Chicago Bulls Thread

Kirk's numbers from beyond the arc are reasonable, it's really only the mid-range game he needs to work on.

he currently is shooting 40% from the field, 35% from 3pt land. 35 isn't good or bad, but something to be concerned about if you're doing it 5.6 times per contest at that rate

Curry needs to get more consistent or get traded.

Eddy Curry has improved a lot over the last 3 seasons. But he isn't the dominating presence that somebody his size with his athleticism should be.

Either he doesnt want to work with the Bulls or he's never going to be the player they need him to be.

Either way, he does need to be dealt.

why do you guys think he needs to be dealt? did you see how much the team struggled to score against detroit, especially down the stretch when he sat out that game? it would be so easy to defend the bulls if curry was not on the team.

sure eddy will probably never be a member of the all defensive team, but he's coming along pretty nicely: he's able to pass out of double teams, he's improved his rebounding, and his defense has been respectable

he currently is shooting 40% from the field, 35% from 3pt land. 35 isn't good or bad, but something to be concerned about if you're doing it 5.6 times per contest at that rate

I said his 3pt shooting was reasonable, not great. I don't think 35% is all that concerning: look at it this way, it's equivalent in point scoring to shooting 52.5% from inside the arc.

why do you guys think he needs to be dealt? did you see how much the team struggled to score against detroit, especially down the stretch when he sat out that game? it would be so easy to defend the bulls if curry was not on the team.

sure eddy will probably never be a member of the all defensive team, but he's coming along pretty nicely: he's able to pass out of double teams, he's improved his rebounding, and his defense has been respectable

He also ranks #2 in turnovers per 48 minutes. Not exactly a stat to be proud of from someone who's scoring in the mid-teens a night and is only respectable on defense.

On the other hand, he's young and has lots of talent, so he's got a reasonably high trade value. The Bulls might be better served trading him while that trade value lasts. He might not be worth so much down the track.

Trading him seems like the safer option to me. I just don't think he's on the verge of making the leap up that some people think he's about to make.

Why tinker with this lineup when its succesfull? Thats just stupid. If anyone should be dealt, it's chandler. But I wouldnt trade any of these players. Let them develop together.

I said his 3pt shooting was reasonable, not great. I don't think 35% is all that concerning: look at it this way, it's equivalent in point scoring to shooting 52.5% from inside the arc.

hehe you kinda lost me on that one. i just know kirk needs to shoot better

He also ranks #2 in turnovers per 48 minutes. Not exactly a stat to be proud of from someone who's scoring in the mid-teens a night and is only respectable on defense.

i definitely agree those TO's are a bitch.

On the other hand, he's young and has lots of talent, so he's got a reasonably high trade value. The Bulls might be better served trading him while that trade value lasts. He might not be worth so much down the track.

Trading him seems like the safer option to me. I just don't think he's on the verge of making the leap up that some people think he's about to make.

what leap are you speaking of? and what kind of leap are you expecting out of him, if any? what kind of production do you expect from him? what would you trade him for?

around 15ppg on 50% shooting in only 30 minutes may not mean much to you. but it's pretty valuable when it's coming from a 22yr old developing post player. trade him away and you'll be looking for another scoring presence in the post. hinrich can't create his own shot on a full time basis. his shooting %'s will dip even lower since teams will primarily focus on the bulls perimeter players

i agree with what matthew said, why tinker with the lineup at this point. it's the first time the team has had a winning months in years and the chemistry with the team is really good

Why tinker with this lineup when its succesfull? Thats just stupid. If anyone should be dealt, it's chandler. But I wouldnt trade any of these players. Let them develop together.

Definetely , the bulls are finally playing competitive basketball, playing as a unit. They've been winning games they would have lost years ago, and they are close in games they do lose.

And after the history of their trades, ie brad miller, artest, brand. I doubt they'd wanna take that risk again.

And after the history of their trades, ie brad miller, artest, brand. I doubt they'd wanna take that risk again.

Absolutely

Chicago is only 3 games back from Philly for the 8th playoff spot...

Being a Bulls fan has never been so much fun...well, not quite, but it's a lot more fun than it has been in recent years. Before the season I was skeptical about Curry and Chandler, as they're in a dangerous position as far as their future is concerned. Send them packing now, watch them "Jermaine O'Neal" on Chicago. But they could just as well re-sign and waste away for the rest of their careers, losing any trade value that they possess.

The best case scenario is that Curry becomes Baby Shaq and Chandler develops into an awesome big forward in a dominant twin tower combo. The way they're performing right now, I personally think the experiment can go on a little longer. I too am in favour of not tinkering while everything is working better than it has in years, so much in favour that I'll throw out the cliched saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I'd like to see this team given a chance to grow before it's all torn down and rebuilt...again.

Andres NOOOOOOOOOOCIONI!!!

OH YEAH!!!!!!!

You can add another win for the Bulls.

Othella Harrington played like his name was Tim Duncan. Shot like 8-10 for 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

It's always fun to see random players dominating.

Luol Deng is going to be great for the Bulls.

Kirk Hinrich was fabulous.

And I still stand by my statement that Ben Gordon will be their most effective and most explosive scorer.

Curry is still lost on defense, though.

They play like a college team. Great ball movement, balanced attack. They're really fun to watch. Good time to be a Bulls fan if you ask me.



All the best,

Eugene

I'll throw caution to the wind and get excited that they're just 1.5 games out of the 8th spot in the East. Philly's loss to Minnesota, Boston's loss to Detroit and then their victory over Boston today have helped them get back up after losing a couple following the five game winning streak in December; the fact that they're 4-1 in 2005 helps too. We can only hope that their success continues.

i still say Bulls get 10th, 9th at best.

Steady on now, lets not jinx the fact they finally have a team that doesn't utterly suck by talking playoffs.

lol the Bulls making a run.

If they continue at this rate, they could slip into the 8th seed by the end of the month.
Next 6 games vs teams with losing records, but next month don't look so easy with a stretch against miami, dallas, houston, and minny all on the road and then you come home to meet the Kings. So yeah, looks good for now, but not next month

Oh, I'm sure I'll jinx them sooner or later Shakes. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the possibility that they'll at least challenge for the 8th spot rather than the first overall pick.

If they continue at this rate, they could slip into the 8th seed by the end of the month.
Next 6 games vs teams with losing records, but next month don't look so easy with a stretch against miami, dallas, houston, and minny all on the road and then you come home to meet the Kings. So yeah, looks good for now, but not next month

Indeed. They need to make the most of this easier stretch to give them a cushion for the tougher schedule ahead. A strong January would allow them to weather a .500 or slightly worse February.

curry's play has changed managements stance on trading him

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-050109bulls,1,7559927.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines
i believe registering is required...

quite a turn around for the young fella. keep it up, curry

bulls only 1.5 games back of 8th playoff spot

could they be this year's miami heat? slow start, strong finish

Maybe, but I doubt they can go past the 1st round. They're a young team, and in the Playoffs you need experience to overcome the pressure of possible close, hard-foughted games.

Chicago has several good and talented young players. The only problem with that is they tend to make careless turnovers.

I think I saw a game where their backcourt started lobbing the ball to a teammate from center court and eventually went out of bounds.

Maybe, but I doubt they can go past the 1st round. They're a young team, and in the Playoffs you need experience to overcome the pressure of possible close, hard-foughted games.

lol that goes without saying. the big surprise here is that they are in contention for the playoffs despite lacking that aforementioned experience. i don't think any respected sportswriter predicted them to be playing like this. the bulls are the only team with 2 rookies in the starting lineup and the only team that relies on so many young players. you take away AD and o harrington and probably the average age of the bulls getting most of the PT would be barely 21

Chicago has several good and talented young players. The only problem with that is they tend to make careless turnovers

definitely a sign of a young team. but i guess they can survive it since their defense has been very tough- 2nd in opposing teams fg% and 18 straight opponents >100pts

as long as chicago continues to beat those teams at, around, or below them in the standings and occasionally beat a heavyweight or 2, "playoffs" & "bulls" in the same sentence will actually make sense

they won again...man its amazing how a team so bad became so good in a day....is it finally the time to become a bulls bandwagoner again or is it just a lucky run???...

but I heard the Spurs offered Rasho for Tyson.....the Spurs for one thing will make Tyson a man ...but I doubt the Bulls will take Rasho cause Chandler is doin well rite now.

With all due respect to Nesterovic, I'd rather the Bulls not tinker right now, not in the middle of what has become a successful few weeks. Their next game could be huge - should they defeat Philadelphia, they'll move slightly ahead of them. Should Boston fall on the same night, the Bulls could - even if it's just briefly - shift into the 8th seed.

What has impressed me most about their recent success (aside from the winning streaks, the wins and some of their opponents) is how they've bounced back from losses. They haven't lossed three or more straight in over a month; in fact they haven't lossed more than three straight after the 0-9 start. They're beating teams they should be able to beat and have even beaten a couple they probably shouldn't.

The wins aren't rare treats with glimpses of the future, they are more meaningful with the team so improved in the standings and edging closer and closer to the final seed. They're 14-9 since the 0-9 start - in years gone by, they'd probably be down around Charlotte and Atlanta's record right now.

These are all probably the infamous bold words that come before a key players gets injured for the season and everything falls apart, but by recent standards it's been a great season so far. Teams like Phoenix and Seattle can boast better improvements but considering how far the Bulls had to fall, this has been very welcome improvement.

With all due respect to Nesterovic

Which is none... Rasho is a nothing. Chandler also is a nothing, but he has a furture. This is about as good as rasho will get. If the bulls even consider this trade someone better look around for the ghost of crumbs and get rid of it.

I'd love to see Gordon starting right now though.

I hope the Bulls can turn it around and make the playoffs. It's be nice to see them kick everyone's asses again

this stretch of game is easy, just wait till february

i hope the bulls can defeat the sixers