Doug Seibold
@dougseibold.bsky.social
founder and president, Agate Publishing
Also now Jaden Ivey as of this afternoon...
October 16, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Also now Jaden Ivey as of this afternoon...
Snakebit. Hope he bounces back soon.
October 16, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Snakebit. Hope he bounces back soon.
The debacle that was Sam Hinkie's Process is the best case against tanking. Even when they ultimately got The Guy in Embiid, he still hasn't helped them become good enough even to win a conference championship. Not sure any full-tank team ever has, or ever will, win a ring.
October 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The debacle that was Sam Hinkie's Process is the best case against tanking. Even when they ultimately got The Guy in Embiid, he still hasn't helped them become good enough even to win a conference championship. Not sure any full-tank team ever has, or ever will, win a ring.
Teams can't really know if a guy is "The Guy" till they're in the organization. The top-3 players in the league right now were picked late or out of lottery or in second round--2 of them were not even the earliest pick their teams selected in their draft years.
October 8, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Teams can't really know if a guy is "The Guy" till they're in the organization. The top-3 players in the league right now were picked late or out of lottery or in second round--2 of them were not even the earliest pick their teams selected in their draft years.
This is about Washington, but could be about any team in Process-style tank mode. It's really hard to identify "a player worth building the team around" in the draft. NBA execs miss on picks all the time. "Generational talents" get hurt or go astray in development process.
October 8, 2025 at 4:24 PM
This is about Washington, but could be about any team in Process-style tank mode. It's really hard to identify "a player worth building the team around" in the draft. NBA execs miss on picks all the time. "Generational talents" get hurt or go astray in development process.
Ace Bailey is rather infamously not 6-9,
October 8, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Ace Bailey is rather infamously not 6-9,
How did you decide on classifying some of these players as 2s? I'm thinking specifically of Amen, Ingram, and to a degree Herb Jones, who I thought pretty much were 3s.
October 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
How did you decide on classifying some of these players as 2s? I'm thinking specifically of Amen, Ingram, and to a degree Herb Jones, who I thought pretty much were 3s.
Well, you can't argue with results. The Butler/Rondo/Wade squad went nowhere. But they've re-signed a bunch of their best guys. Who are you thinking of that they didn't? Only one who came through post-Butler that they should have kept is Markkanen, and he struggled to stay on floor when here.
October 6, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Well, you can't argue with results. The Butler/Rondo/Wade squad went nowhere. But they've re-signed a bunch of their best guys. Who are you thinking of that they didn't? Only one who came through post-Butler that they should have kept is Markkanen, and he struggled to stay on floor when here.
Russ, what did you think of their moves in 21? They hired new front office and did what every lottery-built team does at certain point--choose the young guys to keep and move the others for win-now players. Certainly looked like trying.
October 6, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Russ, what did you think of their moves in 21? They hired new front office and did what every lottery-built team does at certain point--choose the young guys to keep and move the others for win-now players. Certainly looked like trying.
WAS got a 2. Best Bulls got during their bottom out was a 4. But how long would you want your team to be as bad as those others have been? They have been a bad a long time and will continue to be stay bad. I am against the easy supposition that tear-down *always* the recourse for a non-contender.
October 6, 2025 at 8:05 PM
WAS got a 2. Best Bulls got during their bottom out was a 4. But how long would you want your team to be as bad as those others have been? They have been a bad a long time and will continue to be stay bad. I am against the easy supposition that tear-down *always* the recourse for a non-contender.
I'd love if during years Bulls bottomed out we'd gotten Tatum or Ant, but we drafted several picks after later. Lottery is a crapshoot every year you don't have a Wemby/LeBron/ Duncan at top, which is most years. Pundits sneered at IND for years, but right now their method is working.
October 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I'd love if during years Bulls bottomed out we'd gotten Tatum or Ant, but we drafted several picks after later. Lottery is a crapshoot every year you don't have a Wemby/LeBron/ Duncan at top, which is most years. Pundits sneered at IND for years, but right now their method is working.
How do you do that if your lottery-built team doesn't reach close to that level in 3 years? Only way to ensure that potential upside is lucking into the Wemby-level pick that comes along twice a decade or so. I am not crazy about where Bulls are but I'd rather be us than CHA, WAS, UTA, TOR...
October 6, 2025 at 7:48 PM
How do you do that if your lottery-built team doesn't reach close to that level in 3 years? Only way to ensure that potential upside is lucking into the Wemby-level pick that comes along twice a decade or so. I am not crazy about where Bulls are but I'd rather be us than CHA, WAS, UTA, TOR...
Uh...build a team? Get younger/better players? Help them improve as a group by developing a coherent style of play that fits personnel? Clean up cap sheet and have tradeable contracts if another team's star wants out? Have cap room to acquire a top free agent? The non-teardown direction, basically?
October 6, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Uh...build a team? Get younger/better players? Help them improve as a group by developing a coherent style of play that fits personnel? Clean up cap sheet and have tradeable contracts if another team's star wants out? Have cap room to acquire a top free agent? The non-teardown direction, basically?
Wish the richest owner in the league had wanted to wildly overpay for one of my players to keep his new superstar happy. All credit to Sam P., though.
October 6, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Wish the richest owner in the league had wanted to wildly overpay for one of my players to keep his new superstar happy. All credit to Sam P., though.
Move Ball, DeRozan, Lavine, Caruso, Craig, and I am sure they are trying to move Vuc. Acquire young vets with upside--Giddey, Jones, Smith. I am not trying to suggest this is a perfect team or front office. Just frustrated with the surficial "teardown is overdue" narrative.
October 6, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Move Ball, DeRozan, Lavine, Caruso, Craig, and I am sure they are trying to move Vuc. Acquire young vets with upside--Giddey, Jones, Smith. I am not trying to suggest this is a perfect team or front office. Just frustrated with the surficial "teardown is overdue" narrative.
How do team's moves over past year not comprise major overhaul? It wasn't a tear-down, but they moved 4 of 5 top/older players and became MUCH younger. Back in 17 We did the bottom-out route and got three consecutive #7s. In 21 we brought in vets and got bad injury luck.
October 6, 2025 at 7:29 PM
How do team's moves over past year not comprise major overhaul? It wasn't a tear-down, but they moved 4 of 5 top/older players and became MUCH younger. Back in 17 We did the bottom-out route and got three consecutive #7s. In 21 we brought in vets and got bad injury luck.
You missed what they are and have been doing by casting their situation as "teardown overdue."
October 6, 2025 at 7:28 PM
You missed what they are and have been doing by casting their situation as "teardown overdue."
Not sure we're watching the same team. They tried to make it work with Butler for years after Rose got hurt before they sold him to MN for their big tear-down. Whereas the Bounce seems to think Bulls are overdue for another of those.
October 6, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Not sure we're watching the same team. They tried to make it work with Butler for years after Rose got hurt before they sold him to MN for their big tear-down. Whereas the Bounce seems to think Bulls are overdue for another of those.
That was the gut teardown. Then in 21 a pretty thorough change in direction; then again over past year. Do you want another teardown? What's the timeline on ordering those up?
October 6, 2025 at 7:16 PM
That was the gut teardown. Then in 21 a pretty thorough change in direction; then again over past year. Do you want another teardown? What's the timeline on ordering those up?
How frequently do you like your gut rehabs, then? Wizards style? Hornets style? Pre-Sabonis Sacramento?
October 6, 2025 at 7:12 PM
How frequently do you like your gut rehabs, then? Wizards style? Hornets style? Pre-Sabonis Sacramento?
The impression I get is that people think they aren't doing anything.
October 6, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The impression I get is that people think they aren't doing anything.