Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Bulls looked dysfunctional in 135-92 loss to Raptors in season opener

Episode Date: October 22, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote reacted to the Bulls’ ugly 135-92 loss to the Raptors on Wednesday in their season opener.

Rahini and Grody. Midday's 10 a.m. to 2 on Chicago Sports Radio 104, 3, the score. And Sellers will just walk it over the mid-court line, and they're going to eat the trouble, and the Bulls get ready for Milwaukee on Friday afternoon. We appreciate you listening, folks. This has been a very, very tough game. So the final here from Toronto in the NBA season opener for both teams, Raptors 135 and the Bulls 92. Chuck Swirsky with the call last night right here on 104.3, the score,

as we welcome you back into Rahimi and Grotie on 104.3, the score. Tough, tough night for the Bulls last night. Raptors 135, Bulls 92. The Bulls were in a 70 hole right away. The old Tiago Splitter calling his first timeout ever as a Bulls head coach pretty early into the first quarter. Hey, man. what I was getting into watching the Bulls or anybody should know what they're getting into if they watched the Bulls this year because the Bulls told you they actually literally

have not been afraid to use the word rebuild. That is what Bryson Graham has said. That is what Tiago Splitter has said. The words Rebuild have come out of their mouth. And so when you're watching the game, really, really you just want to see what Caleb Wilson is all about. He had 16 points, seven for 21 from the field, one for eight from three, which was everybody, by the way. The problem with Caleb Wilson, and he's going to get a lot of grace, and there are no conclusions to be drawn from Caleb Wilson, but nine turnovers. The turnovers were ugly all night for this team. It was just so sloppy that it was difficult for me, Leila, to keep in perspective that this is a rebuild, that this is game one. I didn't expect the slaughtering to be that bad.

last night in Toronto. Well, and I think part of it is because we got used to watching years of Billy Donovan just coach the ever-loving tar out of every game possible in the best way possible. With all of his guards. I mean, he just, he was that guy. I'm not saying Tiago Splitter isn't a good coach. I'm just saying that's kind of what Billy would try to do in every single way, shape, and form.

It's a Hall of Famer, so yes, we can sit. Tiago Splitter might end up being great, but Billy Donovan was a better head coach than the man they have right now. But even when I saw the first quarter where the Bulls got outscored by 20, where Toronto had 43 points in the first quarter and the Bulls at 23, you know what I thought about was the Bryson Graham joke after the NBA draft press conference where he's joking about the shooting. A lot of people might, you know, where's the shooting at, you know, and things of that nature.

Yeah, things of that nature. Where's the shooting at? Yeah, where was the shooting at? And I'm not here, I'm not here to make any proclamations after games. one. But you are figuring out what people's usage rates are. You are figuring out how the adjustments need to be made, what the evaluations are. And by the way, if you didn't know, that game against the Bucks on Friday is a 3 o'clock game. So that'll be on 670 the score. Tomorrow. Yeah, that's right. We've still got a 670 signal. Isn't that neat shout out to downstate

Illinois listening on 670 the score right now? Or the Rockford area. You listen to 670 for distance, 1043 for behind buildings downtown. So when I consider the fact, that this is a 13-man rotation that the Bulls used where guys like Toby Akawa gets 14 minutes. Noah Essingay gets 10 minutes. Buddy Healed had 14. Trey Jones had 13.

More minutes for Trey Jones, please. And then Patrick Williams didn't play? So what? So what? He is not part of this corps. Who cares about Patrick Williams do you really think that Toby Akawa is? I don't care about him either. I'm not picking on him.

I'm just using him as an example. But like, why would you Haven't you, okay, haven't you and everybody else who is mad that Patrick Williams didn't play, or just stunned that he didn't play in the game, do you need to see more from Patrick Williams? Haven't we seen enough of Patrick Williams? So what I was going to say is there's a statement that's made there. Okay. When everybody in their dog got in this game and he didn't, that's more of a statement that's made about

just not just how they see him fitting on this team, just what the value is to them. Well, I'm happy with that statement that they are saying, they're finally saying, sorry, Patrick Williams is not valuable to this team. He comes from a different time, a different era. He comes from a prehistoric time, a different time of hope, a different rebuild, a different core. He has proved to not be a valuable player for the Chicago Bulls. And there are other players that they want to give time to, even if it's that one guy that you just mentioned.

