DA BULLS vs. THE THREE AM-EGOS part 1

Well, the Bulls got their chance to face off against the NBA's most hated team (at least hated by the fans) at the United Center on Saturday this past weekend in what was reportedly the biggest ticket in Chicago this weekend even with the Bears hosting a playoff game for the first time in 4 years. I guess everyone was saving up for this weekend's showdown with the Packers for the NFC Championship.

So in front of a celebrity filled crowd with sightings of Jesse Jackson, Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, White Sox GM Kenny Williams, Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez and former Bull Will Perdue (I'm sure there were others as well), the Bulls faced off against The Three Am-EGOS less LeBron James who remained out with a sprained ankle. Of course, the Bulls weren't exactly healthy either as they remain a man short with Joakim recovering from hand surgery.

How do you like the poster? I designed it and had some help from a friend with better software to finish it up. You might have seen it during the game as I sat somewhat behind the east basket.

The game was a back and forth battle between two pretty good teams. The Heat remained in it with unbelievable shooting from the 3-point line making 13 of them while Derrick carried the Bulls. While Wade was joined by Bosh, House and Chalmers in double-digit scoring, Derrick just had Boozer and Deng with 12 points each. It still ended up mostly as Rose vs. Wade down the stretch, but I'll get to that...

Bosh started out poorly but picked it up as the ever disappointing Carlos Boozer failed to keep him from doing anything he wanted in the 2nd quarter. His day finished in the 3rd quarter as Omer Asik rolled up on Bosh's ankle as both were going after a loose ball on the floor. First off, that may have been the first time I've ever seen Bosh on the floor going for a loose ball rather than just flopping trying to draw a foul. Second, his comments after the game were unbelievable as he basically blamed the Bulls rookie for diving for the loose ball with a "star" in the neighborhood. "C'mon, that is how guys get hurt, that is how serious injuries happen. You've got to watch people's legs. I know guys want to hustle and everything but we all want to play and provide for our families and have a job. We all want to be healthy and that is very important," Bosh said. "If it is by somebody's leg, don't dive for the ball, it's too close." Did he forget his $100 million contract is fully guaranteed and I'm pretty sure that money will provide pretty well for his family. And what is this if "it's too close" "don't dive for the ball" BS? Just because you're 6'11" but play like a pansy, don't bring that type of play on everyone else.

While it is very difficult to argue with the ultimate results especially under the circumstances the Bulls have been given with Boozer, then Noah, and now Boozer again being out of the lineup, I'm still not 100% happy with Coach Thibs. He seems to simply have a set rotation and doesn't like to adjust it regardless of the circumstances or game situation...like why not double Carmelo at the very end of that Denver game when everyone on the planet knows he's going to be the guy to take the shot? But Sat night against the Heat, I was literally SCREAMING my head off calling for Brewer on Wade, but Thibs decided to stick with Luol to keep him off the line supposedly and then finally after CJ Watson gave up the go-ahead 3 which actually could have been a 4-point play as Wade leaned into CJ while seeming to primarily draw the foul. That was the second 3 the Heat had actually hit while trying to draw a foul.

I'll give them credit...every time the Bulls seemed to be getting going and heading to blow out the Heat less LeBron, the Heat answered back...mostly it was Wade and Bosh had his moments until the ankle injury late in the third, but there was also the outside shooting that kept them in it. The Heat finished the first half on a 17-4 run to turn an 8-point deficit into a 5-point halftime lead. Well, the Bulls came back to start the 3rd quarter with a run of their own...this one was 17-0! I don't know how many TOs Spoelstra called in that span but he couldn't find an answer through the first several minutes of that second half. They eventually figured it out and came right back again.

Back and forth they went...like two heavyweights hammering on each other. But then it came down to the last couple of minutes...Rose, Wade, Rose, Wade, Rose...it was a crazy playoff like atmosphere with cheers for the Bulls and boos for the Heat (mostly Wade). Some of the loudest cheers were directed at Wade when he was called for a foul and then when he got knocked down and laid on the floor for a couple minutes. I did think it was awfully nice of the refs to give him all the time he needed to make himself right before continuing the game without making the Heat use a timeout. Boy, that was some serious star treatment and this for a guy that did nothing but whine and moan about every single call throughout the entire game. I couldn't believe Ken Mauer (he's the ref that T'd up the Timberwolves 5 times in 10 seconds earlier in the week) put up with Wade's behavior without ever issuing him a T.

