For the sweater crowd

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 14, 2008 11:08 PM CDT Comment 90 comments

I labled this Reinsdorf quote as amongst the 'good' portion of what he said regarding the coaching search:

"I can't worry about perception. I have to worry about making the right decision. This is a very critical hire."

But do the Bulls need to worry about perception?

(So far they haven't shown that they are worried (or they're bad at P.R.), as they have either sounded incompetent or impotent at every turn.)

Judging by the small (and admittedly odd) sample size that is this blog, most fans are either ambivalent or angry and some are questioning whether to keep their season tickets. I personally have declined to renew my partial ticket plan. Not that there is (or I'd advocate) some kind of mass boycott, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some dent in the season ticket renewals this offseason.

More important than merely this subset of fandom, there's some evidence out there (the Trib site had similar results) amongst the general public that Avery Johnson is now their favorite choice. I don't think that's the case here, but it makes sense for the fanbase (trust me, I know that a couple online polls is flimsy evidence but I'll speculate on all Bulls fans behalf just the same) since the list of assistant coaches is full of relative unknowns, even if they may be better choices (as if I, or anyone, knows).

While I wouldn't go as far to say that any new coach would reinvigorate the fanbase like a star roster acquisition would, the organization has to have something to show for themselves to indicate that this season will be different, right? Sure, there's the thought that a lot of the roster just had a poor season and bringing the band back together is enough, but I don't know if there's enough goodwill anymore to pass it off to the city. This team didn't just disappoint last season, they were blasted by their own coaches and the media as losers and bad pros.

We know that a true roster shakeup is hard to do, and not very wise. So a hire like Avery Johnson accompanied with a lot of quotes about "discipline" and "work ethic" may be the more practical option with a similar result in perception. Not only could they emphasize those traits of Avery, but it'd signal that they won't be going with a rookie coach and the accompanying assumption that it comes with a development process.

I'm fairly convinced that the Bulls have no interest in development any more (some would ask if they ever have been, heh), It's been too soon after the post-dynasty abyss to try it again. So whether it's the right way to go or not, I don't foresee any roster stripping to rebuild, and (while I won't rule it out) a reason not to hire a rookie coach.

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you're "fairly convinced"?

...that we shouldnt still try to revamp this team by trading KIRK HINRICH or for this matter, anyone? wow. i mean, i’ve lost hope for the bulls’ spectacularity, but i haven’t gone that deep; we should still try to find trade opportunities and take them asap, as there are many free agents available this offseason. and for the coaching situation, i guess im pro-thibodeau.

[Tyrus Thomas]
--"Million dollar talent, ten cent head."

by bulls*hit on May 14, 2008 11:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

eh?

your four cent head didn’t quite get what I was saying, but maybe that was my fault.

There’s the option of dealing what they can, shedding payroll, loading up on draft picks, and crossing fingers for eventually landing a star player. I don’t think the team wants to go through that, which was my point.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 14, 2008 11:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Free Agents

And now, your Free Agent Chicago Bulls…..

by Cannoli on May 15, 2008 8:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pt 2

Roger Mason Jr.
Ronald Dupree
Ron Artest
Elton Brand
Brian Skinner
Kevin Ollie
Eric Piatkowski
Jannero Pargo
Malik Allen
PJ Brown
and honorary member, Chris Mihm

They’re all UFA, and ready to go. Lets not make the same tragic mistake we did the last time around, and let these ubertalented players go. Resign them all. The Bulls rise in the East.

by Cannoli on May 15, 2008 8:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL That's a who's who

of “who the heck?”

The Bulls just simply have not been lucky enough to score that difference maker, while other franchises have done so many times over since the Bulls last had a star.

To Matt’s point, if we keep trying to revamp the roster in hopes of getting that one key guy, fans will give up.

But to have good-attitude guys who work their butts off to be also-rans year after year is also less than appealing.

I hate to say it, but it sounds like we’ll be going this latter route for the foreseeable future.

