Blog a Bull - All Posts

NBA Mock Draft Roundup: Bulls looking big

2013-05-22T16:12:45Z

The order for the 2013 NBA Draft is now set after last night's lottery, with the Cavaliers grabbing the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years. Most experts believe that they'll take Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, who's currently rehabbing from a torn ACL.

As for our Bulls, they will be selecting 20th in the the first round barring a trade. While taking the best player available is usually the way to go, there are a couple of specific positions I would like to see the Bulls focus on heading into the draft. Those would be center and shooting guard.

A new batch of mock drafts went up after the completion of the lottery, and the majority of them have the Bulls taking a big. Let's take a look at them:

Mock Draft	Bulls' pick
SB Nation	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia, SG
DraftExpress	Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, C
NBA.com	Jeff Withey, Kansas, C
ESPN (Insider)	Dieng
Sports Illustrated	Steven Adams, Pittsburgh, C
CBS	Allen Crabbe, California, SG
NBADraft.net	Giannis Adetokoubo, Greece, SF/PF

A few notes on each prospect listed:

Caldwell-Pope: An improved shooter who took over half of his shots last year from beyond the three-point line. Did get his numbers on a garbage Georgia team, but he has ideal size and athleticism for an NBA 2-guard. He would add a nice scoring punch to a team that needs it.

Dieng: A defensive monster who anchored the nation's top defense last year and helped lead Louisville to the national title. Has shown some improved offensive skills, including the ability to hit spot-up jumpers off pick-and-roll. He's already 23 and his ceiling may not be that high, but he seems to be a perfect backup to Joakim Noah, especially under the tutelage of Thibs.

Withey: Similar to Dieng in that he's an older prospect who may never be a star, but could be an excellent defensive backup. He was one of the best shot blockers in the country the past few years and is a legit 7-footer. His athleticism isn't that special, but he's mobile enough and could flourish in Thibs' system.

Adams: A physical specimen. He's a 7-footer with a 7'4 wing span that can jump well for a big man. However, he did struggle a bit in his one season at Pitt and is pretty raw. It would be tough for the Bulls to pass on him if he dropped this far simply because of his potential, but he might not be able to contribute right away.

Crabbe: Improved his stock immensely at the combine. Has good size, length and athleticism and is considered one of the best shooters in the draft. Like Caldwell-Pope, would provide some nice scoring/three-point shooting to a Bulls team that struggled in both areas this season.

Adetokoubo: The only thing I really know about this guy is that I've seen his name spelled like five different ways. He's a 6'9 forward who's currently just 18 years old and a guy who probably would be stashed in Europe for a few years a la Nikola Mirotic. Bulls could go this route if they don't want to add salary with a draft pick, but they really could use the immediate help.

Chicago Bulls offseason: links! the slog is over, did Nate price himself out, and Reinsdorf talk

2013-05-22T13:30:09Z

Not much going on in this post, just some links that popped up at the end of the season that I found interesting. We will be getting heavy into offseason talk soon enough, though it's a long way to July...

Rob Mahoney at SI.com had a list of impending free agents who boosted their trade value in the playoffs, and unsurprisingly two Bulls made the list in Robinson and Belinelli. This will (may?) be addressed in a separate post, but it looks like Beat Writer Consensus (BWC!) is that both will be gone.
Doug Thonus at Bulls Confidential really wants Nate to stay. The Bulls could offer him a 3 year deal starting at around $3m, and Doug hopes they do at least that:
Jimmy Butler's more of a three, Kirk Hinrich and Teague are both ones. Nate Robinson doesn't exactly fit that bill either, given his size. However, Nate brings the skills the Bulls desperately need at the SG position.
He's their Jason Terry.

