There has been a LOT of talk around the NBA "circles" (are these crop circles because I haven't seen any circles labeled NBA) about our own Derrick Rose for MVP. Derrick tried to nominate himself for the title in the pre-season by asking the question "why not me?" when asked about the MVP. Most people laughed it off, but take a look folks...he's doing it...he's right there in the mix. And we've been hearing the chants when he steps to the free throw line at the United Center...I thought it was a little premature back in November, but apparently not. Heck, he's hearing those chants on the road too! The Bulls are #1 in home attendance (#2 in home percentage) and #4 in road attendance...so lots of people are seeing this team and more specifically, this kid of ours play some ball.
For me the MVP must be the answer to the following question...can Player X' team win without him? Obviously any player on this list is affecting his team's win total so I'm not asking...can his team win at the same rate, but rather can they win at a decent rate...say .500 or so?
The top 3 guys this year in my opinion are LeBron, Dirk, and Derrick Rose...so let's talk about each of them one at a time...
So can the Heat win without LeBron? I would argue that YES, the Heat can win without LeBron as they have another superstar (and NO, I am not talking about "fake tough guy" Chris Bosh!) on their team that can and has already carried them at times even with LeBron in the lineup. LeBron has only missed two games this season as he continues to prove that he's a pretty durable player...he's never played in all 82 regular season games, but he's never played fewer than 75 either. The Heat are 0-2 in those two games which occurred back-to-back against the Nuggets (as a side note, Wade has never beaten Carmelo in Denver) and Bulls. While that's obviously not .500, it's hardly a large enough sample size to call that record a determining factor...the Heat also lost the game before with the Clippers while LeBron played nearly 40 minutes and the game following against the Hawks while LeBron played 44 minutes in an OT loss.
So can the Mavs win without Dirk? Well, Dirk has missed 9 games this season and his Mavs went 2-7 over that time frame so the instinctual answer is NO. They also lost Caron Butler in the middle of Dirk's absence although they had already lost the first two with Butler. The Bulls swept the season series with the Mavs this year and Dirk played in both games; Derrick played in both games; Butler played in the first game in Dallas, but missed the second at the UC; no Boozer for the first, and no Boozer and no Joakim for the second as Derrick was the only Bull in double figures in that second game...result - Bulls 2; Dallas 0.
Can the Bulls win without Derrick Rose? Ummm...I really don't think so especially in this first part of the season with Boozer out, Joakim out or even both guys out. Can they scrape together a win or two out of 10, maybe. The Bulls lost the only game Derrick has missed this season (knock on wood!) although it was in heartbreaking fashion when Melo hit that fade-away J over Luol at the buzzer. But let me explain by bringing up a situation from last season...the Bulls lost Joakim Noah for a 10 games in the second half...they went on to lose ALL 10 which seemed to end their playoff hopes in March (luckily Chris Bosh had already given up in Toronto so the Bulls were able to slip into the playoffs with a bit of a late season surge going 10-4 to finish up 41-41). That was last year...this year, Joakim has already missed the last 28 games, but this is Derrick's year...he's not only kept the Bulls going, but they are 21-7 in those 28 games. Of course, the Bulls have played the entire season with either their #2 or #3 players hurt or out or even BOTH out at the same time (Derrick's Bulls are 2-1 with both out) and yet, they still have the 5th best record in the NBA! I'm sorry, but THOSE are MVP numbers. Need more...here's a quote from ESPN's Maurice Brooks who does the "Awards Watch" page for them (http://espn.go.com/nba/notebook/_/page/Awards-110215/nba-awards-watch) - "On 13 occasions, the Bulls have trailed in the fourth quarter only to have Rose rescue them. That is another stat on what is turning into a long list of reasons to give him the award." Really...what else is there!
So how will Derrick perform as the starting (and healthy) point guard for the Eastern Conference All-Stars? I don't know...this type of show-off game isn't really his thing as he's not the ego-maniac LeBron, Kobe, Amar'e, and Wade are...I think he's probably going to want to show he belongs so its not like he's going to be cowering in the corner...he still loves to play in front of the big stage...he sure proved that Thu night on TNT in front of a national TV audience, so I expect him to have a pretty good game.
I don't know why I didn't think about this before with Michael and Scottie as regulars in the All-Star games, but how will these guys even get along? The East consists of 3 Heat, 4 Celtics, 2 Hawks, 1 Knick, 1 Magic, and Derrick...that's all 12 guys representing the top 6 teams in the East right now. I know Derrick is a very competitive guy, but most of the rest of the guys really seem to enjoy this type of game. Interestingly, he'll be paired in the starting lineup with LeBron and Wade, both of whom spurned the Bulls this summer; otherwise we could have potentially watched the three of them play together every night. In addition to playing with two of the Three Am-EGOS to start, the third Am-EGO is also there as a reserve and then there's the issues with the cheap shots by new teammate Dwight Howard which helped somewhat ruin Derrick's last trip to the All-Star Game. Then there's the 4 Celtics including Rajon Rondo who Derrick beat out in the voting to become the starter. Remember that epic playoff series between the Bulls and Celtics in the first round during Derrick's rookie season? NOBODY that I've ever heard has ever said anything really negative about Derrick so I'm sure he'll do well with everyone.
