The beginning of the end

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 5, 2008 11:39 PM CST in News Comment 52 comments

Alright, with Tyrus suspended the next two games, it really takes a lot of the fun out of watching the games, and complaining over Boylan. And in another depressing note, Thabo will be out for the foreseeable future as well.

And it's not just 'fun', they're two of the more productive players on the team, and as we've seen: more Hughes and Gooden isn't working out.

So figure that they go winless against the Cavs, Celtics, Pistons, and Jazz, putting them at 24-40 before a big 'showdown' with Philly next Friday.

By then, their 'competition' (I won't include the Bobcats, even though they've bested the Bulls Wednesday night by getting a 3-game win streak)....

Sixers: SEA, @MIL, BOS, @DET (guess: 2-2)
Nets: @NO, @DAL, @HOU, CLE (1-3)
Hawks: @CHA, MIA, @ORL, HOU (2-2)
Pacers: @SA, @CLE, SEA (1-2)
Bucks: POR, PHI, @WAS, UTA (1-3)

The standings could be:

7 Philadelphia 30-35
8 New Jersey 27-38
Atlanta 26-37
Indiana 25-39
Chicago 24-40
Milwaukee 24-41

By then it's not the games back, but how many teams the Bulls would have to outplay with only 18 games left. Keep in mind the Bulls suck.

But since the other teams suck as well, I won't even say they're out of it. But by that point, I'd just want the organization to stop talking about being in it.

The good news is that this team can't tank, so we don't have to bore ourselves discussing the merits of such a tactic. They could shut down Deng, I suppose (in a contract year though?), but the true sign would be playing Tyrus, Noah, and Thabo (once he heals) more. So even 'tanking' would be fun, if not helping the lottery chances. They can't be bad enough to be more than 8th-worst anyway.

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Arghhhhhh

My only hope is to see Gordon/Deng go ballistic somehow in hope for a huge payday.

Dickey Simpkins>Ben Wallace

by Ozzie Montana on Mar 5, 2008 11:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Such pessimism!

And after just a 2-game suspension for the guy who played eight minutes last game.

I think the Bulls will be fine. I imagine Kirk, Ben, and Luol are confident the Bulls are better than Atlanta, Philly, and New Jersey, and that counts for more than anything when the games really (really) matter. Man I hope so.

by YaoPau on Mar 5, 2008 11:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

So what happens...

if the team does go into "tank" mode and finally commit to playing Noah and Tyrus more and they perform? Who's at fault for the poor talent evaluation?

What I mean is...kinda like the Bears thought they were hot shit without Alex Brown and could just sub in Mark Anderson who really only excelled because he was A) Unkown and B) Only played on passing downs. Then by the time they finally realized they had made a mistake the season was already wasted away.

I would assume it would be Boylan but the way the season has gone thus far, I'll bet they pin it on trade rumors and give Boylan an interview for the permanent job this off-season anyway.

by CubFan81 on Mar 6, 2008 12:00 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Tank mode

isn't going to happen Boylan is "coaching" for a job. Screw developing the young guys, Having 3 more seasons of Boylan would be much better.

I guess I could always become a Chicago Sky fan. Just kill me know!

John Paxson Has Got to Go!

by Wade.Jones on Mar 6, 2008 12:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jim Boylan

PROFESSIONAL coach. Coaching to WIN!

Drew Gooden beard meter - 6 (Old Amish Carpenter)

by cubbybear on Mar 6, 2008 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Tank Mode

Maybe they can put out a lineup of Duhon, Brown, Noc, Simmons and Gray?

by Option27 on Mar 6, 2008 12:14 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Bulls are so even

That lineup might not suck that much more than the starting lineup.

Drew Gooden beard meter - 6 (Old Amish Carpenter)

by cubbybear on Mar 6, 2008 1:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Why in the hell

would Tyrus do that? He's certainly not helping himself by missing practice. It's his job to show up for practice and games.

I will give Boylan credit on Tues. night when it obviously wasn't working with Hughes in there so he didn't play him in the 4th quarter. Gooden did not hurt us in that game.

by sue369 on Mar 6, 2008 6:43 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Beginning of the end

We've misused Tyrus the entire time he's been with the bulls. We haven't made much of an effort to coach up (to borrow a phrase) our bigs. And we don't give Thomas enough consistent playing time and support to see what he can really do (on that last point: I would like a bit more professionalism from him and see him work with his minutes, but the point still holds).
Is there any reason to believe the Bulls won't be actively looking to shop him with someone this summer. He's the only valuable prospect we have left and, for whatever reason, the Bulls never wanted to make it work.

by Old Skool Sloan on Mar 6, 2008 8:01 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

"keep in mind the bulls suck"

a good starting and final point for any bulls discussion. Frankly it summarizes the beginning middle and end of just about any post i was going to write for the rest of the season. well said.

by Zac23 on Mar 6, 2008 9:12 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

NJ lost to memphis last night

they could easily go 0-4 and keep the bulls in it.

