Archive for March, 2009

Zoner pointed out earlier that people should be careful not to go goo-goo for Gordon. I agree with that assessment, but for most Bulls fans Gordon has been more a source of frustration than adoration. Before I get into the merits of his game and whether the Bulls should make a play to sign him this summer, there are some salary cap considerations to consider. The Bulls will have $63 million dollars on the cap next season if they keep their current roster. Ben Gordon was looking for a 6-year, $60 million deal last summer. Assuming the deal was backloaded [...]

I have nothing to really write that can describe this game other than the post title: it was an instant classic. Here are the highlights, courtesy of ESPN:

Skip ahead to about the 1:45 mark and hear Stewart talk about how the Bulls suck: .cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url(‘http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png’) !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;text-decoration:underline;} The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c Obama’s First 100 Days – Privileged Executive Daily Show Full EpisodesImportant Things With Demetri Martin Political HumorJoke of the Day

Linkin’ ain’t easy…but somebody gotta do it. Chris Webber vs. Kenny Smith: Birthday Cakes (Video)  NESW Sports The Celtics: Dirty By Design  NBA Fanhouse Greg Oden is Fed Up and Let Down  Oregon Live Ric Bucher Rips Plain Dealer, Cavs Coverage  Cursed Cleveland Who Should Be NBA ROY?  Empty the Bench Who’s Better CP3 or Deron Williams?  Fox Sports March Madness Preview  Docksquad Sports D Wade’s Interpretation of MVP  No Guts, No Glory Technorati Profile

It’s possible that Vinny Del Negro could stay on as coach of the Bulls after this season. Imagine that they do make the playoffs as the 8 or 7 seed and maybe win a game in that series. But I think most observers believe he will still be let go after the season. That makes it an even worse move by Paxson, because it was almost a certainty that he would need time with no coaching experience. Bulls fans have reason for optimism after shedding some dead weight from the roster and of course, the greatness of Derrick Rose. However, [...]

Games (2-1) @ Charlotte L 80-96 – The Bulls started off the week with an ugly ugly loss at Charlotte.  The backcourt was terrible on defense, with Raja Bell, despite playing badly injured, torching Ben Gordon to contribute 18 points and Raymond Felton going for 18 points and 9 assists.  They played uninspired the whole game.  The one bright spot was Tyrus Thomas, who put up 14 points and 12 rebounds.  Unfortunately the Bulls shot 39% from the field and turned the ball over 18 times.  Ouch. vs. Golden State W 110-88 – The Bulls rebounded from that tough road [...]

Here they come. I knew it was only a matter of time. It’s the fawning over Ben Gordon and the calls for the Bulls to re-sign him. Leading off: K.C. Johnson from the Trib with a nice strawman. And you can just go to the last line of the column to see that: “Go ahead: Dig into his deficiencies. But never forget the old adage that the best defense is scoring more than the other team.” How’d that get past the editor? See, no matter how many points Gordon scores, his failure to do absolutely anything on the defensive end [...]

The story starts like this: Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha made big baskets in the final 2 minutes Wednesday night, leading Oklahoma City to an 88-83 victory over the Washington Wizards for the Thunder’s first three-game winning streak of the season. I re-read it. That Thabo Sefolosha? For real? Fantasy geeks are wiggin’. People are writing about him. The “quiet” deadline deal that may be a steal. His numbers look nice since becoming a Thunder. He’s averaging 11-6-2 with almost 2 steals per game. He’s shooting around 44%/31%/73%. But let’s not get too excited. No doubt the increased playing time [...]

Over the last couple of weeks, Vinny Del Negro and John Paxson have been going at it over Derrick Rose’s 4th quarter minutes.  Vinny had been keeping Rose on the bench in crucial late-game situations and Paxson was upset.  Before I go any farther, I think it’s obvious to 99% of people that Paxson is right in this argument.  Derrick Rose is the future of this team and regardless of whether Hinrich is better defensively (he hasn’t been the last year and a half), Rose should be getting the valuable experience in late game situations. That being said, did Paxson [...]