Other than the 4 Celtics who each won a ring 3 years ago, the rest of the East has just one ring combined. The West have a LOT more rings on their side as the West has pretty well dominated the ring collection since the Bulls second three-peat winning 9 of the last 12 NBA Titles. So what kind of game can we expect to see from Derrick tomorrow? I'd be thrilled to see him throw down a couple of nice 2-handed dunks and dish out about 12 assists...most importantly, I want him to really enjoy the moment and learn from it just like he did with the Team USA experience over the summer.
Let's keep those M-V-P! chants going nice and loud at the UC! Heck, I've even been hearing it on the road when he goes to the free throw line; let's keep em going there too!
By the way, I started writing this earlier in the week before the San Antonio game...if you weren't convinced of his MVP status before that game, hopefully his career high 42 points pushed you in the right direction. He shot 18-for-28 against the league's best team and added 8 assists and 5 boards. It started out as a battle between Rose and San Antonio's Tony Parker...kind of a battle between two of the leagues best PGs. This was the 3rd such match-up in the Bulls last 4 games after matching up with and totally outplaying Deron Williams in Utah (longest tenured coach in US pro sports was gone following that game) and Chris Paul in New Orleans back-to-back the week before.
Charles Barkley (a lot smarter than he makes himself out to be) thinks Derrick's Bulls are the best team in the East now that Joakim Noah is coming back following the All-Star Game tomorrow. I tend to agree, but I'm trying not to get ahead of myself...but I am REALLY excited at the same time.
GO BULLS!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Da End of Da 2010-11 Bears
Well, the Bears certainly over performed WAY beyond anything I would have ever thought for this team especially after a mostly horrid pre-season. The Bears made a big splash (probably THE biggest splash) in free agency this past off-season signing their own version of the Big Three with Peppers (should be up for Defensive Player of the Year), Chester Taylor (under used and primarily addition by subtraction from the Vikings), and Brendan Manumaleuna (saw him about 10 times all season). Peppers was a HUGE pickup, but when you spend what Angelo spent on a new QB, WHY don't you do something, anything really to improve a very suspect O-line or an inexperienced WR group with no clear "go-to guy"?
While Mike Tice (one of 4 head coaches on the Bears coaching staff) worked miracles with the scraps including former first round pick (14th overall) Chris Williams putting together a workable O-line, Angelo's total ineptitude with the draft certainly stretched his coaching skills.
I don't know who the Bears WR coach is, but after watching Johnny Knox AGAIN not go after a ball in tight coverage and allowing yet another interception, he needs to be fired. I know Hester and Knox are not the sharpest tools in the shed, but after two years, you'd think a starting NFL WR would know you cannot just let the defender have the ball on a pass in tight coverage. Would the NFC Championship Game have gone differently if Hester had actually finished his route on that first series instead of beating his guy and then inexplicably slowing down allowing Cutler's pass sail well over his head on what would have been a sure TD.
Speaking of Cutler, what a HORRIBLE job of reporting by Fox on Cutler's condition coming out of halftime. Granted, I'm sure Lovie had a lot to do with that which is understandable, but late in the 3rd quarter shouldn't it have come out that he had a serious knee injury and the Bears doctors had ruled him out of the game? Personally, I'm stunned with the reaction particularly by all the NFL players sitting home on their couches watching this game just like the rest of us. I know Twitter is fairly new to the NFL and particularly the players but just because you have an account doesn't turn you into a journalist requiring you to report on anything football related. Isn't there some type of brotherhood out there amongst players? Too bad the Bears don't get to face the Jaguars this year as that bunch of LOSERS seemed to be the most vocal regarding Cutler's injury although the only guy I had honestly ever heard of was Maurice Jones-Drew. WHAT are these guys even talking about? At the point of their Tweets, they have ZERO clue what's going on so why say a word? Like I said, too bad the Jags aren't on the Bears schedule for 2011...I'm sure Urlacher who REALLY came out swinging about these "critics" would have LOVED to have a shot at him.
So what have we learned and what's the plan for 2011? Here's my list of rhetorical asked and answered questions:
Well, there was a meeting of the minds during that perfectly timed bye week and the Bears turned things around quickly and made it all the way to the Championship Game playing for their namesake's trophy (George S. Halas Trophy). Even though the worst nightmare happened as the Bears were forced to watch their northern rival Packers take "their" trophy on the Bears home field, my hope actually is that they keep the big name guys completely intact BUT do NOT extend Lovie until he can do this again. My fear is that Lovie has earned himself (at least in the eyes of the inept owner and more inept GM) an extension even though he still has another year on his contract.
