BullsEye Blog

This game in Philadelphia tonight is not just a big game for the Bulls as they make their push for the play-offs, but the 76ers have their sights set on moving up in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia has been red-hot - they've won 6 out of 7 games and going back even farther they've won 18 out of 23, including wins over Detroit, San Antonio and at Boston just a couple of nights ago. They are a team of young athletes who are also proving to be very good basketball players.

The Bulls' season seems on life support from game to game, but last night's win over Atlanta really helped their play-off hopes in that the win came against one of the teams they have to pass to get to the 8th spot in the conference. They've got Atlanta again on Friday, so there is hope. Of course, there's no over-looking tonight's game against Philadelphia, especially when you consider the Bulls gave up a big 4th quarter lead and lost to the Sixers at the United Center just a couple of weeks ago.

Posted by WGN Sports at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Laker trade, getting Pau Gasol, improved their record, no doubt about it. He seems to be fitting in very well. Everyone is waiting for Andrew Bynum to get back to full strength...that's when you will see the Lakers do what they can do.

I'm one of the few people who doesn't see the Jason Kidd trade as helping Dallas all that much. He's an excellent point guard, but I think their major deficiency upfront is strength down low in the half-court game that they are going to encounter in the play-offs.

As for Phoenix, they have time to work Shaquille O'Neal into their offense and once they get into the halfcourt game, that's when they'll be able to use him and his talents a lot better. In the open floor in the Western Conference in the regular season, Shaq is a bit of an anchor...but watch what he can do in the play-offs when the Suns get into a halfcourt game against a team like San Antonio.

Posted by WGN Sports at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This trade is interesting in that it remains to be seen whether it was made for now or for the future. It could be both. Trying to incorporate new players into a system with only 29 games remaining is not easy, but in a weak Eastern Conference it is doable.
I think the trade is probably more for the future...as John Paxson said, it frees up the organization to make more moves during the off-season.

Can either Larry Hughes or Drew Gooden be part of a Bulls lineup next year or beyond? That depends on what happens around them...are they part of a future deal? If not, then certainly Hughes and Gooden have both proven that they are NBA caliber players, especially Drew Gooden who gives the Bulls a lot more offense at the power forward position than anyone that the Bulls have had in quite some time.

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When you take a look at it, despite all the ups and downs of this season, the Bulls have not cashed it in. You have Gordon, Deng and Hinrich out with injuries and yet the Bulls to go Golden State and put up 114 points in that victory...their 3rd highest offensive output of the season. That shows you that the players reached deep within themselves to pull off that upset victory. Chris Duhon is playing on a sore knee, Joe Smith continued his consistent play and Thabo Sefolosha brought a lot of energy on the defensive end.
The Bulls put up two great efforts on back-to-back nights in Portland and Oakland without their 3 best players.
I think we are looking at a team that has not given up and is determined to get better.

Posted by WGN Sports at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Jerry Sloan is the longest running head coach with the same team in all the four major professional sports. He was hired in December of 1988 and is approaching the 20th anniversary of that hire later this calendar year. The way Utah has rebuilt their team from the John Stockton/Karl Malone era is a credit to Jerry Sloan and the system that he runs. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are now the point guard and power forward in Sloan's system.
The success that Jerry Sloan has had in his career in Utah clearly establishes his credentials as a Hall of Fame coach when that time comes.
It takes a special coach to stay this long in the same place, but it also takes committed ownership that believes in Jerry Sloan and the system that he runs.

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I think Detroit is still strong enough to get to the Eastern Conference Finals, but I don't see them beating Boston. The Pistons have to get more off their bench. In their loss on Friday to Sacramento AT home, IN the Palace, they had 5 points and 2 rebounds off their bench. Now, they did make a trade in picking up Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann from Charlotte, and while they are not in the rotation right now, perhaps Flip Saunders is thinking toward the play-offs with the length of Brezec and Herrmann's know-how around the perimeter.

The Bulls have done very well against Detroit this season. The Pistons like to play a half-court game. If the Bulls can get them into a little upcourt, up-tempo game...get them out of their rhythm and get some easy scores....they might be able to sneak off with another victory.
Detroit likes to stay in the half-court and that's why they are one of the better defenses. I think the Bulls just happen to match up better personnel-wise.

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With Kirk Hinrich unavailable for Tuesday's game against the Magic due to a sore back, this is a great opportunity for Thabo Sefolosha, who gets the start. He's been playing better recently. His offense has been such that he's at least allowing the game to come to him and not trying to create something that's not there.

His role is not to score a lot of points anyway - his role is to defend. I was really impressed with the job he did in the 2nd half on Joe Johnson who had 25 points at halftime. Thabo took him most of the 2nd half. He was solid, he worked Johnson hard. He's a good defender; he's got good length.

Injuries sometimes present opportunities and this is his opporutnity to step in and show this coaching staff that he deserves more minutes and become a regular part of the backcourt rotation.

Posted by WGN Sports at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

After a couple of tough losses at home to Orlando and Portland, the Bulls play Sacramento tonight, New York on Tuesday, then road games at Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando and Miami...with some significant time off in between games next week.
You want to take advantage of these games since the Bulls have not won more than two in a row all season. They really need to put together a streak of 4,5 or 6 games and they need Luol Deng to do that.
They are hoping to get through tonight and the Knicks game without Deng. If so, Luol will not have played in over a week, so that will give him time to respond to treatment for his injury.

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The thing about Aaron Gray, when you talk to the coaches and to Aaron himself, they feel he was ready before he got the call last Tuesday against the Lakers. But the fact is, he's getting the opportunity now. It takes time for a rookie to move into the lineup like that. When he came in against the Lakers, in a game of athletic ability, he was not lost out there and that was a good sign.

Assistant coach Jim Boylan said, "Aaron has not made the opponents' scouting reports yet. Once he does, it will be a whole new world for him." We'll see...at least he's out there giving the Bulls someone in the low post they can go to. He moves the basketball really well and knows what to do down there with great footwork.

Posted by WGN Sports at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant is a game that fans circle on the calendar anyway, but with the trade rumors involving Kobe at the start of the season, this game has even greater importance for the fans.

A lot of people thought the Bulls were on the verge of getting Kobe Bryant. I don't know if that was ever true - probably not - but people wondered because he's the kind of Jordanesque scoring talent at the top of the NBA in this day and age. That makes this game a bit more "juicy", I guess.

The Bulls have won 6 of their last 9 games once they got out of November and off the Circus Trip to the West Coast. You're seeing the team play better ,but I think this is where we're going to find out what this team is made of starting tonight against the Lakers; then on the road in DC and Boston; at home against the Rockets; at San Antonio after Christmas; at home against Milwaukee; then at New York, followed by a New Year's Eve matinee against Orlando back at the United Center.
This is where you're going to find out if the Bulls have made the turn - if they have made the turn, they'll come out with a positive record against this tough schedule. If not, if they struggle through the games against this stiff competition, obviously, there's much more work to be done.

Posted by WGN Sports at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As part of the NBA's "Heritage Week", the Bulls are wearing their throwback uniforms from the 1995-96 season, a season in which they became the only team in NBA history to win 70 games....their final record was actually 72-10.

The thing about the Bulls' 72-win team, when compared with this year's Boston Celtics team, is that both teams put together their new pieces very quickly. The year before, Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls in March, in time for the play-offs...but with Horace Grant on Orlando, the Bulls were undermanned on the boards and lost to the Magic, who eventually reached the NBA Finals that season. It was obvious the Bulls needed one particular commodity - they needed a rebounder and they brought in Dennis Rodman. And everyone wondered how that was going to go. Would Dennis Rodman blow up the locker room? And it went just perfectly. It came together really quick and I'll never forget down the stretch after the Bulls had gotten their historic wins, that Scottie Pippen kept telling people, "It don't mean a thing without the ring."

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The people don't realize is how good the Celtics are defensively. The reason according to Doc Rivers is Kevin Garnett. KG came in with a defensive mentality and attitude - all the Boston people say if you're best player is your best defender, you are going to be a good defensive team. That's the key and he's been the key and breathed new life into this franchise. It's a good story for the NBA because the Celtics haven't been relevant since the mid-80's. They are a premiere franchise like the Dallas Cowboys or New York Yankees. Like them or not, you need these franchises to be relevant to spice things up around the league.

