Tue Apr 19, 2005 6:47 pm
nice game, big win 
I see you cleared Frank Williams' salary out in order to sign Shandon Anderson....an interesting move, how do you see the former Jazz super 6th man Shandon Anderson helping your team?!?
I see you cleared Frank Williams' salary out in order to sign Shandon Anderson....an interesting move, how do you see the former Jazz super 6th man Shandon Anderson helping your team?!?
Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:06 pm
I'm hoping he'll be able to provide a little bit of offense, but I've mainly got him so I've got a little more height I can use at shooting guard for defensive purposes. It's why I traded for Steve Smith, but he hasn't been as consistent as I would have liked.
I forgot to mention that Tyson Chandler is now listed as day-to-day, with his sprained thumb now just a sore thumb. He's expected to be fine in about five days which means he'll be 100% by the All-Star break. I've decided to keep him out until after the break, and I might bring him off the bench for the first couple of games he's back in the lineup.
I forgot to mention that Tyson Chandler is now listed as day-to-day, with his sprained thumb now just a sore thumb. He's expected to be fine in about five days which means he'll be 100% by the All-Star break. I've decided to keep him out until after the break, and I might bring him off the bench for the first couple of games he's back in the lineup.
Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:14 pm
sweet
just curious, are you still playing at All-Star difficulty or have you moved up?!? if you haven't, would you consider moving up to Superstar difficulty to make playoffs harder for the young Bulls?!?
just curious, are you still playing at All-Star difficulty or have you moved up?!? if you haven't, would you consider moving up to Superstar difficulty to make playoffs harder for the young Bulls?!?
Tue Apr 19, 2005 8:10 pm
Haven't moved up yet, have adjusted my sliders so I'm committing more fouls. It's been getting a bit easier lately so I think it's time.
Tue Apr 19, 2005 8:30 pm
Nice job, Andrew... although Shandon is way overpaid...
BTW, your sig needs updating...
BTW, your sig needs updating...
Tue Apr 19, 2005 8:44 pm
I know, I'll remove that image. It's becoming too tiresome to update.
I didn't want to give Anderson that much, but I reasoned that it was just for the season and I did make the Othella Harrington trade earlier this year to free up space to get someone in the $2-3 million range.
I didn't want to give Anderson that much, but I reasoned that it was just for the season and I did make the Othella Harrington trade earlier this year to free up space to get someone in the $2-3 million range.
Wed Apr 20, 2005 12:56 am
Bulls headed to All-Star Weekend
The Chicago Bulls will have four representatives at the All-Star Weekend in Denver, Colorado this year. Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni have been selected to represent this year's rookie crop in the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, where they will face off against teammate Kirk Hinrich.
Hinrich will also compete in the Three Point Shootout, while Ben Gordon has accepted an invitation to take part in the Slam Dunk Contest. No Bulls players were voted to start in the All-Star game but the All-Star benches are yet to be announced.
All-Star Starters Announced
The results are in - the ten players who will be on the floor when the All-Star game tips off in Denver this Sunday have been announced. Four of the ten players will be starting for the first time, including Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz who will be making his second straight All-Star appearance.
Kirilenko will be joined in the frontcourt by some familiar faces, power forward Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and centre Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets. Starting in the backcourt for the Western Conference All-Stars are Ray Allen of the Seattle Supersonics and Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns.
Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors once again led all players in balloting as he secured a spot in the Eastern Conference All-Stars starting lineup for the sixth time in his career. Carter however missed the 2002 contest and gave up his starting spot in 2003 to Michael Jordan, who was making his final All-Star appearance.
Antoine Walker of the Atlanta Hawks will start at the other forward while his former teammate on the Boston Celtics Paul Pierce will start at guard. The Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson will make his sixth straight start in the midseason classic while Shaquille O'Neal, acquired by the Miami Heat this past offseason, will represent the Eastern squad starting at centre for the first time since 1996.
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I'll post more participants as they become available, as part of my coverage of All-Star Weekend.
February 13th, 2005
Chicago 109, Minnesota 104
[ Boxscore ]
Eric Piatkowski's efforts weren't quite as heroic as his 28 point fourth quarter barrage against the Houston Rockets, but he still kept the Bulls afloat when the Timberwolves threatened to break the game open.