At the end, the Bulls were able to make one more play than the Heat and the Bulls were able to escape with the W. Korver hit the big 3 following Rose's missed floater and Boozer's brutal miss from point blank range which Wade then tapped out in an attempt to start a fast break...unfortunately for Wade (what was LeBron saying about karma?), he tipped it where Korver was able to outrace 2 Heat players and set himself up for a wide open 3 which turned out to be the game winner. The Heat called timeout and Thibs FINALLY made the substitution I had been begging for throughout the 4th quarter when he put Ronnie Brewer (wasn't he brought here specifically for his defense?) on Wade. So what did Brewer do in his 25 seconds of PT down the stretch? Well, he got the big rebound after the mad scramble in the Heat's second to last possession; got fouled but was only able to split the FTs giving the Bulls a 3-point lead so even the one FT was HUGE as it limited the Heat options with only 4.4 seconds left; and then he was ALL OVER Wade forcing a horrible shot that landed woefully short giving the Bulls the W. While his missed FT did cost us our Big Macs, had he been in the game for the final 2+ minutes instead, the Heat would have been fouling like crazy and the Bulls would have ended up well above 100.

So the question remains...is the Bulls' rookie head coach learning anything or is just looking at his own record and thinking he's got the right mix right now? I'm afraid it is the latter as he hasn't made any changes or adjustments other than based on injuries. The Bulls are like 9-0 when Bogans scores 6 points or more...how pathetic is that? The Bulls starting shooting guard has only scored 6 lousy points 9 times in 41 games! He has started every game this season and hasn't hit double-digits in the last 33 games. What the heck IS that? Doesn't he want to try a couple different things to see if what he has is the best they can do? Why not spread the floor with Korver starting with Rose? I'm fine with Brewer off the bench in most cases although I would have adjusted the starting lineup specifically for Miami (Thibs does know he can do that, right?). I would have started Taj over Thomas and stuck him on Bosh and would have started Brewer over Bogans and stuck him on Wade. Deng usually does a pretty good job on LeBron so even with The Three Am-EGOS all playing, I still think the Bulls match up pretty well. While neither Taj nor Brewer are considered scorers, they can both put the ball in the basket. Now on the other side of the ball, who from Miami is going to guard Derrick? Obviously nobody based on Sat night's game! I would certainly hope that Boozer plays MUCH, MUCH better than he did on Sat night as he looked as tentative as I've seen him even counting his first few games back from injury.

Look, if Boozer wants to stay in the lineup (no given in my opinion), he needs to provide a better effort on the defensive end. This waving at guys driving the lane without getting in their way to draw a charge or at least impact the shot just doesn't work for me! So for Miami part 2 assuming the Bulls are 100% healthy and so are the Heat, I would go with Joakim, Taj, Deng, Brewer, and Derrick with Boozer coming off the bench with Korver along with Asik (can this guy EVER get a call?). Beat the Heat with your advantage...they have no bench, no answer for Derrick and no answer to Joakim...DONE!

GO BULLS!

Hold on one minute D-Wade...

I am working late tonight with a long night ahead of me, but I have the TV on in the background and saw an interview with The Three Am-EGOS (I guess it hasn't caught on quite yet, as I didn't see that as a caption...). At one point they were talking about the backlash and whether these three knuckleheads were surprised. Well, I wasn't surprised that only Wade and Bosh responded. Bosh basically said he didn't care...he's been on a losing team (most would suggest he was part of the problem) and he's just happy not to be in that situation any more ("I've struggled; I know"). Wade though decided to challenge the thought that Michael Jordan, Magic, and Bird "did it by themselves" in comparing how these guys must feel like they need each other to win. He disputed that those REAL legends "did it by themselves"...of course, they didn't do it by themselves! Nobody said they did Dwyane! The argument against you guys colluding to join the same team BEFORE the season was even over (and give me a break that this wasn't the case - Bosh quit on his team the last week of the season so the Raptors didn't even make the playoffs and LeBron gave up on his team in front of his then home crowd in Game 5) was that each of the legends named stuck with their teams (MJ in particular) rather than bolting for another team when things got tough. They each took on the challenge (LeBron, do you even know what this word means?) to get their OWN teams over the hump rather than bail and go join someone else's team. Well, I hate to break it to you guys...that's PRECISELY what you guys have done and diminished each of your legacies and marketability. I'm sure LeBron is starting to figure that out when he talks to Nike when his shoes stop selling. I'm sure they're trying to figure out how to spin this disaster as they are masters at doing just that...that must be why they have been so quiet since The Decision.

