Chicago Bulls Thread

[air gordon]

your thabo post was a direct response to my trying to stop wade post so you were implying exactly that imo. but thanks for clarifying it

I disagree with Pax that the Bulls just started getting slap happy. They fouled because Ben Gordon is simply not capable of cleanly stopping Shawn Marion on the break. Duhon is not going to be able to stop Kobe Bryant. We're so small, one screen and a defensive switch and you've got BG guarding some other team's SF, like Matrix or Melo.

i'm not so sure i can agree with Pax and you hehe.

i do think the Bulls offensive players were not consistently aggressive last season. For a lot of the games, they'd always be shooting less FTa's then their opponents. Personally i think if the team would try to attack the basket more, this slap happy excuse/theory wouldn't even be raised... even if Chandler was the biggest hack on the team (amongst the worst in fouls per minute)

[maes]

even if Chandler was the biggest hack on the team (amongst the worst in fouls per minute)

ROFL i forgot we don't have Chandler anymore...that should lower our fouls by a huge margin

[air gordon]

trainig camp has started and it's monday. so time for everyones favorite writer, behind Chad Ford, to put out a trade recommendation for the Bulls

this time it's Deng and some for Maggette...

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-061008smith,1,5842110.column?coll=cs-bulls-utility

maggette's a pretty ok player though fgrep will tell you different hehe. if the bulls were to trade for a legit scorer, they should aim higher

[maes]

I agree wholeheartedly (i have for all of last season) with Sam's assessment that the biggest problem with the Bulls is the inability to draw double teams or fouls via an offensive machine, and Maggette is certainly one of the best at drawing fouls. But they should hold on to their cards for a bigger deal. I still think an All-Star level player may get sick of their current situation and the Bulls are a potential championship team with a big "insert star scorer here" sign above their heads.

PJ Brown + Deng + Sweetney will match most all star level salaries. Throw in the Knick's 1st round draft pick in the Oden lottery next year...teams will cough up a lot more than Corey Maggette.

But in the end i think Paxs will sit tight. If he really thought the Bulls needed more scoring he probably would have either a) used Chandler to get Al Harrington instead of PJ Brown, b) drafted Roy instead of Tyrus Thomas.

What can you do...the guy really likes defense

EDIT: I think it's interesting they're not extending Hinrich...is there a possible deal in the works? Unless Hinrich suffers a major injury, i can't see a PG with his shooting, height, and defense going for cheap on the free agent market. Seems like they're headed to a Joe Johnson situation.

[Ashman23]

Quick question, do the Bulls still have an open spot on their roster and who are we looking at?

Good read Air Gordon.

[Dan's Brain]

sit tight pax, there's been heaps of changes this off-season already. give the guys a chance to play together before you start hacking into the team again.

[air gordon]

I agree wholeheartedly (i have for all of last season) with Sam's assessment that the biggest problem with the Bulls is the inability to draw double teams or fouls via an offensive machine, and Maggette is certainly one of the best at drawing fouls.

that's one thing i can agree on with Mr. Smith too.

But they should hold on to their cards for a bigger deal. I still think an All-Star level player may get sick of their current situation and the Bulls are a potential championship team with a big "insert star scorer here" sign above their heads.


PJ Brown + Deng + Sweetney will match most all star level salaries. Throw in the Knick's 1st round draft pick in the Oden lottery next year...teams will cough up a lot more than Corey Maggette.

i guess it's still possible, especially with the nYK pick. but i do think NYK will do better then last year. it's pretty tough to have only 23 wins back to back.

But in the end i think Paxs will sit tight. If he really thought the Bulls needed more scoring he probably would have either a) used Chandler to get Al Harrington instead of PJ Brown, b) drafted Roy instead of Tyrus Thomas.

What can you do...the guy really likes defense

I think Pax is expecting big years offensive-wise from Gordon, Hinrich, and Noce after seeing them average 20ppg in the playoffs. Plus there's Deng, who is finally 100%.

did Paxson even express interest in obtaining Harrington this past offseason? i guess we'll never know if Atlanta would have rather have the trade exception plus a 1st round pick or Chandler's fat contract.

lol im beginning to think you didn't like Paxson's pick

EDIT: I think it's interesting they're not extending Hinrich...is there a possible deal in the works? Unless Hinrich suffers a major injury, i can't see a PG with his shooting, height, and defense going for cheap on the free agent market. Seems like they're headed to a Joe Johnson situation.

remember- this is SAM SMITH reporting this. he didn't even mention as to why he thinks so. he just said "it's beginning to look"

i wouldn't read much into it since Hinrich is the face of the franchise and the Bulls can match any offer next year if Paxson and Hinrich's Agent can't agree on an extension this year

Quick question, do the Bulls still have an open spot on their roster and who are we looking at?

the 15th spot has been reported as being the last open spot. the trib recently reported Schensher (sp?) had the inside track on it

[maes]

As i recall, Harrington was the #2 option behind Ben Wallace...and many writers assumed Wallace would stay w/ Detroit and Chicago would get big Al.

