championship journey?
It depends on whether there are good people in other teams and when they will put the outside defensive stalwarts on the shelf.

In fact, Dunn already has a candidate - Andrew Wiggins.

The environment of the Timberwolves is too bad, and Wiggins' mental attributes are relatively poor, resulting in Wiggins, who had just renewed his maximum salary contract but did not see any progress in recent seasons, becoming a garbage contract that the Timberwolves urgently need to get rid of.

Judging from the current market conditions, although it is not as exaggerated as only being able to trade a box of cookies, it is indeed not easy to sell.

The Timberwolves management has put Wiggins on the shelf for two seasons, but few people are interested.

It is undoubtedly easier for the Bulls to get Wiggins.

However, after the trade, this is not a good reinforcement. After all, after trading for Wiggins, there is only one chance to compete for the championship in three to five years.

To be honest, Wiggins' situation is quite complicated. As the No. 1 pick in a draft year, there is no need to say much about his physical fitness.

Defending against some third-round draft picks who aspire to win the regular season MVP is like bloodline suppression, and it is useless no matter who tries.

Even if the top picks compete with each other, it will be ineffective unless their weak points are broken by elbows.

In terms of defense, especially defense on the perimeter, Wiggins is definitely a top-level defender. However, if you want Wiggins to provide an impact on the offensive end, it is like his personality, which is more Buddhist.

Because of his family medical history, Wiggins dare not take medicine, and he also has some problems with his mentality, so he has not made much progress since entering the NBA.

Of course, there were also problems with the early training route. Although we had already entered the small ball era, we tried to train in the way of a classic guard.

After giving up mid-range shots and switching to three-pointers, because he did not have much shooting talent, he could only improve by shooting a lot of three-pointers and strengthening his muscle memory.

As a result, he lost his mid-range shooting ability and his free throw percentage dropped.

Then he gradually became an NBA civil servant who was a jack of all trades and master of none, and specialized in playing health-preserving basketball.

The Bulls traded for Wiggins only because they wanted his defense and did not expect him to attack. Considering Wiggins's non-competitive and hardworking character, it is quite suitable.

However, with the outbreak of the epidemic, Wiggins's days may not last long.

But Wiggins is a filial son. Once his father gets into trouble, he has no intention of playing.

In other words, the Bulls traded for Wiggins so that they can either put together a good lineup this season and immediately compete for the championship in the second half.

Otherwise, there will only be one championship window in the 21-22 season.

Considering that they just won the championship last season and the management has already sent out the signal of tanking in advance, it is impossible for the Bulls to win the championship this season.

Therefore, after trading Wiggins, they can either make a push next season or support Wiggins for four years.

As long as the Bulls play badly for four years, hoard draft picks, and develop some second- and third-year players who can fight immediately, once Wiggins recovers and can play again, the Bulls will definitely be able to restart their championship plan.

However, for Durant, whose form has been declining, and for the Bulls, who have won the championship every one or two years in recent years, waiting for four years is too luxurious.

It is also for this reason that Duan can only take a long-term view.

At the same time, Dunn is also paying attention to management's trading plans.

If they wanted some rotten sweet potatoes and stinky bird eggs, Dunn would be willing to gamble on next season or wait four years.

After all, Wiggins is a guarantee.

The Bulls' lack of top-notch perimeter defense is exactly what Wiggins' talent can make up for.

And the future faces of the league happen to be naturally defeated by Wiggins' physical talents.

The finals is usually a series between the two strongest teams in a season, a peak showdown.

Now is the small ball era, and the Bulls' opponent in the finals will definitely have at least one top outside star.

And at that time, Wiggins' talent will come in handy.

"It would be best if we can win the championship next season, but if we can't, we can just hold on to the contract.

Anyway, according to Wiggins' non-competitive personality, as long as he can be made comfortable, he would take the initiative to cut his salary even after winning the championship.

So there is still a lot of room for maneuver.”

After careful consideration, Dunn decided to report his trading plan to management in advance.

Once the team's passion for defending the championship this season is exhausted and the new players in the team start to improve their stats, we will be ready to start trading.

Although Duane doesn't care how many championships he can win in the future, he still has to take out some insurance for himself and win another championship at the end of his career to boost his performance. (End of this chapter)