Just too big, too good. They actually fought with them for a lot of the 1st half, but when the Lakers started hitting 3-pointers it was one team they couldn't stink out. ANALYSIS!

I did actually think Rose looked more sprightly, a lot of close finishes didn't happen and he was really going up against the trees. And John Salmons had a decent game. And Noah still rules.

But yeah, the Lakers are the ideal. Though when I see the Bulls walk in to their arena and get waxed I can't help but wonder if Bulls braintrust actually sees the Lakers as an ideal, or instead laugh at their overextended payroll.

Likely no recap 'til the mornin'

It seems to be that point in the NBA season where teams are figuring out what they have and don't like, and as a result the rumor mill has been re-charged, buoyed especially this season by more prominent out-of-work NBA vets than usual.

But the Bulls will do nothing. Not because of their usual impotence and lack of foresight, but because they very publicly backed themselves into a corner this past offseason, and it's actually best for their goals that they do nothing.

They do not want to go into the luxury tax this season. At about $1m under currently, they haven't so far even used that room for short-term fixes while some injuries added up, and they can't deal away long-term money for a shorter (yet more expensive) contract.

They also do not want to take on 2010 salary, to maximize possible cap room in the upcoming offseason. So they can't deal away an expiring contract for a long-term deal.

What they could do is strive for a deal that brings long-term savings while being cap-neutral for this season, but the catch there is that they can't have much of a talent downgrade, since they want to make the playoffs this season. And one of the plusses of this current roster is their continuity and much-exalted team chemistry.

It'd be very hard to find such a deal to satisfy what the Bulls are trying to do this season (tread. water.), at least for now. By the trade deadline, it's possible that a player of high caliber is available and the Bulls cash in their 2010 chips early through dealing expiring contracts (and likely incurring the luxury tax this season, ha!). Or that the Bulls playoff chances are cemented (hopefully on the 'good' side) to where they can risk a slight talent shakeup in order to get some long-term money off their books.

But for now, it'll be very quiet, and I can't really blame the Bulls for that. Well except the not paying the luxury tax for one season thing, that's pretty aggravating.

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Dilbert tie? (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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I don't have much this morning, but it was nice to see the Bulls turn in a competent offensive performance as a team, and for John Salmons individually. He still does not look like the same player as last year, and gets his shot blocked way too often, but Salmons did hit a couple big 3-pointers (and Deng with a couple 21-footers) to keep the Kings at a manageable distance in the second half.

As usual, the most pleasant aspect of watching the Bulls was Joakim Noah, who again played heavy minutes and kept his production up accordingly with 15 points and 14 rebounds. He dominated and frustrated Jason Thompson, a rising young frontcourt player in his own right who'd strung together some solid rebounding efforts. But Noah has been past 'rising' this season, and is already here. He outmuscled Thompson throwing him off his game leading to my favorite sequence of the night, when he blatantly pushed Noah going for a dunk, and reacting flabbergasted that he got called for a foul. With not only the production but seeing him act like an buffoon every time he's on the bench, Noah is worth watching on this team.

Another positive was the Bulls getting their good Jannero Pargo half of basketball for the week. But there was some bad as well, most worrisome being Derrick Rose getting completely outshone by Tyreke Evans. I'm avoiding Rose's struggles for now, just hoping it's the ankle. Please let it be the ankle.

Also, Taj Gibson fouled out in 11 minutes and Hinrich continues to shoot poorly.

But this was a must-win for the trip, and it was a fairly comfortable victory at that. Amazing how easy not-league-worst on offense for a night will make things.

Likely no recap tonight...

Mike McGraw:

The Bulls haven’t done a very good job of explaining some of the lingo to players. Joakim Noah had no idea why the Bulls’ annual November road swing is called the circus trip.

Answer: Because the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus moves into the United Center for about two weeks, forcing the Bulls and Blackhawks to hit the road.

"That’s why they call it the circus trip?" Noah said. "I was like, ‘Why do they always call it the circus trip? What’s so circus about it?’ I didn’t even know that."

Though to be fair, one could've made an alternate definition of the Bulls' circus trip as to mean they usually put on a clown show.

Last thread of the day, hope I timed it well.

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

'Aaaaaaaaargh!' (AP photo/The Candian Press,Frank Gunn)

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(more on the 4 factors box score)

This game was tough to expect a win. The Bulls were not only on a back-to-back on the road, but their rotation is so thin right now it makes that common occurrence even more daunting. And they clearly waned (tired or otherwise) in the 2nd half, scoring only 29 points and missing their final 15 shots from the field.

This game was a bit of a validation on both ends of the court, considering the disparity between the excellent Raptors offense and their terrible defense. With the Bulls playing inversely in that game, it confirmed their defense is this good, and their offense is indeed this bad.

Sam tries to get into the psychology of why the Bulls are in a 'slump', but is it really that? They don't have reliable weapons. Hinrich's never strung together good shooting seasons, and he's had bad starts before, including one so bad in 2007 when it submarined the entire season. Salmons may be the cover of John Hollinger's next book: 'The Fluke Rule'. And we've known that as a team they will never get many inside points, or scoring efficiently with 3-pointers or free throws. I don't see things getting much better, merely hope that at least Hinrich gets back to a career norm, Derrick Rose shows ANY improvement in his scoring efficiency, Deng slowly gets that corner-3 going, and Noah continues to be awesome.

(at any point did you think Noah was out-classed by Bosh? I didn't.)

(Another positive in the game for me was Taj Gibson's jumper. I was very reluctant to believe in his shooting prowess, but while his form and release means it doesn't have much range, it is very quick and he keeps the ball high. That's necessary given his lack of size for the position, and it works.)

Vinny's in a real tough spot here. I honestly laud his short rotation so far this season, it was a worry that he'd force in players who stink, and he's kept things very tight. It hurts tremendously that one of a top 7 is out, but Taj has surprised.

But as the season wears on, and more back-to-backs pop up, it will really hurt. You can tell Brad Miller doesn't quite respond to consecutive nights, and he's yet to miss his usual ten games per season. Luol is playing a ton of minutes. And worse yet is that Pargo and James Johnson are too terrible to see the court. And even worse yet is that the Bulls have almost zero roster flexibility during this season.

VDN likely felt the urgency to start this season selling out early and trying to get as many wins as possible before the circus trip (and Gar Paxdorf's BS tour this offseason regarding this team's chances likely making his seat a bit hot). And before they head on that trip, there's a very winnable game on Saturday, being well-rested and the Sixers coming into the United Center. I expect a win in that one, but some much darker times ahead. Merely keeping their heads above water would do wonders in staying at their projected .500 7th-8th seed result this season.

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Look at Noah with his hands clasped. He's the best. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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(more on the 4 factors box score)

Man, do I not like instant replay. I don't like it in any sport, to be honest. Because I feel like every time it's implemented, it winds up ruining the entertainment value of the game, with the increased stoppages where you watch old men peering into a monitor. I think it devalues the entertainment of watching the sport (which is all it is). I can't see many people that concerned about a point here or there unless they're gambling on the game, and I'd rather just assume one catches some breaks and misses some over the course of a sports-watching life.

Enough of that mini-rant, and back to this game. It's certainly possible that the referees would have ruled Brad Miller's shot no good when it occured if they knew they wouldn't have the crutch of replay, because I believe it's one of Newton's laws of physics that Brad Miller cannot catch and shoot a basketball in 0.3 seconds. But they called it good, and there are shots of the replay (ht: Sham) that indicate that it wasn't. When they started taking forever when looking at the replay, it seemed less and less likely that the on-court ruling would stand, and you could feel the crowd getting more nervous.

But honestly, we got to jump around and high-five like idiots (as did the Bulls) when Miller hit the shot, so we got that winning feeling, if only for a short time. That was fun.

This was a great game, and I was immensely impressed with the Bulls defense. I kept being surprised that they were staying in the game, and then to see them really lock down in the fourth quarter and take a lead was outstanding. With the season Carmelo Anthony is having, he's incredibly scary to see opposing your team in a close game, but the combination of Luol Deng and Joakim Noah made his life as difficult as possible, and both were fantastic on that end of the floor all night. Everyone was, pretty much, with the only defensive holes popping up sporadically was a free pass for Nene to dive down the middle of the lane without impediment. Though I wouldn't want to get in his way either.

The offense continues to stink, and I'm getting more used to it by the game. They can't shoot 3s, they don't get to the line (Rose was avoiding the lane it was a pit of lava and his only FTAs were on the late possession where Billups was trying to give a foul on the floor), traits taken to the extreme when they finished the first quarter with 20 points on 10 field-goals. It almost seems like they'd be better off just chucking the ball at the rim as early in the possession as possible to allow their offensive rebounding to take over, and that was actually how they scored their last basket, an offensive board and then Noah getting the ball stripped right into Rose's hands for a layup.

We know how the next possession went, a foul by Hinrich on Billups with .6 seconds left. He missed the second free throw leaving just enough time for a catch-and-shoot, though apparently not enough for Brad Miller to do so.

Can't say enough about how great Noah was tonight, and seeing 21 rebounds may not be to crazy for the next few weeks, with nearly nobody else on the Bulls able to cannibalize his boarding totals (and him being awesome and everything). As I mentioned, Rose was a bit too jump-shooty but made enough of them. Taj Gibson really impressed with some of his finishing around the rim. As far as the bad, Brad Miller had his worst game of the season, making one basket in 14 minutes and forcing a couple of awful passes from the high post resulting in turnovers. Salmons and Hinrich didn't shoot well and again don't hit enough threes. And Pargo sucks. Defensive rebounding remains a problem. Have I mentioned the offense is still bad?

The defense looks good though, and given their opponent tonight it was looking great. Having Luol Deng back makes all the difference, and Joakim Noah is becoming an absolute force.

Up until the recap...