BY RICKY O'DONNELL
Who’s all jacked for tonight’s NHL All-Star Game?!?
Really, no one? Ok, cool.
It’s a pretty dull time in Chicago sports right now. I feel like there are only so many ways to write “Bulls suck”, and it’s a tad too soon to start hyping baseball everyday. As such, let’s rehash the Bulls struggles one more time, since they are at the symbolic half-way point of the season.
Two of the best Bulls writers, the Sun-Times’ John Jackson and Matt from Blog-a-Bull recently put out grades for every player. Let’s take a look at a few of the big names:
Kirk Hinrich
John Jackson: D. After watching Hinrich perform like he did in scoring a career-high 38 points on Wednesday, you have to scratch your head and ask why he can't play with that kind of aggression every night.
Blog-a-Bull: D. Just completely abysmal until recently. Being a 'shy' captain exemplifies lame demeanor of entire team.
Ben Gordon
JJ: C Sure, he leads the team in scoring (19.6 points), but his average was higher last season, and he's still not a good ballhandler. He has forced too many shots.
BaB: C-. Extra points for not throwing a (expletive) fit when asked to go to the bench for no reason. I know I threw one.
Luol Deng
JJ: C-. Although he has been hurt much of the year, his problems go beyond the back and Achilles injuries. He hasn't played with the same passion, and his defense has been lacking.
BaB: C. I'm hoping that his injuries explain away his lack of development as a player since last season. Although he seems willing to try some wrinkles in his game this year, so far it's not working. Like making layups.
Ben Wallace
JJ: D-. It's doubtful the veteran big man ever could justify his large salary in some people's eyes because of his offensive limitations, but he simply hasn't put forth the effort most nights.
BaB: F-minus-minus-minus-minus. Is no longer a dominant defensive rebounder, and whatever offense he once had has now completely disappeared, as 34.7% from the field, for an interior player, is a monumentally bad season. Bonus negative points for quitting on Skiles, and just quitting in most games. Even more negative points for being the pollster of the Bulls caucus.
Joe Smith
JJ: B. Despite getting off to a slow start, he has been exactly the type of scoring presence the Bulls were looking for at power forward when they signed him over the summer.
BaB: A-. Joe Smith has ruled, and despite playing unreasonably heavy minutes, hasn't broken down. It'll be great if that's parlayed into a trade.
Andres Nocioni
JJ: B+. He is probably the only member of the returning core to play with the same effort and energy he displayed last season.
BaB: C+. Probably could get a B, but watching him just pisses me off. Reading the constant glowing remarks about him makes things even worse.
Chris Duhon
JJ: C-. When interim coach Jim Boylan took over, Duhon was inserted into the starting lineup and was asked to spark the team. It hasn't quite worked out that way, mainly because of his shooting woes (35.9 field-goal percentage).
BaB: F. I'll miss making fun of him when he's gone. To Greece.
I present the floor to you. Feel free to comment on these grades or give your own. With the Bulls at 17-25, I'm sure the marks can't be too high.
While we're here, I'd like to point out that the Bulls are most definitely making the playoffs. For as bad as they have played thus far, and all the injuries they've had, the Bulls sit only 1/2 game out of the final playoff spot. Seriously.
PS: The Blogfather should be back tomorrow. Get excited.
Mid point grades? For these Bulls? This should sum it up: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Followed by: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Completed with: WHAT WE'RE THEY THINKING?
Here is my midseason evaluation using the No Bull left behind grading system.
John Paxson: C. Paxson is an excellent evaluator of talent and has made the correct draft pick in every draft thus far. However, Paxson obviously has lowered expectations when it comes to finding a head coach. Pax needs to find a match maker (ala Bears and Angelo)to find a coach who can/will play the talent Pax has put together and execute his vision. Sadly, injuries to key players is the only reason the Bulls are discovering the Big defensive guard and post scorers they coveted were sitting on the bench the entire time. And in the meantime, Paxson - instead of being in the mix for GM of the year - has been looking a lot like Jerry Krause.
I think these area about right...luv the Duhon critique.
K Hein:D Major decline from last yr.
B Gord:C+ Improved in RBDS, TO's, & FT%, but needs help to score.
L Deng:D+ Major decline from last yr, but he's been hurt.
