Column Discussion

Hey guys,

Here is my first column, and I'm opening this thread so you can discuss it or ask questions.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

All the best,

Eugene

first off, great debut article.. haha maybe for once you'll actually reply to my posts...

the bulls part: hehe you come off as a dukie supporter but i won't take it against you...

i think it's the hindisight theory to say this bulls success shouldn't be a surprise. i think it's more of a credit to the players believing in skiles/paxson system and a credit to the skiles/paxson coming up with a system that works/maximizes his players talents.

it's ridiculous to say before the season started that a team heavily relying on a bunch of players at or barely past 21 and no ceritfiable ALL STAR could be a playoff contender, regardless of their college pedigree. think about it. the only person that would come up with that would be a bulls homer. the only team i think off the top of my head like this was orlando when they had shaq and penny...

i don't think gordon will be starting unless duhon or hinrich gets injured. i believe skiles when he says that gordon becomes fatigued when he hits the 30 minutie mark and also gordon isn't a good enough defender/distributor at this point to be playing most of the game

hinrich is not a pass first player, especially when he's at SG. while i'll agree that having more playmakers is conducive for a better offense, but the bulls defense is the main reason why the team is doing better. they are amongst the leaders in opponentts fg%, holding opponents under 100

crawford was brought in for scraps and i don't think he was there to solve the problem of them being a poor defensive team or clear out all the bad contracts they had

i agree with your nash comments....

i'll commentmore later.. gonna hve dinner

good article. sit should be one of the head honchos, but you're doing a good job.

i also heard that gordon is a mediocre def. duhon's starting because he's able to hound the opposing PG. gordon'll crack the lineup, but not til he learns def., like skiles said.

yeah, im amazed at how high hinrich's assist total is. he's not a pure point guard, but he's one of those good tweeners. he's VERY STREAKY but i think he's good enough to play combo guard.

It was a great read Sir Eugene, congrats on your first article!!

Gordon,

I'm sorry about not responding to your comments. I'll try to make up for it starting with this one...

My point about the rookies is this: coming from a great program and playing under superior coaches, that has an impact on their mentalities, which makes them conducive to Skiles's authorian coaching style. These guys are changing the image of the Bulls. They are character guys, and like I said, you have guys who will give you an effort every single night out.

The difference? Jamal Crawford was only in college one season and played like 17 games. He was fantastically talented, and sure, he scored 50 couple times, but ultimately, he didn't stick. And now he's playing in New York, where he's not really making any kind of a difference.

You're absolutely right. The biggest part of Bulls' turnaround is their defense. But to play good defense, you have to have guys who are willing. Again, coming from a great tradition will help immensely.

Also, each and everyone of those players were performers at the highest level. If you count up all the close games the Bulls have played, you're getting guys who can close games out (the best example is Gordon's game winner against NY).

Yes, good coaching is essential. But coaching means nothing if the guys can't execute. Again, getting proven winners from winning programs means something.

I've seen Hinrich play. He's a pure point, no doubt. Unselfish, great vision, always has his head up, great defense.

And I know about Gordon's struggles. Regardless, Gordon is their most explosive scorer and their best bet for a go-to guy. So, ultimately, Gordon will start. He has starter and eventually All-Star written all over him.

All the best,

Eugene

ok i see where you;re coming from with this college pedigree thing.. but you still can't say with a straight face that the bulls success shouldn't be a surprise. also i think paxson deserves some credit here for picking these players. last year much of the nlsc memebers are ripping pax for trading rose/marshall, crawford/jyd... now look how the team is doing. another key thing was getting rid of punks with questionable work ethics like eddie robinson and marcus fizer

I've seen Hinrich play. He's a pure point, no doubt. Unselfish, great vision, always has his head up, great defense

i've seen hinrich play since his sophomore year at kansas and watch almost every bulls game... he's not a pure point, he's a combo guard: he has good 'point guard' skills but he can score also. a 'pure' point guard doesn't lead his team in scoring and shot attempts. the pure point guard on the team is chris duhon, who probably is the better passer and better floor general on the team

And I know about Gordon's struggles. Regardless, Gordon is their most explosive scorer and their best bet for a go-to guy. So, ultimately, Gordon will start. He has starter and eventually All-Star written all over him.

yes ultimately. but this season? unlikely. i agree gordon has the potential to be a great player. if you see the games, you'll see that gordon can't be a starter at this point: once he checks in, teams go and exploit his matchup, which more often then not puts him in foul trouble. plus his decision making is average at best, he's amongst the leaders in turnovers per 48mpg. as great as his scoring is, the other aspects of his game aren't up to par

Eugene man... good first article. Good luck ay for ur next ones?

wanted to also ask... when do i get my special nlsc thing in my avater?

You know, Sit, I honestly don't know. You're going to have to ask Andrew.

Gordon,

Fair enough. To be honest, I haven't watched as many games as I should have, but from what I've seen, Kirk Hinrich is a good point guard, maybe not "pure" but "purer" than say, Steve Francis.

And you don't have to sell Duhon to me. I love the guy.

Also, while a lot of the members were ripping Paxson, I wasn't, if you feel like looking back at the posts I made about this. Not that I knew that this was going to happen, but it seemed to me that it was a step in the right direction.

Thanks for the kind words, all.

Eugene

It caught my eye the fact that you discussed almost every rookie in the Bulls, but Andrés Nocioni wsa barely mentioned.
Is there a reason for that or you just forgot???

Well, I knew Andres Nocioni had won the Olympic Gold with Manu Ginobili, but I haven't really seen much of him, so I couldn't really have an opinion. But real tough, heady player.

Fair enough. To be honest, I haven't watched as many games as I should have, but from what I've seen, Kirk Hinrich is a good point guard, maybe not "pure" but "purer" than say, Steve Francis.

And you don't have to sell Duhon to me. I love the guy.

Also, while a lot of the members were ripping Paxson, I wasn't, if you feel like looking back at the posts I made about this. Not that I knew that this was going to happen, but it seemed to me that it was a step in the right direction.

i'm not trying to "sell" you on duhon, i was just pointing out that duhon was the pure point guard on the buls

using steve francis as the comparison for pure point guard isn't saying much. it's almost like saying someone's a better passer then yinka dare