Bulls Nation Profile: Robbie Hummel

Robbie Hummel, like many kids who grew up in Northwest Indiana, experienced basketball locally at an early age in his community. Also like many Northwest Indiana natives, Hummel grew up a devoted Chicago Bulls fan. Robbie spoke with Bulls On Tap to share his basketball evolution starting from Valparaiso, Indiana to serving as a television and radio broadcast analyst for NCAA and NBA basketball games today.

In between, Robbie also talks about his standout collegiate basketball career at Purdue University and offers his analysis of the Chicago Bulls offseason, including the 2024 NBA Draft. Below is the conversation between Robbie Hummel and Bulls On Tap, edited for clarity and brevity.

Morris: You were drafted by the [Minnesota Timber]wolves organization.

Robbie: I played for them for two years, and I played for Denver [Nuggets], too.

Morris: So last night [Game 7 Western Conference Semi-final Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets] was like the Robbie Bowl for you, basically.

Robbie: I was there, [Nikola] Jokic and [Jamal] Murray's rookie years. And I was the last cut and went to Russia, which was a mistake because then I retired. And if I wasn't going to be in the NBA, I was like, I'll just do TV.

Bulls Fan Origins

Morris: I definitely want to touch on that as we talk more about the trajectory of your basketball career, because it's been quite a broad career. I guess for starters, you, like myself, we both come from a place that we affectionately call “The Region”. What was it like for you growing up in Northwest Indiana?

Robbie: I think in North Indiana, basketball is such a huge piece of a lot of kids' lives because you had the [Chicago] Bulls, especially in the '90s. You're at the height of Michael Jordan. You've got Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Dennis Rodman, and the six titles certainly looms very large. But also high school basketball is huge. I grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, so Bryce Drew went to my high school [Valparaiso H.S.], and then he was at VU [Valparaiso University] and makes this shot against Ole Miss in [the] 1998 [NCAA men’s basketball tournament], I was a third grader.

I was one of those kids that, man, I was [a] diehard Valpo basketball [fan]. I had my basketball idol of Bryce Drew, who was doing it right down the street. Then I had Michael Jordan, who was my other basketball idol, doing it in the city. Valpo is, what, 55 minutes from probably downtown [Chicago]. If there's not bad traffic, my dad commuted every day to work at the [Chicago] Board of Trade. I got to see Jordan play three times in person [in Chicago], which I feel like I'm so fortunate to be able to say that. But the Bulls were like, we didn't miss a game.

My dad would make a fire. We had this Little Tikes basketball hoop in our family room. We would watch the Bulls. That was every time they were on. If we happen to be doing something, I remember going to the YMCA to watch my dad play because he played pickup until he was probably 40, which is impressive, to say the least now that I'm 35. If we weren't watching the games, then we were listening to Neil Funk on the radio. The Bulls were such a big deal.

Basketball was so ingrained in the city that I came from, at the high school, at the college, at the pro level. What a time to grow up to get to watch those Bulls teams. I swear to God, I have watched the Bulls Championship videos from '91, '92, '93 so many times, "Learning to Fly," "Untouchabulls," and the "Three-Peat [The Chicago Bulls' Historic Third Championship Season]" video. I've watched them so many times. I feel like I remember the games, even though I can't because in 1991, I was two. I remember more of the '96, '97, '98 because I'm seven, eight, nine years old. But there's no way I could have memories of watching the Bulls at two.

But I feel like I do because I've watched "Learning to Fly" at least 200 times, maybe more. It's a great little hype video. It was an awesome time to grow up, and that's a massive part of why I took the route of basketball.

Morris: For me, when I got into being a Bulls fan, being from Gary [Indiana]. I had the parallel story of like you said, Bulls in the city. Then locally, when I'm coming of age, getting to really understand basketball, I see Glenn Robinson [play basketball] for the first time. My first ever [Indiana] high school sectional [tournament] game [I attended] was seeing Glenn Robinson in person for the first time in [Gary] West Side's gym.

