Bulls-Cavaliers Recap: Bulls Dominate Interior on Both Ends, Mask Desperate Need for Outside Shooting

Posted: January 8, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Game recaps | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
The Bulls won their third straight game last night, a 118-92 beatdown of the Cavaliers. It was a season-high in point total for Chicago and definitely something fans shouldn’t get used to, but we can learn a lot from this game.Without Derrick Rose, the Bulls obviously have to score by committee. No one on the roster other than Nate Robinson can create their own shot, though Marquis Teague has shown flashes and Jimmy Butler has shown a decent ability to get to the free throw line. The majority of the Bulls’ points are thanks to elite passing—five players had at least four assists last night.

The offense is largely run through Joakim Noah in the high post. Carlos Boozer can still be a decent low-post player, and the wings and guards are all decent-to-very-good at spot-up shooting and/or cutting to the basket. 62% of their attempts came at the rim last night, and the Noah-Boozer-Deng-Gibson frontcourt combined for 62 of the 118 points.

For the season, the Bulls are a pedestrian 14th in the league at attempts at the rim (25 per game) and FG% at the rim (64.4) (per hoopdata.com). More encouraging, though, is that they’re third in the league at assist percentage at the rim (58.9), trailing only the Warriors and Lob City Clippers. That’s great company, and suggests to a smarter offensive scheme than Tom Thibodeau is usually given credit for.

Unfortunately, the Bulls are also 4th in the league in attempts from 16-23 feet(24.1), trailing the similarly unwatchable offenses of Washington, Phoenix, and Philadelphia. These are the most high-risk, low-reward shots to take in basketball. To make matters worse, they’re dead last in threes attempted at 13.1 per game. This is what happens when the “shooters” on your team look like this:

Belinelli (40 FG%-40 3P%-87 FT%-54 TS%)
Hinrich (36-36-74-46)
Deng (43-30-82-51)
Hamilton (45-39-93-52)
Robinson (42-37-84-52)

(per basketball-reference.com)
You have to hope part of this is due to three pointers being less open without Rose distracting defenses with his slashing and driving. You have to wonder about Deng, usually in the 35-40 range on threes, because he’s playing 40 minutes per game and probably isn’t fully recovered from his wrist injury. But it’s clear that this roster needs more three point shooting. The floor is shrunk, which makes it harder for Noah, Boozer, and Taj to do their Chris Webber/Vlade Divac impression.
It should be abundantly clear that the idea of moving Hinrich to shooting guard when Rose returns is completely ridiculous. These are the worst shooting numbers of his career, and defenders sagging off of him isn’t going to help a rusty, half-speed Derrick get to the basket easier. If you want to play Rose and Hinrich together, the best way to do so may to have Rose play off the ball. Cutting to the basket or coming around screens for spot-up jumpers may be a way to get Rose some points while also removing some of the pressure of driving and leaping on 1 1/2 knees.
It is clear that this roster is different from most contemporary NBA teams. There isn’t a stretch 4 (unless you count Vlad Rad, which no one should). There are only two attacking guards–one injured, and one 5’9″. There’s barely any three-point shooting, but no consistent low-post threat (unless Boozer wants to keep his recent production going). It really is a team built on defense and rebounding, a strategy that beat Miami on Friday. But if that strategy is going to succeed, the floor needs to be spaced more. The interior game will not succeed unless the guards and wings improve both shooting percentages and shot selection.

Thinking About Team Building During the Draft

Posted: June 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: NBA history | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

According to pundits (I don’t watch college ball or live in Europe), this is a deep draft. These dudes can play, apparently. Anthony Davis is the consensus number one pick, and 2-7 (Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, Thomas Robinson, Andre Drummond, and Damian Lillard) seem like legit dudes. I honestly have never seen a single minute of any of these people play—my family is a bunch of Florida Gators fans and I only just found out Beal played for them. So I’m just going to talk about the Finals and the Bulls. But don’t worry! It’ll relate to the Draft.

The Miami Heat (congratulations to them, by the way) just won the 2012 championship because the best player on the planet decided, hey, maybe I should play like the best player on the planet. Couple that with some atrocious defensive rotations by the Thunder, James Harden shrinking, Scott Brooks refusing to either adjust his substitution patterns or play zone, and the Heat are champions. It was an amazing, epic Finals, even if it only went five games. It showcased the two best players in the game dueling, and damn if the two best players in the game aren’t hybrid 3/4s capable of playing every position on the floor if called upon. It also featured two electrifying combo guards. No one had an effective traditional center. It really is a new era in the NBA.

