Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Legion of Booz is coming Pippen Peoples! It is a movement, a cause, an institute for change. The Legion of Booz is trying to send a message to the Chicago Bulls organization, the fans and the media. If the Bulls want to see the second round of the playoffs (which based on the performance of the last two games is not a guarantee) one thing must happen. Carlos Boozer needs more time on the floor. Look this rotating system that you have with Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer will not work in the playoffs. I know the Boozer haters out there will say that the Bulls have been winning and I agree. However, in the playoffs the situations change and it turns into a game of matchups. I know that you are a defensive coach. I also know that Boozer plays defense with as much commitment as a playboy with options. But Carlos does something that your team seems to have problems doing at certain times of MOST games…scoring the basketball. If that is an issue at times, don’t you think that maybe that would warrant a little bit more floor time for Carlos Boozer?
Hey Coach, I know that you were at the game Sunday night against the Knicks. So I know that you noticed the Carlos Boozer had a pretty good start offensively. He was leading the team in scoring with six points on 3-6 shooting from the field. Then something funny happened, the man evaporated scoring wise. He finished the game with eight points on 4-9 shooting. What’s up with this? Why is this man’s talents not being utilized properly? While the rest of the team was missing jumpers, the ball needed to get down to the low post. Look the past is the past and everyone needs to focus for the playoffs. There are reasons why this first and third quarter system that you have for Boozer is not going to work. Here’s why.
1) The playoffs is ALL about matchups.
This will depend on who the Bulls play in the first round. We will not know probably until Wednesday which is the last game of the season. Anyway, there are matchups where Carlos can score and do it efficiently. If the man can dominate his man and get the offense going early, it not only helps Carlos get his rhythm together but it helps the team spacing and maybe get easier shots. The starting backcourt of Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler BOTH shoot less than 40% from the field. If you would just run plays in the low post maybe it opens up spacing for everyone. You already have Joakim Noah at the high post running the offense. If the matchup is there exploit the matchup and force the opponent to adjust. Don’t just sit him down because time restraints. This ain’t little league. This is the NBA! If your first round opponent to be determined makes a change in the second or fourth quarter win which Boozer can matchup better, what are you going to do? Keep him on the bench? That makes no sense.
2) Carlos will lose his rhythm if he gets hot and sits for an entire quarter.
I think we can all agree that basketball is a rhythm sport. Shooting with a hot hand can be a beautiful thing. Kind of like Carlos Boozer’s shooting performance against the Pistons. He shot 7-8 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line. He was hot, his shot was on. What did he get after 24 minutes when the street light came on? He got to get acquainted with the new acquisitions to the team Mike James, Ronnie Brewer and Lou Amundsen while Taj Gibson played. Am I saying that Gibson should have been on the bench? NO! But a man who is knocking down shots on a team that is known to take siestas and fall behind double digits in games with the quickness needs a proven scorer on the floor. Carlos is your guy that is a proven scorer.
3) Look The Legion Of Booz gets it…Boozer won’t try hard at the defensive end…Make adjustments!
Coach Thibodeau has shown us all that he can make adjustments better than any coach not named Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. He found a way to change the offense when Derrick Rose went down. When Luol Deng was traded he made more adjustments. With that being said, I have a question, why is he so stubborn in the way he handles Carlos Boozer? If anyone thinks he is going to defend at the level of Noah and Gibson, then they’ll believe that statue outside of the United Center is me with a Michael Jordan throwback jersey on. We all know his weaknesses. He doesn’t defend. So what! He does score. The Bulls struggle at scoring. Let’s get over ourselves and use his strengths and strategize how to make this guy effective throughout a series. If the Bulls stay in the 4th slot in the Eastern Conference race they will draw the Brooklyn Nets as their opponent. I heard they have a few guys that can score. You might want to line up some guys that can do the same. I won’t go into detail now but you can believe I will when the seedings are set.
Look Pippen Peoples, As the Executive Advocate of the Legion of Booz I will say this. Tom Thibodeau can coach. But he can make mistakes just like anyone else. Like Frank Vogel, the Head Coach of the Indiana Pacers did last year sitting Roy Hibbert down for the final seconds in a pivotal playoff game against Miami. We all know what happened there, LeBron drives straight down the lane and scores the game winning lay up. Want a better example? How about Coach Popovich sitting down Tim Duncan in the Finals? Uh, how did that work out? Oh that’s right, that was the game Chris Bosh got that offensive rebound and passed it to Ray Allen for that three to tie the game. That cost the Spurs the World Championship. Here’s the point, in the playoffs, adjustments need to be made. The Bulls struggle to score and Boozer’s minutes need to be adjusted. The last I checked my research, the team that scores the most wins. Let me check, Yep!