Most people said "Cutler better be hurt" considering he sat out of the second half of the biggest game of his entire life and it turns out that yes, he indeed was hurt with a strained MCL. He will be back next year and there is no QB controversy going into next season.
For me, it's all about talent evaluation on BOTH sides...pre-draft and then on the team itself. I mentioned Johnny Knox both positively and negatively above. Did you know Johnny Knox was on the practice squad last year before Devin Aromashodu got hurt in the preseason? Well Knox finished with 5 receiving TDs which was good for 2nd on a pathetic 7-9 Bears last year. This year he was 400 yards ahead of the next closest Bears receiver in yards (yes, even ahead of supposed #1 WR Devin Hester) and this time led the team in receiving TDs. If Aromashodu hadn't gotten hurt, he could have ended up on some other team's roster.
So I started writing this shortly after the NFC Championship Game and now I'm finishing it up after the Super Bowl. How do you think the Bears "brass" are feeling about their decision to let the Packers win that game in Week 17? The Bears starters played the whole game so the only thing the team didn't do was apparently game plan for the Packers. HUH? That means it wasn't about the safety of the players or keeping them healthy for the playoffs rather just giving the coaches a week off from doing their jobs...makes sense and worked out great guys...THANKS! So let's extend Lovie and watch as even the Lions pass up the Bears next season. The NFL has never looked so winnable in my eyes and the Bears BLEW their opportunity to REALLY make something of it...instead they watched their division rivals work through 14 guys including 6 opening day starters go on IR and STILL win the Super Bowl. Do they think it will easier next year? The Vikings will be done with the circus that is Brett Favre, the Packers will almost certainly be healthier, the Bears will almost certainly be less healthy, and the Lions are another year removed from Matt Millen's "reign" as GM. I see three more years similar to the three years we had between Championship Game appearances.
GO BULLS and GO HAWKS!
While Mike Tice (one of 4 head coaches on the Bears coaching staff) worked miracles with the scraps including former first round pick (14th overall) Chris Williams putting together a workable O-line, Angelo's total ineptitude with the draft certainly stretched his coaching skills.
I don't know who the Bears WR coach is, but after watching Johnny Knox AGAIN not go after a ball in tight coverage and allowing yet another interception, he needs to be fired. I know Hester and Knox are not the sharpest tools in the shed, but after two years, you'd think a starting NFL WR would know you cannot just let the defender have the ball on a pass in tight coverage. Would the NFC Championship Game have gone differently if Hester had actually finished his route on that first series instead of beating his guy and then inexplicably slowing down allowing Cutler's pass sail well over his head on what would have been a sure TD.
Speaking of Cutler, what a HORRIBLE job of reporting by Fox on Cutler's condition coming out of halftime. Granted, I'm sure Lovie had a lot to do with that which is understandable, but late in the 3rd quarter shouldn't it have come out that he had a serious knee injury and the Bears doctors had ruled him out of the game? Personally, I'm stunned with the reaction particularly by all the NFL players sitting home on their couches watching this game just like the rest of us. I know Twitter is fairly new to the NFL and particularly the players but just because you have an account doesn't turn you into a journalist requiring you to report on anything football related. Isn't there some type of brotherhood out there amongst players? Too bad the Bears don't get to face the Jaguars this year as that bunch of LOSERS seemed to be the most vocal regarding Cutler's injury although the only guy I had honestly ever heard of was Maurice Jones-Drew. WHAT are these guys even talking about? At the point of their Tweets, they have ZERO clue what's going on so why say a word? Like I said, too bad the Jags aren't on the Bears schedule for 2011...I'm sure Urlacher who REALLY came out swinging about these "critics" would have LOVED to have a shot at him.
So what have we learned and what's the plan for 2011? Here's my list of rhetorical asked and answered questions:
- What happens with the Bears coaching staff?
Well, there was a meeting of the minds during that perfectly timed bye week and the Bears turned things around quickly and made it all the way to the Championship Game playing for their namesake's trophy (George S. Halas Trophy). Even though the worst nightmare happened as the Bears were forced to watch their northern rival Packers take "their" trophy on the Bears home field, my hope actually is that they keep the big name guys completely intact BUT do NOT extend Lovie until he can do this again. My fear is that Lovie has earned himself (at least in the eyes of the inept owner and more inept GM) an extension even though he still has another year on his contract.
- What happens with Jerry Angelo?
- What about a QB controversy in Chicago?
Most people said "Cutler better be hurt" considering he sat out of the second half of the biggest game of his entire life and it turns out that yes, he indeed was hurt with a strained MCL. He will be back next year and there is no QB controversy going into next season.
