Rip Hamilton gametime decision, Lucas likely to play for Watson Tuesday, and a look at the fast-breaking offense

by Alex Sonty on Jan 3, 2012 10:00 AM CST in News

Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson are day-to-day with their respective injuries. John Lucas III is expected to play in Watson's rotation spot Tuesday when the Bulls host the Hawks, due to the sprained elbow C.J. sustained against the Grizzlies on Sunday.

Hamilton was marked inactive -- as news to everyone at gametime on Sunday. He told the press he tweaked his groin on Friday in L.A. against the Clippers and that it was a "little better" on Monday. Ronnie Brewer will likely start for Rip if he can't go Tuesday.

[Hawks vs Bulls coverage]

It's impossible to watch the the Bulls this season without noticing how well they are running the floor. Against the Grizzlies, they scored 33 fastbreak points in the home opener just three nights after scoring 33 in Sacramento. The second time this season of at least 30 fastbreak points only five games into the 2011-12 season comes only one game away from the three times they were able to do so across the 2010-11 62-win 82-game season.

"The better our defense and rebounding is, we can get into the open floor," Tom Thibodeau said Monday. "We have to have the discipline to run for 48 minutes. You can't stop after one half. It's important to run late also."

The Bulls are third in this very young NBA season, averaging 21.0 fastbreak PPG, behind the Nuggets (24.0) and Heat (22.8), according to TeamRankings.com. Last season, their 13.4 per game was 19th in the league. They currently lead the league in fastbreak efficiency at 2.838. The pace is up to 95 possessions per game from last season's 92.8 per game, while the NBA average has only gone up to 94.7 from 94.5, according to Hoopdata.
When Rip Hamilton was signed by the Bulls, I was optimistic to the point where I was feeling gullible that he needed a winning atmosphere to not be a jackass; and that this season with the Bulls would rejuvenate him. I seldom make such claims, but his winning pedigree just sparked the feeling and this blind squirrel may have found a nut.

He recently said: "I love it because this is what it’s supposed to be. When I was in Detroit, my first seven or eight years, we won every night. It was all about winning. To get the opportunity to get back in that groove, that’s home for me."
As for eating crow, I was of the very wrong to expect a serious lockout hangover. Ratings and attendance are up across the league.

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Comments

better to sit hamilton until the bulls go back on the road again (grrr)

by obnoxious american on Jan 3, 2012 10:14 AM CST reply actions

o..oooo

SpagettiOs

by Belize on Jan 3, 2012 10:24 AM CST via mobile reply actions

John Lucas averages 28.8 points per 36 minutes

championship

by JustAnotherFan on Jan 3, 2012 10:28 AM CST reply actions

It could be worse.

It could be Pargo.

by cubbybear on Jan 3, 2012 11:13 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

speaking of which...

we face Pargos in two games in a row… signs of the impending apocalypse?

BULLieving in Miami | Tumblr

by BULLieving in Miami on Jan 3, 2012 11:20 AM CST up reply actions

more like sign of 2 straight wins

by obnoxious american on Jan 3, 2012 11:27 AM CST up reply actions 4 recs

lol

by dakoose on Jan 3, 2012 1:12 PM CST up reply actions

Only if we face a third

Thankfully, she doesn’t play in the NBA, she’s just Jannero’s wife:

by cubbybear on Jan 3, 2012 11:29 AM CST up reply actions

'for the love of money..."

vet minimum money, that is.

BULLieving in Miami | Tumblr

by BULLieving in Miami on Jan 3, 2012 11:31 AM CST up reply actions

goddamn you

the only way to get that song out of your head is to remove your head

I've built myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." -Groucho Marx

by paddyfairview on Jan 3, 2012 6:22 PM CST up reply actions

in my worse nightmare we lose a game with a Pargo 3 pointer

by JustAnotherFan on Jan 3, 2012 12:57 PM CST up reply actions

or Lucas FTs

bites nails

by jsptvo on Jan 3, 2012 3:32 PM CST up reply actions

i definitely attribute some of the early fast break success to Rip, even though he didn't play Sunday

having him out there running the break instead of Bilbo is such a difference. plus, this is a young team with young legs. Rose is one of the quickest players in the league, Noah on the the best running centers, Lu is long… no reason why they shouldn’t be trying to get more transition buckets. most teams don’t have the defensive discipline to defend it. people want to talk about offenses rounding into shape after the lockout, but really, like in football, the defense is always chasing so if anything it takes them more time to get up to speed. so exploit that while you can.

