NBA Offseason Buzz: Chicago Bulls (Insider Only)
[From the FanShots. Unfortunately this isn't the full Hollinger projections, instead picking one player to improve (Deng) and one to slide (Miller, though not that much). The part about Noah is not analytically based, but just Ric Bucher saying how much Noah's status with the Bulls has improved over the year. -ed]
To sum it all up.
They expect Deng to return to classic form and perhaps even better.
Brad Miller should see a significant decrease in playing time.
And Joakim Noah is hyped up hard
11 months ago
Option27
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Interesting
wish I wasn’t too cheap to pony up for Insider access. It’s not that I don’t have the money, it’s more that I don’t feel like giving it to ESPN.
For the Bulls’ sake, I hope they’re right about Deng-Dong and Noah-Kim-Joa.
by Rose Colored Goggles on Sep 16, 2009 7:36 PM CDT reply actions
I got a free year
by signing up for a free trial to gamefly. If I can find the link, i’ll post it. There were like 20 different trials you could choose from.
what does classic form mean?
Like 16pts and 5 reb? He has to average 20 or so or us to be a playoff
Contender. And has gray signed yet?? Hhope so
It means 18 and 7
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 16, 2009 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Well let's hope he at least does that for us.
NO REASON in the world why he shouldn’t. I look at this as a make or break season for Deng. No more excuses for Deng. Production is what the Bulls need this year.
by lexdiamonds0730 on Sep 20, 2009 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Did you just say
That you hope that the Bulls sign Gray? Aaron Gray. Big, 300-pound white guy. You know who I’m talking about?
Things could be worse. We could have kept Boylan.
by stupidgenius on Sep 16, 2009 11:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Here
Trending up: Luol Deng
Last season: 14.74 PER
2009-10 projection: 15.57 PER
Deng will start at small forward and likely play around 35 minutes a night, which could lead to a big year statwise. With Gordon gone, the Bulls will probably look to kick-start Deng’s offensive game to establish a reliable second option after Rose, especially in the half-court offense. The fact Chicago invested in a six-year, $71 million deal for Deng only strengthens that impression, and it wouldn’t be surprising if his scoring average rebounded back into the high teens. —Hollinger
Unfortunately Luol Deng's classic form is the injury report.
Chicago Bulls Blog and Forums. NBA Power Rankings.
and PER projections do not consider injury.
USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.
by your friendly BullsBlogger on Sep 17, 2009 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
He had 18.8 and 7
In 06-07 while shooting 52%. Presumably he means that.
And just so you know that I know… you pulled that “average 20 or so for us to be a playoff contender” out thin air. You have no idea how much or little Luol averaging a couple of extra points will affect the Bulls playoff chances.
by runningman on Sep 17, 2009 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
The better he plays, the more likely it is he will average 20+ and the higher the seed...
…the Bulls will end up in the conference. Deng is now unquestionably the second most important player on the team and he will definitely have to pick up his game.
Now considering when he averaged that 18.8 and 7 he was only about 22 yrs old or so and supposedly still developing, then there is no reason to not expect that he can top the 20ppg barrier…especially without the NUMBER ONE EXCUSE people gave for him not doing so before…BEN GORDON!!!
So we’ll see. But I tell you right now. If Deng averagew 20+ ppg, the Bulls WILL be a top 3 or 4 seed in the East. Rose will be fine and Salmons will give the Bulls somewhere in the 15ppg range. Thomas, Hinrich and Noah will play hard. The only true unknown is Deng. If he balls big then the Bulls will be damn tough!!
by lexdiamonds0730 on Sep 20, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Even if he averages 20+
they won’t be better than Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando. Surely you don’t think a few more points a game from Deng will do that?
