Bulls take Rose

I have to agree with the pick; it was the right choice.

Here's hoping it all pans out for the Bulls, and that Beasley doesn't put up super hero numbers in his rookie season, thereby causing all of us to second guess the pick.

I hate it when that happens. It makes me feel like Jay Mariotti.

"It was an easy pick, and the right call."

"Your thoughts."

First thought is.... why should I bother havin any when ya put it that way, Roman....ok then ...I'm good with sticking my tongue to the frosty pole and riding the ski lift up and down the Mountain ...

yAY dEWWIcK WoZe

Great pick. Home grown talent. Here's to having a top 5 pg for the next 10-15 years. We needed a scorer but we needed a mature leader more than anything. Way to go Pax

For once I heard Scremin A suggest something that made sense...Kirk and Tyrus to Miami for Marion. Not sure if the $ work but why not??? Marion would get to play with a real point guard again, and you would have a fwd roation of Marion, Deng and Gooden.

i know what a great pick

awesome pick by pax and i have to agree with illinialumni with the trade or if not get marion try to get gilbert arenas.

I do not like this pick. Still the Bulls still do not have a proven low post scorer nor top flight rebounder.

Like I stated before, who on this team commands a double team? Enjoy another trip to the lottery Bulls.

Somebody who averages 4 assists a game and barely makes 70% percent of his free throws and who also barely hits 40% from the field, is now our Messiah!

I wanted Rose but what is with that 2nd round pick?
A team that really needs inside scoring does not draft two guards especially when the team is already over stocked at that position.
Sorry but Sonny Weems was not the guy to pick and he was not even the best player available.
1st pick = No brainer.
2nd pick = Brainless.

On a team full of Hi Flying Labradors we now finally have someone to throw them the frisbee!!!!

This could get nasty!!!!

Boy, I did not know that a Track team full of athletes can win an NBA title?

Why is it that people who think they know Basketball say dumb things like bculz just said. It is statements like that and the attitudes of most why the NBA stinks. I can not wait until the Olympics when our high fliers get blasted by an Eastern European country who plays sound fundamental basketball.

Just because you got a bunch a guys who can jump through the roof win a bunch of Basketball games?

pax screws up again. yeah he took rose, that was the biggest no brainer pick ever. pax didnt do didly to gets a low post guy. he could have traded hinricks and thomas and the 2 pick to get roy hibberts. come on that kid is strate up low post.

pax just don't know hows to pull the trigger. he sat on his hands last years and look what happened.

we gots rose good but we still need a low post guys

who did they draft some bum named sweeds or sweets or something like that. some 6'5 mini me foward

it's stupid

Should make the bulls a lot more watchable. Hope playa is given some time to grow into things and to contribute to, not carry team. Easy to forget how young these guys are, after seeing rose and beasley so much, mayo looked about 30.

O.K. that was the easy part. Now go get Beasely from Miami or Mayo from Minni by offering any combination of Hinrich, Gordon, Gooden and even Deng.

If Beasely is all that he is cracked up to be then we should give up all for guys for him, and Miami would be crazy not to take 4 lottery picks with proven NBA ability for 1, and an instant starting lineup to surround Wade. I see Beasely's upside as Elton Brand, not Karl Malone, or Charles Barkely.

Deng and Hinrich or Gordon should be enough to get Mayo out of Minni, where he probably doesn't want to be anyway. Nothing wrong with a backcourt of Rose and Mayo for the next 10-15 years.

In either case trading Deng opens up the 3 spot for Thomas, who should blow up with a point guard like Rose getting him the ball. If Thomas ends up actually being a 4 then Thabo might actually be a better 3 than he is a 2.

Additionally, the Bulls get major salary cap relief and put themselves in position to be a player in the summer of Lebron in 2010.

Of course go slow Paxson doesn't have the stones to be this bold. He seems to love Deng so much he probably wouldn't trade him for Lebron or Kobe straight up.

You mean for the NBA and not And1? You can't attend one year of highschool and go to college on your athletic merrit, so you shouldn't be able to go to the pros after one mediocre year of college. You need to be schooled, not get schooled. There is a difference. I know Rose sure will not make one. This young man travels more on the court than he does going from Memphis to Chicago.1And done. See Yaaaaaaaaaa. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

CKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rose was a good pick! Mayo is already gone. and 8 player swaps abound! What a league, the owners must love this.

After watching this terrible draft the NBA need to know that they're sending a terrible message to kids that if you are the best player in college, the best player in your conference, the best player on your team, you still won't be #1 or you might not even get drafted in the first round. This was the case with Michael Beasley and Chris Douglas roberts. Douglas roberts was the best player on memphis basketball team and he doesn't even go in the first round, but on the other hand the second best player on the team can go number 1. Michael beasley should have went first because he was the best player in the draft. I'll take production over potential any day. This draft is not about production anymore and that's why the NBA is so watered down and 1/4 of the league is fundlmentally sound right now. Everything is about potential and athleticism, which might only get you on sportscenter. Thats also why the scores of games be in the 60's and 70's. The days of great basketball is over, it died with the 90's. You don't have to be able to shoot to be in this new NBA. From the beginning to the end the draft sucked.

Would have liked to see the Bulls take Chris D-R in the second, but Weems is an intriguing pick. Most scouts said he GREW the last three months into a shooting machine. O.K., I could see where a kids stock grows overnight, and we need someone to spread the floor. Besides, it's the next few moves the Bulls make that matter most.

Full speed ahead or reverse all engines.

Guess we'll soon find out who's runnin' the ship this year?

and Sonny Weems sure did shred my Hoosiers in the tourney...really, really good athlete that guy..

PJP...that dumb statement you refer to is called a FACT.

OUR CURRENT BULLS TEAM HAS A TEAM FULL OF FINISHERS WHO CANT SET UP THEIR OWN SHOT.

NOW WE HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL POINT GAURD WHO CAN ACTUALLY START..WHAT THEY WILL FINISH.

WERENT YOU WATCHING THE SAME TEAM LAST YEAR AS ME?

ALSO....ALL THOSE EURPOEANS WILL BE STAYING IN EUROPE THIS YEAR, SINCE ONLY 1 was picked in the Lottery....

PJP....also...I dont want to make you look too much like an idiot....but...didnt half our team play for Duke or some Final Four team where they learned 4 years of Coach K fundementals??

I.U.P.U.I.- I don't know why but I always liked the sound of this school mentioned whenever playing a local school. I.U.P.U.I.- just the ring to it, I guess. George Hill? Now that's one I gotta get used to.

Just got off the phone with a friend who's reffed a few games in the Summit Conference, and he said, 'Unforced turnovers aside, he's a solid player. First round talent, eh, don't know about that.'

Indiana Guru, any insight on this kid?

LOL....how funny is this....

Here is Basketball.com comments on ROSE...

1. Chicago Bulls: DERRICK ROSE, 6-3, G, fr., Memphis
Chicago could go with Beasley here, but they already have enough young bigs with Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah along the front line to develop. In Rose the Bulls will get a true point guard who can run their fast break offense. He will make another great addition to a young nucleus of players the Bulls are assembling and can lead this team.

PJP...IT LOOKS LIKE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO FEELS THIS WAY...

WHY DON YOU PUT YOUR EURO'S WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS...AND WE CAN BET ON THE OLYMPICS...

I WILL TAKE TEAM USA....WHO DO YOU WANT??

I JUST STOPPED RUNNING I AM SO HAPPY!! Vinny is paying off already!! Going to be a great year for the BULLS! We all know what Rose can do, but there are two other glaring weaknesses of the Bulls that really needed addressing and Vinny and Pax have impressed me. Those weaknesses are the Center position of course, but also the under the-radar-position of shooting guard. Bulls have done their homework. The link below is an article about our second pick of the draft which is another area the Bulls really needed an upgrade at. Great night for the Chicago Bulls!