BULLieving in Miami | Tumblr

by BULLieving in Miami on Jan 3, 2012 11:12 AM CST reply actions 7 recs

Rec'd for Bilbo

by cubbybear on Jan 3, 2012 11:14 AM CST up reply actions 3 recs

A big difference as well

is Rose’s improved transition passing – he’s got his eyes up the floor every time now, and he almost never did that before. His vision/passing in general have improved.

by kozzer on Jan 3, 2012 1:30 PM CST up reply actions

It's a clear advantage for any team with players in shape

There are a lot of walkers in transition early in this season.

I can predict the future using Norm Van Lier's crystal balls.

"Sam has a tendency to denigrate reports coming from any reporter who didn’t also cover the day Naismith first put up the peach baskets." - snley

by NBA Observer on Jan 3, 2012 3:38 PM CST up reply actions

I'd say this is good news

Thibodeau said C.J. Watson won’t need surgery. But even though team is calling him day-to-day, sounds like he’ll miss 3-game trip.

8tracks/Tumblr

by Option27 on Jan 3, 2012 11:25 AM CST reply actions

So RIP practiced yesterday. That's good news per KC tweet.

by adocarbog on Jan 3, 2012 11:38 AM CST reply actions

It was just a walkthrough

He didn’t test it running at full speed.

by runningman on Jan 3, 2012 12:08 PM CST up reply actions

Ronnie has been playing so well, I'd prefer them to let Rip sit until he's 100%

"There are two ways to argue with a woman, and neither of them work."
- Carlos Boozer after cancelling an interview with a Sports Illustrated reporter because his wife was expecting him home.

by Brigade17 on Jan 3, 2012 12:54 PM CST up reply actions

im not worried abour Ronnie starting

but minus Rip and Cj that’s a whole lot of korver at SG.

I've built myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." -Groucho Marx

by paddyfairview on Jan 3, 2012 6:26 PM CST up reply actions

Ew....you're right

"There are two ways to argue with a woman, and neither of them work."
- Carlos Boozer after cancelling an interview with a Sports Illustrated reporter because his wife was expecting him home.

by Brigade17 on Jan 3, 2012 6:29 PM CST up reply actions

If we want more big man depth, which we do

Why don’t we just freaking sign Leon Powe and use whatever $1.5-2M I think we have left to do so for a 1-2 yr deal.

I can’t believe Powe still sits. I know he’s not the Powe of old, but I think we have money left….(Sham if you’re still there come back :)).

Powe last year posted a 15.0 PER over 30 games (fairing a little better in Memphis).

The kid's out of this world. He's got Allen Iverson speed, Jason Kidd's vision, Chauncey Billups' shooting ability and Michael Jordan's athleticism. How do you guard that? - Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

by majoyenrac on Jan 3, 2012 12:18 PM CST reply actions

Whatever happened to Sham's page?

It has not been updated in a while.

Schindler's List is, at the most basic level, a remake of Jurassic Park... ~Zizek

by THEKILLERWHALE on Jan 3, 2012 12:53 PM CST up reply actions

I know, I miss getting regular updates on the careers of Cucumber Amootay and Lasagna Diop

I've built myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." -Groucho Marx

by paddyfairview on Jan 3, 2012 6:28 PM CST up reply actions

yes...

i have been on that bandwagon since the lockout ended…

New signature coming...but its a process.

by Dionysus2.0 on Jan 3, 2012 1:30 PM CST up reply actions

Thibs praising McGrady

“McGrady is a great player,” Thibodeau said. "He has been a great player for a long time. He’s been derailed some by injuries the last couple years. But he’s a complete player. Everyone talks about his scoring. I think the best part of his game is his decision-making. He’s a great pick-and-roll player, great passer, great vision. He’s extremely smart.