"It’d be ridiculous to hate someone for simply what they say in a sports blog. But I greatly dislike every syllable of your angst-filled, smarmy, nondescript, half-assed, elitist-garbage responses." –Rogerspark Kris

by bullhockey on May 15, 2008 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

"hard work" and "discipline"

that’s the best we can hope for?

unfortunately that hasn’t gotten us anywhere except a one way ticket to a second round loss.

avery is like sloppy seconds.

gonna be a real boring year, i think i may focus on my career in 08-09, or start a family or somethin’. anything would be better than watching these guys struggle to a 40 win season. again.

by Orlando Woolridge on May 14, 2008 11:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So Negative And Fatalistic

We’re just going to pretend that Avery Johnson’s decisions single-handedly cost Dallas the 2006 Finals, and it wasn’t the NBA deciding that Dwyane Wade would become its new feature star. How are you supposed to make adjustments when they’re letting a guy shoot 30 from the stripe in a game?

Golden State last year was inexcusable, but no more inexcusable than going 16 – 0 before failing catastrophically in the championship round in football.

This season Dallas was the 7 seed and got eliminated by the Hornets. New Orleans is no slouch – last I saw they were a win from knocking out the defending champions.

I will never understand the vitriol directed at Avery .735 Johnson

Insert clever and witty remark slash pun here!

by ES46NE10 on May 15, 2008 12:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That's what they all say

I could say the same stuff about Mike Dunleavy in Portland, or Rick Adelman in Sacramento. “The refs did this/that. There was an injury. etc etc.” Point is, Avery Johnson had the deepest team in the league at one point, took them to the Finals, and lost to an inferior team. Dwayne Wade getting lots of fouls is one thing, not using Dirk Nowitzki in the same fashion is perplexing. I think what happened that season is he used everything he had just to beat San Antonio (where Dallas would not have won had they not gotten tons of suspect free throws) and Phoenix, he just pooped the bed in the Finals.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 15, 2008 12:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And

The fact also is that Avery watched as Wade ripped the team apart and did little adjustments….he saw how his team attacked the rim the first 2.75 games of that finals, then sat back while they went into their usual back agaist the wall jump shot mode and proceeded to lose the finals in dramatic fashion.

He also catered to Nellie-Ball and was defeated because of it, rather than enforce his team’s will on a drastically inferior opponent (Warriors).

I agree this yr the Mavs weren’t the same team, so I can’t find the fault in his coaching….but quoting the .737 for his coaching percentages, etc is misleading, he was granted/given a fabulous 60 win team from the start of his tenure and did little with it than what Nellie was doing prior, and Nelson likely would have found a way to pull off a championship in the same era….

I think the Kidd trade was awful for them, they’ve needed a SG, and keep trying to get PG’s. I think they shuold have kept Terry as their PG, traded Harris, etc for a SG (say Carter even instead of Kidd) and had 4 offensive weapons this post season instead of 2-3 (Howard normally would be a solid 3rd offensive weapon).......

That was the real problem, a team that had solid PG play didn’t need another PG, when everyone knew they could have used a bit more defensive help, or more importantly a solid SG in place of the fading Stackhouse….Carter might not be on the up and up, and might be very much overrated for his career, but the guy has crazy talent, and I’d say pairing him with Dirk, Howard, Terry would have been a better option than Kidd (cuz Kidd can’t shoot). Of course the Mavs had a few others that might not have been bad either…..but that was the Nets trade I would hav emade.

by majoyenrac on May 15, 2008 7:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You have to look at what happened

Avery inherited a contender from Don Nelson, took them to the Finals in his first year, then 1st round exits in the next two. That’s not progress, that’s regression and he apparently wore on his team as quickly as Skiles did our. I don’t see the wisdom in bringing in a similar coach and a similar philosophy (there goes that word again) to the one that your team just tuned out.

There’s a reason no one is knocking down Avery’s door to sign him.

by messwiththebull on May 15, 2008 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting stuff

A couple more things to consider:

Whomever comes in now is going to have to deal with being “the second choice”. That really sucks. It’ll be harder for the coach to command the players’ respect. He won’t get the same latitude from the media or fans. And hell, he might not even get it from Bulls management.

The way you get around that, I guess, is by making a big splash with an experienced, high profile coach. So I guess I that further tips us into the Avery Johnson corner. Of course, at that point maybe we’ve replaced making “the right splash” with simply “a splash” as the goal, which is the road to Knickville.