Robbie: The Big Dog [Glenn Robinson] was different than all other high school and college [basketball] players.

Morris: Just destroying the rim, destroying everybody in front of him with just the most violent dunks you could imagine. I feel like growing up in Northwest Indiana, you're really blessed as a basketball fan because you're getting… in that period, in the '90s as well, you're getting the best of all levels of basketball you can hope for. Professionally, certainly high school.

Robbie: Well the cities care. If you went to a [Gary] Roosevelt High School game, or an Andrean [H.S.] game, or [Gary] West Side [H.S.] game, Valpo [H.S.], Chesterton [H.S.], LaPorte [H.S.], those gyms are full.

That's not the norm. I go to high school games now, occasionally around the country, depending on different things. It doesn't compare to what's happening in Indiana. It's like Texas football. So you've got that. You've got the Bulls are good. You've got Valpo University going to the Sweet 16. There was just a lot of really cool things that were happening in that time period that made everyone really like hoops.

I remember I was with one of my best friends, and we were watching the game. We both love VU. For the town of Valparaiso to have that shot. And just the aftermath. It was funny because my brother and I, probably about six or seven months ago, went down a rabbit hole on YouTube of videos about the '98 Valpo team. They have some on YouTube of the coverage and the way that CBS portrayed Valparaiso.

It was like this hillbilly town of, you'd think, 800 people. They showed a car. It was like this old bug from 1965, going down the one brick street in Valpo. They were painting a narrative. This is the little engine that could that's taking down SEC and ACC teams in Ole Miss and Florida State. Now it's going to play Rhode Island with Cuttino Mobley and Tyson Wheeler and Antonio Reynolds-Dean . They wanted a story, and they did a good job. But everybody was like, This isn't in Valpo. This is not how this place really is.

Creating a Basketball Foundation

Morris: What was your first organized basketball experience?

Robbie: The YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club. I know from playing AAU, I played for SYF [Players - Sports Youth Foundation] , which is out of Gary [Indiana]. From playing with a lot of those guys, whether that was E’Twuan [Moore] or George Bess, who played at [Gary] Lew Wallace [H.S.] or Jamil Tucker , who played at Gary Westside [H.S.]. Those guys would always talk about Biddy basketball . Essentially, in Valparaiso, it's got to be the same thing. You'd play for the Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA, you'd have a team. My dad always would coach the team. It was just basically playing with my elementary school friends. That was the first organized thing that I did.

Then when it really got serious, when I was in fifth grade, I played on this AAU team out of Valpo. We played a pretty statewide schedule. We were going to Indianapolis every other weekend. And the cool thing was when you take a step back and look at it on our Indiana [H.S.] All-Star team, which was stacked. I mean, you're talking about Eric Gordon , Jeff Teague , myself, E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson , Matt Howard , Zack Hahn , Ben Botts . I mean, you had 10 [NCAA] Division One players. You had five NBA guys that made the league on the team. Eric's still playing. Jeff just retired. I think now he's got a great podcast .

Morris: I see those YouTube clips.

Robbie: That's not surprising to me because he's [Jeff Teague] funny and he's a character for sure. A good storyteller. But when you take a step back from some of those AAU trips back when we were in fifth grade, you're like, Oh, wow. Jeff Teague was on one of those teams we were playing. And so was Nate Blank , who ended up playing. He went to University of Indianapolis, which started [NCAA] Division One. But to see some of the talent that was there, you don't even know.

You don't realize that Jeff Teague is going to be a dude that starts in the NBA, but we were playing against him in fifth grade. We played 82 games. I've got a plaque at my parents' house that says that we were like 72 and 10. We were in Warsaw [Indiana], we were in Indianapolis, we were in the region, we were playing in… Merrillville [Indiana] used to have… You've probably been there. It's a Soccerville now, I think. It became a soccer facility, but it used to have two basketball courts and a soccer field, like indoor. I think they went all in on soccer.