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
Noah is awesome.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 16, 2009 10:42 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
It's pretty easy to predict improvement for Noah
His struggles in the first half of the season last year were mostly caused by a lack of conditioning, so if he shows up in better shape there’s no reason he shouldn’t be much better. I like what I’m reading about him hitting the weights.
by Big D on Sep 16, 2009 10:55 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I doubt he's going to gain 20 pounds of muscle or anything.
but you can get a lot stronger without it being obvious through your clothes.
If he’s really spending all summer lifting with a professional trainer, there’s no way he doesn’t get significantly stronger.
Yup,
he didn’t look all that much bigger at Lala, although I suppose he could be thickening up his legs.
you're all weirdos.
USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.
by your friendly BullsBlogger on Sep 17, 2009 3:45 PM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
I'm actually more worried about his cardio than strength
With his frame, I doubt he’s ever going to be jacked up (not to say he couldn’t get stronger though). I just don’t want him to show in terrible condition again and to be getting winded after a few minutes on the court.
He's working on it some
(long time lurker, infrequent, at best, commenter)
I go to UCLA and a few weeks back there was a consistent run of games on campus where a bunch of NBA players showed up. The likes of Russell Westbrook, Danny Granger, Harden, etc were there as was Noah. The games were played hard and competitively and Noah looked pretty good there. Obviously he wasn’t the most skilled player, but his motor looked good and he did play well. He was much more the latter season version of Noah than early season, lazy Noah. He also looked a bit buffer, fwiw. Not huge, but a bit bigger and certainly stronger looking.
-Jeeves Life in the Cell
Luol has a lot of things to prove this coming season like
the justification of his big contract, playing after a serious injury and if he is capable of playing alongside D Rose. Should he return to his 06-07 form or even better, Bulls should be allright, like making the playoffs 5th seed allright.
D ROSE D WADE DESTINY DYNASTY
He's already proven he can put up good numbers next to Rose, after some initial struggles
On the other hand, whether he can play more than 70 games this year……………
The 2009 White Sox....like a 40 degree day.
by Ozzie Montana on Sep 17, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions
He did it for like three weeks and then broke his leg.
He has proven nothing. Luol Deng was absolute crap last year. About $9.3 million of complete crap.
Chicago Bulls Blog and Forums. NBA Power Rankings.
by Andrew7 on Sep 17, 2009 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
he proved nothing...NOTHING! you hear!
three weeks of awesome is probably enough to prove that his game is not fundamentally incompatible with rose/vinny running things. too bad he has brittle bone disease. and he makes a lot of clams.
Dude..
He was injured last year and didn’t play in 33 games. When he did play, he was playing hurt most of the time and still averaged 14 and 6. We’ve seen what Luol can do when he’s 100%. You can make all the lame injury jokes you want but believe it or not, injuries are a part of sports. I don’t know if Luol didn’t give you an autograph or a high five, but you need to get off his back.
The mania is still runnin' wild and the madness still flows through the veins.
by The Mega Powers on Sep 17, 2009 6:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Funny, as there are players who are mostly injury free during their careers.
And even for all the abuse they take. Deng isn’t among them. There are reasons injury prone guys are big risks to sign and many pass on them or are unable to unload t hem. It isn’t because injury strikes guys equally. Durability can be genetic. Freak accidents do happen, but for Deng it seems like his body doesn’t hold up well at all (hello constant back problems) and seeing as he isn’t that old the lucky part would be for him not to have further problems in the future. And he isn’t really a banger either. Average athleticism, not really banging around the paint and still the injuries…the days of seeing Deng 100% are probably behind us. He can likely contribute and he better because we are stuck with him, but to me it seems crazy to expect BETTER than his best year coming off of last year’s inactivity or to expect him to go forward injury free.
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.
He'll never be 100% ever again? I think that's a little extreme.
He’s shown some injury prone-ness, sure, but I’m not ready to say he can never get healthy again. That’s just crazy talk.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 17, 2009 7:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I said "probably".
I just don’t think he is going to be injury free for long stretches of time and have another career year. I definitely don’t think it will be this year. I just think it is unfair to expect him to come back with career highs as has been predicted here. Just going to lead to disappointment.