While I don’t think the Bulls are the bunch of slackers they’ve been described as, I do think they might not be very happy if their coach needs on the job training at their expense. I think they need someone who knows what the hell he’s doing or they’ll walk right over him.

I don’t think they can completely blow things up without really killing the fan base, so I can’t say it’s the “right thing to do” even if it maximizes our chances of winning a title down the line.

So what are they supposed to do? Hunker down, scour the earth for an experienced coach who can get these guys to play to their potential, and set yourself up for cap space in two summers. Unfortunately, the Bulls need a caretaker. I hate to say it, but at this point I’m starting to imagine a lot of worse things than Jeff Van Gundy.

by Sports2 on May 15, 2008 12:15 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree about JVG

if we’re going defense now, we might as well go all out.

by Orlando Woolridge on May 15, 2008 12:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

too bad he's taking next year off.

by Orlando Woolridge on May 15, 2008 12:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Problem is

I don’t think it will be easy to lure Van Gundy out of his fun TV gig, where he actually has fun and is getting rave reviews.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 15, 2008 12:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Carlisle wouldn't have been so bad either

especially with his army of assistants.

JVG works, Dwayne Casey, meh.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was worried about the Bulls hiring Carlisle

until I read this. Now, I think I’m more disappointed about not getting Carlisle than D’Antoni. Casey seemed to have gotten the shaft in Minnesota.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on May 15, 2008 9:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess that shows that every once in awhile...

...a coach can “learn”. That’s what you hope for in a retread, isn’t it?

by tyger1147 on May 15, 2008 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes

but that doesn’t solve the problem of his personality. the big question on carlisle seems to be his likability.

by Jaina on May 15, 2008 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Caretaker Coach

I think you’re right. After the D’Antoni Disaster, it almost doesn’t matter who the next coach is. The worst thing the Bulls could do right now is lock in some second choice coach that every player on the team and every fan in the stands knows is the second choice—to a four year deal.

Paxson should coach this team for a year. Next year, the Bulls should go back in the coaching pool—this time seriously and probably with a new GM…after Paxson gets fired for an intolerable cumulative series of screw-ups.

I have a feeling that if we thought things were bad this year…wait until next year. I think we’re in for a historically horrible year…a complete collapse…the necessary bottoming out they talk about in 12-Step recovery programs.

Dum spiro spero! (While there is life, there’s hope!)--Leon Trotsky

by alec on May 15, 2008 9:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I won't go that far ahead

wait just until July 1st. The Gordon/Deng offer sheet scavenger hunt will make this D’Antoni stuff seem trivial.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

this all assumes

that Avery isn’t content to just sit at home and count his stacks of paper coming from the Mavs. Personally, if I’m Avery, I’m hanging out until something better comes a long. The thought of screeching at Kirk Hinrich to learn how to play the PG position for 82 games can’t be all that appealing to the “Little General”.

by fundamentallysound on May 15, 2008 1:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

you said...

I’m fairly convinced that the Bulls have no interest in development any more

This is pretty sad if true. The Bulls have the youngest roster in the NBA. I think at this point the best option as coach for these next two years is to put all the resources into a not good but great coaching staff (head coach, assistants, etc) that is particularly great at development.

Then, in two years, see where Tyrus, Noah, Deng, Thabo, Gordon if still here, etc, are in terms of develpment (have you got all-stars, superstars, etc), and then you can start thinking about roster overhaul (or not) and have a better idea of what you have.

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on May 15, 2008 4:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rebuilding not so bad

No matter which coach we take, even if by we didn’t lose D’Antoni to the Knicks grumbles, how sure are you that he can take this group can win with them?

Start of the season we saw how much hype the Bulls got, yet that group that was supposed to win the East was dog-fighting with Charlotte for more ping pong balls. If we learned anything from last season, our cupboard is really bare.

Kirk’s not the dominant point guard we expected to give Deron and CP3 a challenge, Deng’s at best a complementary piece, Tyrus’ is making me miss Eddy Curry and JamesOn barely saw playing time all year. The only 2 people who came out with their reputations intact are Noc and Gooden.