We'd play there, I want to say two nights a week. We were playing so much basketball.

I had a coach. His name was Jim Biggs. His son Marcus was on my high school team. This was the cool thing about my time at Valpo, I basically played with the same guys from fifth grade through my senior year of high school. This guy was such a good coach from a fundamental standpoint. If you were a guard, he was having you post up. If you were a big, he was making you dribble and shoot. He wasn't one of those guys that was going to typecast you into, oh, you're a fifth grader, but you're big. You have to post up .

He understood that, all right, some of these big guys will keep growing and be big. Some of them will never grow again, and they're going to have to become guards. But he was instrumental in me becoming the player that I was. Because I grew really late I was so skinny. I grew actually eight or nine inches between eighth grade and freshman year of high school. I went from being a shooting guard to now I'm 6'6 [in high school], which is great because I have guard skills. I could shoot. I ended up playing point guard on my high school team. But that doesn't happen without that fifth- and sixth-grade year where I'm playing for a coach that really knows what he's doing and was just fantastic at coaching our team.

When you look at my high school class, class of '07, I'm probably biased. '06 is elite, too, because you got [Greg] Oden , you got [Mike] Conley [Jr.], you've got [Kevin] Durant , you've got some studs there. But the depth of the class of '07, if you're looking at the top 10, you're talking about Michael Beasley , you're talking about James Harden , you're talking about Kyle Singler and Kevin Love , and D-Rose [Derrick Rose], Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan .

Then you get in the '20s and you got Blake Griffin. You get in the '50s, you got Evan Turner. Basically, when you got to college, man, we lost at the Peach Jam in the final to D-Rose and Eric Gordon. If you can play against those guards, get to college, yes, the physicality and the age difference is going to play a factor when you're a freshman. But there's not going to be too many guards that are better than Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose. You've seen two guys that are total freaks of nature. Athletically, Eric was such a skilled shooter, and that skill still stays with him today. He had [shooting] range in high school that was incredible.

Building a Basketball Career

Morris: So we're both Purdue guys. In your [college basketball] recruiting process, how did Purdue win the Robbie sweepstakes?

Robbie : It was very up and down for me. It was one of those things where I didn't get an offer on my first visit to Purdue. They had an offer out to a kid out of Fort Wayne. The cool thing to me was that [Purdue Men’s Basketball] Coach [Matt] Painter was very honest. He told me that “I got an offer out to this kid. If he takes it, I won't have a scholarship. If he doesn't, I will. I really like you. We'll follow you. We'll keep talking to you.”

Whereas some coaches, you get recruited and they're just, I don't know if it's word vomit or it's just a hard no right away. That never felt like that with Coach Painter. I appreciate his honesty. This kid ended up going elsewhere. But it seemed like for me, I had to be begged into the IBCA top 150 underclassmen workout because I only averaged seven points a game my sophomore year. But I was playing so well at the end of the year. And by that point in time, my high school coach, I think, was a little superstitious, so he wouldn't change the starting lineup.

So I'd sub in like two minutes into the game and then play the next 30. I really wouldn't come out unless I was in foul trouble, but I wouldn't start. So it was hard for me to get into this camp, and I played incredibly well at the camp Mark Titus was on my team, which is random. But I left that camp being ranked as the top-five player in the state of Indiana in my class when I couldn't even get into the camp.

My high school coach really had to go to bat for me. I got recruited a lot there. N.C. [North Carolina] State offered me, Iowa offered me. I went and played at the Indiana League camp, and [former Indiana University Men’s Basketball head coach] Mike Davis offered me down there. I really like Purdue. I really like Indiana. I really like NC State. Indiana, obviously, with Mike Davis, that situation was going south, and you could feel it . I visited for the Indiana/Duke game. It was an incredible atmosphere. JJ Redick had 30. Indiana took the lead. I think it was the under-8 timeout.