When you have three great playesr on one team as the Celts do with Allen, Pierce and Garnett, you think of other great threesomes like Chamberlain/Baylor/West with the Lakers in the early 70's. Obviously, the Bulls had MJ/Pippen/Rodman, a different kind of trio, but three guys who were the best of what they did in the game. Boston has three great scorers and they have the chance to be talked about in this vein for years to come.

Wayne

Posted by Admin at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulls, after 24 offensive rebounds against Atlanta on Tuesday, are #1 in the league in offensive rebounds with 14.2 per game. Part of that, of course, is that they aren't making many shots - they're last in the league in FG% overall and last in shooting from 3-point range. At least in the Atlanta game, the defense was good from the start through the end of the game. A lot of times they'll come out sharp defensively and that will kind of fade as they struggle offensively. And part of that is because when you struggle offensively, you're out of position on defense as well.

Stringing wins together, even here in December which has been a kind month to the Bulls over the last couple of years, won't be easy because after Charlotte tonight, the Bulls play Dallas on Monday, go on the road to Charlotte and Detroit before coming home to play the Celtics next Saturday at home. It will be difficult to string wins together, even at home.

Posted by WGN Sports at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The "Circus Trip" ends today with a game in Toronto against the Raptors, a team that beat the Bulls by 30 points in the last game at the United Center before this extended road trip began.
Certainly the Bulls would like to respond to the beating they took in that game on November 10th.
Hopefully, Luol Deng returns to the line-up in Toronto. But handling Toronto will not be easy, especially for a team like the Bulls that is struggling with confidence and continuity.
I saw more of the Bulls' team in the 4th quarter of Saturday's game that I know will be there before the season is out.

Posted by WGN Sports at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

These 2 teams came into Madison Square Garden on Saturday, both struggling and both looking for a win...and both thought they had a chance to win a game in a bad stretch. The Bulls got down by 13 early and down by 14 early in the 3rd quarter. One difference in this one was that they made a comeback. They trimmed the deficit to 11 by the end of the 3rd and then tied the game several times in the 4th. Some positives in the comeback - Kirk Hinrich finding his shot, Andres Nocioni played well all day and Ben Wallace was tremendous all day with 12 rebounds, a block, 3 steals and 6 points. When the Bulls got transition offense, they did so off Ben Wallace's defense on the other end of the floor.

Posted by WGN Sports at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You've gotta build some momentum going into the road trip. Doug Collins said on TNT the other night that it can be really hard to get the first win after losing 4 straight to start the season. Winning against Detroit, no matter how pretty it looked or otherwise, is huge.
Following that up to get 2 wins in a row going into the road trip would be a big step. Can they build off of that tight win over Detroit with another superlative effort against a team that won the Atlantic Division a year ago? That's really the test for tonight.

The test continues next week, beginning on the road in Phoenix, where the Bulls did win last season...then the Bulls go to LA for back-to-back games at the Staples Center. The Clippers just won at the United Center this week...and the Lakers will be waiting on Sunday. Then it's off to Denver - who knows what they have - they just got blasted by the Celtics the other night.

A brief break for Thanksgiving, the games at New York and Toronto to finish up, so it's a bear of a schedule, no doubt about it.

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The club hasn't been able to get off to good starts in both games thus far. They've been out-scored in both 1st quarters and were down big at halftime in New Jersey and weren't quite able to get over the hump, after trailing in the game against Philadelphia. I wouldn't say long term doom and gloom by any stretch of the imagination, but they've gotta bring a little more to the fore early in the game to set a tone.

The Bulls are always battling uphill - never on top of the hill. What they have to do is come out and play on top of the hill and then go from there.