Tribune

by JustAnotherFan on Jan 3, 2012 1:01 PM CST reply actions

always liked that other tarheel guy

by Belize on Jan 3, 2012 2:11 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

thibs wanted him organization...

y’all just failed….VET MINIMUM!!!!!

I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!

by piccolomair on Jan 3, 2012 3:14 PM CST up reply actions

or he's trying to make up for telling the org to take a pass

I've built myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." -Groucho Marx

by paddyfairview on Jan 3, 2012 6:29 PM CST up reply actions

Zach Lowe on the fast-breakin' Bulls

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/01/03/trend-to-watch-running-of-the-bulls/

(thanks to Option ‘destroyed fanshot’ 27)

BaB on Twitter | BaB on Facebook
"Don't nag, flag!"

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jan 3, 2012 1:23 PM CST reply actions

holy shit: 35% !

he Bulls are a great offensive rebounding team, but they can’t sustain their current rate of rebounding nearly 35 percent of their own misses

by JustAnotherFan on Jan 3, 2012 1:48 PM CST up reply actions

This sounds stupid,

but lets see what John Lucas can do out there. CJ brings decent defense to the table, but offensively he’s a train wreck. 37 percent from the field last season, 31 percent this season.
CJ could be a decent off guard with the second unit, but I don’t like him as a point guard. In that role, he’s neither a good scorer or good distributor.

His numbers were much, much better when he was in Golden State, and though I don’t have the data in front of me I remember him being more of an off-guard than facilitator with GS. I think he’s miscast as a PG. It’s no coincidence that CJ looks good when he’s playing off of DRose.

by dakoose on Jan 3, 2012 1:58 PM CST reply actions

CJ's game is tougher in Chicago because he plays with the Bench mob

and the bench mob has offensive issues which leads to forced shots. Yes he has a lot of problems but he is ok as a 2 PG, probably more than ok

by JustAnotherFan on Jan 3, 2012 2:13 PM CST up reply actions

CJ had to learn really how to play normal NBA bball

He was a product of Nellie Ball in Golden state, mostly playing with 2-3 “PG’s” at a time, in a messy, high octane no defense “system”. Nelson’s system wasn’t necessarily a bad system for the league, I mean he does have 1300+ wins and I think is the winningnest coach in the league, but it definitely breeds players who have a tough time translating their skills beyond his style, aside from the transcendant talents like a Nash or Nowitzki, etc.

So the first 2 months maybe 3 mos of the year, Watson struggled horribly, trying to learn how to play a real PG position and be a two way player. Then maybe by late Jan or Feb, I thought he came on quite nicely (his stats would improve with more PT in a pure stat sense).

What’s more this year, sure his shot isn’t falling (smaller sample size) and sure his assists are way up (Also small sample size), but I think he’s bringing it. He’s right now at a 16.4-9 per 36 minute playre and a career 13.5-4…..his PER is also at 17.3 despite that god awful small sample size, FG%, which shows how good he’s been this year to date….

Those #‘s would likely come down a bit (scoring and shooting %’s possibly up to at that level, but assists down with more burn), but I think he’s not only a solid backup PG, but one of the better in the game right now (Especially with his defense). He’s the bench mob’s admiral, and I think he’s a solid piece to our team.

As a Bull he’s almost doubled his assist per minute level while holding his scoring in check….

The kid's out of this world. He's got Allen Iverson speed, Jason Kidd's vision, Chauncey Billups' shooting ability and Michael Jordan's athleticism. How do you guard that? - Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

by majoyenrac on Jan 3, 2012 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

im on the CJ bandwagon as well

Packers Season

by OznCoop on Jan 3, 2012 3:05 PM CST up reply actions

I agree.

