Bulls Dynasty - Rebuild to Dominate

[BritNBAfan]

NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference First Round Game 6, United Center, Chicago IL.



Chicago Bulls 112 - 118 Washington Wizards (WAS wins series 4-2)

Brave Bulls outrebounded again, bow out in game 6

Once again the story for the Bulls was an inability to rebound and it cost them dearly in the 6 point loss that ended their season. For the Wizards, Haywood and Arenas both recorded massive double doubles, Butler and Miller combined for 50 points, Jamison had a 20-10 night. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro gambled on a line-up change, starting Brad Miller at center and demoting John Salmons to the bench, the move seemed to spark Salmons into life as he led all scorers with 26 points off the bench, shooting over 50% from the field, Derrick Rose has 18 points and 9 assists, Deng and Hinrich added 19 points apeice, but as was the story of the series after the 1st two games the Bulls didnt compete on the boards and they enter the off-season without winning a single home playoff game.
Game Leaders:

Points
-
Bulls (Salmons 26, Deng 19, Hinrich 19)
Wizards (Butler 25, Miller 25, Jamison 21)

Rebounds
-
Bulls (Miller 9, Noah 6)
Wizards (Haywood 19, Jamison 10)

Assists
-
Bulls (Rose 9)
Wizards (Arenas 15)

Player of the Game - Gilbert Arenas(WAS) - 14 points, 15 assists, 3 blocks

[BritNBAfan]

Mavericks take game 7 to win it all!





The Dallas Mavericks won their first ever NBA championship behind a mammoth 35 point night from Dirk Nowitzki in game 7 agianst the Wizards, Jason Kidd picked up the finals MVP award however for his consistent play throughout the series. The Wizards can be proud though having won their first conference title in 31 years, no-one would have predicted that when they were 2-0 down to the Bulls in the first round!

[Martti.]

At least you can say you lost to a finalist. Can't wait for your off-season moves.

[BritNBAfan]

2009/2010 NBA Playoffs round-up


Eastern Conference champions:

Washington Wizards:



Eastern Conference runner-up

Orlando Magic:




Western Conference champions:

Dallas Mavericks:



Western Conference runner-up

Houston Rockets:




NBA Champions:

Dallas Mavericks:




Finals MVP: Jason Kidd(DAL): 21.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.5 SPG

[BritNBAfan]

At least you can say you lost to a finalist. Can't wait for your off-season moves.

haha true, in my experience wizards always do well in live 10, i have my targets in mind, off-season should be up tonight

[BritNBAfan]

NBA Draft Lottery: Knicks land top pick, Sixers sensationally get 2nd overall





The Knicks may have thought they were lucky to have the 2nd worst record overall but land the 1st pick, but compared to the Philadelphia 76ers, that was nothing. The Sixers narrowly missed out on the playoffs with the 12th worst record in the NBA, this gave them just 7 chances out of 1000 in the bidding for the top 3 picks, but the ping pong balls looked kindly upon them as they sensationall landed the 2nd overall pick. The Thunder were the biggest losers on lottery night as the team with the best chance of landing the no 1 pick none of their 250 balls came up and so they had to settle for the 4th pick overall. Completing the top 5, Sacramento will pick 3rd and Minnesota 5th.

[BritNBAfan]

Power Forward merry-go-round continues as Stoudemire, Bosh and Boozer become free agents, James and Wade stay put





Over the past few weeks the free-agent picture has become clearer and a different big 3 free agents has become apparent. Both Lebron James and Dwyane Wade delighted Cavs and Heat fans by signing max deals to stay put, wheres Amare' Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer opted out and will hit the open market come June 25th. The most surprising news must be Stoudemire's decision, having reached the eastern conference finals with Orlando this season, furthermore the Magic may now be regretting their decision to give up Rashard Lewis to acquire Stoudemire back in December. Other free agents confirmed as available on June 25th include; Shaquille O'Neal, David Lee, TJ Ford, John Salmons and Marvin Williams