Yeah, but I mean, we can laugh. about it is the thing. Like, it's, nobody's making, we knew what was going on. But, but if you needed the rubber stamp, triple stamp, the double stamp, put it up in a drone show fireworks. Last night was the night. Okay. It is jarring, I guess.

If you're making the point, like, can you believe that this guy who was. I mean, it's just funny. Like, it's sad, but it's, it's, it's, you're just like, man, you can't play in this game. Yeah. I did see him come off the bench on that preseason game I went to, the final preseason game of the year. So I, I got. I got enough Patrick Williams out of that game to tell you the truth.

But, yeah, it was, I mean, I am not worried about Caleb Wilson based on one game. He had some nice moments, scored at one point in time he scored in transition and then the very next play. He hits a three. He was still going hard in the fourth quarter and why wouldn't you? You start to see some of the athleticism out of him. But nine turnovers. The Bulls as a team had 27 turns. turnovers in this game.

And you were talking about, too, the 43 points that Toronto scored in the first quarter. What's really hilarious about that. So they score 43 points in the first quarter. The Bulls scored 44 points in the first half of the game. That's how ridiculous this game was last night. And they had 37. By the way, Toronto had 35 points off of the Bulls 27 turnovers. And additionally, you want to talk about where's the shooting?

Well, it wasn't for the Bulls. They only had 32% shooting compared to 45 for the Rapp. So you didn't need more than a half to figure out what time it was with this game. But you're trying to figure out what the team is doing or what the fits are going to be or who they're trying to use on the floor. Did you figure it out? I didn't. But it was pretty funny to see that in all of that, you know, there was one guy didn't get a single minute. In the meantime, Josh Giddy's injured.

What? Okay. News to me. Where did that come from all of a sudden? Yeah, Giddy two points last night. Yeah, so it's a left wrist injury, and he essentially said that he's going to have to, it's his new normal, I guess. He's going to have to manage that throughout the season. He was one for ten shooting.

Yeah, the Bulls. That's not going to be a new normal. That just rest. Yeah, but the Bulls were four for 36 from three last night. Norman Powell. Hey, how's it going, Norman Powell? You're happy to be here. You're happy that you're in the latter portion of your career, and you decided to sign a two-year deal with the Bull.

He, it was the only player on the Bulls to have made more than one three-pointer. He made two. And the Bulls were four of 36 from three. Modus Bezellis, 17 points, two for eight from the field. He was 0 for four on the overall. Shout out to Jalen Smith, I guess. Relatively nice game. 15 points, 5 of 10 from the field.

O for three from the field. But boy, man. And like you said, the Bulls are. right back on tomorrow and then they have their home opener on Saturday against Washington. Yeah, I mean, the new look wizards is we try to figure out who they are. But yeah, I just, with Anthony Davis, he had 34 and 12 last night, by the way, against the bucks who ended up losing to them. So I'm kind of excited to see that game, but also kind of worried it might be, it might be ugly.

I think they were going to get a lot of adventures. You know there's going to be a couple games here and there that the Bulls are going to look really good in and surprise us. thrive in. But yeah, this could be we're all in this together. Yeah, turnovers aren't bothering me yet. I just don't care. Learn who you are as a player. But in the meantime, I'm learning

who the minutes are going to, and that's an interesting one. I like that you're zeroing in on that. That's a good way to watch the Bulls, because we're all figuring out good ways to watch the Bulls this year. Caleb Wilson, modest Bezellis, whatever it might be, Norman Powell, what he's going to give you this year as well. Keep listening for your chance

to win a pair of tickets to see Matchbox 20. Credit Union 1 amphitheater, that it'll be July 3rd, excuse me, July 23rd tickets provided by Live Nation. Coming up next, let's get back into Bears and Patriots, and we'll go to Boston and talk to a former Patriots linebacker, Matt Chatham, returning to the Rahimi and Grotie show. That is next on 104.3 The Score.