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Sonny-Weems-330/

Bighank, the bottom line here is that no matter what the Bulls do, you're not going to be happy about it so why don't you just do everyone a favor and take your pessimistic views of NBA basketball and just stay away from it until you either accept the sports culture for what it is today or just simply, stay away forever? It's one thing for me to have a spirited discussion about player A vs. player B or about trades, drafts and team ownerships, but when you knock the sport itself, that's irritating. If you like football, hockey, golf or whatever and I don't, I don't go to a football blog board and start ripping the sport itself to pieces. I'm an old school fan of basketball going back to the days of Dr J and Larry Bird and I too have witnessed the evolution of the sport, but I still enjoy the sport today as much as I did as a child because I adjust to it and I understand why it is the way it is today. This era of NBA basketball has still produced many respectable Championship teams like the Spurs, Pistons and even this year's version of the Celtics of "old guys". There are still many basketball purists involved in the sport today that are trying their best to repair the game and stress the fundamentals. You're not giving the people a chance. Instead, some of you guys end up whining about it like a bratty child. Stop the preaching and take your comments to another forum!

Vinny and Pax, go after Elton Brand! Take your shot! I like what all of these other teams are doing with the trading! Time for the Bulls to get a star in free agency.

Now regarding my thoughts on this Bulls and the draft:

The Rose pick was fine, but I'm still a little disappointed that we cannot seem to figure out a way to creatively execute a trade involving some of the players in our current roster like many NBA teams did last night. Paxson tried to explain that his hands are tied for another week or 2 until free agency period begins because of Deng and Gordon, but what about the other guys on the team? Look at the Nets, they traded Jefferson away while we can't let go of guys like Hinrich, Deng, Nocioni, Hughes and Gooden? It's just another example of the conservative nature of this management team spearheaded by Mr. Reinsdorf that I have a problem with. I'm cool that we're in rebuilding mode again, but they won't admit it to themselves and they continue to hide it through the media. Now they have a 2 week window to work with on trades and free agents before I can judge any further, but right now, I'm not all that impressed so far outside of the Rose pick.

The Center from Turkey in the 2nd round, Omer Asik, has some skills and is BIG, but I would rather have seen him develop here instead of having to wait for him another 2 years or so from overseas which likely translates to another 4 years before he can make an impact on this team. Will Del Negro even be around in 4 years since he has a 2 year contract with an option?? Yes bighank, I probably would have preferred taking a chance on Douglas-Roberts instead, but not so sure he's any different and is slower than Luol Deng. Like I said before, from here on out, it's going to be all about development development development. Where are the offensive and defensive assistant coaches that Del Negro/Pax promised? Man, long way to go for our Bulls....

Draft winners yesterday in my opinion: New Jersey, Milwaukee and Portland. That Portland team is going to be a major force in the NBA in a couple years.

Most talented players in the draft: Mayo, Rose, Beasley, Bayless, E. Gordon (possible head case though) and Love. I would have loved the Bulls to have drafted Kevin Love somehow. He's a smaller version of Arvydas Sabonis.

Sleepers: Joe Alexander, Lopez twins, Hickson, Ajinca, Ibaka and Batum. maybe Darrell Arthur pending full medical clearance.

The 2008/2009 NBA Rookie of the Year: sorry, not Beasley. It will be GREG ODEN.

Edgar I agree but you are too hard on old Hank. The game hasn't been the same since MJ changed it. Some of that was good and a some bad. They stopped hardnosed basketball and made a lot of the physical play obsolete. And the need for slow toughnosed post players like Cartwright have been replaced with the likes of Pierce and Nowitski. I still cringe everytime I see a big man take a 3pt shot - even if he makes it. And I root against that lazy soft joker!! And that is the REASON Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett did NOT have a championship until the change of the game. They are good and champions, but they needed someone to help carry their behinds across the finish line!

Keith.... um, Sonny Weems was already traded. hehehe Omer Asik will be the newest Bulls but won't be on the roster for another 2 years at least....

Keith...can you go see if WWW.BRINGINBRAND.COM is available...

if it is, lets buy that domain name and get this baby going.

BRAND IS THE MISSING PEACE!

No question...

also, it looks like Weems is gone...

The Chicago Bulls acquired the draft rights to center Omer Asik, the 36th selection in NBA Draft 2008, in a three-team deal with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.

The 7-0, 255-pound Asik is a 20-year-old native of Bursa, Turkey. A two-time Turkish League All-Star (2007, 2008), Asik split 30 games last year with Alpella and Fenerbahce, where he averaged 10.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, a league-high 1.90 bpg and 1.90 spg. In 2007-08 Euroleague action, he set a league record for blocked shots in a game with 19 rejections.

The Bulls traded the 39th pick in NBA Draft 2008 (which turned out to be 6-6 guard/forward Sonny Weems from Arkansas) to the Denver Nuggets for Denver’s 2009 regular second-round draft pick. Chicago then acquired the 36th selection in NBA Draft 2008 from the Portland Trail Blazers for Denver’s 2009 regular second-round pick, the New York Knicks’ 2009 regular second-round pick (acquired from New York on Oct. 4, 2005 in the Eddy Curry trade), and Chicago’s 2010 regular second-round draft pick.

I know he has only a few years left in him, but the guy I wouldn't mind seeing come in this year is Marcus Camby. When I thought about all the POSSIBILITIES (not far-fetched, out-of-reach dreaming), his was the name that came to mind.

I like Noah a bunch, but not convinced he's our BIG answer.

Anyone take Paxson's comments about Rose not getting big minutes right away to indicate that Hinrich isn't going anywhere this summer?

I do.

I'll predict that Hinrich is a Bull until at least the December trading deadline and that he will average around 30MPG combined at PG and SG. Anyway, as a BYC player, he would be really hard to trade for value now, right?

I also predict that there won't be any trade for a big name/big dollar PF/C. Thank god, Paxson didn't try to get O'Neal.

Please John Paxson trade Kirk Hinrich Larry Hughes and Chris Duhon for Elton Brand Shawn Marion or Vince Carter ASAP.

Tim, I tend to not really believe anything that puppet Pax says these days because he's not the guy who ultimately makes the important decisions on the team. Going back to when Scott Skiles got fired, I can give you a laundry list of Paxson quotes that Pax has either never followed up on or contradicted himself in public. As for Kirk Hinrich, I can see him staying a Bull also, but either him or Ben Gordon must be traded in a couple of weeks. There's a logjam at the guard position and Rose has to play, rookie or not, period. If the Bulls cannot do something about the logjam at the guard position, then that's a recipe for disaster in team chemistry when the regular season finally comes around. This is pretty obvious so whether you're a BG fan or still a Hinrich believer, one of them has to go. I don't think the Bulls will be able to trade Hughes and his contract unless they think BLOCKBUSTER deal, but history shows, they don't do blockbuster trades for a star player in return. Even Jermaine O'Neal was never in the equation at all for the Bulls... he is owed over $44 million over the next 2 years according to his contract. No way in the world would the Bulls take on that kind of contract unless the guy was LeBron and even then with Reinsdorf... enough said.

I do like the possibility of getting Marcus Camby, as Anthony Navarro suggested. I mentioned him before also over Carmelo in a possible deal with the Nuggets. He's a little older, but his freaky long frame will always cause problems on the defensive side no matter how old he is and he's still a solid rebounder in the NBA. Camby is a good option for the Bulls, he's not overboard expensive that'll destroy a team's salary cap limitations.

And lastly, Keith... yeah, I may have been harsh on poor old Bighank, but something tells me that he may come back on the blog board to direct a rude comment towards me so I guess we'll see what happens. But hey, if people want to rip on the sport of basketball, then why waste the time to state the obvious in a blog board? I just don't get it. I don't rip on other sports that I don't follow. I respect those who play it and follow it because they have a passion for it. I grew up with this sport, I have a family full of grade school and high school basketball coaches around the country, I teach the sport to youths and I love this sport so I'll defend it anytime against anyone. There are still plenty of people who are trying to teach the game "the right way". I'm not giving up and I'm certainly not going to let blowhard fans try to take the sport down and convert other basketball fans away from the game...

Tim..im affraid you may be right, but between Huges,Gordon,Hiney and Rose, thats 30M in cap right there....someone or 2 will have to go!! I say get rid of Gordon and Hughes.