[BritNBAfan]

2010 NBA Draft Results



As many mock drafts suggested the knicks selected Terry Noland out of Missiouri with the number 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden last night, the 6'6 small forward, compared by many to Josh Howard, is estimated to earn $3.48M in his first year with the Knicks and was considered the most NBA-Ready player in this year's draft. The Spurs pulled off what many consider to be the steal of the draft taking 6'10 Center David Peters out of Belgium with the 30th pick. The Sixers used their fortunately won 2nd pick on Jessie McDonald from Texas, the point guard is only 5'11 but is considered to have the potential to play at a higher level then Noland due to his terrific speed and leaping ability, he still needs to develop 3 point range and improve his ball-handling however.

Draft Round-Up -Top 5

1. New York Knicks - Terry Noland - SF, 6'6, NBA Comparison - Josh Howard
2. Philadelphia 76ers - Jessie McDonald - PG, 5'11, NBA Comparison - Raymond Felton
3. Sacramento Kings - William Long - PF - 6'8, NBA Comparison - Antawn Jamison
4. Oklahoma City Thunder - Sebastian Daly - PF - 6'8, NBA Comparison - Jason Maxiell
5. Minnesota Timberwolves - Doug Schmidt - SG - 6'4, NBA Comparison - Kevin Martin

[BritNBAfan]

Bulls 2010 Draft review

I had picks 21 and 51 in this years draft, I passed on the guy who came up as steal on the draft for my 1st pick! Hope that doesn't come back to haunt me! The guys i took were...


Pick 21: Bartholomew Murray

Position: Centre
Height: 7'1
NBA Comparison: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Comments: I picked him mainly because of his height and because I currently have no centers on my roster, His skills generally are limited apart from good lay-up ability and off-ball awareness, looks unlikely to be the defensive presence I would want from a 7'1 center, will get limited minutes.

Pick 51: Vic Regan

Position: SG/SF
Height: 6'6
NBA Comparison: Kareem Rush

Comments: Picked purely because I had to make a second round pick, no real skills, 99% likely to be waived.

[Murat]

Can you post any screens?

[BritNBAfan]

Can you post any screens?

Sorry mate I can't, hope you still follow

[BritNBAfan]

2010 NBA Free agency round-up: Bulls biggest winners in free agency



Just 1 year into the job Bulls new GM Jonny Schofield has delivered a new superstar to the windy city, it was reported late on June 25th that Chrish Bosh had agreed to join the Bulls on a year 4 year contract worth around $55M. The Bulls weren't finished there though as they also persuaded former MVP Shaquille O'Neal and 4 time NBA champion Derek Fisher to come to Chicago, both on 1 year deals worth around $4M and £3M respectively, as well as working a deal to acquire sharp shooter Kyle Korver from Utah. There had been pressure on GM Jonny Schofield to deliver during free agency after he took measures to free up cap space by releasing last seasons top scorer, John Salmons, along with Brad Miller,Jerome James and Jannero Pargo.However, with these big moves the Bulls may well be considered amongst the top teams in the East next year, as they have surely taken a big step towards fullfilling the GM's dream of having the Bulls rule the NBA again.

Other big moves during free-agency:

- Richard Hamilton to Atlanta
- Al Harrington and Marvin Williams to Charlotte
- John Salmons to Detroit
- Randy Foye to Golden State
- Sergio Rodriguez to Houston
- Brad Miller to Indiana
- Amir Johnson to LA Clippers
- Ronnie Brewer and Luke Ridnour to Miami
- TJ Ford to Milwaukee
- Drew Gooden, Glen Davis, Mehmet Okur to Minnesota
- Carlos Boozer and Marquis Daniels to New Jersey
- Amare' Stoudemire to Oklahoma City
- Ramon Session, Stephon Marbury, Travis Diener to Philadelphia (They now have 5 point guards!)
- David Lee to Sacramento
- Jordan Farmar to Toronto

[BritNBAfan]

Season 2

[BritNBAfan]

Bulls ins and outs

In:

- Chris Bosh (Free agency)
- Shaquille O'Neal (Free agency)
- Derek Fisher (Free agency)
- Bartholomew Murray (21st Pick in 2010 draft)
- Kyle Korver (Acquired from Utah)
- Memphis' 2nd round pick in 2011 draft

Out

- Brad Miller (Free agency)
- John Salmons (Free agency)
- Jannero Pargo (Free agency)
- Jerome James (Free agency)
- Vic Regan (Waived)
- Christian Eyenga (Traded to Utah)
- Taj Gibson (Traded to Memphis)
- Gerald Green (Traded to Memphis)

* Rashad McCants and Patrick Mills were also traded to Utah to acquire Kyle Korver, they were both signed as free agents just to do that trade.

[George7]

Solid moves

[BritNBAfan]

Season Preview - 2010-2011

The Bulls

Jonny Schofield followed through with his intentions for Free agency in 2010 bringing star power forward Chris Bosh to the Bulls, Bosh joins a considerably strengthened team in Chicago which includes Shaquille O'Neal starting at centre and young star point guard Derrick Rose. The Bulls bench is also alot deeper this year with veteran point guard Derek Fisher being signed in free agency and sharp shooter Kyle Korver coming over in a trade from Utah, not to mention Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. As a result of their personnel improments there will be greater expectations on the Bulls however, as fans must surely be hoping for the Bulls to better last season's first round playoff exit.

The NBA

The Dallas Mavericks will be looking to add to their first ever NBA title this year and have every chance of doing so with a largely unchanged, albeit 1 year older, roster. As for the rest of the West, the Lakers and Spurs should be looking to improve on their poor performances in last years playoffs, but they may have a new rival this year in Oklahoma City who added Amare' Stoudemire in the off-season. 2010 Eastern Conference champs the Wizards may have a tough time holding onto their crown this season with the likes of the the Magic, Heat, Cavs and newly improved Bulls in the mix, Dwyane Wade will be looking to add and NBA title to last years MVP award and will be supported by last seasons new recruit Paul Pierce. Lebron James, however, may find it even more difficult to bring a title to Cleveland this year on a depleted Cavaliers team who lost Anthony Parker to retirement and Shaquille O'Neal to free agency in the off-season, they do however, have last year's trade imports from Miami Udonis Haslem and Michael Beasley to help him out. The Nets may have an outside chance of the playoffs also having added Carlos Boozer in free agency.
Knick Terry Nolan and Sixer Jessie McDonald appear early rookie of the year favourites, however many pundits are claiming they are the best of a bad bunch in terms of 2010's weak draft, whats more both may struggle for opportunities in their respective teams this year and so it is very possible that someone else could take the award.

[BritNBAfan]

Solid moves

Thanks man, I think I have the pieces to go all the way now!

[BritNBAfan]

Bulls Roster - Season start 2010-2011

C - Shaquille O'Neal - age 38 - salary $3.93M - overall 78

C - Bart Murray - age 22 - salary $885K - overall 61

PF - Chris Bosh - age 26 - salary $13.66M - overall 85

PF - Tyrus Thomas - age 24 - salary $4.17M - overall 74

PF - Joakim Noah - age 25 - salary $2.58M - overall 77

SF - Luol Deng - age 25 - salary $11.38M - overall 78

SF - James Johnson - age 23 - salary - $1.50M - overall 66

SG - Kyle Korver - age 29 - salary - $4.13M - overall 71

PG - Derek Fisher - age 36 - salary - $2.77M - overall 74

PG - Kirk Hinrich - age 28 - salary - $9.50M - overall 77

PG - Derrick Rose - age 22, salary - $5.00M - overall 86


Players in last year of contract: Shaquille O'Neal and Derek Fisher

[BritNBAfan]

