Need to Stop a Run? Go to Number One
In this photo: Derrick Rose Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Mar 17, 2009
The night wasn’t all gravy though, as the Bulls once again let a bad team stay close and make a late run. If Chicago wants to hold onto that number one seed they’ll have to do a better job closing out games. Also, come playoff time Chicago will not be able to give teams like Boston, Miami or Orlando second chances in games. Overall the night brought another victory for Chicago and another reason to vote Derrick Rose for MVP. He showed the ability to shut down another elite point guard, while leading a late push to seal the game.
Player of the Game: Although Rose had another brilliant performance; the nod for player of the game goes to Omer Asik. Asik registered his first double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Highlight Reel Moment: Derrick Rose had a stuff on Deron Williams that made all of Chicago jump out of their collective seats.
Posted by bobby, on Mar 18, 2011 • Category: Bulls, Featured, Uncategorized• Tags: bulls, chicago, Nets, Rose • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Can anyone cool down the Heat?
A lot has been made of the coup known as the Miami Heat. Many of us “haters” make claims about chemistry, durability and over-hype. Objectively though, how good are the Miami Heat, really? In order to do this lets look at the top 3 teams over the last 25 years (I know how good the old Chamberlin teams were, but I’m focusing on the modern NBA teams).
Most people would agree that the 85-86 Celtics, 86-87 Lakers and 95-96 Bulls are the best teams from the last 25 years. The Celtics had Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The Lakers had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Michael Cooper and the great “Magic” Johnson. Finally, the Bulls had Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc and the sharp shooting Steve Kerr.
So, now that the Miami roster is assembled, how might they match up against the greats? The Heat have Chris Bosh, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Juwan Howard, Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller, Big Z and Eddie House. They have what most of the great teams have had, 3 stars. They also have some decent veterans and a couple 3 point shooters. However, the Celtics and Lakers both had big men and FAR better role players. These two teams particularly had the best top-to-bottom rosters of any teams of the era. Would I put the Heat’s roster against theirs? Quite simply, NO.
The main reason everyone is so consumed with the Heat is Michael Jordan. Yes, his airness is still impacting everyone’s outlook on the game. Before Michael, no top team (and by top team I mean top ever) had ever come about without the presence of a big man. It was thought to be impossible for a team without a strong post presence, to consistently reach the promise land. Michael did it with two decent big guys in Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman. But obviously these two couldn’t hang with Chamberlin’s teams, or Abdul-Jabbar and Worthy, or Walton, McHale and Parish. Until Jordan and Scottie, no big man meant no championship.
I really look at the Jordan and Scottie teams as an exception. When you have the most driven, most skilled and hardest working player to ever play the game, that is one big exception. All of this being said, who do the Heat have? Chris Bosh? Really? Have we been mislead so much as to think that Chris Bosh is a top tier big man? Garnett in his prime, Shaq in his, Tim Duncan in his, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard right now, these are elite big men. Guess what, all of these guys except Howard have a ring(s) too. Chris Bosh couldn’t lead the Raptors to the playoffs in a very weak East.
Jeff Van Gundy is predicting, barring injuries, that the Heat will break the 72 win mark set by Jordan. He looks to Lebron’s 66 win season last year as proof as to how good the heat will be… Am I the only one who saw how good of a team Lebron had around him? Jamison, Shaq, Big Z, Mo Williams and a multitude of role players. Lebron couldn’t win in the playoffs either, but we’ll save that talk for another column. If you subtract Shaq, Jamison and Williams (with all the role players), are the Heat that much better?
Back to the big man theory though, the Lakers and Celtics have had real big man. I know the Celtics are old, but over the last few years you have seen them with Garnett, Wallace, Perkins, Big baby and now Shaq, not a bad rotation. The Laker teams have had Gasol, Shaq, Bynum, Odom and Horry. The Heat have Big Z and Chris Bosh?
