Blog a Bull: FanPosts

Plan B: if the Bulls fail to sign a FA superstar at the 2 or the 4 spots...

2009-11-20T18:17:18Z

otably in last night's loss to the Lakers were two missing aspects of a winning basketball team; two aspects that (I believe) it is unreasonable to expect these Bulls to upon improve internally:

The first is a reliable perimeter scorer, especially from long range. John Salmons has played better lately at the 2 spot, but he's not the answer there. His shots are best taken 10-15 feet out, off screens, in isolation, or on transition drives to the hoop. He can't be a reliable first option b/c he's never met a shot he didn't like. The man doesn't move the rock.

Derrick Rose is struggling mightily to create his own shot, and (as Marv Albert and Doug Collins pointed out a number of times during last night's game ) one problem Rose faces is a lack of a consistent perimeter option to keep opposing defenses honest. Last year Ben Gordon, as one dimensional as his game tends to be, was a consistent threat from beyond the arc. Salmons (or better yet, a healthy Luol Deng) could be relied upon as a third option to score on midrange j's and/or off screens. The 09-10 Bulls lack any consistent three point shooting threat. Shoot, Hinrich is shooting 26% from downtown, and he's prolly this teams best option there.

The second is a reliable post up option in the painted area or just outside. Duh--we've lacked this since Elton Brand was shipped out (unless you count Eddy Curry on a good day with the wind at his back). Many of us on BaB have hoped that Deng could begin to fill this role, but so far has not been up to the task (though he's arguably this team's best player 11 games in) Other than his shooting form, Noah's play has been a thing of beauty. He's leading the freakin' league in rebounds, he's gotten more aggressive on offense, but he's only ever going to be so-so as a scorer. Brad Miller can shoot a little, pass a lot, and occasionally create his own shot in the post. But he's not a post player per se. Tyrus, Taj, JJ...works in progress all, jump shooters, and none project as reliable post up scorers.

So what to do (this season or this next off season?). I think the smart play is to balls out aggressively court FAs at either the 2 or the 4 spot, perhaps both if a trade or sign and trade can be worked out. Here are the 2010 FA options (and potential options)

SG: The Best:

Kobe

DWade

Joe Johnson

I'm thinkin' maybe we could get Wade if Miami doesn't get Bosh or James, but I'm not at all convinced. If we fail to sign a superstar FA at SG, here are some lower cost options (some FAs, mostly trades), but all could be had whether their current team sucks (Mayo), or they aren't getting burn (Fernandez).

SG: The Rest, in alphabetical order:

Marco Bellinelli -- Toronto

Age: 23

Pts per 40 min: 18.9

FG/3PT%: .492/ .500

09-10 Salary: $1.5M

Chris Douglas-Roberts -- NJN

Age: 22

Pts per 40 min: 17.4

FG/3PT%: .467/.429

09-10 Salary: $740K

Rudy Fernandez – PRTLND

Age: 24

Pts per 40 min: 15.2

FG/3PT%: .457/.442

09-10 Salary:$1.2M

O.J. Mayo -- MEMPHIS

Age: 22

Pts per 40 min: 19.7

FG/3PT%: .455/.351

09-10 Salary: $4.15M

Anthony Morrow – Golden State

Age: 24

Pts per 40 min: 15.6

FG/3PT%: .514/.533

09-10 Salary: $740K

Martell Webster – PRTLND

Age: 22

Pts per 40 min: 14.2

FG/3PT%: .514/.533

09-10 Salary: $740K

Anthony Morrow is currently the best 3 point shooter percentage-wise in the league. He's an FA this off season, and he's pretty cheap. Talent wise, if we could work a trade for Fernandez or (less likely) Mayo, we should consider it. A reliable three point shooter gets us the good old ROY D-Rose back, making a post scorer less necessary.

Not that we couldn't use a decent post scorer....

PF: The Best. All of the following are (or potentially are) FA's in 2010.

Chris Bosh

Amare Stoudemire

Carlos Boozer

Boozer might be a nice complement to Noah in the paint, given his scoring, but his attitude and injury history are concerns. Injury wise, STAT is also a liability, though you can't deny his talent. Bosh would be good in a motion offense as his shooting can spread the floor.

PF: The Rest

Ryan Anderson--ORLND

Age: 21

Pts per 40: 24.3

Rbs per 40: 7.8

Blks per 40: .23

FG%: .474 (3P .429)

09-10 Salary: $1.3M

Micheal Beasley

Age: 20

Pts per 40: 17.2

Rbs per 40: 7.8

Blks per 40: .88

FG%: .404

09-10 Salary:$4.6M

Age: DeJuan Blair

Pts per 40: 15.1

Rbs per 40:13.75

Blks per 40: 1

FG% .600

09-10 Salary: $850,000

Andray Blatche

Age: 23

Pts per 40: 18.7

Rbs per 40: 9.3

Blks per 40: 2.2

FG%: .519

09-10 Salary: $3M

Kevin Love

Age: 21

Pts per 40: 17.5

Rbs per 40: 14.3

Blks per 40: .67

FG%: .459

09-10 Salary: $3.4M

Carl Landry

Age: 26

Pts per 40: 23.1

Rbs per 40:9.1

Blks per 40: 1.78

FG% .545

09-10 Salary: $3M

Anthony Randolph

Age:

Pts per 40: 22.6

Rbs per 40: 13.2

Blks per 40: 1.5

FG% .422

09-10 Salary $1.8M

Randolph, Blatche, Landry, Love put up impressive #s. Could possibly be had in a sign and trade as all but Landry are on shitty teams.

Just a thought....

How About A Whole New Plan?

2009-11-20T03:26:50Z

We've spent months debating the plausibility of the 2010 plan, and it seems the general opinion around here is that it's a pie in the sky. We probably don't even have the cap space to sign a max free agent, the assets to facilitate a sign-and-trade, and even if we did the big names will likely either stay put or team up together in Miami or New York.

That being said, I propose a new plan.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yf7ay73

(Looks like link didn't work: NYK give Curry, Hughes, Hill; Bulls give Thomas, James, Miller, Johnson)

When you consider it, this should be a no brainer for both teams.

For the Knicks it achieves everything they need to give themselves a real shot at making a 2010 splash. Not only are they shedding $25 million in guaranteed salaries, but they get back a raw, potential-filled young player on his rookie deal who has the tools to eventually blossom in D'Antoni's system (Johnson), and a second young player entering restricted free agency whose rights they could renounce to free up more cap space or resign as a fall back if they fail to sign two max free agents (Thomas).

