Andrew's 06 Bulls, Part 2 :: 07/08 (October 2007)

[Fresh8]

Nice work Andrew! I've just caught up with this story. Looking great so far. I am loving it!

[Andrew]

Nice with there. So the story was generally something like a Bulls vs Lewis game?

Pretty much. He came alive during the second quarter and proved very difficult to stop, as his final stat line demonstrates.

Shard is like D-Wade during the 08-09 season against the Magic, scoring 50 in a 20+ losing effort.

Nice that you're not afraid to bomb with Korver.

Hopefully more of them will start dropping! As I said after the recap I felt like I got a bit of a raw deal given how many open looks I had and was even taking advantage of the Shooter FSS but to no avail in the second half. That said, it's better than the 2/20 performances so I'm a bit happier with my three point shooting the last couple of games despite the bricks in the second half against the Thunder.

Nice job getting all of the reserves involved in that last win. Blowouts are always a good way to increase the averages. Ray Allen was awful for the Thunder though, and he just doesn't look right in that jersey. I'll be looking forward to see how you do against the Cavs.

Absolutely. They can be boring but I like to sit my starters which does increase the challenge a little and changes things up...plus as you said it pads the stats a little so the bench guys have more respectable numbers.

This game was a 2010 NBA Finals for Ray Allen. Nice job picking up the win , though bricked three's were frustrating you. I sometimes feel that the game is against me when I brick a bunch of three's in Live 10, but yet I'm still the leader among 3pt% among all teams in my dynasty. Keep the winning streak alive!

If all goes well, NBA Elite 11 is going to be a huge improvement there as they're eliminating the "dice roll" that's basically the cause of all those "Why did that miss?" attempts. In the meantime, I'll just have to do my best!

seems Heir Gordon has really learned how to draw multiple defenders and kick it out to the open man... awesome win

There's a little bit of that but it's just happened that the ball's ended up in his hands on fast breaks in the last couple of games, padding his assist numbers a little as a result. Usually it's Hinrich and I'd say he'll continue to lead the team but basically what happens happens as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure both will register some big assist totals many more times before the season is over.

Nice work Andrew! I've just caught up with this story. Looking great so far. I am loving it!

Thanks Sit, glad you're enjoying it.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I've just realised I didn't post a monthly recap with the leaders, standings and the like, look out for that soon.

[kibaxx7]

It would have been nice to see you playing against the Sonics, Andrew, looking at their starting 5.

[Andrew]

I actually went back and forth about changing them to the Thunder two years early, but ultimately felt it would be less messing around to make the DBF changes than duplicate/rename the art files as necessary, since I've obviously got the PC Project installed so I can work on it.

[Murat]

Great effort at point guards sir... Nice win.

[Andrew]

Thanks.

Hope to have the belated November recap up sometime today.

[Andrew]

November 2006 Recap

Record: 13-4
Team Stats

Team Leaders

PPG: Ben Gordon; 20.3 ppg
RPG: Tyson Chandler; 9.8 rpg*
APG: Kirk Hinrich; 6.8 apg
BPG: Tyson Chandler; 0.9 bpg
SPG: Ben Gordon; 1.0 spg

*Carlos Boozer is currently averaging a team high 11.6 rpg but hasn't played enough games for the team to qualify as yet

The defending champion Chicago Bulls are currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference and hold a six game winning streak, the longest in the league. At 13-4, they are also tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the best record in the league. Despite coming off a championship the team has been active in reshaping their roster, completing three trades towards the end of November to shorten their rotation and position the team to make a run at a major free agent in the upcoming offseason, while continuing to contend with a core that with the exception of Kirk Hinrich, is signed through 2008.

MVP Candidates



Elton Brand heads up the frontrunners for the MVP award, leading the league in scoring at 27.2 ppg as well as rebounding with 12.6 rpg for a Los Angeles Clippers team that is currently 10-9 and in second place in the Pacific Division. The Houston Rockets, also currently 10-9, boast two MVP candidates with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady both turning in great all-around performances through November. Baron Davis currently has his Golden State Warriors in eighth place in the West with a 9-9 record and is leading the NBA in assists and steals with averages of with 8.4 apg and 2.4 spg while Carmelo Anthony's Denver Nuggets have the worst record out of the MVP candidates at 7-13, despite his strong numbers.

