Open Game Thread #70: Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2008 6:46 PM CDT in News

I've been out of town the past few days, and during that time was in a state of blissful ignorance in terms of the Bulls on-court performance. After reading about them (and yes, I went through both entertaining game threads), it seems like they just crapped the bed against a far superior Spurs team, and pulled the Boylan Sabotage Special against Indiana.

No matter, I've been checked out ever since that game against Philly. Not rooting for them to tank, but hoping they lose. Sadly this team is too dumb to even tank properly, or I should say 'conventionally'. I guess Boylan's strategy is very effective, even if it's his imbecilic quest towards securing the head coaching job, and securing playoff funds for the Bulls.

So I've given up on wanting playoffs, and after these past 2 games put them 3 games out and 3 teams out, it's over. However a loss tonight (7:30pm CST, CSN) may finally produce the organizational message of the same. I don't even want them to stop trying, I just want them to stop saying they're trying. It's annoying.

Atlanta is the semi-secured 8th seed, and Hollinger's playoff predictor (which is actually useful by this time of the season) has them at 61% odds of holding on. The Bulls are at 3.9%. To illustrate how futile those odds are, they have a 1.4% chance of winning the draft lottery.

Like the Bulls, the Hawks have an interesting group of free agents available in Josh Smith and Josh Childress. I don't believe they were even offered contract extensions to turn down, yet somehow they persevered where Deng and Gordon didn't.

Lets hope they continue that and beat the Bulls tonight and put us all out of our misery. At least until Boylan says they still have a shot, both the Bulls for the playoffs and he for the head coaching position. But during the game I won't be openly rooting against them, just detachedly watching the game and exuding a simmering hate for Boylan and Paxson. And most of the players. And Solomon Jones, just because.

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Comments

Who is Soloman Jones?

by chgobr on Mar 25, 2008 7:02 PM CDT reply actions

For the love

of God please let Luol Deng have a fantastic four quarters tonight.

Your man Sam had his last appearance as an employee of the Tribune on CTL tonight but he's going to be a regular once a week on CTL as their basketball expert.

by sue369 on Mar 25, 2008 7:04 PM CDT reply actions

I really am sad

to see Sam go. I'm not his biggest fan, and I disagree with alot of his stuff, but at least he said what he thought.

by JeffD on Mar 25, 2008 7:19 PM CDT up reply actions

heh

you still want the Bulls to win?

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions

I just want

Deng to have a good game so we aren't subjected to the resident Deng basher again tonight. It's the same shit every game night.

by sue369 on Mar 25, 2008 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions

I must officially be THE MAN since....

...Sue can't stop thinking about me :)

by lexdiamonds0730 on Mar 25, 2008 9:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Man? Um no

whiner is more like it.

by sue369 on Mar 26, 2008 7:25 AM CDT up reply actions

Keep it comin' Sue!

One of the true joys of being a man is getting under a woman's skin about something and knowing you're doing it. I love that I have affected you in such a way that you can't leave me alone Sue :)

You and I are a match made in heaven! We were meant to blog together...LOL

by lexdiamonds0730 on Mar 26, 2008 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions

Could be. ;-)

by sue369 on Mar 27, 2008 7:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Now that I am used to it

These fourth quarter collapses are actually kind of nice. If they weren't going to go deep in the playoffs, then by all means move up the lottery ladder. For three quarters we can get a glimpse of the future, and in the fourth we can secure a spot in the lottery. I'd actually like to see whoever the bulls have decided to or are considering dumping play the whole 4th quarter. Let Hughes be as aggressive as he wants to be, but only play him 5 minutes in the first half.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 7:32 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed

on all counts there. Hopefully Thabo gets some good minutes tonight.

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 7:35 PM CDT reply actions

Duhon looks fire up tonight

....not

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 7:39 PM CDT reply actions

someone knows if i can see the game on the ne?

by bull83 on Mar 25, 2008 7:41 PM CDT reply actions

I'd like to see

Thabo/Kirk/Joakim/Tyrus/Aaron Gray lineup...I can deal without Kirk or AG but please let me see Thabo/Ty/Joakim---they are the most entertaining to watch.