On the Bull's side of things it's a little more complicated. Key to this deal is the fact that Eddy is back. Check out the line from his first game this year: 12 minutes, 10 points on .75 fg% and 4 rebounds. Extrapolate that over 36 minutes and that's an absurd 30ppg with 12 rebounds! He's the type of low post scorer this team has been lacking, well, since the last time he was on the team. Opposite Noah, Curry brings a valuable balance to our frontline. And when you consider that we'd also be getting back a top ten pick in Hill, the Bulls suddenly have one of the deepest and most versatile frontlines in the league.

Getting Hughes back is similarly valuable. Say what you want about the guy, but check out these stats: 14ppg on .45 fg%, 4.3 reb, 4.6 ast., and 2.2 steals? Those are the types of numbers we dreamed about Salmons from the 2-guard spot. And suddenly our back court is actually deep again. Plus, no more Pargo!!!

And all the Bull's need to do is change a single number in their memos! Durant becomes the target in an off season that will feature significantly less competition than this one, and with no suitors likely to have the combination of money and promise as the Bulls.

And face it, it'll be good to see these familiar faces again. We'll pair up the original Hometown Hero with his successor, Hughes will shine every 6 games, and the Bulls might even make a run for the second round. Most importantly, we can finally dust off those old jerseys in the back of our closets.

via graphics2.jsonline.com

via images.dailyradar.com

Game Preview #10: Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers

2009-11-19T21:47:55Z

[Thanks to Prevenge for today's game preview. -ed.]

Or, as it is otherwise known, "The Return of Crazy Pills".

You may have heard of the Los Angeles Lakers. They're a pretty good basketball team. Have one or two good players.

Well, then they have Crazy Pills, or [as he is otherwise known] Ron Artest, the man who is changing his number to 37 because that's the number of weeks Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was number 1. Apparently, the Lakers thought that Trevor Ariza wasn't worth the same amount of money as Artest, despite Ariza proving in the playoffs that he was a very good role-player and defender who could hit the open 3 and dunk [and also come up with key steals].

This is both good and bad for us. It's good because Ariza is playing pretty well in Houston, and Artest is both regressing and in the first year of a 3-year deal. Think of Ron Artest as the Lakers' answer to Andres Nocioni, bad-signing-wise: only they could've had a cheaper and better version of him for the same price. He's good, but he's not worth that money when he's so inefficient. Maybe, when we're peaking in two years with Joe Johnson and Rose in our 4th-seed-at-best lineup monstrosity, the Lakers will be weaker.

Of course, when we had Artest as a young player, we traded him and Brad Miller to the Pacers for a second-round pick and Jalen Rose.

So we basically did the same thing the Lakers did. But at least we had a semi-plausible reason to get rid of Ron Artest, which is that he's crazy. [Brad Miller, well, that's another story.]

Did I mention this yet?

Ron. Artest. Is. Crazy.

Here's his Wikipedia Page. Some bullet points:

-In his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, he was criticized for applying for a job at Circuit City in order to get an employee discount.

-He was suspended for two games in the early 2004–05 season by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle after he allegedly asked for a month off because he was tired from promoting an R&B album for the group Allure on his production label.

Oh, yeah, and he was kind of involved in this. [That's the brawl, in case you were wondering.]

The last time the Bulls played the Lakers was in March of last year. We lost by 8 after building a lead. However, that game was at home, with Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon both contributing [Salmons, too].

Pau Gasol is back for this game after his CSI-induced vacation. Hopefully he's gotten cehmically addicted to something, because otherwise ... let's just say that Taj Gibson has big problems against Jason Thompson, and while Thompson's good, he's not Pau Gasol.

[Sidenote: Gasol wasn't as good on the Grizzlies as he is on the Lakers. He's hyper-efficient, and even a bit strong.]

Matchups to watch

There's a bunch.

- How will Noah do against either Bynum or Gasol [or both]? Noah's the leading rebounder in the NBA, so we at least have a chance down low.

-How will Taj do against either Bynum or Gasol? Or Odom? Uh, I'm just gonna file this under 'problems the Bulls are going to have'.

-Oh hey, we have this great shooting guard who will match Kobe Bryant shot for shot! ...

Problem #2. At least Salmons' crappy help D [I've heard but haven't really seen] won't be exposed, because Kobe likes to iso.

-If Derrick Rose doesn't explode against Derek Fisher, it's the ankle. I mean ... look at Derek. He can't guard anybody, and he can't shoot! He's basically like our own Derrick, only if you had him sprain BOTH ankles, and maybe kicked him in the crotch a couple times to slow him down.

Wait, that didn't work for the Warriors. Hmm. Maybe he just needs to get revved up. I've heard that Shannon Brown can jump pretty high, and I'm sure he can kick.

[Sidenote: Whoever does the next Bulls-Warriors game has to use that video.]

-How will Luol Deng respond knowing that the man across from him on the court may be criminally insane? Win? Lose? Go crazy? Both? Neither?

- WWRD? [Or, 'What Will Ron Do?' This can also be used for Ron Paul.] We know he's crazy. He's kind of mellowed out, except for the times where he's crazy. So what's Artest going to do?!? If we had more crazy people on our team, this game could get really fun. I don't think anything's going to happen, though. Our only enforcer [a pseudo-enforcer at that: I'm talking about Brad Miller] has played with him for a long while. And yes, this means the SF matchup is two matchups. One is Luol Deng vs. Ron Artest. The other one is Ron Artest vs. Ron Artest. Maybe Joakim will bother him with all the yelling.

So. A prediction. I don't think we're going to win. Rose is still battling an ankle injury, and the Lakers are the Lakers. But more surprising things have happened [who thought Milwalkee'd have a record over .500?]. The Lakers have looked pretty bad in the stretch before the Pistons game, and should've lost to the Thunder [the only game this year I've followed]. Not that we've really looked any better. And they are 8-3, while we're ... 6-4.

Pretty meaningless game against a team that's better than us, and it's on the dreaded circus trip [so named because the Ringling Bros. circus moves into the Bulls' players' favorite riverfront casino, forcing them to travel the road in search of other ways to gamble. This is why everyone dreads those away games at Utah].

Lakers by 10, but I'm crossing my fingers for Bulls by 3.

*update* Multiple people have pointed out that Ariza signed for basically the MLE [the Injury Exception], and that Ariza's agent was playing hardball trying to get them to offer $8 million per [and then rising]. Also, Artest's contract is $18 million over 3 years [it declines], not over 5 years. Fxed/updated/etc.

Rose Problem: Trying too hard to please Vinny and "teammates"

2009-11-19T17:36:16Z

Sam Smith wrote a blog Is Derrick Rose jinxed or just a sophomore?

I am going to take a key quote attributed to Derrick Rose out of that Blog, because I believe this is the root of the problem with Rose.

