Only one more day of starting lineup speculation!

if he starts Aaron Gray, the chance is squandered.

That’s probably a good thing. Hopefully it’s an attempt and opportunity to get everyone on the same page and (re?) build some trust. It’s be good to have each side reassure the other that they’re going work hard and in each other’s interest.

is less of a defensive liability at PF, but Tyrus is much more dynamic on both ends there. I’d prefer starting Noah if he was 100% (which he hasn’t been all preseason) and rotating Gooden for him. But with Noah as he is and Gooden bleeding out defensively as a center… still, “punishing” Tyrus doesn’t seem to be the right thing to do either. His rebounds have been great for us. Gray/Gooden will not get us rebounding but might be better offensively. If Noah was up to his old self Noah/Tyrus would make sense. Injury has screwed us over though.

I refuse to even acknowledge the possibility that TT will be benched after the preseason and offseason that he just had. VDN seemed 100% committed to playing him regular minutes throughout the preseason – the final game in which he was playing through a minor injury notwithstanding – so my head is in the sand on this one.

I don’t even want to hear it.

The offense with or without Rose has been slowing moving more and not playing 95% drive and kick, 5% Gordon try to get a shot up mentality that we’ve played the last 3 years (the first year or two with Scott wasn’t quite so much of the same).

I actually think Vinny’s doing a very solid start as a coach, the team has made adjustments….now whether that’s Vinny or the great Del Harris is another thing, but so far so good)….

and the Bulls had a big first quarter. Causation!

Tyrus sat with a sore ankle. Gooden started at PF. The team opened both of those games very strong offensively and defensively.

The last pre-season game, I thought I read, went the way it did because of various injuries. But then I was surprised (because I thought it was due to an injury that he didn’t start) to see Tyrus play. And he sort of stank it up.

Now I’m reading Gray and Gooden might be favored for the starting lineup.

I mean, I’ll not totally flip out until I actually see it happen, but isn’t this exactly the sort of messed up shit that people complained out happening with Tyrus over the last few years?

Here he is, having a kick ass pre-season by every account, and then suddenly he’s benched? I’ve always thought he was a little bit fragile mentally, but that’d be enough to shake the confidence of a lot of players.

had a quick blurb back in Sept:

The roads leading to the Berto Center are a mess, but the building’s interior also is undergoing a facelift – at Del Negro’s request.

His new vision for the Bulls’ practice facility includes a state of the art coaches’ conference room and a door leading straight from the media room to the basketball court. Del Negro is even relocating some of the artwork on the walls.

Let him be a vet that enters to pummel on the opponents second string front court.

Noah and Thomas have the legs and youth to keep us active and running early.

He turns it over quite easily when he holds the ball at his waist, he barrels right into whatever defender is in the paint, and he’s flagged for pushing fouls while trying to jockey for position to rebound.

A good defense will completely stifle whatever effective offense Gray could deliver.

that’s too much for Gray, and that’s the bare minimum.

Also, tell Gordon’s agent how important starting is.

he showed he has plenty left by playing zero minutes all preseason with an ankle injury.

I would be fine with Ruffin as a 3rd big C/PF (presuming Noah then Gray then way way in the back Ruffin after we try Gooden and Thomas 1st)….but then the Pacers let Croshere go.

Now Croshere ain’t really a C either (but really neither is Ruffin), but presumably for the same change, why don’t we get Croshere, he can at least play the game a bit and isn’t just a rebounding big man?

is there are “those in the organization” who are just as big of true believers in Aaron Gray as they are in Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Apple Pie, kittens, the American Way, and keeping Ben Gordon in his place.

(just trying to help the flow)

he’s been a crybaby since A of U.

I don’t like the notion of Thabo starting when his preseason was just so meh. I’d even prefer Kirk because Redd is an awful defender and he could realistically drop 20+ again, and I’m unsure of how much of a rapport BG and Rose have.

go team!

This is like the friendly’s bloggers worst nightmare…Thabo and Gray starting opening night. I will be looking for your sign tomorrow night…I will have mine “Fire Skiles, Check, Fire Boylan, Check, #1 Pick, Checkmate”