Leave it to “The Fresh Prince of Cleveland” LeBron James to try to gauge if anyone is paying attention this NBA season. He knows the pressure is on to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a NBA title this year. He knows that all eyes are on him. He knows if the Cavaliers fail to win under his leadership…again, he will shoulder all the blame.
LeBron James knows there’s nowhere to run this time so he has a backup plan in case the Cavaliers get beat…again in the LeBron James era the sequel.
He’ll create a diversion. But to do that he needs some help from some NBA teams.
Sep 27, 2013; Deerfield, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1), center Joakim Noah (13) and head coach Tom Thibodeau pose for a photo during media day at the Berto Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Hello, Chicago Bulls!
As we know there were many free agents who created rumors linking themselves to the Chicago Bulls only to sign with other teams.
Leave it to LeBron James to take a blueprint and make it his own. I mean he’s the master of taking other business plans and using it for his purpose. Take a long look at what he did in Miami. He spent four years in Miami learning under Pat Riley and then when it was time to take the lead in the family business, he turned tail and ran home to Cleveland.
Jun 12, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) walks off the court during the first quarter of game four of the 2014 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
He took some valuable lessons back to Cleveland from Miami. He took not four, not five, not six or seven. James is going to make sure he doesn’t get locked in a situation where he will not deliver…again.
He started his master plan on Monday night just before playing the Chicago Bulls “admitting” that the Chicago Bulls are a better team at the moment.
Check out what he had to say courtesy of Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com just before playing against the Chicago Bulls …
"“[The Bulls] are a team that’s much better than us right now just off chemistry. They’ve been together for a while, we’ve got a long way to go.”"
Oh boy! This guy is incredible! The one thing that Chicago Bulls can take out of this is that they have reason number 645,696 why LeBron James can’t carry Michael Jordan’s empty suitcase in an airport. Jordan wouldn’t never say this on tape. But the era of real competitive basketball players of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas is gone.
Look folks, I know that the NBA world ate up LeBron James’ comments like a tasty cake, luckily for the knowledgeable Pippen Peoples, they know one thing.
Pippen Ain’t Easy doesn’t easily follow everyone to the Kool-Aid stand for a drink.
Everything that is being written by sports pundits (this article included) is mere speculation. LeBron James knows that, that’s why he’s setting himself up for excuses when or if the Cavaliers lose. The Chicago Bulls have just as many chemistry issues as Cleveland. Let’s break it down shall we?
Oct 20, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) at Value City Arena. Cleveland won the game 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
1) Derrick Rose is going to have to change his game to make his teammates better.
Derrick Rose is playing with a laundry list of totally different players than he did in his MVP season. Gone are the days that the Bulls can just roll the ball out the Derrick Rose and say…”Okay D-Rose go out there and make it happen.” Well he did on Monday night. Rose dropped 30 points and smoked Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Cavalier guards. Okay that’s fine. The problem is there were only two other Bulls players that even hit double figures. Couple that with Irving scoring 28 points, what does that mean? Rose’s great scoring night is canceled out and the Chicago Bulls get beat 107-98.
Understand that the Chicago Bulls have lived without Rose for two years. Like it or not a lot of things have changed in the NBA since that time which includes the dynamics of the Chicago Bulls offense with the new additions. That is a perfect set up for second issue.
Jul 18, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls new players Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol pose for photos after a press conference at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
2) The Chicago Bulls still have a ton of new additions.
I have noticed a lot of rumors concerning Pau Gasol and his minutes in the fourth quarter. Uh oh! Like it or not, this will be an issue and Tom Thibodeau will not be able to ignore Gasol and threaten him with an amnesty clause every week like he did Carlos Boozer. Pau Gasol brings a dynamic to the Bulls that they have not had in ages. Gasol is a low post ball player that needs the ball to be effective and engaged in the ball game. The problem is that Derrick Rose is a slasher. He needs room to operate to go to the basket. The Bulls have to find a offensive scheme that makes BOTH players effective playing inside-out basketball. Gasol does not need to see any situation remotely close to what he had to deal with in Los Angeles. If these rumors are true and Pippen Ain’t Easy will be touching on this subject soon, Gasol WILL check out. Trust me.
Oct 19, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) drives around a screen set by forward Taj Gibson (22) against Charlotte Hornets guard P.J. Hairston during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
3) The rotations need to be set and SET NOW!
How about those rotations? The Doug McDermott questions of “will he or won’t he start” are so loud that Chicago Bulls fans have forgotten to worry about Derrick Rose’s knees. His presence has affected the status of Tony Snell who has no confidence and Mike Dunleavy, who slips on a wet spot and sits out an entire game. It’s on Tom Thibodeau to figure out these problems in basically one week. We have seen so many different rotations throughout the preseason that there may be no cohesion going into the regular season opener versus the Knicks on the 29th. We already know that Jimmy Butler might miss the game with his injured thumb. That leads to more time that the core players do not spend on the floor at the same time. The Chicago Bulls struggle when the second unit gets into the game. If the starting lineup hasn’t been set, how are you going to make adjustments to the bench that has struggled throughout the preseason?
Oct 17, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena. After a video review by officials, the basket was taken away due to a foul before the score. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
So don’t fall into a false sense of security with the LeBron James chemistry lab reports.
Let’s finish things up with another LeBron James’ quote that has him looking for the back door if things go awry courtesy of ESPN…
"“You’ve got to go through something in order to create a bond; that means for the worse. We’ve got to lose ball games that we think we should have won, we’ve got to get into an argument here and there every now and then just to test each other out…It has to happen. I know it’s going to happen. A lot of guys don’t see it, but I see it. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to grow.”"
Apr 2, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters (3) as the Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 119-98 at Amway Center. Waiters had a game-high 26 points. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Let me warn LeBron James of something real quick. Dion Waiters is NOT Mario Chalmers. Go try and get in his face and see what happens. He’ll make you a national story from beating your behind. Just try it. The only thing that will grow is that knot on your head when Waiters goes upside your head. LeBron James is the last guy I would listen to when it comes to dealing with adversity. Remember the NBA Finals? How did he handle that? He did leave Cleveland when things got tough. See the trend?
Pippen Peoples the Bulls are not better than the Cavaliers. Here’s why. The Bulls suffer from the same issues as last year. They don’t score enough. LeBron knows this and I know it as well. The Chicago Bulls need to set the rotation, give those core players time to develop and improve.
LeBron James is setting a smokescreen. The Bulls are not better at this point than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Like it or not Pippen Peoples, it’s just the plain truth.
Well Pippen Peoples, you’re up. What do you think of LeBron James’ comments. Do you agree? Leave your opinions in the comments section below. Now is the time for your voices to be heard. We start the season in ONE WEEK! Get excited about your Chicago Bulls! Keep it locked to Pippen Ain’t Easy for all the information and analysis leading in to the regular season. Pippen Ain’t Easy is your best source for Chicago Bulls news, previews and reviews.
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