For me, it's all about talent evaluation on BOTH sides...pre-draft and then on the team itself. I mentioned Johnny Knox both positively and negatively above. Did you know Johnny Knox was on the practice squad last year before Devin Aromashodu got hurt in the preseason? Well Knox finished with 5 receiving TDs which was good for 2nd on a pathetic 7-9 Bears last year. This year he was 400 yards ahead of the next closest Bears receiver in yards (yes, even ahead of supposed #1 WR Devin Hester) and this time led the team in receiving TDs. If Aromashodu hadn't gotten hurt, he could have ended up on some other team's roster.
So I started writing this shortly after the NFC Championship Game and now I'm finishing it up after the Super Bowl. How do you think the Bears "brass" are feeling about their decision to let the Packers win that game in Week 17? The Bears starters played the whole game so the only thing the team didn't do was apparently game plan for the Packers. HUH? That means it wasn't about the safety of the players or keeping them healthy for the playoffs rather just giving the coaches a week off from doing their jobs...makes sense and worked out great guys...THANKS! So let's extend Lovie and watch as even the Lions pass up the Bears next season. The NFL has never looked so winnable in my eyes and the Bears BLEW their opportunity to REALLY make something of it...instead they watched their division rivals work through 14 guys including 6 opening day starters go on IR and STILL win the Super Bowl. Do they think it will easier next year? The Vikings will be done with the circus that is Brett Favre, the Packers will almost certainly be healthier, the Bears will almost certainly be less healthy, and the Lions are another year removed from Matt Millen's "reign" as GM. I see three more years similar to the three years we had between Championship Game appearances.
GO BULLS and GO HAWKS!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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!
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.
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!
Monday, January 17, 2011
HOW ABOUT DA BEARS 2010 VERSION?!?
What a GREAT weekend for Chicago sports fans, huh? The Bulls took both of their weekend games plus today's matinee too. The Hawks earned 3 points with a somewhat painful shootout loss on Sat night, but a 4-goal barrage in the 3rd period finished off the Nashville Predators on the second of a home-and-away (actually away-and-home for the Hawks) last night.
Of course, the biggest Chi-Town W over the weekend was the Bears big playoff win at home over the surprising Seattle Seahawks...surprising in that they were actually still alive in the playoffs after a shocking W against the defending Super Bowl champion Saints. They dominated from start to finish which was fantastic to see. Other than a lucky TD "look what I found" catch by a pretty well shutdown Mike Williams when Peanut Tillman not only dropped, but conveniently tipped up would-be pick right into Williams' hands. The extra point made the score 35-17 Bears with just over 2 minutes left and the Bears slacked off a bit on D but still covered the spread with an 11-point W most predicted but others still did not.
How many of the so-called experts were calling for a trade of Greg Olsen before the season saying he had no place in the Mike Martz offense. Well, he came up pretty HUGE against the Seahawks yesterday, wouldn't you say? His blocking has come a LONG, LONG way too so they can keep him on the field more often and keep the defenses guessing more too. Of course, Kellen Davis and Brandon Manumaleuna (and I spelled that on my own although I did check it) also had some big plays on the day...Davis had the "nail in the coffin" TD from Cutler making it 35-10 and Manumaleuna had a NICE block on the Chester Taylor TD run that made it 14-0 in the 1st quarter.
The Bears advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the second time in 4 years and they'll be hosting this one too. But this time...drum roll please...THIS TIME THEY HOST THE PACKERS! This is the 182nd time they've faced off with the Packers in their 90-year history but the first ever NFC Championship game between the two fierce rivals. That's a bit shocking to me...the first time these two teams have faced off in the NFC Championship Game...WOW! I guess thinking back, it is quite a rare feat when both of these teams are good at the same time so it shouldn't be that surprising as it sure isn't easy to make it this far. However, this is also the first time in nearly 70 years since they've faced each other AT ALL in the playoffs too...not even once during this wild card era. Kinda crazy!
How nuts is it going to be at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon? Every time these two teams face each other, there are still plenty of the visiting teams' fans in the stands regardless of win-loss records or situation. With the two teams going up against each other with the chance to move on to Dallas (hey, how about those Cowboys? Sorry, couldn't resist) to face the AFC Champ in Super Bowl XLV, it should be even more nuts. Add in the fact that this is the 25th anniversary of the Bears first Super Bowl victorious team - the storied 1985 Bears who are STILL celebrated in this town as if this happened yesterday.
A very minor question came up...if these Bears win the Super Bowl this year, will we finally be rid of the 1985 Bears? Personally, I just don't think so. Can you seriously compare Da Coach to Lovie? Forget coaching...personality is what sells in this town and Lovie just doesn't seem to have...well...ANY. Cutler vs. Punky QB Jim McMahon...Forte vs. Sweetness Payton...WR Devin Hester and Johnny Knox (go to the ball!) vs. Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon. Heck even LB Briggs and Urlacher (who I LOVE) vs. Otis Wilson, Samurai Mike Singletary and Wilbur Marshall...those are NOT good personality match-ups. What about DT Tommie Harris vs. Steve McMichael and William "The Refrigerator" Perry? Peppers vs. Richard Dent or Idonije vs. Danimal Hampton? Anyone remember The Black-N-Blues Brothers? These were the O-lineman for that 1985 Bears team...this team was all characters!