The final thing worth mentioning is health. Can the Big 2 1/2 stay healthy? If one man goes down they fall out of title contention in my eyes. Lets not forget Dwayne Wade is only two seasons removed from back-to-back seasons of missing 31 games. Chris Bosh has never played a full season. In fact, he has only played more than 75 games twice in his career. Injuries will at least halt the record breaking season, if not Miami’s hope of a dynasty.
Everyone outside of South Beach is going to root for whoever the Heat match up against. We will all love to hate the Heat. However, even looking at it as objectively as a Bull’s fan can, Miami will not touch 72, sorry Van Gundy.
Posted by bobby, on Aug 09, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: Bird, bulls, Heat, Jordan, Lebron, Magic, Wade • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Bulls sign veteran guard Bogans
The Bulls are making the finishing touches on their roster, which now stands at 12, after the signing of veteran guard Keith Bogans. Bogans will receive a 2-year deal worth approximately 2.5million the first year, with the second year not full guaranteed, which should allow the Bulls more cap room to make one more signing. At this point, if it was not obvious weeks ago, the Bulls will be passing on Tracy McGrady. No matter how well T-Mac thought he would gel with the Bulls, the front office did not feel the same way, who admittedly stated that they were not at all impress with McGrady’s workout last Monday. Chicago is still pursuing Portland guard Rudy Fernandez, who recently asked the Trail Blazers for a trade, so do not be too surprised if the Bulls land the explosive 6-6 guard.
Bogans will not provide the bench with an offensive spark, but the 6-5 seven-year vet does hold a 7.1ppg average through his career. He is also an above-average three-point threat in his career at 35%. The former University of Kentucky standout joins a remodeled Bulls roster whom have already signed Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, Kurt Thomas and Omer Asik this summer. The former second-round pick and NBA journeyman has had stints in Orlando, Houston, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Charlotte, with whom he was the most productive with back in 2005.
Adding Bogans gives new head coach Tom Thibodeau some more defensive toughness, which the Bulls upgraded last week with the signing of veteran big man Kurt Thomas. The front office has done their homework this summer, building a defensively minded team who is sure to be dangerous offensively with Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer now together. The addition of Bogans will now allow the Bulls to stretch the perimeter even further with Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer behind the line.
Posted by michael, on Aug 07, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: Bogans, bulls, chicago, Keith • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Bulls add Bogans
The Bulls added what looks to be the final piece they were looking for in Keith Bogans today. ESPN writer Sam Smith is reporting that the deal is for 2 years, with only one guaranteed, at $2.5 million. Bogans played for the Spurs last year averaging 4.4 points and shooting nearly 36% from behind the arc.
The signing puts an end to speculation over who would fill out the final spot on the Bull’s 12 man roster. Many names were thrown around including Rudy Fernandez and Tracy McGrady. The Bulls wanted to add one more good shooter to round out their roster.
Posted by bobby, on Aug 07, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: agency, Bogans, bulls, chicago, free, Keith • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
NBA.com’s Top 10 Bulls Plays 2010
Earlier today I was getting my daily does of NBA.com, and they compiled a collection of the Chicago Bulls top 10 plays during the 2009-2010 season. This really can be retitled to the “Top 10 Derrick Rose Plays” as D-Rose is featured in almost every clip. Together the plays represent Rose’s ability to beat you in various ways. His dynamic game-play is what sets him apart from most of the leagues point guards. With many of the clips showing a 2-man game with Noah and Miller, they should be viewed only as samples to what fans should expect from Carlos Boozer. Clips 10, 7, 6 and 2 were my favorites.
Posted by michael, on Aug 05, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: 2010, boozer, bulls, carlos, chicago, Derrick, joakim, noah, Rose • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Love it or hate it, McGrady likely to be a Bull
ESPN is reporting that Tracy McGrady is likely to sign with the Bulls later this week. McGrady has a workout with the team on Monday and if he can prove he is healthy and willing to accept a backup role he will be signed.
McGrady has had a very good career, but in recent years injuries have plagued the once productive star. There are more question marks surrounding McGrady than Jim Carey’s version of the Riddler. If he joins the Bulls he will be forced to the bench, which can be a hard hit to the ex-allstar’s pride. Also, it is unclear what kind of money T-Mac will demand after his last high priced contract. Having said all that, no one knows for sure if he can endure 82 games after playing less than a full season the last two years.