You’re only ever as good as the competition. Matchups are crucial, especially in the playoffs. Besides defense and having the best player on the floor (a LeBron/Kobe/Durant/Rose type), the way you matchup with your opponent is everything. And for the next decade, anyone who wants to compete is going to have to match up with LeBron and Durant. So you’re going to need athletic 4s and long 3s. And you’re going to need a great point guard, because that’s the era we’re in. Ask the Lakers how much they enjoyed starting Ramon Sessions this postseason. Centers? Not quite as important, though you do need to protect the six feet around the rim. But they should be able to run the floor and maybe hit a ten-footer, if possible. You don’t need a plodding Kendrick Perkins type. You also don’t need a softie, like Mehmet Okur or Andrea Bargnani. Someone like Tyson Chandler is the model. Someone like Dwight Howard is the ideal.

The Bulls currently have Luol Deng (a long 3 who can play 4), Taj Gibson (a 4 who can hit a 15-footer and defend on the perimeter), Joakim Noah (a legit 7-footer who can grow in to what Chandler is), and Derrick Rose (an off-the-charts point guard). They are going to need players like this for the foreseeable future.

It doesn’t have to be these guys, it’s just important to remember that they’re already here. If I hear one more Deng-for-Tyreke Evans trade proposal, my head is going to explode. Reke is nowhere close to the answer for the Bulls. Yes, they need more scoring. But they also need to defend LeBron and Durant. And don’t give me this Joakim for Evans crap, either. Omer Asik is good, and he should be resigned at almost any cost, but he’s not yet a starting NBA center. The man can’t catch a damn pass. Oh, and speaking of passing, Joakim is the second-best passer on the Bulls.

I get that the luxury tax is getting more punitive. I get that the Bulls need more scoring. I get that it’s probably not the best thing to have Rose, Deng, Noah, and Carlos Boozer making eight figures on the same team. But you have to think about team building. You have to remember this Bulls team has been greater than the sum of its parts for two years. If you can get Kidd-Gilchrest or Barnes for Deng (and whatever filler), then yeah, maybe take a shot. But are Thomas Robinson or Andre Drummond going to be any better than Noah, a top-5 center?

Fans make the Draft out to be a panacea. My point is that the Bulls already have a solid core of proven NBA players. Shake that up with caution.

OK, NBA, The First Round Isn’t a Total Bust

Posted: May 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 2012 Playoffs | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You never, under any circumstances, give up on your hometown team. Even without Derrick Rose, I was still predicting the Bulls would beat the 76ers. When Joakim Noah went down, though, it just got too depressing to watch. Rose out until the middle of next season, Noah out for the playoffs and then risking further injury in the Olympics, and Luol Deng clearly hobbled by his bad wrist but planning to put off surgery until after the Olympics—it was too much to watch. So I skipped last night’s game for what will be my last chance to see Chipper Jones play baseball (I grew up in the south, worshipping Chipper).

So I hadn’t given up on the Bulls, but I’d definitely given up on the first round. Two sweeps and six teams in a 3-1 hole? Rose-less Bulls, Dwight-less Magic, no one showing up in Utah or Denver? What a disappointment. Let’s go see The Avengers or check out hockey/baseball until something worthwhile comes around.

Then last night happened. Glorious last night. Boozer with 19-13-6, Deng with 24-8, and Taj Gibson with 8-7 and 5 blocks. The Lakers, after Andrew Bynum shrugged off the game, lost to the Nuggets. The Hawks and Celtics ended the only way the Hawks and Celtics could: a Josh Smith turnover and Rajon Rondo not shooting. Now, we’ve got a whole bunch of Game 6s. I can’t decide if this is good or bad—will these series have some real drama, or is it just prolonging a terrible round? It’s hard to see the Bulls beating Philly, especially if Taj is out with injury or suspension. It’s hard to see the Hawks beating the Celtics because, come on, they’re the Hawks. The Knicks won’t win tonight. It’s hard to see the Grizzlies winning three straight against Playoffs Chris Paul.

But fine, NBA. I’ll definitely be watching.

Now, for a new gimmick!