“I’m not going to the hole the way the way I’m used to,” admitted Rose. “It seems to me I’m not that aggressive. But it’s going to change tomorrow (Thursday). You get caught up with….I really don’t know. I get caught up with what happens if I shoot too many times and all that stuff, thinking about my teammates. But I know I’m going to have to aggressive from now on.

Derrick Rose is thinking too much on the court. He is worried over "shooting too much" and "what will happen" if he shoots too much. Who is saying that he is shooting too much..... Deng? ...... Salmons? ....... or is it Vinny? Why is your Franchise Player worrying over what will happen if he shoots too much. That is the problem. He did not want to say it publicly. He hesitated. Derrick Rose has to learn to tell whomever it is on the team that is saying that he is shooting too much to SHUT THE FUCK UP AND I WILL PASS THE BALL TO YOU WHEN I AM READY.

Rose should tell the "teammates" he is concerned over that IF YOU FUCK UP ANOTHER OF MY ASSISTS THEN YOUR ASS WILL NOT GET THE BALL AGAIN. If Vinny is stressing Rose on shooting too much then Vinny should be fired on the spot. That is why Rose is so passive. Rose is passing them the ball and saying "fuck it". Someone said it on another thread that Rose is trying too hard to please everyone. He is going to have to learn to reverse that and make everyone...INCLUDING THE COACH be concerned about pleasing HIM and keeping HIM happy and not the other way around.

I blame this problem SQUARELY on Vinny. I am hoping that when Rose meets with Arn Tellem and B. J. Armstrong today that he tells them why he is dissatisfied. If B. J. is any kind of a good agent then he will do what is necessary to correct this Bullshit that is going on in the team. Because we are winning it is not an issue, but let us go on an extended losing streak and this quote will come back to the surface.

Your thought on a GS-Chi Ellis A-R for Kirk TT trade dreams

2009-11-19T16:43:46Z

Would you guys like a trade for Ellis and Randolph for a Kirk and a tyrus once he comes back? Would that work cap wise?

Bulls

Rose - Ellis

Salmons - Ellis

Deng-Salmons-Randolph

Randolph-TAJ-JJ(lol)

Super Noah( I like that as his nickname too like super nova)-B52

Granted We lose Kirk's D put we get a more consistent shooter in Ellis who wants out of GS and that transition scorer that will take tons of pressure of Rose scoring wise he could fit similar to how Crawford's playing in ATL and better yet which is more the bulls style when it comes to trades, is Ellis gives a some relief if we don't get a Wade or Johnson and allows us to focus on a BIG MAN and if we do get a wade bosh our guards would be considered at least the Fastest in the league, and randolph as you guy wrote earlier solves the TT cap issues this offseason and plays very similar to TT, It also takes away the possibility of Salmons opting out and us not have a 2 guard.

Also think that move makes us more attractive to a up tempo pf like Bosh.

Let me know what you guys think and also if that trade heads up doesn't let me know some of the combinations that would.

PS I think GS would like this trade because Kirk would help curry and let curry play more off ball and TT and A Randolph are similar. Better yet kirk won't complain even in Nellie ball

What's going on in Derrick Rose's head?

2009-11-19T02:53:27Z

I was read this article by KC Johnson tonight about Derrick Rose and I started to think damn it Derrick! Stop that! Stop taking questions about struggling. Next question.

I personally think the older you get in the game of basketball the more you need to know yourself. Sometimes when your struggling in life the best thing you can do is get back to work and get it out of your mind. Maybe thats what Derrick needs to do. Just stop thinking and play basketball.

Go back to basics. He needs to stop putting this pressure on himself and just go to work and not think about yesterday.

That is what he will figure out in due time that he's not always going to play like game one in Boston. Derrick you just need to believe in yourself and ignore what people are saying.

I thought this was a very telling quote...
"(My friends) are just telling me to go out there and play. They said it seems like I'm not happy out there. I'm definitely happy we're winning. But they said it doesn't seem like me out there."

So in other words you're happy the team is winning but your not happy by how you're playing? I wish KC would have followed up and dug deeper. Why isn't Rose happy? I have noticed the same things during games. That he seems disconnected or like his mind is in another place. Maybe this is Derrick when he frustrated? He hides his emotions and I don't think thats good for the young fellow. Is it just the ankle thats holding Rose back or is it his mind? Is he getting into his own head? Maybe he's not gelling with his teammates? I feel like he built this image of himself that maybe isn't seen behind closed doors. I feel like there is something more to the story than just Derrick Rose's ankle and conditioning.

Sometimes the biggest battle is inside your own mind. Lets hope thats all it is.

what i'd do as GM right now...

2009-11-19T01:43:51Z

So i just typed this big long msg about what i'd do as the bulls GM but i LOST IT and i'm pissed so i'm just going to give my ideas...

1. Sign Iverson. Need scoring. only a 1 year, league min contract.

2. Trade Ty Thomas, Jerome James, + unprotected pick for David West. Need a solid PF that can play in pick and roll with d-rose. decreasing contract only 8.2 next year.

Lineup:

PG - Rose

SG - Iverson

SF - Deng

PF - West

C - Noah

Bench - Hinrich (PG, SG), Salmons (SG, SF), Miller (C), Gibson (PF), Pargo (only foul trouble).

with iverson, salmons (if he opts out), hunter, pargo, gray, and miller coming off the books they will still have like 20 mil to sign player.

what do u think?

Poll

Would you want Allen Iverson on the Bulls?

The concern about Rose...

2009-11-17T17:36:29Z

The main concerns over Rose last season was that he was not getting to the line enough and his midrange game was weak. The midrange game was going to be a concern coming in, since this was not his strong suit at Memphis.

This year, the big concern currently is lack of attacking the rim and consequently not getting to the line enough. The midrange game seems to have improved. I am hoping I can ease everyone's concerns a bit, although probably not entirely.

All stats were taken from draftexpress.com and are the per-40 minutes pace adjusted stats, just so everything is as equal as we can get it.

Let's look at Wade. In his final year at Marquette, Wade averaged 9.2 FTA (again, per 40, pace adjusted). His first year in the NBA, he averaged only 6 (still good), but every year after that has been right at or even well above 10FTA! My contention is that he was not getting the calls his rookie year and once he started getting the calls, his FTA were much closer to his college stats.

Again, let's look at Devin Harris. His last year at Wisconsin he averaged 8.2FTA. Harris rookie year in the NBA was nowhere near this, but he is now up in the 9 to 10 FTA range! Again, it took him some time to figure out how to draw fouls in the NBA.