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.
"The days of seeing Deng 100% are probably behind us"
Histrionics like that are exactly what’s wrong with message boards. Ridiculous that you feel that you’re in any kind of position to say that. Even if you were a doctor, you couldn’t say that without actually being his doctor.
Being just a guy that watches him on tv, it’s a ridiculous statement.
It’s actually the reason I’m on here instead of a Bears board, seeing those people post that Lovie is the worst coach ever, or Urlacher is a wimp, or Cutler is a fraud.
Probably.
You could say the same thing about Yao Ming. Good grief. I even put a disclaimer on my posts and people still freak out. Obviously I am not his doctor. Obviously you are not his doctor. Judging by what we can judge by IMO (just so you know I am only representing myself here) he is more likely to have trouble than have a career year as has been predicted here by many of you. This is not a dis on his personality or his brain or whatever else you were implying with the Bears comment. I actually like Cutler, only hate the Bears offensive “brains”, and Urlacher…well, he’s like a condo you buy on the coast that keeps flooding. You can fix it up, get a few good weekends out of it, and then the hurricane comes. If they are not used to Urlachers short seasons by now they just ain’t bright.
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.
Urlacher has only had one short season in his career until this latest injury.
Not the best example. Declaring that a 23 year old player will never play another season without a significant injury doesn’t make much sense unless you’re talking about Jay Will’s adventures. Sports injuries are actually closer to coin flips than anything you can predict based on past history.
Gotta say I'm with cranscrape on this one
I don’t think that him saying Deng will probably never be 100% over the course of a full season again is any different than someone else predicting he’ll have a career year.
No, cranscrape is not Deng’s personal doctor and doesn’t know any absolute facts about his recovery process. But, no one else has a crystal ball or psychic powers and knows how he’s going to perform this year.
This is a blog. It’s full of different opinions and predictions and most of them are not based on fact (unless you’re fundamentallysound and have the craziest statistical analysis seen on a blog site). Isn’t that what makes this interesting and fun? Sure, poke fun at the other people on here if you disagree with them; but none of us are speaking in absolutes here. Especially in a thread that is specific to the purpose of predicting how the Bulls will fare next season. Everyone is speculating.
by Rose Colored Goggles on Sep 22, 2009 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Her
Cranscape is a girl.
Things could be worse. We could have kept Boylan.
by stupidgenius on Sep 22, 2009 10:36 PM CDT up reply actions
If you're looking to get away from the dumb Bears comments
This isn’t the place you want to be.
The mania is still runnin' wild and the madness still flows through the veins.
by The Mega Powers on Sep 17, 2009 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't keep up with Bears fandom.
What do you two think are acceptable comments among the non-doctors who frequent message board?
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.
Funny how Deng injured his wrist his rookie season
And had no problem playing in all but 4 games the next 2 seasons.
The 2009 White Sox....like a 40 degree day.
by Ozzie Montana on Sep 17, 2009 8:51 PM CDT up reply actions
He'll come back with career highs
and play like a kid with half of his millage. Believe it. He passed on having surgery on the off season so his stress fracture must not be that big of a deal. Heck, he won’t have his chronic back problem either or tendinitis. He’ll play every game this season. And have career highs which would probably also equal being the leading scorer on the team. Deng has a lot to accomplish this season. If I expected anything less I’d be a downer.
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.
There's room for more nuance than this.
I don’t necessarily think that Deng will hit his career highs. In fact, I think its rather unlikely. However, I also think that saying that “the days of seeing Deng 100% [healthy] are probably behind us” is silly and foolish and based on no credible evidence.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 17, 2009 10:31 PM CDT up reply actions
I am not a fact book.