Much as I hate the Jerry Krause period, we might need to rebuild. The players we got are good complementary pieces (albeit a bit one-dimensional), new coach, complete overhaul. It may take a few more years…

Hopefully Pax doesn’t f* it up as badly as he did the first time.

by Alighieri on May 15, 2008 4:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Re. Avery

This does not sound too good as regards Avery and the Bulls players (sounds a lot like what tuned Skiles out) :

“So I’m looking forward to communicating a lot,” Nowitzki said. “I think that’s what Avery was missing a little bit, the communication with the players individually. I think that’s the way to go—not only find your way as a coach, but find out what the players like, where they like to catch the ball, what sets they like. Because it’s still a player’s league, it’s not a league of coaches. You’ve got to find the way to get the best out of players.”

This can be found here :
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/05/14/carlisle.mavs.ap/index.html

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on May 15, 2008 7:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

AJ unlikely

can u imagine one year working for mark cuban and then jerry reinsdorff the next. i know my lazy blogging ass would be happy to sit at home counting my money fanned by the summer breeze.(huh?). diabolo’s post is scary too if AJ didnt ask dirk where he likes to catch the ball…

With the youngest roster aroundn rebuilding is inevitable. as a fan i want them to try to win it all every year. As a long time white sox and bulls fan i can tell you that that is NOT jerry’s goal. We are looking at another rebuilding process of a couple of years. “the core” strategy, more like a rotten apple core, which seemed to be based on the detroit model (w/o ever getting a sheed) had its turn… They either try to continue to build around the core or umm miraculously evolve into a regular NBA team and get an actual franchise player to build their franchise around (players get the franchise label for a reason). my fear and inclination is that they have no real plans for improving this team, only labeling their product so it sells. 2 ways the bulls can not seriously piss me off are 1. get lucky or trade up for rose 2. trade for a star (keep BG).... status quo aint gonna cut it.

p.s. trade kirk for anyone/thing… lebron’s mom?

Super Bowl XLI MVP Rex Grossman
Chicago Bulls Captain and Starting Point Guard Kirk Hinrich...
Same Person

by 234L on May 15, 2008 7:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The Trib poll implied most people had lost interest in the Bulls coach search

I am hopeful we dodged a bullet but I’m also disappointed. D’Antoni does bring excitment and energy to a team that no other coach available seems to have. Avery Johnson, Marc Jackson both screaming the team needs more energy and better defense – been there heard that. D’Antoni brings something unique to the table, even if it doesn’t work, which would have made May to November more bearable.

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 8:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

all reasons why

the ‘philosophical gap’ was bridged with Paxson. Ah well.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm pretty letdown after the D'Antoni thing.

I’m not convinced he would have been perfect-um, no one is-, but he was the best choice available for this team right now. It’s clear to me, too, that Paxson and Reinsdorf finally decided that as well. It just took them too long, and they were never 100% convinced of it.

Sure, at this point, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise in that A.J. finds compassion, JVG finds a spark and offensive creativity, Thibodeau is a genius coach or that Brian Shaw is a hidden gem, but any of those will take a lot of time to get the players, and me, excited about this team after this highly-publicized letdown.

At this point, I don’t think this off-season can be that instant “homerun” we all wanted. I think it could turn out to be disastrous if Deng and Gordon leave and they draft Kevin Love and sign Johnson to coach. More likely, hopefully, it will be somewhere in between.

by tyger1147 on May 15, 2008 9:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

you forgot

trading Tyrus for Matt Harpring.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 9:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh c'mon. Surely they can get Shane Battier at least!

I know I’m reactionary. That’s what happens when the two heads of your favorite basketball organization sound like whiny kids.

by tyger1147 on May 15, 2008 9:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's not like Avery Johnson has a lot of coaching experience

I’d place money on “Former Bull” ahead of Sir Yellsalot in the coaching sweepstakes.

by hscs on May 15, 2008 9:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Who's that?

by tyger1147 on May 15, 2008 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Doug?