Shaquille O'Neal, Elton Brand are November Players of the Month

NEW YORK, NY -- The NBA announced that three time champion* Shaquille O'Neal and the league's leading scorer were named Players of the Month for November in the East and West respectively. O'Neal, now in his third season with the Miami Heat, averaged 25.1 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2 bpg through the month as the Heat went 7-7. Brand is currently leading the league with an average of 27.2 ppg along with a league best 12.6 rpg, posted a stat line of 27.1 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.8 bpg and 1.2 spg while leading the Clippers to a 9-6 record during the month.

* Note that in this Dynasty, I won the 2006 championship so Shaq is only a three time champion. I am well aware that the real Shaq is a four time champion.

Tallus, Cotton top rookies for November

NEW YORK, NY -- Ignatius Tallus and Liu Cotton have been the standout rookies through the first month of the season, with both being named Rookies of the Month for November. Tallus, the 7'1" starting centre for the New Jersey Nets and 23rd overall pick in the 2006 Draft posted averages of 14.1 ppg, 8 rpg and 1.4 bpg while Cotton, the league's top draft choice and starting shooting guard for the New Orleans Hornets, averaged 17.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.8 apg and 1.7 spg.

League Leaders

Points



Rebounds



Assists



Steals



Blocks



Field Goals



Free Throws



Three Pointers



Standings

Pacific Division



Northwest Division



Southwest Division



Atlantic Division



Central Division



Southeast Division

[Phil89]

Nice update. Good job leading the Eastern Conference.

It must be nice to be able to post screenshots of the stats instead of typing them all out by hand.

[Andrew]

Oh my, yes. Or dumping them to a text file that I can upload. Just another reason I've traditionally preferred the PC version, while it was still an option.

December 6th, 2006
Chicago (108) at Cleveland (94)
Bulls finish road trip in style, withstand Cavs run
[ Boxscore ]

The Chicago Bulls have made it lucky seven in a row, but their win over the Cavs didn't come quite as easily as the final score might indicate. Carlos Boozer scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as Chicago withstood a late run that cut a 20 point lead to just ten before ultimately claiming a 108-94 victory to end a seven game road trip. Ben Gordon top scored with the Bulls with 21 points including 12 in the first quarter and Kirk Hinrich contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas led the Cavaliers with 30 points along with 8 rebounds, two assists and two blocks as superstar LeBron James struggled with his shot and was plagued by foul trouble through most of the fourth quarter. James scored just seven points on 3/11 shooting and was scoreless until the 11:12 mark of the second quarter. After scoring his first basket on a layup following an offensive rebound he made what would prove to be one of Cleveland's two three point field goals in the game but did not seem to find his rhythm and ultimately found himself on the bench after picking up his fourth foul late in the third quarter.

Despite the struggles of their star the Cavs proved to be a worthy adversary for the Bulls, trading baskets early in the game and even after falling behind by ten early in the second quarter, rallied behind the play of Ilgauskas as well as backup shooting guard Damon Jones to tie the game at 44 late in the period. They lost momentum in the third quarter however and unable to contain or counter several fast break points by the Bulls, found themselves trailing by fourteen heading into the fourth. As the Bulls cooled off, Cleveland made one last run with just under six minutes left in the game but had no answer for former Cavalier Carlos Boozer, who helped seal a Chicago victory.

"We're incredibly proud of what we were able to achieve on this road trip," Bulls coach Andrew Begley said after the game. "To win all seven games, even shorthanded and then working new players into the lineup, just shows the kind of talent and heart we have on this team. We're in really good spirits moving forward." The Bulls are now 14-4 as they currently sit atop the Eastern Conference.

Notes: The Bulls were 7/19 from three point range while the Cavaliers shot 2/17. Kirk Hinrich was 0/7 from beyond the arc...Drew Gooden grabbed a game high 16 rebounds for the Cavaliers...Chicago shot 19/22 from the free throw line, Cleveland was just 6/9...the Bulls won the game despite losing the battle of the boards 41-37. The Cavs notably totaled 15 offensive boards to just nine by the Bulls.

