Chicago Bulls Thread

[Andrew]

after experiencing the Ben Wallace fiasco, i don't see Paxson and more importantly the guy who signs the checks, Reinsdorf, letting that happen again

I certainly hope so. I'd hate to see another Ben Wallace or Ron Mercer type scenario unfold out of desperation to make a noteworthy move.

[The X]

The X- i almost dread players like Gibson: low mistaken prone & "get the game" but pretty limited on talent types. coaches love these players and as a result sometimes give them more PT then they should get (kind of sounds like Skiles-Duhon). Diaw was killing Gibson last nite. they need someone like Tyrus for those athletic "4's". thank goodness in the bobcat game VDN went with the small lineup in crunchtime. i do agree with you that Hinrich does look like the best player for the bulls at times. he does have a nice "floor" game and now that he's the 6th man he's been playing more relaxed.

I can't disagree with your assessment of Gibson & I see where you're coming from. I'll keep my opinion that he's a solid pickup for an early 2nd Round pick (what he should've been). But then again, I thought Bulls would grab Blair (twice) as to me he made more sense. Enough what if's though, I definitely have enjoyed the couple of games I've seen with Hinrich starting to get back to his old self, which is always good to see.

I haven't really see much of James Johnson so am keen to see what he's got to offer.

[Andrew]

I think a lot of teams are going to regret passing on Blair.

[The X]

I guess it happens every year. Josh Howard, Gilbert Arenas, Michael Redd, list goes on & on. I think at times GM's really outsmart themselves.

[Fresh8]

No incentive? Wade is from Chicago isn't he? Played at Marquette (in Wisconsin), which is nearby. I think Wade is a lot bigger draw than Rose is or ever will be. Bulls would be top 4 in East again with Wade. If he can make Heat top 5 in East with their average roster then he can help Bulls even more. But it is Paxson & that other guy we are talking about though

If Wade were to sign for the Bulls, it would be a major major coup. I don't think it will happen though.

As for the Bulls, we been getting a lot of Bulls games televised over here on tv... they don't look very impressive right now. Luol Deng is a beast though, just had to point it out.

[Andrew]

It doesn't say much for their opponents or the Eastern Conference in general, given their current place in the standings (for what it's worth, they have an identical record to the Rockets and Mavericks as of this post). I don't think that will last too long though.

[air gordon]

The Jazz are struggling so far, so Boozer looks like the biggest possibility. If only the three-team trade that would have sent Kirk to Portland and Boozer to Chicago would have happened

i'm convinced that Paxson will not trade Hinrich. if it miraculously happens he will cry like Krause did when he traded Kukoc. Even if the bulls traded for Boozer before the deadline, i don't trust him to resign

I think a lot of teams are going to regret passing on Blair.

it's possible. but it's understandable why he slipped out of the 1st round- no GM wanted to hand a 3yr contract to rookie with no ACL's.

I'll keep my opinion that he's a solid pickup for an early 2nd Round pick (what he should've been). But then again, I thought Bulls would grab Blair (twice) as to me he made more sense

yeh but the bulls picked Gibson in the 1st round so i'm holding him to a higher standard

i thought too the bulls were going to grab Blair after getting whooped by Big Baby Davis & Perkins in the playoffs last year. it would have been amusing to have another fatboy throwing his weight around

Sit-the bulls aren't supposed to be impressive this year. but wins over the Cavs and Spurs

[Fresh8]

Sit-the bulls aren't supposed to be impressive this year. but wins over the Cavs and Spurs

I saw the win against the Cavs. Loved the last play

[Lamrock]

I bandwagon several teams every year, and the Bulls are one of them. Big fan of Joakim Noah, and I love that Deng is playing so well. Honestly my least favorite player of theirs is Derrick Rose

[Andrew]

Tough break against the Nuggets, that was damn close. Not surprisingly the Nuggets are saying that justice prevailed and the right call was made, watching the replays I can't really say that the Bulls were robbed but if Miller didn't get the shot off in time as it was ruled, he had to be a hundreth of a second or a fingertip away from beating the buzzer.

[Bodz]

I watched the replay as well; it was really damn close. I thought Miller got it off clean though.

[Andrew]

As I said, if he didn't he was a hundredth, maybe a thousandth of a second or a fingertip away from getting it off in time. The right call was probably made but it's a heartbreaker all the same.

[Dan's Brain]

annoying bit of karmic payback for the clutch Tyrus Thomas tip-in against the Nuggets last year. Really good finish though.

[benji]

Noah was probably the teams most important player.

There's nobody on this team outside of Noah and Rose that I'd ever resign

He's been overtly showing why the last two games. (And really, all season long.)

[Lamrock]

Indeed. He's been kicking ass this year. Didn't see it coming when he was drafted, but Noah could be an all-star, he certainly deserves it. Luol Deng has been good too, but Noah good. Rose has regressed, but its only been a couple weeks.

[Andrew]

I've grumbled about Noah in the past and I'd still agree with AG in that if an offer they couldn't refuse came along then they'd have to pull the trigger on trading him, but I'm liking what I'm seeing from him. As with Deng, I don't mind being proven wrong.

[air gordon]

Noah was probably the teams most important player.

There's nobody on this team outside of Noah and Rose that I'd ever resign

He's been overtly showing why the last two games. (And really, all season long.)

oh benji you are sooooo smart. and Lamrock, stay away haha j/k

good for noah. looks like he put down the bottle and put out the joint this past offseason and did some weight lifiting/ran some. i never thought he'd be able to stand up to the beast w/one testicle named Nene.

and good for Deng. i don't think he likes the contact but he's trying and staying healthy so far...

Rose needs to get his jumpshot like Tony Parker's post-2005

Miller's basket should have counted. the refs wouldn't have question it as much if the shot came from a closer distance... say even from the ft line

[Andrew]

Having watched the replay a few more times since, I'm starting to agree. It was so close, a tough break that they followed up with a loss in which they're outscored 16-3 at the finish. Doesn't help when Salmons is 1/11 from the field...glancing at the boxscores and seeing Gordon shoot 10/16 against the Bobcats is a bit of a downer as well.

[Bodz]

Looks like the Bulls did a pretty good job today against the 76ers beating them 94-88. 6 players with double digit scores, the only blemish is Rose's 7 turnovers as they begin their circus trip.

[Andrew]

These are the times where losses like the ones against the Nuggets and Raptors really hurt them and help put them in a hole, because they need that cushion when they go on the road for six or seven games. They're above .500 for now, but could very easily slip below it and down to the 11th or 12th spot in the East, once again playing catchup for most of the season.

[air gordon]

not with you on that one, andrew

what difference does it make if they lost those 2 games? they weren't favored to win those anyway. in fact they won a few they shouldn't have so they are on the plus side

but seriously- there's no need to overreact. the bulls aren't a terrible team like in the past where the season already feels like it's a lost cause because they didn't notch a few wins heading into the dreaded 'circus trip'

btw- How many wins do think the Bulls will get, Andrew? do you think they will make the playoffs??

[Andrew]

I think they can finish at least few games over .500, say around 44-45 wins and that will be enough to make the Playoffs.

[shadowgrin]

I'm making a prediction that the Bulls will eventually battle it out against the Bucks for the last playoff spot.

[Andrew]

Unless of course, the Bucks somehow stay atop the Central.

[Lamrock]

Damn 3000th post in this thread. That's not a bad prediction Shadow, though its looking like the Bucks are going to be in the middle of the playoff picture, provided Bogut stays healthy and Jennings doesn't hit the rookie wall too hard.