I'm sorry, but there's just not a lot of personality on this version of 2010 Bears. Of course, the skill level and utter dominance isn't remotely comparable either as the 1985 Bears are typically in discussions as one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the history of the NFL while this year's version lost some pretty silly games. Let's all hope that the result at the end of the season matches up though and then we can "worry" about this other stuff which really just doesn't matter anyway.
DA BEARS!!!
Of course, the biggest Chi-Town W over the weekend was the Bears big playoff win at home over the surprising Seattle Seahawks...surprising in that they were actually still alive in the playoffs after a shocking W against the defending Super Bowl champion Saints. They dominated from start to finish which was fantastic to see. Other than a lucky TD "look what I found" catch by a pretty well shutdown Mike Williams when Peanut Tillman not only dropped, but conveniently tipped up would-be pick right into Williams' hands. The extra point made the score 35-17 Bears with just over 2 minutes left and the Bears slacked off a bit on D but still covered the spread with an 11-point W most predicted but others still did not.
How many of the so-called experts were calling for a trade of Greg Olsen before the season saying he had no place in the Mike Martz offense. Well, he came up pretty HUGE against the Seahawks yesterday, wouldn't you say? His blocking has come a LONG, LONG way too so they can keep him on the field more often and keep the defenses guessing more too. Of course, Kellen Davis and Brandon Manumaleuna (and I spelled that on my own although I did check it) also had some big plays on the day...Davis had the "nail in the coffin" TD from Cutler making it 35-10 and Manumaleuna had a NICE block on the Chester Taylor TD run that made it 14-0 in the 1st quarter.
The Bears advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the second time in 4 years and they'll be hosting this one too. But this time...drum roll please...THIS TIME THEY HOST THE PACKERS! This is the 182nd time they've faced off with the Packers in their 90-year history but the first ever NFC Championship game between the two fierce rivals. That's a bit shocking to me...the first time these two teams have faced off in the NFC Championship Game...WOW! I guess thinking back, it is quite a rare feat when both of these teams are good at the same time so it shouldn't be that surprising as it sure isn't easy to make it this far. However, this is also the first time in nearly 70 years since they've faced each other AT ALL in the playoffs too...not even once during this wild card era. Kinda crazy!
How nuts is it going to be at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon? Every time these two teams face each other, there are still plenty of the visiting teams' fans in the stands regardless of win-loss records or situation. With the two teams going up against each other with the chance to move on to Dallas (hey, how about those Cowboys? Sorry, couldn't resist) to face the AFC Champ in Super Bowl XLV, it should be even more nuts. Add in the fact that this is the 25th anniversary of the Bears first Super Bowl victorious team - the storied 1985 Bears who are STILL celebrated in this town as if this happened yesterday.
A very minor question came up...if these Bears win the Super Bowl this year, will we finally be rid of the 1985 Bears? Personally, I just don't think so. Can you seriously compare Da Coach to Lovie? Forget coaching...personality is what sells in this town and Lovie just doesn't seem to have...well...ANY. Cutler vs. Punky QB Jim McMahon...Forte vs. Sweetness Payton...WR Devin Hester and Johnny Knox (go to the ball!) vs. Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon. Heck even LB Briggs and Urlacher (who I LOVE) vs. Otis Wilson, Samurai Mike Singletary and Wilbur Marshall...those are NOT good personality match-ups. What about DT Tommie Harris vs. Steve McMichael and William "The Refrigerator" Perry? Peppers vs. Richard Dent or Idonije vs. Danimal Hampton? Anyone remember The Black-N-Blues Brothers? These were the O-lineman for that 1985 Bears team...this team was all characters!
I'm sorry, but there's just not a lot of personality on this version of 2010 Bears. Of course, the skill level and utter dominance isn't remotely comparable either as the 1985 Bears are typically in discussions as one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the history of the NFL while this year's version lost some pretty silly games. Let's all hope that the result at the end of the season matches up though and then we can "worry" about this other stuff which really just doesn't matter anyway.
DA BEARS!!!
Monday, November 29, 2010
What Do the Haters Have to Say Now?
Well, what do you haters have to say now? Well, I'll tell you because I was one of the haters...notice I said "was" because this was a HUGE win for this franchise, this coach (actually all three of our head coaches), and this QB. I still HATE the Bears GM Jerry Angelo as this team is put together with duct tape and paper clips, but this coaching staff put together a pretty amazing game plan to take advantage of the tools and players currently at their disposal. The downside for me of the 8-3 record to date is that the status quo will remain...and while Lovie and Martz and Marinelli (those are the 3 head coaches on the staff) have pulled this thing together, I believe this is happening despite what Jerry Angelo has done to this roster not thanks to his efforts but now is not the time to spotlight this major deficiency.
