Bulls 2008/2009 Dynasty [NBA Live 09/Xbox 360]

[Martti.]

I think you should try a package deal to get Salmons. Will it work Noc for Salmons straight up? Salary wise..

[Andrew]

No, unfortunately not. I've actually been trying for Salmons will all kinds of combinations that are more than fair to the CPU (I'm usually giving up a couple of points overall) but they're countering with some truly awful offers like Noah/Miles for Kenny Thomas.

[hova-]

Mike Miller or Sasha 'The Machine'

I remember when I played with the Bulls in 2k8 I acquired Sasha. He has such a decent stroke but doesnt bring anything else to the table. Noc has far more to offer.
What about Ariza? Or is his salary too low? But I guess his ratings are off since he started to prove his worth in the playoffs.

[Andrew]

I'd like Ariza but his salary is indeed too low, turning what could be a simple trade into one much more difficult to pull off.

[Martti.]

Turkoglu? His salary should be appropriate. But his rating might be too high.

[Andrew]

It is. So as you can see, trading Noce is easier said than done so I'll continue to try and use him effectively but I'll keep exploring trade possibilities.

[Andrew]

November 7th, 2008
Phoenix (101) at Chicago (114)
Bulls outrun Suns at home

The Chicago Bulls managed to beat the Phoenix Suns at their own game, taking advantage of turnovers and defensive rebounds to trigger fastbreaks and outrun the Suns for a 114-101 victory in the United Center. Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni led the Bulls with 20 points apiece while Steve Nash topped all scorers with 21.

For Gordon, the game began in frustrating fashion as two quick fouls sent him to the bench within the first two minutes of the game. However, Kirk Hinrich provided a much needed defensive boost off the bench as he found himself guarding the Suns' explosive shooting guard Jason Richardson, who finished the night with 18 points. Along with Derrick Rose, Hinrich kept Chicago's offense crisp and found forwards Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng for open shots and easy layups on the break. Rose and Thomas also connected for an impressive alley-oop play off the pick and roll late in the first quarter which brought the United Center crowd to its feet.

Phoenix had scored the first four points of the game and the lead changed hands several times through the first eight minutes as both teams continued to feel each other out and trade baskets, but by the end of the first quarter the Bulls had taken the lead and would not relinquish it the rest of the way. Andres Nocioni broke out of his slump with a spirited second quarter performance, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the period including two three pointers as the Bulls increased their lead to twelve. Gordon also returned to dish out six of his seven assists. However, the Suns came storming back behind a balanced attack from Nash, Richardson, Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire, bringing the score within four again at halftime.

The third quarter would unquestionably belong to Chicago however as they immediately attacked the Suns defense and ran up a thirteen point lead by the quarter's end thanks to their uptempo approach. The Suns would make a couple of runs, the first coming at the beginning of the fourth quarter as the Bulls struggled to score and made a couple of costly turnovers and the second coming late in the game after a couple of defensive errors led to back-to-back baskets for Nash, but Gordon scored ten of his 20 points in the final period and Rose converted on a three point play in the final minute to push the lead back to thirteen, capping off a Bulls victory.

Key Players

Ben Gordon (Chi): 20 points, 7 assists, 2 steals
Andres Nocioni (Chi): 20 points, 3 rebounds
Joakim Noah (Chi): 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks
Tyrus Thomas (Chi): 16 points, 5 rebounds
Derrick Rose (Chi): 11 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists

Steve Nash (Pho): 21 points, 4 assists
Amare Stoudemire (Pho): 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals
Jason Richardson (Pho): 18 points
Shaquille O'Neal (Pho): 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks

Current Record: 4-2
Next Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers

So...that certainly works out well for Nocioni. I'm still keeping my options open but I think I'll be able to use him a bit more effectively from now on.

[Andrew]

November 8th, 2008
Cleveland (75) at Chicago (96)
Bulls rout shorthanded Cavs

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James cannot return soon enough.

The Bulls won their second matchup with the Cavaliers this season 96-75, stampeding to a 23 point lead in the fourth quarter and never trailing in the game. Chicago scored 39 first quarter points while holding the Cavaliers to just sixteen as they notched their third straight victory. Ben Gordon top scored for the Bulls with 24, who had five players in double figures.

Wally Szczerbiak led the Cavs with 15 points and helped spur a second quarter run that at one point cut the lead to ten. It seemed Chicago had an answer for every Cleveland surge however, forcing turnovers and converting them into points at the other end. Cleveland committed 21 turnovers while the Bulls turned the ball over only eight teams, a season best.

"We just miss LeBron," Cavs point guard Mo Williams commented after the game, expressing a sentiment that has quickly become a stock answer in Cleveland's post-game interviews this season. "We're playing hard, but we need LeBron. We need to be at full strength to accomplish what we've set out to do this year and that's win a championship." With the loss, the Cavaliers drop to 1-6 having lost four straight.

The Bulls meanwhile have improved to 5-2 on the season and appear to have found their rhythm, particularly players such as Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. Nocioni, rumoured to be on the trading block, has totalled 29 points in his last two games to match his scoring output from the first five games of the season combined. Deng had a quiet scoring night with only ten points but also found his teammates for four assists.

