Drawing a line: Playoffs this season?(w/ poll)

by NBA Observer on Feb 26, 2008 2:03 PM CST Comment 20 comments

This is as simple as it gets. On one side of the line are the BAB readers that think/want the Chicago Bulls to do anything to make the playoffs this season. On the other side of the line are the BAB readers that think/want the Chicago Bulls to focus on player development first leading towards next season and if that happens to result in a ticket to the playoffs, then punch that ticket.

Poll

Playoffs: Now or Later?

Now - do anything to make the playoffs

33 votes

Later - player development first

63 votes

96 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I think the goals are complimentary.

They both require the same course of action, in my opinion: play the Youth + the Core.

LSU 38 OHIO STATE 24 - LSU IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPION AND I AM THE KING OF BOURBON STREET!!

by 1958ChiTown on Feb 26, 2008 2:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I vote 'Later'

I want to focus on player development first to determine how they fit together with the other players locked into contracts. This is vital in my view to determine what, if any, kinds of moves we make in this Summer.

Developmental Players
Thabo Sefalosha
Tyrus Thomas
Joakim Noah

The Rest of the Contract Players
Larry Hughes
Kirk Hinrich
Andres Nocioni
Drew Gooden
Ben Gordon
Luol Deng
Aaron Gray
Cedric Simmons
Shannon Brown
Demtrius Nichols
JamesOn Curry

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Feb 26, 2008 2:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

It should be noted

I think both are the best bet to get to the playoffs.

I think by playing the youngsters, it develops them AND gives them the best shot at making the playoffs

by Option27 on Feb 26, 2008 2:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I disagree with the poll

The logic behind getting rid of veterans like Wallace and Smith was to clear room for players who would actually help the Bulls win games now, and later.

Fire Boylan!

by hscs on Feb 26, 2008 2:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

WIN NOW

While playing Thomas and Thabo 20-25 minutes a night off the bench as roleplayers so theyre still developing with MORE THAN ENOUGH BURN to get it done.

That way our better players are starting and we have the best chance to win. Noah is starting center anyways and playin 30 minutes a game, developing and helping us win in his role.

We have the same team as last year, except instead of PJ Brown and Big Ben Wallace we have Drew Gooden (Upgrade) and Noah (Upgrade)...

Same team as last year except all the youngsters have 1 more playoff experience, and 1 more year of development.

Same team as last year except we now have the big guard and lowpost presence on offense that we always complained about not having. So excuse me, Im sorry for wanting to use them.

I think we could go on a tear and make the playoffs as a hot team thats BETTER come playoff time than we were LAST YEAR at playoff time. I think we could make the 2nd round, and if we meet the Pistons I like our chances there too.

SO PLAY: Noah, Gooden, Deng, Hughes, Hinrich with Gordon as 6th man and Thomas, Nocioni, and Thabo rounding out the rotation off the bench.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Feb 26, 2008 2:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not the same team

Deng wasn't injured last season.
Gordon wasn't injured last season.
Kirk wasn't injured last season.

These players were durable up until this season. Deng's rookie wrist injury is an exception.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Feb 26, 2008 2:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bad poll, bad premise.

blah!

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Feb 26, 2008 3:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

What does "playoffs at any cost" entail?

I mean, here's the thing. I don't see that playing heavy minutes to a Gooden/Noc/Deng/Hughes/Hinrich lineup with Gordon logging 35 minutes as the 6th man gets us appreciably closer to the playoffs than we are now.

To put it charitably those guys all have some combination of:

Not knowing the system (Gooden, Hughes)
Being wildly inconsistent (pretty much all of them)- even of late.
Injury problems (Deng, Gordon, Hinrich, Hughes)

So I don't see much feasibility in the playoffs at any cost position.

by Sports2 on Feb 26, 2008 3:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Noah should be in that lineup

Instead of Noc......

Noc should be the 7th man. Tyrus- first big off the bench, 3rd big behind Noah and Gooden filling out the big rotation getting 20-25 mpg, and Thabo filling out last spot of 9 man rotation getting real burn. About 15-20 mpg for him.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Feb 26, 2008 3:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

As others have said this poll misses the point

or at least the significant group of us that have always said playing the young guys is the best chance to get to the playoffs. I have no interest in voting with the fans who can't wait to get back into the lottery or the fans who think playing anybody on the roster over Tyrus and Noah makes the team better.

by Scotter on Feb 26, 2008 3:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I wish I could pass on

the bug in my admin account that doesn't let me see polls. It's blissfull ignorance.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 26, 2008 4:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wrong assumption - flawed poll

The poll assumes that we have the recipe to make the playoffs, which clearly is not the case.

