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Maybe I'm going into tank mode, but sadly Boylan just looks like he is

Blogabull_tiny by your friendly BullsBlogger on in News

Boylan tried so hard to blow that game. I mean, he was really gunning for it. He even went 4 guards (Hinrich, Gordon, Hughes, Thabo) at one point.

In the meantime, the 24 point halftime lead went down to nine, but the Bulls hit some open threes and it soon ballooned back. Somewhere Boylan's writing that lineup on a napkin and saving it for later games. To him, he probably thinks it 'worked'.

Sadly, while in attendance watching the lead dwindle, I kindof wanted to see yet another spectacular collapse, with this being the greatest of all: biggest lead, biggest instance of Boylan incompetence.
Not only to give up the playoff quest, but in such a way that emphasized, yet again, just how bad Boylan is. I mean each timeout the Bulls came back smaller, it was comical.

What isn't as funny though is the fact that he can still not play Tyrus and Noah. This may be Paxson's greatest offense, that he can hire this goof on an interim basis and let him bury these guys while in a lost season. Thomas with 7 minutes and Noah with 20, none each in the 4th quarter.

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and no, Bullshooter
they're not 'showcasing' anyone. It's a dumb idea, because they're dumb.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 18, 2008 10:29 PM CDT   0 recs

Tyrus was 1-5
Clearly, he wasn't in the offensive flow. ;) Don't you know, it's not being seeing if Thomas ever does something right, it's about finding something he did wrong so that he can sit. Cuz, ya know, Nocioni is GOD!!!
Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 18, 2008 10:39 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Boylan tried to lose it
but Dirty Jersey is just too awful

even JB couldn't lose tonight

by Orlando Woolridge on Mar 18, 2008 10:42 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Noc only got 10 minutes tonight
so I don't know what you guys are trying to say.  
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 18, 2008 11:09 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

That Nocioni was the first sub.
In for Noah.

"It's time!!!"

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 18, 2008 11:24 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Is that really cause for tears?
he played 4 min.
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 18, 2008 11:31 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

it's significant
in previous games, even when Tyrus was shut out of 2nd half minutes, he was still the first big off the bench.

Tonight it was Noc, and only 2 relatively quick fouls changed that (and he threw in a technical, what a winner).

Why have Noc leap Thomas in the rotation, even if it was for that one game? It's not like Noc 'earned' it with his similarly bad outing the previous night.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 12:01 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

yeah, I don't get that either
but then I don't understand why Deng always plays the whole second half either.  You should be applauding Noc though.  It's obvious he doesn't want to be out there stealing minutes from TT and he's doing whatever he can to get back on the bench.  :-p
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 12:17 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

yeah...Noc looks really frustrated
it almost makes me like him more, as in...he's now officially a real NBA player or something. Moody, doesn't like his role, etc. :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 12:58 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

shared your feelings exactly
When he had Gordon on Carter and Thabo on Jefferson, no bigs, and NJ was going to the hole at will, I thought, this it, Elizabeth.  This is it, the big one.  No way Pax can let it go on.  I've listened to the pros and cons about launching him right now, and I think this is the perfect time.  I don't want this to fester all summer.  A new guy can set the new tone now.

by California Al on Mar 18, 2008 10:41 PM CDT   0 recs

Atlanta and New Jersey play tomorrow night
So with one of them guaranteed to lose I'm afraid you're stuck with the Bulls "in contention" for at least a little longer.

I seriously don't get the one stint a night for Tyrus.  Does that mean "development" by any definition of the word?  In a normal world, I'd say give the kid at least 10 minutes in the first, then have one of the coaches talk with him about what specifically they'd like to see him work on, then give him another 10+ in the second half to work on those things.  But in my imagination the instructions Tyrus is getting go something like: "play harder, play with more energy, and don't make a mistake or you'll sit the rest of the game - but you may sit even if you play well, because Boylan sort of forgets about you as the game goes on."

Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 18, 2008 10:44 PM CDT   0 recs

I know this is the eastern conference
but I believe one is guaranteed to win as well :)

And if it's Atlanta they're then 2.5 ahead of the Bulls.

that 10+10 plan for Tyrus, while sadly an improvement, should be a bare minimum. Only if he craps the bed on those two stints. (yes I'd consider his first stint tonight not a good one). Him and Noah really should be playing 30+ each, and even though Pax strip-mined the frontcourt it still isn't happening.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 12:05 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Totally agree the 10+10 is a minimum
I should have clarified I meant on nights like this, when the first half stint isn't going so well - if they're serious about trying to get the kid playing time and see what he can become, I think you've got to give him at least 10 to settle down and get in the flow, then time in the second half as well.  There's enough minutes there for that if Boylan doesn't fall in love with the 4 guard lineup.

(I know, I was griping about eratic guard minutes yesterday, but the solution is not to play them all at the same time.)

Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 19, 2008 10:06 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It is a difficult situation.
I mean, if you're not that bright or have no plan. If Boylan had a clear directive (other than "win games"), it'd be easy. You sit down, and set up on paper, pre-determined minutes. You have at least one person on the bench keeping track. You adjust within the set minutes the variance depending on how they're doing. It will be tough at times, but if a coach were committed to the franchise (???), it's something that needed to be done.

It seems obvious to me Boylan (nor Paxson) has never sat down and said "This is what my rotation should be, and I'm going to stick to it as best I can." If a team wants to develop youngsters, I can't understand how this wasn't the first thing done. Before practicing. Before game film sessions. Before benching for punishment. It really boggles my mind.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 19, 2008 10:19 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Um that's pretty much what they've done
TT comes in every night at the same time regardless of what's going on.  He plays until he gets two fouls usually.  For whatever reason, he doesn't get back in in the second half.  But it looks pretty planned to me.
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 10:32 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Get your head out of Thomas's butt.
There are other players on the team, ya know? Your contrarian bot got stuck on 'Hate TT!' there.

Besides, the only plan is, "Bring Thomas in for Noah towards the end of the 1st quarter." which is hardly any kind of plan like I was talking about. Seriously, you should try thinking some instead of just being an ass all the time.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 19, 2008 12:50 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Really?
You're calling me an ass?  It seems you're hypocrisy knows no bounds.  And be careful, you might hurt my feelings...  :-{
Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 2:36 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It knows bounds.
Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 19, 2008 3:37 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I told my
husband at the half that we had seen the last of Tyrus for the night. Boylan is so predictable.

by sue369 on Mar 19, 2008 9:20 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Hinrich, Gordon, Hughes, Thabo
Now, if Boylan would just put Duhon in for Gooden, we would have the perfect lineup.

by Cannoli on Mar 18, 2008 11:02 PM CDT   0 recs

Actually
Where's Andre Barrett when we really need him?
BAB Tyrus Love-Meter -- 6 - Recognizing that he may only be the next Shawn Kemp

by cubbybear on Mar 18, 2008 11:50 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Nononono.
That lineup is too tall. We're playing small ball, here. Once we get JamesOn Curry from the Energy, we can put him in for Thabo.
It would be amazing!

by Prevenge on Mar 19, 2008 12:06 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Sorry
I forgot about JamesOn.  Maybe we can Avery Johnson as a player-coach, too.

by Cannoli on Mar 19, 2008 9:23 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Gooden
It's time we gave him some credit, he's playing better than any big man we'd have in quite some time.  I don't see why we can't have a three man front court rotation with Noah, Gooden and Thomas and maybe a small dose of Gray sprinkled in when necessary.

by JSlakov on Mar 19, 2008 12:46 AM CDT   0 recs

No thanks
TT at the 3 is not cool

by Illini15 on Mar 19, 2008 12:57 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I think he means rotate the 3
in the PF&C spots.

I agree that Gooden looks good. Like most players that I 'hate', it's not that I hate them it's that they're playing too much.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 1:00 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

thanks
that is what I mean.  I don't even think Gooden is getting too many minutes.  He got 32 tonight, which if my math is right, would be perfect if Tyrus and Noah were getting 32 minutes each as well.  The problem is Deng, Nocioni, Sefolosha and god knows who else coming up getting minutes at power forward.  I can understand if at the end of games going offense/defense you want to go small on O, but as has been stated about the Sixers game, it means our ruin when it lasts for a significant amount of time.

I agree its hard to be a Bulls fan right now, theres a certain feeling of helplessness that I haven't felt for a while watching.

by JSlakov on Mar 19, 2008 1:08 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

yeah
My guess would be that they are planning on trading Tyrus during the off-season, which is a shame because he really hasn't had a fair chance to prove he is a keeper - while he hasn't played very well this year, he also hasn't been given the shot to make up for it either, like so many other bulls players of the past. But really, anyone who follows the league even slightly would probably say in such a bad season, with the remaining games - he should be given a chance. Its a real shame.

by rquinsee on Mar 19, 2008 1:14 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Why would they trade him?
Who and where was it said that Tyrus would be traded? If so, wouldn't they be playing him more?

They have locked him up for at least the next two years, they can pretty much do whatever they want with him. If that means he sits so be it. Maybe you don't agree, but it doesn't mean he's gone at the end of the year.

You know, the whole TT talk altogether is really kind of tired. He's just not that good. I'm sorry I even wrote this response.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 2:32 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Let's forget the debate about TT's quality
What I'm curious about is why you would think it's ok to let him sit for two more years simply because the Bulls hold him to a contract.  That's a waste for Tyrus and for the Bulls.  If they aren't planning on developing and playing him the next two years, Paxson has to deal him now while he still holds some value.  A player is like a new car.  They have a great deal of value before, during, and immediately following the draft.  That value can depreciate significantly with each year.  Other GM's still value Tyrus, but much less than they did last year.  If this trend of jerking around his minutes continues, or if he just sits like you insinuate, he'll be worth even less next year.  NBA GM's value him, no matter what you personally think of him.  If the Bull aren't going to develop him, they need to use him in a trade to upgrade the team.

by snley on Mar 19, 2008 9:01 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

what happened to you?
who said anything about sitting a guy for two more years.  They tried starting him a few times this year.  Why wouldn't you expect them to do that again in the future?  He's still growing and filling out.  I'd expect him to be a somewhat different player again next year.  Could everybody please relax with the TT isn't playing 45 minutes a game end of the world stuff...
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 10:36 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

it's 30 minutes a game
and why relax, it's pretty unforgiveable.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 10:39 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It's plenty forgivable
It'd be one thing if his play warranted 30 minutes a game, but it doesn't, at least not yet.  And they should play him in the second half, but crying about it is ridiculous.  So everybody, here's a tissue, get a hold og yourselves.  All the tears are a little disgusting.
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 10:53 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

your knee-jerk contrarianism is getting old too
his 30 minutes are deserved because he needs to get better, and playing could help that. If you haven't noticed, the season is lost whether they're competing for an 8th spot or not.

And when he did start he was performing well, and the rug was pulled from under him because 'it's time'. To suggest that the minutes he gets are a function of performance is ridiculous, and from now on I will just start crying over your crying about the crying.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 11:04 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

let me say that last part again
if you're suggesting that he deserves not to play because of his performance in the minutes he gets...that's pretty much a character flaw by this point.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 11:08 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm curious
did I say I thought he should play in the second half?  Because I think I did, but I'm not sure.  Could somebody check that?  I might have one of those special browsers that only shows me what I think I might have meant to say.  Then again, you might have one of those browsers that just shows you what you think I was going to say so you don't even have to read it.  So can I get a ruling on what my previous comment was?  Please?  Anybody?
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 11:15 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

well for one, you're not 'crying'
and overall you've explained away Boylan. You even said you don't think he's stupid. come on man :)

but here ya go:

"It'd be one thing if his play warranted 30 minutes a game, but it doesn't"

  1. his play HAS warranted 30 minutes
  2. even if it didn't, he should get it anyway. You can get a ruling on my previous comments as to why.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 11:20 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

The NBA--where "Showcasing" happens
does your browser only get the first sentence of my comments?  Because that could be a problem.  :-P
Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 11:24 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

sorry, it's only filtering out your contradictions
so you're saying we shouldn't worry about his playing time, but he should play more. Not 30 minutes, but maybe 30 minutes if he gets in the 2nd half. (?)

