Playoff fever!

by vanillablue on Feb 14, 2008 2:35 PM CST Comment 19 comments

The Bulls are headed for the playoffs! Feel the excitement, or something.

Here's why: New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Atlanta are currently tied for the 7th and 8th spots, with the Bulls and Indiana 2 games behind. But we have the most favorable schedule of all the teams vying for the last 2 playoff spots. The breakdown:

Bulls: 17 home games, 14 road games remaining
Indiana: 16 H, 13 R
Atlanta: 14 H, 19 R including a killer 5-game West Coast swing right after the All-Star break
Philadelphia: 13 H, 16 R
New Jersey: 14 H, 15 R

Factor in Deng and Gordon coming back from injury, and the Bulls have a clear advantage. The toughest competition will likely come from Philly, who have won 5 in a row. If Kidd is traded, NJ will assuredly be worse off in the short term, and if Kidd stays he'll be even less motivated than Vince Carter. Atlanta will probably be dead in the water after their West Coast road trip, and Indiana has no business thinking about the playoffs.

So get ready for that March/April playoff push! Man, if Joe Smith can just stay healthy, BG comes back strong, and Wallace plays like we know he can, we could really put a scare in the Celtics in the first round!

Ah, screw it--I can't even pretend to be excited. I'd actually be happier if Smith's knees give out, Wallace keeps mailing it in, and BG and Luol don't rush back, so we can miss the playoffs and force Pax to do something about this sorry-ass team.

FanPosts are user-created posts from the BlogABull community, and are to be treated as the opinions and views of that particular user, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

0 recs | Comment 19 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Feb 14, 2008 2:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

As bad as everything has been this year....

It is still a seven game series.If by some miracle somebody lights a fire under the Bulls' collective asses, maybe something special could happen. I'm just tired of being angry about everything. So maybe some reverse psychology will help...

http://slickyricky76.blogspot.com/

by SlickRick76 on Feb 14, 2008 3:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll call it now.

(too many if's for the first part to be satisfied so I won't be wrong)

If the Bulls rid themselves of Griffin, Nocioni, Smith and Wallace by the deadline, then they'll win at least two games in the second round of the playoffs.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Feb 14, 2008 3:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

First off

I think the Nets will improve by ridding themselves of the distraction that is JKidd, and they'll especially improve (record wise) with Diop and Harris. I think Kidd makes Jersey more deadly in the playoffs at least in the short term, but I think the addition of Diop shores up some of their big man holes, and Harris ain't shabby at PG. THe onus will be on Carter to step up again.....but I still think they'll be in the playoffs this year......

Atlanta is a far better team than their record indicates mainly because their guys are so inconsistent and they are missing a NBA ready PG. I don't see our mismatched and frankly BORED Bulls getting ahead of them, unless Deng/Gordon come back and Wallace is energized again (something I don't see happening in a Bulls uni, but I wish would happen cuz I'm sick of this bs).

I sure hope to God that if the Bulls do pull together all their gobs of talent and make the playoffs that Paxson is smart enough to make a coaching change. This group should not be faltering at 20-31 right now, I don't care who we play, etc.....we've got too many guys taking it easy.

I wish Reinsdorf and Pax would step in now and say, see ya Jim, and get a veteran coach like Brown, Carslisle, or JVG to start assisting Pax in making bold moves....and have their "outside" input with a 3-4 months of inside work help in determining really if we should keep BG and Luol once and for all and if we keep 'em where our ceilings in negotiations should be.

Those 3 have solid track records as coaches and all 3 I would think would welcome the Bulls job given the amount of talent we have.

This whole "I made Jim the interim coach and I'm sticking to it even though he's really not doing anything differently than Skiles and sure we won a few more in % basis, but we have the same basic sets and rotations have been shored up to kill our future, and frankly Boylan's not cutting it but I'm a man of my word which is why I fired Skiles on Xmas Eve when he was trying to celebrate with his family" BS is getting old.

I welcomed the Skiles axing, hell I even championed it. I still am glad with that decision even though I still say Skiles was a solid coach, but this offseason is VERY PIVOTAL for this franchise and we need a smart, veteran mind to help Pax along here.

THe plus of having Brown again is that he and Wallace get along very well, and he preaches teamwork, and has gotten a lot out of folks many thought had little. THe negatives are that he's shifty and he doesn't stick around long....but aren't the Bulls fans ready enough for a SOLID, PRO COACH who has a great rep? I mean it's really been 10 yrs folks. We had some blips there the last few, but we really haven't been even EC favorites until this offseason, and now things have blown up.

Let's fix it, Let's get our future coach in there now so he can help Pax make decisions on what we do this offseason with really our 2 marquee guys now, and he can help Pax more evaluate our 3 raw but nice skilled youngs (Tyrus, Thabo, and Noah)...

by majoyenrac on Feb 14, 2008 3:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

why is it a plus

to get along well with Wallace?