B Wall:D- His entire game: guard big men (Shaq).
J Smit:B+ Can do it all, but can't score on his own in the 4th.
A Noce:B+ See Smit.
C Duho:F The main reason why Bulls are 17-25? Dismal PG play.
Overall Team Grade - D.
This is a team that entered the season with very high expectations and his severely under delivered. Who knew that Michael Sweetney was the glue to last season's team? This team tuned-out its coach to the point they got him fired. His replacement has been treated like the interim that he is, especially when the players mutinied against the hardest working Bull Joakim Noah. At the halfway point, it may be time to admit this season is tanked.
I call for our GM John Paxson to make something happen, if not by the trade deadline, then next offseason. This team needs a professional coach, a legitimate center and an infusion of heart and desire. Please Pax, make this happen.
Overall the entire organization gets an F. Pax needs to make a quality trade before the deadline or this team is going nowhere. Gordon or Hinirich have to go and also Wallace and Duhon. So far Boylan has not shown he's an NBA head coach. Even if they make it into the play offs they're not going anywhere whith what they have now. Deng and Gordon I believe shot themselves in the foot when they turned down the contracts they were offered. Noce and Smith have been the most consistant players thus far. Sefalosha has in my opinion shown he should be starting ahead of Duhon.
Ben Gordon C+: The ONLY player on this team I'd spend money 2 see.
Smith: b
The Rest of the team including mgmt a F+.
Chris Duhon &Loul Deng: I lump these two guys together because as a general rule NEVER draft a player from Duke because more times than not there SOFT and OVER RATED. I know there are a few exceptions but overall its a mistake so with that being said GRADE: D
KIRK HINRICH: C I like Kirk and I think he will recover but its the Bulls fault in a sense because I think he's tired all the time from checking the teams best players. I think he will do a lot better the second half.
BEN GORDON: C Good player but is not a starting 2 guard in the NBA. Need to always come of the bench. Cant check any good shooting guards in the NBA because of his height. So the Bulls need to look to trade him ASAP.
BEN WALLACE: F- This was the worst move the Bulls and John Paxson made. This guy is Shaq without any baskeball skills. He has the body to play but has no skills. A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY. Why trade Tyson Chandler? He was at least a scoring threat and could shoot free throws.
JOE SMITH: B Good veteran player; good addition.
ANDRES NOCIONI: B At least he plays with passion and heart and has hustle. I just wish he could score more.
Do you know what time that NHL All Star Game is on?
More grades. How could they be much different? The top half of the curve is pretty much out of play. To think how much I loved these guys last year.
Hinrich: C, He gets extra credit for not playing next to a big guard. Playing defense (I THINK he is still trying) against bigger guards takes a toll on him.
Deng: C-. I'm tempted to go lower. He hasn't contributed much for a guy who was supposed to make a run at the All-Star team..
Gordon: D-. My favorite punching bag. If he is not shooting the ball, he's completely useless. Lost with the ball in his hands and on defense. A terrible player in that he cannot recognized double teams and from where they come. Dribbles into traffic. I have to admit some of that can be blamed on the lack of effort and intelligence elsewhere.
Wallace: G. (I just invented that): I agree with BaB. Add some more minus signs. His only value is if you can dump him. A massive display of lack of professional integrity.
Joe Smith: B. One of the few players worth watching this year, for whatever good it has done. He should have made this a 55 win team.
Noce: B. Not good enough to put the team on his back, but he works hard and can do a bit of everything. Just the fact that he never backs down is worth a grade. I wish that attitude would spread. The opposite of Wallace in terms of courage and effort.
Duhon: D . Let's face it; he's smart, tough and effective for an an end of the bench guard.
Yes they probably will make the playoffs. If a ton of things fall right they could even give someone a tough time. I am assuming a higher level of effort in the playoffs. Sefalosha has to continue to improve. He might be the key to the team. Or maybe I'm just suffering from the failure to draft Brandon Roy. He was my choice, honest. Now with the players value decreasing daily, I fail to see how Pax will right this ship. I guess there is always the possibility of the team toughness returning. Not likely! Getting rid of Wallace may be the best thing they can do. He'll walk away and blame it all on Skyles and the other players.