But he didn't play the 2nd half, and he's not getting even close to 30. Which is a function of Boylan, not the performance of Thomas, which you claim it is. Unless you aren't in the next sentence.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 11:31 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I think what he was saying was...
He'll play more next year, and even more the year after that.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:42 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It's already next year
Look at the standings. Every decision this coaching staff makes should be based on putting us in better position for next year.
Ye OldeBull

by OldeBull on Mar 19, 2008 1:07 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Mostly I am saying
you guys are making my ears (eyes) bleed with all the crying...  Why does every game recap discussion have to be about how many TT gets, regardless of what happened in the game?  It doesn't.  He isn't playing enough.  We get it.  I don't want to get into which part is TT and which is Boylan, because I refuse to be the guy to defend Boylan, but TT isn't blameless.
Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 11:44 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Because
there isn't much else to talk about with sub .500 team. The young guys are the only reason I am watching now and if they play limited minutes that is what I am going to be cranky about. I am certainly not watching us suck to improve my moral fiber.

by cranscape on Mar 19, 2008 4:22 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

thomas should easily get minutes
there's 96 minutes in the PF/C spot.  that gives each of the big guys (gooden, thomas, noah) 30 min with no problem.  either gooden or thomas rotates to the 5 depending on matchup (i've seen it argued that the extra C minutes should go to thomas not gooden).  if matchups warrant gray a bit, that takes away from the backup C minutes from thomas/gooden.  if noc is really on fire he can play a little more also as the 3rd PF but should get most of his minutes backing up Deng (get like 10 min there).

voila.  no reason that any of the 3 big guys should get less than 20 minutes a game.

by Jaina on Mar 19, 2008 11:32 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

You should see
if you can get Kleenex(TM) to sponsor this site.
Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 11:12 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

as always,
meta-whining is even worse.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 19, 2008 11:14 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Killing a baby seal...
Is unforgiveable.

Sitting a 21 year old kid on the bench because he is still learning how to play the game is natural.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:20 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

We should
sit the whole team down then.  One person's mistakes are excusable while another's is benchable.  Deng isn't very old.  Maybe we should have him sit if he fumbles the ball during a drive or whatnot.  He'll learn from the bench, right?  

by cranscape on Mar 19, 2008 11:41 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Yes...
Sit the whole team down.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:44 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

you might be on to something
Deng never gets benched, does he.  Hence my "showcasing" suspicions...
Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 19, 2008 11:47 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

deng was never benched before
he averaged like 38 minutes a game under skiles last year.

by Jaina on Mar 19, 2008 11:50 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Well...
Deng was the best player on the team last year.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:53 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i was just
countering the showcasing comment.

by Jaina on Mar 19, 2008 11:55 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Right.
Took me a minute, but I see it now.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:57 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Upon further review...
You are right. It's criminal that a 2nd year player is held to a different standard than a 4th year player. We should start a blog about it and yell as loud as we can about how unfair the NBA is treating him.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:59 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

FYI...
I checked that blog out a bit. Some interesting stuff, but I then came across this interesting gem about 1/3 of the way down. It was under a posting about "changing the team culture"...

"Start by cutting Chris Duhon and Tyrus Thomas. Im sorry I wanted to believe in Tryus Thomas but it's over. He fucked up in Chicago. It's the Tyson Chandler effect. He's learned all bad habbits and needs a wake up call. He should have stayed at LSU 2 more seasons."

Personally I don't think we should cut the guy, but I doubt this sums up what you were trying to tell me either.

Thanks for the info though :)

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 20, 2008 2:14 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

So can we assume you missed the JoeJoe era?
You should know that he'd also like to cut Thabo for excessive use of silly string.  :)
Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 20, 2008 1:09 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

BAB created a monster
with the Tyrus playing time stuff...it started with a few people pouting and now people are overboard with it.

by NormVanBeer on Mar 19, 2008 10:45 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Thank you...
That's all I was really trying to say, but I always end up arguing the other side anyway.

You are very wise Norm Van Beer... Very wise.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:32 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It's just frustrating,
especially when Boylan (1) has really unconventional, ineffective lineups in there, like 4 guards and Nocioni at the 5, or whatever. Whatever craziness he ends up going with. This is not Don Nelson at Golden State in the 80's. And (2), he's seriously stunting the development of our young bigs. The Bulls traded away their 2 frontcourt starters for the explicitly confirmed reason of developing their young bigs Noah and Thomas. These are 2 guys with all-star potential. I guess I'd also add that he seems to treat Thomas like a child, pulling him immediately whenever he gets fouls called on him. From very early in his tenure, he also has gone to great lengths to dodge any and all media inquiries into whether he'd offer increased playing time to Thomas.

Add up all of these factors, and it seems that Boylan is really more intent on the short term (and selfish) goal of holding onto his job for next season rather than actually doing his job, which would entail (1) development of the Bulls' young players, especially the high draft picks, especially when management has stated publicly that this should happen and (2) then only secondarily making the playoffs, because after all, why not, and plus, you don't want the team to become accepting of losing.

I try to keep quiet about calling for more PT for Thomas, because, as you mentioned, there's quite a lot of that going on here anyway. But Boylan's just so frustrating, and frankly, backward, on this issue that I believe that we will only see an increase of the chants of "fire Boylan" and "play Thomas more".

"Duhon, don't make that garbage-time jumper... Save it for the next game!"

by bullhockey on Mar 19, 2008 12:05 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

No need to worry...
I think/hope Boylan will be gone at the end of the year anyway.

If he isn't then I would expect the deluge of posts about how he handles his rotation to continue, but for now I'd rather bang my head into a wall (all feelings about the development of TT aside that is).

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 12:10 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I did see
a "Fire Boylan" sign in the crowd last night. Anyone from in here?

by sue369 on Mar 19, 2008 1:04 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Kinko's finest
Haha, yeah.  I can claim the sign.  I was wondering if anyone on here saw it.

by Stay Chisel on Mar 19, 2008 2:27 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I wasn't commenting on TT's current status.
I was asking Kalid El Amin for clarification of his comments.  
They have locked him up for at least the next two years, they can pretty much do whatever they want with him. If that means he sits so be it. Maybe you don't agree, but it doesn't mean he's gone at the end of the year.

What I was getting from this is, the Bulls hold the rights to TT and they can do whatever they want with him.  Because they can bench him, they don't have to trade him.  I was simply trying to explain why that attitude would be to the detriment of the Bulls and Thomas.

by snley on Mar 19, 2008 11:05 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

See my comment below...
But also...

I wasn't saying they shouldn't develop him in the future, but for now they play him as much as he deserves.

If he thinks he should be playing more, well then... FANTASTIC!

Let him work hard in practice and over the summer and he might get in some games more.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:10 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

So that is the rule
for Thomas?  How about the rest of the team when they suck?  Or is this just how they should treat Thomas?

by cranscape on Mar 19, 2008 11:43 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

No...
The rest of the team too. They all suck.

by Khalid El-Amin on Mar 19, 2008 11:45 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

All this bickering daily about TT's minutes
Again, I'm admittedly one of those National TV games only cretons, but I don't think his play dictates 30 minutes or 10.  I think the issue here is Boylan's stubborn refusal to try to win ballgames and develop Pax's draft picks at the same time by playing them!

I've been watching how much potential is there for the high screen and roll if they used it more.  Noah sets a wide screen, and for some reason, rolls open down the lane.  Now with practice, he'll learn to finish or dish to the cutter or shooter.  Add that to the diminished pressure on the ball when the d has to respect the roll, and voila, some offense.  

Instead, the ballhandler now uses the pick only to try to create space for a shot, which doesn't materialize because he's being trapped.  Will all the necessary parts gel from the bench?  I don't think so.  These aren't bad players, but they're never going to form a rythm if there are 2-3 diff