Derrick Rose has expressed plenty of interest in his once favorite NBA player. ESPN writer Nick Friedell interviewed Rose:
“That would be good,” Rose said. “I think that if he comes along, he could help our team.
“A player like him, with his experience and how he plays, I think it would help us.”
Mcgrady is likely to split time between small forward and shooting guard for a team that already has Loul Deng, James Johnson, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver. Many people have questioned whether McGrady has enough speed to play the 2 guard, but if he has anything left in the tank he could certainly help the team. He averaged 8.2 points, 3.3 assists and 22.4 minutes in 30 games last season. McGrady is a seven time allstar and averaged near 22 points for his career.
Posted by bobby, on Jul 25, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: agency, bulls, chicago, free, mcgrady, tracy • 2 Comments • Spread on Twitter
The Big 4 (predictions) for next year
All the major pieces are in place and unless Chris Paul has a roster switch, then we have a basic idea of what the NBA will look like next year. A lot can change with injuries, career decline, unexpected rookie contributions and unforeseen chemistry issues, but here are 4 early predictions for the new era of the NBA.
1) The Nets will improve by twenty or more wins. Twenty wins sound like a lot? Well, for a team that missed out on every big name in free agency, they are still much improved. The Nets of next year remind me a lot of the Bulls of the last 3-4 years. They have a good young back court with a strong man in Brook Lopez down low. The depth of the backcourt is very impressive with Courtney Lee, Devin Harris, an interchangeable guy in Terrence Williams, newly acquired Jordan Farmar and three point specialist Anthony Morrow. Add all this up with rookie forward Derrick Favors and an improved Brook Lopez and I don’t see how this team could do anything but get better.
2) The Bulls will finish 3rd or 4th in the East depending on how the Chris Paul nonsense of late works out. Anyone who has been paying attention this offseason knows that Chris Paul’s inner circle (basically the James gang) wants to get him on a super team. The two teams that are being talked about the most are the Knicks and the Magic. Personally, I don’t think the Knicks have enough to offer the Hornets and the Magic look like the best fit. If the Magic add Paul then the East will finish Heat, Magic, Boston, and then Chicago. Of course there are tons of questions marks with all four teams (chemistry, injuries, age), but this is what it is shaping up to look like today.
3) Kobe will drop from the top 5 current players in the NBA. A combination of injuries and age will have a big impact on Bryant’s future in the league. A little over a week ago Bryant had arthroscopic knee surgery. Before the season was over Bryant severely injured his right index finger. For those of you who don’t know, by playing through the playoffs Bryant effectively signed himself up for lifelong arthritis in his most important finger on his shooting hand. Add all of this up with his 15th year in pro basketball and it is tough to see Bryant’s numbers going anywhere but down. Ask Kevin Garnett what age and injuries can do to your last few years of pro ball.
4) Yes, barring extreme circumstances the Heat will be that good. As I naively told myself after the signings in Miami, they will not have the money to sign decent backups and role players. Apparently, the prospect of winning really is enough to draw names to Miami. South Beach added big Z, Juwan Howard, Carlos Arroyo and Mike Miller to provide much needed depth to an already scary group. As a Chicago fan, and a basketball fan in general, I pray that I will be shown the fallacies in my argument, but I really do not see that happening. The only way we will see the Heat miss the top spot in the East is if Lebron and co. have a collapse like nothing seen before in pro sports. Get ready NBA, we are entering a new era where Bulls and Knicks fans will join hands and have something in common, WE ALL HATE THE HEAT.
Posted by bobby, on Jul 25, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: Bosh, bulls, Heat, Knicks, Kobe, Lebron, Nets, Rose, Wade • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Rose thinks McGrady could help
The T-Mac question was finally asked of Rose, ESPN writer Nick Friedell reported.
“That would be good,” Rose said Friday after Team USA’s final day of practice at Cox Pavilion. “I think that if he comes along, he could help our team.”