Sometimes he can be seen as a chucker but where else is the bench mob going to get points?

by TRIPPLE OT on Jan 3, 2012 3:08 PM CST via Android app up reply actions

I am hard on him

and perhaps he’s better than I think, but I’m not terribly happy with his play. He does occasionally have a fantastic stint off of the bench, and overall the bench does a good job, so I probably shouldn’t complain, but I’d like someone better in the position.

by dakoose on Jan 3, 2012 3:53 PM CST up reply actions

We don't need anyone better playing 15 MPG at most.

C.J. if anything ideally would play more in a normal team.

Bulls should rather invest in another backup big. Boozer and Noah aren’t pillars of health, and while Asik’s good in spots off the bench, he’s not really equipped to handle every team and I think we’d be much worse off with him manning our 5 spot should Noah go down for 35 MPG. As good as Taj’s D is, he and Boozer are rather short….

I know there aren’t many tall bigs out there, but I’d rather see say my suggestion of a rotation of

Boozer (35 MPG)
Taj (35 MPG – 13 at PF, 23 at C)
Asik (23 MPG at C) and Powe as spot filler to see what he’s got at the 4 spot with Taj then more at the 5….

or conversely (and better for us given size limitations Boozer goes down)
Taj 35 MPG, Powe 13 MPG
Noah 35 MPG, Asik 13 MPG.

I’d much rather have this than worry about another backup PG. Asik’s too slow to play against many of hte quick run and gun teams, which are our biggest competitors right now (Miami, OKC, and heck even the Hawks—who play small ball with Horford at the 5 and Smith at the 4, two classic 4s, Asik would be killed in major minutes).

If Rose goes down, we’re a .500 team, good as our other pieces are, Derrick carries us into contention.

The kid's out of this world. He's got Allen Iverson speed, Jason Kidd's vision, Chauncey Billups' shooting ability and Michael Jordan's athleticism. How do you guard that? - Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

by majoyenrac on Jan 3, 2012 3:59 PM CST up reply actions

Wow I can't add today :) LOL. But the gist is there.

The kid's out of this world. He's got Allen Iverson speed, Jason Kidd's vision, Chauncey Billups' shooting ability and Michael Jordan's athleticism. How do you guard that? - Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

by majoyenrac on Jan 3, 2012 4:00 PM CST up reply actions

Gar said on the pregame the

other night that they will be getting another big sometime this season.

by sue369 on Jan 3, 2012 5:35 PM CST up reply actions

Howard?

by mick11 on Jan 3, 2012 6:24 PM CST up reply actions

Didn't mention names.

by sue369 on Jan 3, 2012 6:41 PM CST up reply actions

Asik can't run?

stopped reading there. Name a center that runs better at his size than Noah?

After being crowned the best in the league, he’s ready to be the best at his position
-Adande

by BigforkBullsFan on Jan 3, 2012 6:34 PM CST up reply actions

Wait, he's bigger than Noah

After being crowned the best in the league, he’s ready to be the best at his position
-Adande

by BigforkBullsFan on Jan 3, 2012 6:34 PM CST up reply actions

I did read everything and that was the only real error.

Asik is definitely not slow. He can run with any center in the league.

by runningman on Jan 3, 2012 7:00 PM CST up reply actions

Brewer has been playing so good.

I think they should keep him as a starter. Rip could provide scoring for the bench mob.

by bobslob on Jan 3, 2012 4:12 PM CST reply actions

hey look, some asshole didn't do a game preview today

If you can’t trust someone named ‘420Man’, who can you trust?

This probably can suffice for the next 2 hours.

BaB on Twitter | BaB on Facebook
"Don't nag, flag!"

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jan 3, 2012 5:01 PM CST reply actions

i was gonna write a blogabull preview

then i got high.

;)

Look
I didn’t want to offend anyone by saying the "f" word or generalizing my statement to any particular sex by saying "gays" or lesbians" or "bi’s" so "homos" is the most "politically correct" term. I’m just trying to be more tact in a tactless blog.

by Hindut Patrol on Feb 15, 2011 2:51 PM EST

by Jaina on Jan 3, 2012 5:04 PM CST up reply actions 16 recs