Rose was only at 6.7 FTA at Memphis, but this is still much higher than where he is now. I believe Rose will learn how to get to the line, it just takes time. Once his ankle heals, I think we will begin to see the improvements seen in many other NBA players. He is still young and still learning.

Game Preview #10: Bulls at Sacramento Kings

2009-11-17T12:17:39Z

[Thanks to enemy combatant pookeyguru for today's game preview. I'm not sure yet how the 9pm CST start times will throw off my recappin' game, but it likely will somewhat. -ed.]

Tonight is a battle of 2 teams at different paths in their journey. The Kings started out 1-3 before Kevin Martin was sidelined with a fractured left wrist, and subsequently had surgery, before winning the last 4 games to end up at 5-4. (None of this mentions that Francisco Garcia fractured his shooting wrist lifting weights on a physioball.) The Bulls have had their own fun share with injuries (Tyrus Thomas) so far, but have managed their own 5-4 start. I was told I could not make fun of Brad Miller writing this preview. (Boo!) However, it's clear Miller is happier in Chicago than he was in Sacramento at the end of his stay, and the early returns of Andres Nocioni in Sacramento have worked out pretty well all told. The stars of the Kings team are Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson (especially since Kevin Martin went down), which makes this matchup more intriguing.

If I haven't lost you by now, see you after the jump. Also, I apologize for the length of this in advance.

Starting lineup's for the Bulls:

Derrick Rose

John Salmons

Luol Deng

Joakim Noah

Taj Gibson

Starting lineup's for the Kings:

Tyreke Evans

Beno Udrih

Ime Udoka (subject to change if Noc plays)

Jason Thompson

Spencer Hawes

Andres Nocioni has been the starter at SF for Sacramento the last 5 games, but he suffered a hip pointer and is not expected to go tonight. UPDATE: Per Sam Amick's twitter said Donte Greene may start tonight.

By the numbers

In terms of Pace the Bulls are currently 18th, while the Kings are 12th. The Kings rank 24th in defensive efficiency, and the Bulls rank 8th. In Offensive efficiency, the Bulls rank 27th and the Kings rank 6th.(As such, I won't display the offensive and defensive 4 factors. If you wish, check them out here for both clubs.)

Rebounding, though, may surprise Bulls fans who expect the Kings to get killed on the boards tonight. The Kings are currently 2nd in offensive board%; 8th in defensive board%. Meanwhile the Bulls are 5th in ORB% and 14th in DRB%. If the Bulls are to win tonight, they will most likely need to control the backboards to secure a victory.

So why have the Kings won 4 in a row without Kevin Martin?

Several reasons. One is the improvement of Jason Thompson from last season. Yesterday, TZ had a good article on the very area's of where Jason had improved. Basically, he's a better offensive rebounder (by the numbers he's 3rd in the NBA), and an average defensive rebounder (still). He's turned the ball over less, racked up the assists, and the coaching staff will let him play through foul trouble. He gets to the foul line at a high rate too.

For the last 4 games: Tyreke Evans has averaged 23.8 points, 4.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds since Martin has went down. Jason Thompson has averaged 19.8 points, 2.3 assists and 11.5 boards. WaBeno Udrih has averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 boards.

On the year Evans has averaged: 16.6 points, 4.3 assists and 4.4 boards. Thompson has averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 assists and 10.1 boards. Udrih has averaged 13.5 points, 3.6 assists and 2.4 boards.

Also, Ime Udoka has been part of the rotation (Desmond Mason was waived to make room for Udoka) from the beginning of the 4 game win streak (10 days ago in Utah). In short, it's been an instance of better fit with role players (Udoka, Kenny Thomas instead of Sean May and Mason), and the other starters have played well so far in Martin's absence.

What are the marquee matchup's?

Well, in my mind, there are two.

The first matchup is Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. (Sort of.) In the past several games, Paul Westphal has generally asked Beno Udrih to guard Russell Westbrook and Aaron Brooks. (Westbrook was 3-13 from the floor. Brooks was 4-13 from the floor.) While I won't be deluded enough to tell you that Udrih is a great defensive guard, he has been better during this 4 game win streak than he his past would indicate. If that continues it could be a difficult night for the Bulls to score if Derrick Rose doesn't have it going. Then again, I'm not sure we'll watch the Rose and Evans head to head matchup transpire tonight.

It's more likely VDN will ask Rose to defend Udrih (as most teams have with their PG's) and has Salmons guard Evans defensively. Whichever team exploits these matchup's offensively could dictate a possible outcome.

The other matchup I'm looking forward to is Jason Thompson vs Joakim Noah. Noah at the moment is the current NBA's top rebounder (as I'm sure every Bulls fan knows) at 12.2 a game. Noah is 4th in offensive rebounds per game, and Thompson is 2nd. The difference between the two is that Noah grabs the 9th most defensive boards a game, while Thompson grabs the 44th. Whoever wins this battle of offense vs defense boards will win the game I suspect. More importantly, from a Kings POV, Thompson is going to be greatly tested with Noah's defensive abilities. Noah also blocks a couple of shots a game, and Hawes & Thompson get their shots swatted often enough to give Noah ample opportunity to do so. If Taj Gibson chooses to get his block a game, he will receive ample opportunities to do so. Since fouls are a big part of the problem Thompson has faced in the past, it's possible that foul trouble could limit either Noah or Thompson and swing the matchup into the team that exploits said foul trouble. (Since Noah doesn't have very high foul rates, I think this is definitely a bigger concern for Thompson.)

Keys to the game

1) Chicago must keep this game in the high 80's/low 90's to win; on the year the Kings are averaging 112 points in victories and 95 points in defeats.

2) Again, rebounding.

3) Offensively the Bulls must move the ball. The Kings have 2 very good defenders in Udoka and Kenny Thomas, and a bunch of below average to good defenders elsewhere. (Tyreke Evans and Spencer Hawes are the other 2 quality defenders the Kings have at the moment not named Udoka or Thomas. Everyone else ranges in quality.) The Kings can be both exposed, and scored on, by moving the ball, getting to the FT line and hitting shots from the perimeter. But, as every Bulls fan knows that's easier said than done. By the same token the Kings do not boast a very high TS% or eFG% themselves. The Kings are efficient offensively because they have not turned the ball over 20 times a night (mostly), and they grab a lot of offensive rebounds.

4) Forcing turnover's may be an important key to victory to the Bulls. Transition defense is not the Kings strong suit and getting easy buckets this way (as many as possible) could help the Bulls slow the pace down and play a half court game. When the Kings turn the ball over (and they have turned it over to any team that can force TO's--the Bulls are 10th in forced TOV%), they are far easier to beat. (Shocking, I know.) I don't think I'm going out on much of a limb when I say whichever team gets more easy hoops will probably win.