The Basketball Jones said today that Bynum is the big man version of Rondo: you never know where he is mentally, and he could be the best at his position or lose the game for your team. Here’s my starting five for those dudes:

Center: Andrew Bynum. He’s the future of the post-Kobe Lakers, though it took him six years to establish that. Some seasons, he can’t stay on the floor due to injuries. Some games, he can’t stay on the floor due to being a dumbass: either getting ejections or shooting three pointers. Other nights, he looks better than Dwight Howard. Maybe the highest risk/reward guy in the league.

Power Forward: Carlos Boozer. This is a lifetime achievement award. First, he was supposed to be LeBron James’ running mate in Cleveland. Then he had a secret handshake deal with GM Jim Paxson to opt out of his rookie contract so he could sign a bigger extension. He repaid Paxson’s trust (and stupidity) by signing a bigger deal in Utah. There, he was to be the second half of a new Stockton-Malone duo with Deron Williams. It worked out for a while, with Boozer being consistently 22-12, but having issues with injuries. He then pulled a mini-Dwight, publicly announcing his desire to play for Chicago, Miami, or New York—before opting back in with the Jazz. Then he signed with Chicago to be what he’d been—a 22-12 guy and Derrick Rose’s sidekick—but turned in to a 15-8 guy and huge defensive liability for the best defensive coach in the league. In this lockout-shortened season, where every Bull has been marred by injuries at some point, he’s been a model of durability, playing 30 minutes in every game and averaging…15 and 8. Who are you, Carlos Boozer?

Small Forward: LeBron James. You just don’t know, game-in, game-out, what you’re getting. Will he throw down 35-10-12, wreak havoc on defense, get out on the fast break, and toss an alley oop to Dwyane Wade behind his head? Or will he disappear completely, score 8 points, never cross the three-point line, and ohbytheway, this is a huge playoff game? His dominance in last year’s Conference Finals and this year’s regular season were completely undercut by his devastating playoff shortcomings. This will always be a part of his legacy, unless he wins the next eight championships.

Shooting Guard: J.R. Smith. Not quite the profile, as he’s not really a star. But he’s my pick for craziest guy to watch in the playoffs. Some games, he’ll hit five three-pointers (three in the final two minutes) and throw down monstrous highlight dunks. Other games, he’ll jack up 12 terrible 25-footers with a hand in his face. Good for winning you one game in every playoff series, but not even close to reliable.

Point Guard: Rajon Rondo. If it’s a nationally televised regular-season game, count on a 12-14-18 triple-double. Other times, he’ll moodily wander the court and not even try to get in the lane. He’s been the best player in Boston since 2009, and they’ve been trying to trade him ever since. Notoriously difficult to deal with and an early cut for the 2010 World Championship team, even though that team was most comprised of ball-dominant scorers. The little man’s Andrew Bynum (or is it the other way around?) and co-impetus for this idea.

I see this team handily winning two playoff series and then getting swept out of the first round before their coach (inevitably George Karl or Phil Jackson) gets fired, three demand to get traded (Bynum, Smith, and Rondo) and the only one who should be traded sticks with the team because his contract is too dumb (Boozer). The NBA, where this could totally happen.

Recap: Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls 2.12.2012

Posted: February 13, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Bulls 2011-2012, Game recaps | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It wasn’t quite a “drubbing”, but it was painful to watch as the Boston Celtics beat up on the Bulls yesterday in the matinee game of the Sunday Showcase. Much like the last time the Bulls played on Sunday afternoon—against Miami—it was a game of runs, with the Bulls frequently falling behind before rallying within 4-6 points. Much like last time, Boston led the entire game, and the Bulls never really had a shot.

Rajon Rondo played out of his mind with a 32-10-15 effort, the first time a Celtic has done that since Larry Bird in 1987. The Bulls had no answer for the Celtics’ pick and rolls, and the interior defense was lacking, especially from Carlos Boozer. Perhaps more importantly than that, Derrick Rose was missing. Rose and Rondo frequently go at each other, with Rondo sometimes ignoring teammates trying to one-up Rose. Throw in Rose’s attacking and ability to defend Rondo, and maybe the outcome is different.  Missing for the Celtics were Brandon Bass and Jermaine O’Neal, their two best big men other than Kevin Garnett. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer took advantage, throwing up 16-9 and 22-7, respectively. The bench, though, was terrible, with Taj Gibson shoowing 1/6 and displaying a complete inability to finish at the rim. Omer Asik only played nine minutes and was ineffective. You get the sense that he could really use the practice time that is missing from this season. The Celtics bigs were also phenomenal, with Kevin Garnett getting 13-12, Chris Wilcox going for 11-9, and rookie JuJuan Johnson getting 12 points and showing a decent shooting stroke.