Edgar please! Normally I'd let you have it but this is only a forum so I'll leave it alone. You named the spurs, pistons, and celtics and I agree those are respectable champs but you're missing on key thing. All those teams were guided by seasoned college players with the exception of KG. Even with the lakers when they were winning championships, the only exception was kobe. everybody else was seasoned college players. There's no loyalty in the sports business so coaching and GM's have to win now, not tommorrow. Paxson may not have his job in 3 or 4 years. This wasn't fair to do to Chicago rookie coach Vinny Del Negro.Del Negro needs instant help and that's what Beasley would have been. There's a reason why no one has taken a point guard with the No. 1 overall pick since Magic Johnson nearly three decades ago.If it's a toss-up, always go big. It worked out for Houston when they took Yao Ming over Jay Williams in 2002. When Chicago selected Elton Brand over Stevie Francis in 1999.Sure, it doesn't always work out. Remember when Milwaukee opted to go with The Big Dog, Glenn Robinson, over Jason Kidd back in 1994. Paxson was swayed by the hometown vote and now he'll pray that Rose makes him look like a genius.Beasley only measured in at 6-foot-8 and change with shoes and some people were shocked. Are you seriously telling me that an extra inch is the difference between him being worthy of the No. 1 pick? Guards are far easier to obtain than multi-dimensional frontcourt players who can score inside and out and can pull down double-digit rebounds with frequency. There's Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams. C'mon, the Boston Celtics won the NBA title this past season with RAJON RONDO running the team.Rose is unselfish and, while Memphis coach John Calipari would have you believing he's a leader, he's not. He's quiet and had an ideal situation for his lone season in college in which he had upperclassmen such as Antonio Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts to provide the leadership. I don't want to hear about the fact that Rose took his team further than Beasley.Put Rose on the Kansas State Wildcats and they don't even make it to the Big Dance. Beasley carried his team to the NCAA tournament and even won a game in the Big Dance all without a bona fide point guard.

Bculz, When was the last time Team USA has won a Gold Medal in the Olympics and in the World Championships? We lost the last Olympics because we have players in this country who have poor fundamentals because they would rather dunk or take 3 point shoots.

No!that is not a dumb statement. Also a lot of the NBA players who play in the league will be playing for their own countries in the Olympics. I would take Manu or Dirk on my team anytime and anyday but I forgot you would rather have track athletes who can barely pass and shoot but boy can they dunk. Good day.

Tim i'd bet you are right and Paxson just does not want to give up on Hinrich. It WILL be his undoing!

Edgar thanks for the update, its dissappointing, but i guess Pax plans on using Larry Hughes as the backup WHO IS NOT a scorer. Thabo is a serviceable 2 guard. Thabo and Rose should start, but Pax is talking that foolishness. Kirk is ruining the team and needs to go! Now um getting angry.

PJP sez: "Rose is unselfish and, while Memphis coach John Calipari would have you believing he's a leader, he's not. He's quiet ..."

He's more than quiet.

I listened to a few of his press conferences, and again today on the baseball broadcast with DJ doing the interview.

Now, I'm not saying that Rose isn't a nice guy, or that he can't play basketball; I'm only making an observation here.

Is it just me, or did anyone else pick up on the fact that Rose is a borderline, functional illiterate?

He has the vocabulary of a sixth grader, and is barely able to complete a coherent sentence without numerous "ugh's". He's polite and yet totally inarticulate at the same time. Derick Rose makes Dennis Rodman look like an intellectual, and that isn't easy to do.

I listened to him closely, and it amazes me that he was able to pass even the minimal college entrance requirements. There's no way in He11 that he could conjugate the verb, "to be".

And before anyone tries to slam me about my comments on Derick Rose:

Rose was admitted to college, a venue of so called "higher learning" the last time I checked.

What exactly is "higher learning"?

I would suspect that it is beyond that which we usually consider to be a rudimentary high school education. ABC's and all that.

Now, imagine Derick Rose sitting across from the late William F. Buckley on "Firing Line".

Buckley asks him a question, and Rose has no idea whatsoever regarding what Bill just said, even though they both supposedly speak the same language.

Not even a frickin' clue.

That's what I'm talking about.

You know what I love most about this particular ASS HANDING...

that the site I got my facts from is actually called...
WWW.FACTMONSTER.COM

PJP...it appears that you have your phrase bassackwards, and you meant to say....when was the last time USA DIDNT WIN A GOLD MEDAL...and I would say...just this last one...because we had become to comfortable and rested on our DOMINATE LUARELS!!

Basketball
Men's Olympic Basketball
Multiple gold medals: USA (12), USSR (2).

Year
1936 United States, Canada, Mexico
1948 United States, France, Brazil
1952 United States, Soviet Union, Uruguay
1956 United States, Soviet Union, Uruguay
1960 United States, Soviet Union, Brazil
1964 United States, Soviet Union, Brazil
1968 United States, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union
1972 Soviet Union, United States, Cuba
1976 United States, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union
1980 Yugoslavia, Italy, Soviet Union
1984 United States, Spain, Yugoslavia
1988 Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, United States
1992 United States, Croatia, Lithuania
1996 United States, Yugoslavia, Lithuania
2000 United States, France, Lithuania
2004 Argentina, Italy, United States

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0114922.html

FACT = L.A. LOST THE CHAMPIONSHIPS BECAUSE THEY HAD TOO MANY SOFT EUROPEAN PLAYBOYS WHO HAVE N0 HEART!

THEY HAVE NO HEART BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN PLAYING PROFESSIONAL HOOPS SINCE AGE 5.

KUKOC WAS SOFT..DIRK IS SOFT...GASOL IS SOFT..& MANU MAY BE HARD NOSED ...BUT HE IS A CHEAPSHOT ARTIST...

DUDE...

Gordon and Hinrich have more fundamentals than all of France combined.

Do you think Boris Diaw and Barbosa are fundamentally Strong?

Passing well doesnt equal fundementals either....Diaw is a good passer, but he is never in the right spot!!!

Roman, went back to read some blogs I missed while racking up some hours at work, and there's one where you mentioned Beasley as the second coming of Marcus Fizer.

Marcus Fizer was THICK from the waist down, a sure sign of a man without a quick first step; a quick, second rebound hop; or any future speed (thick just gets thicker).

Beasley is proportioned evenly, is 'QUICK' inside and out, has a push-button second hop, and is, overall, much more athletic than Fizer, who I considered a 'PLODDER'.

There were a few other mentions of a Fizer/Beasley comparison, but I think they may have been more of a reference to an over-hype than actual likening.

With the added height questions evolving, Mr. Beasley has just been juiced with additional, yet not at all necessary, determination.

This kid's the 'Real Deal', and had it not been for obvious necessity at position, he may well have been a Bull.

His use of the left hand separates him from some past, solid, 6'8" PF,s, with no less the motor or skills.

Rookie M.V.P. or runner-up.

No bout adout it.

Navarro....did you really say this?

"Marcus Fizer was THICK from the waist down, a sure sign of a man..."

First PJP, I let you rant about basketball long enough...what do you watch. Do you watch in the glory years of the 50s when they were playing D 3 feet away, or the 60s when the Celtics had the monopoly on black players. These kids nowdays play fundamental basketball, I know, at 37, I'm still on the court teaching fundamentals. They may not have the 15 ft. jumper of yesteryear, but how many players in the 80s and 90s could shoot the three. A 6'2" guard with a 40 inch vert. Spud Webb to me. 6 inches taller version.

The international game has different rules, they allow for more hacking, the 3 second Zone is more triangular, and the players other countries use have been professional for years playing together. Our team comes together in a few months.

Dirk is soft, and all he does is shoot 3s and wait for the foul to be called, he is exactly what you argue against. Manu is usually posted at the 3 line. drive and dunk are his favorite moves, PJP come with a better argument.