5) The X Factors for tonight's game are the 2 headed monster of Brad Miller/Taj Gibson and Spencer Hawes. Hawes first. While it's easy for anyone to assume Hawes has struggled (and he has shooting the ball), it's also true that Hawes defense and defensive rebounding have been critical for the Kings during their 4 game win streak. If Taj Gibson, or Brad Miller I would guess, are able to exploit Hawes defensively (on the interior with athleticism/finishing strong for Gibson; on the perimeter with shooting/passing/ball movement for Miller), this will be important to helping Chicago pull out a victory.

6) Ime Udoka and Omri Casspi are vital in terms of energy and disruption in fueling Sacramento's defensive attack. If Luol Deng can neutralize them by scoring the ball, particularly from the perimeter where Deng is likely to have many open looks if the Bulls can take advantage, this could be a major strength the Bulls can exploit all night. The Bulls best 3 offensive options (Rose, Deng and Miller) must score the ball well to help Chicago keep pace offensively in a game where offense vs defense is so critical.

7) I'm nearly 104% positive the Bulls don't want to run up & down with the Kings. (Or with anyone actually.) The Bulls play at a slow grind it out pace that generally dictates low shooting percentages, and scores to go along with it. If the Bulls are able to dictate that tempo and take advantage of opportunities, they will win. Conversely, the Kings play far more efficiently at a faster pace. If the Kings win the rebounding battle, and are able to run their offense efficiently, I think prevailing is a large possibility. (I take nothing for granted when the Kings starting lineup is less than 25 years of age on average.) Given that the Bulls are starting their Carnival trip tonight, and will be on the road for tne next 13 weeks (actually days--but I wonder if it feels like that to the players), it's a golden opportunity for both clubs.

With a win the Bulls can get a win to start that 6 game trip away from the UC. If the Kings win tonight they can continue their win streak and complete a perfect homestand. (I personally care about the perfect homestand. That hasn't happened, since, crap I can't remember the last time that happened. After checking, it was when Eric Musselman was still coaching. Yikes!) Oh, I recognize that VDN is not beloved in any Bulls fan circle, but I'll be willing to stack up Eric Musselman against any terrible coaching hire this decade.

For an opponent (or completely Kings centric) point of view hit up the 916 circus better known as Sactown Royalty. Thanks for reading, and good luck tonight.

Game will tip off at 9pm CST on WGN.

The move that no one talks about

2009-11-16T18:38:25Z

Over the last few years there have been changes to this team whether it be a new coach, a new General Manager, or changes in the roster. We've seen over paid players, players traded and players let go. We've also talk about the salary cap and players we had to let go as we prepare for 2010. But there is one move that wasn't made that sticks in my crawl. It may seem minor but it should reinforce the thought that this organization has no true plan...

I remember sitting on the couch on draft night awaiting the Bulls turn to pick a player with their 16th pick. I know at the time it seemed anti-climatic because the pick wasn't a top 5 pick, but yet and still it's a chance for a team to improve if they trust their scouts and draft smartly. To be honest , like many others here that night, if there was any chance of him falling to number 16 I wanted the Bulls to take Dajuan Blair. But as the Bulls pick drew near I started to realize something... Ty Lawson was still on the board.

I realize that during the offseason, all the Bulls could think about was getting some depth at the 3 position considering that they had already decided BG's fate and were going to be moving Salmons to the 2-guard spot and were trying desperately to move Tyrus. But here's my beef: What ever happened to taking the best player on the board? Right now the Bulls are struggling with FG%, 3pt shooting, and free throw shooting right?. Well right now Ty Lawson is among the top 7 in 3pt % (50.0), FG% (52.7), and Free throw% (94.1). If it wasn't for Brandon Jennings, this kid may be in the lead right now for ROY. It's the type of move that gives you productive depth and helps shape the plan. Don't believe me? Ask Miami how Mario Chalmers is working out.

You know sometimes it just isn't that hard to make the right choice. How difficult would it had been for the Bulls to draft a true PG that could back up your star PG for the next 5 years and oh by the way, give you some flexibility when it comes to maybe trading the great Kirk Hinrich? But no. We have a rookie tweener who's stuck on the bench right now. Meanwhile, the guy they took a flier on with their 26th pick is the one that is contributing. That fact alone let's you know that this organization has no clue what the plan is. Because if they felt so strongly about Taj Gibson, they would've taken him with the 16th pick. I mean why take the chance on another team grabbing him right?

So for those waiting for 2010, hoping that the Bulls make a big splash realize this: If we as fans can see how bad this franchise is being ran, what do you think Dwayne Wade, Joe Johnson, and Chris Bosh see?

Trading for Pf not so appealing this year.

2009-11-16T07:08:54Z

I wanted to have a decent chat with some of my fellow bulls fan and see how they felt about this team and our future as bulls fans. I know alot of us are throwing out every trade scenario that we can fathom, and will continue to until our team isn't dull offensively.

To jump into the thick of what I wanted to discuss was... I feel that our team shouldn't dump half of our role players for a PF unless it is Bosh and Bosh only. Outside of Bosh I feel Stat and Boozer just isn't worth breaking up this unit no matter how bad our offense tends to look. Mind you I wouldn't mind giving up a 2 for 1 like hinrich/Thomas for a boozer, but I feel that the teams that want some sort of Deng,Thomas, Hinrich, Salmons, James, Miller combo is just asking for too much.

I know we need some Post/Hi-Low PnR scoring DESPERATELY but I think if we can be in position for a lottery or better in the draft we would only have to worry about finding our #1 scorer in free agency rather than Hoping and Praying for this Wade/Lebron and Bosh/Boozer fantasy that WON'T Happen. Why? simple answer is No Player in the entire league likes, respect, or would willingly want to consistently have to deal with JR. Trust me there is no amount of downplaying this fact that can make it untrue, and the nba players know way better than us how bad he really is as a person. For the record the ONLY way Wade comes here next year is if he has some raging fantasy about playing for his home team, that means more to him than the roughly 8-14million per year he'd lose to come play for a horrible organization, and coach. The market means nothing to Wade he is a staple of the nba his popularity won't increase or decrease no matter where he plays minus a New York or LA setting.

I mentioned the draft and any of you college bball fans can agree that the 2010 draft will be as good if not better for PF's than this years draft was for PG's it's Possible that about 40% of the first round next year will be PF's. I mean there are all types of PF's coming out next year minus John Wall(pg) that should be a top 3 if not the no 1.