C.J. Watson, whose numbers are up this season and has played well next to Rose in some situations, still doesn’t seem particularly adept at running a team. Yes, he got 22-6, but on atrocious 8/23 shooting and with 3 turnovers. Luol Deng and Kyle Korver also couldn’t shoot. It’s a miracle the Bulls got to 91 points.

The loss snapped a pretty convincing 5-game win streak, which included its share of blowouts. Four straight blowouts look nice, especially doing it without Rose for a few games. But those games were against the Bobcats, Nets, Hornets, and Bucks. Barely beating the Knicks, losing to the Heat and now the Celtics on national TV—that doesn’t look as good. It’s becoming an issue, and the Bulls are 6-6 against teams over .500. I’m not calling them the Atlanta Falcons or anything, but you have to learn to beat winning teams. To be fair, they were missing Hamilton and Deng for the Heat game and Rose and Hamilton yesterday. They fought and tried to win yesterday, and the Heat game came down to a crazy last two minutes. But injuries are part of it and you have to learn to play with them.

The good thing about the Bulls is that they’re 23-7, first in the conference and a half game behind the Thunder for best in the league. They’ve played an exhausting 20 road games and have had a healthy Rose-Hamilton-Deng-Boozer-Noah lineup for a total of five games. I still think Hamilton solves their biggest issue, which is the need for another scorer and capable ballhandler in the backcourt with Rose. He’s also an excellent passer, giving them quality ball movement at all five starting positions. Improved play from C.J. Watson, Carlos Boozer, and Ronnie Brewer also helps the cause. Healthy, this team puts five double figure scorers in the starting lineup and five quality players off the bench. But you have to play when you’re not healthy, and nothing excuses a weak, fatigued effort against this geriatric Celtics on the first Sunday of not-football.

All-Star Reserves: Not Bad

Thursday night, I traveled up to scenic Evanston, IL, to take my brother out for his 21st birthday. I missed most of the Celtics-Lakers game, which came down to the wire, but I if I wanted to watch an over-40 league game, I’d go to the YMCA. I didn’t really watch OKC-Sacramento, either (we get it, guys, you both have a lot of cows. No need to fight over it so much).

What I was excited about, though, were All-Star reserve choices, selected by NBA coaches and announced on TNT that night. I missed it because I was with my brother, but in between slurping raw oysters and slugging martinis like I was trying to make him puke in front of Richard Nixon’s campaign strategists, I would see what ESPN calls “The Lead,” where they’d say “Love, Nowitzki lead West bench. Pierce, Bosh among East reserves.” It literally said that. No mention of Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, or anyone who is having a better season than Dirk (hint: I’m having a better season than Dirk). Like a Bosh and Pierce were just “among” the East reserves. Then again, why should anyone pay attention to tough defense, like Andre Iguodala, Luol Deng, and Roy Hibbert play? No, we just want a couple of stars “among” the reserves, like how the apes at the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes were “among” the San Francisco redwood forest.

So when I got home and saw the full list, I was astonished.

It’s hard to remember when this last happened, but I agree with pretty much all of the coaches’ picks. I take issue with three, but really, I’m fine with two of those. I thought Josh Smith, because of his half-maturity this season—meaning no more 3-point shots, better defense, more efficient scoring—has had more of an impact on the Hawks still being relevant with Al Horford out for the season. The coaches thought Joe Johnson was a bigger deal. Fine. No issues, except I’d rather watch Josh Smith dunk than Joe Johnson shoot threes. Unrelated, has there ever been a more boring set of names for a 1-2 on a team? You can’t really call them Johnson or Smith, and you can’t call them Joe or Josh. So you go by their remarkably unremarkable full names, which is remarkable because the Hawks have been remarkably unremarkable since the days of Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb.