Key Players

Ben Gordon (Chi): 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals
Derrick Rose (Chi): 15 points, 5 assists, 3 steals
Tyrus Thomas (Chi): 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks
Joakim Noah (Chi): 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks

Wally Szczerbiak (Cle): 15 points, 5 rebounds
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cle): 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks


Play of the Game



Derrick Rose throws down a dunk after breaking Daniel Gibson's ankles


Current Record: 5-2
Next Opponent: vs Atlanta Hawks

[Martti.]

Sweet screenshot! And nice wins..

[kibaxx7]

Yep that screenshot looks good Great wins Andrew.

[JaoSming]

screenshot, nice one

nice work

[Its_asdf]

Nice work taking care of business without LeBron. You know your team is seriously lacking in offense when you have Szczerbiak as your primary scorer.

[hova-]

finally a good game by Noc. The Cavs really struggle without LBJ. Keep up the nice writing. Would be nice if you could keep putting some pics everynow and then.

[Andrew]

Thanks guys. I'll definitely try to throw a few more screenshots in there when there's a play I like.

[Fresh8]

Has anyone brought up Ron Artest? I think I may have...

[Andrew]

There's at least fifteen points difference in the overall ratings, so the CPU definitely won't see that trade as having equal value on both sides.

[bestOFbest]

great win
i'll follow this dynasty
good luck

[Andrew]

Thanks. I might not get a chance to play any more games until the weekend, but I'm getting into the Dynasty again so I'll be back with some more updates sooner rather than later.

[cavs4872]

Thanks. I might not get a chance to play any more games until the weekend, but I'm getting into the Dynasty again so I'll be back with some more updates sooner rather than later.

Good to know.

[kevin02]

I will be following this dynasty. Your last ones were really good

[megarover]

nice job

[Andrew]

Needed a break from the roster updates, so I played another game.

November 11th, 2008
Atlanta (99) at Chicago (108)
Okur leads Bulls to scrappy victory

It wasn't pretty, but the Bulls emerged victorious against the Atlanta Hawks thanks to Mehmet Okur's 21 points and 15 rebounds. Okur, in his ninth NBA season and acquired from the Utah Jazz this past offseason in exchange for Larry Hughes, shot 9/11 from the field as Chicago overcame 23 turnovers and foul trouble to keeping extend their winning streak to four.

First quarter foul trouble sent starting guards Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose to the bench earlier than usual, resulting in Thabo Sefolosha playing a season high 22 minutes alongside Kirk Hinrich, who scored 11 points off the bench. The Hawks would dominate the first six minutes of the game however thanks to Mike Bibby, who finished with a team high 22 points. A Bulls surge cut the deficit to four late in the quarter and a 10-2 run in the second quarter saw the Bulls lead by as many as nine. Turnovers continually hurt Chicago however and Atlanta converted several errant passes into baskets at the other end, trailing only 52-49 at the half.

As Bibby cooled off in the second half, Joe Johnson stepped up and led a charge that saw the Hawks take a 70-68 lead late in the third. It was short lived however as second year centre Joakim Noah crashed the defensive boards and slipped by the Hawks at the other end where Derrick Rose would find him for a couple of easy baskets underneath, sparking a mini-run that allowed the Bulls to recapture the lead and hold a 80-76 advantage heading into the final period.

Although they would not give up the lead again, Chicago would not have the game in hand until the waning minutes of the game when Ben Gordon sealed the game with a couple of free throws. The Hawks themselves made some costly turnovers of their own down the stretch allowing the Bulls to stay ahead and finally prevail with a 108-99 victory.

Key Players

Mehmet Okur (Chi): 21 points, 15 rebounds
Drew Gooden (Chi): 12 points, 9 rebounds
Andres Nocioni (Chi): 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Joakim Noah (Chi): 8 points, 10 rebounds, 1 block
Ben Gordon (Chi): 13 points, 3 assists

Al Horford (Atl): 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks
Marvin Williams (Atl): 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Joe Johnson (Atl): 16 points, 6 assists, 3 steals
Mike Bibby (Atl): 22 points, 5 assists

Current Record: 6-2
Next Opponent: vs Dallas Mavericks

[kibaxx7]

Everybody knows me for doing (not successful) dynasties and associations with pictures and images in every update, but I must admit that I love this simple layout, with no other thing, apart from text. It looks great.

[Its_asdf]

NIce to see you fight through all of those turnovers to get the win. I tend to get flustered fairly easily when the AI just intercepts every single pass that I throw sometimes when I play, so I guess this game really showed your perseverance.

[Andrew]

Everybody knows me for doing (not successful) dynasties and associations with pictures and images in every update, but I must admit that I love this simple layout, with no other thing, apart from text. It looks great.

Thanks. As I said I will try to get a few more screenshots in here from time to time but nothing particularly noteworthy happened in the last game. I just really liked the play that led to that Rose dunk in the previous game.

NIce to see you fight through all of those turnovers to get the win. I tend to get flustered fairly easily when the AI just intercepts every single pass that I throw sometimes when I play, so I guess this game really showed your perseverance.

Tell me about it. The longstanding problem of the CPU pulling off ridiculous shots is just as frustrating, that stopped my runs cold as much as the turnovers. That said, I think I need to do a better job of contesting shots in NBA Live 09 but it's still something I hope is better in NBA Live '10.