I love the Thabo pick (we finally have our big combo guard), Tyrus i'm sure will be a great player but in how many years? He's a no brainer for a Toronto or Atlanta, but the Bulls are actually trying to make a playoff run now, this year & next. I dunno, hopefully i'm wrong and Tyrus can contribute right away.

What do you guys think of Khryapa? I've never seen him play.

[Andrew]

I haven't seen him play either so perhaps I'm selling him short but I mostly see him as turning out to be a fairly good throw-in in the Aldridge/Thomas swap who will come in here and there and hit a few shots from time to time when the Bulls need points and he gets open looks. His numbers in Portland were OK considering he played less than half a game on average but I don't see him as being a key player in the rotation.

[air gordon]

maes- yeh i wasn't so sure since Paxson keeps it quiet regarding who he's interested in... though he is quick to shoot down any false rumors. only until Wallace was signed/thomas was picked did Paxson reveal his cards. but i don't remember him mentioning who his backup plans were- the writers just speculated

who knows about Thomas? i'm encouraged to see from summer league and last nite's game,- Thomas has some offensive awareness/skills to go with his all world athleticism.

Thabo looked nervous out there. didn't play well

as far as Khryapa, i was impressed. i thought he was a project however last nite he showed some skills- has a good outside shot and even had a reverse layup- set up by a drive off a shot fake. i know it's one exhibition game but this guy did show he can put the ball in basket.. similar to Darius Songalia.

go figure- Ben Wallace's first FTA was an airball

[Matt]

Ben Wallace's first FTA was an airball

the only part of his game i don't miss

[air gordon]

undefeated in preseason so far

though more importantly there hasn't been the chemsitry problem/adjustment period i expected. it seems like the offseason aqcuisitions have picked up on the system already

PJ Brown and Wallace have looked comfortable with their new teammates and vice versa. Brown's ability to hit the midrange jumper is ideal for the Bulls system. im so used to seeing him in teal- he looks weird in the Chicago red and white. Wallace has had some funny moments on on the FT line and some decent face up moves to the basket as well

Thabo and Khryapa continue to impress. they should be regulars in what should be a deep Skiles rotation. i was thinking- if Duhon was 6'7 with long arms, he would be Thabo.

Thomas played some '2' guard today... matching up with Manu
i thought he was forcing things too much tonite but i'll give him credit for attacking the basket (even on Duncan). he did have 2 awesome sequences- blocked a shot down low and finished the break with a monster dunk.. then later stole the ball on the perimeter and went coast-to-coast for the flush

[Andrew]

undefeated in preseason so far

It didn't last. Looks like I've passed the jinx on to you.

Tough game for Gordon from the field. Did anyone see the game?

[maes]

Definitely a Bulls style loss.

We had a better FG%, better 3P%, more points in the paint (even against KG), fewer TOs, more fastbreak points. We had 11 steals and 9 blocks to their 6 steals and 2 blocks. And we still lose because of our fouling.

The 11th man off their bench got 6 free throws and i didn't even see him play.

TT fouled out in 18 minutes. He's also been turning the ball over as much as he's been scoring. 3 TOs vs Minney, 4 vs Memphis, 3 vs SAS.

[air gordon]

heh i dont mind jinxing preseason games

didn't see the game. wasn't televised in Chicago. but there was a radio broadcast on a FM station... which was pretty cool because for once you could hear Neil Funk and Beef Wennington in stereo hehe

i wouldn't look too much into those stats, maes

though the '3' spot seems up for grab. Skiles wants to settle on a set starting lineup (for once!) but can't since Deng has missed the last 2 games due to him getting his British citizenship. about a week more until the season starts!

sam smith had an article about chandler if anyone's interested
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com ... ls-utility
very similar to the one that was in espn's mag a few weeks back

[shadowgrin]

Byron Scott wants Chandler to shoot like a mad man in the post.

[Andrew]

Fox Sports Australia will be showing the Bulls/Heat season opener next Wednesday. Good stuff.