In the West, I completely, thoroughly, 100% despise picking Dirk Nowitzki as a pick. He’s had an absolutely atrocious season and he’s been out of shape and injured. He’s taken time off just to “get his knees right.” Understandable for a guy who’s 80 years old, but not really okay for a guy who won a Finals MVP last June. The only, repeat only, reason for Dirk to get picked, is for the sake of his resume. As in, “Ok, you’re a future Hall of Famer, you’re old and tired from a grueling postseason, we’ll give you the pick for the sake of your resume on the wink-nod understanding that you’ll decline so you can take the weekend off and let someone deserving take your spot, like Paul Millsap or James Harden or Paul Millsap or Paul Millsap.” If Dirk doesn’t decline the invitation/fake an injury, it means he’s a liar who puts individual glory over team success and we can all start saying bad things about him. But I really think he’ll graciously appreciate the pick, decline the invitation, and just sort of enjoy himself courtside at every All-Star weekend event, because he does care about team success, he knows it’s all about chips at this point, and he hasn’t been able to bend his damn knees all season. So Paul Millsap, let me be the first to congratulate you on your first All-Star selection, pending whether or not David Stern actually watches the league he governs.

The pick I really hate is Deron Williams. I get that he’s putting up 21 and 8, but he’s also getting four turnovers a game, hates playing in his home gym, approaches every game with indifference but then will put himself over his team to try to go at other point guards. Nothing good is coming out of New Jersey right now, and you’re rewarding their superstar point guard for it? I don’t get it. Not to risk Skip Bayless-level foaming at the mouth, but it’s just rewarding petulance by only paying attention to major statistical categories. I’d prefer if they picked Rondo, and even he’s not really deserving. Kyrie Irving is having a better season on a better team putting up better numbers. It’s absolutely inexcusable. If D-Will and Dwight end up on the same team this summer, gear up for some virtriol, dear readers.

The Bulls return to the UC Tuesday againest the Kings. Let’s all hope for a bounceback game.

So, Last Night…John Lucas

Posted: January 13, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Game recaps | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m not going to come up with a better lead than Sam Smith on bulls.com, and it’s so incredible I’ll paraphrase: John Lucas vs. John Wall. One guy had 25-8-8 with only two turnovers, and one guy had 11-8 with four turnovers. One guy is 5’11”, one guy didn’t score for the last 19 minutes. One guy was a number one overall draft pick and hailed as a franchise cornerstone, one guy was undrafted and has played for more teams than movies Christopher Walken has acted in.Who’s who?

 

Thanks, Sam.

 

It was truly incredible, reminiscent of the one game Derrick missed last year where C.J. Watson came in and dropped 35, prompting my buddy Anuj to say during a morning-after pickup game: “Dude, I did not like the Watson signing, but I’m sold now.”

 

And so you come to the point where your host, who recently said John Lucas III should not look at a uniform all season, says we don’t need another point guard. We don’t need Rafer Alston or Carlos Arroyo or a 500-year-old Penny Hardaway (does he even deserve to be called “Penny” anymore?). John Lucas played with an insane amount of confidence last night. He was never timid, he shot with a “eat shit, I’m shooting, asshole” look in his eye, and he dribbled and passed better than anyone else in the Bulls’ boxscore. I went into the game expecting Caleb Hanie, I got Doug Flutie. Unbelievable.

 

But the box score is worth analyzing. Lucas had 8 rebounds (at 5’11”!!!!) and 8 assists. Deng had 12, Korver 14, and Asik 8. Even so, Lucas shot 11-28 in 46 minutes; Brewer, Boozer, and Noah all had less than seven shots (with atrocious FG percentage); Deng was 5/21. All of it happened against an awful Wizards team, whose leading scorer was Jordan “I wanna be better than MJ” Crawford, with 14 points. This was a truly terrible game of basketball. We’re talking Gigli-level bad. It’s an insult to the sport to actually call it basketball.

 

Lucas is not a sustainable backup. We need C.J. back, we need Rip back (he’d be a better backup PG than Shy Ronnie, who did have a few painful minutes as the primary ballhandler), and we (does it need saying?) need Derrick back. This game was a fluke. John Lucas played with extreme confidence, a kind not normally seen amongst career journeymen, and he was definitely the best dribbler and passer on the team last night. But he took way too many bad shots, and he failed to truly get the offense involved. You’re glad for the kid, but it wouldn’t have hurt to have a more pure PG on the floor.

 

I know. Everyone said this about Tebow, too.

 

I like John. I think he’s played admirably all season, and I think it’s incredible for him to play for so many different teams throughout his career and still keep his head up. Especially since his Dad had an extrememly successful NBA career. Seven years of travelling with no job security and knowing your Dad was better than you would break most people. It would break me. Lucas, though, continues to play like he’s the man, like he’s got something to prove, and like he’s still going to prove it. You love a guy like that. So thanks, John, for last night. It’s just not a sustainable model.