And every coach preaches teamwork. Boylan one-ups him by sabotaging lineups to prove that point.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 14, 2008 3:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It's important to get along with Wallace

Because his huge contract is something we'll be stuck with for 2 + more seasons.

Plus, Wallace is freakishly talented and it seems it's all in his attitude and desire that has turned him into this shell of his last season shell.....I don't buy that he's slowed this drastically this quickly and I have not seen any of his trademark energy at all. The guy was flat out ballin' at the end of last season and looking decent in the preseason before the bottom fell out.

Now he's just a malcontent who's collecting a huge salary but has as much interest in playing for the Bulls as I would have watching water boil).....

Brown has coached Wallace and gotten a lot out of him. Brown has found ways to teach a bunch of talented players how to "play the game the right way" and meld them into a super power team of the East that's still going strong despite Flip's inability to actually coach.

Brown also proved to me once upon a time (NBA Finals) that he can outcoach the best of them (Jackson) in the most critical of situations.

I think our team has the talent--enough borderline lower end all star talent at really every position, that a real coach like Brown who'll preach a new philosophy and new teamwork, can get a lot out of this bunch. Plus Brown at his peak has proven himself to be something that even Skiles at his peak is not...a winner.

I know Brown's got baggage, but he's also got a desire to clean his name. I don't think anyone could make anything out of New York, they're still a disaster, and that's totally on Isiah. Even if Brown leaves after 2-3 yrs, he might be the guy to finally show Hinrich how to exploit his strengths, he might be able to teach Deng that he's too talented to stay out of the limelight in the clutch situations, he might teach Gordon how and when to best turn it on, and how and when to best stay in the shadows, he might teach/preach this team philosophy to our uber talented T2. He might reinspire Wallace (Whcih would automatically lead to some wins even against quality opponents) and Brown would probably love NOAH right off the bat--a smart player who knows and does what's best for the team already very well at such a young age.

I like that idea the more and more I think about it.....I also wouldn't mind the successful other guys JVG (who was unfairly ousted in Houston after a solid success rates, when Houston matched up against a very tough Jazz team and lost) and Carlisle who likely would have a championship under his belt if he didn't have the melee....

by majoyenrac on Feb 15, 2008 12:45 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Too bad you're not

the GM or the owner of another NBA team. The Bulls could dump Wallace on your team for a pretty good package.

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on Feb 15, 2008 3:06 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

How would they do that?

I was just saying we're basically stuck with Wallace (who's at an all time low).

Facts are facts, Ben is a 4 time DPOY, and could have won up to 6 of them. He has the talent to be a shut down defender and solid rebounder and change plays in the lane. He proved he still had that ability last season and even in the preseason this year.

Then the bottom fell off.

If I was a GM for a different team, I wouldn't touch Ben at all right now, essentially because his contract is ridiculous.

If his contract was in the $8-9M/yr range (or even Tyson's Chandlers $10M or so range) then I probably would take a chance on him because while he hasn't warranted that money this season, he's easily warranted that money in the past (and last year too)....

All that said, Wallace still has all that talent, he still has shown on the 3-5 games this year that he felt like playing that he can be a big contributor, the issue with Ben is his desire is gone, and like many before him a change of scenery out of Chicago would likely do him well, but because his $60M contract was already a bit high for a 1 side of the court player (Even a "superstar" defender in his prime) Wallace's max pay likely shouldn't have been more than $12M/yr range (20% of the cap). He was a vital cog to those Pistons teams--and while their record is in the same area it was with Ben, they likely will have more trouble against the West than they would have had with Ben.

Wallace's issue is desire. Sure even if he had his desire he wouldn't quite hit his maybe early to mid 2000's peaks, but he would still be a top 2-4 Center in the East.....

It's a real shame that a guy who built his reputation on being a blue collar, do what he can for the team on the court guy can just completely start going through the motions. He's got one of the current worst contracts out there, but I think if we get a coach at least to remotivate him (a real coach, who'll stress NBA plays, and again bring out the defensive mindset that should fuel this team) perhaps we can get some more fire from Wallace again....

by majoyenrac on Feb 15, 2008 7:24 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmmm

"Wallace's issue is desire" (quoting you)

Like I said before, I hope other GMs have the same opinion that you have.

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on Feb 15, 2008 8:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I would hope so too.

Got your point now....

Having watched Ben pre Bulls for a few years and his drop to this year and his language, etc. it has to be desire that's brought him to this low level.

It's unfortunate that he's making 50% more than his max worth at his age (33) would warrant. If he was making in that $8 or even 10M range, he'd be tradable, even if his current production warrants him a $3M or so salary....but $15.5M or whatever it is this year with a $14.5M and a $14M left to go is ridiculous for a one sided player who even if he still had the old fire would still be undersized and on the decline (his decline just wouldn't be this drastic)....so frustrating.

by majoyenrac on Feb 15, 2008 11:40 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

please no

Carlisle, Brown, or JVG. They're the worst sort of veteran-worshipping, rookie-hating, control-freak coaches whose teams play unbelievably boring basketball. Hire one of those guys and you can be assured of plenty more of Wallace, Nocioni, and Duhon.

vanillablue.wordpress.com

by vanillablue on Feb 14, 2008 4:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You know

I'm in the minority here....but if we reinspire Wallace, I'd more than welcome more time with him...