Baby Bulls II?

by bullshooter on Mar 6, 2008 9:15 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

they sure did

but I think they're actually a better team after the trade deadline. Harris, Diop, Hassell and Swift for Kidd, Collins, Wright?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 6, 2008 9:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I watched the game last night and NJ looked dead

VC was disinterested until the last 5 minutes. Devin Harris did not look good nor did he seem to fit in. Jefferson seemed lost without Kidd. I was not impressed. If (If, If, If, If) we can pull a few surprise wins we could overtake NJ.

by chgobr on Mar 6, 2008 9:58 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I still believe the Bulls will pass

ATL and NJ this year. And (unless they happen to go on a tear to end the season) I'd rather they didn't.

by marionette on Mar 6, 2008 5:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It's also okay if the squeak past

ATL, if that means PHX gets their pick...God, I'm such a foolish fan. Note to self: They're (Suns) a lost cause!

by marionette on Mar 6, 2008 10:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Why Tyrus

why? These kind of things cant happen because it only fuels the fire our of stupid coaching staff. Now his 8 min will go to 4 min. He screwed himself. Any articles out yet explaining the circumstances of why he missed practice?

by Bulls4Ever on Mar 6, 2008 9:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

worst season since Floyd

This is undoubtedly the worst season since Floyd. A number of key players have regressed (Deng, Gordon, Hinrich). The team punishes and suspends any player with passion (Noah). And fails to develop key young players who will look great in someone else's uniform (Thomas, Sefolosha).

The wheels have completely fell off Paxson's team. There are 3 legitimate big men on this team - there is never a reason for Boylan to play Thomas 9 minutes - we don't have the bodies to play without him! Over 20 minutes one night, under 10 the next - and its not about his play. Thomas can play great one night and get no minutes the next. Clearly what the Bulls are doing isn't working with their young bigs, but they keep running head first into the wall.

I have a prediction - the Bulls will trade Tyrus over the summer. And he will be better than Chandler. And Bulls fans will be sick. I never thought I'd say it, but Bill Simmons is right about Paxson.

by danger mouse on Mar 6, 2008 9:25 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

This has been a depressing season

This TT 2 game suspension is the icing on the cake. They have lost every big game I really wanted them to win. The two Knick losses still make me sick. They have the knack to disappointment me all season long. Tonight they will be up by 10 with 30 seconds remaining and LeBron will score 11 pooints in 30 seconds to beat us.

by chgobr on Mar 6, 2008 9:53 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

bill simmons=never right

simmons is funny, i will give him that, but when it comes to predicting things accurately, he is hardly right
examples off the top of my head:

said the bulls would make it to the finals this year
the shaq trade was brilliant
had the audacity to compare the 07 pats to the 86 celtics in terms of historical relevance, BEFORE the super bowl. whoops

i used to read simmons a lot more, then i discovered he loves himself way, way too much, and he is wrong a lot. dont put a lot of weight into what bill simmons says about anything.

by Conor on Mar 6, 2008 1:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i generally have the same view

but I think he is right about Paxson screwing up the Bulls. With all that has happened this season I've just lost a lot of faith in Paxson.

by danger mouse on Mar 6, 2008 2:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i dont think pax is the reason

the bulls had this shitty year. He got a whole lot of mud in his face for the way wallace turned out, but thats part of being the gm. everyone was stoked to be getting wallace and rid of chandler, its too bad it didnt work out. paxson is learning a lot this year, and i think he will apply it to next year and so on. if you were to take a vote of every serious bulls fan, i bet you would get a ton of different reasons for why the bulls suck this year. And they would all probably be somewhat correct. its a shitstorm.
like i said earlier, the bulls are still in good shape for the future, and thats because of paxson too. it will be an interesting summer

by Conor on Mar 6, 2008 3:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What's going to happen this summer?...

Obvi bye-bye Boylan...but bye-bye Gordon? Bye-bye Tyrus? Hello O.J. Mayo?

by DALIBOR TARLAC on Mar 6, 2008 10:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Mayo (supposedly) has talent

he doesn't fit the culture.

This is a lame categorization, but I'd say the Bulls with the most talent are Thomas and Gordon. Both could be gone this offseason. blech.