Marco Killingsworth got a dunk, and the place was just going berserk. I mean, it really was a special environment for that game, and JJ Redick was special for the end of the game. I really like N.C. State. Herb Sendek [former N.C. State Men’s Basketball head coach] just up and leaves. The people I really liked were falling by the wayside. I like N.C. State. Well, Herb's gone. I really like Indiana. Well, Mike Davis is getting fired.

Purdue did a great job of staying the course for the whole process, recruiting not just myself, but Scott [Martin] , my high school teammate, E'Twaun, who I ended up going to school with, and also JaJuan Johnson. So it fell into place. E’Twaun and I, I remember at Boo Williams, this was a Nike tournament in Virginia that's famous . We were out there and we were rooming together and we were talking about maybe playing together. It ended up being a great thing for, I think, both of us.

But each one is a phenomenal person. He had an unbelievable NBA career, whether that's in Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando. You played for 11 years in the NBA. That's so impressive.

Morris: Absolutely. Yeah. Contributing to Phoenix as well in that Phoenix [Suns] [NBA] Finals run.

Robbie: Yeah, totally. We really wanted to play together, and I think we were very comfortable with each other. So that was a good thing. But Matt Painter , just how honest he was and is, and Paul Lusk did a great job recruiting us, and so did Cuonzo Martin . Those three guys were really in charge of bringing that group together. They sold us on early playing time because Purdue was not great [during] Coach Paint's first year. Then Carl Landry and David Teague got healthy, made the [NCAA Men’s Basketball] tourney in [Coach Painter’s] second [Purdue MBB season], and then we got there [to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament] in his [Coach Painter’s] third season. It was a hard start to the freshman year, but we finished really, really well. Almost won the Big Ten, made the USA Tournament.

Morris: When you arrived to the NBA, what was the biggest a-ha for you?

Robbie: It's the way that space gets closed down and the physicality of the game. That does not compare to anything in college. And I had been humbled. I got dropped by the [Minnesota] Timberwolves, but then went to Spain and played my rookie year, which ended up being great for me because I was able to build some real confidence. And the ACB is a great league.

[Nikola] Mirotic was in Madrid at that point in time, and you're playing with Sergio Llul and Rudy Fernandez . Those dudes are good. They could be in the NBA. Mirotic ended up coming to the Bulls after that.

I think Rudy Fernandez didn't like living in the United States. He was from Madrid. He wanted to play there, so he went back. But that was the golden era of Spain basketball, too. You had the Gasol brothers [ Marc and Pau Gasol ].

But I think my definite aha moment was we played Oklahoma City early, like my third or fourth game in the league. I hadn't played a ton, but I was sitting next to Gorgui Dieng . Played Louisville. I think he's retired now, but he bounced around the NBA for a long time. We were playing the Thunder, so they had [Russell] Westbrook and [Kevin] Durant. Durant was off to this slow start, and Corey Brewer was guarding him doing a good job of just contesting shots, living with the results.

Durant missed this shot in front of our bench, and Gorgui, who I was sitting next to, makes the mistake of being like, Good D, bro . Durant hears him and just literally goes, "It wasn't ‘Good D Brew’. It was bad effing shot, Kevin." That's legit. Durant gets the ball. We were up eight. Durant hits a three right in front of us and stares Gorgui down the entire time. Now we're up five. We go down, we miss a shot. They come back down. Durant gets the ball, drills another three, stares Gorgui down the entire way back.