So what I was thinking about maybe trading just One player for a 6-12 range first round selection instead of trading 3,4, or 5 players for one of those almost aging PF's that may be up for trade this year. My thinking is well make the playoffs this year so lottery is out of the question. If we were to Lure in a Joe Johnson and trade Thomas and our first round for like a 6th pick we would still have a strong team that could contend as soon as our PF's can hold their own. Which should be the 2011 season which is realistically the goal we should be looking at for contending anyway. Face It Lakers, Celtics, Magic, and maybe Spurs and Denver are the ONLY teams that has a chance at winning until the 2011 season.

Rose, Joe Johnson, Deng, Noah, and any average or better Post PF, Taj, and even Kirk should step into the Next up for Contention role in the East with the down fall of the aging vet's either having diminishing skills or us catching up to thier skill set. Orlando is he only set year in and year out East contender, depending on when or if Boston fizzles out, and where Lebron/Bosh/Wade sign.

My Question to my fellow fans is .... Is the Bulls roster and Cap better suited for a Trade for a Established PF that may only have 3,4, or five yrs in the tank for their career, or Should we try to trade now for a nice draft position and find the best PF for our team, or Should we "Stay the course" and hope big free agent signings???

PS - Fans that are getting nervous about Rose's play dont worry too much, I know he isn't being aggressive enough yet but the Pg isn't supposed to be the focal scorer in this system and at some time some one has to hit off of a pass for him to get an assist after the circus trip Rose should start some progression and remind us of the guy we all loved last year. His Team Defense IS getting a little better i guess Kirk is rubbing off on him.

Who Else Hates This Team?

2009-11-15T04:15:03Z

No way around it, I'm starting to hate the Bulls. Watching this team is a chore and I find it more and more difficult warding off the anger that accompanied watching this awfully coached basketball teams. This is going to be a rant, so if you like, feel free to stop reading now.

I don't hate everyone on this team, just most of 'em. Luol, Miller, Noah and Kirk get a pass in my book, as they all make the best of their abilities and contribute consistently.

Derrick Rose- Plays like a fuc*ing wuss. For all his immense potential, his head isn't right. He has no idea how good he is and for a while I was pinning the blame on Vinny and the supporting cast, but it's clear that this kid isn't gonna be "it." How many more times is this kid gonna pass up on huge mis-match and isolation opportunities before you guys see what I see? He's got zero tenacity and none of the voracity that all the really good ones have. Noah's got it, it's just too bad he doesn't have the gifts to be great. Derrick was at the rim four or five times tonight with easy finishes there to be had but he kicked it out or turned it over. A player with star qualities makes things happen at the hoop and/or go es to the line. Derrick doesn't. He lacks vision while still making rookie mistakes and commits loads of stupid turnovers. Put Jenning's brain in Rose's head and you got yourself a perennial MVP candidate. Could he turn himself around, maybe, but I don't see it happening, at least not with this coaching staff. Which brings me to................

Vinny- Everyone with a brain knows that he's entirely bereft of any basketball acumen. He's not a tactition and has no knowledge of X's & O's, so one would think he would be good at managing personalities, right? The players don't respect him, and why should they? Would you respect a coach who's vocabulary is limited to "Run, shoot with confidence, be aggressive, run, run, shoot with confidence, push the ball."? I wouldn't. He doesn't deal with the players well, as evidenced by his issues with Joakim, Gray, Tyrus and most likely other incidents we haven't heard about. This was a terrible hire and to compound the problem Paxson hired this awful coach during the developmental years of the most physically gifted Bull since Jordan or Pippen. Unreal!

John Salmons- I was bullish on Salmons coming into the season, and if he were shooting better, I wouldn't be as upset with him, but the guy is black hole on offense. He drains the shot clock and stagnates the offense. He's an awful passer and rebounder, so if he's not scoring 20 ppg he kills your team. I hope and pray he opts out of his deal after the season, but if he keeps going like this there's no way that happens. This team needs offense badly and the guy looked upon to be either our highest or second highest scorer has fallen flat on his face. No way around it.

James Johnson- I get peeved watching any out-of-shape athletes play professional sports, but JJ is just a kid. He should be in the best shape of his life, instead he comes in with worse conditioning than myself. Inexcusable.

Gray/Hunter- These are players of extremely little consequences, but seeing Gray goofing around on the bench and Lindsey getting jiggy with it in the pre-game huddle pisses me off to no end. These are million dollar players? Lucky SOBs'.

There's a lot more where this came from, but this is a Sat night and I getta get out and do something to clear my head of the dreadful Bulls basketball that consumed the last few hours of my day. I suggest you all do the same.

Game Preview #9: Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers

2009-11-14T13:57:21Z

[Thanks to chgobr for today's game preview -ed.]

As the Bulls face Philadelphia, we have completed over 10% of the season. Teams' true selves are emerging.

The 76ers'

The Brand experiment has quickly gone from hype to heartburn.The Philly Daily News reports

Now, the situation has been thrown fully into a blender, as new coach Eddie Jordan doesn't appear to have enough confidence in Brand to have him on the floor in key situations. Brand has not played in the fourth quarter in four of the past five games. In those games, he has averaged only 24 minutes, 7 points and 5.2 rebounds.

A bad move by Stefanski to sign the Duke product? Perhaps.

Too early to tell? Again, perhaps.

This much is obvious: Brand is not the player who came to the Sixers with an average of 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in nine NBA seasons. He probably isn't as unproductive as the player who has averaged only 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a game this season. But he is now 30. And maybe finding his old form after the injuries and at his age just isn't possible.

Brand has not finished games despite being paid almost $15 million. Brand's long-term cancer runs through 2012-13 and is over $18 million dollars 2013. The consequences are a team that likely will struggle until after 2013 with more empty seats in Philly. Iguodala has been a contributor but Lou Williams and Thadeus Young have not played to the high expectations. Dalembert is a bust who appears to be impossible to trade.

The Bulls

We have our own issues. A new Bulls team has begun to emerge.

The good

There is a lot to like. This team plays like professionals. Most of them want to win and are good team players. Except for minor Tyrus issues the culture of this team has gone professional. Points against has gone to 92.9 from 102.5 2008-9. This is a remarkable improvement. Ball movement seems improved. Noah seems to be the real deal. Players that really want to win, young talent and an inability to take over games makes Chicago ideal for one of the free 2010 agents.

The bad

Hitting shots! We move the ball; find the open man who is excellent at firing up bricks. The main culprits are Hinrich, Pargo and Salmons shooting .346, 351 and .306. This makes you yearn for BG. Despite the urge I still believe we are and will be better off in the long run not signing BG.