At least if we make the playoffs at the 8th seed, Tyrus can get back at Posey for breaking his nose...

by AGBallinisaHabit on Mar 25, 2008 7:43 PM CDT reply actions

I can deal without Kirk

especially when he's picking his nose in the paint while Bibby is on the arc...swish...

Ugh.

And Gooden has ALL of the Bulls first 10 points.

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 7:48 PM CDT up reply actions

Hooray!

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions

The Beard

is bangin' tonight! 5-5!

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 7:46 PM CDT reply actions

Two winning, playoff teams last night -

the Lakers and Warriors...

And tonight - two LOSING, likely NON playoff teams - the Bulls and Hawks...

What a glaring difference.

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 7:51 PM CDT reply actions

Noc is really the first sub tonight?

Unbelievable.

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 7:53 PM CDT reply actions

That's what you get

when you play kissie-face with Coach B!

by ChrisRobin on Mar 25, 2008 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions

link anyone?

channelsurfing.net is audio only and i can't find it on sopcast

At least if we make the playoffs at the 8th seed, Tyrus can get back at Posey for breaking his nose...

by AGBallinisaHabit on Mar 25, 2008 8:00 PM CDT reply actions

that must be coaching

did you see how they got that ball to BG for the last shot? I can smell the improvement.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 8:05 PM CDT reply actions

30 games seems like a dream at this point

this team stinks blow it up pax, only noah, thabo, tyrus, and deng.

by armstrong2389 on Mar 25, 2008 8:06 PM CDT reply actions

Hey, it's TT, Thabo, and Noah in together

Wow.

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 8:07 PM CDT reply actions

wish granted!

At least if we make the playoffs at the 8th seed, Tyrus can get back at Posey for breaking his nose...

by AGBallinisaHabit on Mar 25, 2008 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions

don't look now

but Thabo/TT/Noah are in.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 8:08 PM CDT reply actions

Tyrus getting some first half burn tonight

Couple of nice blocks so far

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 8:24 PM CDT reply actions

I could be wrong

but Gooden looks to me like everything the bulls have been lacking as a low post scorer. He obviously isn't a good choice as a lone big man in a small-ball lineup, but that's a dumb strategy anyway.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 8:37 PM CDT reply actions

If you are wrong

Than I am wrong too. Because I 100% agree with every single word you said.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 8:43 PM CDT up reply actions

hey where have you been?

lexdiamonds was looking for you a few diaries ago...

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 8:47 PM CDT up reply actions

rof

lmao

by California Al on Mar 25, 2008 9:17 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm here.

You know Bullshooter, I was lookin' at some of my old posts. You know what the root of my Deng issues are? The $50 million he turned down and this is contract time for him. I don't really bother with Gordon because although I like Gordon and I think he'll get a big offer, I don't think he'll be a Bull next year or at the very least 2 years from now.

If anyone cares to look at what I've said about Deng they'll notice that I like the guy. I think he's a nice player but not a $50 million dollar guy and I don't want to keep him at that amount. This is why i'm so critical and argumentative regarding him. Now $35 million for 5 years is more reasonable and I'd love to keep him at around that amount. But at anything more than that I don't like it. I mean guys like Chauncey Billups and Gilbert Arenas make $10 million a year. If we pay someone like that then I want it to be a player like that.

So there you have it. The source of all my anti-Deng rants.

by lexdiamonds0730 on Mar 25, 2008 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions

isn't noc's contract

like 5/40?

so deng isn't getting less than that. period. i know noc's contract is the source of much angst around here, but regardless of whether he deserves it, deng is going to command more.

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 25, 2008 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep 5 yr/38 million...