Current Record: 14-4
Next Game: vs Atlanta Hawks; 9-9 (December 9th)

[Bucket]

Good win against Cavs. Big Z with 30 points

[Andrew]

He was proving a lot more difficult to contain than LeBron. It might be time run the Primacy Fix again.

[Kenny]

Big Z is tough in any game I think purely because of his size. Guys like him and Yao, although they're good players in real life, can tend to be over-powering in the Live setting. Height can often prove to be an overwhelming advantage.

Nice job shutting LeBron down by the way. Anytime you can keep the beast below 25 is a good game, not to mention less than 10

I like seeing Kirk Hinrich with a more substantial role too

[Andrew]

Absolutely. I don't get a lot of blocks in 06 either, probably in part due to my sliders but I simply manage to challenge a fair amount of shots and snare the rebounds, plus I force a few three second violations and draw a few charges per game as well. I might increase both the User and CPU blocking sliders at some point though, just to increase the amount of blocks on both sides and lower the inside shooting percentages a little without making the players too incompetent in the paint. Might also help in dealing with players like Z, though as you noted his size makes him difficult to contend with in Live regardless.

I'm liking the way Hinrich is playing, no doubt. I was also quite pleased with Deng in the last game, as I've mentioned before he seems to be the odd man out whenever I play with the Bulls. Gordon and Hinrich are stronger shooters and players like Boozer and Chandler are better at mixing it up inside. Deng's stat line in the last game was solid though, hoping I can keep finding ways of using him effectively.

[George7]

Nice too see the team performing that good
Hopefully we will be in reality like this too

Big Z had 30 points and LeBron 7?!
Seems that you had a great defence on LBJ
But how cam Z was that dominant

[Axel The Great]

Good to see you picking up a win against the Cavs, and being able to hold LeBron to under 10 points is incredible. Big Z seemed to give you a lot of trouble, but in the end, your team was able to overpower him.

None of your players are MVP Candidates, but it's quite pleasing to see Yao and T-Mac among them. Hope you can keep the streak alive at home now.

[Martti.]

Larry Hughes shooting 7/10 from the field just doesn't sound right.

[Lamrock]

With the Boozer deal, looks like you're fielding a pretty decent roster now. Here's hoping you can see this through to another title run.

[Andrew]

Nice too see the team performing that good
Hopefully we will be in reality like this too

Big Z had 30 points and LeBron 7?!
Seems that you had a great defence on LBJ
But how cam Z was that dominant

As I said I'll probably have to run the Primacy Fix again but basically, he just used his height to his advantage. I don't get a lot of blocks with my current slider settings so he was able to take advantage inside time and time again. Things also got a little sloppy in the fourth quarter for a while there, I think he scored at least 10 of his points in the fourth.

Good to see you picking up a win against the Cavs, and being able to hold him to under 10 points is incredible. Big Z seemed to give you a lot of trouble, but in the end, your team was able to overpower him.

None of your players are MVP Candidates, but it's quite pleasing to see Yao and T-Mac among them. Hope you can keep the streak alive at home now.

I'd like to get Gordon or perhaps Boozer into the MVP discussion, but they'll need to post better all around stats for that to happen. We'll see how it goes, hopefully I can get one or two players into the All-Star game this year. Gordon broke his hand last season so he missed out on the opportunity.

Larry Hughes shooting 7/10 from the field just doesn't sound right.

I know. Pretty much everyone but LeBron gave me something to think about.

With the Boozer deal, looks like you're fielding a pretty decent roster now. Here's hoping you can see this through to another title run.

Thanks for checking in, glad you like the trade. I'm definitely liking my rotation a lot better now, I've still been getting all 12 players into the game but feel less obligated to do it outside of a blowout and it's not as distracting having too many underachieving players who became stars, or at least more significant players in real life, in my lineup.

[Clutch]

He was proving a lot more difficult to contain than LeBron. It might be time run the Primacy Fix again.

most definitely; in my dynasty, Dwight just returned from injury and his primacy rating was 8! I only noticed when i simmed the remaining games of the day, checked out the box scores and saw Howard take 0-0 attempts

anyway, great win Boozer's starting to look like the leader of your squad; nice work by Mike James off the bench too

[Andrew]

Mike James really has been a pleasant surprise, he's basically everything Chris Duhon was struggling to be even though his shooting ratings aren't that much better and his overall is actually lower in the rosters I originally started the Dynasty with (not that overall matters as much as people think of course, but it does suggest lower ratings across the board). He picked up a couple of quick fouls in the last game so didn't see quite as much court time but so far he's been a huge improvement on Duhon.

