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Ask Sam | Sam Smith opens his mailbag | 1.16.2015

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

By Sam Smith | 1.16.2015 | 9:00 a.m. CT

We see teams like the Mavs, Grizzlies, and Cavs making moves that sacrifice the future in order to win now. The window to be a championship contender doesn't stay open long so it makes sense to go for it if [you] think [you] have a chance. I think the Bulls are in this category as well and I think they are one move away from being a legit contender. Would they offer some combo of Snell, the pick we got from Cleveland, their own #1 for Wilson Chandler or Aaron Afflalo?
Billy Habibi

With Nate Robinson likely being bought out in Boston, would the Bulls pursue him for a veterans' minimum? I know the Bulls are a possible Ray Allen destination if he decides to play and I'm not even sure how much Nate would add (being very similar to Brooks) but still I thought it could be a possibility given knowledge of the playbook/coaching staff, the mutual respect between him and the Bulls organization, plus mutual fondness between him and the fans.
Jay Ernani

If Prince is bought out by the Celtics, do you think the Bulls would sign him?
Megan Wong

After a stellar December in which the Bulls plowed through a relatively tough schedule, we looked forward to a much easier stretch in January. Nonetheless, after disappointing home losses to Brooklyn, Utah, Orlando, and Washington (plus a road loss to Washington as well), what needs to change here? Can the Bulls simply rely on the talent they currently have, or will it take one more acquisition to put them among the elite? I would part with Dunleavy and possibly Snell for a younger starting SF who can help us beyond this season.
Mike Burgher

So as we near the midpoint of the season the Bulls look tired and a bit disinterested. With all of the bad, we have done exceptionally well and I'm not super worried. I do think there is a glaring weakness right now however at SF and the second unit defensive effort. The only person that comes off the bench that can play D is Taj. Hinrich is looking awful, and I hate to say that because hes one of my all time favorite players. For as lanky and athletic we think Snell is, he is no defensive player either. We need to trade for a swingman that can come off the bench and give 15 minutes of solid defense every night. Is there anyway the Bulls could find someone better than Snell. Do you think the Bulls are starting to look around?
Mario Persico

It's time to let go of draft picks. I know I know it's unlike the Bulls to make some kind of mid-season blockbuster trade, but I'm not even asking for that. I don't want to wait until the end of the season for player buyouts and end up with some sub-par player that won't get any minutes. Its time for a trade. The Bulls need another shooter. This was confirmed with Tony Snell getting the start. I don't dislike Mike Dunleavy, he has height, he can play defense he even has a team friendly contract, but he's just a very streaky shooter. Doug McDermott has had a tough start and will become a better player, but he won't be in the playoff rotation.
Tom Boba

I remember during his first 3 years in the league when Derrick would come out and attack the other top point guards (Paul, D-Will, etc.) and he made a name for himself. It seems like now the newer breed of point guards are doing the same thing to him and it doesn't seem fair to judge him in those match ups because the rust hasn't completely come off. I can see he has has another gear left and am really excited to see him go against Wall, Lilliard, Lowry, etc. after the All-Star break and then we can judge how far along he has come and hopefully he'll go back to attacking the other top point guards instead of the other way around!
Adam Garcia

Tony Parker played tonight and looked dead. Lots of min[utes] in his legs.
Mike Sutera

How many Bulls do you think will be a part of All-Star weekend? I'd guess Butler and Gasol will make the big game, and Mirotic should be going to the rookie-sophomore challenge. Do you think the NBA will try to get Derrick there somehow, maybe for the skills challenge?
Chris Feldman

Do you think Dunleavy's absence may be partially why we've been playing how we've been the last few games?
Deven Damji

So, whose fault is this defensive malaise? This isn't something that just happened; it's been going on for at least parts of the entire season. Is Thibodeau failing to teach/motivate? Are the players not responding to the coaches? Is it because of the Bull's inability to have set lineups and defensive rotations due to injury, causing unfamiliarity among those on the court? Or is it simply a combination of all of the above? Gasol got no help much of the game against Orlando when it seemed obvious that he was over matched trying to defend Vucevic. I like Snell, but it seemed like his feet were stuck in cement when it was seemingly apparent he had to help cover to prevent a layup. Do you think the Bulls' defense can/will get better?
Bill Kochneff

Every big sees 2 ribeyes when they come to town and get Pau and Noah defending them. We need to get a D-League tough guy rebounder or we may be toast when the games start to mean something. I do expect Rose to be himself then to counteract some of this but we have a glaring weakness. And you know it. I'm not overreacting.
Joseph Hollis

I know you are probably getting the, "What moves need to be made?", "Is Thibs the right coach?", or whatever other reason people are overreacting about due to the 4 losses in 5 games. So, I decided to do some quick researching on the top 5 teams in the East. Injuries are part of the game, yes, that is true and every team has them, but to what extent. I took the top 7 players from each of the 5 teams to see combined who has the most games missed and most missed by the starting lineup thru Jan 14. Guess who has the least? The conference leading Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls have the most.
Matt Scheidler

I'm from Italy and I've been a Bulls fan for a lot of time. I can't understand why a lot of people are not happy about what the team is doing this season. I mean, they had a difficult schedule at the start of the season, Derrick hasn't played the last two years and isn't playing bad (ok, he could do better, for example if he tries to do some more assist instead of taking a lot of shots), Noah had a surgery this summer, there are four new player in the rotation (Gasol, Brooks, Mirotic and Mc Dermott), Thibs isn't playing the players too much like others years and Bulls have the same one of the best records in the week east and are ahead of Cleveland. I think they could only improve game after game, so relax and wait the playoff.
Alessandro Ceck