...and i think that's a bit much for Nocioni and thats why we'll look to move him this offseason. May even look to move Hinrich because his deal isn't looking so hot either. That's exactly why I'm not too keen on overpaying for Deng or Gordon for that matter. In the case of Deng where we see that he's a bit more mentally fragile than any of us thought. In the case of Gordon, he can be a big time scorer in this league but you're gonna have to sacrafice other things with him and it becomes a case of being able to live with what he can't do...for the right price. I'd like to keep them both, BUT at respectable numbers. We'll see what they get offered though and if the Bulls decide to match their offers since they are both restricted.

by lexdiamonds0730 on Mar 25, 2008 11:46 PM CDT up reply actions

5/50 is 20% more

and while 2+ mil/year might not sound like a lot, it actually is.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 26, 2008 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Let me reiterate

I am not arguing with you, I more or less agree, just not as redundantly.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 26, 2008 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions

LOL...I hear ya shooter.

And I agree completely shooter. I will stop bangin' on the guy. Probably never should have started, but like I explained before, it was just me being against the 50 mil thing and having so many people argue with me about him being worth more and that took on a life of its own.

But judging from the new post Matt has about the dirt (which I haven't read or heard yet by the way), it sounds like Deng has other things on his mind, as do several of the Bulls players. But don't think for one minute that issues are unique to this Bulls team. Even the best teams always have some internal bullsh!t going on, but the good teams are able to overcome it. It's been the death of us due to our lack of leadership and I split that blame between our entire so called "core" and our GM Paxson for assembling such a team with no true leadership...and worse yet not being able to develop one.

One thing is certain. This will be an interesting off-season and I will be watching very carefully as I'm sure many here will be.

You are officially "The Man" now shooter!!!

by lexdiamonds0730 on Mar 26, 2008 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions

20 and 10 at the half for Beard

pretty pretty good

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 8:38 PM CDT reply actions

Gooden

Daddy llllliiiiiikkkkkeeeeeeeeyyyy!!!

So how long til Boylan goes small to tank this game away? What is the over/under on that?

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 8:42 PM CDT reply actions

+ / - 4 min. into the final quarter

by Orlando Woolridge on Mar 25, 2008 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions

yeah

i second this prediction

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

This poor blog is dying

(sad face)

"to the children: Fuck the Bulls." - Matt

by NittanyBull on Mar 25, 2008 8:46 PM CDT reply actions

I think that started`

when we called Eddie Curry's mom and wife fat. :-0

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

seriously

is no one watching this game tonight?

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm here

Don't worry

by gobulls1124 on Mar 25, 2008 8:53 PM CDT up reply actions

I hear you

but it's odd - I just don't have anything to say about this team anymore. I like the folks here, and it's entertaining to read, but we've been repeating ourselves for a long time now. This team has just beaten the interest out of me with their poor play, strife, inept coaching, overall petulence and mediocre talent level. The good news is - and I think this holds true for a lot of us who are posting less often - as soon as the Bulls show even the faintest sign of life we'll be right back.

The Bulls may not rise again, but Blogabull will.

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

Gordon's line:

9 points in 8 minutes. Is that correct?

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 8:52 PM CDT reply actions

yeah

he was scoring too much so Boylan took him out

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 9:00 PM CDT up reply actions

he was scoring too much so Boylan took him out

haha...
In another time and circumstance, that would be really funny....(sigh) :-(

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:16 PM CDT up reply actions

Al Horford is

one crappy defender

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 9:02 PM CDT reply actions

not usually

I saw him do a great job on Jermaine Oneal, Kevin Garnett, and Andrew Bynum this season. He is a power forward that they play out of position, he also held Dwight Howard to only 10 points the other night.