Pete Myers?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pippen, Randy Brown, Livingston

Reinsdorf and Pax are familiar enough with Pip to say yea or nay, and not “you should be an assistant.” Fans would be excited. Randy Brown is an assistant in Sacto. Livingston is old, played 22 minutes in a Bulls uni. They’re all cheap 2nd choices, the front office knows them, fans would recognize their names, and they’d be perceived as more player friendly than yelling, micromanaging Avery.

by hscs on May 15, 2008 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

bill cartwirght 2.0?

Super Bowl XLI MVP Rex Grossman
Chicago Bulls Captain and Starting Point Guard Kirk Hinrich...
Same Person

by 234L on May 15, 2008 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I never said the Bulls would hire a good coach

If it’s about a low-risk guy who people know, then Pip or Brown would be perfect.

by hscs on May 15, 2008 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

low risk money-wise

but I think a disaster coaching hire and subsequent losing season would do some real damage overall.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Avery Johnson wouldn't be a disaster?

Is there any reason to believe he’s a good coach? He took an already good defensive team and slowed it down, couldn’t do anything about the refs in the Finals, and his best team went down in the 1st round to the Warriors.

by hscs on May 15, 2008 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, he sounds kind of like Walter Payton, so he at least has that going for him.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on May 15, 2008 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

sure

Mavs defense:
03/04 (Nelson) – 26th
04/05 (Nelson/Avery) – 9th
05/06 (Avery) – 11th
06/07 – 5th
07/08 – 9th

he did more than slow things down, although (effectively) exchanging Nash for Dampier changes things.

I think he’s certainly flawed, but he’d at least motivate the players back to their Skilesian levels.

Plus like you mentioned, he doesn’t have that much experience, maybe he learned from previous debacles against the Heat and Warriors. In this past instance, they lost to a better team. Plus if we’re taking away credit for playoff losses, they did beat the Spurs in a 7 game series to get to the finals, which is a heck of an achievement.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh, but all that said

I think he’d cost way too much just to fulfill those meager expectations. I’m starting to man the ‘damn they missed out on Carlisle, at least he’s knowingly decent’ boat.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Any time spent on a coaching search right now is time wasted…

time that would be much more profitably spent in deep prayer and supplication to the Lottery Gods.

Even if we don’t win the lottery this year, perhaps we can lay the groundwork that might favorably dispose the Gods toward us for next year, when it will really matter.

Dum spiro spero! (While there is life, there’s hope!)--Leon Trotsky

by alec on May 15, 2008 10:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if

“guy who people know” can be further extrapolated to “guy who they may not know but can run a system they know”.

Judging by some here, absolutely. But like I said, this is a weird group :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

you mean percieved by the players

I don’t think fans want a ‘player friendly’ coach.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

whoops

I forgot the coach is required to tell the media players are faking injuries, lack energy, etc.

by hscs on May 15, 2008 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

heh, exactly.

ugh, KC was on the radio last week giving the ‘hilarious’ fake cough when talking about Gordon and Deng’s injuries last year.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

This is much better idea than actually going out and trying to hire a good coach.

Even a potentially great coach will be fighting an unwinnable perception battle, and won’t really get the chance to show how good he might be. It’d be a waste to hire someone you liked and thought could actually do the job, because no matter whom that is he won’t be accepted by either the players or the fans. At least the ownership might get a slightly lower volume of criticism if they hire someone the fan base can’t help but like…even if (perhaps, especially if) it’s only nostalgia.

Just bite the bullet on next season and start getting ready for 2009-10.

Dum spiro spero! (While there is life, there’s hope!)--Leon Trotsky

by alec on May 15, 2008 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

At this point 2008-9 does not look promising

It appears we are headed toward an amateur coach and a emotionally screwed-up team.

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

another 'chicago guy'

Tyrone Corbin.

(swiped from TB#1 at the RealGM board)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm...

Think he was interviewing for the job through that article? If not, then he seems as good as any. He says the right things.

I’m sooooooo torn right now. These (Corbin, Shaw, Curry, Thibodeau) are the kind of guys I expected the Bulls to go after from the get-go, and I thought that would be a good idea. After the D’Antoni letdown, however, I’m just all “bleurgh”.

by tyger1147 on May 15, 2008 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I remember watching that guy play at DePaul when I was

a young kid.