I really like the Rose pick. It is harder to find the right size pg with abilities, then scorers of the 6'7" ilk. I hope we keep Hinrich with Thabo being the third guard and those guys rotating. The position is now so solid. I really think we some kind of big to go with Gooden and Noah, people think Camby, I like Lee or maybe Frye. We all agree someone with experience and I am glad it isn't O'Neal. Obviously we trade Gordon and Hughes if possible for the big and maybe Tyrus, but what is he worth? I think the one person who will get the most out of Rose will be Noce. Congrats Pax, as they say, it is better to be lucky then good, nice to be both!

I don't understand all this crap about European players being fundamentally more sound. I don't see it. If you look at the NBA stats in all categories, foreign players, except for Nowitzki and Nash, are non-existent. For Europe, only Nowitzki and Parker.

If you can find me three European players more fundamentally sound that Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, then you got something. I'd even put an 3rd tier allstar like Rip Hamilton against any European player... fundamentals for days (FG, FT, defense, passing). All those Eastern European busters that come to the NBA and get owned and go back to their leagues wondering if they can play basketball. Remember Dalibor Bagaric? He could barely play basketball. Nope they don't have their childhood friends to protect them on the court anymore.

Only recently has the U.S. had a national team. European national TEAMS have caught up with U.S. Olympic teams, but in terms of fundamental skills, NBA still wins.

Bighank, you forgot AI, You give too much credit to past history. Elton Brand was a 20-10 guy, and remember, everyone wanted more. Brand X, we called him. Elton played very little D, score 20 give up 30, that's why the Bulls were such a horrible team. Rose can guard the superquick guard(our main problem in the backcourt.) It will take time, but he can stick TP, CPIII, Rondo like he dominated some of the college competition.

And Jay Will worked out for us, too until the bike accident. Beasley is not a multidimensional frontcourt player, he's a scorer and rebounder. Rose is a multidimensional backcourt player though.

Derrick Coleman is a multi dimensional player in your eyes, scorer, rebounder. He11, Drew Gooden is a multi dimensional player then. Any player who averages a double-double is multi-dimensional. Beasley or Rose has not played one minute of NBA ball, to insinuate one is better than the other is just pure speculation now, no fact at all. We are not stupid for liking Rose, your guess is as good as mine.

When talking about fundamentally sound players you guys are mentioning guys who were either drafted in the 90's (which was the last years of great basketball) or guys who played 2 to 3 years of college which gave them more on a opportunity to become more fundamentally sound. The problem is not those guys its these very young guys that come from high school or only do one year in college. Now of course there are exceptions but for the most part these guys are watering down the game. thats why the final scores be 76-67 all the time. In the 90's that was defintely a 3rd quarter score.

Yeah Culzie, I said it, and your mind was the only sick one I second guessed myself about. As you can see, I went ahead and said it. Nuf said.

Yeah Culzie, I said it, and your mind was the only sick one I second guessed myself about. As you can see, I went ahead and said it. Nuf said.

Actually, if I had used, fat, chunky, or even European thick it wouldn't have changed your chance of interlocution.

Don't know what the hay that word means, but it sounds good!

Dean sez: "Obviously we trade Gordon and Hughes if possible for the big and maybe Tyrus, but what is he worth? I think the one person who will get the most out of Rose will be Noce."

I disagree.

I think that Tyrus will be the benefactor of Rose's ability to create opportunities in the paint. He's much more physically gifted than Noce, although Noce is the more determined of the two.

Thomas needs a little self discipline and focus, but his up-side is light years ahead of Andres'.

Let's hope pax doesn't just kick the can down the road and actually makes the necessary moves the rest of the offseason instead of the usual litany of excuses.

And our failure to medal in 1980 is due to the fact that we didn't play!

Thank you, Jimmy Carter.

you know me Guns....im all about Thick Waisted Men!

Today's "Shoot yourself in the Headline"...
'Bulls high on Hookah'..

Weems is gone?...traded for a 7ft Hookah?...that we can't even use?

RentaBong?...
"Use your Chicago Bulls credit card and receive 90 days same as Hash on your purchase!...Bud wait!...Hairs more!....Inhale this offer today and we'll include a Reinsdorf Red Hair one hitter!, a Paxson Pipe!, and an Official Benny the Bull Bubbler for the kids!!

Vinny Vaporizer sold separately..."

In the NBA..I'll admit...no better team builder than a 7ft hookah...but leave it to the clove smoking Bulls to put a bong on layaway for 2 freaking years...

Shame..I wanted to say It's Always Sonny in Chicago...and by no Weems should we have traded him...(ok..that was cheap)

Taking Rose is fine but I have ZERO confidence in Paxson to push the other buttons to actually round out a complete team.

I can only hope he's blowing smoke to crank up Hinrich's trade value when he says Rose can play along side either Hinrich or Gordon. R U NUTS??? For God sake we saw Cutino Mobley backing down Kirk last year...CUTINO effin MOBLEY!!! Gordon doesn't even pretend to play D.

Tommy:

Gordon can't play "D", can't play in the paint, can't rebound, and can't hang on to the ball.

He's nothing more than a streaky jump shooter who can throw up points in spurts off the bench, while giving up an equal amount at the other end of the court.

He should have taken the $50 mil.

Celtics had a great balance this year. They had a little bit of the old mixed with a lot of the new. But those of you discounting RONDO's contribution is just fooling yourselves. Rondo put BOSTON over the top many nights, and the games he was on were not even close. DEFENSE wins championship, but without a point guard you should not be allow to mention the word championship! LA added Gasol, but they also added FISHER! Rose is not our everything, but he is the start of building a positive offensive attack. The front line is going to work harder on the block because they know the ball is coming. And Pax and Vinny - please end your Hinrich crush and be businessmen. I would like to keep Kirk, but he is simply too expensive. And he was once worth every penny, but not anymore. I would move his behind like a Christmas tree after December 31st.

The future is bright and the Bulls need to fetch their star. Elton Brand, Gilbert Arenas, Corey Maggette, Baron Davis, Ron Artest. And we need some enforcers and skill guys coming off our bench. Time for folks to step up or pack this year.

I hate cross polinating, but since there's nowhere else to put this:

I haven't heard a lot of chirping from Cubs fans this weekend.

Whatsamatter; cat got your tongue?

Can you say, "LOSERS"?

Mark...unless you want seeds from a particular strain...

So...
Ritchie Zisk got his little weekend in the sun...The series is 33-33....enjoy that kiss from your sister

(insert Wrigleyville/kiss from brother jokes here)...and I know...there weren't any Cubs fans at the Baseball game last night...they were at the parade's after party..

24 days...7 hours...57 minutes..and a few seconds until FOOTBALL SEASON

Why do I have to look at three pictures of R KELLY? Before I find your sports Blog every morning?

Alright, back from a long weekend and looks like we have Bighank talkin' it up about the great era of 90's basketball again huh?

Bighank, all I said before is that if you don't like the brand of basketball today, then don't watch it and don't crap on the sport in the boards. Take it somewhere else. Go to the other newspaper publication in town. I don't want to hear it. If you like 90's basketball so much, then it's because of the players drafted in the mid to late 80's that paved the way to that generation of basketball (Jordan, Malone, Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Pippen, Barkley, D. Robinson, etc.). Your argument is not valid. And plus, when I gave credit to respectable basketball teams like the Celts, Pistons and the Spurs in this decade, it was in direct response of your bashing of this era of basketball today. If these teams were guided by seasoned College players, these were the players drafted in the 90’s, the very same era that started the drafting of high school players. And speaking of “seasoned College players”, your Michael Beasley has only played 1 season of College ball, combined with a mixed baggage of 5 different high school teams in the prior 2 years before College! --- not exactly what I call a “seasoned College player”. You just ended up contradicting your very own comments about today’s NBA by praising this guy!

Bottom line, there are plenty of respectable people and players involved in the sport today who are trying their best to maintain a solid brand of basketball today. There are plenty of nice NBA players today drafted in the decade such as Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Jefferson, LeBron James, Tayshaun Prince, Chris Bosh, Yao Ming, Caron Butler, Dwight Howard, Tony Parker, Mike Miller, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Kevin Durant… I mean geez… the sport will thrive, it’s not dead. Of course the waves of underclassmen are making some of the games look ugly on TV, but there are a lot of inexperienced kids entering the NBA now. That was expected, but to say that there are many 75-67 scores in today’s NBA is ridiculous. Yes, there were a few, but not THAT much. As bad as our Bulls played last season, they still averaged 95+ points per game as a team. Why don’t you give some credit to the emphasis on playing DEFENSE from coaches now more than ever? Some of those low scores you mentioned involved the very same veteran-filled teams that we said were respectable Championship teams! Look, there’s nothing you can do about free agency, escalating salaries and the eligibility rules in playing pro sports today. Blame it on the business side of sports, not the sport itself. Waves of underclassmen are going to increase in almost every sport that involves speed and agility. There are going to be ugly games to watch, but sometimes it is fun to watch a team GROW into a Championship contender. Coaching and development is key, while talent, leadership and team chemistry will win the championships in more cases than not. For this particular Bulls team and roster, I felt Rose was the best fit because it’s easier to build a team around a point guard or a dominant Center, not forwards. Most NBA analysts agreed as well just as most also agreed that Beasley is a can’t miss prospect but not the most logical for the Bulls team. I never knocked Beasley, but Bighank ripped into Rose, called us blind and then ripped into the sport again and again. I can’t stand it when too many people generalize this sport as if it’s all “And 1” or Globetrotter –type of street basketball. Don’t watch it then! Stick to tennis and bowling if that’s your cup of tea!

And lastly, I said this before and I’ll bring it up again regarding the comparison to the 2008 NBA Champs, Boston Celtics. Rajon Rondo won several playoff games for that team this year. Terrible example to say that this team won it all without a point guard. Even then, they spent money and acquired 2 superstars to play on this team, 1 of which happened to be one of the top 3 NBA players today (KG). As good as Paul Pierce is, he needed them both and Boston gave away their future to win 1 today. The Bulls and Reinsdorf will NEVER build a Championship team this way.

Right, Culzie! Who decided Oprah is more important than Roman??? Certainly not the FCP faithful. Roman, tell the blog page people that the R. Kelly trial is ovah, and to move you back up to the top. Scrolling down is such a buzz-kill. Anyway, you're still a featured blog to me.

Roman responds: Awww, thanks Jules. Don't you guys bookmark the page?

Mark, cat's got their tongue..... and Aramis' bat!

Pollinating has two l's, btw.

Hey guys, when you're discussing USA Basketball vs. International (Olympics) basketball, you have to take account into the rules of the game, not the fundamentals. The trapezoid lane discourages the power post game so naturally, of course the International players with talent can shoot from the outside very well because that's their game. The wide lanes also spreads out the defense and allows the quick cutters on screen rolls and the curls. Almost all International teams practice gimmicky zone defenses, while the NBA plays mostly man-to-man. It's a much different game than the NBA. There is a huge adjustment for USA players to play under these rules. Plus, FIBA officiating is notorious for nitpicking USA teams and allowing dirty play from the International teams. I've watched plenty of Euro basketball and International basketball and if you think that these "fundamental" teams play clean basketball, you're sadly mistaken. The way I see it, we invented the game and the rules, so the Olympics should pattern the NBA rules, not FIBA basketball rules. If the International teams played under NBA rules in the Olympics, it would have taken them that much longer to catch up with us on these games because most International teams cannot match the talent, power and athleticism of USA basketball. Sure, you'll have some nice International talents playing well in the NBA, there are still not that many. It's not about the fundamentals, it's the rules when it comes to USA playing in the Olympics. Even then, not since the original Dream Team, has USA brought out a complete roster of its absolute best players competing in the Olympics until this one preaching unselfishness and team play and even then, we're still missing Garnett, Allen, Caron Butler, and so forth. If anyone watched this same USA team play in the FIBA qualifying tournament at Las Vegas during Summer last year, these guys played great, unselfish basketball.

So far so good... there are sources reporting that Bernie Bickerstaff will be hired as one of Del Negro's assistants, along with Del Harris and Bob Ociepka, both still in negotiations. If all three come into play as assistant coaches, then that's an awesome start to a new regime. It would have been nice to get Tom Thibodeau, but he would have asked for salary more than what Del Negro is making today as head coach. Coach Ociepka is a former coach and teacher of mine at my old high school at GT.... gotta give him a call if he lands the Bulls job! Anthony Navarro, were you enrolled at GT when coach Ociepka was there??

Roman, can you check with Hanley to find out if reports are true that Omer Asik (the Bulls 2nd round draft pick via trade) recently signed with his professional team in Europe for 5 years, yes, FIVE years with NO NBA ESCAPE CLAUSE?? In other words, we just gave up Sonny Weems and two future 2nd round picks for an International player that'll take longer to get here than Toni Kukoc did? If this is true, then this is a big time major blunder for Reinsdorf/Pax.

Edgar, the bulls sstarted rebuilding in 99. five years after that they made the playoffs three out of four years.Why do you blow the team up after one bad year. They clearly was a up and coming team. Your suppose to add to the team not sink the ship. beasley would have been the scorer the bulls needed. derrick rose should be in south beach right now. Their rebuilding the bulls shouldn't be. Also you named 18 players and 13 of those players were in college for two or more years.

Edgar, the bulls started rebuilding in 99. five years after that they made the playoffs three out of four years.Why do you blow the team up after one bad year. They clearly was a up and coming team. Your suppose to add to the team not sink the ship after making the playoff, especially when our the 2nd youngest team in the nba. beasley would have been the scorer the bulls needed. rose is a good player but not for the bulls. derrick rose should be in south beach right now. Their rebuilding the bulls shouldn't be. Also you named 18 players and 13 of those players were in college for two or more years.

All that being said we lost the last Olympics and in the few World Championships the USA lost. I believe one year they came in 7th so don't count your bessings.

Team USA will lose this year and again have egg all over there faces. Argentina all the way with that buster Noch who is a beast in international play along with Manu.

Mark - here's how bad has it gotten for Gordon...one of the ESPN writers ranked him as the 9th best restricted free agent behind immortals like Josh Childress.
$50M never looked so good...at this point I can't see the Bulls offering much more than the 1 year tender.

My personal reader told me that we agree with Edgar!!!

PJP...go back to Russia!!!!

Edgar, there was an Ociepka at Gordon when I was leaving, but he had dark curly hair, and may have had the freshman. I played under Versace my junior year and left under some clown, Chubrillo, my senior session.

Damn, I don't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday and you want me to remember yesteryear. I still have nightmares, to this day, of not being able to locate my locker, remember my combination, or be in a class which I have no recollection of attending for the first 6 months or so, all of which never happened, but haunt me. Go figure? I guess that's what happens when you leave 18th St. to school on Addison and Cal.

Shoot, for all I know, that Ociepka could have been the baseball coach, but there DEFINITELY was one there.

Being a true follower of sports though, an area referee for MANY YEARS, and a Ram forever, I know Bob was highly regarded in the circles. I played with and against some excellent coaches to come out of the High School ranks (Condotti, Smith, Grisetto e.g.) and know very well what it takes to be succesful on the hardwood, and it would not surprise me, in the least, if Ociepka helped to mold the Bulls into the winners they appear to becoming.

Good stuff Edgar! PJP - why are you jocking the Euros??? Its not like we are talking finances! This is HOOP homey. Noch is a beast, but comeon...

