Recap: Bulls Beat The Denver Fool’s Gold… I mean Nuggets

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Leave it to the Chicago Bulls to try to prove me wrong again. In doing my All-Star recap featuring Joakim Noah, I told everyone to savor the scoring because it would probably never happen again for a while. Well I was half right. The Chicago Bulls took Denver’s ball, bounced off their heads, knocked them out, yelled “it’s my ball punk!” and the crowd all yelled you got knocked the…(now, now this is a family article) out. Since this was a Friday game, I couldn’t resist the “Friday” movie reference. Score 117-89. For the recap, just check out Ashley Wijangco’s article on the Pippen Aint Easy website. This is about what I saw in this game that just needs to be said.

Keeping with the movie theme, I assume that most watched the movie Titanic because we were all too young to witness it in real life. Well let me tell you all something, Andre Miller saw this franchise sinking just like the Titanic. He saw something that the rest of the team and the NBA is figuring out right now. Brian Shaw has lost this team and has no clue as to what direction this team needs to go next. The day a coach admits that the coaching staff has to BEG players to play hard is the day the clock need to start clicking on a coaching tenure. The team does not respect Brian Shaw…at all man, at all.The Bulls were up 32-12 in the first quarter. Let’s take a close look at that. There are nights this team struggle to score that many in a half. How bad was this? Jimmy Butler made SportsCenter’s top 10 and got hurt on the play. Andre Miller has joined Masai Ujiri, the former General Manager, Andre Iguodola, and George Karl, former Coach of the Year then fired former coach in the “Thank God for lifeboats” club. I hope the Bulls fans don’t get used to this because this team is packing up for the Bahamas right now. If Aaron Brooks, who just came in from Houston with his bags unpacked outdoes everyone on the Fool’s Gold…I mean the Nuggets squad not named Randy Foye, that should tell you something. Let me sum it up like this, Randy Foye had 23 points and outscored the other starters BY HIMSELF!

If the Bulls can bottle this and send it to Miami, things could be very good in South Beach. The Bulls had seven players in double figures led by DJ Augustin’s 22 points. Tony Snell had a career high 20 points after Jimmy Butler left with a rib contusion. He is considered day-to-day (also read…handlers pack four #21 jerseys for Miami please.) The Bulls shot 50% from the field and whatever they missed they took back outrebounding Denver 50-40. The Blues Brothers Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah combined for 21 of them. I’ve said it once and I’ll keep right on saying it. Bulls fans, you’d better appreciate what Tom Thibodeau does coaching this squad every night. If you need to know what the team might look like if he wasn’t coaching, well look at the visitors, that’s a start.

Ah, the Boozer report. Carlos, you must be real comfortable now that you know you will be around for the rest of the season. How in the world do you go 4-14 in a game where the opponent offers as much resistance as wet dollar store tissue paper? Plus you have the audacity to shoot a three-point shot? Really? It’s been three franchises since you hit your last one! In Cleveland! In 2004! That’s ten years! Stop it man, get it together, the Bulls actually need you against Miami.

It probably seems like a bit of sour grapes towards Denver, but Bulls fans need to pay attention. Andre Miller was traded to the Washington Wizards this week which will impact the Bulls standings wise. This trade and others will be broken down in a Trade-Away-Thursday recap. This is not to take anything away from the Bulls. It’s not their fault that the Fool’s Gold…I mean Nuggets didn’t show up. But with Miami next on the schedule on Sunday, It’s no time to think the Bulls are world beaters.