Bulls GM expects the finals



Chicago Bulls owner 41 year old British businessman Jonny Schofield stated today that the main aim of his franchise should be to become champions of the eastern conference this time around, he reminded fans that he had not forgotten the aims set out at the start of his tenure and believed this year was to be the 1st of many successful seasons for the Bulls. Last year critics scoffed at Schofields aims to win a Championship by 2012 and become the winningest team in the east, this year however more and more experts in the league are starting to realise that Schofield means business and the general consensus is that the Bulls will make at least the east semi-finals this year. Schofield has aknowledged that the rebuilding period for the Bulls is over and maintains that the time for winning is now, tomorrow nights season opener against Cleveland will give a clearer indication whether the Bulls have what it takes to be a contender this year.

[Andrew]

Shame about the first round playoff exit but as others have mentioned, no shame in losing to an eventual Finalist.

Great offseason moves though your roster is still a little small in the backcourt outside Korver. Are there any decent free agents available for the minimum? If so, it might be worth rounding out your roster with a couple of them.

[BritNBAfan]

NBA Regular Season Game 1, United Center, Chicago IL.



(1-0)Chicago Bulls 108 - 99 Cleveland Cavaliers(0-1)

Bosh leads Bulls to opening night win

Chris Bosh was 1 rebound away from a triple double on debut as the impressive looking Bulls eased past the Cavaliers on opening night. Bosh simply did it all scoring heavily early on then finding team-mates with open looks once the double teams started to come, Kirk Hinrich and Kyle Korver were the main beneficiaries from these double teams, regularly finding themselves open which allowed them to shoot a combined 6 for 11 from 3 point range on the night, Shaquille O'Neal also had an impressive debut bullying the undersized Udonis Haslem down low all night whilst helping himself to a double double and recording 4 blocks including a fantastic double block on Haslem, who will have been glad to see the back of O'Neal come the final buzzer. For the Cavs, Michael Beasley showed his touch from mid-range and top scored with 27, Mo Williams added 21, but Lebron James had a very subdued night in terms of scoring managing just 10 points, he did make 9 assists though. Another notable mention for the bulls was rookie Bart Murray, on his NBA debut the 7'1 center scored 10 points and looked handy around the rim, he also added 2 rebounds 3 assists and 2 blocks to cap an impressive debut for the 21st pick.

Game Leaders:

Points
-
Bulls (Bosh 28, Hinrich 19, Korver 15)
Cavaliers (Beasley 27, Williams 21, West 16)

Rebounds
-
Bulls (O'Neal 10, Bosh 9)
Cavaliers (Varejao 9, Haslem 7)

Assists
-
Bulls (Bosh 10, Rose 9)
Cavaliers (James 9, Williams 6)

Player of the game - Chris Bosh(CHI) - 28 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks.

[BritNBAfan]

Shame about the first round playoff exit but as others have mentioned, no shame in losing to an eventual Finalist.

Great offseason moves though your roster is still a little small in the backcourt outside Korver. Are there any decent free agents available for the minimum? If so, it might be worth rounding out your roster with a couple of them.

Thanks for the advice mate, i must admit i did feel the need for another shooting guard at times during the opening game, I may well be exploring those avenues and you might just be seeing an espn newsflash not so far in to the future lol. The only reason I would have for not adding one before the season started is that they might end up taking minutes away from other players in simulated games and negatively affecting the stats of players and thus hindering their chances of all-star appearances etc, because i feel the sim engine gives lessers players way too much game time and main rotation players suffer as a result.

[Andrew]

No worries.

Fine start to the season, great debut for Bosh. Hope you can continue that form!

[BritNBAfan]

Bulls Results Update

v Boston: L 106 - 113(OT)

v New Jersey: W 83 - 55

v New Jersey: W 98 - 88

v Toronto: L 81 - 102

@ Houston: W 92 - 81

@ Utah: L 71 - 81

Current Record: 4 - 3

Full Chicago @ Portland match report to follow, 10 game reviews throughout season also.

[Clutch]

terrific free agency for you and incredible debut for Bosh! surprised to see you struggling early though in the following matches