Meanwhile, Bulls picked up another preseason win. Glancing at the boxscores, I see Skiles went with a starting five of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni and Wallace. Gordon had a better game, Thomas and Brown had pretty solid numbers off the bench. Perhaps someone who actually saw the game could offer some in-depth opinions.

[Dan's Brain]

Fox Sports Australia will be showing the Bulls/Heat season opener next Wednesday. Good stuff.

OH SHIT YEAH! im psyched. cant wait!

re: Memphis game, Tyrus and Thabo both did pretty well, solid all-round numbers from each of them. and a good game from Khryapa too. Rudy Gay was a little disappointing, but by and large he's been pretty good so far.

I like that line-up too. PJ Brown coming off the bench ensures that he will still be there at the business end of the season, and gives the Bulls even more options down the stretch.

[Andrew]

There's a Bulls/Cavs game that'll be shown later in November as well.

[Matt]

good stuff, might have to skip class early to watch the game. I take it ESPN will have a game on saturday? too bad Foxtels guide is only for 7 days.

NBA Action is back on this friday btw.

Bulls v Heat should be good matchup, can't wait

[Andrew]

Yep, first game on ESPN Australia will be Cavs/Spurs on the Saturday at 12:00 PM (AEST). I believe Fox Sports will have one on the Friday as well for a total of three games in opening week.

[Fenix]

Notes from the preseason (yep, I didn't have my own computer, but that didn't stop me from watching TVU player).

-Pax is God. I don't care if it means trading either Nocioni or Deng down the line, Tyrus was the best pick possible. He's so active, so athletic and just so filled with potential. Is he raw? Sure, but that doesn't mean he can't contribute right now with playing a role of a bigger Gerald Wallace (who sometimes played a combo forward role last season). His spin moves are very impressive, although he likes to overuse them. His jumpshot is something I like less and less. With that technique, he's bound to be merely a streak shooter. I'm confident the Bulls staff will work with him on that.

-BG doesn't seem like someone with All-Star potential to me. I thought him not going to the rim merely enough was just a mental thing, but now it looks like he's just not that talented. For all of his athleticism and strength, he still lacks that explosive quickness of someone like AI to make up for the lack of height. He's just too short to emulate someone like Arenas.

-PJ is aging.

-Deng's progression doesn't seem as fast/drastic as I thought it will be.

-Sefolosha is totally lost out there. I loved this guy in SL where he looked like a ROY candidate. I really hope he bounces back, because I hate to see Hinrich guarding SGs all the time.

[Dean]

Thoughts on the Bulls yet to sign Hinrich to an extension?
Personally i think its a move that has to be made. This guy IS the Bulls at the moment, and the way he has stepped up the last 2 seasons in the playoffs makes me sure this guy is a keeper. Then factor in his defense, leadership, and the ability to consistently nail jumpshots, and three's and thats basically why i think its critical to re-sign him as soon as possible, before other teams get a chance to make ridiculous offers.

Fenix, in regard to Tyrus.. In your opinion, could he develop some range and become a legitimate go-to scorer?

Also, can't wait until the Bulls/Heat opener

[Fenix]

If anyone, then Hinrich has to be signed. He represents everything these Bulls are about: hard work and defense. I can't imagine he won't be signed in favour of resigning Gordon or Nocioni. Him and Deng should be Bulls' priorities next offseason. Everyone else comes later.

Fenix, in regard to Tyrus.. In your opinion, could he develop some range and become a legitimate go-to scorer?

It will take time, but I'd say Tyrus will become a pretty decent shooter even if he keeps his current form. He can make jumpshots out to 20 feet, but for him to become more consistent, a change of form is needed. He's athletic and long-armed enough to shoot wih his current one, but his psychical characteristics in combination with a faster shot would be deadly. I'm convinced he'll be a better shooter than Marion down the road.

As far as him becoming a legitimate go-to scorer goes, I have my doubts. If I once again compare him to Marion, I'd say he'll be more skilled and a better shooter with the same ability to score off the ball. But it's his ability to pass, to run with the ball and an obviously very good feeling for the game in combination with his agresivness that tells you that even if he doesn't end up incredibly skilled, he'll still be an effective scorer. But to answer your question, no I don't think he'll become a primary offensive option on a winning team. He showed flashes of ability to create his own shot on a regular basis in the SL, but he has yet to show something like that against NBA competition. If he does that, then I'll change my opinion.

[CMJ3]

Whats wrong with Wallace? he doesnt look too good out there. Maybe hes still adjusting, but you better hope hes right for the season otherwise your doomed at the center position. Hes only had like 1 block the whole time.