Now we're up two. We turn it over. They come down. They [the referees] call a foul, the ball gets knocked out of bounds. Durant comes over to the bench, and he literally starts verbally eviscerating Gorgui. He's like, "Man, I've never heard of you. I don't know what college you played for. I don't know how you're in the NBA. And Gorgui, I remember, I'm looking at him and I'm like, "What the hell?" Gorgui is like, "You don't want to know me?" He doesn't know what to say. Jack Sikma is one of our assistants. He's screaming at Gorgui to stop. "Gorgui, stop talking to Kevin Durant. [Gorui says] I'm not talking to Kevin Durant." So Durant gets the ball. It's a step-back, fade-away three. And He literally licks at our bench and beats his chest. He's like, "Man, I'm a bad motherfucker, and don’t you forget it." It's like, I'm in the fifth game. I'm like, "Holy shit. I cannot believe it."

He [Durant] went [from] cold to on-fire. And he ended up with 40. And it was as simple as Gorgui being like, Good D, bro. That's all he said. And that was my time of being like, man, the dudes in this league that are the alphas are a different level from anything that I've ever seen. And there's a reason that those guys are that good. They are the true alpha dogs of the sport.

Morris: That's basically every "Last Dance" meme in just one story. Making Kevin Durant take it personal. That's funny.

Robbie: He took that personally from Gorgui.

Morris: What changes about the experience of going from the game prep of what you've had up until the point of your entire professional basketball life of game day prep, the practices, you're doing film, all those preparation experiences. How do you funnel that into then becoming a media member and a broadcaster?

Robbie: I was always definitely a guy that read the scouting report, we watched film. But with Synergy now, it's made prepping so much easier than what they used to have to do in the '90s to prepare for calling games. I really wish that I'd taken better advantage as a player because I keep a notebook of every team I see, what players like to do. I just watch their clips and just jot stuff down.

I would always read it, but I think seeing it is a different animal. I really wish that before the game, if I was going to play Michigan State and I'm guarding Raymar Morgan or Goran Suton , I wish I just watched their last 50 clips. How is this guy scoring? Because I do it as an announcer. Even though I'd read this guy’s report, watching it, for me, at least, would have really sunk that thing into my head.

The cool thing about doing TV is that It's never going to be the same as playing because playing is the ultimate rush. You get to play in front of these awesome crowds, and the pressure is high, and the stakes feel big for a lot of these things, whether you're overseas, in college, in the NBA. There's just so much on the line. But when you do TV and you see that red light come on, there is some pressure there. Once the game ends for you, you can start playing tennis or pickleball or golf or whatever. Those are great. But you're never going to get the feeling of walking out and just getting the shit booed out of you, knowing, dude, we have to be great tonight to win .

I really enjoy the prep that goes into it. I think that every time I get to do a game, I do feel fortunate that this is actually my job because I sit courtside, I watch high-level basketball. This year, I got to do the NCAA [men’s basketball] tournament for Turner [Sports]. That was phenomenal. I did it with Steve Smith , the guy that I love the '90s NBA. Steve Smith is right up my alley, like watching him play against the Bulls for the Hawks and hearing some of his stories about playing in the '98 All-Star Game. That stuff is so cool to me. So I hope that I get to keep doing games like that. And I just think that getting to watch that much college basketball is a very... I'm very fortunate to get to do that.

2024 NBA Draft Through a Chicago Bulls Lens

Morris: So [NBA] playoffs are still happening, but for Bulls fans, the [NBA] Draft is very much now at the forefront of everyone's thinking since the Bulls aren't in the playoffs. We’ve just come off the [NBA] Draft lottery and the [NBA] Draft combine just took place in Chicago.

Given the opportunity you had to watch a lot of the NCAA [men’s basketball] tournament this year, I would love to get your perspective for that lottery tier [of the 2024 NBA Draft] the Bulls are in now. Who are some [2024 NBA Draft prospect] names that Bulls fans should become more familiar with for draft night?

Robbie: That's a really interesting question. Certainly the overseas guys, Alex Sarr , I have not seen a lot of him. What's the Zaccharie?

Morris: Risacher .