If me make it -and that's a Corpse-sized "if"- it will likely be because the East sucks, not because we can magically turn into some contender.

Now, if you ask me (and you did), I'm one of the very few ugly monsters who think our kids are exactly that -kids- and should earn their minutes one by one. And that the two new guys bring a moderate breath of hope and should get the bulk of the minutes.

by Sky on Feb 26, 2008 4:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

yeah, that's gotta be a lonely place

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 26, 2008 4:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Eh

Some of these "kids" are high on the draft and would have normally gone to bad teams who would have played them from the start. That's where top draft picks typically go and the normal way talented kids get to develop. Not from the bench. Because our top picks were to an average team (because of trades and the Knicks) with playoff aspirations they've been benched and have had their development (the normal development for players so high in the draft) stalled. Even Thabo shows some life by just getting some quality playing time. At times I feel bad Noah and Thomas went to us. Elsewhere they would have been playing and developing much faster. They would have been treated like top draft picks and not bench warmers.

by cranscape on Feb 26, 2008 4:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

sorry sky

but you're half a season too late. Play the vets makes sense 30 games into a season, not 60 with the team below .500. The kids should play now so that Paxson can make a decision about free agents going into next season.

Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Feb 27, 2008 2:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No need to be sorry

Since I never said the kids shouldn't play. What I said is, forcing a rookie to play 30 mins or more to "gain experience" is unwise. Unless the rookie happens to be a surefire superstar -which, let me look... um... nope, we don't have any. Give the kids sizable minutes, yes -but less than the proven vets, unless they openly suck -which we can't tell yet, damn, the ex Cavs barely had two games with us!

by Sky on Feb 27, 2008 3:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I

have to go with play the kids. Who says they can't win with the kids playing? They haven't won a whole lot with the vets playing so far this season have they? I bet if you ask Joakim or Tyrus they will tell you they haven't been forced to play and that they want to play.

Kirk Hinrump is dead to me. :-)

by sue369 on Feb 27, 2008 3:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah but.....

Theyre not the same vets. That is the point.

A guy that can create his own shots and make plays for teammates with his passing, gets to the foul line, good slasher, big guard, very good defender, good scorer

And a guy that can score inside, has to be guarded, you can post him up (First real post option we have had in 5 years), very good rebounder on both ends, and a very good option to run pick and roll with, athletic true power forward, solid passer from inside and he can get to the line himself..... unlike Big Ben, you have to guard him inside and he's a true post-up and pick/roll option that can score in all those ways. That opens up alot for our other talent, especially when compared to Big Ben.

Those were two big needs for us.

So its alot different than what "didnt work before".

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Feb 28, 2008 12:16 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I liked the poll

How did you put a poll into a diary?

by chgobr on Feb 27, 2008 6:47 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather see

player development, but that ain't happening because Boylan won't keep his job if the Bulls don't make the playoffs.....and frankly I hope either way he doesn't keep his job....but with the coach living wtih that public mandate, he's going to do whatever he can (badly, I know) to try to get us into the playoffs.

I'd rather see us play Noah, Tyrus 30+ MPG every night possible, even if the matchups on paper don't work. Those guys are athletic and will surprise and improve for next season,

And really that's the key for us to be at the next level--young guys improvement.

I wouldn't mind us also playing GOODEN and Hughes more just so we see what we have in them and feature them in a trade if we don't like what we see.

I really wish Paxson would get a real coach/asst GM in there that will start molding this team and trimming the fat a bit in the offseason....

It's such an important offseason for us and obviously in the lack of Gasol trade, etc, Paxson seems to still care too much about our guys to be truly objective, and that hinders us in trades...he traded Wallace/Smith/Griffin, none of "his guys" especially considering Smith was new to the team, Wallace was older and pushed to sign by Reinsdorf, and well Griffin is older, sucks, and isn't Paxson's guy like Duhon....

by majoyenrac on Feb 29, 2008 12:57 PM CST reply actions 0 recs