Plus I think Nocioni is hardly the "problem" on this club. He's a solid, savvy veteran who would be a great fit for any playoff bound team with his instincts and a little bit of everything abilities.

Plus, I think it's our novice coaches who are totally overplaying Duhon, a veteran coach would see Duh for his strenghts (he's solid in 5 minute intervals and then quickly deteriorates), plus Brown, JVG and Carlisle would know the benefits of an athletic 6-7 guy like Sefalosha, and of course all these guys would have experience enougth to use Gordon....

They are "boring" coaches because they emphasize team play and defense....last I looked we have a roster filled with defensive minded players (sans Gordon and maybe Gray, if you really want to consider him)......we also lack a true star player but have a star by committee team, something that needs a good coach to bring out. Skiles was our leader the past 3-4 seasons until Joe Smith came in and bandied with Wallace (and Deng) to tune Scott out.....

I would think fresh blood from a real NBA coach would reinspire. Look what a veteran coach has done for Baron Davis....

by majoyenrac on Feb 15, 2008 12:51 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Because clearly...

Boylan hasn't seen that : "JVG and Carlisle would know the benefits of an athletic 6-7 guy like Sefalosha"

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on Feb 15, 2008 3:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

JVG and Carlisle

Would know how to use guys on our staff and employ different offensive sets than the Skiles sets that we continue to run with Skiles top assistant.

JVG's defensive philosophy would thrive with the Bulls because of the speed we have at every position. Noah, Thomas, Smith and even Wallace are leaps and bounds faster than Yao was (and Yao really caused JVG's offensive sets to slow to a snail's pace--as good as YAO is, his speed was a weakness with a JVG coached team, and that's ultimately why they brought in Adelman.

I would trust Carlisle, Brown and JVG (all 3 formerly very successful NBA coaches with several different teams) over our assistant coach who's not doing anything different than what Skiles did, except I guess he's saying--let's try to run.

We were a quick team last year.....the bottom fell out this year with Skiles (guys stopped listening and thus started doing their own thing), and all Boylan has done is say, Let's play the same freaking sets, let me use crappy vets like Duhon and Griffin too much, and guys let's try to run a bit more kinda like we did last year....he sucks.

by majoyenrac on Feb 15, 2008 7:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe all you say is correct here,

but still if there is one thing you cannot blame Boylan for, it is to have not recognized the benefit that Thabo (a 6.7 guy) could bring.

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on Feb 15, 2008 8:20 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

wrong

JVG always slowed things down, and he liked Yao and his slowness. They brought in Adelman to speed things up to sell tickets.

Goodbye Viktor, and Godspeed.

by bullshooter on Feb 15, 2008 10:06 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I do believe Brown has upside/downside

with something to prove after the NY fiasco. Brown's assessment of New York, not the way he communicated it, but his assessment of the team appears right on. The is no question about the downside. His consistent lack of loyalty means he lasts probably two years. I do not like his love of the Corpse. The way our team is comprised I do think he may be someone to get the best out of everyone. Brown is a big risk/reward situation.

by chgobr on Feb 15, 2008 1:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure JVG

liked Yao....who wouldn't, best Center in the game today....that's not a hard thing to say you wouldn't like to have on your team....JVG hoped to use Yao in his Ewing role from the NY days....that would have been fantastic in the old grind it out days of the 90's, but the rule changes and bigs like Dirk, Stoudemire, etc who can damn well play inside but are also very talented outside, have changed the game from its former days, so JVG's offense was a bit dated with the talented mix he had on staff (mainly because good as Yao is, he's one of the slowest bigs in the league).

Essentially having a guy as slow as Yao is with a team that employs a better open court kind of guy like TMAC was a mismatch that lead to JVG's downfall.

We don't have any slow guys who need to play a slow inside game (sans Gray maybe, but I wouldn't ever consider Gray in a Ming comparison), and thus the D presence that JVG preaches could thrive with a team that could have any of our positions run the court (having bigs like Noah and Tyrus who can handle the ball a bit definately helps too).....

I think I'd role the dice on the risk of Larry B first (EVen with his baggage), but I would champion JVG or any other solid NBA coach (Carlisle, Hubie Brown, Tomjanovich)....anyone besides the czar that is. I'd keep Boylan over Fratello, Mike should stick to broadcasting.

If we decide to go the little experience route, let's roll the dice on Pippen.....he seems to know how to run a team as a big Point-Forward, and his points on nba.com, broadcasts, and recently in the suntimes or trib (can't remember which) were spot on....plus he's a Chicago basketball legend, so why not....

I'd be much happier with him (because I totally respect him as a player) than I am with Boylan who just ain't working out.

by majoyenrac on Feb 15, 2008 6:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs