Chicago Bulls Thread

[Andrew]

Everyone hated him? Maybe elsewhere but not so much with the Bulls fans in this thread. I think most of us expressed some frustration with him at some point but I don't think any of us hated him.

[George7]

Agree with Andrew.I can't recall anyone who hated Thomas in these forums.
Personally I really liked his style of play ,athleticism and potential,but was really frustrated about his actual improvement and passion he showed on the game as a Bull.I would prefer to have him on the team now instead of the other Thomas.

[Andrew]

Sounds like a solid road win over Indiana. Tough one coming up tomorrow against the Heat, but perhaps homecourt advantage will prevail as it did against Boston, particularly if LeBron has to sit out another game or is still hobbling.

[Dan's Brain]

Again, it did seem a little bit too Rose-reliant. But he met the challenge extremely well. Also, of note: Deng playing 46 minutes. Given his past injury concerns, this has got to be worrying. But yeah, otherwise, a nice road win. Kurt Thomas played like a younger man, which is nice. The bulls now sit on a .667 record and are 9 games clear of the pacers in the horrific central division. Yay!

Open to all and sundry: Omer Asik. Thoughts?

[Andrew]

I'm glad they have Thomas around as it doesn't put too much pressure on Asik in his first season, but I'm optimistic about his future as I think he can become a very solid backup to Noah.

[George7]

Great win over the ,James-less, Heat with Rose playing again amazing. But one thing concerns me after the late games. If Rose goes down,even for a short time, then what? It seems that he's taking the team on his own shoulders every time and Booze after a hot start has cooled really down. On a sidenote, nice to see Korver making the big 3 at the end. He really struggles so far and hopefully this will be an emotional help to see him score more and get his numbers up.

[Andrew]

I think we touched on that a couple of weeks back. In short, they'd be in trouble and here's hoping it doesn't happen. Speaking of Rose's rising stock, here's a great read from Adrian Wojnarowski.

As for the win, LeBron or no LeBron it's an impressive victory. Great to see Rose come through in the clutch.

[The X]

Nice read. Wojnarowski is definitely hit & miss. This one was a hit.

[Dan's Brain]

If Rose goes down,even for a short time, then what?

Short answer is they'd be fucked. With C.J. Watson as a long term starting pg, then this isn't a playoff team. It is a lot if eggs to put in one basket, but it's been a hell of a basket so far.

Anyway, beating Miami is always satisfying, and that's even more the case this year.

[Andrew]

Nice read. Wojnarowski is definitely hit & miss. This one was a hit.

I'd say he tends to have more hits than misses but I know what you mean.

[Mandich]

I know you all already discussed it , but Chicago needs a better starting 2 guard , Bogans is just a big pile of crap

[Martti.]

I think Bogans does just fine. He doesn't need to score 10 ppg. With that, they have a fresh Brewer and a fresh Korver off the bench. Starting Brewer for example would mean more minutes to James Johnson, who is very turnover-prone.

[air gordon]

I think Bogans does just fine. He doesn't need to score 10 ppg. With that, they have a fresh Brewer and a fresh Korver off the bench. Starting Brewer for example would mean more minutes to James Johnson, who is very turnover-prone.

what does bogans need to do then?! and whats this 'fresh' business? it isn't like Brewer or Korver are fat asses in their late 30's who cramp up during warmups.

Also, of note: Deng playing 46 minutes. Given his past injury concerns, this has got to be worrying... Open to all and sundry: Omer Asik. Thoughts?

yeh- seems like Thibbs is tempting fate. Deng's 3rd in the league in mpg. even in the blowout vs Toronto he was still out there in garbage time...

Omer Asik- inconsistent but expected. when he's good- he's able to defend big guys like Bogut and "throw it down, big man" on offense. when he's bad- he's in foul trouble and get called for traveling every time he gets the ball by the basket. looks like he's getting more comfortable out there

[Cleveland wins]

After that victory over miami yesterday, the bulls are now 16-0 when leading after the 3rd quartor goooooooo bulls!