What we've seen with this Bulls team is that they've lacked creators and scorers. They've had enough defense to hang in games with Miami, but when push comes to shove, they don't have the guys who can score against them consistently. Nate Robinson can be one of those guys, and while he's not the star powered second scorer we'd all want, he's the best scorer we can get.
...
If you're serious about winning, and you know you can't bring in another scorer through trade/free agency, you simply can't let Nate go. The Bulls need a guy to make shots....Yes, they likely need someone who's better at it than Nate Robinson. Sure, they'd like that guy to come in a package that fits better alongside Derrick Rose. Absolutely, this isn't the ideal pairing. However, it's as ideal as the Bulls are likely to get for three million.
As someone who's blogged 9 of these past 15 seasons, I really enjoyed Trey Kerby's ranking of the post-title Bulls years at The Basketball Jones. I personally rank this past season lower and the '06-'07 one higher than he does, though may be completely related to my naivete at the time.
But I really do think this past season was more of a slog than anything. Yes, there were some fantastic moments (and GIFs), and the 3 amazing playoff wins (Game 4 and 7 against Brooklyn, Game 1 against Miami) that in a way made everything worth it. But over the entire span of months watching every game it's been kind of a drag with all the injuries and other aspects of a 'water-treading' season. I very much look forward to this team being a potential juggernaut again instead of rooting for effort. Rooting for effort takes too much effort!

Gothic Ginobili is a bit even more down than me, calling it a 'terrible, god-awful season'. He does make the point that there was nothing to be learned from that Miami series, they categorically beat Chicago's brains in. I agree, there's nothing in that series that tells me that they can beat the Heat next year. But there wasn't going to be anything from it, with so many players out and limited. The best we could hope for is stealing a game and we did it. It was cool.
And not to end on another down note, but here's a lengthy profile of Jerry Reinsdorf from the Sports Business Journal. As you would imagine, it focuses more on his true love of baseball, but there are a couple of Bulls tidbits. They're weird and mostly indeterminable tidbits, but this one sounds like Reinsdorf was trying to even further limit the Bulls (unused) financial advantage, based on this story from his son (and current Bulls president) Michael Reinsdorf:
I’ve had discussions with him about situations that have gone on over the years, and it surprises me where he sides. I’ve said, ‘What are you doing? This is not good for the Chicago Bulls.’ He just said, ‘Mike, you have to do what’s right.’ I still struggle with that sometimes. It’s a learning process. I lean toward doing what’s good for the Bulls. I hope one day I can become how my dad is.
Like I said: weird. There's more here on Jerry Reinsdorf's mostly hands-off approach to his basketball team, and the news that the intended succession plan is for the Bulls to go to Michael and selling the White Sox.

Nikola Mirotic wins ACB League MVP

2013-05-22T12:46:12Z

The legend of Nikola Mirotic continues to grow by the day. The Bulls' draftee was named ACB League MVP after leading Real Madrid to the best record in the league. And if you want some crazy Bulls parallels, Mirotic, 22, became the youngest MVP in league history. Sound familiar?

Prior to this, the youngest MVP in ACB history had been Marc Gasol, so that's pretty good company. Mirotic averaged 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds on the year as Real Madrid racked up a 30-4 record, winning the league by four games. He shot 50.5 percent overall and 43.5 percent from three while shooting 80.7 percent from the line. This all contributed to a final "ranking" of 16.2 (no clue how this is calculated), which was fourth best in the league.

I still really haven't seen this guy play much besides a few highlight videos and some grainy online footage, but he clearly is a pretty special player. Winning the MVP in that league at such a young age is no joke, and it's also worth noting that Mirotic helped lead Real Madrid to the finals of the Euroleague before falling short against Olympiacos.

Of course, we know that because of his Real Madrid contract and the NBA rookie scale, Mirotic isn't coming until 2014 at the earliest. At that point, the Bulls could then use cap room or an exception to sign him. That would seem to muck up the grand 2014 Plan a bit, but who the hell knows what exactly that plan is anyway?

Nevertheless, I'm definitely excited for this kid whenever he does come over. I know some are worried that he may never actually play for the Bulls, but that would likely only be because he was included in a package for an established star player. Although I don't know if the Bulls should be trading Dirk 2.0...