The Ugly

Thankfully we do not have the Steven Jackson, Don Nelson, Allen Iverson, New York Knick lunacy going on. With Deng performing up to his contract and with Hinrich's contract contracting, we really have no long-term horrible deals we need to dump to be competitive. No ugly here - a plus for the franchise.

For those of us who

1. thought Kerr was the dumbest Manger in the NBA,

2. who thought Miami would struggle to make the playoffs,

3. who thought Houston would struggle to win 20 games

4. who thought Sacramento would struggle to win 15 games

We appear way off.

The Philly perspective for tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers can be found at Liberty Ballers. This is a back-to-back for Philly as they got mauled 112 - 90 at home by a Deron Williams less Utah Jazz. It really would be nice to go on the road 5 -4.

I'm gonna keep on proposing trades...

2009-11-14T08:40:08Z

4 way deal. Only happens if toronto feels inclined to deal bosh obviously, most likely they wont, but who knows what could happen at the trade deadline.

Bulls Send out Hinrich (to Kings), Thomas and Deng (to Raptors) Johnson (Warriors)

Toronto sends Bosh to Bulls

Warriors send Speedy Claxton (salary filler) Devean George and Azubuike to the Bulls

Kings send Kenny Thomas to the Warriors (salary filler) and Sergio Rodriguez to the Bulls

Salary works out. The only player with more than 1 year on their contract is Hinrich and Deng

The bulls give up a lot, but they get Bosh, And could possibly have enough salary to sign another Star next season Rose, Noah, Taj, and Salmons if he opts in are the only salaries we'd have to deal with which is about 10 Mil + salmons possibly, + resigning bosh for max at about 20 mil? (dont know the exact contract numbers) that would leave us with about another 20 mil under the cap. to sign wade, lebron, whomever...

This season the bulls would be left with

PG- Rose, Rodriguez, claxton (most likely bought out)

SG-Azuibuike, Pargo

SF-Salmons, George

PF- Bosh, Taj

C- Noah, Miller

Next year our team would look like Rose, X, X, Bosh Noah. Taj off the bench, with about 25 Mil of cap space.

Toronto would only do this if they were certain bosh was leaving. But they are getting two players they can keep long term in toronto. Deng playing better only makes the trade more likely. They could also match any offer tyrus got this offseason.

Warriors i have no idea. They are dysfunctional. I added them because teh bulls needed a SG/SF this season to fill the spots vacated by Deng and Hinrich. Any team could be substituted for the warriors role in this trade, but the warriors are hte most likely to do something stupid. (they would still have ellis, Curry, Morrow, maggette, Jackson, randolph, wright, Biedrins, and Turiaf. and they would get James johnson to add some girth to their lanky team. I also thought that the kings could send brockman to the warriors but thats not really a big deal. (it would work if it had to be done)

Kings trade 2 expiring contracts, for a proven PG, Tyreke evans can move to the 2 now, Kevin martin can play the 3. Thompson at the 4, Hawes at the 5, with casspi and Nocioni off the bench.. suddenly they have a team? Maybe they could throw in Donte green instead of the warriors giving us devean george. I dunno how much they like green, or how much they value hinrich.

Again, this is all predicated on teh fact that the raptors would be willing to trade bosh. I would throw our 1st round pick anywhere in this deal to make it work cause we would end up throwing all our eggs into the 2010 basket, but at least we would still keep a pretty solid core Rose, Bosh, Noah, and Taj. We've got our Bigs taken care of, our PG taken care of, and could bid high on Wade, Bron, or joe Johnson. Who wouldnt want to play on a team like that. If we got any of those 3 guys, we could sign anyone as a back up for minimum contracts and still dominate.

I Know this is a pipe dream, but at least its kind of a thought out pipe dream, and not too ludicrous...If nothing else its original.

LeBron Changing Number: Gotta Give Props, Where Props Are Due!!

2009-11-13T07:14:08Z

First of all, this will probably be the only fan post I ever put up. But I gotta say this, and I want all of you bulls fans to let me know what you think. I just caught highlights of the Cavs/Heat game. At the end, Lebron was interviewed, and he wanted to give a shout out. To who, you may be wondering...Well, to The Greatest Player of All Time, that's who. Michael Jordan was in the Heat arena to watch Lebron and Dwayne play tonight. Lebron said that he was honored and flattered that the best player to ever play the game would take time out of his day to come watch him play. Great sentiment, great words. However, that's not the part that compelled me to want to write this. It was what James said after that showed his respect to MJ. Lebron said that next year, he was going to change his jersey number because "no player should ever wear #23 after Michael wore it. If he cant get the NBA logo (respect to Jerry West), then he should have his number retired throughout the league". WOW....that statement really blew me away. I know LJ watched MJ playing ball when he was growing up, and that MJ was his idol, but that respect that he showed MJ to change his jersey number was something unseen or unheard of. Much props to you Lebron, you give props to where they are due, and so will I...To you.

Poll

Do you think this has something to do with him wanting come to Chicago, and he knows he can't wear #23???

A why not trade with Jazz to shake things up?

2009-11-13T00:34:37Z

Bulls send, Thomas, James, and Salmons, to the Jazz for Boozer, and korver.

The salaries are within 500K, all of the contracts are/could be expiring. Deron williams isnt happy with his team, the bulls clearly need some help somewhere.

Kirk starts at the 2, and boozer starts at the 4, Korver and Pargo would probably have to play a combined 20-25 minutes a night. Which is scary, but I think its worth it for some expirings, a floor spacer, and an ex-allstar PF for a 1 year committment.

bulls BEAT denver

2009-11-12T04:57:19Z

so my friend was trying to break my balls with this video when i noticed something which i had not last night. when watching the replay, pause it at 44 secs. u can see noah catch, possess, and call timeout at .05 secs. hinrich also has called timeout at this point. this should have left .05 or at least .04 secs on the clock last night, which of course means... BULLS WIN!

sure, its over and its a loss and i may be nitpicking, but it makes me feel slightly better. especially since tonight didnt do that. so i guess 10 minutes wasnt enough time for the refs to notice there should have been more time on the clock. maybe they should have kept the interim refs(kidding, kinda).

whats your guys take?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbY_6NX85g4

Open Game Thread / Game Preview #8: Bulls vs. Raptors

2009-11-11T22:01:35Z

[Thanks to YaoPau for today's game preview -ed.]

Do you Noah good rebounder? I do.

pa-ching.

Maybe we should start calling it Cantada, because they can't rebound.

pa-ching.

Bosh does well at 11reb per 36, then it's Bargnani's 6.8, Turkoglu's 4.5, Jack's 3.0, Calderon's 2.8. When Taj Gibson would be your team's 2nd best rebounder, you better be awesome at everything else.

