Bulls since 12/17

I don’t want to make it a Tyrus debate either but I do find if funny how people in the media have no issue criticizing Tyrus while ignoring the fact that this team is like 11-5 since Tyrus got back. I think their overall record is over .500 with Tyrus in the lineup. This all while coming off the bench and getting fewer minutes. It’s just like the Celtics series where his jumpers help win the first game but then he’s sent to the bench because of other issues. I think they win that series if he played more.

He’s made a ton of mistakes and still plays like he has no idea where to be on the court sometimes. But the fact that he can be that misguided and still have a positive effect on a team tells me that he’s a rare talent and that some other team may eventually figure him out.

Dils, TheMoon and NBA observer have all noted what many Thomas bashers seem to be unable to acknowledge or grasp. When he’s on the court, the opposition has to be aware of his presence at all times because of his freakish athleticism. It’s too bad Vinny never trusts him to be in at the finish of any games or let’s him start occasionally, as K C Johnson suggested…Tyrus responds more positively with a cookie than a time out.

For someone who is raked over the coals so frequently by some Babr’s I find it interesting that since 12/17 his PER ranks only behind our two acknowledged stars, Rose and Noah.
There must be some mistake.

I know the Bulls have a .667 winning % (14-7) in games he’s played and a .348 losing % in games he’s missed (8-15), but those are only numbers and don’t prove a thing, so instead of listening to my biased observations, I’ll let Noah make our case when he said after last night’s game….

"The turning point of the game definitely was Tyrus’ block. I think that if we can get energy like that out of Tyrus it elevates our team to a whole different level. I think this was probably our best team effort as a group. Tyrus’ play on the block. There’s no one who can make plays like that on our team. The way he ran down was unbelievable. Tyrus brings something we don’t have. He has abilities nobody on this team has. If we have everyone playing with that focus and energy we’re a tough team to beat."

Maybe if we can somehow imprint his comments with a microchip and implant them in Vinny’s brain, now that the win streak has alleviated some of his fear of getting a pink slip, he will learn to trust Tyrus more which will pay off in rich dividends when rewarding him with more minutes. As many of us know, when he feels appreciated his energy level and performance rises accordingly while his mistakes decrease.

Rose has been sensational lately and I attribute much of his turnaround to having Kurt’s steady presence on the floor with him to relieve the pressure by both helping direct the offense but primarily by him usually guarding the opponents biggest offensive threat. Yes, Taj has been solid and is intelligent enough not to force things outside of his talent level. Noah brings his Florida enthusiasm and is a monster on the boards, while a rejuvinated Brad is having fun out there, hitting big shots, providing spacing and delivering fouls with his unique Miller exclamation point

GO BULLS…the best is yet to come….as long as VDN doesn’t panic.

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