[kibaxx7]

Even Drew Gooden had more points than Bron, lol. Great win Andrew.

[Andrew]

Yes, it wasn't his night. I'll still try and get him in the offseason if he's available though.

[Andrew]

December 9th, 2006
Atlanta (94) at Chicago (102)
Bulls return home, win eighth straight
[ Boxscore ]

The Chicago Bulls have looked more comfortable on the road than at home so far this season, but Carlos Boozer had a strong United Center debut as he scored a team high 26 points including eight in the fourth quarter as the Bulls defeated the visiting Atlanta Hawks 102-94. Ben Gordon overcome a tough night from downtown to score 24 points while Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 23, but scored only six points after halftime and was held scoreless in the fourth.

Atlanta did not look intimidated by the defending champions in the first quarter, taking an early 8-4 and trading baskets with the Bulls before finishing the quarter ahead 25-24. Boozer shined early for the Bulls however scoring 12 first quarter points, but the Bulls looked out of sync and jittery. "I think we were too hyped up," Bulls coach Andrew Begley explained after the game. "We wanted to come out with a lot of energy and feed off our fans, but we were too tight. We weren't playing our game until the fourth quarter." Chicago appeared poised to pull away in the second quarter but found themselves trailing by two with less than ten seconds remaining in the half, before a layup by Shawn Kemp tied the game heading into the halftime break.

Neither team could gain a firm hold of the game during the third quarter as both offenses stalled with poor shots, sloppy turnovers and shot clock violations. The Hawks edged ahead at the end of the quarter to take a one point lead heading into the fourth but a determined Bulls team came out firing in the final period, which began with a Kirk Hinrich three, giving Chicago a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. The game remained close until the waning minutes when the Bulls led by as many as ten, ultimately sealing the game at the free throw line.

Notes: The Bulls attempted 27 free throws to 18 by the Hawks, but made only 17 for an uncharacteristic 63% from the charity stripe...Atlanta edged Chicago 38-37 on the boards. Both teams grabbed 12 offensive rebounds...every Bull scored but only two (Gordon and Boozer) reached double figures, a rarity for the season...Chicago is 5-3 at home this season compared to 10-1 on the road.


Tyson Chandler sends back a shot by Zaza Pachulia for one of his two blocks

Current Record: 15-4
Next Game: vs Detroit Pistons; 13-8 (December 10th)

[Martti.]

You sure don't hold back when Korver's on the floor and rightly so, he can get really hot. 8-8 from deep from my Heat story comes to mind...

[Andrew]

You sure don't hold back when Korver's on the floor and rightly so, he can get really hot. 8-8 from deep from my Heat story comes to mind...

Yeah it's easy to get a bit trigger happy with him. Last game definitely wasn't his best effort, nor Gordon's. I pulled up for a few rather poor attempts though, which didn't help.

Since I haven't played a lot of games lately, I thought I'd flesh out the Dynasty a little with a feature article. Just as we're pretending the Sonics became the Thunder a couple of seasons early, for the purposes of this Dynasty we're also assuming that restricted free agency doesn't exist because NBA Live 06's Free Agency doesn't recognise it. As such, certain major players who ultimately signed extensions are upcoming free agents.

And yes, Alan Wolodarsky is meant to be the Adrian Wojnarowski of this "universe". For those who are unaware, Wolodarsky comes from Wally Wolodarsky, who along with his writing partner Jay Kogen was one of the prominent writers for The Simpsons during the early years.

Looking ahead, 2007 offseason could be a Bull market
by Alan Wolodarsky

We're still a long way from the 2007 offseason yet with so many big names set to be on the market, it's difficult not to look ahead and begin pondering some of the scenarios which may unfold. Four of the standout players from the heralded draft class of 2003 - LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - will be able to test the free agent waters, as will other stars including Paul Pierce, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. The teams currently poised to have significant cap room next season are the Hawks, Celtics (if Pierce is not re-signed), Bulls, Rockets (barring McGrady's return), Clippers, Bucks, Hornets and the Raptors (if Bosh leaves).

Chicago and New Orleans are the only two teams on that list that will be well under the cap without cutting loose their best player, though starting point guard Kirk Hinrich is an upcoming free agent for the Bulls. The Hornets are already over $5 million under the cap and boast a rising star in second year point guard Chris Paul, no doubt an appealing teammate for the cream of the free agent crop. New Orleans however are currently 7-14 and appear to be on track for a dismal season, which may hurt their chances of landing a top name.

The Bulls on the other hand find themselves in a rather unique situation. They are the defending champions and currently rank second in the league, a mere half -game behind the Dallas Mavericks, in good shape to win the title again this year. As a result of their Cinderella run last year, their continued strong play this season and the flurry of trades they made last month, the Bulls find themselves in the unusual position of being a championship contender with the payroll of a rebuilding team. They can make a strong pitch to the free agent class of 2007, with plenty of money to throw at the big names along with the possibility of joining a team that will be contending for its third straight championship in 2008.

I'm told that the Bulls like their chances of winning it all again and then bringing in another marquee player to further their attempts to begin another dynasty. Whispers around the league suggest that other teams are worried they might succeed in doing just that, as the Bulls are in fine form having won eight straight and nine of their last ten, while shedding some cumbersome contracts and making themselves a very attractive destination for free agents. The plan moving forward appears to be to add a major free agent and perhaps a key role player this offseason while holding on to Hinrich if possible, then re-signing Ben Gordon and Luol Deng to long term deals in 2008. It will forfeit cap flexibility for at least four or five years, but that seems unlikely to matter with the roster they could potentially assemble.

The question is, who is likely to be available? LeBron James has strong ties to Ohio, but his Cavaliers are 7-12, third last in the Eastern Conference. Chris Bosh's Raptors are 9-10 and will likely contend for a low seed in the East. They may also be able to bring in some solid players to help out Bosh next season if he sticks around, something the Cavs can't do for James without making some shrewd trades. Miami, currently sitting in the eighth spot in the East, will also be over the cap next season which may leave Dwyane Wade looking elsewhere if the Heat are unable to improve. Carmelo Anthony may also be looking to move on as his Denver Nuggets are currently 8-14, third last in the West, and will not have cap room next season.

Vince Carter seems unlikely to leave the Nets, who are currently third in the East with a record of 13-7. Paul Pierce has expressed a desire to retire a Celtic and while the Rockets are struggling, Tracy McGrady's past injury problems may make other teams wary of offering him a better deal than the one Houston is likely to extend. Other noteworthy free agents include Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse of the Dallas Mavericks, Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic (who will likely be available much cheaper than his current salary of $16.3 million) and Peja Stojakovic of the Sacramento Kings. Andre Miller, James Posey, TJ Ford, Mo Williams, and the aforementioned Kirk Hinrich will also be available.

LeBron and his fellow class of 2003 standouts are the players teams are coveting though. The Bulls would probably prefer James or Anthony to replace Deng at small forward, though it's not inconceivable that they would try to play Chris Bosh at center alongside Carlos Boozer at power forward, or move a re-signed Hinrich to the bench in favour of a Wade-Gordon backcourt. The Hornets would likely target either James or Bosh, both of whom would no doubt find themselves on the receiving end of several lob passes from Chris Paul.

Should Chicago miss out on one of the top names this year, rumour has it they might attempt to position themselves to make a run at the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard or even Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks come 2008, though even if they ultimately use their cap room to round out the roster with solid role players they would still appear to be in tremendous shape moving forward. Commented one Western Conference executive, "It's unheard of, the position they're in. They're going to be able to make the strongest pitch out of anyone with the money to lure one of the top guys and even if they miss out, they're probably still going to be a force to be reckoned with. Whatever happens, they're going to be a team to keep an eye on."

And you can bet that the free agent class of 2007 is going to do just that. We may be seven months away from a possible free agent frenzy and there's a lot of basketball left to be played in the 2006/2007 season, but with every win, Chicago might just be edging closer and closer to completing one of the most successful two years in league history with a pair of championships, a marquee free agent addition and the table set for the next great NBA dynasty. A Bull market indeed.