Game Thread #29: Bulls at Minnesota Timberwolves

Bulls vs T-wolves

Why do the Bulls have such a hard time against this team? After that surprise win a few years ago in Minnesota, they just can't find any rhythm or energy at all.

Fleece the Pig, Flog the Pony

by james@lifeinthecell on Dec 26, 2006 7:38 PM CST reply actions

who are all of these

scrubs on the twolves!??!?!

by babybulls on Dec 26, 2006 7:42 PM CST reply actions

malik allen

is terrible

by babybulls on Dec 26, 2006 7:48 PM CST reply actions

food poisoning or not

this has to be the worst game I've ever seen kirk play

he's hogging the dribble and taking terrible shots

Fleece the Pig, Flog the Pony

by james@lifeinthecell on Dec 26, 2006 8:05 PM CST reply actions

i didnt watch or hear the game

did kirk really have food poisoning?

by milesgmsu on Dec 28, 2006 9:56 AM CST up reply actions

Yes he did.

He looked really pale (well more pale than normally) at the start of the game. Skiles took him out a couple of times so he could rest.

Thabo....the accent is sweet!!

by sue369 on Dec 28, 2006 10:45 AM CST up reply actions

What a horrible, horrible first half

"all the girls loved BJ." -sue369

by Colossus @ Blog a Bull on Dec 26, 2006 8:08 PM CST reply actions

If I hear 'energy' one more time...

can't a team just play poorly? saying it's always 'energy' glosses over terrible play.

They're just taking bad shots, and not making any shots(good or bad). Did Deng go to turaround-jumper camp?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 8:12 PM CST reply actions

Don't believe Stacy King

The T-Wolves are not a bad defensive team. 7th in the league!

http://www.knickerblogger.net/stats/2007/d_de.htm

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 8:13 PM CST reply actions

stats

Bulls shot 35% and the TWolves 60%!!!! Look for these trends to reverse in the 2nd half!

by babybulls on Dec 26, 2006 8:17 PM CST reply actions

Blech!!!

Thabo....the accent is sweet!!

by sue369 on Dec 26, 2006 8:17 PM CST reply actions

To back up the T-Wolves

defensive prowess, Hassell is blanketing Deng pretty darn well.

As soon as that early possession went by where Noc missed a baseline jumper, Wallace missed a dunk and Noc then missed a wide wide open three all in one possession, I felt they were in for a rough ride.

But, to be a little positive, 15 is not an insurmountable lead.

Fleece the Pig, Flog the Pony

by james@lifeinthecell on Dec 26, 2006 8:22 PM CST reply actions

our starting lineup is awesome ::sarcasm emoticon:

honestly, if Noc isn't hitting threes the whole lineup goes to hell. More Ben Gordon!

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 8:33 PM CST reply actions

see?????

Ben Gordon = good things.

Lets end this superstitious bullshit and get him back in the starting lineup.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 8:52 PM CST up reply actions

I agree

with you 100%

by babybulls on Dec 26, 2006 8:53 PM CST up reply actions

its not superstition, its a good thing

Red Auerbach always put his 3rd or 4th best player on the bench; that way when the 2nd team came in, he would have a leader, plus the player would be able to excell against weaker competition. It would seem like gordon is able to get in a groove against weaker competition that carries on through the rest of the game.

Secondly, look at his stats. He plays better off the bench for whatever reason

Finally, there are players who are made to come off the bench; vinnie johnson, Kevin Mchale, Cousy, Jones, (i'm reading the new red auerbach book thats why im going all celticy). I think gordon is our boy at that; and I have no problem with that.

by milesgmsu on Dec 28, 2006 9:58 AM CST up reply actions

nobody around?

25 point deficit cut to 6! All while Duhon's on the bench!

(eh, they should've never been down that far in the first place...but...)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 9:17 PM CST reply actions

I admit I flipped around

and missed some of this half. But any ideas out there as to why Minnesota is staying small? with their big lineups out there (i.e. Mark Blount) they were killing the Bulls. THey're letting the Bulls play Hinrich-Gordon-Thabo-Deng-Noc

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 9:22 PM CST reply actions

I was wondering about that, too.

My only guess was foul trouble, and feeling like the game was in the bag. But of course that doesn't explain why they stayed small once the Bulls made their run. This turned in to quite the exciting game here!

by wjb1492 on Dec 26, 2006 9:28 PM CST up reply actions

Duhon cudda

done that

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 26, 2006 9:30 PM CST reply actions

and wear a collar, McHale!

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 26, 2006 9:31 PM CST reply actions

if this is another duhon

inbound fiasco I'm going to be sick.

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 26, 2006 9:35 PM CST reply actions

I was close,

but why go to Nocioni?

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 26, 2006 9:36 PM CST up reply actions

Not sure if I'd rather lose this way

or get blown out. The run in the 4th made it interesting, but it sucks to come up short. Maybe Kirk's slump is over though.

by wjb1492 on Dec 26, 2006 9:37 PM CST reply actions

Maybe

I hope it is. He played pretty good for being under the weather.