“A player like him, with his experience and how he plays, I think it would help us.”
Rose went on to say that McGrady was his favorite player when he was younger. Maybe Rose should have paid attention to the last few years of his career.
Posted by bobby, on Jul 24, 2010 • Category: Bulls• Tags: bulls, chicago, Derrick, Rose, TracMcGrady, tracy • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Bulls add Kurt Thomas
The Bulls announced today the signing of 14-year veteran Kurt Thomas, whom the Bulls inked to a 1-year. Terms of the contract were not disclosed per team policy. Thomas, who averaged 3.0ppg in 15mpg, brings front court depth to relieve Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. After Brad Miller decided to sign a three-year deal with the Houston Rockets, the Bulls needed to fill a big man gap on the bench, which Thomas should do so nicely.
Though his numbers were not very good during the regular season, appearing in 70 games for the Bucks including 15 starts, his numbers vastly improved in the post-season, where he averaged 5.4ppg accompanied by 7.9rpg. His best year was back in the 04-05 season where he started for the Knicks, averaging 11.4ppg and 10.4rpg, the only time in his career he averaged a double-double. For what has been a successful summer of free agency, Thomas seems to be a solid veteran backup in the front court, and should do well as a mentor for young Taj Gibson and rookie Omer Asik. The only issue is his age, so whether or not he can play big time minutes in case of an injury will remain to be seen. As Thomas has always been known as an enforcer, fans should look for him to make his fouls count, and has always been known as one to protect his teammates.
By signing Thomas the Bulls currently stand at 11 players on the roster, so look for Chicago to make another addition, probably at shooting guard, within the next few weeks.
Posted by michael, on Jul 23, 2010 • Category: Bulls• Tags: bulls, chicago, kurt, signing, thomas • 1 Comment • Spread on Twitter
T-Mac works out for the Bulls
Over the last few days there have been reports both on Bulls.com as well as ESPN that the Bulls were scheduled to host a workout for former scoring champion Tracy McGrady on Monday. That is all fine and dandy that he has been working out in Chicago over the last few years, but in no way, shape or form would bringing in McGrady help the franchise. If anything, his addition could greatly deter what has been an extremely successful summer of free agency, albeit we did not get LeBron, Bosh or Wade. 
Yes, at one point in McGrady’s career he was a great player, but his prime is far passed regardless of him thinking he can return to his past form. Playing in only 65 games the past two-seasons after having micro fracture knee surgery and demanding a trade from the Rockets, McGrady finished last season with the Knicks, averaging 9.4ppg in 24.1mpg, which is far below his career average of 21.5ppg. Even if he were to comeback improved, McGrady has always lacked the chemistry to play with teammates, and probably would not be good fit in Thibodeau’s playing scheme. McGrady has never liked playing defense and is known to never give 100% in practice. These are contributing factors as to why McGrady would not mesh well with the young Bulls roster.
Beyond that, would McGrady be a good backup for Deng off the bench? That is a tough position for McGrady to be in, whom for his entire career has always been a starter. Issues with great players who are passed their prime has been a recurring theme in the NBA in recent years with the likes of Iverson, Shaq and Marbury. McGrady’s situation seemingly provides the same implications that the latter hold, which is if former prime time scorers can revert into a bench role. The answer is no, and the names mentioned above prove that, minus Marbury, who really never saw any playing time for the Celtics.
These are all great reasons as to why T-Mac would be a horrible addition to a rising Bull squad. The greatest reasoning, though, is because of his past stunts by McGrady at the Bulls expense. Back in 2000, Bulls owner Jerry Krause met McGrady at O’Hare airport with a three-piece band, chearleaders, the whole sha-bang, and McGrady took his business to Orlando instead. After what had seemed like a done deal bringing McGrady to Chicago 10 years ago has apparently come back to a fork in the road. Like the last time, hopefully we miss out on T-Mac again.
Posted by michael, on Jul 22, 2010 • Category: Bulls, Featured• Tags: agency, bulls, chicago, free, mcgrady, t-mac, tracy • 1 Comment • Spread on Twitter