2013 NBA Draft Lottery (and Spurs-Grizzlies Game Two) open thread

2013-05-21T23:10:54Z

Ah man, remember when the Bulls won the lottery? That was awesome.

The draft lottery is at 7:30 central tonight on ESPN.

For some fun reads, here's Tom Ziller explaining why your stupid conspiracy theory is definitely correct, and Hickory High breaks down the lotto percentages in terms of random player statistics.

And no, the Bobcats can't fall behind what their pick protection is from the Bulls this year.

Bulls Show podcast: Looking Back & Ahead

2013-05-20T20:25:09Z

From Mitch and Nillz:

We take a quick look back at the Miami series and the season as a whole with the disappointment offset by pride. Given the circumstances, the 2012/13 Bulls were incredibly entertaining and still managed to overachieve. We also dip into some offseason speculation and project next season's roster. Finally, we offer our bold (dumb?) predictions for the remainder of the playoffs. Thank you all for listening and a fun season!

You can listen directly at their site or using the embedded player below:

Subscribe to The Mitch & Nillz Bulls Show on iTunes, and follow on Twitter (@TheBullsShow). For any questions or comments, you can contact Mitch & Nillz via email at thebullsshowATgmail.com.

LIKE BaB on FACEBOOK!, the Bulls Show has been contributing good stuff to the BaB Facebook page, so be sure to give it a 'Like' at http://www.facebook.com/BlogABull.

Chicago Bulls 2012-13 GIFs of the year

2013-05-18T18:50:05Z

We've already done a pretty thorough "Best of the 2012-13 Chicago Bulls," but there was plenty of stuff that was left out. Namely, some of the more hilarious or "lesser" moments that were GIF'd for our pleasure. There was a request for a "Best GIFs of the Year" post, and I couldn't help but oblige. So without further ado, here's some of the best GIFs from this Bulls campaign, which do include some of the plays from the "Best of..." post. These are in no particular order, and if there are any I forgot, please do share.

Jimmy is not impressed

Jimmy is not impressed part deux

via gifs.gifbin.com

Jimmy posterizes Bosh

Taj posterizes Humphries

Marco's big spicy meatballs

Nate discount double checks all over the place

Nate blocks LeBron

Bulls' bench starring D-Rose jumping very high and Nate going nuts

Nate crosses Humphries

via losthatsportsblog.com

Shocked Boozer

Shocked Boozer part deux

Noah mocks Bosh and Chalmers

Noah's jazz hands

Noah's playoff promos

Kirk rips ball away from Bosh

via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

Kirk's awful lob

Kirk and Jimmy ticked with a side of Fred

via i.minus.com

Thibs is befuddled

via cjzero.com

Thibs is not pleased

Thibs is REALLY not pleased

via cdn.fansided.com

Nazr shoves LeBron

Nate and Deng's epic celebration

Chicago Bulls offseason: Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli the key decisions

2013-05-17T18:16:09Z

So with the Bulls' 2012-13 campaign dead and gone, we now look ahead to the offseason. I'm assuming this summer won't bring as much fury as last, but you never know with GarPax at the helm. What new faces will we see? Will the Bulls' mostly stand pat? Will they look to make a big move? (hint: the answer is probably no)

Like last offseason, we're going to tackle the key questions facing the Bulls individually, but first, we'll do a quick primer to get everybody ready for what's coming.

Naturally, the first thing to look at is the salary situation. The cap this season was $58.044 million and the tax was at $70.307 million. I would expect each of those to go up $1-2 million, but we'll find that out a bit later in the offseason.

As for the Bulls, they currently owe about $72.04 million in guaranteed money to Rose/Boozer/Deng/Noah/Gibson/Hinrich/Butler/Teague. Richard Hamilton is expected to be bought out for $1 million (decision must be made by July 10), although the Bulls could use him as a $5 million trade chip on draft night. However, considering how much the Bulls owe in salary already, I doubt they'll be wanting to take back more in a Rip deal.