Thabo....the accent is sweet!!

by sue369 on Dec 26, 2006 9:42 PM CST up reply actions

duhon comes in, Bulls lose

that's science!

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 26, 2006 9:41 PM CST reply actions

If he can hit the 3 like he did back in the day.

He and Gordon could be sick. Sefo did a nice job.

by JoJoEnglish94bulls4ever on Dec 26, 2006 9:47 PM CST reply actions

Kirk

by JoJoEnglish94bulls4ever on Dec 26, 2006 9:47 PM CST reply actions

Another Loss

Hey , Pax . Another loss . tsk, tsk ,tsk.
And this one was not even close .

coach

by coach8 on Dec 26, 2006 9:56 PM CST reply actions

I hope you

feel properly validated, although you should probably check final scores in the future.

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 26, 2006 10:12 PM CST up reply actions

Fucking bullshit

Gordon has to to play more than 27 minutes when we actually play decent teams. We take our best scorer and sit him on the bench for most of the 1st quarter, and then we wonder why we have 17-point 1st quarters like we did tonight. If Gordon plays 35 minutes tonight, we probably win this game.

by Big D on Dec 26, 2006 10:21 PM CST reply actions

I agree

BG needs to be on the court more and I hope Skiles lets Thabo get more minutes as well! We CANT let teams kill us in the 1st Q in games especially on the road! Solid effort in the end but Skiles wake up and play "GORDAN"

by babybulls on Dec 26, 2006 11:20 PM CST up reply actions

Love 'em, but...

the Bulls haven't really proven that they are an elite team yet. Yes, they're on a tear recently but they haven't beaten any elite teams. Not to say the T'wolves are elite but compared to the east they're not too shabby (see Garnett). Besides the Lakers win and a couple others...let's just say I'm waitin to see if they can compete with the best. Cause ultimately that's what we all want right? A world championship. Still hopin MJ makes a dramatic comeback.

by lilkimmer77 on Dec 26, 2006 11:31 PM CST reply actions

Leave Gordon be...

As much as we would like to have scoring machine gordon on the starting line up, i think i like him better off the bench. If for no other reason he can clutch another sixth man award, earning the bulls more praise and recognition and possibly leeway from the officials. Although being mr team usa hasnt helped hinrich at all. also i like gordon putting up nearly a point per minute he plays. and i think if he started hed have to do all those tedious things like, gaurd people, and make smart plays, rather than just run the court and shoot it up.

im trying hard to become the next kirk hinrich, therefore im doing nothing more than being the next chris duhon.

by piccolomair on Dec 27, 2006 1:36 AM CST reply actions

6th man award??

Seriously?

I think he's been guarding and making 'smart plays' more often this year. You could say it's because he's coming off the bench, but I don't buy it.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 27, 2006 8:57 AM CST up reply actions

matt let it go

it was a funny comment

by milesgmsu on Dec 28, 2006 10:02 AM CST up reply actions

re: update

Stats don't show heart, grit, determination, grittiness, or heart! And Randy Foye has a backwards heart!

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 27, 2006 9:46 AM CST reply actions

Dwane Casey

Did you see the look on his face towards the end? If he had lost that game he would have been fired before the sweat had dried on the game ball. If I owned the Wolves I'd fire everyone from McHale on down.

by Mike Aparicio on Dec 27, 2006 10:08 AM CST reply actions

I think the need to fire the owner

He's the one who thinks McHale's great.

by KT on Dec 27, 2006 2:25 PM CST up reply actions

keep mchale

maybe that way we can get KG!

by milesgmsu on Dec 28, 2006 10:05 AM CST up reply actions

chat from today

Chris (Los Angeles): Bulls win against bad teams but lose to good teams. That can't be a good sign for the playoffs, right?

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:08 PM ET ) Right.

by Option27 on Dec 27, 2006 11:21 AM CST reply actions

Well...

I nearly turned it off last night in the mid third quarter as I was certain the Bulls would lose. But since Skiles took over, the Bulls have always shown an ability to come back. I'm glad they fought back. Unfortunately, you can point to any number of blunders that, in the end helped them lose a game by two points. But I can't fault the effort in bouncing back. Most NBA teams would have put the scrubs in and said, "well, we've got a game tomorrow, we'll get after it then."

Some random thoughts:
When the team was dragging in the first half, I would have liked to see Tyrus come in then. He always plays with energy, wild as he often is, but I think he may have given a bit of a spark that was needed. I'm glad he got in during the second half, but we could have used him earlier. Imagine if he had that big block in the second quarter...

Viktor Khryapa could not look less happy. They kept showing bench shots for big plays during the comeback and he had his head down throughout. I would imagine he could end up in a trade, even though Paxson has given him high praise. He just looks ready to die over there.