 

About Boozer/Noah…

 

I don’t know what the hell is going on. Both our frontcourt guys were terrible and sat for the whole fourth quarter. Again. I wish I knew why this was the case. Here’s some pure, uncut, 100% speculation:

 

No one has ever said Noah’s out of shape. No one’s ever questioned his dedication to winning or his basketball IQ (I’ve championed both before, and will continue to do so). But consider this: the lockout ended much sooner than everyone expected. David Stern said nuclear winter, and pretty much right after that, we had a season. You have to wonder if Noah’s not completely in shape. I’m not saying he doesn’t take himself seriously, but the dude likes to enjoy life (Three-1 supports this stance, for the record, and would love to spend a Friday night with Joakim sometime). His problem seems to be running too much while not being in position, trying to help too much on defense without reading the play, gathering himself too much before a jump (allowing easy strips), and just flat-out not handling the ball. You just have to wonder if he needed a full training camp and an offseason regimen with real NBA trainers. It’s pure speculation, but something has to change.

 

The Bulls have an embarrassment of riches: Boozer and Noah are borderline All-Stars (maybe not this year), Taj could start on a lot of teams, and Omer could start on a few teams himself. When Taj’s rookie contract is up, somebody is going overpay for him. He won’t be a Bull after his fourth year. I hate it as much as anyone, but the way he’s played, he’s going to make a lot of money. Unless we amnesty Boozer and promise Taj a starting gig (Three-1 fully admits to not exactly understanding how all of that works), he won’t resign. And Omer? Did you see the amount of teams lining up to throw copius amounts of cash at Nene, Tyson Chandler, and Marc Gasol this summer? Omer has the potential to be that good, and he’s a lefit 7 footer, which means he has the potential to be that overpaid. We better hope one of them values loyalty over money (what athlete does?), or Mirotic turns out as good as advertised, or (more for the present) Noah and Boozer decide to quit sucking and learn how to play together.

 

About Derrick’s Injury…

 

It’s turf toe. Kid’s said he’s had it since his second season. The team shut him down for a third-game-in-three-nights game against a 1-8 Wizards team who sould probably be contracted. Nothing to worry about, Bulls fans. D-Rose will play on Friday, mark my blog.

Recap: Bulls vs. Hawks, 1/3/2012

Posted: January 4, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Game recaps | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bulls 76, Hawks 74

I’m getting tired of saying a win is a win. I’m getting tired of writers comparing Derrick Rose to Michael Jordan. Last night, though, we definitely instituted the archangel offense (save us, Michael), and Rose delivered with 17 4th quarter points to finish with 30 overall. The Bulls shot miserably and entered the 4th trailing by 14. Rose hit two would-be game winners in the final minute, but the day was saved again by Luol Deng.

The winning play, where Rose circled to the top and lured away two Hawks defenders, saw Joakmin Noah sending a laser-guided pass in to a cutting Luol Deng, is a play the Bulls are uniquely equipped to run, thanks to Noah. Deng is a tall forward who can see well over defenses on inbounds plays, and his shooting and slashing skills give him the right kind of instincts off the ball. The play looked like it was going to be a handoff from Jo to Derrick, much like Derrick’s game-tying 3-pointer against the Rockets last year. The Hawks went out to trap, leaving Jo the passing option to Lu. It was beautiful.

Here’s a quarter-by-quarter analysis:

First quarter:

The main problem in the first quarter was ball movement. This should be our biggest strength, given how good our big men are at passing, but instead we passed once or not at all and jacked up a quick shot. Perhaps a solution would be to orient the offense on Derrick exploding to the basket. With the addition of Hamilton and Brewer’s improved shooting (last night excepted), we should have enough floor spacing that someone will get a decent shot.

Second quarter:

The Hawks’ bench handily matched the Bulls’. Lucas looked reasonably confident, given his role, and played a decent two-man game with Boozer. The Bulls forced the Hawks into a lot of long possessions, which slowed down their offense but negatively affected the tempo. The Bulls forced Josh Smith into enough jumpers to even make Carlos Boozer look like a good defender. Kyle Korver didn’t take a shot for over 12 minutes of action, which makes you wonder what he’s doing out there in the first place. The Bulls need to call more plays for him. The Bulls continued to shoot terribly, but fortunately, so did Horford, Johnson, and Smith.

The zone really bothered Derrick, but I believe we have enough good passers to run high-post stuff and open the zone. This is the opposite of what I suggested in the first quarter, but you have to be flexible. With Shy Ronnie shooting as well as he has been and the addition of Hamilton, we have nothing but shooters on our wings, and Noah and Boozer aren’t bad from 18 feet. Derrick needs to take advantage of that and attack more, even with the zone. He could stand to improve his off-ball movement, which would help against the zone and some the halfcourt trap stuff he saw in the playoffs last year. I know the zone is a far different look than what you normally see in the NBA, but we should be able to adjust to that.

Third quarter:

42 points through 36 minutes of basketball. I’m not writing about this quarter. You can’t make me.

Fourth quarter:

The Bulls opened the quarter with a big run, forcing turnovers. Early on, the Hawks’ long possessions continued with a 24-second violation. Omer’s play (9 rebounds and 3 blocks) cannot be understated. Joakim Noah sat the entire 4th (except for the game-winning play, after which he was promptly taken back out) with 4 fouls, and Omer was huge in his place. Rose was trying to pull a 1992 Finals Jordan with a series of 3s. I still would have liked to see him attack more, but you can’t argue with the results. He had 17 points and 2 assists in the quarter, finishing with 30 and 7.

One issue was the Bulls’ bigs not going up strong and dunking. Everyone at the 4/5 spot tonight was guilty of that, and it’s something you simply can’t do against a team like Atlanta, with a solid center in Horford, super athetlete in J-Smoove, punkass off the bench in Zaza. Draw the foul and make sure you’re not blocked, even if it means missing. Derrick can shoot floaters (though he had a few blocked), but no one else is allowed. Noah has to improve and Boozer has to continue to improve. We especially need them for offense. Gibson shot terribly (2/7 on the night, 42% on the year so far) and did not rebound much, though he played solid defense. Boozer is probably the #4 option on offense at this point, but he’s our only option on the low post.

A final thought on the last play:

Sam Smith wrote last year that Tom Thibodeau may be the new NBA zen master in place of Phil Jackson. Thibs isn’t a practicing Buddhist (that I know of), but the argument goes he never looks past the next game. There’s an attitude of one day at a time, which is a major athlete cliché that he actually practices. The players seem to have bought into it well: all you ever hear them say is that they want to win. They don’t just talk about it, either. They somehow make it happen. Games like last night are not uncommon with the Bulls.

This is particularly evident with Derrick and Jo. Recall the 2009 playoffs series with the defending champion Celtics, where the two of them (and Ben Gordon) willed the massively underdog Bulls to a 7-game series. This team has a fantastic collective basketball IQ, and the last play shows that. Would Andrew Bynum have whipped that pass to a cutting Metta World Peace? No. He would have handed it off to Kobe for a wild 25-footer, because otherwise he’d get yelled at by Kobe (to be fair, there is a chance Kobe would just be happy with the win, and there’s also a chance Kobe makes a great shot. But that’s not the point). Lebron James has proved he’s willing to defer in late games, but before he had Wade to be his Batman, he was passing to Donyell Marshall, Larry Hughes, and Daniel Gibson rather than imposing his unstoppable physique/skill set.

The point is this: sometimes it’s not about star power, and sometimes it’s not the “right basketball play”. It’s about the play that wins the game. Yes, this would be a different paragraph if John Paxson missed in 1991 or Steve Kerr missed in 1997 or any of Lebron’s old Cavs teammates had ever stepped up. I’m not saying last night proves Rose/Deng/Noah have the tools to win a chip while Bron/Wade/Bosh don’t. They obviously do. I’m just saying this Bulls team has shown over and over again they know how and when to get it done.