Let's face some facts though...the Bears did face one of the easiest schedules to date as their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .370 going into today's game...that's really pretty pathetic. And the only team with a winning record they had beaten before today was the Packers on Monday Night Football. The Packers probably played one of their worst games of the season with a TON of really stupid penalties and practically gave the game to the Bears, but it was still a win; a divisional win; a BIG win against their #1 arch rival too.
But that was really it as far as Ws against good teams...you can say "what about Dallas?" but they were a TOTAL mess when they played...you can say "what about the Vikings?" but they were even more of a mess. If not for a just terrible rule forcing receivers to "complete the process", they would have lost their home opener against the lowly Lions. You have to wonder what might have happened had they lost that game...actually, you don't "have to wonder" as we're way past that game now. When they lost the game against the Giants most people (again, myself included) wrote them off for the season as they fell to 3-1. They only lost 17-3 although Cutler would tell you (if he remembered any of it) it seemed much worse that that and showed how seemingly flawed this team really was.
They came right back the next week to demolish a HORRID Carolina Panthers team with their backup QB Todd Collins throwing 4 picks and only 6 receptions to his own guys. But the next two games really turned the tide against them with home losses to so-so teams Washington and Seattle back-to-back. Brutal!
The bye week seemed to come at the perfect time so the Bears coaching staff could regroup. They were 4-3 going into the bye and not at all firing on all cylinders. The big question on everyone's mind...could these pretty arrogant coaches REALLY take a look at their personnel and REALLY put together a game plan that "gives them the best chance to win". How many times have we heard this from Lovie over the years about his head-scratching personnel decisions?
But then came another terrible team in winless Buffalo and they barely eeked out a W up in Toronto in front of a bipartisan crowd (not fair to the Bills who were supposed to be the home team) with a BIG pick late in the game turning a sure game-clinching TD on a slightly underthrown pass into the game-winning drive for the Bears...another W and they were now at 5-3.
Next up were the reeling Vikings that were imploding at the time but that was still Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson and a division rival. They took pretty good care of them with a nice game plan and they totally shut down Favre (4 turnovers) and AP (averaged 3 ypc and no TDs). Nice W, but the 5-3 Bears were actually slight underdogs AT HOME against the 3-5 Vikings...so I wasn't the only hater out there; it seems not many people in the entire country believed in them.
Next up was a trip to Miami. The Dolphins were 5-4 but their 4 losses came to the Jets, Patriots, Pittsburgh and Baltimore while the Bears at 6-3 had lost to the Redskins, Seahawks, and Giants. So again the team with the better record was an underdog and again the underdog Bears won the ballgame. But the breaks continued to fall the Bears' ways (I'm referring to their easy starting schedule and the Packers' play in their first game) when all three of the Miami QBs were knocked out in their previous game (a W at home against the Titans) leaving 3rd string Tyler Thigpen as the starter against the Bears. He was WAY out manned by one of the NFL's best defenses and the Bears had their first shutout and a tie atop the NFC North at 7-3.
Surely now they'd be favored at home...I mean they were 7-3 and playing at home although they were playing the red-hot Philly Eagles and no, they were not the favorite AGAIN as a 3-point underdog. I had heard the Bears were 3-0 against Michael Vick (or is it Mike Vick now?)...well, after a nearly perfect game by the hometown Bears, they are now 4-0 against Vick and even more importantly 8-3 and ALONE at the top of the NFC North as the Packers were losing in Atlanta on a last second field goal.
Do I wish we had a better offensive line? HECK YA! Cutler was sacked 4 times in that first half (none in the second half!) with a couple of them happening without an interior D-lineman getting a finger laid on them by our O-line. But with this newly transformed Mike Martz O, they mix things up enough to keep the defenses way off balance. They had huge play after huge play this afternoon in the Fox game of the day with two first place teams facing off. Cutler has been pretty close to amazing as of late making many, many, many more good decisions than bad since the bye week and is now actually taking advantage of his amazing athletic skills by running for big chunks of yardage when flushed out of the pocket...this instead of forcing the ball into a tight spot for a pick or holding onto the ball for a sack and maybe a fumble. The D and the newly ball secure conscious Jay Cutler along with the new run-oriented (ya, I said it!) offense are the keys to the turn-around.
So in my opinion, EVERYTHING is clicking MUCH better now with this team. Are they world beaters? No, but they don't have to be...they don't have to beat the world; they just have to win the majority of their remaining games to get into the playoffs and see what happens. Certainly teams that have looked worse than these Bears have gone to the playoffs in the past and have done some serious damage when they got there so all you can really do now is continue to learn and get better and try to be peaking come playoff time.
GO BEARS!