They are offensively: 1st in O-Rating so far. Their .591 TS% is ridiculous, and they're top-3 in threes per game, free throws per game, and fewest turnovers. Lots of shooters, good passers, Turkoglu's been a nice fit.

Defensively, they're dead last. They ranked 22nd last year, and since lost Shawn Marion, Jamario Moon, Jermaine O'Neal and Anthony Parker, so it's likely not a fluke. They're bottom-3 in threes per game allowed, free throws per game allowed, and turnovers forced. It's like their defense is allowing it's own offensive gameplan. Weird team. Really weird.

Not surprisingly, they're 3-4 with a good win over Cleveland and a bad loss to Memphis. With all the 3pt shots taken in Raptors games and their overall averageness, game to game fluctuation will happen. Flip a coin for who wins tonight, especially with the Bulls in Toronto.

But our blueprint to victory involves controlling the glass. The Bulls are 6th in OREB%+DREB% at 1.034, while the Raptors are 27th at .957, and Reggie Evans is still out with a foot sprain. I get worried whenever two evenly matched teams play and one has an enormous advantage in one factor - it's hard to match that advantage in reality. But if we do, and the Raptors don't shoot lights out from 3, we should have this in the bag.

Few questions:

(1) Will the Bulls take advantage of Toronto's inability to guard the 3 and the paint? (That involves taking shots in those two locations.)

(2) When Bargnani pulls Taj/Joakim away from the basket, will Deng help keep Bosh off the boards? SFs have averaged almost 9rpg against Toronto this year, and Deng could be in line for a big boxscore.

(3) Is Rose healthy enough to penetrate consistently? With Calderon on him and Bargnani guarding the paint, this is the game to do it.

6pm start time on WCIU.

Thoughts on trades that work for the Bulls

2009-11-11T15:45:09Z

Consistent with my thoughts on the season, I see three sorts of trades that make sense and have some likelihood of working out for the Bulls.

1. Trade for a FA target if their team falls apart. That'd be Wade (very unlikely since the Heat look good), James (pretty unlikely, but we're hearing rumblings of unhappiness), or Bosh (They're 3-4, and looking better but not outstanding). This really doesn't need any analysis in basketball terms. The only relevant fact is if one of these guys tells his team he wants to be traded and he wants to come here. Otherwise, a deal like this ain't getting done because a team won't trade a superstar unless he is holding a gun to their head.

Still, this is the sort of deal in which I'd consider trading Luol Deng and/or, since we'd both get an upgrade in talent and offset most of the salary of the incoming star. That would allow us to, potentially, add that star (say Bosh) and then go out and make a pitch to a guy like James that he could and should come join up with a Rose, Bosh, Noah trio.

Example: Deng, Tyrus, JJ, Pick for Bosh. That, I think, still leaves us with enough cap space to make a realistic pitch for Lebron or Wade. Dynasty baby.

2. Trade for a player that combines short-run help and an expiring contract. The goal here is to clear additional cap room (by offloading Salmons and maybe punting on our "Tyrus Problem") and getting back a guy who is obviously better than those guys.

Example: Trade James/Salmons/Tyrus for Tmac and change. I'd be willing to throw in James Johnson too.

Another idea would be the much mentioned Boozer for Jerome James + Salmons/Tyrus idea. I'm a little iffier on that since I think we're weaker on the wings than up front (who'd replace Salmons in the backcourt?), but it'd probably be an upgrade.

3. Trade Trade for a younger player on a rookie deal we can afford to keep without giving up on FA dreams. And oh yeah, the youngster needs to really be able to play. Tyrus, who we can't afford to re-sign, would be the obvious bait, but if we found a team willing to take on salary next year too, that would be ideal (That is, Salmons or Kirk, perhaps).

Example: I think the early returns on James Harden are looking pretty good, but I don't see that the Thunder have immediate plans for him, and they look like the stereotypical team that is just a veteran or two away. Kirk + Tyrus for James Harden, Sean Livingston and Etan Thomas works in the trade machine. I think this would be a calculated risk, because we remove a veteran at a time we need to make a playoff push, but I strongly believe Harden would contribute immediately and we'd cover two others bases. We both create more cap space for next year (Harden will make several million less than Kirk) and we cover our SG position in the long run since it's unlikely we actually fill it in free agency next summer. Similar targets might be Gerald Henderson, Stephen Curry, Brandan Wright, Eric Gordon etc.

The Problem of Offense

2009-11-10T10:32:09Z

So far this season the bulls are 4-2, but they could just as easily be 2-4, or 5-1. In other words, this is a hard team to figure out. I feel they have played over their head on defense so far while playing under their head (?) on offense. If I had to guess I would have them at 12th in defensive efficiency and 18th in offensive efficiency at the end of the season. Or the opposite of last year. But the jump from 26th to 18th in offense will require about 8 more points per 100 possessions. Thats a bunch. A healthy Rose will be crucial, but its conceivable he could stay hurt for some time. The bulls need a provisional strategy to boost their offense, and with that in mind ive some suggestions.

1. Some people here were discussing whether it made sense for a bad shooting team to take more threes. I say "yes" for the bulls because they really dont have any better options in the half court. Lu, kirk, miller and salmons should basically take every open three they can get. Even derrick, for as long as he has to put on his Luke Ridnour shoes every night, should probably take more threes.

2. The bulls need more fastbreak points. You almost have to admire the consistency with which the bulls have immediately looked to get the ball to derrick after grabbing a Drb. Last year that move had a certain logic: turnovers are evil and as the best ball handler derrick is most likely not to turn it over on the move. Plus derrick was a one man fastbreak last year. But the bulls have no one man fastbreak this year-- unless you count tyrus' arm*-- and I think derrick has killed more breaks than hes started. So instead of derrick dribbling the ball 60 ft. to start every possession, why not move the ball quickly up the floor to any remotely competent ball handlers and begin the attack that way. This will likely result in more turnovers, and I am aware that taking care of the ball has been important in this 4-2 start, but I believe the bulls lack the polished decision makers to keep the TOs down anyways, regardless of the style of play, so one might as well go for the offensive reward that speed brings. This is the one advantage I see in this team going small.

*Other acceptable responses: Deng's leg or Aaron Gray's leg. Key to the season: CALCIUM.

3. The last point is the shortest. I think the bulls need to make faster decisions, particularly as shooters. Any time a competent shooter (its a relative term here........ its gotta be) has space he or she (be fair!) should shoot the ball. Vinny told his team in Cleveland to "shoot with confidence;" I hope this means more "be decisive. shoot when you get the chance," than the maudlin "believe in your shooting, fellas!" Its hard to impose your desired pace on other teams, but these points might be ways to do that.