Fresh off an amazing performance in Houston, Piatkowski hit two threes and scored 13 second quarter points as the Bulls rallied back from a ten point deficit to trail by only two at halftime. The two teams traded baskets in the third quarter before Chicago finally gained control in the fourth quarter and sealed the game from the free throw line in the closing minutes.
Rookie Ben Gordon, who will represent the Bulls at the All-Star Weekend in Denver in the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest, struggled through the first three quarters but finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Kirk Hinrich was a bright spot for Chicago throughout the game, finishing with 26 points including 5 three pointers, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell scored 29 and 25 points respectively while Garnett also added 9 rebounds and 3 assists while Latrell Sprewell added 15 points and a team high 5 assists. Troy Hudson also added 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Current Record: 33-14
Next Opponent: Sacramento Kings
The Chicago Bulls will have four representatives at the All-Star Weekend in Denver, Colorado this year. Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni have been selected to represent this year's rookie crop in the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, where they will face off against teammate Kirk Hinrich.
Hinrich will also compete in the Three Point Shootout, while Ben Gordon has accepted an invitation to take part in the Slam Dunk Contest. No Bulls players were voted to start in the All-Star game but the All-Star benches are yet to be announced.
All-Star Starters Announced
The results are in - the ten players who will be on the floor when the All-Star game tips off in Denver this Sunday have been announced. Four of the ten players will be starting for the first time, including Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz who will be making his second straight All-Star appearance.
Kirilenko will be joined in the frontcourt by some familiar faces, power forward Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and centre Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets. Starting in the backcourt for the Western Conference All-Stars are Ray Allen of the Seattle Supersonics and Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns.
Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors once again led all players in balloting as he secured a spot in the Eastern Conference All-Stars starting lineup for the sixth time in his career. Carter however missed the 2002 contest and gave up his starting spot in 2003 to Michael Jordan, who was making his final All-Star appearance.
Antoine Walker of the Atlanta Hawks will start at the other forward while his former teammate on the Boston Celtics Paul Pierce will start at guard. The Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson will make his sixth straight start in the midseason classic while Shaquille O'Neal, acquired by the Miami Heat this past offseason, will represent the Eastern squad starting at centre for the first time since 1996.
------------------
I'll post more participants as they become available, as part of my coverage of All-Star Weekend.
February 13th, 2005
Chicago 109, Minnesota 104
[ Boxscore ]
Eric Piatkowski's efforts weren't quite as heroic as his 28 point fourth quarter barrage against the Houston Rockets, but he still kept the Bulls afloat when the Timberwolves threatened to break the game open.
Fresh off an amazing performance in Houston, Piatkowski hit two threes and scored 13 second quarter points as the Bulls rallied back from a ten point deficit to trail by only two at halftime. The two teams traded baskets in the third quarter before Chicago finally gained control in the fourth quarter and sealed the game from the free throw line in the closing minutes.
Rookie Ben Gordon, who will represent the Bulls at the All-Star Weekend in Denver in the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest, struggled through the first three quarters but finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Kirk Hinrich was a bright spot for Chicago throughout the game, finishing with 26 points including 5 three pointers, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell scored 29 and 25 points respectively while Garnett also added 9 rebounds and 3 assists while Latrell Sprewell added 15 points and a team high 5 assists. Troy Hudson also added 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Current Record: 33-14
Next Opponent: Sacramento Kings
Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:01 am
Hmmm, even with your sliders there appear to be not enough fouls commited resulting in few FT attempts. At least I'm not the only one with that dynasty problem...
Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:41 am
I rather have Steve Smith playing than Shandon Anderson. Like it's already been said, you WAY overpaid for him.
Wed Apr 20, 2005 12:09 pm
His contract comes off the books at the end of the season though and I didn't really need to sign anyone else - if I sign another big man off the bench, there's a couple available for the minimum. I actually did manage to sign him for less than he wanted over one year, so I can live with it.
Wed Apr 20, 2005 12:32 pm
Well it looks like your doing good heading into the All-Star Weekend. Your 3-0 now and beating some real good teams. The Bulls will dominate the Rook/Soph game with 4 players too. Hope to see you go undefetaed the rest of the week.