Let's face some facts though...the Bears did face one of the easiest schedules to date as their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .370 going into today's game...that's really pretty pathetic. And the only team with a winning record they had beaten before today was the Packers on Monday Night Football. The Packers probably played one of their worst games of the season with a TON of really stupid penalties and practically gave the game to the Bears, but it was still a win; a divisional win; a BIG win against their #1 arch rival too.
But that was really it as far as Ws against good teams...you can say "what about Dallas?" but they were a TOTAL mess when they played...you can say "what about the Vikings?" but they were even more of a mess. If not for a just terrible rule forcing receivers to "complete the process", they would have lost their home opener against the lowly Lions. You have to wonder what might have happened had they lost that game...actually, you don't "have to wonder" as we're way past that game now. When they lost the game against the Giants most people (again, myself included) wrote them off for the season as they fell to 3-1. They only lost 17-3 although Cutler would tell you (if he remembered any of it) it seemed much worse that that and showed how seemingly flawed this team really was.
They came right back the next week to demolish a HORRID Carolina Panthers team with their backup QB Todd Collins throwing 4 picks and only 6 receptions to his own guys. But the next two games really turned the tide against them with home losses to so-so teams Washington and Seattle back-to-back. Brutal!
The bye week seemed to come at the perfect time so the Bears coaching staff could regroup. They were 4-3 going into the bye and not at all firing on all cylinders. The big question on everyone's mind...could these pretty arrogant coaches REALLY take a look at their personnel and REALLY put together a game plan that "gives them the best chance to win". How many times have we heard this from Lovie over the years about his head-scratching personnel decisions?
But then came another terrible team in winless Buffalo and they barely eeked out a W up in Toronto in front of a bipartisan crowd (not fair to the Bills who were supposed to be the home team) with a BIG pick late in the game turning a sure game-clinching TD on a slightly underthrown pass into the game-winning drive for the Bears...another W and they were now at 5-3.
Next up were the reeling Vikings that were imploding at the time but that was still Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson and a division rival. They took pretty good care of them with a nice game plan and they totally shut down Favre (4 turnovers) and AP (averaged 3 ypc and no TDs). Nice W, but the 5-3 Bears were actually slight underdogs AT HOME against the 3-5 Vikings...so I wasn't the only hater out there; it seems not many people in the entire country believed in them.
Next up was a trip to Miami. The Dolphins were 5-4 but their 4 losses came to the Jets, Patriots, Pittsburgh and Baltimore while the Bears at 6-3 had lost to the Redskins, Seahawks, and Giants. So again the team with the better record was an underdog and again the underdog Bears won the ballgame. But the breaks continued to fall the Bears' ways (I'm referring to their easy starting schedule and the Packers' play in their first game) when all three of the Miami QBs were knocked out in their previous game (a W at home against the Titans) leaving 3rd string Tyler Thigpen as the starter against the Bears. He was WAY out manned by one of the NFL's best defenses and the Bears had their first shutout and a tie atop the NFC North at 7-3.
Surely now they'd be favored at home...I mean they were 7-3 and playing at home although they were playing the red-hot Philly Eagles and no, they were not the favorite AGAIN as a 3-point underdog. I had heard the Bears were 3-0 against Michael Vick (or is it Mike Vick now?)...well, after a nearly perfect game by the hometown Bears, they are now 4-0 against Vick and even more importantly 8-3 and ALONE at the top of the NFC North as the Packers were losing in Atlanta on a last second field goal.
Do I wish we had a better offensive line? HECK YA! Cutler was sacked 4 times in that first half (none in the second half!) with a couple of them happening without an interior D-lineman getting a finger laid on them by our O-line. But with this newly transformed Mike Martz O, they mix things up enough to keep the defenses way off balance. They had huge play after huge play this afternoon in the Fox game of the day with two first place teams facing off. Cutler has been pretty close to amazing as of late making many, many, many more good decisions than bad since the bye week and is now actually taking advantage of his amazing athletic skills by running for big chunks of yardage when flushed out of the pocket...this instead of forcing the ball into a tight spot for a pick or holding onto the ball for a sack and maybe a fumble. The D and the newly ball secure conscious Jay Cutler along with the new run-oriented (ya, I said it!) offense are the keys to the turn-around.
So in my opinion, EVERYTHING is clicking MUCH better now with this team. Are they world beaters? No, but they don't have to be...they don't have to beat the world; they just have to win the majority of their remaining games to get into the playoffs and see what happens. Certainly teams that have looked worse than these Bears have gone to the playoffs in the past and have done some serious damage when they got there so all you can really do now is continue to learn and get better and try to be peaking come playoff time.