LSU 38 OHIO STATE 24 - LSU IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPION AND I AM THE KING OF BOURBON STREET!!

by 1958ChiTown on May 15, 2008 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

John Jackson and Sam Smith

are now pushing Corbin’s name into the picture. Smith was on CTL last night with good things to say about Corbin, but Smith acknowledged that he doesn’t really know him. He knows Phil Johnson(assistant to Sloan) and Sloan and they have said great things about Corbin.

by NBA Observer on May 15, 2008 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sam mentioned Corbin on CLTV

weeks ago.

I don’t remember the exact date, but I remember the next day Sue mentioned having seen it , and wondered who Ty was.

Of course, I-told-you-so’s are strictly verboten on this site, but I think it would be pretty funny if Sam had the next Bulls coach pegged weeks in advance of anyone else (including, I’m pretty sure, John Paxson).

Dum spiro spero! (While there is life, there’s hope!)--Leon Trotsky

by alec on May 15, 2008 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sam has also written about Corbin

in his articles for the Trib and the Sporting News. I’ve seen Sam push Corbin’s name before yesterday on CTL. It’s just more frequently coming up as of late.

by NBA Observer on May 15, 2008 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Depressing....We need a miracle!

what happen to the remains of any Bulls swagger.
It feels like we are being treated like the fans for the “expired” Vancouver Grizzlies, yet in a major market?

by exult463 on May 15, 2008 11:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

or an anti-depressant!

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 12:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

When the Going Gets Tough

the tough get going! Want a miracle? Lets get John Wooden! He could talk Bill Walton, Kareem and Marquis Johnson out of retirement. Gail Goodrich is getting bored on NBA.TV, maybe we can get him too. Why stop with retired coaches? Maybe we could get Red Auerbach, Red Holtzman, Claire Bee, or the great Adolph Rupp. Just dig ‘em up and stick ‘em on the bench. We had a corpse playing for us last year. Why not a corpse for a coach? We’d probably get better results than what we’ve been getting. Want someone tough? How about Tony Soprano? He’s outta work now, what with the show being canceled and all. There wouldn’t be any backtalk or player insurrection in his locker room, I guarantee it. Bada bing! Make him an offer he can’t refuse. We need to use our imaginations here…the current crop of candidates is too pathetic to tolerate for another nanosecond. This is depressing. Where is Meadowlark Lemon when you really need him?

by Cannoli on May 15, 2008 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

"How about Tony Soprano?"

A+

would read again!!!!!

by Orlando Woolridge on May 15, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree - "the current crop of candidates is too pathetic to tolerate for another nanosecond."

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

coach k?

Super Bowl XLI MVP Rex Grossman
Chicago Bulls Captain and Starting Point Guard Kirk Hinrich...
Same Person

by 234L on May 15, 2008 3:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

we already went over this

yes, we know you like Kirk Hinrich as coach.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Duke's Coach

and i hate duke…

Super Bowl XLI MVP Rex Grossman
Chicago Bulls Captain and Starting Point Guard Kirk Hinrich...
Same Person

by 234L on May 15, 2008 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can someone forward this to Jerry Reinsdorf

so he knows how to do business in today’s professional sports environment?

“Truth is, Carlisle and Nowitzki hit it off the first time they met, a few days into the coaching search. Carlisle was the first and only candidate interviewed and within days he was going through a second round of meetings with team owner Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson, the team’s president of basketball operations. After getting together in Indianapolis, they met in Dallas and invited Nowitzki to join them at Cuban’s house.”

by messwiththebull on May 15, 2008 3:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Can it get any worse than this?

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 3:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought everyone was anti-Carlisle

The Bulls had their shot weeks before Avery was officially canned to hire the guy, and they decided to twiddle their thumbs yet again on a major personnel decision.

I was always pro-Rick, but then the local media (no doubt influenced by Paxson) kept printing negative reports about how Rick was never well-liked in Detroit or Indiana. All I know is, the guy took horrible Detroit teams to 50 win seasons back-to-back, and was given a highly combustible roster that maybe only Phil Jackson could have coaxed into not self-destructing.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 15, 2008 3:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Confusion

I wouldn’t confuse the anti-carlisle crowd with the pro-look-at-how-Dallas-does-it-omg-im-jealous crowd.