'Doggone' it (HA Julie)!! Here i was posting to all these new and fresh threads with joy, only to find out I was posting in the Bears Blog......yyyyyyeeeeeeeechhhh. Brad Briggs can bite me.
How can you give a half-ass team , with a half-ass coach who answers to a half-ass GM, who works for a half-ass owner - proper half -way marks. Half-ass performances will always meet half-ass expectations when they are set by half-ass people. Two halves of an ass make one full ASS. EEEEOR-EEEOR. Don't be behind this team or you might get kicked 'squaaare in da n@tz'.
Culzie, do you really think anyone here believes that you give a rat's tushay about the NHL All Star Game? Quick - name one player who played in it! We all know you were glued to the men's free skate at Nationals this evening, watching local boy Evan Lysacek defend his title against Johnny Weir(d).
How's that Cheddar Medal coming, Stuck? I want to give it to Ricky for putting up with the Julie B. Blog Dating Game last week while our Blog Master was "on vacation." When Roman's away, the bloggers will play!
Bulls. Suck.
Noc b+ for effort.
Noah A++ for still hustling after Mr. Coach's guy Wallace led a charge for increased punishment for having a moment with a coach.
Sefalosha(sp?)/Gray Inc.
Kirk B- (Benefit of the doubt that playing next to Gordon/Duhon has more to do with it than anything.)
Wallace G----
Deng potential but softer than Charmin D--
Gordon Double F...1 for no ball handling, poor defense, selling out teammates by shooting for a contract. 2nd F for being stupid enough to turn down a contract that would have grossly over paid him (see last comment).
All else D.
Coach pass he inherited a mess and has no reputation to win back players. Let's get rid of wallace before we judge him.
Pax B Wallace for Chandler was BAD! recent lack of trades may have more to do with cheap owners than himself. Speaking of which, if owner wasn't cheap we would have kept Chandler in spite of Wallace's salary. Also he benefits from being compared to Krause.
Skiles - B; for actually getting 49 wins out of these clowns last year before they all decided that "I'm getting mine"...actually, give him a B+ considering he knew when the inmates decided to revolt against asking them to give 100% effort every game since none of them are considered a top player in the NBA at their position (maybe Deng WAS a small forward ranked somewhere between 15-20 at his position).
Rumor is Jason Kidd has asked again to be traded. Pax can quickly up his grade by getting a deal done with the Nets. Gordon, Duhon, and Wallace for Kidd and Nachbar would look good for both Pax and the team. With Kidd at the point the athleticism of Noah and Thomas could be taken more advantage of. Hinrich would then move to the 2 guard, his natural position and depending on match-ups move to the bench to back up Kidd with Sefalosha starting.
Somebody said lets evaluate them ALL and that is right!
Reindsdorf: A+ for allowing me to view 7 ships in my lifetime. See Cubs for reference.
Paxson: C for not pulling off a trade. The players needed to see he wasnt messing around. And he needs to sign or move Deng and Gordon, who's value has plummented now.
Skiles: Z------!!!!! Christmas Eve firing pushed Paxson's grade up a whole letter. This guy was the reason the team quit and why Paxson couldn't get any quality players in here - and exclusively why Chandler is not here. I never liked how he was hired, that sour look on his face (didnt fool me), and that headband foolishness. He forgot to watch the end of Full Metal Jacket. Best Christmas I had in a while.
Boylan: B- He gets a plus just for playing THABO and DUHON. Players that have helped the Bulls stay at 500, which is the kind of team they are. Sadly Boylan is not going to be head coach because he simply doesnt believe he is. And his unbelief is transferred into his demeanor. Guy looks like Eyore.
Pete Meyers: C, Wore a suit, shut up and took his loss like an assistant.
Coach that Noah Screamed at: D - for being a wuss and not hitting Noah with a clipboard! Had to have others do his work and caused a mess!
I have to go, so I will do my players laters.
I thought BCulz would be pulling for Johnny Weir -- for obvious reasons.
LOL @ F's for Chris Duhon....he's a backup NBA point guard.....he has to play like he completely shouldn't be in the NBA to get an F.
Duhon "I'm shutting it down for at least a couple of games" (due to injury).
Chris, don't you actually have to have some game to "shut it down"?
Because of his big mouth, I'm dropping BGordon down to a D+.