(yes, I know, working hard is a talent, and even punctuality is one too. I'd guess the next best options are Deng and Noah, but their talent is more concentrated in great fundamentals and BBIQ. Oh god I've hit the cliche limit, I'll stop)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 6, 2008 10:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It's sad, isn't it?

Most of Gordon's problems could be solved by driving to the rim more, though. I wish his FTA would have went up by one per game instead of down. Although his inside and close percentages are at the same 15% as last year, just the drawF % is down by over 1.5%. Any guess as to why? Also, why did he get so bad at defense this year? Do you, or anyone, think it's result of having lesser defenders behind him?

I'm done with this season (I think). I'll be interested again when the off-season starts or when guys under 26 are getting more than 25 minutes for three straight games.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 6, 2008 10:57 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Gordon has

never been a very good defender.

by sue369 on Mar 6, 2008 11:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't imply I said something I didn't.

It's annoying.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 6, 2008 12:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't tell me

what to do it's annoying.

by sue369 on Mar 6, 2008 2:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Good lord, you're weird.

Seriously. Okay, I'll ask it super-duper nicely. Will you please not imply I said something that I didn't? Thanks in advance. :p ;) :0 :)

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 6, 2008 3:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Um, I was

joking. But you did ask, "Why did he get so bad at defense this year?" I answered that he has never been a good defender. I didn't imply anything that you said anything I just answered your question.

by sue369 on Mar 6, 2008 4:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Okay. Sorry for the over-reaction.

I said "so bad at defense" (or whatever it was meaning) w/ the understanding that he's never been very good. He's especially bad this year, though.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 6, 2008 8:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That's ok.

Yeah he has looked bad this year but so has the whole team. But tonight they played some great defense. :-)

by sue369 on Mar 6, 2008 9:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

KC article...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080406chicago-bulls-tyrus-thomas,1,1629543.story

Maybe I do like Boylan..."I guess that's his right to speak or not speak," Boylan said. "We suspended him. It was a one-game suspension, but Griff [ Adrian Griffin] and Ben Wallace called and said we should make it two. So we decided that was the best thing."

He totally zinged himself!

by CrashDavis on Mar 6, 2008 12:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Nets and Hawks lose

and Paxson is looking for ways to help them in the standings?

Thanks John. Fighting Irish my ass.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 6, 2008 12:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

This pretty much ends Ty's run in Chicago. We're left watching the nice guys who can't elevate their game or play aggressively. I think I may be done for the season as well. What an absolutely disappointing year and I put the blame directly on John "Lame Duck" Paxson.

by messwiththebull on Mar 6, 2008 12:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

At least when the Bulls sucked w/ Floyd

It was kind of funny. They should bring back the streamers every time they win.

Dickey Simpkins>Ben Wallace

by Ozzie Montana on Mar 6, 2008 12:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Not so fast!

The ESPN Accuscore predicts a Bulls victory tonight! Hooray. http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=280306004

Noah is a hussle machine, and Matt Duhon is our best guard.

by preverbal on Mar 6, 2008 12:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Interesting considering the following:

LeBron is playing his best basketball of the season and we have no one that can come close to matching up defensively
The Bulls are coming dangerously close to the '2 wins in a row' plateau
This whole TT drama/fiasco
Boylan is still the head coach

All this leads to a Bulls 10 point loss.

by RogersPark Kris on Mar 6, 2008 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What's the latest on Thabo???

Anyone?

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Mar 6, 2008 1:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

according to all the papers this morning

he's still having issues, and they're going to have someone else take a look at him.

by KT on Mar 6, 2008 1:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Is it still the abdominal strain?

I kind of wonder if it might be his appendix.

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 6, 2008 3:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

groin

was what i heard. but they eliminated hernia..

by Jaina on Mar 6, 2008 3:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

the greek tragedy that is the bulls season

I just hope they are all getting this crap out of the way this year.
Tyrus needs to start acting like a man because his immaturity could really hurt his career. It already is.
Kirk needs to pull another 180 for next year, but in a positive way
Gordon needs to find his jumper, and stop fucking around when teams send the double
Deng needs to find his toughness, hopefully there is some to find
thabo needs to continue to improve his handle and jumper
noah needs to find consistency
and paxson needs to find a great coach, who wont be fired or quit within 4 years
gooden and hughes need to go bye bye
but the thing to remember is that, even though this is the most frustrating season the bulls have probably ever had, the bulls are still so young, and their future is still really bright. Thats why paxson's decision with the coach is so important. He needs to find a guy who can reach these young players and get them to play to their max ability, every night.

by Conor on Mar 6, 2008 1:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs