[NBA Live 2005] 06-07 Chicago Bulls | ASW 07 | 27-22

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Coach Skiles De-Activates Nocioni, Cites Poor Play

Bulls head coach Scott Skiles announced today at a team press conference that he has placed forward Andres Nocioni on the inactive list and that he will remain there until next month. Skiles said he was "not happy with the way Andres has played recently" and that Andres will take part in individual training sessions over the next week to work on his game. "Andres started the season very well. He was our best player of the bench and was our teams spark plug with his hustle and heart. Since then, He has not rebounded the ball like he should. He has the worst FG percentage on the team. He knows why I have de-activated him and said he will work hard on his game during his off time and hopes to return at the same level of play we expect from him" Skiles said. The Bulls have not had a 6th man they can rely on each game since Ben Gordon began starting. Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, both rookies, have been the best bench players on the roster. However, their performances are very inconsistant and the Chicago coaching staff has a tough time with their lack of depth, something they definately did not expect at the start of the season. "I will not hesitate to pull any other player on the roster for a couple of games if it means putting some sense into them. Luol nearly got the same treatment a few weeks back but we talked and I have been impressed since. I can honestly say that the only players I can count on each game are Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon. This really worries me as we continue to lose close games".

[hammertime23]

Whoa dude crazy news. That's a little extreme, but I guess it's the only way Nocioni will learn his lesson. I hope he really turns it on when he returns.

[TomCat]

been a while since i checked in on this dynasty. not going too well....

i think nocioni being put on the IR will be good for him, and he SHOULD come back a better player.

I hope you can win some more games

[3PK]

Great move it will only do good for him, i find it the best way to get a player back into form and it might also help you to get some vital wins. This will also be good to get Thabo and Tyrus some game time

[Tuomas]

Hehe, I always like when people add realism to their dynasties. Good move, actually I've never liked Nocioni

[Marquis]

Losing is cool. It gives more intrigue to the dynasty.

I guess Nocioni will be traded away from the Bulls soon, or maybe he will find his game, but I doubt about that.

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Thanks for the comments guys.

Yeah it was a little extreme, but I am happy so far. I got one more game to finish this week and I'll post an update later today. I hope I can hit some shots with him when he gets back. Its weird, it seems players in the game will be completely on fire one week (Nocioni was at the start of the season, so much so I was gonna start him over PJ and leave Thabo with mostly DNP's) and then he will be cold, shooting 1-7 on the regular. It's really frustrating. I hope I make the playoffs, because the whole point in this dynasty was to go 2 years, making the playoffs the first year then using the Knicks pick to strengthen my roster and hopefuly win a championship in year 2. Looks like its gonna be a tough job.

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Bulls Blow Out Bucks Without Nocioni

Bulls 122 | Bucks 102

The Bulls lit up the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee, scoring 122 points including 40 in the 3rd quarter. Ben Gordon led the way for the Bulls as he set a new Bulls team record on the season with 34 points on 14-25 shooting. Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich added 24 and 16 respectively while the rookies Thabo Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas added 13 and 12 a piece. The Bucks were down 17 come the start of the third quarter, and in the third the Bulls just poured it on, outscoring the Bucks by 10, including one point where they were up by 35. Chicago rested most of their starters in the fourth as the Bucks rallied, but it was too no avail. Getting the score down to 14 was as close as they got, behind 23 points from Charlie Villanueva, a former teammate of Bulls top scorer Ben Gordon. Gordon also managed to hold Michael Redd to 7 points in the first quarter as he hounded him on the perimeter, something the Bulls aren't used to seing from Gordon. The Bulls head back home to take on New Jersey on Tuesday.

Play of the Game - Ben Gordon slips a pass to Tyrus Thomas for the slam

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New Jersey Has No Answers For Deng, Bulls Pound Nets

Nets 105 | Bulls 124

Luol Deng scored 17 points in the first half on Tuesday night in Chicago as his Chicago Bulls dominated the New Jersey Nets, coming away with a 19 point win. Deng finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds despite hurting his rib just over a minute into the third quarter and not returning till 4 minutes in the fourth. Head coach Scott Skiles said Deng would be fine to go on Monday against Orlando and added Deng will not miss any practice time. Kirk Hinrich got the best of Nets point guard Jason Kidd, finishing with 15 points and 10 assists while keeping the pace at his liking. Rookie Thabo Sefolosha displayed his ability not just to score, but to set up his teammates as he wowed the crowd with some slick passes and finished with 8 assists in 27 minutes of action. Chicago never trailed in the game and seems to be doing just fine with X-factor Andres Nocioni who was deactived by Skiles after a string of weeks with extremely poor play. Skiles said Nocioni ws not on the trade block and that he would return Monday and play. The Bulls finish off December with a 12-14 record and have won two straight.

Play of the Game - Tyrus Thomas goes way up high for the put-back

[Sacke12]

Nice, finally you get something going with the Bulls. Two great wins, keep it up!

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Thanks, I hope I can. I really need to step it up and make a run next month. One of the good things that has been going on around the league has been the Knicks continuing to slip, as I own their draft pick from the Eddy Curry trade. Hopefully that continues, I believe I have 4 games in the few months against the Knicks, so those are must wins. Thanks again for the interest

Monthly recap coming up soon.