Bighank, I know all too well about the Bulls rebuilding since 1999. I've had season tickets with those clowns since 1999 and now just finally taking a break away from season ticket holding starting this season. Reinsdorf can now sell my tickets to the next sucker for all I care. I know about their exploits about blowing up the team after just 1 year. I never said that I supported this third rebuilding project since Championship years. That's all on Paxson and Reinsdorf. I've typing up the blog board here since Fall of last year ripping this organization to shreds for all the dumb decisions they've made to the roster, the lack of activity, their conservative approach to managing a basketball team and the firing of the last coaching regime of Skiles and Boylan. I've been very vocal about this all because I care, however, in the end, I'm still a Bulls and basketball fan win or lose. The Bulls want to start over again with Rose and a brand new coach with no prior coaching experience at any level. That's rebuilding and when you rebuild, you build again on potential. That's the direction Reinsdorf and co. wanted to go because it costs less money and will potentially generate even more profits down the road based on marketability alone. What a bunch scammers. I never said I liked this plan, but what the heck, they're the only NBA basketball team I can root for in town! But clearly, Rose has more untapped potential than Beasley, hopefully that we can agree on, Bighank. Beasley will likely produce more in year 1, I understand that. Knowing the Bulls, they will likely try to take it easy on Rose while Miami should and will likely start Beasely with heavy playing time minutes from the start. I know you said you prefer production over potential and that's fine, I accept that argument, but for me, if I already know that a team is in rebuilding mode, then I would draft on potential. Beasley may eventually become a double-double monster in the NBA (although I don't see it because of his overall size, but that's just my opinion), but Rose with experience may be able to give you triple-doubles along with leadership intangibles that are necessary for head case team like ours down the road. The Bulls wanted to start over, then start over with either a stud point guard or dominante center and then get rid of the guys on the current roster who contributed to this mess for another rebuilding project, that's how I see it. I don't want quitters and head cases on my team. I don't need guys who can't play a fun and simple game like basketball because they're pouting over contracts. What a bunch of crap. I can live with Hinrich as a complimentary player, but he's no leader and he's overpaid to begin with. Same with Noce, but if we gotta get rid of multiple players to make a trade happen, then I'm all for it. One way or another, whether we drafted Rose or Beasley, there would have been a logjam at both guard and forward positions. Roster changes still have to be made. This offseason is not over yet, not by a longshot.

As for the 18 names, I just rambled off whatever came to my head. I was talking about nice NBA players today that keep the league alive. I could have added Josh Smith, Amare Stoudemire, Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, etc., but what's the point? Unless the NBA changes the age limit eligibility rules again, we have to deal with the growing pains as basketball fans whether we like or not. If you can't stand it, then don't watch the sport and don't generalize the sport. There are many alternatives out there.

Sorry Navarro, just trying to see how far back you go with the GT annals, but those are some good names you mentioned there. You do know that Coach Oceipka is a member of the Catholic League Hall of Fame, right? Anyway, he's a good hire for the Bulls, same with Bickerstaff. Coach Oceipka has been in the NBA for over 15 years. Actually interesting to see Bickerstaff accepting a lower paying asst. coaching job given his head coaching and front office experience on his resume. Could he be a fallout plan in case Vinny can't get the job done by year 3? Hmmm... Still hoping that the Bulls can hire more assistants with experience. Development development development!!

Wonder if Rose has a $350,000 luxury car yet?

Roman responds: Whatever car he has goes pretty fast.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can someone please start a Charm School style finishing clinic for these way too young, extremely over paid, primadonna superstars, who have the HOPES of an entire city JOY RIDING on their backs??

Rose says driving over 100 mph was 'big mistake'

July 1, 2008Recommend (9)

BY CLYDE TRAVIS AND DAN ROZEK
A contrite Derrick Rose said Tuesday night that his charge for allegedly driving more than 100 mph on Interstate 88 was ''a big mistake'' that he vowed never to repeat.

Rose, 19, must appear in Kane County Court this month after he was ticketed for driving about 105 mph in a 65 mph zone while heading east on I-88 about two months ago, acknowledged Rose and Terry Ekl, a lawyer representing Rose.

» Click to enlarge image

Bulls first-pick Derrick Rose was ticketed for driving about 105 mph in a 65 mph zone while he was heading eastbound on I-88 about two months ago. He vowed never to do it again.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)

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''I know I did something dumb,'' said Rose, the former Simeon star whom the Bulls made the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last week. ''I made a big mistake. I'm very sorry, and I can only promise that it will never happen again.''

Rose said he was not going or returning from anywhere in particular when he was stopped but was just taking a long drive to clear his head.

A Bulls spokesman said the team was aware of the incident but would have no comment until the legal proceedings run their course.

Former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong, who now works for Wasserman Media Group, the agency that represents Rose, was contacted Tuesday night and informed of the incident but had no comment.

Rose is scheduled to appear in Kane County Court on July 11.

Ekl said he isn't sure what will happen when Rose appears in court because he's still waiting to hear from prosecutors about the case. But he said Rose has ''a perfect driving record.''

''He doesn't have a single moving violation or a ticket,'' Ekl said. ''I wish my kids had as good of driving records as Derrick.''

Culzie i was disgusted when I heard about it on the news this morning. He should know better, but he was on the expressway and you do have to push it on 88 but a bill is just too fast.

Guys, the kid is 19 years old! Let's not all of a sudden blow this out of proportion. You knew something negative was bound to come up to try to tarnish Rose's 'good guy' image. All this does will fuel the Beasley supporters into saying "I told you so!", but fact of the matter is that this is an isolated incident and we just have to hope that he's learned his lesson and doesn't do it again that may hamper his health to play basketball. Many people get speeding violations. If this is the best dirt that the reporters can find, then all is forgiven. Heck, if Rose plays as fast on the court as he drives his car, all the better. Just stay off the motorcycle please!! (ahem, Jay Williams)

What's really funny about all this though is that the car that Rose drove is reportedly registered to BJ Armstrong's agency company. Being that Rose received this traffic violation in April 2008, just 1 week after the March Madness tournament, I wonder if this is any violation towards NCAA rules since Rose wasn't drafted by the Bulls yet? I don't know, I'm not a lawyer, but just curious... Gotta love the College lifestyle for the college athletes!

I was pulled over on my way back to Great Lakes in 1986..on the Edens....lol...155 in a 55 (Ninja)...and I was 19...

how about everyone share a 'when I was 19' story...

15...me and 3 buddys borrowed, not one, but two brand new 1989 celica's from two differnt sets of their parents and raced them from HP all the way to BigBoyBurger up by Milwaukee.....tossing a bowl back and forth the whole way!!!Not sure the speed...cause we probably couldnt even figure out how to light up the dash board at the time...but man...it was fun!!!!

Not fun...was showing up for the game the next day on NO SLEEP ..but...i still dropped 20-10

Who decided Oprah is more important than Roman??? Certainly not the FCP faithful. Roman, tell the blog page people that the R. Kelly trial is ovah, and to move you back up to the top. Scrolling down is such a buzz-kill. Anyway, you're still a featured blog to me.

Posted by: Julie B. | June 30, 2008 11:13 AM

Julie B., Roman do not have pull at the Sunt-Times. You know it was some relative or a in-law hating on how he gets all the attention and whined put me at the top, put me at the top. Maybe if they would allow us to express ourselves - albeit vehemently at times - the way he does, it wouldn't be a problem. Some of these other bloggers get in a tizzy and flip you off. Roman allows us to do the flipping off...*lol*...he instead, tries to moderate the best he can.

So Julie B., all of Roman's regular posters really need to email, call and march in from of Sun-Times until he gets his spot back at the top!!!....ha Ha Ha Ha....that darn scrolling is giving me tendenitis....grinning....how about the rest of the people?

Bculz, I am more for this country then anybody who comes on here. Remember we lost to Greece in the last world championships. Europeans and other countries are not affraid of the USA in hoops anymore.

It will take much more then just rolling out the basketballs to win a Gold Medal. Also I believe Germany defeated us in the last
World Championships as well. PR, Spain and Argentina (Defending Olympic Champs) will test us. China as well because it the games are in their country and statements are made every Olympic Games. The USA will win the bronze! What is the problem with that unless you are biased because they are caucasian.

The USA will win the bronze! What is the problem with that unless you are biased because they are caucasian.

Posted by: PJP | July 3, 2008 05:09 PM

WTF

Actually I believe I was 39 when I was stopped doing 110 on I-65 just north of Lafayette at 3a.m. in my '78 6.6 litre shaker hood trans am.

PJP writes...Bculz, I am more for this country then anybody who comes on here...(It's 'than'..my fellow..ummm...American?)