Speaking of the draft, the Bulls have the 20th pick in the first round. There has been a lot of talk about drafting a backup center, which is an idea that I can certainly get behind. There are a plethora of solid bigs being tabbed as first round picks, as there are currently eight centers in the top 20 of the DraftExpress Top 100 prospect list. So if the Bulls want a center, they should be able to grab one. If they are looking elsewhere, I'd like for them to target a sharpshooting wing to help with the three-point shooting/general scoring woes. Either way, that first-round pick will likely add about $1.5 million in salary (Evan Fournier, the 20th pick last year, got $1.42 million this season). The Bulls have a second-round pick as well, and if they keep it, that'll cost roughly $800,000.

If we're doing the math here, that's already over $75 million and pushing the apron, which is $4 million above wherever the luxury tax line is set. This means that if the Bulls keep the core together, the only avenue of signing free agents is the mini-MLE and the minimum. Sign-and-trades are essentially out because you can't go over the apron when acquiring a player via S+T. This limits the possible use of the Kyle Korver trade exception (expires July 16), although much like the Hamilton situation, I doubt the Bulls will really be looking to use that exception to take on salary.

The use of the mini-MLE (a tad over $3 million per year) is where things could get really interesting. First of all, if the Bulls really believe in their 2014 plan, they may not offer a multi-year contract to any prospective free agent. They could still use the mini-MLE for a one-year deal if they wanted, but I'm thinking most players looking for that contract would want a multi-year deal.

Next, we look at the Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli situations. The Bulls do not own their Bird Rights, so if the Bulls wanted to bring them back, they could offer up to 120% of what they made this year (Robinson made the minimum and Belinelli the bi-annual exception of $1.957 million). I know both guys really enjoyed their time here this season, but I'm guessing that wouldn't do the trick. In that case, the mini-MLE would have to be used if the Bulls decided they really wanted one of those guys back. I think the Bulls would certainly like to have both guys back, but it wouldn't really surprise me if neither of them were.

If the mini-MLE doesn't get used on Nate or Belinelli, the Bulls could then look outside the organization. I know a return of Korver has been discussed around these parts, but I think the Hawks or some other team will offer more than the mini-MLE, so I'd consider that possibility a long shot. If the Bulls have to look elsewhere, a shooter would be ideal, and we'll look closer at options when we tackle that situation individually.

At the very end of the bench, Nazr Mohammed may have earned another contract next year with his improved play over the course of the year. Malcolm Thomas never got much of a chance, but he'll be with the team over the summer and perhaps he plays his way onto the team. Otherwise, expect some other non-descript minimum guys.

Everything could be thrown out of wack if the Bulls somehow pulled off a trade of Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer, but I expect both guys to be back next year. It would be prudent of GarPax to seek out possible deals, and I'm especially keen on trading Boozer. But again, I don't really expect it (that won't stop us from discussing deals ad nauseum). And no, Boozer isn't getting amnestied.

So buckle up kids, get ready for another Blog a Bull offseason. I'm not expecting any fireworks, but maybe we'll be surprised?

Chicago Bulls 2012-13 season in review

2013-05-16T23:31:59Z

Grit.

It was a word we often used mockingly when referring to Kirk Hinrich. But in the end, it's a perfect word to describe the 2012-13 Chicago Bulls, even though the Prodigal Son with a house in the area wasn't on the floor for a good portion of the season.

Despite the Derrick Rose injury and what seemed like an absolutely horrendous offseason, I expected the Bulls to be pretty good this year. I predicted 47 wins and if things worked out right, a possible Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The caveat of course was that the Bulls would get Rose back and that they would enjoy mostly good health.

The Bulls went 0-of-2 in those areas, and yet, they managed to scratch and claw their way to 45 wins and a second-round exit against the best team in the league. If you would have told me before the season that Rose would sit the whole year and then laid out every single injury that would occur, there's not a chance in hell I would have envisioned the Bulls pulling off what they did.

What the Bulls did is a testament to the hard-working players on this team and the coaching wizard that is Tom Thibodeau. We all know Thibs has his flaws, but his ability to glean the most out of his players is truly admirable. The man can flat out coach, even if his coach-speak annoys the crap out of me.

There were certainly some moments of ugliness. The New Year's Eve loss to the Bobcats. The 27-point blown lead against the Bucks. The 42-point loss to the Kings. The offense was a train wreck for much of the year, while the defense even had its lulls at times thanks to the injuries. And yes, the Rose saga was brutal.

But I'd prefer to remember all of the great things that happened this year. I'll remember this as the year that Joakim Noah cemented himself as one of the best centers in the NBA. I'll remember this as the year that Jimmy Butler came into his own and grabbed the starting shooting guard job by the throat. I'll remember this as the year that a formerly hated player in Nate Robinson became one of my favorite things to watch about this team.

Considering the circumstances, I really couldn't be more proud of what this group accomplished. Winning a playoff series is tough no matter what. Winning a playoff series as short-handed and beat-up as the Bulls were was downright amazing (even if the Nets were frauds).

And although the Bulls were blown out twice by the Heat and lost in 5, I really can't complain about how they competed. Stealing Game 1 was truly awesome, and the way the Bulls fought back in Game 5 epitomized their entire season. Against all odds, they were almost able to pull off yet another stunner. But they just didn't have enough (sorry, Thibs).

So to commemorate this Bulls campaign, I'd like to look back at some of the best games, performances and moments of the year.

Best Games of the Year

1. Game 4. vs Nets

Down 14 with C.J. Watson gliding in for what was sure to be an easy bucket, the Bulls looked dead in the water with just over three minutes to play of Game 4 against the Nets. Watson blew the dunk, and then Nate put forth one of the craziest performances ever at the United Center. Robinson's heroics helped get the Bulls to overtime, and after two more extra periods, they finally pulled out a 142-134 victory in triple overtime. This shall forever be known as "The Nate Robinson Game," or if you'd like, "Kirk Hinrich's Last Stand," due to the fact that Hinrich played 60 minutes and didn't play the rest of the year (oh shoot, but he's back next year).

2. Game 1 vs. Heat

I considered putting the Game 7 victory over the Nets here, but I simply couldn't look past the stunning 93-86 Game 1 victory in Miami. The Bulls had just played two nights before and trailed by seven midway through the fourth quarter. But then the offense went into high gear, with Marco Belinelli hitting huge threes and Nate playing the role of Rose. The resulting victory gave fans a glimmer of hope that perhaps the Bulls could actually make it a long series against the Heat, even if it was not to be.

3. Game 7 vs. Nets

The Bulls had lost two straight games, seemed like they were out of gas and were heading back to Brooklyn for a deciding Game 7. The Nets had all the advantages, but the Bulls stepped up and delivered the knockout blow in a 99-93 win. The Bulls ran out to a huge lead and then hung on late, with Belinelli making some big buckets late. Noah was a beast the entire game, and it was certainly a great birthday present for yours truly.

4. Ending the Heat's 27-game streak

The energy was sky-high as the Heat rolled into the United Center with a 27-game winning streak on March 27. Despite playing without Noah, Belinelli and Richard Hamilton, the Bulls beat up the Heat and ended that streak, the second-longest in NBA history. The game was full of highlights, from Butler's dunk on Bosh to Hinrich ripping the ball away from Bosh to the hard fouls. The 101-97 victory was by far the most satisfying of the regular season.

5. Streak Busters Part Deux

Just a couple of weeks after ending the Heat's streak, the Knicks came into the United Center with a 13-game winning streak. Nate had himself a Nate game, and the Bulls pulled out a 118-111 victory in overtime after Carmelo Anthony missed a great chance to end it in regulation. The win wrapped up a 4-0 season sweep of the Knicks...wait, that really happened? A sweep of the Knicks? Fuck yeah, it did.

Honorable Mentions: Both wins at the Garden, Jan. 4 victory at Miami, Jan. 18 OT victory at Boston

Best Performances of the Year

1. Nate in Game 4 vs. Nets

Robinson nearly broke a franchise record set by Michael Jordan by scoring 23 fourth-quarter points in the Bulls' 142-134 triple-overtime Game 4 victory. Nate single-handedly brought the Bulls back from a 14-point deficit, scoring 12 straight points and assisting on the next bucket after that. Nate would foul out later, but not until he racked up 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting. He truly was on fire NBA Jam style, hitting ridiculous shots with a varying degree of difficulty. A once-in-a-lifetime performance.

2. Noah triple-double vs. 76ers

In arguably the best performance of his career, Noah put up a line of 23 points, 21 rebounds, 11 blocks and three steals in a 93-82 win over the Sixers on Feb. 28. Jo shot 8-of-12 from the field, and he became just the fourth player in the last 25 seasons to have at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in a game.

3. Noah 30/20 game vs. Pistons

If you're going to argue in favor of Noah's triple-double against the Sixers not being his career game, this one would be a good one to bring up. Jo set career-highs in points and rebounds with a 30-point, 23-rebounding effort in a 108-104 win against the Pistons on Dec. 7. Noah also added six assists, two steals and two blocks.

4. Nate in Game 1 vs. Heat

Nate finished with 27 points and nine assists while playing the role of closer in the Bulls' Game 1 stunner. 11 of his points came in the fourth quarter, including two huge buckets in the final 1:17 to help complete the comeback from seven points down.

5. Nate in overtime streak buster vs. Knicks

Nate scored a season-high 35 points in the Bulls' 118-111 overtime victory over the Knicks. He made 10-of-18 shots, 5-of-11 from three and 10-of-10 from the line. 18 of his 35 points came in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Bulls ended the Knicks' 13-game winning streak.

Honorable mentions: Noah's 24/14/6 Game 7 against Nets, Noah's big fourth quarter with bad plantar fasciitis in Game 2 against Nets, Luol Deng twice at the Garden, Deng's 28/7/5 in streak buster vs. Heat, Butler's 22 and 14 in streak busters part deux, Boozer's 29 and 18 in Brooklyn, Boozer's 36 and 12 in Toronto, Hinrich's 18 and 14 in 60 minutes in Game 4 against the Nets

Best Moments of the Year

1. Marco's big spicy meatballs

Belinelli was fined $15,000 for his "obscene gesture" after a huge three in Game 7 against the Nets. Best $15,000 he'll ever spend.

2. Butler posterizes Bosh

The Butler did it.

3. Jo saves it to Marco FTW

Heart, hustle and muscle with a side of meatballs.

4. Hinrich rips rebound away from Bosh

Your browser does not support iframes.

Yes, it was a foul. But SO MUCH GRIT!!!

5. Nate's Discount Double Check

He's a clown, but he was our clown. Thanks for the memories, Nate.

Honorable mentions: Jimmy Don't Care/Jimmy's Not Impressed/Game Blouses, Marco beats the Celtics and the Jazz, Taj Gibson posterizes Kris Humphries

Closing Thoughts

As I mentioned above, it's hard not be be proud of what happened this year given all the adversity. A lesser team could have folded up shop and tanked for a better draft pick. But these guys never quit and turned what could of been a bad season into what I would consider a very successful one. So thanks to them for providing some great memories.

Also, I personally would like to thank all you guys and gals here at Blog a Bull for making the season even more enjoyable. I don't always agree with everybody around here, but I love the spirited debate and mostly knowledgeable basketball discussion that goes on. I'm looking forward to the offseason and of course next year, when we can actually talk about Derrick Rose playing real-live basketball again.