Wed Apr 20, 2005 4:55 pm
February 15th, 2005
Chicago 128, Sacramento 119 OT
[ Boxscore ]
Chicago needed an extra five minutes to dethrone the Kings, but for most of the fourth quarter it seemed Sacramento would reign supreme. For the second time in a week, Chicago overcame a double digit deficit entering the fourth quarter to emerge victorious as they continued their winning streak playing at home for the first time in almost a fortnight.
This time it was Eddy Curry and Ben Gordon who led the charge. Both players struggled through the first three quarters missing several easy shots in the paint between them, but both proved unstoppable in the final quarter and overtime, finishing with 32 points apiece. Gordon fell two assists shy of a triple double while Curry grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots before fouling out early in OT.
Sacramento was able to dominate the game early beating Chicago for putbacks and draining threes. Peja Stojakovic, who top scored for the Kings with 35 points, hit five three pointers while Bobby Jackson, starting in place for the injured Mike Bibby, was 4/7 from downtown. Chris Webber, who picked up his sixth foul during the overtime period, scored 18 points and added 7 rebounds for Sacramento, who are now 37-15.
After the Bulls claimed the lead in the fourth quarter, Stojakovic snatched it back with a three. The Bulls remained unphased and gained a 108-105 lead with 35 seconds remaining. Bobby Jackson hit a three to tie the game with 16 seconds left. After a timeout, Chicago had a chance to win the game in regulation but wasted too much time before they got the ball to Gordon who fired an off-balance three after running off a screen from Curry.
Current Record: 34-14
Next Opponent: Toronto Raptors
Chicago 128, Sacramento 119 OT
[ Boxscore ]
Chicago needed an extra five minutes to dethrone the Kings, but for most of the fourth quarter it seemed Sacramento would reign supreme. For the second time in a week, Chicago overcame a double digit deficit entering the fourth quarter to emerge victorious as they continued their winning streak playing at home for the first time in almost a fortnight.
This time it was Eddy Curry and Ben Gordon who led the charge. Both players struggled through the first three quarters missing several easy shots in the paint between them, but both proved unstoppable in the final quarter and overtime, finishing with 32 points apiece. Gordon fell two assists shy of a triple double while Curry grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots before fouling out early in OT.
Sacramento was able to dominate the game early beating Chicago for putbacks and draining threes. Peja Stojakovic, who top scored for the Kings with 35 points, hit five three pointers while Bobby Jackson, starting in place for the injured Mike Bibby, was 4/7 from downtown. Chris Webber, who picked up his sixth foul during the overtime period, scored 18 points and added 7 rebounds for Sacramento, who are now 37-15.
After the Bulls claimed the lead in the fourth quarter, Stojakovic snatched it back with a three. The Bulls remained unphased and gained a 108-105 lead with 35 seconds remaining. Bobby Jackson hit a three to tie the game with 16 seconds left. After a timeout, Chicago had a chance to win the game in regulation but wasted too much time before they got the ball to Gordon who fired an off-balance three after running off a screen from Curry.
Current Record: 34-14
Next Opponent: Toronto Raptors
Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:05 pm
Nice OT game!
Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:57 am
6 players including all 5 starters in double digits. Team basketball. 
Team basketball.
Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:45 am
Ruff Ryder wrote:6 players including all 5 starters in double digits.
I tottally agree
Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:56 pm
February 16th, 2005
Chicago 119, Toronto 114
[ Boxscore ]
The Chicago Bulls are showing signs of fatigue, but managed to overcome yet another a double digit deficit to win their 16th consecutive game. Andres Nocioni, who will participate in the Rookie/Sophomore game this Friday as part of All-Star Weekend 2005 in Denver, Colorado, scored 21 points in just 21 minutes making all 9 of the field goals he attempted.
Eric Piatkowski, a hero in a game against the Houston Rockets last week, scored 9 of his 20 points off the bench in a third quarter run that saw the game tied at 86 heading into the fourth. Ben Gordon had another strong performance with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, while Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng struggled offensively each scoring 6 points, but contributing in other ways as Hinrich had 8 assists and Deng a team high 10 rebounds.
