Time to give thanks for the Bulls rebuild? Not quite, but here's a mailbag

While there may be plenty to be thankful for in the world as a whole, the Bulls' rebuilding plan has produced no real dividends so far. They'll carry a 3-13 record into Friday's road-trip finale at Golden State.

Questions for this version of the Bulls Twitter mailbag were a little bit ruder than usual, no doubt reflecting the feelings about the team right now. So let's just roll with it. Any players mentioned below, please don't take things personally. Fans have a right to vent, especially in tough times.

Why does Justin Holiday shoot more than Kobe? - @lesprogressives

Fair enough, but let's first examine the accuracy of this statement. Holiday is averaging 14.6 shot attempts this season. Bryant averaged 19.5 shot attempts over his career, so it's a little off. But the intent is understood.

Look at it this way, the Bulls took a career role player and tossed him into a situation where he's expected to be a veteran leader and go-to scorer. Naturally, Holiday is still figuring things out when it comes to shot selection and he may not have it in him to be a consistent 16- to 18-point scorer in the NBA. If the Bulls can add some talent in the next couple years, Holiday could learn from this experience, slide back into a supporting role, and be a valuable piece if the rebuild starts climbing the stairs. I guess the answer is don't worry about it.

Will the Bulls win 10 games this year? - @Mad_sportz619

I'll say yes, since a guy who is supposed to be their best player (Zach LaVine) might join the rotation in a couple weeks. They may even break 20 wins.

Who are the Bulls targeting in the 2018 draft? - @DaveyDavidsonNC

They are probably still evaluating prospects and this will be a heavy focus during the next seven months. From what I've seen so far, the two big men - Duke's Marvin Bagley and Arizona's DeAndre Ayton - would make nice complements to Lauri Markkanen. At the same time, Luka Doncic seems to be the standout wing scorer in this draft, and the Bulls should continue to consider Missouri's Michael Porter Jr., even though he's out for the year. Remember, Kyrie Irving played just 11 games in his lone college season. That's more than Porter's two minutes, but the point is, the Bulls are looking for someone who will be great in the long run.

If you had to think of one 2018 free agent that the Bulls could realistically target and sign, who would it be? - @tschill86

Well, if I learned one thing during the Bulls' failed free-agent chase in 2000, it's top-line NBA players don't get excited about playing for losing teams with unproven coaches. So my answer is no one. If the Bulls show some improvement, 2019 might be a better bet. Actually, the reason I suggested DeMarcus Cousins as a possibility a few weeks ago is if New Orleans decides to end the two big men experiment, he could end up without an obvious free-agent destination.

Which teams will most likely give up a first-round pick and dump a bad contract to the Bulls in exchange for some of our current players in order to save their season and playoff hopes? - @BullsNationPH

Well, a team with playoff hopes isn't likely to target any of the Bulls players. Those teams want a veteran with some winning experience and the Bulls' roster offers limited shopping. As far as contract dumps, that's tough to predict until we see teams dropping out of the playoff race, and even then the Bulls would only take guys young enough to fit into a rebuild.

Center Robin Lopez is the obvious trade chip, but in today's guard-oriented NBA, will there be any team that sees him as a must-have player? This topic merits its own story someday soon.

Does Jerian Grant really play in the NBA or have we been duped and he is some fan or impostor? - @DaRock23

In the win over Charlotte last Friday, I think I came up with the proper comparison. When Grant plays well, he can resemble B.J. Armstrong - a guy who's not a traditional drive-and-dish point guard, but can facilitate the offense and knock down an open shot when it's there. As with all the young Bulls, consistency is everything. One good game every three weeks is a sign you belong in the G-League.

What are the chances the Bulls actually sign Antonio Blakeney to an NBA contract? - @RealRablaze

Pretty good, I'd say, but it all depends on Blakeney having more of those scoring outbursts like he had against the Lakers. Bad news for Hoffman Estates if it happens.

I've noticed that the Bulls seem to do a lot of pointless switching on defense, even when no pick has been set. Can you explain just what they think they're doing? - @Shirley_I_Jest

I've had this exact thought, though not as often this season since Nikola Mirotic hasn't been playing. Sometimes players get mismatched in transition. Sometimes the Bulls switch even when the resulting matchup means automatic points for the opponent. No, I can't explain it.

How would Shaq have done in the modern NBA? - @Pbrady55

My basic response is, about the same. Because today's relaxed defensive rules mostly favor guards with the lack of hand-checking. Referees still allow considerable contact in the post.

But also, with the maximum salary in effect, O'Neal would have never left Orlando because he would have signed a max extension instead of being insulted by the Magic's initial offer, right? Then if defenses couldn't hand-check Penny Hardaway, would he be throwing lobs to Shaq every time down or scoring more himself? Needless to say, the NBA would be very different. Excellent question.

Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls

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