Andrew's Chicago Bulls Dynasty - November 2006

[deihatein]

Hoping for updates Andrew. Hope this dynasty will be good

[Lamrock]

Good luck Andrew, the Dynasty section sucks lately. You'll sure to be getting plenty of comments about lack of pics and such by retarded spammers that don't understand that are seemingly illiterate.

I'm looking forward to this. I actually prefer the picture-less dynasties. Blame it on Cocobee, or the lame members surrounding these parts, but it seems these days, the criteria for a god dynasty have changed. Just wait for "you really could use some pics... maybe try finding some? And please put line breaks in there " 50 times, and you'll know what I mean.

[Chaser7]

Nice, glad to see more dynasties going on. Hopefully you do keep this going, I just started reading from the beginning, so I'm really behind, but I'll catch up soon.

You'll sure to be getting plenty of comments about lack of pics and such by retarded spammers that don't understand that are seemingly illiterate.

Its a good thing that makes a lot sense and shows how literate you are hahaha. (I'm just joking by the way so relax, I'm not flaming. But in all honesty what you are trying to say there? Do you mean to say: "...that don't understand that they are seemingly illiterate.."? or what? lol Really don't know what you were going for there)

[Lamrock]

Actually, I typed this up when I was really tired, and I decided to change a sentence in it, but absentmindedly left in "that don't understand" in there.

When you started this a couple years back, the Bulls were struggling. They are struggling again now. Time to change their fate... again!

Oh, and also, another kick-ass Andrew dynasty.

[Andrew]

I'm looking forward to this. I actually prefer the picture-less dynasties. Blame it on Cocobee, or the lame members surrounding these parts, but it seems these days, the criteria for a god dynasty have changed. Just wait for "you really could use some pics... maybe try finding some? And please put line breaks in there " 50 times, and you'll know what I mean.

I know what you mean, though pictures can certainly spice up a Dynasty thread. I think the main problem is some people get too reliant on them and use random pictures that don't really tell a story. I prefer to use pictures more sparingly, such as when something noteworthy happens (like Nocioni blocking a dunk by Yao out of nowhere) or if it can somehow add to the story. A bunch of random screens isn't really effective. Anyway, good to know I'm not the only one who feels that way and that there's other people who enjoy a bit of light reading.

[deihatein]

I might understand this dynasty even thought it has no pics but has long it has good recap and i enjoy reading it, this dynasty doesn't need pics

[Mark.]

I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming or not

Good to see you might be bringing this back Andrew, easily one of my top 3 dynasties of all time.
06 is easily my fav installment of live, so good to see you've chosen the best year to continue with.
I really like your signings, Wilcox has always been a player I like to use in Live games, brings a lot of what I need from a Big in live. Dunleavy is also a good pick up, not that im a huge fan, but he deffinately helps to buff some important elements of your offense

[Andrew]

Thanks Mark. No more updates as yet as I haven't had any time to play but playing through the offseason has somewhat rekindled my interest so stay tuned.

[ChiFan23]

Thanks Mark. No more updates as yet as I haven't had any time to play but playing through the offseason has somewhat rekindled my interest so stay tuned.

I always find that the off-season rekindles any lost hope for a dynasty. I'm typically a Madden guy (PC version as well) and at times when I grow bored of how the franchise is playing out, I keep myself going by looking forward to the off-season. It is usually more fun when you scout certain players, fall in love with them, and then find yourself with the chance to draft them and turn them into a fan favorite.

I cannot say much about NBA Live's off-season yet as I have never made it through December in my dynasty but I'm looking forward to my first off-season in NBA Live 2007 with my Chicago Bulls dynasty. I just made it through December and with the passing of each game, I grow more and more excited.

I'm personally looking at drafting SG Manfred Delgado, projected Top 5 with Excellent potential or trading for him so that I can get Ben Gordon to come off the bench instead of starting. Ever since I began scouting him, I fell in love with him. Anyways, I'm not trying to hijack your thread. I'm just expressing the same opinion.

Good luck with the next season. Reading your dynasty has been quite interesting and a blessing as it helps me with mine.

[Andrew]

Not at all, I appreciate the kind words. I haven't played any games of the new season as yet as it's been difficult to find the time as of late but I did enjoy the offseason so I reckon I'll at least give it a go.

[Lamrock]

You should acquire Gooden, Hughes, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons.

[Andrew]

No need. No Wallace.

[Andrew]

October 28th, 2006
Miami (116) at Chicago (124)
Hinrich catches fire, Wilcox perfect in season opener
[ Boxscore ]

The defending champion Chicago Bulls opened the 2006/2007 season in style on the home floor, defeating the Miami Heat 124-116 in a rematch of last season's second round series. Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 34 points, scoring 14 in a third quarter run that put Chicago back on top. Chris Wilcox, signed as a free agent this past summer, scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds including eight at the offensive end, while hitting all thirteen of his shots in his Bulls debut.

"We wanted to open the season with a bang" 2006 Finals MVP Ben Gordon said after the game. "They came out and embarrassed us when they led after the first two quarters. We didn't want our season to start out that way." Gordon struggled in the season opener shooting just 5/15 from the field and spent most of the third quarter on the bench after picking up his third foul. He finished with 17 points.

Miami controlled the game for the entire first half, outscoring the Bulls 9-2 in the opening minutes of the first quarter and leading throughout the first two quarters. Shaquille O'Neal scored 23 of his 34 points in the first half, punishing Chicago with short jump hooks and some thunderous dunks over the Bulls' frontline. O'Neal also finished with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks while making 16 of his 21 field goal attempts.

The third quarter would belong to the Bulls however as a pull-up three pointer by Kirk Hinrich began a charge that erased the deficit and gave the Bulls an 88-83 lead heading into the final quarter. Wilcox followed Hinrich's lead by scoring 12 in the period and cleaning up on the offensive glass. Miami took back the lead in the fourth but fittingly a three from Hinrich put the Bulls ahead for good at 99-97 with just over six minutes left in the game.

Notes: Mike Dunleavy also made his Bulls debut. He played only nine minutes and scored two points on a dunk in the third quarter, finishing 1/5 from the field...12 of the Bulls' 18 turnovers came in the first half...Wyatt Hanlon, Monta Ellis and Jason Kapono were the only players held scoreless...the Bulls had lost their previous two season openers.

Thoughts

I've decided to start Chris Wilcox in the next game. The scores were a little higher than I was hoping for but it's been a while since I played and my defense in the first half was a bit lax, so it became a bit of a shootout. Nevertheless, any game where you avoid the comeback code and win without getting too chessy is an enjoyable one.

[Lamrock]

!!!

Top-notch recap and victory. This is awesome. Coincidence that in that game in real life, the Heat were the defending champs instead. Good thing you didn't lose by 40.

One question: This is on PC, right? How come you typed out the boxscores yourself? Yes, it looks a bit better that way, but wouldn't getting the game's boxscore screens save a lot of work?

[Clutch]

man, awesome opener!

Chandler probably won't be too thrilled coming off the bench unless you're planning to start Wilcox at PF and bench Nocioni; hard to argue with those numbers he put up in debut though - wow

only guy i'm not too thrilled to see on that roster is Dunleavy; performed about as expected too... second-coming of "Grant Hill" or not, his matador defense would make him first on my trade block

[deihatein]

Nice opener Andrew, i am really surprised of your roster because it is being too many role players in there and Shawn Kemp in the roster which make me .(Is Shawn Kemp is still in the 06 Live?)

[Andrew]

This is on PC, right? How come you typed out the boxscores yourself? Yes, it looks a bit better that way, but wouldn't getting the game's boxscore screens save a lot of work?

I didn't type them out, I just saved the boxscores and uploaded the text file. It's quicker than messing around with screenshots.

only guy i'm not too thrilled to see on that roster is Dunleavy; performed about as expected too... second-coming of "Grant Hill" or not, his matador defense would make him first on my trade block

He probably will be the first player I trade. He doesn't seem to fit in as well as I hoped, but with his contract and overall rating he's got decent value as a trade commodity. Stay tuned.

Nice opener Andrew, i am really surprised of your roster because it is being too many role players in there and Shawn Kemp in the roster which make me .(Is Shawn Kemp is still in the 06 Live?)

I don't like playing with stacked teams as it usually gets too easy and I find myself just playing for numbers in the fourth quarter. However, I won't rule out the possibilty of getting a star player.