As for Tyrus Thomas and his nice game last night against Philadelphia, the key for a young player is to string together games like his last night. I think he has a chance to do that this year. His mid-range jumper is much improved. He still is an energy player around the basket. I think he is a player who plays on momentum...if he gets off to a good start, he's going to have a good game. The energy around the basket is still there; if he can add the mid-range jumper and play effectively with his back to the basket, then you've got one heck of a talent.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If the Bulls aren't the best defensive team in the East, they are in the team picture. Cleveland has comparable numbers in terms of PPG allowed, but when you look at all the categories...oppt FG percent, steals, blocks, etc., the Bulls are the best defensive team in the East right now.

And that has translated into a great record against their Eastern Conference opponents. And yet, no one is talking about the Bulls as a team that is going to threaten either the Pistons or the Heat (if Wade comes back)as one of the favorites to reach and/or win the Eastern Conference Finals.

Well, why not the Bulls?? They have a great record in the conference; 11-3 in the Central division - no one is better than that. They play tremendously well at home, especially against Eastern Conference competition.

If you look at potential play-off match-ups...against New Jersey the Bulls have blown big leads and lost, but NJ is a flawed team. Toronto does not have much play-off experience and Washington is intriguing, but doesn't play much defense.

I think defense wins at this time of year and that's why the Bulls have to be considered a strong team in the East.

Posted by WGN Sports at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I think Coach Skiles is reluctant to start Tyrus Thomas because of what he provides off the bench. It's not just a matter of the production, the 23 points and 9 rebounds - he could get that as a starter or as a guy off the bench. But, off the bench, what he brings is a lot of energy. When he comes on the floor, there seems to be a spark there. That's what you're looking for off your bench. You need somebody who provides a spark as well as production. Tyrus, of late, has provided both.

That tremendous dunk he had against New Orleans on March 2nd, really opened everybody's eyes around the country; they were showing it everywhere.
Tyrus is a player who is still learning the ropes. Look at the numbers, good points, good rebounds of late; turnovers are high at times, which leads me to believe he's still learning his way out there.

Posted by WGN Sports at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We always hear about the West Coast road trips in November and late January/early February, but not much has been made of road trips out east. The Bulls play six of their next seven games on the road, starting today in Milwaukee with a chance to make a run up the Eastern Conference standings. After today's game, they go to Miami (without Dwyane Wade), Orlando (fading, but still capable as they beat the Bulls last week in Chicago), Boston (they've been awful), then Boston at home followed Philadelphia and Memphis (two teams that the Bulls should be able to take care of business with.)

I know Milwaukee is playing better recently, but the Bulls see themselves as a team moving up in the Eastern Conference play-off race and in order to do that, you must win a road game over a team like Milwaukee or Orlando or Boston and Philadelphia and Memphis, if you are going to get up and get a home court advantage for a first round play-off series.

Posted by WGN Sports at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Look at Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry and the numbers they are posting this year and they say, "Shouldn't the Bulls have kept those guys one more year?"
I'm a big believer that most players....Michael Jordan could have played in any system...but most players have to find the right coach, the right system, the right situation for themselves. And often, it's not in their first stop in the league.
There was a lot of pressure on Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler in Chicago, both coming out of high school. They matured a little later than most players, but they have found a situation in their 2nd place of employment where they are able to excel at what they do.

Would they be posting their current numbers with the Bulls? Maybe not. In a lot of cases a player has to move from one situation to another to find themselves, to find their game and their place in the game. And look no further than the Detroit Pistons - Chauncey Billups bounced around, Richard Hamilton has been with a couple of teams, and so on down the line.

Posted by WGN Sports at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Getting scoring from the low post...that would be the biggest area where the Bulls could improve and that would open things up on the outside a little bit more.

But in general, they're improving nicely on defense as the season is moving along.

Posted by WGN Sports at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I think Chris Duhon's a big key to the Bulls off the bench, especially with Ben Gordon in the starting lineup.
The Bulls need more scoring off the bench than what Andres Nocioni can provide. They need someone else to complement that. Duhon's starting to get back some of this confidence. I talked to him after the game and he said, "Boy, I needed that !!" It was good for his confidence.

The Bulls have got to take care of business on the road and that means beating teams like Seattle and tonight, Portland is another of those teams. You take your chances against Utah and hopefully beat Sacramento and Golden State before ending the 7-game trip in Phoenix a week from tomorrow.