PJP?..Punjab J. Patel?...Patriot?

and.."No Name - don't want to be block from posting ;)"...ya sounds like Oprah (the crack years)...also acceptable.. Whitney Houston

did anybody else see the Larry Craig bobble foot stall that was handed out at a St Paul Saints game?...

I forgot to say I was let off with a warning on the 155 in a 55 episode...

Probably about to get a warning from Roman, too..

Yay Derrick Rose!!!

PJP, don't you think that most basketball fans already know that it is a GLOBAL sport now? I mean, tell us something that most basketball people don't already know. This argument about International teams no longer fearing USA basketball or International players having better fundamentals than USA players goes way back to the 90's. That's old news! It's one thing to to not follow USA basketball, but to root against the USA team from winning the Gold medal as an example to "teach a lesson" about the poor state of NBA/USA basketball is absolutely nonsense. Did you even watch any of the FIBA qualifying tournament last Summer where Team USA obliterated the competition by going undefeated playing inspired and team basketball or did you just read about it in newspapers from columnists who despise NBA players competing in the Olympics? I bet you and most others just read the newspapers and internet articles. I watched Team USA on satellite TV and at Las Vegas and they played solid TEAM basketball on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

All this talk about "all-star rosters" will never win Olympic gold is absurd. The U.S. Olympic basketball committee assembled a new program after the 2004 embarrassment because we were never properly prepared to play Olympic basketball with NBA players and a credible coaching staff. Now NBA players were invited and tryouts were held, no more favorites or obligations. Players like Gilbert Arenas, Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, etc. didn't make the cut, while other top stars like KG and McGrady declined invitations. The players that were selected on the Team USA roster are sacrificing their egos and inflated stats to help try to win the gold as a team. What more can you ask for? And guys like PJP still want to cheer or predict against Team USA from winning the gold? Ridiculous. We are adjusting to the International game, although it should be the International teams ajdusting to our rules, the game that USA invented! That's the better argument in my opinion, but it is what it is. I never understood people who complain about run and gun and high flying alley-oop dunks. That's entertainment. It's all part of the game, just like half court sets, the power post game and isolation. The teams that incorporates ALL of them, including DEFENSE, effectively are the teams that typically win the Championships every year. If you don't like the game, then don't watch it! Go complain somewhere else about Rex Grossman or Alfonso Soriano.

go Edgar...its ya Birthday....

i love that i got backup from Hitman and Edgar back to Back...

a red white and blue tear just welled up in the corner of my All American eye!

(i was honorable mention all american for the record)

Obliterad does about do team usa justice Edgar. Team USA, I mean, wow! Even their misses were impressive, Le Bron flying down the lane, Melo, they hardly ran any sets, but they were killing the competition. Every game had someone new go off for about 20 with little effort. That was a basketball display, their defense was off the chain. People tend to forget that we have some of the best athletes for basketball in the world as well...the olympics will be a massacre.

Edgar, I have tried for the past year to say we are not in a rebuilding program, but you are right. Man, I don't even think they are building for next year, looking at the staff. It seems they are building for 2 or 3 years down the road, because Vinny must have told Pax he would be patient with Rose, and his own personal record means nothing. Not playing him during crunch time, even in summer league, they are taking the long way. Del Harris(had an 80s flashback),Bickerstaff, fossils for assistants, the coaches who will be working closely with Rose. Some of Pax biggest comp when he played as well.

This is gonna be a long season, but Rose, TT, Noah, Thabo, etc. well get the coaching they need for the next 10 years I hope. This is an organizational rebuilding program, Pax is gonna be around for awhile, I think.

Edgar I agree with Culzie. Good Post! Going against Americans in Basketball is grounds for calling the white paddy wagon. And it IS going to be a massacre. When focussed the USA can do just about anything, especially play BASKETBALL. And they are angry.

Chuck I agree, we are in rebuilding, but not from scratch. As Boston showed it doesnt take long. But if you want another look at how to get there...check out Philly.... I said many blogs ago that the East has caught up to the Bulls. All the good teams have long athletic guys that play great defense and have SOLID point guard play. Bulls have their guy, and now they need to work on getting him some meat in the middle. But make no bones about it....it starts with the point guard.

thanks keith...

would an example of not being focused be our country's unfocus on the global jihad that is afoot?

Chuck, the last time Reinsdorf made a public appearance through the media was the weeping Doug Collins from the head coaching search list. That was the moment that I was 100% sure that the Bulls were committed to another rebuilding phase part III since the Jordan years. He covered his a** enough times with excuses during that debacle that it made me puke. He had fans and media brainwashed again into thinking that he was genuine about removing Doug Collins out of the coaching list because he "didn't want to mix business with personal friendship". What a bunch of crap! If Doug Collins was hired to coach the Bulls, we wouldn't be rebuilding. We would be retooling the roster through trades and free agency. Instead, all the activity we've done so far on the roster is add... Derrick Rose. That's it, nothing else. And instead of alerting the fans that they are committed to changes, they instead tell us that they can't do anything in free agency until Luol Deng and Ben Gordon contract issues are resolved. When did these 2 fools become the cornerstone to make or break our franchise and hold other transactions hostage???!!! As far as I'm concerned, the Bulls have never had any plans on changing up this roster at all other than live off on a lucky ping pong #1 draft pick!

You're right, Keith, it doesn't take long to rebuild, but with this management team of the Bulls, it takes that much longer. Look, you mentioned Boston, right? They basically transformed from being a laughing stock to a Championship team in 1 year mainly because they acquired 2 stars to compliment Paul Pierce and LEAD the team. First of all, the Bulls don't have anyone close to Paul Pierce on the roster and second, if they couldn't acquire Pau Gasol or Kobe Bryant, nothing tells me that they would make bold acquisitions like that anytime in the near future. Look at how they handled the head coaching search... Forget deliberate, these guys are just SLOOOOW!

I'm with you, Chuck... this is gonna be a long season of NBA basketball. Frustrating. You see the Cubs, Blackhawks all looking up in this town, but then you have the Bulls... Frustrating, but I still pay attention to them and just hoping for the best.... The kids on the team are just gonna have to grow up really fast and live up to their potential quickly. Hopefully Vinny and the fossil assistant coaches are the right teachers for the kids that I am hoping they can be.

True Keith, we need a big time 4 or 5 then, and another all-star to play the wing, then we are almost ready.

Didn't see your post Edgar, yeah you're on the money again. If we coulda got Brand and made a major trade for a 3 or 2. Hire a real coach, then we are retooling, now they just look like tools.

Chuck, I think we will get by with Gooden, Noah, Thomas and Deng. What has disappointed me the most is that I hear GRAY is not in shape! That is bad.

Edgar the thing that disappointed me the most is watching good solid additions like Andre Miller and Mike Bibby come to the east and make these teams competitive. And then watch Brand join Andre Miller, Green, Igudola and Dalebert. That is a good team. Even Toronto has added Jermaine Old-Neal. Paxson picked the right player in Rose, but he just stopped and rested on his laurels. And we need some free agents. I would have gone after Baron, Brand or at least Corey Magette. You have to add two stars to this Bulls Roster or one Superstar like Kobe or Labron.

Edgar in the final analysis, I guess I have to agree with you...it may not take long, but its going to take the BULLS long and that is not good.

Chuck, I think getting someone like Marcus Camby might be doable for the Bulls on a sign-and-trade package involving either Gordon (Nuggets don't play team defense as it is) or Hinrich and someone else like Nocioni or have Hughes reunited with Iverson again. That will solve their issue at the 5 and then they can have J. Noah rotate at the 4 and 5 spots as necessary. Tyrus Thomas has been playing well in the Summer League so hopefully he can earn a starting spot on the roster finally and then develop properly from there with consistent playing time minutes. As for getting an all-star to fill in the wing, I'm just being realistic, but I don't see it happening with our Bulls. Did you see how much Philly signed Elton Brand for? I mean really, do you see Reinsdorf ever paying anyone that kind of top dollar? Yep, I doubt it also... they'll always go back to salary cap and luxury tax, their favorite line of excuse. Again, I've NEVER seen an NBA team complain so much about being cash strapped or salary cap-filled on a roster that doesn't have ONE SINGLE all-star player on it like the Bulls. Yes, only the Bulls. Besides, puppet Pax still seems to be enamored with his veteran core of non-all stars so until I see it with my very own eyes, I don't expect the Bulls to all of a sudden go all out in trades or free agency like the Blackhawks or Cubs. They seem to be content with developing the younger players on the team while weeding out most of the veteran core guys off the roster slowly but surely. Gooden has 1 year left on contract and unless the guy becomes a 20-10 monster next season, I don't see him remaining a Bull after his contract is up. Even then, if Gooden has a monster season, he'll have a bunch of bidders in the offseason while the Bulls continue to negotiate contract extensions with Deng and Gordon, both of whom I expect will sign tender offers to stay with the Bulls this season before they become unrestricted free agents. If the Bulls somehow overachieve next season and become playoff contenders, I can see them trying to make some minor moves at the trade deadline, but more along the lines of role player specialists, not an all-star. This is the way the Bulls prefer to run their team. If we're ever going to get an NBA superstar on this team, it will have to come from the draft, sad to say...

We are supposed to be happy! Paxson needs to make a deal. This is killing my high!

Well Bulls fans are you getting that sickning feeling of emptyness again. I sure am, after watching Elton Brand go sign with Philly,& Bulls management not doing one iota to bring him back home, the big force we needed down low, gone to another Eastern rival. Meanwhile our "big focus" is to re-sign Deng & Gordon. Truth of the matter is hell I'd cut them both & signed Elton Brand with the money to re-sign those two.The real problem is that Paxson has his head so far up Dorf's rear that he has asphxiated, dead from the neck up. This is same disease that Jerry Krause had & it led to his dismise utlimately. Let's face it the reality of it all is that no matter how you slice it the Bulls are shh !(rebuilding) oops that's a dirty little word management doesn't want mentioned period in order to try & keep fans clueless. And just when you think things couldn't be any worse now Derrick Rose has tendenitis in his knee & who knows how potentially serious this might be? Like Casey the mighty Pax swings & misses & once again today there is no joy in Bullsville.

Yes, GP, as a diehard Bulls fan, I am having that empty feeling that you eluded to. And it’s not because of the reported Rose and his tendinitis issues either. Until I read about an MRI showing a ligament tear in his knees, I look at Rose’s issues as just the standard aches and pains. No sense getting paranoid about that until I read “MRI” and “tear” in the papers. Just like any 19 or 20 year old kid surrounded by so much attention and hype, he just needs to slow down a bit and soak it all in gradually. Rest up after the Summer League games, ice up the knees, relax, work with the highly trained professional trainers at this level and take care of the body or the legs in his case.

Otherwise, I’m just more disappointed in the lack of activity from the Bulls regarding the roster coming off a disaster season. No, not a down season, a DISASTER season that requires obvious changes to the roster. They are losing all these decent free agents left and right and just sitting back and doing nothing, not even at least bidding on someone like an Elton Brand or whoever. Instead, they continue plod and wait on Ding Dong Deng and gentle Ben. It’s not that I hate Deng and Gordon as players. They’re both good players, but to just hold your entire organization hostage from making any moves whatsoever on the roster is just poor management or just plain cheap. Obviously most of the regular bloggers here know my position on the latter when it comes to the Bulls management team, but I just find it very difficult to comprehend why we are supposedly so tied up in salary cap flexibility with no single NBA all-star in our roster, while teams like the Washington Wizards can afford to sign Gilbert Arenas to a $111 million contract, along with Antawn Jamison on a $65+ million contract and with Caron Butler on roster as well as others. Or how about Philly with Elton Brand now, along with Iguodala, Dalembert, Andre Miller… Toronto with J O’Neal and his $22 million per season contract,, C. Bosh, J. Calderon, J. Kapono and all their other slew of International free agents on that team… yet the Bulls can’t do anything at all right now because of Deng and Gordon??? Are they even trying to negotiate with other teams about Hinrich, Nocioni or Hughes? It sure doesn’t look like it. What if we never won the Draft Lottery? We would have had the same team coming back with the addition of Robin Lopez or Roy Hibbert? Wow….. you better make some moves, Pax!!

GP, his tendinitis (however you spell it?) is no problem, I have it, just stay in shape, it will subside. Edgar, great post again, I can only think of Eddie Griffin(or whoever the buster Krause paid 30 mil over 5 years for) as a free agent. Like Camby, he's got a nice game and long arms, but we definitely need shooters on the floor then. Him, TT, Rose, Noah, Deng. There are no outside shooters in that group(forget what ya heard). Wish we woulda got Magette, too. Something to get our hopes up, that was why I said it was an organizational rebuilding, concepts are different, and teaching will be different, but our FA additions will be the same, unfortunately.

Keith, Edgar coulda let our highs stay a little longer with the addition of Rose, but reality had to come in sometime I guess.

Chuck, the buster you're talking about is Eddie Robinson. Eddie Griffin was the troubled NBA player from Seton Hall who fought drug problems his entire basketballcareer and died in a car accident. Or maybe you meant Adrian Griffin, but he was never signed by Krause and certainly never had a $30 million contract from any team.

Well, if the Bulls somehow manage to work a deal for Camby, we would either still have Hinrich or Gordon on the team, at least one of the two because both guys won't be traded away (Camby's per year salary is actually LESS than Hinrich!). Either guy would be your designated three point specialist. Rose at point, Hinrich/Gordon at shooting guard, Deng at SF, Gooden or TT at PF and then Camby at Center. Noah comes off the bench to either spell Gooden or Camby and TT spells either Deng or Gooden... all depends on matchups of course. Here's to hoping that Deng has been using this offseason to improve his shooting range back to the NBA 3 pt. line, otherwise, we'll just have to tweak the roster even more, but the pieces are in place with an up 'n coming point guard and a bonafide Center who can rebound and block shots. A coaching staff with NBA experience like ours should be able to figure it out from here.

Yeah, don't mean to sound so pessimistic about the Bulls like this, but I did give them a 2 week window after the draft to make some noise in free agency or trades, but there's nothing even close today, not even any progress on Deng and Gordon contracts at all while all best available unrestricted and restricted FA's are being floated around with other teams. It just stinks.

True again, Edgar. I gotta question, though. Was Deng really that slow reacting on defense, was he tuning Skiles out, or did he fool us the first few years?

Would rather have BG as a shooter than Hinrich, though. Even if Deng just stopped shooting flat-footed, and started maybe an actual jump shot, he would be more clutch in the 4th.

Chuck, when Deng was in high school, he was the #2 rated high school player in the country behind LeBron James after their senior year by most scouting publications. Yeah I know, don't ask me how, but he was. The guy clearly has talent. The problem with him is mostly mental. He doesn't have that drive. His personality is too laid back and he's not the greatest athlete either. He's got good size and has long arms, but he doesn't use them to his strengths. His forte is the mid-range jump shot, but even then, it's not consistent. I watched him a lot in College at Duke. When I first heard about him in high school, I was expecting a freak of an athlete with hops and serious quickness for a guy his size, but when I watched him at Duke, I wasn't all that impressed. In terms of defense, I didn't think he would excel at the NBA level at all, but on offense, I was expecting a scorer with a high basketball IQ. He developed nicely as a decent scorer for the Bulls, but for some reason, he couldn't extend that shooting range of his and then started living off of the mid-range jump shot. I don't think he tuned Skiles out, it was the contract, Chuck. It's always been about that damn contract and the distractions stemming from it. It affected his game and it showed. Instead of getting better last season, he regressed. His shot selection was horrible and he played soft, almost as if he was afraid to get hurt. I mean, he's always played this way since he was a rookie, but last season was his worst, by far. Now it's up to him. He has to prove that he has made significant improvements in his game this offseason. If he doesn't after coming off that embarrassing season, then he's a hopeless cause and another head case.

And yes, I'd rather have BG over Hinrich as well for this particular team, but I have a feeling that there is more interest in Hinrich than there is with BG in the NBA trade market. Either way, 1 has to go, like I said before. .