Chicago Bulls Thread

[Andrew]

As far as the shooting guard situation goes I'd say Iguodala remains an attractive albeit unlikely option. As you know I'm still a bit wary about tinkering when they're winning at least half their games but the idea has intrigued me since you brought it up.

Fifth in Central sounds a lot worse than it is seeing as though the whole division is above .500 and in currently all top 8 in the East but it's dangerous territory. Still a couple of teams round that 9th, 10th spot that could easily overtake them. Even with last year's storming back from 0-9 and the burst that took them from .500 up to 47-35 it's just not safe.

I'm going to throw the Shawn Kemp idea out there again. If he's still looking to come back to the NBA and money isn't a factor then I wouldn't mind seeing him in Chicago. Partly because he was one of my favourites but also because he's got size and he's proven. He doesn't need to be the Reignman, just a solid big man. If he's in shape I think he can be that and I reckon it's a low risk move.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

If he's in shape I think he can be that and I reckon it's a low risk move.

"if" being the master key word here...

[Andrew]

The most recent Kemp interview featured photos that suggest he's in much better shape. For the price, a one year deal would be a low risk anyway.

[Matt]

Bulls need some big men really bad.

[air gordon]

As far as the shooting guard situation goes I'd say Iguodala remains an attractive albeit unlikely option. As you know I'm still a bit wary about tinkering when they're winning at least half their games but the idea has intrigued me since you brought it up.

Fifth in Central sounds a lot worse than it is seeing as though the whole division is above .500 and in currently all top 8 in the East but it's dangerous territory. Still a couple of teams round that 9th, 10th spot that could easily overtake them. Even with last year's storming back from 0-9 and the burst that took them from .500 up to 47-35 it's just not safe.

I'm going to throw the Shawn Kemp idea out there again. If he's still looking to come back to the NBA and money isn't a factor then I wouldn't mind seeing him in Chicago. Partly because he was one of my favourites but also because he's got size and he's proven. He doesn't need to be the Reignman, just a solid big man. If he's in shape I think he can be that and I reckon it's a low risk move.

honestly, i'm not really concerned with this year's record. making the playoffs and doing damage is always nice but with the current makeup of the roster, i think player development and defining the players roles takes precedent. not too mention they will have 2 first round picks and a lot of money to spend in the offseason

gettting the players to give 100% is a good thing but that's a sign of a middling/.500 team. the goal is here to take the next step and be a championship contender.

guys like pargo or malik allen should not be playing. Paxson needs to find out if gordon, deng, and chandler are NBA starters/going to be special players in this league or not.

That is why i think skiles should be replaced. skiles did his job- put in a system of discipline which is benefitial for a young team. but now it's time to develop that talent, let them play through their mistakes- not sit them in favor of some guy who has no future with the team.

and yes- adding someone like Kemp would be great. it would be great for both sides. if Kemp shows he has a positive attitude and work hard, it will boster his value for next offseason. for the bulls it would have a domino effect on the roster- finally skiles could settle on a starting lineup where players aren't playing out of position and the roles would be better defined. if didn't work out, cut him and find someone else. Even someone like Andrew DeClerq i'd be content with. Some stopgap player until the offseason who can clog up the middle.

anyway- hinrich will probably not get traded. i could see a gordon + NY's 1st rounnd pick + salary filler getting traded for either a Stud Wingman or Post player

[Andrew]

I see what you mean about the record. I guess with last year's performance I'm getting a bit greedy. I'd love to see them make the playoffs while still building and learning, so they've got that experience and confidence plus the advantages heading into the offseason.

More and more I'm starting to agree about replacing Skiles, even if they are above .500. You know me, I'm cautious about tinkering because I believe a lack of stability was Krause's downfall post-1998 (amongst other things) but bringing in someone who will be firm and the players will respect but won't put discipline ahead of strategy. It sometimes seems that Skiles is willing to cut his nose off to spite his face.

[Andrew]

Disappointing loss to the Bobcats. I know it's easy to underrate them and the win wasn't assured but they were 7-18 and without three key players. With that kind of advantage you wouldn't expect a 13 point loss at home. Fortunately Boston are a couple of games behind.

[air gordon]

lol wtf i don't know what happened during that game. that Gerald Wallace guy is pretty damn good when he's healthy

Brezec outplays Chandler

skiles better have run these guys into the floor during their practice today

[Andrew]

I think another running-into-the-floor practice is in order. Giving up the lead and losing after being outscored 37-21 in the fourth is just abysmal. I'm really disappointed in losses like these where they've been in control and just collapsed. Also, one would think that when a player scores 18 in the first half they'd get an opportunity to do some more damage in the second.

That's back below .500...ah well. Here's hoping they'll snap out of their funk against Memphis though with the current trend it doesn't seem likely.

[[L3]1101]

what's going on with Chandler? He was showing a lot of good things last year and this year he's just terrible. He's got a lot of potential and i was hoping this would be a break out year for him.

[Andrew]

I'd hoped he'd at least match his production from last year especially since he's starting, though he has been battling some health problems. Still disappointing though.

[Jona]

I'm just glad Chapu Nocioni had a nice game... I heard he was the best Bull on-court today.

[air gordon]

damn last minute X-mas shopping. i just saw the 1st quarter when Gordon was going bonkers

i hate reading the boxscores/reading recap to try and figure what happened

sheesh not again- friggin chandler

[maes]

what's going on with Chandler? He was showing a lot of good things last year and this year he's just terrible. He's got a lot of potential and i was hoping this would be a break out year for him.

Last year was his contract year.
This year he has a guaranteed $60M contract for 6 years.

Bulls are gonna be hurting until they get full value for the Curry trade over the next few years. They need someone in return for Tim Thomas and they need use those draft picks.

[John WB]

Is Ben Gordon playing as good as he was last year? Haven't heard much about him.

[Andrew]

I'd complain about today's loss but I'd just be covering old ground. I will say that it's a shame the second leading scorer on the team played about five minutes through the first three quarters and got six shot attempts. I hope this slump ends soon.

[Andrew]

Extended losing streaks. I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. Still don't care for it.

I know I'm covering old ground - but hey, I kept posting that Songaila should be coming off the bench and that happened, so it might be worth it - but I'm really starting to think Skiles should be shown the door. I know the importance of defense but ultimately you win a basketball game by outscoring your opponent. The ideal team can pin its opponent down with great defense but also lead a strong offensive charge to ensure they're in front at the final buzzer.

To that end, there's no way one of the team's best scorers should be playing only 20 minutes and getting only six shot attempts. How much longer can Skiles continue to substitute discipline for strategy without completely blowing what could have been another fine season? Hopefully they can turn their fortunes around soon one way or another.

[air gordon]

yep- deng should be playing at least 35mpg in every game

i've heard one nba analyst say that Paxson is giving Skiles a long leash for now since the roster is more or less in limbo- a bunch of players are playing out of position and there is no true center on the roster.

i think Paxson understands that giving 100% is a good thing, but eventually talents wins out. he's waiting in the wings for a big trade with tim thomas 14 million expiring contract, nYk's lottery pick, and possibly Ben Gordon as his bait

Is Ben Gordon playing as good as he was last year? Haven't heard much about him.

nope starting slow, similar to last year though teams are keying on him now

[Andrew]

i've heard one nba analyst say that Paxson is giving Skiles a long leash for now since the roster is more or less in limbo- a bunch of players are playing out of position and there is no true center on the roster.

i think Paxson understands that giving 100% is a good thing, but eventually talents wins out. he's waiting in the wings for a big trade with tim thomas 14 million expiring contract, nYk's lottery pick, and possibly Ben Gordon as his bait

Makes sense, though it's still frustrating as I believe the team can be - and should be - winning at the moment.

Anyway, second loss to Charlotte today. Insert usual rants here about losing games they should be able to win by double digits.

[air gordon]

i've heard one nba analyst say that Paxson is giving Skiles a long leash for now since the roster is more or less in limbo- a bunch of players are playing out of position and there is no true center on the roster.

i think Paxson understands that giving 100% is a good thing, but eventually talents wins out. he's waiting in the wings for a big trade with tim thomas 14 million expiring contract, nYk's lottery pick, and possibly Ben Gordon as his bait

Makes sense, though it's still frustrating as I believe the team can be - and should be - winning at the moment.

Anyway, second loss to Charlotte today. Insert usual rants here about losing games they should be able to win by double digits.

i don't agree with this. in order to beat any decent team, the bulls team almost have to play the perfect game just to be in it. as i told you before, andrew, none of the games they've won have been blowouts. they have to scrap & claw their way to wins. they have decent talent on the team but at this point, none of the players are good enough, at least at this point, to cover the team's weaknesses

offensively- they have no inside game. sweetney is ok but he's forced to go against centers (not his fault), which makes him less effective. basically the scoring burden is on the perimeter players. the bulls don't get many transition baskets & the perimeter players seldom get to the FT line. So sadly it's feast or famine from the outside.

defensively- they're small on the perimeter and small inside. any team that a has a good post scorer or a big guard who can score gives the team shits. a lot of their defense is predicated on helpside so any time the rotations are slow, they get burned.

...

it was a waste of time watching this bobcats game.

[Andrew]

Perhaps I am expecting a little much, but I still think they can be around .500 even if they're overachieving to do it. In any event, hopefully Thomas can be dealt for someone more useful. It's just disappointing that they started out quite promisingly but have fallen apart as of late.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

From what I have seen, Chandler is a total disappointment this year... especially for the money he is receiving. Sweetney is uncharacteristically fat, and the rest of teh frontcourt consists of bangers like Nocioni...

But the main problem of the current Bulls franchise is that there is no definitive go-to scorer, that can be depended upon throughout the ENTIRE game.

[j.23]

i now understand why the bulls need a decent front court player


just.. wow

[Andrew]

Talk about going small...shame they couldn't pull it off, I thought they were going to take it for a while there. If only Gordon could have made that shot at the end of regulation. 15, 5 and 5 is good though. He did shoot 7/19 though so I guess he'll play 8 minutes off the bench in the next game.

[j.23]

i read somewhere that scott skiles let hinrich, duhon and someone else run practice for a day because he (skiles) had the impression that the team was tuning him out. sounds like a great idea albeit it's not producing results right now