The Raptors jumped out to an early lead, running up a 32-18 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Vince Carter and Jalen Rose led the way for Toronto, finishing with 21 and 27 points respectively. Carter cooled off in the third quarter but Rose kept the Raptors in the game through most of the fourth quarter. The Bulls were finally able to seal the game from the free throw line after baskets by Eddy Curry and Ben Gordon gave them a five point lead.
Current Record: 35-14
Next up is All-Star Weekend. I'll be providing some screenshots as part of my All-Star Weekend coverage, as well as the usual statistics and recaps.
In other news
Tyson Chandler's thumb injury has completely healed, and is expected to be back after the All-Star break.
Chicago 119, Toronto 114
[ Boxscore ]
The Chicago Bulls are showing signs of fatigue, but managed to overcome yet another a double digit deficit to win their 16th consecutive game. Andres Nocioni, who will participate in the Rookie/Sophomore game this Friday as part of All-Star Weekend 2005 in Denver, Colorado, scored 21 points in just 21 minutes making all 9 of the field goals he attempted.
Eric Piatkowski, a hero in a game against the Houston Rockets last week, scored 9 of his 20 points off the bench in a third quarter run that saw the game tied at 86 heading into the fourth. Ben Gordon had another strong performance with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, while Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng struggled offensively each scoring 6 points, but contributing in other ways as Hinrich had 8 assists and Deng a team high 10 rebounds.
The Raptors jumped out to an early lead, running up a 32-18 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Vince Carter and Jalen Rose led the way for Toronto, finishing with 21 and 27 points respectively. Carter cooled off in the third quarter but Rose kept the Raptors in the game through most of the fourth quarter. The Bulls were finally able to seal the game from the free throw line after baskets by Eddy Curry and Ben Gordon gave them a five point lead.
Current Record: 35-14
Next up is All-Star Weekend. I'll be providing some screenshots as part of my All-Star Weekend coverage, as well as the usual statistics and recaps.
In other news
Tyson Chandler's thumb injury has completely healed, and is expected to be back after the All-Star break.
Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:09 pm
Great wins Andrew ! Yes, the All-Star Weekend is next !! Yay ! 
Yes, the All-Star Weekend is next !! Yay !
Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:35 pm
I controlled the Rookies, but I made substitutions for the Sophomores so their substitution pattern was a little more true to life. I didn't do it to cheat - if I did, I wouldn't have lost. 
February 18th, 2005
Sophomores take Rookies to school 106-98
Chris Bosh named Most Valuable Player
[ Boxscore ]
Chris Bosh led a heavily favoured Sophomore squad to victory over a team of Rookies in a thrilling 40 minute contest full of rim rattling dunks and gravity defying alley-oops. Bosh would be named the game's Most Valuable Player after scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Ben Gordon put the Rookie team ahead late in the second half but a couple of costly turnovers allowed the second year players to take back the lead and hold on for the six point win. The Sophomores also received 23 points from LeBron James, who also snared four rebounds.
Gordon led the Rookies with 26, followed by the league's first overall draft pick this past year, Dwight Howard. Howard was on the receiving end of three spectacular alley-oops from Devin Harris, including a seemingly impossible reach to slam home a pass that appeared to be too short.
Second overall pick Emeka Okafor also made his presence felt, rocking the rim whether taking the ball to the basket himself or on the end of a couple of great lobs from Harris and Gordon. The young Charlotte Bobcats star scored 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Hometown hero Carmelo Anthony scored only 8 points but grabbed 9 rebounds in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Pepsi Center, who cheered wildly whenever Anthony touched the ball. Nuggets' centre Francisco Elson, also playing for the Sophomores, received a warm welcome as well.
The Chicago Bulls set a new record with four participants in the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge including three representatives on the Rookie squad. The four Bulls accounted for 49 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists in the contest.