Robbie: Risacher, okay. I haven't seen him, but those guys will be gone before [draft pick] 11. I've seen Isaiah Collier mentioned, you think about the Lonzo [Ball] situation and the maybe lack of a point guard, even though Coby White is a beast. I thought Ayo Dosunmu did a great job this year of just playing his role. He played through some injuries there late in the year, but I like the way that he played.

I don't get to watch a ton of the Bulls [in ‘23-’24 NBA regular season]. I get to helicopter-in when needed. I filled in the last three games of the year. I did the Golden State game for radio. I did some preseason for them. Backup big-wise, I guess the future beyond [Nikola] Vuc[evic], what do you want to go in that direction? Center-wise, [Donovan] Clingan . He'll be off the board before 11, I would think. Zach Edey, to me, is interesting. He tested great. He spreads the floor. This is going to sound like I'm so biased because of Purdue.

Morris: I definitely want to dig into Edey for sure.

Robbie: I was talking to an NBA guy that I know. He was talking about the analytics love him [Zach Edey] because of his rebounding numbers . And the way that you look at the Knicks, the Knicks are just slaughtering people in the offensive glass. The percentage that occur when you get shots off the offensive rebounds are just astronomically high. That's going to help him [Edey]. The way he tested, he has some skill, and his productivity level. That, to me, I just really think that he's going to end up being a lottery pick from talking to some people. I don't know if that would be a direction the Bulls want to go in.

Dalton Knecht is interesting. I saw him in that Purdue game. He was special in that, and certainly in the post-Demar [DeRozan], post-[Zach] LaVine landscape of whenever that is for the Bulls. He can shoot it. He can come off pin-downs. Can he be a playmaker at the NBA level? I don't know. He really helped himself this year. He definitely played well. I think the Bulls, you look at shooting for sure. How many years in a row have we talked about the Bulls needing to go and make shots?

Certainly, the backup center. I just think the point guard thing because you can move Coby to the two [guard position]. I thought he [Coby] did a good job playing the one [guard position] and two [guard position]. Coby White was phenomenal to watch this year. The way he raised his game from a playmaking standpoint, from an efficiency standpoint. I really enjoy watching Coby White play because he plays with the joy. And he's one of those guys late in the year, because I did the Detroit game, the Washington game, the Knicks game. He played all three of those, right? He didn't load manage.

Morris: I don't recall Coby load managing.

Robbie: He wants to hoop. And I respect anybody that just loves to hoop. Not about the money, not about the good players set out in these games. He wants to hoop, and I love that about that, too.

Morris: Yeah, absolutely.

Robbie: He's got the best hair in the NBA.

Morris: There's no question about that.

Robbie: Whenever that's what he wants to do, Afro, braids, whatever. He rocks that.

Morris: He's got a bag. He's got a hair bag, so to speak.

Robbie: And he's got a real bag. And what he got, and if he's playing like this, he's really good.

Morris: He's going to get the big bag. But yeah, going into Zach a bit more because that has been an interesting conversation to see it take place across Bulls fans' conversations. Personally, I've tried to be a bit restrained since the tournament's finished up because I feel like, at least in Bulls fan circles, Zach is a polarizing figure right now.

Robbie: A lot of them are Illinois fans. And Purdue's got some wild people, too. Illinois, you get on their bad side, good luck.

Morris: Yeah, our Bulls On Tap team, it's a good constituency of the Illini fans, so I always have to toe the line.

Robbie: I'm not surprised to hear that.

Morris: What I really want to get from your point of view is trying to put more of a nuanced take on Zach Edey because people will quickly hone in on some development areas that he would have no matter where he goes [in the NBA Draft]. It's a different game, NBA versus Big Ten basketball. Not nearly going to be the same physicality. His role is likely going to be different. I don't expect he's going to be a number one option like Coach Painter used him [at Purdue].

But maybe just talking about, let's say if you're coaching Zach Edey, how are you helping Zach Edey translate himself from the experience he just had playing four years of basketball in Matt Painter’s system, in the Big Ten conference, to then you're going to come into XYZ NBA team?

