Bullsbeat 60 is up!

Second post this week, mostly talking about how our guys are spending their summers, good stuff.

about 1 year ago robingoodfellow 13 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Good stuff

A little concerned with what I heard about Noah. I think he regressed as the season went on and needs to get into better shape.

Liked what I heard about Thomas and Gooden. With our center position being as big a question mark as it is, they will need the forwards (especially power forwards) to help pick up a lot of the interior slack.

Sounds like Kirk is expecting to move over to a more permanent 2 position role. Especially if hes concentrating on his condition as apposed to speed drills.

LOL, Gray will never reach 5 % percent body fat. He takes a lot of flack, but that isn’t a realistic goal.

by RogersPark Kris on Sep 1, 2008 10:31 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Regressed?

Maybe he got gassed, but his numbers continued to rise every month. The only times I saw him really struggle was against really big centers who know how to use their body in the paint, like Kendrick Perkins. The last 2 months of the season he averaged 9.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, which I think is quite solid for a rookie center.

Noah is like any other typical rookie. They want to chill out and rest after their first NBA season, it’s a giant adjustment process and takes a huge physical toll.

I expect Gooden to have a huge year, especially if Tyrus doesn’t start owning up to his promise. Drew needs to sucker another team into giving him a long term deal, as the best interior scorer on the Bulls he’ll have his chances to put up some nice numbers.

"I’m gonna rise up, gonna kick a little ass. Gonna kick some ass in the USA. Gonna climb a mountain, gonna sew a flag, gonna fly on an eagle. I’m gonna kick some butt, gonna drive a big truck. I’m gonna rule this world. I’m gonna kick some ass. I’m gonna rise up, gonna kick a little ass. Rock, flag, and eagle!"

by Ozzie Montana on Sep 1, 2008 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kirk weight 205 pounds, he might look like Deron now.

by D.Rose23 on Sep 1, 2008 11:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Meh

I’m going to go ahead and say I don’t like Kirk getting bigger. He looked bigger to start last year too, and he was slow as all get out. When he’s been at his best as a defender, he’s been successful because he was quicker. Being all buff isn’t going to help out all that much, and he loses his unusual agility in the process, that’s not a good thing.

by Sports2 on Sep 1, 2008 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Kirk is playing almost exclusively at the 2 this year (assuming Ben is banished to Chicago Tough camp)

Doesn’t the extra muscle help? His best asset offensively has always been getting to the basket (aside from his outside shooting), adding some strength shouldn’t hurt Kirk’s apparent slashing abilities.

by Ozzie Montana on Sep 1, 2008 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, to me it's pretty silly

that anyone would be pissed that a guy who’s going to play the 2 is putting on muscle. Kirk is sure going to need it.

When I watch NBA games I often call the fouls before the referees do. Sometimes it’s a gift. Most of the time it's troublesome. - NBA Observer

by Illini15 on Sep 1, 2008 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't you watch guys going by him last year like he was anchored in concrete?

by Sports2 on Sep 1, 2008 6:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The guys he's guarding won't be as quick.

And also, I expect him to be in better shape in general. More muscle doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be slower.

When I watch NBA games I often call the fouls before the referees do. Sometimes it’s a gift. Most of the time it's troublesome. - NBA Observer

by Illini15 on Sep 1, 2008 7:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The guys he's guarding will be the same guys who blew by him last year

I agree it doesn’t mean he’ll be slower, but it sure seems more likely.

I guess I didn’t look at his performance last year and think, gee, this guy needs to get stronger. I looked and thought he already looked bigger than in the past, and he looked a lot slower. And of course, he bitched about having to guard SGs midway through last year. Even if he’s stronger now, he’s still going to be undersized.

by Sports2 on Sep 1, 2008 7:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He wasn't playing very smart last year

with a lot of reaching in fouls and defensive style that for some reason got a pass in previous years but last year it was as if the refs had his number. That being said, half of his problems last year were because of slow feet and not adapting to how the refs are calling the game. You can get away with some reaching in if you have position and that means you have to be fast. Hinrich will have to find a way of not getting on the ref’s radar like last year. Faster legs and smarter choices are key. Hopefully bulk won’t slow him down because as a smaller guy the speed and good footwork (isn’t that what his coach of a dad supposedly taught him) was what in previous years help him out.

Everything I post is speculation. I have no insider information nor ideas deemed concrete enough by those who are self-elected to regulate post content.

by cranscape on Sep 1, 2008 8:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

bulky for d?

I completely understand the concept of people not liking a bulky kirk, afterall last year kirk definetly did look alot bigger, but it didnt seem to help at all. Like cranscape said, i think his poor defense last year wasnt a result of being too slow, but more because the refs were catching him foul over and over again. Not that the refs were being unfair, but it seemed like whatever kirk did the year before, just could not fly this year defensively.

In that sense, i dont think that having more muscle will make kirks defense worse, even if it makes him a bit slower (so long as he can get the fundementals down and play to the refs, his defense should still be good) in fact being stronger should help on defense. Being bigger is definetly a good idea when bodying up your man. In the pistons series hinrich had trouble when chauncy would use his body a bit more, being stronger means the bigger guards (kirk will probably still get stuck with guarding 2s with rose guarding pgs) will have a harder time just pushing kirk around, and thus he wont have to be as aggresive on defense (Which i think was one of his problems last year defensively, the cause of his foul troubles.The fact that guards would kind of push him out of his defensive zone, and when he would try to regain position or body up, he would use more aggresion and refs would call it) and will be able to keep up with his man without getting into foul trouble. It also helps when taking charges or just getting in the way of a fast break.

Being stronger also makes it easier to finish at the rim (which is what im looking forward to d.rose doing) but i have a feeling that kirk didnt just add 10lbs of upper body weight, and has added some muscle in his legs for more explosive ability.

Really i think kirk is preparing himself to play the two, to attack the basket and to body up bigger guards, and maybe him being faster would be nice, but kirk has never been a quick guard, more so he has been a smart guard, and smart guys can always use a little brawn now and then.

On Behalf of Sue, Wjb, Bullshooter, and all the other Hinrich fans...Ill keep the Hinrich Hope coming...There will be light....

by piccolomair on Sep 2, 2008 12:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A couple of things:

1. I admit not having seen Gray since Summer League, but did he beef up again? He looked pretty slim when compared to the end of the season. My guess is Thonus hasn’t seen the SL games and still remembers Mount Gray from the last game of the season…

2. I had to go back and listen again because I figured I heard it wrong the first time but I heard it right and ended up counting… Doug lit up the Podcast with 15 (fifteen) Kirk "HeiMrick"’s! Shouldn’t someone who has a podcast at least know the names of the “Core” players?

3. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised… This is after all someone who is a self-professed Ben-lover…

4. I love how he makes up his own stupid phrases. “Go-to-ness”. Made even more funny by the way he used it. Apparently someone was working on their “Go-to-ness”… I’d love to see that work-out…

by BAB-Bass on Sep 1, 2008 5:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I could be wrong

but I thought Thonus actually went to a few summer games and talked to Pax and did some podcast specials on it? He’d have seen Gray first hand.

I thought Grey looked a little slimmer in SL, but he also needs to work on not getting winded. Same fear I have with Noah after seeing him huffing and puffing at Summer League. Bad enough he was doing the puffing part earlier in the year. Doesn’t he know his lungs are important?

Everything I post is speculation. I have no insider information nor ideas deemed concrete enough by those who are self-elected to regulate post content.

by cranscape on Sep 1, 2008 8:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs