Chicago Bulls Thread

[Moz]

Do you think Boozer is indeed on his way out, either as a salary dump with his expiring contract come the offseason, or as a last-chance amnesty?

With the way Thibs' playing him nowadays, it's easy to say he is indeed but I reckon It all depends on the Mirotic deal... from how I perceived the Bull's management, If he doesn't come they'll keep Boozer and will try to trade him on the deadline/ let him walk away then try their luck on free agency at the off-season and/or lure Mirotic again...

[NovU]

Only reason Boozer starts over Gibson looks like it's for the chemistry issue. Gibson plays well off the bench and Boozer is more comfy as a starter. Otherwise, I think it's clear Gibson's a better player at this point. So long Boozer(amnesty).

[NovU]

nice payback game by the bulls tonight. what's more interesting is that noah murdered hibbert on both ends(didn't watch the game but statistically it looks like he did). this should greatly increase noah's chance against hibbert in dpoy race. nice

[Andrew]

Uncharacteristically quiet game for Augustin in that one, but Hinrich did a decent job filling in the scoresheet in the backcourt and Gibson turned in a fairly strong performance too. Even if the Pacers have been a bit out of sorts recently, it's still a fine win over one of the best teams in the league.

[Moz]

A balanced scoring game but the early 3 quarters are clumsy (specifically Dunleavy which seems to be like that for some games now)... good adjustments though at the 4th highlighted by this one...

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Also the Raptor lost today and they'll be facing the Rockets and Pacers next... opportunities for the Bulls to grab the 3rd spot...

[Andrew]

With Brooklyn starting to get things together, I'd rather they face Washington in the first round. Conventional wisdom obviously says that there's a limit on what they can realistically expect to accomplish in the postseason, but I'd like to see them get out of the first round and cause a bit of concern for their second round opponent. Right now, I'd pick the Wizards as the more favourable first round opponent.

[erudain]

wish they hadn't waited until the 4th quarter to finally switch it up and blow them away...

[Moz]

What an ugly 4th quarter.... fortunately they managed to hang on... the Raptors got both the Rockets and Pacers down so the tag of war carries on... the Bucks is interested claiming Erik Murphy off waivers so now they don't have to choose if they'll sign Mike James or Ronnie Brewer with them possibly signing both if the Bucks signs Murphy...

[Andrew]

Kept glancing at the play-by-play on Yahoo! NBA while watching the ESPN doubleheader yesterday, was relieved to see they didn't let it slip away. Tough night shooting the ball for Noah.

A much better effort against the Wizards for their fifth win in a row, equaling their win total from last season with a few games left in this one. For all their bad luck, they've had a respectable couple of years.

[Stress Fracture]

So Ronnie Brewer returns to Chicago. Maybe adding another defensive player in case they face the Heat in the playoffs?

[Andrew]

It can't hurt, but the real problem is at the other end, especially against a team like the Heat. At some point, they're going to break even the best defense, making it a matter of keeping up with them offensively. It doesn't matter if you hold your opponent to 85 points if you can't score 86 and on some nights, that's a real struggle for the Bulls.

Still, no objections to Brewer being brought back for a Playoff run. Hope he can contribute some productive minutes.

[NovU]

So the Nets are uber hot. More reasons to get that 3rd seed now.

[Andrew]

Absolutely. I guess we'd at least likely see a great series in Miami/Brooklyn, but I'd be disappointed to see it come about at the Bulls' expense.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Bulls/Heat is much more entertaining and interesting than Nets/Heat.

And The Return will be like the icing on top.

[Andrew]

Sure, I'm not saying Bulls/Heat would be boring, and I'd certainly be invested in that. But the Nets' success against the Heat this season would make that series interesting for me too, should it come about.

Good win over the Timberwolves to keep the current longest winning streak in the league alive at six. Another day, another triple double for Joakim Noah as well.

[Moz]

So the Nets are uber hot. More reasons to get that 3rd seed now.

The Wizards are not a cakewalk also with both Nene and Gortat manning their frontline... specifically Nene which seems giving the Bulls frontline fits on their previous games and of course they got John Wall which the Bulls doesn't have any on their backcourt (unless you put Butler at it) to contain him...

Another triple double for Joakim and he's been consistently hitting those open 15/18 footers lately (also noticed he's somewhat have this better looking follow through on his shots)... pretty good ball rotation and spacing too for the past few games... almost identical schedule for the Bulls and the Raptors on their final games with the latter facing New York twice (who's chasing for a playoff spot)...

[Andrew]

True, that's not to discount the season the Wizards have had or the difficulty the Bulls might have with them, but I think the Nets are shaping up to be a tougher opponent.

[erudain]

Solid win last night.....I'm not sure I like this "let's get serious for a half only" games we're having lately...but hell...won't argue with the results.

Raptor just wont lose....someone get those dinos extinct....

[Moz]

Awesome 4th quarter for the Bulls and a great 2nd half in total... solo for 3rd now as the Raptors lost to the Knicks (as I expected) all they have to do now is sweep the remaining games... the only complain I have is when Thibs subbed out Dunleavy for Hinrich in mid 4th quarter... it somewhat killed the momentum for a while glad Taj and the defense caught up and cemented this one...

[NovU]

Nice. It could be Wizards in the first round then the Pacers next. Favorable path over Nets and Heat I guess.

Also do you guys think Noah's going to win DPOY? Hibbert's out of the race now imo due to recent slide.

[Moz]

Or the Bobcats which I prefer more than the Wizards but as I've said they need to sweep the remaining games to guarantee it... With Anthony Davis gone, Dwight and Ibaka having sub par season and Hibbert running out of gas, he'll definitely will... these awards heavily relies on the player's hype anyway and he's the most hyped to get it this season (not that Joakim doesn't deserve it)... the only one I can see that's in consideration is Deandre Jordan but the Clippers are allowing alot more points to their opponent compared to the Bulls so scrap that...

[Andrew]

Here's hoping for another great second half to get the job done against the Knicks.

Noah's great defense has received a fair amount of attention this season, so it seems quite likely that he'll get the well-deserved nod for the award.

[Moz]

Missed opportunity against the Knicks almost making a comeback but the shots aren't falling... they should've attack the basket though instead of settling for jumpshots since the Knicks got into penalty early in the fourth...

Expected this win since they don't have Vucevic to contain the Bulls frontline... Fredette has a nice game but not impressed with his playmaking skills and he dribbles too much (good shooter though)... have to win the Bobcats game and hope that the Raptors lose again to the Knicks (or just concede and rest the key players for the playoffs)... Also they waived Shengelia and signed Greg Smith...

[erudain]

man I want that 3rd seed badly.....just to piss off the Heat and not give them a easy schedule to the conference final.....2nd round Pacer - Nets // Heat - Bulls

[Andrew]

The Knicks loss was embarrassing, but Noah's play continues to be stellar at the right time of the year. Triple double number five against the Knicks and two assists shy of registering a sixth in the win over the Magic. I have a feeling they're going to be stuck with the fourth seed and the Nets in the first round.