Robbie: Rebounding translates from college to pro a lot of the time. If you rebound at a high level in college, you can assume that that can be a skill of yours to the next level. I just keep coming back to when you're as productive as he is, [2024] NCAA [men’s basketball] tournament he averages 29 [points] and 14 [rebounds] . I did 21 Purdue games, so I saw him a lot. I've seen so many seven-footers that aren't productive.

They don’t like to play, don't work on their game. It's just one of those things where because they're big, they play. Zach is not that at all. His productivity is off the charts. He really puts up numbers. He works at it. He works on his body. There was a couple of plays this year where I thought, him [Edey] running the floor and a pass would be behind him, and he'd reach back and catch it and then still be able to avoid a defender for a charge and lay it out like that. For a 7-4 human being, that is honestly insane.

He's really improved defensively. He protects the rim. Pick and roll [defense] is going to be the question. Can you guard pick and roll? I did think he took a real step forward this year. Yes, it was still the drop [defensive coverage], but Purdue did a lot more of the switching where [the opposing] guard's behind, Zach takes the guard [in the defensive switch], the guard cracks down on the rolling big, and now you've got Edey on an island. Even when the guards got past him, he's still putting that thing on the glass or in the stands.

He might have got beat a couple of times, but he did a pretty good job, I thought, of moving his feet and keeping guards in front of him. Certainly, [NBA] pace concerns you. Certainly, the pick and roll [defense] stuff is going to be something he's got to keep working on, keep becoming as improved agility-wise, athletically as you possibly can. But I just think he's still going to be productive. I don't think that's a bias. I just think that when you see a guy that's as good as he is, as big and physically dominant as he is, there's a place for that [in the NBA].

Especially in a draft that isn't the strongest by any means. I just think that there are areas he's got to get better in, but I do think that he's going to be a good NBA player. Now, is he a superstar? I'm not saying that. The game has certainly changed from the days of Shaq [O’Neal] and Hakeem [Olajuwon] just dominating on the block.

But the NBA pendulum does feel like it is swinging back. It went so small. Draymond Green playing the five [position]. But now you've got Minnesota playing KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] and [Rudy] Gobert. [Joel] Embiid is a huge human being. Yes, he's got some perimeter skills. He can shoot, but he's huge. There are big guys playing in the NBA. So I think that started the swing back, and I think that's why he [Edey] definitely is going to have a chance to be productive in the NBA.

Chicago Bulls Offseason Outlook

Morris: There are a lot of questions to be answered about this Bulls roster going into this offseason [2024]. There are obviously questions about DeMar DeRozan, he's a free agent. You have Patrick Williams’ restricted free agency. There's still a lot of speculation and questions about Zach LaVine as well, given a lot of the trade rumors that have been out in headlines.

Hypothetically, if you’re [Bulls EVP Basketball Operations] Arturas Karnisovas how are you prioritizing the roster moves that you ideally want to tackle this offseason?

Robbie: I read an article where he [Karnisovas] felt pretty honest about this [the 2023-2024 Bulls regular season] has not worked with this group, right? That was his statement after the Miami [Heat play-in game] loss. That's a good question. DeMar is such a good locker room guy. He's still productive. What, second in the NBA in clutch minutes or clutch points is really impressive. He still puts up great numbers, but he is my age. That's got to be taken into account. I just think that you can't sign into a deal where it's like, he's going to make what? If he's making $45 million.

Now, if you can get him [DeRozan] on a more team-friendly deal, I think they should keep him there because he is good for the young players, he's still productive. Who knows how much longer he can keep that up. I hope it's for the next four, five, six years for him. But other than LeBron [James], who's really doing that into their late 30s and early 40s?

The LaVine stuff is interesting. I played with Zach [LaVine] in Minnesota. He was a great teammate. He's always been super good to me. Certainly, his injury woes this year, and even at the start of last year, have been tough for him.

