Coming around on KC Johnson? (yes I'm fickle)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 16, 2009 2:17 PM CDT

KC was guest-hosting for a couple days this week on WSCR. They talked baseball 90% of the time but eventually in this hour (link 12PM 7/14) the co-host throws KC some Bulls questions based on what he thinks the Bulls players feel and his own opinions of the team. Here are some good bits:

"Derrick Rose loved playing with Ben Gordon"
KC thinks that Rose-Gordon would've been a very good backcourt pairing for many years, and Gordon is the type to make Rose better as a space-the-floor shooter.
When asked whether Gordon's end-of-game plays should've been going to Rose, KC said Rose was getting plenty of chances for stretches of the season to end games, until he was missing shots and VDN switched up after being questioned about the strategy.
Thinks Kirk doesn't like being off the bench but he accepts it as a pro, and KC thinks it's a better role for Kirk and he's fresher at the end of games.
Thinks Luol is the key to the season. Says that Luol definitely has the demeanor (KC was asked this) to come back strong, and the most interesting interview of the playoffs was Luol defending his honor and toughness in the face of such questions. Expects Luol to have a huge season. As opposed to Rose, thought it was Deng who didn't fit well with Gordon on the court.
Tyrus is another misunderstood Bull. Understands and cares that they drafted at his position. According to his Bulls sources Tyrus is having a great offseason. KC agrees with the idea that Tyrus needs to abandon the idea of becoming a perimeter player.
KC was asked some cap-neutral trade ideas, so you get the following valuations:

- Joakim Noah > Tyson Chandler
- Chris Paul > Derrick Rose
- Luol Deng > Gerald Wallace
-Chris Andersen > Tyrus Thomas (the 'knows who he is' argument)
Bosh, Boozer, Stoudemire: Bosh would be his choice, but Boozer is the most likely to actually be acquired

(hat tip to my Dad who let me know about this)

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damnit

did KC make some logical statements? It’s blasphemy!

by The90sBullsRevival on Jul 16, 2009 2:23 PM CDT reply actions

I know. I'm scared too.

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 16, 2009 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

He'll get a good talking too

from the Chairman for these. It’s a good thing he wasn’t appearing on AM 1000.

by nateroth on Jul 16, 2009 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions

2012 is fast approaching

the apocalypse is upon us.

by Basketball Smurf on Jul 16, 2009 3:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks for the recap. I would have listened except for the fact that Chicago sports radio in general is an abomination and they had to stick him with that clown Hanley.

"4 inches, baby!" --ripped off from Kush

by anorexorcist on Jul 16, 2009 2:43 PM CDT reply actions

He was with Matt Spiegel midday

Hanley’s on every morning.

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 16, 2009 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions

and Matt Spiegel tries too hard..

But yes Chicago radio has become even worse.

by SoulEater7 on Jul 16, 2009 11:27 PM CDT up reply actions

I disagree

it’s not good, but it’s not worse than Hamp/Holmes + Murph. Plus I still look forward to every morning knowing that Mike North has no radio job.

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 17, 2009 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs

Rec'd

Plus I still look forward to every morning knowing that Mike North has no radio job.

If we aren't careful, the leanness we now feel will be the starvation of those we serve.

by Chi 'Till I Die on Jul 19, 2009 12:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Did "Morons in the Morning" get cancelled?

"Whoever was responsible for pulling that offer [to Ben Gordon] off the table...bring him before me and I'll punch him right in the face " - Frederick Pfeiffer

by Granny Waiters on Jul 19, 2009 1:35 AM CDT up reply actions

not yet

but it’s not radio :)

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 19, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions

wow KC

that’s impressive. maybe with his beat writer job he feels like he should essentially just be the mouthpiece from the organization and the team to the fans. i’d like to see him writer/say things like this more often

by Calogero on Jul 16, 2009 3:07 PM CDT reply actions

Weren't his columns last year rather poor?

They were a really bad Sam Smith impersonation.

12/31: Fire Vinny Del Negro.

by NBA Observer on Jul 16, 2009 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions

actually K.C.

is like the anti-sam smith

by LoveForTheGame on Jul 16, 2009 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't understand why tKC doesn't write columns

KC is obviously closer to the team than anyone not on the Bulls. He has the most chance at insights. Give the guy a platform to share his views and maybe people will take him more seriously.

by Basketball Smurf on Jul 16, 2009 3:11 PM CDT reply actions

in general I'd prefer that the beat guys didn't write columns

but that ship has sailed due to newspaper cutbacks. KC actually does write some columns once in a while, as well as blog entries, Q&A, appearances on comcast, etc. So yeah, might as well write more things like this instead of sneakily putting biases in the reporting.

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 16, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions

and by the way

giving hat tips to your dad? when did you become simmons?

by Calogero on Jul 16, 2009 3:16 PM CDT reply actions

Just like to give credit where it's due

it’s what separates us bloggers from those who say things like ’ a sports website’ when sourcing.

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 16, 2009 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions

niccceeee

I was watching the 1995 Playoffs VS the Magic's and remembered how much I hated Horace Grant. Horace Grant - i hope you burn in bball hell

by Belize on Jul 16, 2009 3:20 PM CDT reply actions

wow

this occurred TWO days ago and he’s STILL the team’s beat writer? JR didn’t have him transported to Siberia yet? Interesting.

Good stuff. Maybe he’s not as much as a douche as most of us thought.

I caught him on CTL a couple of weeks ago and even there he was firmly in the Gordon supporter camp. I wonder why most of his pieces in the Trib had a negative feel towards Ben?

by NormVanBeer on Jul 16, 2009 3:21 PM CDT reply actions

I like how there's suspicion here of franchise unhappiness

when writers say something NICE about the players :-D

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 16, 2009 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I found that funny also

by Rose Colored Goggles on Jul 16, 2009 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Well, he complimented Kirk and Deng, so that probably allowed him to get away w/ complimenting BG and Tyrus

That’s probably in his mouthpiece contract

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 Jul 16, 2009 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

The Derrick stuff is interesting....

I was remembering today how seldom Rose actually initiated the set offense. He’d do a hand-off and go stand in the corner. And too often Ben would pound, pound, pound to set up his shot. That was definitely NOT good….

Irrationally, maybe, I’d have blamed Gordon for that when really it was a coaching/VDN thing. I don’t know…I can still see Ben pounding, cross-over, pounding with everyone watching ; >

I do tend to think, however, that without Gordon to rely on Rose (or maybe VDN) will have no alternative but to make Rose the main initiator and be more dominant with the ball……

by RichKarp on Jul 16, 2009 3:46 PM CDT reply actions

The same thing happened with Rose/Hinrich when they were on the court together.

BullsTwo

by Sports2 on Jul 16, 2009 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions

I think it's just in Rose's nature

to defer to the veterans. Expect to see that change just a little bit this year, more so in year three.

by Rose Colored Goggles on Jul 16, 2009 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I will still blame VDN

We had no offense by design. It was all isolation. And BG is best at isolation followed by Rose and Salmons. Thus Rose had no reason to hold onto the ball. Either he would take it in or he’d give it to Gordon to take it in. Or Kirk would take it and dribble the shot clock off and then do nothing good with it (that is a separate problem). We could have ran a real offense and Rose could run it if one existed. I don’t see it as Rose looking to the veterans. Rose should be looking for a new coach.

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 Jul 16, 2009 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Rose will be better without Gordon

more shots, more of a leadership role, better passes without the ball, better defense from the 2 guard, salmons can still space the floor if not as well as gordon.

it is so frustrating that the best place to chat about the bulls is dominated by a whiny drama queen moderator with a man crush on an average SG......6 recs

by BigforkBullsFan on Jul 16, 2009 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Really?

Because you know more than KC Johnson?

If we aren't careful, the leanness we now feel will be the starvation of those we serve.

by Chi 'Till I Die on Jul 16, 2009 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions

No.

Just my opinion which I think goes without saying. Troll much

it is so frustrating that the best place to chat about the bulls is dominated by a whiny drama queen moderator with a man crush on an average SG......6 recs

by BigforkBullsFan on Jul 17, 2009 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions

None of that is going to happen.

Salmons isn’t a good defender and is a worse ballhog than Gordon. If we run the same perimeter-based offense with Deng/Salmons/Rose … well … Salmons is going to take an awful lot of bad shots.

Vinny Del Negro Offensive Gameplan, Part 1
-When there's less than 30 seconds left in the game, that's me with my hands cupped around my mouth yelling.
"BEN! SHOOT! SHOOOOTTTT!!! WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME?!?"
-This segues nicely into my Timeout Management classes - order now!

by Prevenge on Jul 17, 2009 5:18 PM CDT up reply actions

The really good stuff

was when Rose and Gordon were getting the boards and starting the transition. Rose and Gordon pushed the ball. Kirk pulled it back.

We would have been really good last year if we had played like a barely above average defensive team for the first 30 games.

12/31: Fire Vinny Del Negro.

by NBA Observer on Jul 16, 2009 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions

It's not that Rose didn't initiate the set offense,

it’s that there was NO SET OFFENSE, EVER! The team had no scheme, and that applies to both ends of the floor. Like NBA Observer wrote, the Bulls were at their offensive best when they pushed the ball off of missed shots, as everyone on the team could run the floor. In the half court it was either 1on1 or Joakim Noah running the offense from the high post. One can only assume that there will be more of the same next year, as no new coaches were brought in, so Derrick’s gonna have to do a lot of scoring and driving-and-kicking if the offense is to be effective. If Rose doesn’t take the necessary steps next year, things could get ugly, as the best pure scorer on this team as of today is John Salmons.

by dakoose on Jul 16, 2009 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Deng > Gerald Wallace?

If Deng = Gerald Wallace, I’d be thrilled.

by arjoseph on Jul 16, 2009 3:59 PM CDT reply actions

haha

hopefully deng is healthy now, he had a long rest…

"Game 7 of the 2011 Finals.. 10 seconds left in the game, the score is tied up 92-92.. Kobe with the ball he drives in.. IS BLOCKED by bosh, Rose picks it up Runs it down Throws up a pass to Wade.. WADE SCORES! GAME OVER ! BULLS WIN BULLS WIN!"

by Faizamaze on Jul 16, 2009 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions

healthy gerald wallace?

a healthy gerald wallace is way better than deng, but gerald wallace and his playing style will prevent him from staying healthy, he has no jumpshot, that allows him to attack viciously everytime, but it also puts him at great force. Gerald Wallace is my favorite sf though, ill take him in any video game, but if i was an owner of a basketball team id hesitate….his style of play has put more miles on his body then there ever should have been.

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

by piccolomair on Jul 16, 2009 11:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Somehow I missed this!

…it’s a better role for Kirk and he’s fresher at the end of games.

Let’s hope its true. Who knew fatigue was what held him back in the 4th quarter all of his career. Maybe Deng is fatigued too. But wait, why would Kirk be playing in the 4th quarter at all anyway? That would mean Rose is on the bench or that we are playing the dreaded three guard lineup. Hm.

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 Jul 16, 2009 7:54 PM CDT reply actions

while i've made a lot of excuses for deng

so this could be seen as another one, i don’t doubt he was fatigued a good amount. the substitution patterns were often so bad he’d play the entire 2nd half. i remember looking up one stretch where he had like 5 games in a row like that. it doesn’t have to be that way.

"They should. They better. I'm Vinny Del Negro!"

by Jaina on Jul 16, 2009 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions

i should say, fatigued a good amount at times.

"They should. They better. I'm Vinny Del Negro!"

by Jaina on Jul 16, 2009 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions

The rotation issues with the Bulls are well documented.

I don’t doubt Deng was on the bad end of that too. Although a lot of the problem last year was being in various stages of injury most of the season even when he was suiting up. He usually had no hops left in the 4th quarter.

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 Jul 16, 2009 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Well he needs to get his ass in better shape.

It’s not like Deng is 33 years old and trying to keep up with young guys. Deng is 24 if I’m not mistaken. PLENTY of guys that age have averaged 40+ mpg. Deng can do it 4 or 5 games in a row here or there…if he gets his ass in shape.

by lexdiamonds0730 on Jul 17, 2009 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions

40 mpg is fine if the breaks are in the right places

if he got 4 minutes rest in the 1st half, and 4 in the second, that’s diff than getting 8 in the first half and none in the 2nd. is all.

that said, obviously the guy’s gotta do better.

"They should. They better. I'm Vinny Del Negro!"

by Jaina on Jul 18, 2009 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions

As a Bulls fan, I sincerely hope that Deng has a breakout season.

I believe the Deng is the difference between the Bulls being an average team and the Bulls being a contender. I really do. If Deng gives the Bulls that 14pts 6 rbs that he’s too often given them then they’ll be rather average unless Derrick Rose morphs into Chris Paul and averages 20 and 10. But if Deng breaks out and does what he is physically capable (I think Deng has a ceiling of about 23 ppg and about 10 rpg which would be incredible) then he changes everything.

But the million dollar question is the same as it’s always been. Which Deng is going to show up? He’s been far too inconsistent to be given the benefit of the doubt. He has to prove it to the Bulls fans and probably to some of his teammates as well. I guess we will find out though.

by lexdiamonds0730 on Jul 17, 2009 4:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Great stuff

I am loving this from KC. I know he is a beat guy, but I do wish we could hear more from him like this.

If we aren't careful, the leanness we now feel will be the starvation of those we serve.

by Chi 'Till I Die on Jul 16, 2009 8:31 PM CDT reply actions

I actually thought KC was good on radio when the blow hole let him talk.

It would be nice to have a Bulls guy some where in the mix on the Score. They have every thing else. I don’t really consider Hanley a Bulls guy.

by SoulEater7 on Jul 16, 2009 11:30 PM CDT reply actions

neither do I.

I guess Carmen DeFalco?

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 17, 2009 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions

It should be pointed out

that no doubt KC simply likes Gordon more as a reporter since he was more professional with the media. If you listen KC throws a jab at Kirk for saying he’d run away from any microphone.

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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jul 17, 2009 9:06 AM CDT reply actions

Can't agree with KC on Bosh, Boozer, Stoudemire

I know character and injuries go into consideration but based on talent alone:

Stoudemire > Boozer > Bosh

At this point I would like the Bulls to ignore the character issues and take a gamble. Just because they’ve ran away from it so many times before it’s time to take that risk and see if it pays off.

"I guess I can’t do anything if you’re just irrational, but to point it out and move on."

- fundamentallysound

by J Theory on Jul 17, 2009 9:19 AM CDT reply actions

Aren't you one all up in arms over defense on Gordon?

How do people miss this when discussing these three players?

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett

by tyger1147 on Jul 17, 2009 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions

Show me where I speak about Gordon's defense?

Wow you critize me on other posts for going off topic and then you come on mine and go way off topic regarding what I wrote.

Up in arms about Gordons defense, wow. Go look at my past post.

"I guess I can’t do anything if you’re just irrational, but to point it out and move on."

- fundamentallysound

by J Theory on Jul 17, 2009 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions

I may have confused the J's (J Slakov)

I don’t care enough to look it up. If it wasn’t you, then I’m sorry.

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett

by tyger1147 on Jul 20, 2009 7:43 AM CDT up reply actions

No way....

Bosh is the best of those three by far. He’s the youngest, and definitely the best defender. Stoudemire is more athletic and better offensively but goes to sleep at the other end. Boozer is not better than Bosh.

by Poloplaya14 on Jul 18, 2009 12:40 AM CDT up reply actions

Actually, by far is a bit of a stretch.

But he is the best of those three.

by Poloplaya14 on Jul 18, 2009 12:40 AM CDT up reply actions

I wonder though if we all aren't inflating Bosh some from the olympics.

He was awesome and Boozer rode the pine, but it is a different game. Carmelo was more important than any other player on team USA some nights. And while he is great, he’s not better than Kobe, Wade, LBJ, Howard, CP3, etc. I guess it just depends on the team and the situation. So an uptempo team win Noah/Bosh, Noah/Amare or Noah/Boozer? I don’t know. Besides the injury concerns, I don’t think any of these guys puts us in the top 2 in the East. And yet I think all three could elevate us to top 4. So what I’m trying to say is, I don’t think there is that much separating these three. They’re all All-Stars, not really MVP candidates regularly. They have each won a player of the month I believe, but not a whole lot of difference.

by Unrealcity on Jul 18, 2009 3:39 AM CDT up reply actions