Posted by WGN Sports at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulls and Heat met in the first round of the play-offs last year and I think that when you don't make a whole lot of changes, you know each other really well because you went thru a 2 week period where you comprehensively prepared for the same team time and time again. I think the familiarity that the Bulls and Heat have from the play-offs carries over to the following year.

I think the Heat are a fairly older team with a short bench that has trouble staying up with the Bulls' athleticism. I think the Bulls match up well and that showed in the play-offs as the Bulls pushed Miami in a hard-fought 6-game series.
This year, the Bulls beat Miami in the season opener...the worst loss ever for a defending champion on Opening Night...and then scored 109 points in the rematch one month ago in Chicago. If the Bulls can get the game into the open court, they've got a huge advantage over Miami whenever they play.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight is Game 41, the halfway point of the NBA season and I've been impressed by the depth of the team and its versatility. They use a multitude of line-ups and it doesn't really matter.

They have defined roles off the bench for Ben Gordon and they can move him into the starting lineup and they don't seem to miss a beat.

I like the way they're coming along defensively. I think it took them awhile to figure out how to play with Ben Wallace in there and they're going to be the best defensive team in the league by the time it's done.

Posted by WGN Sports at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulls have played some of the NBA's elite teams since the start of the new year and I have noticed that the defense is really starting to come around. The Bulls have held 5 of their last 7 opponents under 40% shooting AND 8 of their last 9 opponents under 100 points. The Bulls are playing the kind of defense that they've played the last 2 years and that will serve them well as they head out on the West Coast road trip at the end of January.

A lot of focus has centered on Ben Gordon starting vs coming off the bench. When Ben starts, be gets in the game sooner and gets into a pretty good rhythm, like he did on Saturday against Memphis. The downside is that you lose 20 points off the bench and Ben happens to be the Bulls' leading scorer, which is rather unusual, but what a luxury to have. Ben will contribute his points either way and it doesn't matter to him because his minutes will still be about the same.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I would say too much is being made of Ben's first game against Detroit, except that Ben is contributing to it in that he's doing a lot of interviews with Detroit and Chicago and he's spoken about it, so it's nothing that bothers him. That's good.

It's great to see a guy that was such a focal point of their last championship in Detroit, getting a chance to play against the same team he helped lead to a championship. I think it's a great story. This is a regular season game and there are alot of them left, but this is a little different. It's special for Ben, for sure, and it's a measuring stick of sorts for the Bulls because the Pistons are still the class of the East right now. It's like the Cleveland game a week ago...games that could impact tie-breakers for play-off positioning later in the season.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

People are asking, "When are the Bulls going to beat a real good quality team?" Well, this week, coming up at home they've got 3 quality opponents in Miami, Cleveland and Phoenix.
Miami has struggled most of the year without Shaq, but they are always a threat with Dwyane Wade in the line-up.
The Bulls had a look at Cleveland in November without much success. LeBron James is a great talent and will prove to be another test for the Bulls.
Phoenix just ended a 15-game winning streak and this game is always a popular and fun game for the fans.

There's no question that the Bulls have taken care of business since coming off that November "Circus" trip and now they will get a chance to see how they stack up against some of the real quality opponents of the NBA.

Posted by WGN Sports at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight is a bounce-back game for the Bulls. They feel they didn't play very well last night in New York. I think Coach Skiles was disappointed in his team's toughness and post defense. Eddy Curry had his way in the paint in the 2nd half.

So, it's a bounce-back game against a team with only 7 wins...but 6 of those 7 wins are against divisional leaders at the time they played them.

Wayne

I don't think the Bulls players are taking this team lightly. Charlotte may be an expansion team, but they have some talent that was chosen very high in the draft and that certainly has the attention of the Bulls.

Posted by WGN Sports at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Early in the season as the Bulls were trying to put things together, they had to go on the road and face the likes of Cleveland, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Denver. They lost all of those games in November. The Bulls at that point in time were not the team they are today. The win over the Lakers last night was definitely a step in the right direction, even though the Lakers were without Lamar Odom. Nonetheless, the Lakers did come in with a winning record.