I am stating an opinion. Sorry it isn’t nuanced enough for you. I sure hope people don’t take most posters on here as if they are experts on every subject they post about. I picture you guys all as hairy men on couches eating Doritos or maybe in some cases less hairy men, but still about the same. I assume people know I am not a doctor nor are many other people on the site. That still doesn’t stop them from dismissing Amare because of his health troubles or any other guy that has had injuries. If Deng was on the free market and we could get him I’d definitely say pass on him because of his condition and prospects for the future. Sorry. Next time anyone else puts their foot down on the subject of a players future health I hope to see you there setting them straight. And I hope you want Amare. If his health doesn’t matter he’d be the perfect guy for the Bulls.
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.
I don't sit on a couch, really, ever. Doritos are nice, but not really my bag, and I'm not really hairy at all.
I would love Amare, for the right price. It’s okay to consider health, I just think it’s over the top to say so conclusively that because a guy has been injured a couple of times that at age 23, he’s probably never going to be 100% again. It just sounds ridiculous on its face.
And if others make similarly outlandish points, and I read them, I’ll call them on it. I think if you look back at the things I’ve posted, I have a pretty lengthy history of calling people out when they say something that I find outrageous.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 18, 2009 1:46 AM CDT up reply actions
When did I say "conclusively" about anything?
We were all talking about what we expect out of Deng and I expect he won’t be getting career highs and will have nagging injuries for the rest of his career. That is what I am expecting. That is all. Other people were expecting Deng would have a career year implying no setbacks. Why don’t you nag them about their conclusiveness in the matter? Are they experts on Deng’s health and basketball abilities? No. I certainly didn’t think they were in the same way I hope people don’t think I am a doctor. We are all speculating here all the time. Should I have added more “IMO”, “Probably” (which I did have in there), “Don’t take my word for it”, etc before it is understood I am only speaking for myself from the same outsiders point of view as anyone else on here? How is this any different from people talking about Tyrus’ IQ or anything else that projects the vitality of someone’s career like as was thrown around about DeJuan Blair. Were there any doctors in the house for that conversation?
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.
I get equally frustrated with people who rag on Tyrus's IQ
as if they know how smart or dumb he is. He makes dumb basketball plays, yes, but he seems like a pretty bright guy otherwise.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 18, 2009 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't know about you
But I think a lot of peeps don’t agree with you’re Deng opinion.
;)
by Option27 on Sep 17, 2009 10:50 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah.
Fortunately I am not out to be popular. Personally, I’ll feel bad for him when he disappoints them after being talked up so much. Deng gets talked up a lot. He was talked up a lot after the Miami series that was followed up with a crap year for the team and then talked up after he got his big contract and then played in around 40 games. It would have been better for him not to have that one good playoff series because now everyone wants him to do it all the time. For me it is easier to set the bar a loooot lower so that when he actually shows up and has the wind to play at least twenty minutes without looking like a gimpy old man with thin bones I can be a little happy. But if everyone here wants to be super positive about Deng then fine. That isn’t for me. I can just as easily see him stressing the bone again. He isn’t the guy I am going to put my hopes into. Salmons showed how easily he was to be replaced. Deng is just another guy who can be there or not. Who cares but for the fact he happens to be holding up a bunch of money?
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.
What everyone ignored about that series, is that Deng wasn't the #1 man.
Ben Gordon was the #1 guy for the Bulls on offense. Deng might have had 0.5 PPG more scoring for the series, but that was just because Deng had a monster game 1. Gordon led the Bulls in scoring in the final three games of that series, and was the one seeing hard doubles by Miami’s bigs.
Chicago Bulls Blog and Forums. NBA Power Rankings.
That's funny.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
I don't care if Deng is healthy, injured, or in between.
Bottomline is that he has only had one year with a good scoring efficiency. ONE YEAR. When you only have one year of good scoring efficiency…it’s probably a fluke.
To put that in perspective, in Luol Deng’s AMAZING 2006-2007 season, he only scored at 56.0 TS%. In Ben Gordon’s HORRIBLE 2007-2008 season, he scored at 55.8 TS%.
Luol Deng’s amazing scoring season only saw him scoring at 0.2 TS% better of efficiency.
Sorry if I’m not getting excited about the prospects of Luol Deng emerging into a star, because in all likelihood it is not going to happen. Last year Deng proved that he was a good defender, nothing more. He was complete and utter garbage offensively last year, and he has been for his entire career, except for one fluke year.
Chicago Bulls Blog and Forums. NBA Power Rankings.
Agree
and don’t forget that, now, without Gordon and only with Rose, defenses will pay more attention to Deng. I surely hope that he turns into that start that most of us think he is or can be, but I’m not sure that this will be the season of his transformation
Even if Deng doesn't see more defensive attention.
He may find it harder to score from the lack of Gordon. Gordon spaced the floor, always drew at least one man way outside.
If Rose and Deng don’t come back with a three point shot, other teams will start to pack it in a bit more, taking away some looks for Luol, and clogging up some of the cutting lanes.
Chicago Bulls Blog and Forums. NBA Power Rankings.
Umm we still have John Salmons
The mania is still runnin' wild and the madness still flows through the veins.
by The Mega Powers on Sep 18, 2009 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I tend to agree with this post
Even if he is healthy he’s a good not great player and disappears for long stretches at a time. Health aside, he doesn’t show the mentality of being the go to scorer for a time. He’s a fine complimentary 3rd or 4th guy being paid like a #1.
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
He’s getting 11/12 a year which is actually a #2 or #3 salary. He’s overpaid but it’s nowhere near Rashard Lewis territory.
You're right
That’s not really #1 money. I just don’t think he has what it takes to be more than a #3 guy on a good team. That’s really my main point.
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
question
If he then averaged 18-7 would he be a 2# or 3#?
"One good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others"
18 and 7 with above average D at your SF slot is number 2 worthy.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 18, 2009 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I disagree
this isn’t about numbers. For Deng to be a #2 on a good team, he needs to be able to create his own shot. Even when Deng was at his best, he disappeared in 4th quarters. That is a direct result of his inability to beat his guy 1 on 1. I can’t think of a really good team that’s #2 option couldn’t create his own shot. Maybe those Chris Webber Sacto teams (Peja 2nd best). But in the playoffs, Bibby always outshined Peja. Mostly because he could get his shot when he wanted. Deng, like Peja, struggles to get his own shot against good defense. So 18 and 7 would be great, but he won’t be a legitimate #2 until he diversifies his offensive game.
by Basketball Smurf on Sep 18, 2009 9:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Or we could just have a #3 option who can create his own shot
and let Deng worry about the first 3 and a half quarters. Hello, John Salmons!
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 18, 2009 9:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I thought Rose was #1 or #2
with our big future free agent filling the other slot depending on who we get. If Deng is good enough to be number two then we are in position to win a championship right now and don’t need that free agent. I am not sure how Deng slithered up the rankings during the off season. When I think of the #2 guy on any good team Deng isn’t in their caliber. Rose can be our #1 or #2 guy and the other guy just isn’t on the team yet.
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.
okay, fine, he's a number 3 whenever we get the mystery
free agent of the future. Even then, he’s still not too overpaid as a number 3 option.
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your Kirk in that box
3. Make some team open that box
by fundamentallysound on Sep 18, 2009 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions
WTF??!??
i duno what im reading anymore? If Deng gets 18-8 i dont care if he can create his shot or not…i dont care if its accidental as long as the bloody ball goes through the hoop thats all the matters lol If Deng gets these numbers i will be very satisfied….what u think people?
"One good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others"
That's one aspect of what I'm trying to say
The main point I’m making is that he just hasn’t shown that desire or will that great players show. When your team needs a big play and you refuse to let them lose. It’s not his talent that I’m questioning so much as his mettle. It’s more an intangible thing that’s missing. Rose has it and he is already a #2 guy even at this stage.
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
Not to me
It’s not about his stats. He doesn’t have the makeup of a #2 guy to me. He just kind of goes with the flow and disappears in games to the point where you forget he’s out there. A #2 guy can be depended on every night and if, for example the main guy is out, the #2 guy can step into his role and lead the team. Think Scottie Pippen or Pau Gasol. Luol, to me is more Toni Kukoc or Lamar Odom to extend the comparison. This is a big year for him as far as this goes. He has a chance to step up and be the main guy for his team. I personally think he will still kind of fade to the back like he usually does.
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
0The bottom line is we need Luol to be healthy this season to do some serious damage
It hasn’t been an issue whether he can score or not, oh he can score all right, but if he can somehow put it all together, we might be seeing an all star player in the making. He wants to vindicate his name and he has the talent to do so.
D ROSE D WADE DESTINY DYNASTY
by Juan dela Cruz on Sep 17, 2009 10:27 PM CDT reply actions
heh
he did put it all together, scoring, defending, rebounding..yea he put all of that together and was a beast….the problem isnt if he can ‘put it all together’ the problem is ‘can he keep himself together’
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 Sep 17, 2009 10:40 PM CDT up reply actions
lol, what? was he broken into pieces?
D ROSE D WADE DESTINY DYNASTY
by Juan dela Cruz on Sep 17, 2009 10:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Is there any glimer of hope remaining for one Tyrus Thomas?
D ROSE D WADE DESTINY DYNASTY
by Juan dela Cruz on Sep 17, 2009 10:53 PM CDT reply actions
Get Dwyane Wade next year...
I just hope that the Bulls focus on developing their talent even more. Derrick Rose will improve cause hes awesome. Noah showed signs that he could. Thomas produces more and improves his basketball IQ. Deng needs to starting drinking more milk again so that he can have strong healthy bones that don’t break too much. Hinrich can be a valuable player of the bench and be our awesome Sixth Man Esqe guy… or be a tasty and delicious trade BAIT! Lure all the other NBA “Fishies” to take on Hinrich’s contract….
James Johnson Hopefully learns Capoeira or something… Hopefully Taj Gibson will be that valuable shot blocker off the bench…
Brad Miller will be that cool white guy off the bench that teaches our bigs “great passing skills.” And Him and Noah can have some pot sessions together.
Together they hopefully make it into the playoffs and gain even more valuable experience. Hopefully they can get past the first round this year… Improve in the Playoffs…
Not many first year rookies get a chance at 1st year playoff experience. Rose did. He greatly surpassed expectations… This years playoff only helped in accelerating Rose’s development… Another playoff series… deeper in the playoffs would do the same…
Wade has great respect for Rose. I hope that Wade sees himself in Rose. This whole upcoming season is all about Rose really. I could careless if any other player gets injured. But if Rose gets injured… that will only prolong the process within his development… there can be no delays whatsoever. Because Rose is really our best chance of drawing a top name Free Agent in 2010.
Maybe our best chance of drawing Wade.
Rose stays healthy and plays great… every players gets better too because Rose is our dynamic point guard that can make plays for his teammates.
Bull Organization benefits from ticket sales and merchandise. We fans get a team is fun and exciting too watch and a team in which we hold HIGH expectations.
If only we get Wade too.
Some guy of hoopdoctors made a study and elected Noah as the third Most Passionate Players of the todays NBA
3)Joakim Noah(CHI) – We all were made aware of Noah’s emotional and passionate demeanor, when he burst onto the collegiate basketball stage in grand fashion, when he led his Florida Gators teams to back to back national championships in ‘06 and ‘07. We are witnesses to his passion now in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, as Noah celebrates after seemingly every dunk or blocked shot by screaming emphatically, while doing impersonation of Bruce Banner turning into the Incredible Hulk.
Hoopdoctors
Not sure if Iverson showed more passion than Noah, though
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
is another player who had the “injury prone” label. Look up is games played after 2002 when people said you could not count on him. He has missed a handful of games, but nothing like early in his career. Most of those years, he was extremely effective.
Obviously its difficult to compare Center to Small Forward, but I think Z is proof that it is possible to overcome early career injuries in basketball. You can review Z’s numbers here
Whether Deng is injury-prone a la Ilgauskas or Rik Smits really is sheer speculation. Maybe he is fragile, or maybe he just had bad luck. Jordan missed most of a season with an injury early in his career, but I don’t think anyone ever called him brittle.
More importantl is that Deng is not a great fit with Rose. To complement Rose it would be nice to have a point forward type who can shoot the 3-ball, and Deng is neither.
The fact that Deng's injury literally involves brittle bones
might have a little bit to do with people calling him brittle. His leg has low bone density and what he does for a living aggravates that. It might be a fluke, but there are people who are more at risk for that than others based on genetics and environment. 60% people who have this problem get it again. He really should have just had surgery for it and addressed it directly. If it turns out to still be weak during the season he will have to stop playing ball again as it is something you can’t play through and then surgery during season is going to start looking more like the only option. Of course the only acceptable thing to do is assume that Deng has had a milk mustache all summer, bones of steel, and will never had the problem again.
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.
Why should he have had surgery?
Rest is the only cure for a stress fracture. Surgery is almost never recommended, and his doctors concluded he isn’t the rare exception. I’m not sure why you would say that someone should have had surgery for a condition that doesn’t require it, but i’m very glad you aren’t Luol’s doctor….. or mine.
Basketball didn’t aggravate the stress fracture, it caused it, just like it does for many other basketball players. It is well known that people playing basketball, track and field, and gymnastics, are very susceptible to stress fractures. Knowing this, its useless to speculate that something hereditary is the cause, when a far more common cause is sitting right in front of you, basketball.
That whole “brittle bones” thing is just something you made up without any corroboration. Your bones naturally compensate as you train, they don’t just stay the same. As you train more, your bones build up to compensate, much the same way that muscle does when you work out. Overtraining, basically not giving your bones time to build and catch up, os more of the problem. Bone density increases until you’re around 35, so someone of Deng’s age who’s an athlete is constantly seeing new growth. Speaking of his bone density as if it’s some static thing that’s only going to get worse, is very misleading.
So you can know stuff about it, not being a doctor,
but I can’t know anything about it at all and worse — I must be making it all up? Is that what I’m hearing? What you are talking about sounds like a small problem kids get in high school track that is gone in a month or two. Hopefully Deng has that and not the severe stress fracture where surgery is recommended. The fact he was out so long leads me to believe it wasn’t your average amateur problem, but whatever. You have the final word on the subject. Next time there is an injury I’ll wait for your medical findings to form an opinion. It isn’t like the basketball season is going to be any easier on him than it was last year. Lets all hope Deng was just exaggerating a small problem like you described and was just doing what guys do after they sign a big contract.
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.
I agree with bigballa’s opinion on Deng. Def not a #2, he disappears after halftime. He’s usually lights out in the 1 and 2nd quarter which is fine. That’s ok for a 3rd option. He doesn’t have the temperament to really take over or impose his will. Also his lack of ability to create his own shot is what keeps him from being an All-star, that and the lack of a 3pt shot. If he could shoot like 36% from 3, then his lack of handles/shot creation would be fine.
If cranscape is right, and I have no reason to doubt him, maybe future draft picks should be tested for bone density as well as height, weight, vertical leap, etc.
Her
Cranscape is a she
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
Seriously though
Isn’t her avatar kind of a tip-off?
Things could be worse. We could have kept Boylan.
by stupidgenius on Sep 20, 2009 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
You know what
I totally didn’t notice that we had avatars until RIGHT NOW.
Those little pictures on the side? Invisible.
I support the Tornado Release [See: Joakim Noah]
never knew that until today... Mmm now I'll have to start treating him differently
Oops!.. I meant her.
Just kidding. I’m good with cranscape being a she.
Actually a quite entertaining blogging she, she is!
"I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it."
"Go ahead, make my day"
"We boil at different degrees"
"A good man always knows his limitations"
"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
I've been waiting to be approved by the men-folk.
I guess I can cancel that plane ticket to Thailand then.
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.
I assume everyone is a guy on here too.
And Starbuck was a guy in the original series. Now it is getting really creepy, right? Maybe we should have a thread on this. Argue it enough and maybe I’ll be a guy. It would be news to me, but you know how arguments on here can go.
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.
I usually do too
but sometimes the evidence is overwhelming. Like when the name is sue or jaina or in your case “just a girl from Rockford” lol.
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan
haha glad i'm identifiable
though i’m sure you’d believe i still get people calling me “he” on here. ;)
"They should. They better. I'm Vinny Del Negro!"
Girls on the internet, crazy right?
The 2009 White Sox....like a 40 degree day.
by Ozzie Montana on Sep 20, 2009 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions
so I still have time!
USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.
by your friendly BullsBlogger on Sep 21, 2009 6:58 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
18 pts 7 rbs on a under .500 club doesn't qualify a players like Deng as 2nd option!
Not even if the team is slightly better than .500.
It might only mean, that the guy is getting plenty of minutes and scoring opportunities and might easily be replace by a better clutch competitive player who contributes to more wins and scoring when it counts.
Therefore this type of player is quite often expendable.
Sounds like I just described Jalen Rose when he was playing for the Bulls.
"I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it."
"Go ahead, make my day"
"We boil at different degrees"
"A good man always knows his limitations"
"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
Garbage...
Luol had that while shooting 52% from the floor. If you’re just throwing up shots because the team is bad, you don’t shoot over 50% as a SF.
When Jalen Rose was scoring 20 on bad Bulls teams, he was shooting 40%.
One set of stats is replacable, the other isn’t.
Not to mention that 7 rebounds and very good defense from the SF spot is also not easily replacable.
Discussing 1st, 2nd, 3rd...options misses the point
Depending on the opponent, the Bulls will have a mixture of 1st, 2nd, etc, options. At the end of the year it will be possible to total the scoring, reb, assists and identify the “go to” players. But they will change from opponent to opponent.
If there is a mixture of 1st, 2nd, etc. options
Then there really is no real go to player. Again, this is not about Deng’s numbers it’s about the manner in which he plays. He disappears during games and doesn’t show the makeup of a star player in that regard. He can put up pretty good stats this year and that still might not change.
"I'm in the Hall already, on the wall already, I'm a work of art I'm a Warhol already"-Jay Z
Possibly?
What contender last year had a third option that did better than that?
To make it easy, I did some research.
I assume by third option, you mean third scorer.
Boston: Garnett, 15.8, 8.5
Cleveland: Llgauskus, 12.9, 7.5
Denver: JR Smith, 15.2 , 3
LA: Bynum, 14.3 , 8
Orlando: Turkoglu, 16.8, 5.3
San Antonio: Ginobli, 15.5, 4.5
Portland: Outlaw, 12.8, 4.1
18, 8 is much better than the third option of all contenders.
It was also better than the second option for Portland, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and Orlando. Only Pau Gasol and Duncan can claim to have put up better numbers as a 2nd option.
By the way, if the second option was a guard, I subtituted assists for rebounds if the assist number was higher. It still didn’t match 18 and 8.
by runningman on Sep 21, 2009 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
The perfect simulation video game in hypothetical situation would allow
one to plug Deng on one of these Teams and see if he can maintain his 08/09 average 14 and 4. (18 and 8 is history)
Or would Outlaw, Turkoglu,Ginobli beat him out for playing time and his averages would drop similiar to a hypothetical Salmons type situation without Deng getting injured?
"I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it."
"Go ahead, make my day"
"We boil at different degrees"
"A good man always knows his limitations"
"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
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