‘I don't feel sorry for Josh': Luc Longley's telling Giddey praise amid $46m NBA call
Australian basketball legend Luc Longley is backing Josh Giddey to prove his doubters wrong and lead the Chicago Bulls back to NBA glory as the young Aussie awaits a monster payday.
The 22-year endured a rocky start to his time at the Bulls after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder last off-season in exchange for defensive stopper Alex Caruso.
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But Giddey went on a tear after the All-Star break after Chicago traded Zach Lavine, averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists — a near triple double — in the home stretch of the season.
OKC went on to win a league-high 68 regular season games this year after Giddey's departure and the Thunder are currently trailing the Indiana Pacers 2-1 in the NBA Finals as they chase a championship with a formidable roster.
But Longley, who was traded to the Bulls and won three championship as the starting centre playing alongside Michael Jordan in the 1990s, said he doesn't feel sorry for Giddey.
'I don't feel a single bit sorry for Josh,' Longley told news.com.au ahead of the release of his new ESPN x Hahn documentary Lane Violation, which tracks his changing relationship with Andrew Bogut over the course of Bogut's career.
Bogut, who won an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors, said the brutal nature of Giddey's benching by the OKC Thunder in last season's playoffs would sting.
'I mean he essentially got benched and was somewhat told that 'we can't win with him in the line-up',' Bogut told news.com.au.
'He's been on record saying he'd rather it happened now than in year seven, eight, nine, ten — and work out the kinks at an earlier age.
'But to some young guys that could derail you, that could mentally screw you.'
Longley added about getting traded: 'It does, it motivates a lot of people. Certainly people love a story to rally behind and be motivated by.'
Giddey became a near triple double machine in the back-end of the NBA regular season and the Bulls are expected to re-sign him as they are urged to lean into a rebuilding around a young core.
'He's bounced back even better for it and now you know second half of the year for him was phenomenal,' Bogut said.
'Chicago's gonna have to have to pay him, I think. I don't think they have any choice with the way the (salary) cap is.'
Giddey and fellow Aussie Dyson Daniels, crowned the NBA's Most Improved Player, are set to receive massive contract extensions this off-season that will rocket the duo to the top of Australia's sporting rich list.
Daniels and Giddey, who is a restricted free agent, are tipped to sign long-term extensions worth around US$30 million (A$46 million) per season.
'The money is just absurd,' Giddey's dad Warrick told Code Sports.
If the Bulls can trade centre Nicola Vucevic this off-season, it would free up salary cap space to re-sign Giddey and build the team around the Aussie, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and Ayo Dosunmu.
The Bulls have been in basketball no-man's land for several years — a regular in the NBA's play-in tournament — not bad enough to land a high draft pick but not good enough to challenge for playoff series wins.
Chicago's six NBA championships came during Michael Jordan's time at the Bulls in the 1990s, and apart from Derrick Rose's MVP year and a couple of playoff runs, it's been a lean 27 years since the iconic franchise's last title.
But Longley believes Giddey can help the Bulls rebuild and escape the NBA's purgatory in the middle of the standings.
'Yeah, I think his game can help.' Longley said. 'I think he's got a natural charisma that people like.'
Longley highlighted Giddey's halfcourt buzzerbeater shot over the outstretched hands of LA Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic as potentially a pivotal moment in the point guard's career.
'I think that shot all by itself drew so much attention to the Bulls,' Longley said.
'For me, it was quite a poignant shot.
'I grew up with his dad playing basketball on national team and living in the Institute of Sport, and even still when I'm in Melbourne, I'm hanging out with his dad.
'So there's the Giddey connection. There's the Bulls connection. There's an Australian over there doing it the NBA.
'Then there's the fact it's over LeBron and Doncic — I particularly like the fact it's over the Lakers. It's just such a great shot.
'With Josh, I hope that they build the right pieces with him and around him. And I do believe in his appetite for it.
'I think he is supremely motivated by things more than money. He is deeply competitive.'
The Lane Violation documentary follows the changing relationship between the only two Australian seven-footers to truly dominate in the NBA.
When he was taken with the No. 1 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005, Bogut famously said he was not as slow as Longley and more athletic and competitive.
Those comments didn't go down with well with Longley, who told Bogut to 'pull his head in' at the time.
The towering centres went on to work together at the Australian Boomers and with the Sydney Kings, where Bogut has moved into an assistant coaching role.
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