So the subject persists - do the Bulls have any quality wins? Certainly I would rank Tuesday night's win as one of them. The Bulls will now get the chance to measure themselves with some of the NBA's elite as there are now games on the near horizon with Cleveland, Phoenix, Detroit, and Houston all coming up in the next three weeks. We will be able to find out where the Bulls rank and how far they've come by looking at those games and believe me, they are going to be exciting.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The big thing that I have noticed about the Bulls in these last three games, is that they are a team that is starting to mature offensively. In the past, if they got 100 points, that was a big night. This year, the team is getting production from more than one source....Nocioni one night, Gordon off the bench, Hinrich and Deng are all in double figures and that gives them balance. This is a good thing as long as they are big enough scorers. Detroit won a title a few years ago without a "stat sheet" leading scorer like Michael Redd in Milwaukee, but the Pistons also got big games from Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups on a regular basis.
The Bulls may be developing that with Deng, Nocioni and Gordon, but I see the Bulls as a team whose offense is all about moving the ball and sharing the ball.

Wednesday night's game against Philadelphia should be interesting in that I think the game in Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago really opened their eyes when they saw the Sixers put up 123 points on them. The Bulls know that wasn't the way they want to play basketball and they have toughened up on the defensive end of the floor ever since.

Posted by WGN Sports at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulls built up a big lead over the Wizards on Saturday thanks to a huge 2nd quarter and this time, they kept the pedal to the metal by out-scoring Washington 30-21 in the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter was pretty much garbage time.

I thought the Bulls put together a solid and sustained effort...coming off a victory on the road in Oklahoma City the night before. It was their best 4-quarter effort of the season. We've seen glimpses of this type of effort in a good 1st half at New York and in Miami to start the season.

Tyrus Thomas had a solid effort during his time on the floor. Coach Skiles said that the hardest thing for a young player is "to let the game come to you." Prior to Saturday night, everytime he got the ball, he shot it.
What I saw, starting last week really, was a player starting to figure it out....and the result was a 9-point, 10-rebound effort in his 26 minutes on Saturday.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Going into Saturday's game against Washington, only 4 Eastern Conference teams are over .500 - and three of them are in the Bulls' division !! So the Bulls have to get things in gear pretty quickly, starting tonight on this 8-game homestand.
The team opened the season 6 and 9, including 11 road contests. That's not disastrous, but with 13 of the next 17 at home, the Bulls need to not only get above .500, but pretty WELL above .500 if they are going to compete in the Central Division.

Posted by WGN Sports at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's no secret that the Bulls defense isn't where they needed it to be so far this season, but it's also about one simple issue. As we've talked about all year, there are a lot of new faces on the floor and there is still learning in some key areas that goes on each day.

I think Johnny Kerr hit it right on the head when he mentioned that the Bulls defense is still learning how to play with Ben Wallace. Now Ben may not be the player he was four years ago when he was the lockdown NBA Defensive Player of the Year, but he is still very good and very capable on the defensive end. I agree with Johnny that when you have a strong player like Ben down on the blocks, it dictates what you can do with regarding to defending on the perimeter. The key with Ben is that he has such a good sense for coming over and helping out if an opponent gets penetration off the dribble. He can rotate over and make a play on the ball, but the Bulls are still trying to feel their way through those situations.

The team is also getting a feel for the way they rotate as a whole, once one defender goes to help. Early foul trouble on Kirk Hinrich also has an impact. Kirk is a tough defender on the perimeter and almost every night, he has to take on the opponent's most explosive perimeter player. Sometimes, Kirk will pick up a couple of fouls early and have to come out of the game and that hurts the Bulls defensively.

Finally, when you struggle offensively as the Bulls have at times with their flow and balance, it can affect your defense. When you are out of position at the offensive end, it can be harder to get back to the proper spot on defense.

The Bulls gave up over 100 points five times in seven games on their recent road trip. That's not like them and I think we'll see much better defense on the horizon.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To no one's surprise, the Bulls have tinkered with their starting lineup. I think essentially the moves they have made in shuffling the lineup a bit have several goals. As Scott Skiles has said, one of them is to get Ben Gordon back on track. Ben has had two really big games and four other games where he has really struggled. Tuesday night, Ben played a pretty good ballgame in Dallas coming off the bench. They are just trying to get him on track because it appears he has been, for the most part, out of rhythm this season. In the games we've had on WGN, it looks like the offense itself has been out of rhythm. Now that could be the rotations or the many different players who are getting significant minutes right now as Scott tries to figure out the best rotation. I know that Scott would like to tighten that rotation a bit so that the roles are more defined. All of this has probably led to the inconsistency we've seen so far on the offense.

Furthermore what has been a chronic malady for this team so far is the fact that they have been getting off to slow starts in their games. This is another thing Scott wants to change. He needs to get a little more punch early in the ballgame - that's not the reason Gordon isn't starting. He wants to get Ben on track by bringing him off the bench and take some of the pressure off him that way by playing against somebody's second unit player instead of the starter. They inserted Andres Nocioni into the starting lineup in place of PJ Brown to get a little more energy into the starting unit and allow the bench to feature Gordon's scoring and PJ's defense to see how that type of rotation might work.

This is not unexpected. This is something we thought would happen with the new faces on the roster. As I've mentioned before it's a work in progress in November and into December. We knew it would take some time before they would find their rhythm offensively, both as individuals when we talk about Ben Gordon, and as a team when you are talking about the Bulls offense.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's too early in the season for breakout games, but it was great to see Thabo Sefolosha get 26 minutes on the floor during the Bulls win Monday night.

Sefolosha not only has a long wingspan, but he can play multiple positions. As far as defensive assignments go, he may see time against a guy like LeBron James from time to time, but due to the size and strength of guys like LeBron, Luol Deng will usually draw those assignments, with Thabo matching up against the big guards.

The thing the Bulls brass loved about him over other "long" guards in the draft is that he can play both the point guard spot and the two-guard. What they are finding out is that he is very good with the ball in terms of slashing off the wing into the land. His ball skills seem to be a bit better than some of the other big guards available last year and you can see why John Paxson was attracted to him.

I see him as a guy who can become a Scottie Pippen-type of player - in terms of learning the passing lanes, using his length to disrupt things when he is on the defensive end of the floor.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's great to feel the buzz that will be at tonight's opener. The first thing you notice about the Bulls this year is that they have some great pieces to play with. That's a big part of where the excitement surrounding this team comes in.

Ben Wallace is already a centerpiece and a leader on this team. I've watched this club in practice many times this year and it seems to be a team that can work well together and gets along together. The intangibles are definitely there for this team to have a great season.

The excitement we will see at the United Center tonight is what it's all about. I remember it fondly from the Jordan era and now, for the first time since then, we have a legitimate reason to be really excited about this basketball team.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi everyone,

As much as we'd all like the Bulls to get off to a great start this year, I think the key point to emphasize is patience. Number one - they have seven new players on the roster this year. Number two - Scott Skiles wants to play a large rotation of players this year and that rotation may be nine, ten, or even eleven different players on a given night who would be part of the rotation. This takes time.

When you consider that ten of the first fourteen games in the month of November are on the road, that compounds the potential problems. But this is a new team with half the roster brand new and definitely some exciting additions such as Ben Wallace and PJ Brown, veterans who know how to play and win on the road. They've got some great young talent as well - Tyrus Thomas is going to be an outstanding player. Thabo Sefolosha has really impressed with me with his ability to use his long wingspan on the defensive end. He could be the kind of guy who could develop into a defensive stopper, but right now he's playing like a rookie - a bit in awe of the situation and that's understandable coming from Europe where he played most of his basketball.

There's no doubt that this team has great ability. I caution patience only because we have a lot of road games, a lot of new faces, and because we have the the type of talent and depth that allows, and almost demands that Scott Skiles use a large rotation. It will take some time for the Bulls to pull all of that together.

Can they get off to a good start? Absolutely, because they have the talent and the ability to do so. But if by chance they don't, that's no reason to panic in the month of November or even December.. This team is going to be a much better basketball team regardless of their start when we hit January and February. That's when they can really hit stride and, given good health, they will be a very, very good basketball team heading into the second half of the season.

Wayne

Posted by WGN Sports at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)