Regarding Gordon, I don't care if he starts, but I do think his D has improved this year (still not on the NBA all-defensive team or anything, but much better than last season). Duhon is probably still a better on-the-ball defender, but I agree that we have to see his minutes shift to Thabo and Ben.

Not much from Wallace. But every game where he plays fewer minutes means more energy for the playoffs, so I'm OK with it.

We needed more Sweets in that game (2/2, 1 ast, 1 to in 5 mins).

I hate Mark Madsen. He's definitely on the all-flop-artist team. Somehow he gets the calls. He must pal around with the refs before the games? That's what everyone says Kirk doesn't do enough of.

All in all, I'm a bit concerned that the two teams we need most to beat right now (New York to get a better pick; Minnesota so KG can become available) have beaten us this week. Maybe the players don't care about that as much (and why should they?), but it's still a bummer for us...

Deng 4 MVP, 2008!

by corey williams corey benjamin on Dec 27, 2006 3:41 PM CST reply actions

Hinrich v. Duhon

Is Kirk Hinrich, Scott Skile's Nefi Perez? While I agree that Gordon needs to be re-inserted into the starting line-up, I'm surprised that Hinrich remains above criticism. I don't believe that there's a huge separation b/t Duhon and Hinrich. Statistically, they're not all that dissimilar (Hinrich plays 8 more minutes a game though). Financially, I take Duhon all day. After an improved start, Hinrich's FGP is head right back down to it's low 40% level, his FTP is respectable, but not where it needs to be for a starting PG and I'm not sure where the defensive-stopper tag comes from (Randy Foye's output looked too familiar). Let Duhon infringe on Hinrich's time, not Gordons.

by EdNealy on Dec 27, 2006 4:12 PM CST reply actions

Ha?

I'm not sure I get the joke.

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 27, 2006 4:30 PM CST up reply actions

Furthermore

Perez is quite possibly the worst hitter ever. Kirk Hinrich is the best point guard on the Bulls without even factoring in defense. You can debate Hinrich's defense all you want, but I take it you don't even watch the games so what's the point? Hinrich has limited Dwayne Wade and played very well against larger scorers. Bringing in the financial aspect is ridiculous because Hinrich has a very reasonable contract, and you don't write the checks. What is an acceptable free-throw percentage for a starting point guard, and how does that figure into pumping up a poor foul shooter like Duhon? Shouldn't every player be a good free-throw shooter?

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 27, 2006 5:04 PM CST up reply actions

Eye on the ball

Okay, the Perez/Hinrich analogy isn't perfect, but if you look a what I stated you'd realize that I wasn't drawing comparisons to their respective play, but Hinrich being exempt from criticism. To repeat, I don't think that Duhon is better than Hinrich, but that their separation isn't huge. Yes, Hinrich has played well against Wade in the past, but outside of limiting Arenas to 10 this year, we're not talking about a shut down defender (Foye 25, Martin 30, Redd 30 & 32, Smith 36, Iverson 46, Butler 33). 42% of the top 50 free throw shooters in the league are point guards, some start some don't, but they're all well over 80%. Since I wasn't looking to "pump-up" Duhon's free throw shooting abilities, you at least mentioned that he is a poor FT shooter. At 75% he's right in line with, you guessed it, Hinrich. Lastly, you are ever-so astute to point out that I don't write the checks - - good one.

by EdNealy on Dec 28, 2006 4:05 PM CST up reply actions

Um...

Neifi gets heaps and heaps of criticism from every rational baseball fan alive, just not Baker. I don't think Skiles in blind to Hinrich's deficiencies. He recently said that Kirk wasn't playing the same caliber defense he had in recent years, so he can be critical. Duhon is the one who never gets yanked from the game for making a stupid play.

Most people here realize that Hinrich isn't perfect either, but he is the best option at the point. So the comparison doesn't really hold up at all.

by Eddy Currys Broken Heart on Dec 28, 2006 4:37 PM CST up reply actions

clarify

redd drops 30 on everyone...plus thats a mismath for kirk; Foye got 25 was Kirk was sick, and butlers 33 game in garbage time....and if you want to throw around #'s put up by the other team, take into account that guaridng the top wing of the other team is a group actiivty....T2, thabo, deng, noch, du, and kirk

by milesgmsu on Dec 29, 2006 10:47 AM CST up reply actions

No, it makes perfect sense to me (I am on drugs)

Hinrich is a good player, and clearly better than Duhon (but if you squint Duhon's stats look close).

Therefore Duhon should get more minutes at the expense of Hinrich, and playing Hinrich is comparable to Dusty Baker blindly starting one of the worst players in baseball over clearly superior players.

Oh, and seriously, their salaries are pretty much irrelevant right now. If there comes a time where dumping Hinrich for Duhon to save cash would allow the Bulls to seriously upgrade another position, sure, do it.

by Eddy Currys Broken Heart on Dec 28, 2006 1:46 PM CST reply actions