He's got a lot of ability. There's no doubt I'm not sure about that. But I do think for Zach, it's certainly one of those things, where can you play winning basketball? I think at times he's shown that when Lonzo was healthy and that was going well. I thought he was doing a great job of doing that. Defensively, he's got to be engaged, which I think is sometimes hard for some of the better offensive players, and you want to score.

I've always looked at Vuc. He would kill us when I was in Minnesota. I have legit PTSD from this dude just murdering our team. So, offensively, he's double-double every night. But the thing is, your payroll is pretty committed.

The Bulls are in a tough spot. I'm not envious of where AK [Arturas Karnisovas] is for that whole deal because I know I'm not really given answers, but I don't know if there are easy answers. I don't know. I think you have to be happy that Coby White and Ayo took such positive steps forward. Patrick Williams is fascinating. Is it going to be like an Austin Reeves thing where you can get him for a decent amount?

Or is it a thing like the DeAndre Ayton deal where the Pacers throw him so much money and then the [Phoenix] Suns have to match? That's a tough spot because now you've got to pay this dude, even though he hasn't produced. I think that you still look at Patrick Williams' upside. What is he? 22?

Morris: Yeah, 22, 23, I believe. He's got a lot of time still.

Robbie: I know it hasn't happened right away for him, but he [Patrick Williams] can make threes. He is a good defender, and he's got a body like you in that league. He has a special physical stature. The Bulls, certainly, it is not easy. Certainly, the Jevon Carter, Torrey Craig signings, I think, weren't as good as hoped. I think that's fair to say. You know who I love is Javonte Green.

I got to know a bit about Javonte Green two years ago because I did a couple of the [Bulls] games there. His defensive versatility, he goes to the offensive glass. He shot it pretty well here for the limited games he played for the Bulls [in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season]. But I hope he can come back. He didn't play that many games, but I just think that that's a winning player. He is a winning piece to a team, so I hope that he's back.

Morris: Roster aside, the Bulls have actually… It seems like they've been quite active with coaching staff changes.

Robbie: Wes Unseld [Jr.], right?

Morris: Yeah. So Wes Unseld [Jr.] has come in as the lead assistant. I forget the gentleman's name [Narrator Voice: his name is Dan Craig ].

Robbie: One other guy.

Morris: Yeah, he's coming from the Clipper staff. For the benefit of fans, what can Bulls fans take away from the coaching staff changes?

Because on one hand, people will hypothesize about that. On the other side, people are probably more pessimistic, and they're like, it doesn't matter . What does a staff change really do for the roster?

Robbie: I played for Rick Adelman in my first year and Flip Saunders in the second. And their philosophies were very different. Our teams were very different, too. Certainly, you go from Kevin Love and a healthy Nikola Pekovic , and you have Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin , who's healthy that first year. We won 40 games in my first season in Minnesota. We win 16 [games] in my second.

In the second year, it's Flip Saunders and a totally different staff of assistants outside of David Adleman , who's now in Denver. He was there both years. He was the one guy that crossed the bridge and coached for both his dad and for Flip. I think that certainly assistants have a very strong role in terms of preparation, game planning.

You watch those guys before a game. They're watching clips with players on terms of the scouting report or things that that player needs to do better. But I am of the firm belief that, yes, the coaches can tinker, but man, in that league, your guys have to play. The dudes have to be dudes. The players have got to go out there. Certainly, there's some guys that might bring a scheme that becomes successful.

Those things can really help a team. But if the Bulls are the team next year, I would have to think that even with two different assistant coaches, and I think Billy Donovan is a good coach. He's a good college coach. I think he's been a good NBA coach. He knows the game. There's no question about that. The players have got to win some games. But if you're bringing back the same team, you probably have to expect the same result.

Robbie Hummel is a national television basketball analyst for NCAA Big Ten Basketball . Follow him on X ( @RobbieHummel )!

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