As an excuse, plus he is very young anyways.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:22 PM CDT up reply actions

that was a great break

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 9:03 PM CDT reply actions

This is all setting up perfectly

for the inevitable, epic 4th quarter meltdown

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 9:05 PM CDT reply actions

don't for a second think

that they won't blow this.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 9:05 PM CDT reply actions

a good run

good run in the 3rd. drew gooden doin his thing. wonder if the 4th will make me cry again though?

by Yibs on Mar 25, 2008 9:06 PM CDT reply actions

gordon

gordon perfect from the floor and sitting on the bench. hughes 3-10 and eating up minutes. boylan's gotta go..

by Yibs on Mar 25, 2008 9:12 PM CDT up reply actions

Note: We are up 12, and Boylan just went small

First play for Atlanta: Childress drives to the hoop for a layup... here goes!!

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 9:16 PM CDT reply actions

Childress... to the rack, again! Up 8...

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 9:20 PM CDT up reply actions

... and 1 for Joe Johnson... then a layup... up 5

this might be my last Bulls game of the year.

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Boylan puts in Noah!!!

... and takes out Gooden. Blood is coming out of my eyes. Bulls up 3...

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Nevermind

Boylan is in control.

by YaoPau on Mar 25, 2008 9:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Collapse?

12 pt lead, heading to 4th. Will Noah play? Will Hughes continue to choke? Who knows.

Will Boylan disappoint? Of course.

by danger mouse on Mar 25, 2008 9:17 PM CDT reply actions

i know this lineup is really helping

assuage ones fears of imminent collapse

by lampnasty on Mar 25, 2008 9:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Noc and Deng in at the same time?

What a joke. Here we go again...

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 9:19 PM CDT reply actions

oh no

the score has gotten closer

we must have went small

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:20 PM CDT reply actions

and now, to add to the ugly game loss memories,

we have the pukable image in our heads of Boylan kissing Noc on the head....

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:20 PM CDT reply actions

Small guards,

Gooden at center, Nocioni at PF, and Boylan blows. All is right with the world.

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Not tonight!

Atlanta sucks too hard.

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:20 PM CDT reply actions

speaking of fro's...

with those DOPEY ears Childress has - one can certainly understand him trying to "lose" them in his big fro.... :-)

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions

don't look now

they're within 5

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT up reply actions

When is the last time Wallace had 29 adn 14???

LoL

Have Wallce AND Joe Smith combined for 29 and 14 at any time?

What about Wallace and PJ from last year?

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:23 PM CDT reply actions

kirk guarding joe johnson

should not occur

by lampnasty on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT reply actions

kirk on Joe Johnson

is not a recipe for success.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT reply actions

Is everyone on the coaching staff

really this dumb? Can they not see something so obvious? We don't play defense because we have our two worst interior defenders (Noc and Gooden) in at the same time. Its not that hard. Put Noah back in!

by danger mouse on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT reply actions

T-A-N-K-I-N-G

that's all there is to it

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 9:29 PM CDT up reply actions

that makes me feel even worse

Im a strong believer in Karma and I laughed/cheered when the Celtics got the 5th pick last year after tanking (same with Grizzlies and Bucks) all getting the worst possible pick they could while stand-up teams like the Blazers, Sonics and Hawks got the top 3 picks jumping up.

So yeah, there goes all my faith in a lotto pick as we tank. (I'll root against them too almost if I wasnt such a diehard homer, I HATE TANKING and am totally against it and all the principles of it.)

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Joe Johnson

is a stud.

He's a hell-of-a young player.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:24 PM CDT reply actions

You're totally right

and he's even more badass when guarded by a 6'3, 190 lbs defender!

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:26 PM CDT up reply actions

As long as he's not jacking up threes

he looks good. When he's spraying and praying from beyond the arc he looks like an average guard.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 26, 2008 8:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Is that

A Nocioni/Deng front court I see?!?

by torch on Mar 25, 2008 9:27 PM CDT reply actions

I give up. I give up. I give up.

Thabo for Gooden. I give up.

by danger mouse on Mar 25, 2008 9:27 PM CDT reply actions

Haha, within three

this team is such a joke in the most asinine ways possible.