GO BEARS!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
First Road Win for Bulls
How about that for a nice start to the Bulls infamous (or should it be notorious?) circus trip? The starters didn't exactly dominate as Rose was the only one that finished on the plus side of the +/- stat. Can I say thank goodness for the bench?!? Kyle Korver, who took a commercial flight well after the rest of the team took off on their charter to get to Houston (if you think YOU don't have enough leg room in the back of a commercial airplane, imagine being 6'7" back there!) led the Bulls with a +23 as he gutted out 26 min with a sore knee. Brewer and Asik were both +16 on the bench as well. Again, CJ Watson continues to struggle but didn't do any damage to the Bulls with a 0 in +/- although he had 2 steals. Joakim had the worst +/- at -18 and again struggled in the second half. I can't find a split on 1st/2nd half, but I believe for the second time in two games, he had about 8 boards in the first half and no more than 2 in the second half. Is he healthy? Doesn't seem like it to me...
Well, how about those 6-3 Bulls without their prized free agent signing as Boozer hasn't set foot on the court in uniform (he looks nice in his suits though) leading their Eastern Conference in scoring?!? And you thought Coach Thibs was a defensive-oriented coach and were worried about the offense... Don't get me wrong...I've liked the "new" defense as they seem to be able to get stops when needed and their rotating MUCH better than Vinny had them doing last season. But they are still giving up too many points overall and a lot of that has to do with their inability to adequately guard the 3-point line. Anyway, I can't believe the Bulls are leading the conference in scoring and I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened since the "glory days".
Tough test tonight going up against a very veteran savvy Spurs team with a seemingly rejuvenated Richard Jefferson. The Spurs have an NBA-best 8-1 record (tied with New Orleans). Of course, they were off last night while our Bulls were busy battling the Rockets down to the wire.
Well, how about those 6-3 Bulls without their prized free agent signing as Boozer hasn't set foot on the court in uniform (he looks nice in his suits though) leading their Eastern Conference in scoring?!? And you thought Coach Thibs was a defensive-oriented coach and were worried about the offense... Don't get me wrong...I've liked the "new" defense as they seem to be able to get stops when needed and their rotating MUCH better than Vinny had them doing last season. But they are still giving up too many points overall and a lot of that has to do with their inability to adequately guard the 3-point line. Anyway, I can't believe the Bulls are leading the conference in scoring and I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened since the "glory days".
Tough test tonight going up against a very veteran savvy Spurs team with a seemingly rejuvenated Richard Jefferson. The Spurs have an NBA-best 8-1 record (tied with New Orleans). Of course, they were off last night while our Bulls were busy battling the Rockets down to the wire.
Monday, November 15, 2010
So where are they now?
Well, if you're like me and you LOVE the Bulls, you're probably feeling pretty good right about now. Of course, that can all change after this ruthless 7-game circus trip that includes 3 back-to-backs and a stretch of 4 games in 5 days all in different cities.
As my son just pointed out, our Bulls are leading the league in blocks, #4 in rebounds without Boozer (actually that Wizards game was the first time they were out-rebounded), #2 in rebound %, #6 in ppg, #4 in field goal %, and #8 in opponent turnovers. Other than that lousy game with the Knicks, they've played pretty well as they're only other losses came on the road against a pretty good OKC team and in OT in Boston. And they were totally in both of those games to the very end and actually could have won that Boston game had the refs blown the whistle on Rondo's reach-in to finish the 4th.
Rose vs. Wall - part 1b...I say 1b because they did face off once in the pre-season too. Well, call it 2-0 in favor of our Derrick Rose. While Wall showed off his athleticism, he just isn't quite the basketball player that Derrick is yet. He's flashy and gets on SportsCenter, but doesn't seem to have the hoops IQ Rose has right now. He seems to have a nice head on his shoulders like Derrick (other than dance thing Wall did on opening night in Washington).
Anyway, we've got Boozer coming back in a few weeks (hopefully) and then about 6 weeks for the team to get acclimated with each other before taking on The Three Am-EGOS. That's the Bulls biggest free agent signing since...ummm...EVER! And he hasn't played yet and the Bulls are 5-3 atop the Central Division. If they can just survive this circus trip with a 3-4 record, they'd still be above .500 when they come back. And if they can just remain at or near .500 until Boozer gets back, that would be KEY.
Don't get me wrong...Taj has been FANTASTIC in Boozer's place, but think about how much stronger the bench will be when Taj is added. If we don't see Kurt Thomas ever again, I'll be happy with that. Actually, maybe he can be out there in Orlando to help protect Rose from Dwight Howard who inflicted some damage on our PG not once, but twice last season. I'd prefer that didn't happen next time around with Orlando. With the surprising emergence of Omer Asik, Thibs will have LOTS of options on that front line depending on match-ups with Noah, Asik, Boozer, Deng, and Taj. Both Taj & Boozer can play some C for a more athletic front court; Deng can move to the 4 when Thibs wants to keep some extra scoring while running a 3 guard lineup. And we've already seen a bit of Noah and Asik on the floor at the same time with a twin towers setup.
As I told my son, I'm remaining "cautiously optimistic"...that's all I can do right at the moment as I've had my heart torn out of my chest by Chicago teams my whole life.
GO BULLS!
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