[Valor]

Like, TAKE THAT MIAMI

related article - Chris Bosh complaining that Asik shouldn't go after the ball cause his sissy little body will get hurt
link

[Dan's Brain]

BAHAHAHAHA.

Pardon the pun, but he really doesnt have a foot to stand on. If you dont want to get hurt, then stay off the court, and give the time to your vastly tougher and more talented team-mates, such as Jamaal Magloire, Ilgauskas and Pittman.

Liked the John Schuhmann tweets from that article.

“If it’s flu season, don’t defend me too tightly. That’s how germs are spread.”

“If you cut back door, I might hurt my neck. That is how guys get hurt.”

“If you might accidentally poke me in the eye, don’t try to block my shot. That’s how injuries happen.”

That play demonstrated my opinion on Asik. He's got great energy, but still doesn't focus it quite properly. When Noah gets back, I'd probably still like to see Thomas getting the lion's share of the minutes as the backup 5, but I've seen enough from Omer to suggest that he's going to be a useful player in the future.

[air gordon]

bosh makes it so easy to add to the heat backlash. i wonder what are the reactions of his coach and the super duper friends to this??!! i'm sure Larry Legend would have done something about this. Jordan for sure would give him a shiner.

Nice read. Wojnarowski is definitely hit & miss. This one was a hit.

i like his articles. this one seems to be all speculation. there are no direct quotes about Rose saying he preferred any one player over another...iirc he said 'why shouldn't i be mvp' after the FA bonanza?

That play demonstrated my opinion on Asik. He's got great energy, but still doesn't focus it quite properly. When Noah gets back, I'd probably still like to see Thomas getting the lion's share of the minutes as the backup 5, but I've seen enough from Omer to suggest that he's going to be a useful player in the future.

yeh i could see Thibbs putting more faith in the veteran once everyone is healthy


Boozer out for at least 2 games. Bulls still win. Rose had a 3x double. too bad the game was at noon. cant see the replay since the game was on WGN

[Dan's Brain]

Nice, solid win there. Rose might have had a trip-dub, but Deng was the real game-winner. 28 points of his own and keeping Gay to 1-10 shooting was just awesome. I think with Boozer out, Rose and Deng will have to combine for 50-55 points every night. Of course, if Korver can keep shooting the ball like that as well, then everything is just gravy.

Just noticed that Taj had 6 blocks. Also pretty damn good.

It's a shame that they couldnt have put the game away earlier in the 4th, so we might have been treated to a Scal/Johnson show, but a win's a win. And I would imagine that Scal might get more of a run in the next couple of games with Booz sitting.

[puttincomputers]

when was the last time the bulls had a winning percentage of 68? at the midway mark?

[Andrew]

when was the last time the bulls had a winning percentage of 68? at the midway mark?

Probably the 1998 season.

Taped the game this morning but caught the afternoon replay; thankfully they didn't butcher it due to "time constraints" while getting in as many ads a possible. Ah, ESPN Australia...anyway, nice game and great to see Rose get his first career triple double with Deng having a pretty impressive night too, not to mention Korver knocking down three after three.

[George7]

Great win on many aspects.A clear lead from the beginning,Rose got his first triple double ,Korver was amazing and Deng was great!!
Korver really got emotionaly better after that 3,and it had an impact on his game.Deng was great and these are the performances we all want to see from Deng!

[Dan's Brain]

And then that happens. 2 losses to the Cats in the space of a week. Rose playing a lone hand but in the end it just wasn't enough. 6 more blocks from Taj was useful, but those sorts of offensive performances from Deng and Korver won't help anyone.

[Valor]

We need rebounding, losing Noah and now Boozer as well hurts

[Valor]

sorry about the double post, but I reckon this deserves more than just a "Edit"

Good little piece on NBA.com about our very own Poohdini

“People keep talking about the elite teams, but they keep forgetting the Chicago Bulls,” Barkley said. “....Derrick Rose is the new best point guard in the NBA.”

Link

[George7]

That was a great article for Rose.
And the poll shows that it's the fans' opinion as well!