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Player of the Month - Eastern Conference: LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers

Statistics: 23.4 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 6.3 APG | 1.27 BPG | 2.00 SPG

Player of the Month - Western Conference: Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs

Statistics: 21.9 PPG | 11.0 RPG | 3.6 APG | 2.25 BPG | 1.19 SPG


Rookie of the Month - Eastern Conference: Jorge Garbajosa Toronto Raptors

Statistics: 14.4 PPG | 5.9 RPG | 4.3 APG | 0.33 BPG | 1.60 SPG

Rookie of the Month - Western Conference: Rudy Gay Memphis Grizzlies

Statistics: 18.8 PPG | 4.7 RPG | 4.7 APG | 0.63 BPG | 0.69 SPG

Around the Association - December

Chicago suffered plenty of close losses in the month of December, prompting head coach Scott Skiles to place Andres Nocioni on the injured list due to poor play. Nocioni was a key factor in most of the Bulls losses as he failed to connect on easy shots and play solid defence. As a result, his playing time dwindled. Bulls fans should be happy December has come to an end, the month that saw the Bull go 6-9 with erratic play at both ends of the court. Luol Deng suffered a minor injury to his rib during a game against New Jersey and said he is still feeling pain in tenderness in the area. Deng added that it may take a coupe of weeks to complete subside, much longer than the Bulls medical staff orginally thought.

Nocioni will return and look to impress the rest of the team on the first day of the new year as the Bulls host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. GM John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles said for now, Andres' spot on the team is safe and that they had no interest in trading him.

In other Bulls news, GM John Paxson announced his staff will begin scouting players in early January to prepare for the draft. Chicago holds the first round pick of the New York Knicks, who are in a tail spin and look to keep Chicago from picking in the lottery with improved play in 2007. The Bulls figure to draft a post player as they have no backup center and PJ Brown is widely believed to retire when the Bulls don't resign him, as he provides a cool $8 Mil in cap relief. Rumor has it that GM John Paxson will send scouts down to watch Georgetown center Roy Hibbert in the coming days. Hibbert figures to be a top 10 pick in this years drafrt.

MVP Candidates

[Marquis]

Why don't you give us the league standings or stats of your players? Everything else looks good

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Check the first post

I think it needs to be updated for the last week, I'll get round to it soon.

[Marquis]

Thanks, actually haven't thought about it I will check it more frequently, thats a lot of information

[Its_asdf]

I smell a Noicioni trade... Pretty realistic MVP candidates, a rarity in NBA Live games.

I think Roy Hibbert would be a nice draft choice if you wound up with him, he'd definitely be a nice substitute for the aging P.J. Brown.

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Nocioni Impressive In Return, Bulls Sting Magic Late

Magic 112 | Bulls 117

Chicago held their composure late as they slowly took the lead in the fourth and extended it each time the Magic fired back. Andres Nocioni, in his first game back from being in Scott Skiles "doghouse" was very impressive, nailing big time shots down the stretch to keep the lead in the Bulls favor. Nocioni finished with 18 points on 8-14 shooting, playing scrappy yet effective defence on Magic star Dwight Howard. Both Bulls rookies played limited minutes inthe first game of the new year because of ineffective play, especially on the offensive end. Luol Deng appeared very sluggish on both end on the court and seems to still be effected by pain coming from a rib he injured a week ago. Despite Ben Gordon's 36 on 12-18 shooting, the best player for the Bulls on the night was undoubtedly Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich played suffocating defence in the second half on opposing point guard Jameer Nelson, who failed to nail big shots down the stretch thanks to Hinrich, who also recorded 4 steals, a Bulls season high. Ben Wallace welcomes his former team, the Pistons, to his new home on Monday as the Bulls look to get the best of Detroit in their second meeting of the season.

Play of the Game - Tyrus Thomas catches an alley oop on the break

[TomCat]

nice. on a good winning streak. I like your chances of a playoff run now! although there is still a long way to go.

Gordon for MVP!

[WhoElseCouldItB]

nice win against the Magics...like Scoop said i also like your chances of getting to the playoffs even tho theres still more games to play....good luck with the rest of your season

[3PK]

Nice return for Andreas that will do him a world of gud, It's gud to see ur making a play-off run

[Marquis]

Good win, seems that putting Nocioni on the IR was a good move. Also Gordon was hot in this game, I like his shooting percentage.

[Its_asdf]

Glad to hear Noicioni finally wake the hell up and hit some shots. I just hope that Deng can get back to going at 100%, he's definitely my favourite Bull right now.

Azubuike for MVP.

[Sacke12]

3rd straight win, nicely done! Now keep this momentum going and make a run...

[WhoElseCouldItB]

good job on your 3rd str8 win....hopefully u can get as far the Mavs did on their streaks this year haha...

[Lean]

Nice dynasty coverage, Shannon . And thanks for using my jerseys

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Nah man, thanks for letting me use them. They look awesome at 512x512

Thanks for the interest everyone, I have been busy and haven't been able to put up a week 11 recap, but it should be up shortly, I'm just having problems getting into my photobucket album.

Thanks again.