Chris Bosh holds the MVP trophy
Andres Nocioni slams home two of his points
MVP Chris Bosh faces off against teammates Rafael Araujo
Ben Gordon takes off for the jam
Teammates in Chicago, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng stand on opposite sides tonight
Dwight Howard reaches back to slam home an alley-oop
Fransisco Elson can only watch as Emeka Okafor rises for the jam
Luol Deng shows off the Statue of Liberty slam
Chris Bosh leaves the top two draft picks of 2004 behind
Dwight Howard throws down the left-handed tomahawk
Dwyane Wade soars above the hardwood...and Ben Gordon
February 18th, 2005
Sophomores take Rookies to school 106-98
Chris Bosh named Most Valuable Player
[ Boxscore ]
Chris Bosh led a heavily favoured Sophomore squad to victory over a team of Rookies in a thrilling 40 minute contest full of rim rattling dunks and gravity defying alley-oops. Bosh would be named the game's Most Valuable Player after scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Ben Gordon put the Rookie team ahead late in the second half but a couple of costly turnovers allowed the second year players to take back the lead and hold on for the six point win. The Sophomores also received 23 points from LeBron James, who also snared four rebounds.
Gordon led the Rookies with 26, followed by the league's first overall draft pick this past year, Dwight Howard. Howard was on the receiving end of three spectacular alley-oops from Devin Harris, including a seemingly impossible reach to slam home a pass that appeared to be too short.
Second overall pick Emeka Okafor also made his presence felt, rocking the rim whether taking the ball to the basket himself or on the end of a couple of great lobs from Harris and Gordon. The young Charlotte Bobcats star scored 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Hometown hero Carmelo Anthony scored only 8 points but grabbed 9 rebounds in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Pepsi Center, who cheered wildly whenever Anthony touched the ball. Nuggets' centre Francisco Elson, also playing for the Sophomores, received a warm welcome as well.
The Chicago Bulls set a new record with four participants in the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge including three representatives on the Rookie squad. The four Bulls accounted for 49 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists in the contest.
Chris Bosh holds the MVP trophy
Andres Nocioni slams home two of his points
MVP Chris Bosh faces off against teammates Rafael Araujo
Ben Gordon takes off for the jam
Teammates in Chicago, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng stand on opposite sides tonight
Dwight Howard reaches back to slam home an alley-oop
Fransisco Elson can only watch as Emeka Okafor rises for the jam
Luol Deng shows off the Statue of Liberty slam
Chris Bosh leaves the top two draft picks of 2004 behind
Dwight Howard throws down the left-handed tomahawk
Dwyane Wade soars above the hardwood...and Ben Gordon
Last edited by Andrew on Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:49 pm
nice game, bro you put a lot of Chicago players in the game
I'm glad Nocioni was there
I'm glad Nocioni was there
Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:09 am
Andrew wrote:Teammates in Chicago, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng stand on opposite sides tonight
Don't you mean Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich? since Gordon and Deng are both rookies..
Fri Apr 22, 2005 6:13 am
Nice recap, too bad the Rookies lost... great pics too.
great pics too.
Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:48 am
John WB wrote:Andrew wrote:Teammates in Chicago, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng stand on opposite sides tonight
Don't you mean Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich? since Gordon and Deng are both rookies..
Yeah I do.
I'll fix that up now.
The rookie game was fun, but because the CPU still doesn't use second positions or play players out of position often enough it wasn't quite as fun as it could have been as I had to control their substitutions far too often. If I get to play the All-Star game, I'm guessing that will be better as the CPU will have a full roster with subs listed at all five positions.
Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:54 am
Well, realism has taken a beating in this dynasty but it's a good read.
Here's to Chicago's first title in ages...
Here's to Chicago's first title in ages...
Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:56 am
Nice to see Bosh win the MVP 
Nice recap of the game man.
Nice recap of the game man.
Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:57 am
The rookie game was fun, but because the CPU still doesn't use second positions or play players out of position often enough it wasn't quite as fun as it could have been as I had to control their substitutions far too often. If I get to play the All-Star game, I'm guessing that will be better as the CPU will have a full roster with subs listed at all five positions.
Well, I think it's the same in the All-Star Game too. Players are subbed in and out, but sometime the 11th or 12th player may not play at all in the game so you may have to watch out for that. Ben Gordon had a good game for the Rookies and Hinrich played well. Nocioni did pretty well, but Deng struggled a little.