"to the children: Fuck the Bulls." - Matt

by NittanyBull on Mar 25, 2008 9:28 PM CDT reply actions

Atlanta is undersized

So Boylan had to go one step further and go "SUPER-SMALL" for the 4th quarter special tonight.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:31 PM CDT reply actions

Not 4th quarter special

The 4th quarter "Boylan sabotage special" is what I meant to say.

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:31 PM CDT up reply actions

heck of a finish

by Noah.

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:34 PM CDT reply actions

clean block!

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:36 PM CDT reply actions

and with 4 minutes left and 5 fouls

why not just let Noah finish?
What....is Boylan gonna save him for garbage time?

Good grief...

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Horford

what does he have feet for hands or something? Wow we got lucky there.

Hey if Hinrich hit that last shot I was about to go off on a rant of how he almost looked like the old Kirk that I knew and loved from 05-the first half of the 06-07 season (especially 06 playoffs).

But then he just missed the shot and I frowned instead while wondering how a good young pointguard with so much promise can fall off so far.....

What the heck took so long for Gooden to get back in the game?!?!? And why does it have to be for Noah!?!?? Why cant we have both of them in the game, is that a 4th quarter rule for the "Boylan sabotage special"?!??!?!?

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:37 PM CDT reply actions

do you only show up

when Deng plays well in the 4th quarter?

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 9:39 PM CDT up reply actions

We don't have to match up with them

we can make them match up with us... Noah, Gooden, Deng, Sefo, Hinrich - not too hard.

by danger mouse on Mar 25, 2008 9:38 PM CDT reply actions

no more noah

end of game

by lampnasty on Mar 25, 2008 9:38 PM CDT reply actions

YES SIR!

ALRIGHT LU AND DREW!!!!!

NICE!!!

But its still only a 5 point game and there is a whole 3 minutes left WITH BOYLAN AT THE HELM.. :(

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:39 PM CDT reply actions

Gooden and Noah

as a frontline...if Tyrus ever got his game going, we'd might actually be hard to deal with. Now we just need a top flight point guard...

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:40 PM CDT reply actions

and now with TWO minutes left

PUT NOAH BACK IN WITH HIS 5 FOULS...
Him and Gooden are the post players to finish with...

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions

Thabo's just gotta go straight up there

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:42 PM CDT reply actions

hey hey

we win one in spite or our moron coach

by lampnasty on Mar 25, 2008 9:46 PM CDT reply actions

scared to say

but i think we might win this one.

At least if we make the playoffs at the 8th seed, Tyrus can get back at Posey for breaking his nose...

by AGBallinisaHabit on Mar 25, 2008 9:46 PM CDT reply actions

WTG BG

Free food...

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:47 PM CDT reply actions

if anyone can

blow an 8 point lead in less than 30 seconds, I believe our dearly beloved Chicago Bulls could.

At least if we make the playoffs at the 8th seed, Tyrus can get back at Posey for breaking his nose...

by AGBallinisaHabit on Mar 25, 2008 9:48 PM CDT reply actions

nah

it's in the books as a W tonight

Spring training....FINALLY!!

by Bluelou on Mar 25, 2008 9:50 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm kind of disappointed

is that bad? that we win and I'm disappointed?

At least if we make the playoffs at the 8th seed, Tyrus can get back at Posey for breaking his nose...

by AGBallinisaHabit on Mar 25, 2008 9:52 PM CDT up reply actions

this win is going to make it

that much harder for Charlotte and Milwaukee to pass the bulls in the wins column.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions

wow

we did it!!!!

by Deng is the next Bull superstar on Mar 25, 2008 9:49 PM CDT reply actions

Nice game

goodnight all.

by Freethefro on Mar 25, 2008 9:53 PM CDT reply actions

If you don't count

the first game of the month, Gooden scored more points tonight than Tyrus has all month.

Tyrus's last six game:

1-5 Atl
1-1 Ind
0-4 Sas
1-5 Nin
0-2 Nor
0-3 Phi

for a whopping 3-20 for his last six games. What is going on with that?

by alec on Mar 25, 2008 9:58 PM CDT reply actions

wow it really does all come back to TT

this game hasn't been over for more than 5 minutes...

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Just trying to take

the BaB temperature after a very good game by Gooden.

by alec on Mar 25, 2008 10:12 PM CDT up reply actions

it always comes back to you saying that

Yeah the lack of minutes has been talked about a bit too much (especially since it's already been determined that it's idiotic yet unchangeable), but Tyrus is the most important player on the roster, so it's always lurking.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2008 11:11 PM CDT up reply actions

and the fact that he's regressing with his

token playing time isn't helping ease the mind.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2008 11:13 PM CDT up reply actions

I think it's clear that Boylan

has given up on Tyrus. In his Haven't-I-Done-a-Great-Job press conference a couple days ago, he cites the development of Thabo, Noah, and Kirk--conspicuous by his lack of mention was Tyrus.

I think Boylan wants to keep Tyrus in his back pocket as a ready-made excuse for when he inevitably gets fired. "See, if Paxson hadn't saddled both Skiles and me with this lunkhead, either one of us could have taken this team to the finals."

I look for Tyrus to get NOTHING from here on out.

by alec on Mar 26, 2008 9:26 AM CDT up reply actions

i noticed that as well

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 26, 2008 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Looks like Thabo at the start of the season.

You know, before he got some guaranteed playing time due to injuries and was able to settle in?

Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 26, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Does TT really blow?

He hasn't been able to put his shot into Lake Michigan for the past 7 games but how much has this hurt the team? He again played solid defense tonight with 2 blocks in his diminished minutes. Here are the team stats during this stretch. Draw your own conclusions:

Player Minutes (+-)
Hughes 215:51 -12
Deng 265:48 -24
Noah 172:27 -8
Gooden 266:57 -7
Gordon 200:14 -31
Nocioni 91:32 -13
Nichols 4:22 +2
Gray 40:21 +7
Thabo 140:40 +16
Kirk 198:22 +11
THOMAS 97:58 +28
Duhon 0 0

During this almost 98 minutes on the court he has comitted ONLY ONE TURNOVER. Just think of what he may be able to accomplish if they ever gave him some consistent pt and actually ran a play for him.

by Tyrusmancrush on Mar 26, 2008 12:51 AM CDT up reply actions

In limited minutes last night

he was still very effective. He was protecting the rim forcing shot adjustments. He immediately called off teammates to exploit a matchup problem where the Hawks had Bibby guarding him.

It's amazing what he can do in just under 15 minutes of action. It's hard to get in a rhythm when you're yanked for no good reason.

Lucky for us Luol had 3 blocks last night. Because when Noah and Thomas are on the bench the opponent just attacks the rim at will.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 26, 2008 8:12 AM CDT up reply actions

Deng is the guy taking TT's minutes now

at the 4 in the second half. If he plays like he did last night, then I guess it's ok. But since this is the first game he's played like that in the last, say 10, I don't feel like that's a good bet for success. TT should be out there, especially with an improved jumper. He's more active than Deng. If anybody could tell me why they insist on going small, I'd really like to know...

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 26, 2008 10:50 AM CDT up reply actions

yes

i think i've been saying this for a few days now. he played the entire 2nd half 3 out of 5 games last week, and 20 straight in a blowout against the spurs. and now again last night. not only is he taking TT's minutes its gonna kill him if 3 out of 5 games every week he has to play the entire 2nd half without rest.

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 26, 2008 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions

have you

it's been going on for a while, more than the last 5 games...

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 26, 2008 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions

well i know

but i know i've specifically pointed it out in a few places recently. and i wasn't about to look through every game so i used last week's as example.

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 26, 2008 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions

It is funny to read these threads after missing

the game - I wanted to check whether the game was worth watching before I invested the time. Anyway, I can't really tell from the comments here, but the boxscore looks pretty good for some of my favorites so I'll give it a chance.

It's really sad how the Bulls this season have sucked all the fun out of even a win.

Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 25, 2008 10:07 PM CDT reply actions

it was a good game

worth the watching.

Tyrus Thomas 2006-2008. R.I.P. We hardly knew ya...

by bullshooter on Mar 25, 2008 10:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Kirk had a good

game and some awesome assists. In his last two games he's had 20 assists and 2 TO's.

by sue369 on Mar 26, 2008 7:24 AM CDT up reply actions

That pretty much guaranteed I was going to watch

the game. ;)

Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 26, 2008 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions

ugh

it's like i don't know what to say. glad drew had a good game, but like...

again, luol has no rest in the 2nd half. only 1 big man out at a time (luol at the 4). 3 guards. no tyrus 2nd half. he hasn't been good on offense, but he did have 2 blocks in 9 minutes. there is absolutely NO REASON he should not have a 2nd half stint while we are tiring out luol. it would be one thing if we needed luol to play that much, but we really don't, seeing as we have a very talented young forward who never gets time in the 2nd half.

and what happens? we ALMOST blow the lead. we somehow salvaged this game, this time, though. the opposite could have happened.

don't even know if i wanted them to win... cause then we have to hear about the playoff hunt more. which i don't particular want since i don't want to extend our season 4 more games to get embarrassed in the 1st round. bah.

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 25, 2008 10:48 PM CDT reply actions

yeah, boylan was really tryin

although notice that he didn't have Hughes in. That's always a factor in the Boylan Sabotage.

I was kindof laughing and waiting for the collapse to be complete...but it didn't happen. Then Boylan postgame: "we really needed that one"

....noooooooo. :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2008 11:09 PM CDT up reply actions

true

but instead he rode hinrich the entire 2nd half in addition to luol (just looking at gameflow). though luol was actually good in the 4th, not scoring much but had a help value of 10. interesting how in the 4th our -7 gets cut to a -2 when noah and thabo re-entered (for gooden and noc)... and then again went up when gooden came back for noah. imagine what would have happened if we had both noah and gooden in there!! omg! oh wait... having them both in there was a +1 in the first quarter, and a +14 in the 3rd! or at least have tyrus and one of them.

anyhow.. this comment is on the verge of becoming an incoherent rant. for awhile i didn't even know why i was watching the game since i expected the inevitable collapse. i hate watching boylan postgame (and with league pass i don't get it which is fine by me), because he is one of the most uncharismatic people i've ever seen on tv.

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 26, 2008 8:45 AM CDT up reply actions

yeah it was interesting

he rode Hughes for just about the entire 3rd quarter, and Ben didn't even see the floor. Then in the 4th quarter he did the exact opposite. Neither was playing that great or that bad. It was almost like Boylan was telling himself..."ok, I played Larry for the entire 3rd, I don't want to make Ben unhappy, so I better get him out there for the entire 4th..." Basically it looked like his sub patterns had absolutely NOTHING to do with strategy.

by NormVanBeer on Mar 26, 2008 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Can you remember what Hughes did in the 3rd?

He played all but a couple of minutes. At about 6 minutes remaining I was saying to the TV "Where is Gordon?", "Put Gordon in the game", "wake up Boylan".

This morning I looked at the gameflow and Hughes was a +20 for the game and +14 for his 3rd quarter stretch. He was 0-3 from the field with 2 assists. His +- is good, but what exactly was Hughes doing that would make Boylan leave him out there? Is Boylan just guessing on what's a good thing and what isn't? It made no sense.

Gordon is your scorer. He is a defensive liability, but that's why you insert him at the same time you insert Thabo. Gameflow again show us that Gordon in the game without Thabo allows the opponent to attack us, but once Thabo enters the attacks are defeated and the trend of the game shifts to our favor.

Luckily Hughes didn't play at all in the 4th.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 26, 2008 9:23 AM CDT up reply actions

HSCS said it (somewhere)

now we have the tall, high-usage, low-efficiency guard that everyone wishes Gordon was :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 26, 2008 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions

very true

I don't think I noticed it until around the 4 minute mark...I was like "uhhh why isn't Ben in the game".

I don't know, I really didn't have a problem with Hughes being in there, like I mentioned, it wasn't that he was playing poorly, but they sure could've used some points at that time to help swell the lead...it was just frustrating because you could tell that Boylan had no clue why Hughes was in there either. If someone would've asked him later I bet he would've said, "I felt the guys we had in there had a good rhythm so I wanted to stick with them and see what they could do.." blah blah blah

by NormVanBeer on Mar 26, 2008 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions

If you're tanking

you really need to play BG more than Boylan did last night. ;)

And why are people complaining about Hughes playing too much last night? (He was a rare +20)

Unless they (like me) are hoping to get a better chance in the draft... ;)

by Bass on Mar 26, 2008 1:45 PM CDT up reply actions

come on

don't be fooled, look at Hughes' stat line...he was only +20 because he was always in there with Gooden and Kirk, who had great games.

by NormVanBeer on Mar 26, 2008 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Don't worry. I'm not easily fooled. :)

If you look at the gameflow the biggest part of his +20 was not having to play with BG for more than 25 seconds the whole game.

But seeing as the point of the game is for your team to outscore the opponent, I'd say he was pretty successful on this night. :)

And why single out Gooden and Hinrich? He was also on the floor with Noah and Deng...

No, it's you that shouldn't be fooled.

by Bass on Mar 29, 2008 5:18 AM CDT up reply actions

this is new how?

unless his typical strategy is "how do i blow the game." :P

"Joakim Noah looks like a young Kimberly Williams." - my mom

by Jaina on Mar 26, 2008 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions

The extended minutes of burn

for Gooden, Hughes, and Deng are not good. The signals are all there. Beyond 8-9 minutes of consecutive burn each player starts to fall off. I don't think the Daley Machine could get Thomas into games past Boylan.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 26, 2008 8:16 AM CDT up reply actions

draft

i dont think the win tonight does much to help or hurt anything. so the playoff "hopes" are increased, but even though i think we could take the pistons or the celtics to 6 games, i dont think that getting a high draft pick is going to help much. last years draft was supposed to be one of the best in years, and obviously it hasnt turned out to be all it was made out to be. this year's draft isnt that deep to begin with, so whether they get the 7th pick or the 9th pick, i dont think it'll make much difference. so, with that being saud, id now rather have them make the playoffs because a game 6 loss at home still feels better than ending up with a late lottery pck that doesnt do anything for the team. the only hope for the future is in the development of the young players and the possibility of a trade for a good player. the draft wont do much, especially in that player's first year.

by hughes sucks on Mar 25, 2008 11:28 PM CDT reply actions

you must have missed

what deron and cp3 have done for their teams. i'm fairly confident that derrick rose or oj mayo would have a significant impact on this roster as early as next year. especially rose. it's too bad they will probably win just enough that they won't have a shot at getting him though.

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 11:38 PM CDT up reply actions

the more i think about it

it's a lot like this past season for the Bears. completely lukewarm. ugh.

by Illini15 on Mar 25, 2008 11:39 PM CDT up reply actions

Take Pistons or Celts 6 games????

Hughes are you serious? What makes you think a team that is 14 games below 500 is going to take a great team to 6 games in the playoffs. The Bulls are a bad team in a bad conference this year. Playoffs only help ownership makes some more $, nothing else. Getting your ass kicked in the playoffs does not help develop players. Playing them in games that have no meaning at least gets you information on who should be here. Last year we got 2 rounds of playoff experience and that has not helped at all. Getting and PLAYING good players is the key to winning in the NBA.

by bullschwaah on Mar 26, 2008 9:52 AM CDT reply actions