Chicago Bulls Thread

[air gordon]

you are welcome to discuss the Bulls victory over the heat in miami

Turn back the clock efforts by Boozer and Hinirch. Wins like this keep me semi-interested until Rose comes back

[Andrew]

Yeah, that was great to see, I was expecting it to be a blowout for the Heat. Hopefully we see a little more of those versions of Boozer and Captain Kirk.

[22cedric]

It is reported that Daequan Cook will be signed to the Chicago Bulls roster.

[Andrew]

Could be a decent addition, someone who can come in and knock down a few threes off the bench. I'm guessing he comes in on a 10 day contract to begin with, so not a lot of risk while they see how he'll pan out.

[air gordon]

a team ranked pretty low in 3pt shooting could use some. so trade rip already!

[Andrew]

Could be a tough sell.

Meanwhile, had some gift cards so I picked this up yesterday:

[Dan's Brain]

a team ranked pretty low in 3pt shooting could use some. so trade rip already!

And then they go and hit 10 of 14 against the Cavs! But yeah, it's an alright signing. Probably won't see a lot of time until a Rip trade does happen.

Nice little hot streak developing from Boozer as well. Three 20-10 games in a row and wins in all of them.

[shadowgrin]

I see Boozer's not using his spray on hair. No chemicals to affect and weaken his body so he's playing well.

[Andrew]

Coincidence? Perhaps not...

[koberulz]

Could be a tough sell.

Meanwhile, had some gift cards so I picked this up yesterday:

I saw that the other day, and wanted the Essentials set, but already have the Dynasty Series and Learning to Fly sets. Both of which were on the shelf next to it. No sign of the Essentials set on its own though.

[Andrew]

Essentials apparently came out yesterday, according to the JB Hi-Fi website, so should be available now.

Meanwhile, another lead against the Bucks blown for a home loss.

[Dan's Brain]

First few minutes of the 3rd were as ugly as all fuck. Nate and Boozer were looking terrific during the first half, but as the second half started, Hamilton started chucking shots and looked fucking atrocious, watching him amble after Monta Ellis and Jennings was also incredibly depressing.

Hamilton doesn't work as a 17 minute-playing starter. He gets too cold and his shot turns to shit. Not suggesting at all that his minutes should be increased. I think once Rose gets back, he needs to be gone. Belinelli plays better as a starter. Hinrich and Nate can both function as combo guards, and you've got Jimmy off the bench who can guard the bigger 2s.

[Andrew]

Time to start bringing him off the bench.

Meanwhile, Rose is apparently dunking and beginning to take some contact in practice, which sounds encouraging.

[koberulz]

Essentials apparently came out yesterday, according to the JB Hi-Fi website, so should be available now.

Excellent. Will have to head over and get myself a copy.

Wandering a bit off-topic, but those Essentials sets are horribly done. Four of the five Celts games are available elsewhere, as are three of the Knicks games. Even the Bulls set threw in 98 G6, which is also in the Bulls Dynasty Series, Top Ten Greatest, and Ultimate Jordan. Let it go, people.

[Andrew]

Yeah, the NBA could stand to be putting out some better boxsets and standalone DVDs on the whole, with the repetition of content being one of the main problems. I had a quick look at the Lakers' set, if you've got the Dynasty boxset and the two championship DVDs there's no reason to pick it up.

[Dan's Brain]

Ugh. Win's a win... again. Amazeballs game from Luol Deng. Probably one of the best I've ever seen from him. Shame that Booz couldn't keep his 20-10 streak going, but he was still fairly solid.

Turnovers are an issue, hoping that a Rose return will eventually alleviate that.

[RedPhazon8]

Ugh. Win's a win... again. Amazeballs game from Luol Deng. Probably one of the best I've ever seen from him. Shame that Booz couldn't keep his 20-10 streak going, but he was still fairly solid.

Turnovers are an issue, hoping that a Rose return will eventually alleviate that.

It was like Deng and Melo swapped roles on the offensive end for the most part. Bulls lacked a good closing effort but I'm not too concerned about it.

[graybakflip]

Whats the time-table for Rose? I mean he looks great on the shoot arounds, after all-star break maybe? Great win against our rivals

[RedPhazon8]

Whats the time-table for Rose? I mean he looks great on the shoot arounds, after all-star break maybe? Great win against our rivals

Most say around the All-Star break, but honestly for me, I'd say take your time as long as the Bulls are anything higher then the 8th seed (maybe even 7th). In my opinion the Bulls are good enough to take on anyone in the playoffs whether they're at home or on the road so I would rather have him come back with enough time to mold for the playoffs, but not have to deal with Miami in the first round. I'd say they're the only team that would be a legit threat if the Bulls go in and stay healthy.

[Dan's Brain]

He should be fine by just before the break, maybe a bit sooner, but there's not much point bringing him back before it. Give him the extra week.

[Andrew]

Nice to see him out there shooting around a bit before the game. I'm absolutely fine with them being careful with him and taking however long they need. The team's done an admirable job staying afloat without him and after an injury like that, exercising some caution sounds like the smart way to go. As always, hoping for the best.

They let another lead slip a bit, not unlike the last game in New York, but once again they come up with a good (if not overwhelming) road win. Huge game from Deng, Belinelli and Gibson were solid off the bench, even Hamilton managed to chip in. Boozer may not have posted his best numbers, but we can enjoy this:

phpBB [video]

Hope they keep the momentum going against the Suns tomorrow. They've been unusually mediocre at home so far this year, very strange. Even when they've been around the .500 mark in years gone by, their home record has been pretty decent, but they've been better on the road so far this season. Losses like the two Bucks games certainly hurt, hopefully they can put an end to that trend.

[Andrew]

Well, another disappointing home loss yesterday. Hopefully they fare better against the Hawks.

[Dan's Brain]

Hopefully they fare better against the Hawks.

Well, that did the trick.

Outstanding game by the Bulls. Records were being broken all over the place in the first half, particularly the second quarter, and they kept the pressure on (mostly) to put the game well beyond doubt early in the third. None of the Atlanta starters made it to double figures, and only Mike Scott was able to clinch the feat at all, thanks to the defence being shut off in the final two possessions.

Taj was outstanding, as he's slowly regaining the form that got him the contract. Boozer was incredibly aggressive on the offensive end, and also did well defensively against Josh Smith, by just backing the fuck off and letting him shoot them out of the game. Great energy from Nate and Jimmy Butler and nice to see Daequan Cook finally get on the board as a Bull.

[RedPhazon8]

Only five points in a quarter, that's horrible...

[Andrew]

Could get used to that kind of performance in home games.