Bulls’ Depth Chart

Posted: December 22, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Bulls 2011-2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bulls’ depth chart, right now, looks something like this:

PG: D.Rose, C.Watson, J.Lucas
SG: R.Hamilton, R.Brewer
SF: L.Deng, K.Korver, J.Butler
PF: C.Boozer, T.Gibson, B.Scalabrine
C:   J.Noah, O.Asik

That leaves us with 13 players, which is just one away from Scalabrine and Lucas never even looking at a uniform all season. There are no rumors that I’ve heard to sign anyone else, but that doesn’t mean we won’t. If we do, that player probably won’t play a single minute. Coach Tom Thibodeau is a man who sticks to his rotations, as evidenced by the fact that Keith Bogans started every game last year because Ronnie Brewer had a minor injury in training camp. With a few exceptions towards the end of games, Thibs mostly sticks to the exact same substitution patterns every 48 minutes. This is good coaching. Players know their roles, know what to expect, and don’t end up questioning why they played 40 minutes one night, 24 the next, and 8 the next (it’s rarely that drastic, but ask Rip Hamilton why he participated in a mutiny against Detroit coach John Kuester last year. Just kidding—everyone’s tacitly agreed not to bring that up, ever). It helps with chemistry, which the Bulls are almost entirely built on.

People are worrying about the 66 game, hyper-compacted season. Players haven’t had as much time in training camp or the preseason. Coaches (including strength coaches and trainers) weren’t allowed to contact players during the lockout, and a lot of them are terrified of how in shape the players really are (or aren’t). There are concerns over injures and stamina. This can be good or bad (or both at the same time) for the Bulls. Here are some reasons why:
1)  Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer: Unfortunately, our starting big men have the injury-prone tag. Noah’s plantar fasciitis could flair up again (has he changed from that awful French shoe company yet?) and Boozer missed time last year because he tripped over a bag. This is why the Thomas loss stings (doesn’t he know centers are cursed in Portland?). He had the size to cover Noah’s 5 spot and the shooting to cover Boozer’s 4. If Noah goes down, look for Joel Pryzbilla (crap, now I have to learn how to spell Pryzbilla). If Boozer goes down, look for Deng spending time at the 4.
2)  Luol Deng: He’s been injury-prone in the past, but look at his best seasons: 2006-07 (when we all thought he’d be an All-Star) and 2010-11 (when he probably should have been an All-Star over Chris Bosh): 37.5 MPG, 39 MPG, and all 82 games played. Deng seems to thrive on the playing time and a big workload. This is speculation on my part, but it makes sense, when you think about it: He needs to be needed. His disappointing 2007-08 came amid Kobe trade rumors and pending free agency for him and Ben Gordon (whom he often quietly fought for shots). He’ll be fine with the shortened season and is at his best when stuck in fifth gear. Plus, if he has to spend extended time at the 4, that paves the way for…
3)  Jimmy Butler: The rookie looked good in the preseason opener, but only played 17 seconds in the preseason finale. He’s a defensive player and competitor and could probably evolve into a poor man’s Ronnie Brewer, though maybe with a better jump shot. Which is a great possibility, since Shy Ronnie’s contract is up after next season and Butler’s cheaper. Thibs is known for not playing rookies, but with the all the back-to-back-to-backs and 9-in-12s, he may be forced to bend that rule a bit. The Bulls already run 10-deep, which is absurd (you really need eight or nine), but if there was ever a season to bend that rule, it’s this one.
4)  Third point guard: This is a luxury that would make everyone breathe a little easier. C.J. is a capable backup. In the one game Rose missed last season, he came in and dropped 35. He’s a scoring point, but I’m looking for him to be more unselfish this year—he’s spent his career playing Nellie ball in Golden State, and it takes a while to get the run-down-the-floor-and-jack-up-a-shot out of you. If the Bulls sign a third point guard, he won’t ever play, but it’d be nice, since, you know, our entire team revolves around our starting point guard. But don’t expect any Rafer Alstons walking through the door, because the Bulls are really predicated on…
5)  Chemistry: Which is why it’s a shame we let go of Bogans. He can handle decently and could at least be a backup to C.J. if Rose were to go down. Don’t laugh, would you rather have Lucas as your primary ballhandler and distributor for 10 minutes a game? I’ve heard that maybe Bogans wouldn’t be happy with the “demotion” since we brought on Hamilton, but I disagree—he’s a high-character guy who’s been an emergency fifth guard his entire life. Plus, he’s getting old and moving into cheerleader mode, anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if we brought him back, Dickey Simpkins-in-1998-style, but I’m not betting on it.
In short, the Bulls’ depth is going to be a major asset. We can run 10-deep and have quality bench guys at each position. Thibs’ predilection for going ballsohard every night is what many thought hurt us in the playoffs last year, but every team is going to be that tired this year. The addition of Rip Hamilton makes us the deepest team in the League, and it may give us a major edge in May.