I've lose some respect for him now after feeling a need to tell reporters he didn't make a mistake to turn down the $50 mil. To do this during a downed season on a night he's not playing is dumb.
JR is no fool. Not only did he bring up the contracts but he obviously leaked the $57 mil fig as well. So now the fans know these two players are seeking Wallace like deals.
Gordon should have just kept his mount shut & said "no comment". Pissing off mgmt is not the way to get a new contract done & I can't imagine even the dumbest teams throwing $15/mil a yr at him.
I TEAR FOR WEIR"
I WANT TO NOW GIVE GRADES TO EVERYONE ON THE BLOG WHILE ROMAN WAS GONE.
KEITH A- : Only played the racism and media card twice...was very curteous to new Ricky the Temp, and just slightly fell into JB's tangled web.
JB - A : Practically took over the place, has put up new shades and blinds, has someone coming over at 3PM to have the black leather couch and pool table removed, painted the dining room and has rewallpapered the guest bath. Its getting too cuddielishious in here. I wont even go into all the scent spraying...
Hitman C- - Truthfully he was on his best behavior, but there was a really vaccant feel to his posts. Like he too was on vacation. It was like he was on auto Pilot. Maybe Hibernation?
Seedysnuts F+ : Continuous and unrelenting almost obsessive attempts at taking the crown from Bculz to no avail. Bright spot of entire vacation was actually how deeply he fell into love with JB hence his +
WRD I (incomplete)- Mustve gone with ROman, cause other than 1 or two little posts and a mini throw down with Jaun...on some old Bulls thread...he has been auspicously silent lately.
Guns of Navarro - C - Typical Anthony....a few shots across people's bows, but then right back to business of discussing Hoops, woulda got a D+ except his offer to Trade for himself to help breathe some life into the Bulls.
THE Chuck - B+ : Was a real workhorse, as usual, very dependable and consistant. Had a moment of weakness or two when it came to JB's trickery...but mostly...kept the course!
STUCKinWISC B- : I know I know, you wouldnt expect it, but really had some good insight into the mind of the Packerfan with his up close and personal view and also his knowledge of RockIsland..er uh i mean Rockford was really impressive.
TimLittle - A- or as I like to call him "On Time Tim"- Tim just never fails to deliver. Never too wordy, always poignant, backs up his arguments, brings fresh trade rumors up almost as much as me, and always comes out on right side of the issue. Man..if it wasnt for Julie's utter domination while roman was gone, Tim Woulda been head of the class.
Mark Villaino - C- - Very creepy at times, a bit wordy too, points seeemed to lack depth or clarity...just really all over the place this last week or two.
Rogers Park in Richmond D+ - I know I have combined Kris and Ed into one person here, but lets be honest, can you really distinguish one from the other?
Jason B+ - At first I thought i wouldnt include Jason as to not lend him legitimacy, but then I thought about it, and I realized, he is kinda like my protege' in a way, and If I can controll him and temper his pure rage for Keith I may be able to harness his power for good. So he gets B+ instead.
Mike123/BigWay/OldWise/Keylan/- C+ You guys have been better!!!
All the New Comers - B - Lots of new faces at the pond...too many to mention all by name.
Butch ?? - Its ok to post outside of the Bears Season..buddy!!??
ROD - C+ - YOu gotta lot of learning to do before you can handle a Lamborghini like this blog all by your lonesome kid. But, you done good enough for Roman, you done good enough for me.
BCuLz - A+ "Speaks for itself"
BCULZ:
Excellent bumper sticker material!!!
Looks like the White Sox hitting rubbed off on the Bulls shooting. Well, seeing as they're a "TEAM", my grade goes to the whole squad; D-. I would grade each individual, but I just can't stop shaking my head.
I lied! I am going to give out one individual grade, to none other than Chris Duhon; FFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!
This for his qoute in Mondays' Sun-Times; "I'm hurting the team because I can't be as explosive as I can be." Yo Du, the only thing exploding here is your head! You couldn't run by Eddie Curry in lead boots. Fix the shot first, THEN work on that dynamic speed?
The thing that really bites is we're all in this, whether we'll admit it or not, until somebody runs away with the seventh and eighth spots.
On second thought, "We're Doooomed".
I will give the Bulls a FAIL TO ATTEND as a team and John Paxson should be DEMOTED FOR FAILING GRADES. Paxson has made some of the poorest decisions proving not mature enough for the job, go back to the booth you were good at that. Grade: (F) Aldridge vs. Thomas,grade: (F) Wallace vs. the salary cap or AARP grade: (F) drafting small guards. Is he trying to re-live his youth through these little guards, grade: (F) refusal to admit errors and then repeating them. Reinsdorf for being gutless and cheap.Grade: (B) Deng and Gordon thank God they did not sign, Paxson should have traded them when they had value now look!!
Boylan-B(for starting Thabo)
Hinrich and Smith-B(for putting up with all the poop and still trying to carry the team)
Noah, Gray-B(they are rookies and still show they have potential)
Deng-C(should have figured out a way to sign if he was so effected by not)
Gordon-D(does he really think he's a starter worth 60 mil?)
Duhon-C(proves he is a back up and should not be starting)
Nocioni-A(he is what he is, with that never stop motor)
Thomas-incomplete(they have not found a way to use his superior skill set, he is 20 and needs the help, or we need to trade him)
Wallace-F(wrong attitude, wrong team, needs to be moved, maybe he just can't do it alone)
I never got the chance to post on the players. And i will just leave it alone. Um too busy cracking up on Culzie's post!
You forgot NOLES Culzie.
I hope you don't mind, Roman - I took the liberty of dong a little redecorating while you were gone. Do you like what I've done with the place? I went for a Reagle-Beagle type motiff, with a Charlie's Angels-ish office for myself in the back. Really, the only thing that makes it girly are the Tom Brady posters I've hung all over. Top shelf only at the bar, but Keylan did manage to sneak in a bottle of Jagermeister while nobody was looking.
BC, nice work. I was going to say you were being a bit egotistical, however typical, giving yourself an A+, but using the word "courteous" (even though you spelled it wrong) to describe Keith's brown-nosing has to be the most diplomatic thing you've ever said. Also, your futile attempt at trading blog-marriage lifetimes was somewhat amusing, so go ahed, keep the plus.
I think i forgot a few people...not on purpose...
Sweeney...Noles...Bubba's Momma....but...hey...I cant think of everything!
bculz...several emotions bubble up at the possibility of being considered your protoge. After several barbs were considered as a reply, I had to resist considering your assessment was quite funny.
I have no problem with Keith...ok, other than his love of Ben Wallace (I like Bill Walton too but he can't play today either) and his Diane Burns-like views of racism.
“KIRK HINRICH: C I like Kirk and I think he will recover but its the Bulls fault in a sense because I think he's tired all the time from checking the teams best players.” - Mike 23
“Hinrich: C, He gets extra credit for not playing next to a big guard. Playing defense... against bigger guards takes a toll on him.” - Greg H
“ Kirk B- (Benefit of the doubt that playing next to Gordon/Duhon has more to do with it than anything.)” - Chris
The above are absolutely true. There are some smart Bulls fans out there after all. There are no PGs in the entire L can succeed or look good playing next to Gordon/Duhon. If you gave a BG-like SG to Nash, Billups, CP3, D-Will, TP, etc. and forced them to guard those bigger SGs, they would just look as mediocre as or worse than Kirk. If you gave Kirk a tall SG that can guard his man and a big man scorer (as all aforementioned PGs have; some have 2-3 big scorers), he would look pretty good [eg, playing next to Thabo, he was the best PG in 2 out of 3 past games among 10-12 teams played (at least according to ESPN rating), even though he didn’t have a big man scorer]. Why Pax (who played next to the great defensive (and offensive) SG MJ) does NOT understand what are the criteria for a NBA starting-caliber/min SG is beyond belief (he should draft Iggy using that #3 pick). Even a college student understands it. Or, he can simply look at what type of the SGs those championship teams in recent history (eg, the Spurs, Lakers and Pistons) have. Does Pax care about winning? If so, this type of defense-lacking/one-dimensional mini SG is absolutely NOT a winning formula and not much useful when competition gets tough. Even AI (who is much more talented than BG) led the 76er to nowhere. The Spurs shut down AI in the playoffs and the Nuggets only won exactly one game as prior AI.
See Jason...you are already harnessing....i love it!
Keep on drinking that Captain Kirk Coolaide. Its deadly. When Gordon is gone and Mr. dribble dribble dribble has that ball with the shot-clock draining to zero you are going to miss Gordon. Gordon is a legitimate threat - and when he is contained can still score 20 points. You are going to miss Duhon also. Kirk is ONLY effective guarding two guards. Smaller guards will leave Kirk in the dust. Kirk is a nice player, but keep it in perspective. He makes NOONE around him better - but Thabo and Duhon do. Tyrus is dying and so was Tyson Chandler. Who's the point guard??? OH its Ben Gordon right. OK. OK.
the only reason you'll miss Duhon is if you're looking to hit the bars with someone...
Thats why you bring in Kid...
Chandler isnt splat without Paul...
TT and Noah and Thabo would be ally ooop kings if we could bring in a TRU point gaurd.
Culzie I agree. And this guy would automatically make ALL our post guys better. TT would be TNT with Kidd. But more importantly, it would open the door for another free Agent like your boy Kobe. Who is dying to get in the East. When the lakers fail this year, Kobe is going to be talking again. Watch!
bculz...I continue to feel it...
I haven't checked recently but I think Chandler is getting 8 or 9 more min a game than with the Bulls; with that xtra time, I think he's getting 4 more rebounds and 7 more points (give or take).
Granted, I'd much rather have the stick-boy than Wallace but he's essentially the same player he was here except now he's playing with 1 of the 3 best points in the league.
Finally, how does Keith get an A when he beats the Wallace drum daily, blames Skiles for ALL of this, and thinks we'd miss Duhon once he's suiting up in Turkey?
Jason - dying at the Turkey comment!
Ask Culzie how he liked those 4 steals Wallace had last night
against that beast?
Ask Culzie if he likes Jason Kidd - the guard who also had the slap skiles?
Go ahead and ask him.
Pass on some knowledge. The Bulls won 49 games last year with roughly the same personel which will be fortunate to get to .500 this year. Skiles was the coach. Does Skiles deserve any credit or respect for this feat?
Funny story I'd like to share:
My father, being the 30+ year Bulls season-ticket holder that he is, has all the silly giveaways they send him displayed in their guest bedroom. My daughter was at their house playing yesterday and was standing on the bed, studying the row of Bobble-Head dolls that have accumulated on the shelf - everything ranging from Kirk Hinrich to Johnny "Red" Kerr (she ripped John Paxson's head off when she was a baby). She looked at every doll, realized one was missing and asked my mom, "Where's Ben Wallace?" She asked me the same thing while watching the game last night.
(I'm kidding about that last part - but still, profound for a 4-yr.-old, don't ya think?)
well culzie it would seem my rumor about a Jason Kidd trade is coming to fruition, unfortunately not with the Bulls but with Dallas and Portland. To this point I have not been calling for Paxon's head but if Kidd ends up in Dallas and not Chicago it will be time because that will be the fourth superstar player he has passed on since the days just before last years trading deadline.Gasol, Garnett, Bryant and now Kidd With a point guard like Kidd Thomas, Noah and Sefalosha would become all-star candidates almost over night.
Anybody want to change your grades now that the Bulls have proven to be less adept at offense than a college team w/out Gordon?
Tim Little please dont bail on Pax...and here's why:
Gasol trade - came with dealing with the devil. Jerry West has NEVER been on the bad side of a trade. Why do you think Gasol is still there?
Garnett - Danny Ainge to Kevin McHale. Cmon man.
Bryant - Has all the cards and complained and nixed every deal involving his name. Mark my word - you will be glad he didn't come!
Kidd - Requested to be traded to a contender. Now if you were the Nets would you really keep him in the East? Everytime there is a marqee trade the player goes to the other side of the league. Out of ALL these jokers Kidd is the guy to have. If I were the Bulls I would turn my attention to Bibby.
Tim...I think I called the Kidd trade...didnt I? Maybe you called it, but i posted the Article first....hard to keep track.
Keith...again...your counter points are flawless....each trade when broken down is exposed to be pretty obvious that we wouldnt have been able to get er done.
maybe with the acception of the Kobe trade....in that we over valued our core a bit more than we shouldve.
Time to set our sights on KING JAMES i guess.
Culzie - NOW YOU ARE TALKING! I feel like you are playing some sick twisted game on me today??? King James does for me, what Kobe does for yall. I am grinning so hard, my teeth are grinding! LaBRON JAMES...what a dream! NOW THAT IS A FRANCHISE PLAYER, LEADER AND TOP NOCH STUDD!!!!! Never complains, and makes EVERYONE around him better. And unlike your boy - has no sidekick and isnt afraid to take the big shot.
Culzie and southsider you should get a room. Listen closely now child NO ONE WILL COME HERE EVER!!!! now stop this dumb fan stuff face reality and go jump in Lake Michigan. Culzie who made you the blog Roger Ebert? You know nothing you understand less and I don't think you ever played past peewee so you wouldn't know. Southsider your just as kooky but you two are funny I do enjoy your witless banter so much. The Bulls have become gutless overpaid spineless wimps and Ben Wallace since he's running the team anyway he my as well take off the jersey and were a suit.
djssr - I AM CRACKING UP LAUGHING! I am going to sign off tonight before I read something I dont like!
Seriously...im very flattered.
Thanks djssr
witless even....brilliant.
Im the Donald Glaude of Bloggin' get it right.
George Connolly | January 30, 2008 04:36 PM - Yes Mr. Skiles is to be credited with those victories. But so are the PLAYERS who PLAYED. Because people are awfully hard on them this year. Especially Ben Wallace and Ben Gordon. And it seems to me that the fans and media are expecting the Bulls to completely collapse without Scott Skiles. And although there are ripples and waves...the Bulls are still 500 and have a better record than when he was here THIS SEASON.
Why oh why would anyone want to give up players for a old point guard who can't shoot either. Yeah he makes everyone around him better but this team is not close enough to warrant doing that. What needs to happen is try to dump Wallace salary increase playing time for the young bigs and concentrate on getting a scorer between 6'5" to 6'8" who can create his own shot and makes the defense honest, stop with the atheletes get a basketball player with a scorers mentality. Mayo of So. Cal has potetial so does the kid from Indiana. It should be this organizations number 1 goal get a real scorer. There are kick out players on this team and if you let the bigs develop you got something. You will never get a quality free agent in here until you change the philosphy and get past the Jordan years THEY ARE OVER !!! now let's make something out of this collection of misfits. P.S. let's get a real coach. bculz and so. side thanks
I'd coaCH....
Dj...your love hate relationship with Me and Keith is confusing....
make up your mind ;)
djssr - asking us to forget the Jordan years is like asking the US to forget the American Revolution! Why should we forget success??? Bulls won with 6'6, 6'7 guards and lock down defense, and a fantastic PLAYERS coach. 2 stars, outstanding defense, and an offensive system. Seems to me like a formula for winning. We have the blueprint in the archives. Time to blow the dust off the folder. And I love Pax, but he should know better...
Bculz some things you say are cool others I simply donot agree. Paxson is a screw-up, Reinsdorf is cheap, the atmosphere sucks no one wants to come here, Skiles was a rabid dog, Wallace is on the downside, Gordon and Deng were over-valued and mis-cast on this team. A team who makes exits in the playoffs starts slow in the season needed a jump start, a true scorer. All these statements are true and apparent. I don't agree to bring a old and on the down side of his career here, what's the point? No one is going to give you a player for nothing. The only way to get off the floor is to get a 6'6" to 6'8" scorer a competent power forward, and a REAL NBA coach who will adjust to his talent and doesn't get out coached every night. How can you get caught with Wallace on the floor in crunch time, he won't score, he can't shoot free throws. Most teams pick and roll. With the Bulls no one fears the roll so they ignore the roll and double the shooter leaving no options be to pass out or dribble out waste more clock force the shot, sound familiar? Pass into the post play the post one on one no fear of post player force the pass out another shot clock violation or Noah or Wallace has ball in hand with seconds ticking away, sound familiar? enough said.
I dont think I am the rapid the Wallace defender you want to be addressing your last post to...
I think we lost BenWallace when we couldnt decide if he could wear a headband or not. Ever since then, he has been a hollow shell of his former fro!
Roman responds: Stop it. He had been declining steadily in his last few years with Detroit and it's continued. Why don't you think Detroit tried to keep him?