October 29th, 2008
Chicago (119) at Minnesota (126)
KG, Timberwolves stun Bulls
[ Boxscore ]

Kevin Garnett refused to be intimidated by the defending champions as he led his Minnesota Timberwolves to a 126-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Garnett led all scorers with 33 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds as the Timberwolves outran the Bulls in the second half. Wally Szczerbiak scored eight of his 18 points during a fourth quarter run that widened the gap and Chicago never recovered.

The Bulls were slowed down by foul trouble in the first half with starting guards Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich sitting out much of the quarter after picking up two quick fouls, leading to offseason acquisition Monta Ellis playing a season high 16 minutes. The former Golden State Warrior erupted for 22 points and dished out six assists, leading a charge late in the second quarter to take a two point lead into halftime.

Chicago was slow out of the blocks in the second half however and Minnesota scored early and often on fast break points, expertly playing the passing lanes and capitalising on almost every Bulls' turnover. The Bulls committed 22 turnovers to the Timberwolves' 14 and failed to execute in the waning moments in the fourth quarter, allowing Minnesota to seal the victory.

Notes: All five Timberwolves' starters scored in double figures...Bulls' rookie Howard Mobley registered his first career DNP-CD...Ben Gordon was 11/16 from the field but missed both his attempts from three point range...Minnesota shot 59.8% from the field.

[Andrew]

Breaking News: Bulls acquire Granger, Gartner in three team swap

CHICAGO, IL -- A three-way trade involving the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks has been completed, league sources confirmed today. The Bulls traded Mike Sweetney, Howard Mobley and Wyatt Hanlon to the Pacers and Mike Dunleavy to the Knicks. The Knicks also received David Harrison from the Pacers and traded Trevor Ariza and fifth overall pick Marty Gartner to Bulls. The Pacers traded Danny Granger and Eddie Gill to the Bulls.

Note: I actually completed this one as two seperate trades but in terms of the Dynasty story, a three way trade sounds much better.

[Andrew]

Last update for tonight.

October 31st, 2006
New Jersey (114) at Chicago (112)
Jefferson sinks Bulls in final seconds
[ Boxscore ]

Richard Jefferson only played 25 minutes due to foul trouble but he was on the floor when it mattered. With the score tied at 112, Jefferson made a 20 foot jumper along the baseline with 1.3 seconds left to give the Nets the win and the Chicago Bulls their second straight loss.

The Bulls seemed to have gained control in the third quarter where they outscored the Nets 30-17 but faltered early in the fourth quarter and found themselves once again chasing their opponents throughout the period. By the end of the quarter Chicago had recaptured the lead and seemed ready to put away New Jersey when Chris Wilcox missed a dunk underneath the basket that would have put the Bulls up 112-106.

Wilcox's miscue led to a New Jersey basket and a turnover on the next possession allowed them to tie the game at 110. Ben Gordon, who scored 26 points in the game, made a reverse layup but the Nets tied the score again with 24.5 seconds left. After a timeout, the Bulls ran down the clock and found Chandler on a pick and roll but his layup bounced off the rim. Nocioni rebounded the miss but his tip rattled out into Jason Kidd's hands, setting the stage for Jefferson's game winning shot.

With no timeouts remaining, the savvy Kidd raced the ball up court and found Jefferson on the left wing. Hounded by Deng, Jefferson didn't appear phased as he elevated and drained the long two with just over a second remaining. The Bulls used their final timeout and tried to find Gordon for a final shot, but the play broke down leaving the Nets victorious and Chicago crestfallen in defeat.

"We had this game," a subdued Gordon said after the game. "I don't want to take anything away from (Kidd) or RJ, but we had a chance to put them away and we didn't, and they took advantage." For the Bulls, the loss conjures up bad memories of last season where they struggled out of the gate before going on to win 48 games and the NBA championship. "That's kind of comforting," veteran forward Shawn Kemp admitted. "We were in a tough spot last year and we pulled through. There's still a lot of season left to play."

Notes: Danny Granger led the newly acquired Bulls with 14 minutes, during which he scored 6 points and handed out 4 assists...since scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the season opener, Chris Wilcox is averaging just 10.5 ppg and 5 rpg in the last two contests...the Bulls shot just 13/22 from the free throw line while the Nets were 14/15...New Jersey outrebounded Chicago 41-35.

November 3rd, 2006
Gartner on the move again

CHICAGO, IL -- The Chicago Bulls announced that they have traded fifth overall pick Marty Gartner to the Seattle Supersonics for forward/centre Nick Collison. Collision is a former college teammate of the Bulls' Kirk Hinrich and both were members of the 2003 squad that reached the Final Four. Gartner was originally selected by the New York Knicks in the 2006 Draft and played one game for the Bulls after being traded along with Trevor Ariza in a three team deal that also involved the Indiana Pacers.

Thoughts

A couple of disappointing losses, the comeback code came into play with Wilcox's dunk in the Nets game but I shouldn't have let it get away all the same. I've decided to bring Wilcox off the bench again and start Nocioni, though Noce will also see some time at small forward. That leaves me free to bring Granger off the bench for Deng or Gordon, whomever needs a rest first. I've got Duhon backing up Hinrich and Ellis to back up both guard spots as necessary. Kemp, Wilcox and Collison will come off the bench and fill in at the power forward and centre positions.

It's probably going to take a few games before I can work out a rotation that works with the key guys all getting productive minutes but fortunately there's some versatility there. Granger allows me to run a bigger backcourt and whomever's playing the best out of Kemp, Wilcox and Collison will see the most minutes backing up Nocioni and Chandler. I probably won't have anyone averaging over 35 minutes but I should have a decent balance now.

Current Roster

Starters

C: Tyson Chandler
F: Andres Nocioni
F: Luol Deng
G: Ben Gordon
G: Kirk Hinrich

Bench:

Danny Granger (SF/SG)
Chris Duhon (PG)
Chris Wilcox (PF/C)
Shawn Kemp (C/PF)
Monta Ellis (SG/PG)
Nick Collison (PF/C)
Trevor Ariza (SF/SG)

Inactive List

Eddie Gill (PG)
Steve Smith (SG/SF)
Matt Carroll (SG)

[Martti.]

Really enjoyable read! Like usually.

Too bad with the three straight losses.

How did you acquire Ariza? Fa or via trade?

Hope you pick up a W soon.

[Andrew]

Only two straight losses for the moment. Hopefully it won't become three.

I acquired Ariza in the earlier deal with New York. First I traded Mike Sweetney, Wyatt Hanlon and Howard Mobley to Indiana for Danny Granger, David Harrison and Eddie Gill. I then traded Mike Dunleavy Jr and David Harrison to New York for Marty Gartner (the generated fifth overall pick) and Trevor Ariza. For the sake of the Dynasty story, I called it a three team trade though obviously that function isn't actually in that game.

[Miniseys]

Nice dynasty. I like your roster. Keep it up!

[Chaser7]

Nice dynasty Andrew, just a quick question, How did you get both Wyatt Hanlon and Howard Mobley (I know you traded them both away to the Pacers), but in your offseason report you said you would pick one of them in the draft right? So how did you draft both?

[Lamrock]

Yikes... another poor start for your Bulls.

Great move getting Granger though! I thought the Collison trade as stupid though. I really like your team. Its prefect for a dynasty. Not ridiculously stacked, but good enough to win a title.

If this were anyone else's dynasty, I would say to trade Gordon though.

Chaser7, He originally planned to draft one of them, but in the end, Mobley managed to slide all the way down to the 51st pick.

[Andrew]

Nice dynasty Andrew, just a quick question, How did you get both Wyatt Hanlon and Howard Mobley (I know you traded them both away to the Pacers), but in your offseason report you said you would pick one of them in the draft right? So how did you draft both?

One was a possible first round prospect, the other a possible second round prospect. I was only leaning towards picking one or the other but after I picked Hanlon, no one else really appealed at the 51st pick and Mobley was still available so I decided to pick them both.

Great move getting Granger though! I thought the Collison trade as stupid though. I really like your team. Its prefect for a dynasty. Not ridiculously stacked, but good enough to win a title.

I know it's a bit iffy/redundant but the previous trade left me without much size and Gartner wasn't going to get much time, which seemed a bit stupid for a fifth overall pick with an overall rating of 72 (and he's 5'11" to boot). I agree in terms of the story it's a bit silly but then again I've already ignored the rules regarding trading away drafted rookies and offseason free agent signings after the season begins and made some major moves two games into the season.