Best defensive team of all-time?!? That is what Wade is looking forward to? Really? I like Dwyane Wade and while he has quick hands and gets his share of steals and LeBron gets his share of blocks from behind, these guys are hardly defensive stalwarts. And Bosh?!? Really? Who is he going to guard because I've yet to see him play D in 7 years? He's averaged exactly 1.0 blocks from the front court and 0.6 steals per game the last 3 years running! I'm sorry, but that's not defense! Maybe you should have watched some tape of your new teammate because I think you're going to be a little disappointed. LeBron, while he certainly gets his share of highlights shone on ESPN, also averages 1.0 blocks but does get an extra steal per game (1.6). The block "king" from The Three Am-EGOS is actually Wade averaging a whole 1.1; he also leads the group in steals with 1.8. Let's totalize those numbers - 3.1 bpg and 4 spg. Dwight Howard averaged 3.5 bpg by himself while Manu Ginobli nearly matched The Three Am-EGOS on his own with 2.6 spg. I'm sorry, but defense is NOT at all what first (second, third, fourth, fifth...eightieth) comes to my mind with these three guys.

Bosh has started his last All-Star Game and will be a barely above average player starting today as long as Wade and LeBron are healthy. First, being the third option is certainly going to crush his offensive numbers; second, who is going to vote for him besides people in Miami? The health of these guys is certainly no guarantee - remember LeBron's elbow? What about the numerous Wade injuries and all the miles on his 6'4" frame while getting beat to a pulp bouncing off all those big guys for the last 7 years. And now that Bosh will seemingly be forced to play C most of the time, he'll be banging with the big boys too which he REALLY doesn't like to do so his rebound numbers could take a hit too.

Let's face it...the number one piece of the plan was exactly how LeBron announced his decision...to take your talents to South Beach...oh ya, and we might play some basketball in Miami too! Have fun boys...LeBron likes to win 60 regular season games, but he seems to prefer to take the summer off...that'll work out perfectly as Miami gets a little too hot in June anyway.

The Three Am-EGOS

Can you picture it??? A sandy beach background, Dwyane Wade sitting on a big horse with his first lap dog Chris Bosh sitting on a small burro on one side and his latest sidekick on another small burro on the other side; all three wearing sombreros with flip flops on their feet to further symbolize how none of them will be able to sell another pair of basketball shoes outside of South Beach (that's what HE called it, so I'm done saying Miami - ok, now I'm done). They're all smiling for different reasons...Wade because he just added two more guys to his peeps, Bosh because he's just along for the ride and is just happy to be back in the US, and LeBron...well, because he's too stupid to know any better. The final touch has their new nickname...The Three Am-EGOS across the bottom! Would MGM have a problem with that name?

I'm looking forward to the first same-team fist fight between Bosh and LeBron when Bosh only gets up 5 shots in a game while LeBron and Wade are chucking it up there 25 times each trying to outdo each other. Does Bosh really think he's going to average 24 ppg with those two guys distributing the ball? Won't it be fun when Carlos Boozer beats out Bosh to even make the All-Star team this year? All the fair weather South Beach fans can't get internet service on the beach and won't bother to vote while TRUE basketball fans in Chicago and NY stuff the ballot box to send Boozer and Amare to the big game; of course LeBron will still get there too.

How did Chris Bosh get lumped in with these other two as a superstar anyway? Boy, he must have a much better marketing department than LeBron, huh? Ya, he can score, but he has made only two trips to the playoffs in his 7-year career and his team only won 3 of 11 playoff games losing both 1st round series. Ya, he puts up some sexy numbers - 20.2/9.4 for his career, but is he that much better than Carlos Boozer - 17.2/10.2? Boozer has been to the playoffs the last 4 straight years playing in 44 playoff games and actually winning 4 series in a much more competitive Western Conference.

I read that Riley signed his second player for the 2010-11 season (last I heard, The Three Am-EGOS have yet to finalize their deals...hey, there's still hope Cleveland!)...the oft-injured although talented Mike Miller. Miller only played in 54 games last year for the Wizards, but then again, the Wizards barely played that many as a team anyway. Is Shaq going to fill (and I do mean FILL) the role at center for this team because Bosh isn't going to do it? “The thing I said when I came into free agency is I'm going to be a forward,” Bosh said. “I'm going to play my natural position.” Would Shaq stoop that low in trying to even things up with Kobe (Kobe now has 5 rings while Shaq has 4)? I'm not sure where we'd squeeze him in for my t-shirt idea so I say he can't go there.

Did anyone EVER think Kobe would be considered the hero? Certainly not me! Yet, there he is...the only superstar who not only didn't sell out to avoid the challenge; he pushed out another superstar insuring he'd be THE MAN. What has he done since? Just win back-to-back NBA championships and make 3 consecutive trips to the Finals; that's all. Now THAT is an alpha male!