We’d like to see the organization, er, organized.

by NBA Observer on May 15, 2008 4:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is exactly what my "Can it get worse than this?" was all about.

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's fine

I just don’t want to see people going “OMFG we could have had Carlisle :(” when 3 weeks ago the same guys/gals were hating the shit out of him.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 15, 2008 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Could Carlisle have been using the Bulls?

We were interviewing him before Avery was fired, but as soon as Avery was fired we started to see the stories indicating the Bulls weren’t all that interested in Carlisle.

More interviews, better contract?

by NBA Observer on May 15, 2008 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know what to believe

After Carlisle was interviewed, there were several accounts that stated Paxson wasn’t impressed at all with him, and that there were stories coming out of Detroit and Indy saying he wasn’t a good guy to work with, standoffish, etc. So maybe that’s Paxson’s way of getting the public to stop thinking highl of him?

If Carlisle was leveraging us for a better situation, he did it much more discretely (thus not looking like a douche a la D’Antoni). However, I want to believe he just didn’t make a good impression to the almighty Action Paxson.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 15, 2008 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

this

is the same crowd that wanted to trade luol deng for andre iguadola straight up a few weeks back. which way is the wind blowing?...

by leeac on May 15, 2008 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i still

would love Iggy over Deng

I vote for Thomas to play, play more and play regularly.-Sam Smith

by tyrus4prez on May 15, 2008 6:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm one of those who hate Carlisle

I looked at the pace factors of the teams he coached and figured he was a stick in the mud type who wouldn’t be a good fit for the Bulls uptempo roster. I was shocked to see him state he’d let Kidd and the Mavs run next season. I’m still somewhat skeptical of how much that will happen, but it’s nice to hear him admit publicly that he should style his strategy to his roster.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on May 15, 2008 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A coach admits he needs adapt?

That is shocking news. Also, if he’s able to get Artest to sign with Dallas they suddenly don’t look so depressing.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 16, 2008 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Dallas looks terribly depressing.

They’d look a lot better if they hadn’t made the Kidd trade. Not sure what they’d do with Artest though or even how they would get him. With Dirk and Howard at the 3 and 4, they’d either have to go really small or really big. Seems they would have a hard time offering Sacto anything they’d really want too.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on May 16, 2008 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They could bid adieu to Howard

I don’t think you can win a title if he’s the 2nd best player on the team.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 16, 2008 6:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Issue with that is that Sacto already has quite a few nice pieces on the wings

While they’re still in rebuilding mode, they may want a PG or post player instead of Howard. A three team trade could work, though, and may not be a bad opportunity for Paxson to try to get involved.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on May 17, 2008 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

There were

three names KC and Sam talked about last night. Brian Shaw, Tyrone Corbin and Kurt Rambis.

by sue369 on May 15, 2008 6:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I hoping that Paxdorf will come up with a big surprise.

The problem is I cannot even conceptualize a surprise. Maybe coach K but hat seems absurd. Phil Jackson again absurd. What surprise is left that could jump start this team?

by chgobr on May 15, 2008 6:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

ok, I think that's enough 'oh how depressing'

comments in the same thread. Cheer up chgobr. :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 15, 2008 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

how

about this guy? he was pretty solid as a laker…

href="http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/05/25904_NedFlanders.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/05/25904_NedFlanders.jpg[/img]

by leeac on May 15, 2008 7:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ok, i'm still working on that...

href=”http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/05/25904_NedFlanders.jpg” target=”_blank”>http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/05/25904_NedFlanders.jpg[/img]

by leeac on May 15, 2008 7:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ok, give up. hope matt can clean up as usual...

by leeac on May 15, 2008 7:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bulls ask Jazz about Corbin

Mike McGraw reports.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the Bulls asked for permission to speak with Utah Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin.

SL Tribune story

The Bulls contacted Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor on Tuesday and requested permission to speak with assistant Tyrone Corbin about their coaching vacancy. Corbin will wait and see what happens in the playoffs before possibly interviewing.

by NBA Observer on May 15, 2008 6:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

by bullshooter on May 15, 2008 11:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow, you found an option that makes Pippen look appealing.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on May 16, 2008 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs