The Chicago Bulls start their 2009-10 season tonight, live from the United Center against the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to a case of the flu, this humble Bulls scribe is a little under the weather for a whole "preview," but, here's a decent highlight reel from the Bulls epic first round playoff series with Boston from last spring. Oh and here's a link to Ball Don't Lie's 2009-10 Bulls preview by the always informative and entertaining JE Skeets.
The hoop-obsessed Ball Don't Lie was all over this earlier today.
The Bulls as part of their preseason tour competed on Tuesday in London, England at the spectacular O2 Arena (the venue that Michael Jackson's final tour was planned for) and the ever-polite Brits were doing their best, but, well, uhh, their parlance and lingo was a bit off. The Bulls won the game on a buzzer-beating jumper by rookie James Johnson.
OK, Chicago has admittedly had its troubles in Europe lately (The Blackhawks lost something called the Victoria Cup to Zurich in Switzerland and the first game of their two-game series to the Florida Panthers, although they managed to salvage some dignity for our town with their 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers Sunday). But that hasn't stopped the Bulls from trying to save face for the Windy City on the other side of the pond.
The Bulls are the next Chicago sports entity to try and flaunt their muscle in Europe, in their case taking on the Utah Jazz in London's O2 Arena Tuesday night. The game will be the first live NBA game televised on the UK's version of ESPN.
It'll be a homecoming game for one Bull, forward Luol Deng who grew up in the Brixton section of the city. Center Joakim Noah's name also carries some cachet with the Europeans who are very familiar with his father, former French tennis star Yannick Noah.
With the nascent NFL season merely getting warmed up and with the Cubs and White Sox still trudging through the marathon MLB season (with no playoff berths in sight) it's hard to believe but the NBA is less than a month away from its triumphant return. The Bulls hosted their annual Media Day this past Friday to kick off their training camp and announced their preseason schedule that will see the Bulls travel to London, England for a match with the Utah Jazz in front of, the oft-injured Luol Deng's hometown. Additionally, the Bulls will be playing the Milwaukee Bucks in Green Bay, as well as facing the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards before starting the season with their home opener against San Antonio on October 28.
Artist Shepard Fairey has teamed up with Upper Deck, the trading card company, to produce three prints depicting Michael Jordan, in honor of the Bulls superstar's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. While all three are pretty spectacular, one should really appeal to Bulls fans:
Finally, Jordan is going into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Comcast Sports is broadcasting "23 Hours of MJ" in honor and every single major sportssite has been doing something for his Airness, which, considering that the NFL season is nigh and with it America's myopic bloodlust for football, is rather impressive. With the best sports writers finding it difficult to capture all that Jordan means, suffice it to say, that "No. I'm not going to do any better." Just watch these vids of him being his awesome, gravity-defying, psychotically-competitive, ripper-of-hearts, and champion self.
Is the Bulls' Joakim Noah the most photographed NBA player working today? It seems not a week goes by without someone slapping up a quickly-snapped cellphone shot of the 6-11 center/forward saunting through some party, occasionally with drink (or, ahem, something else) in hand or mugging for the camera with a co-ed or two under his substantial wingspan.
Deadspin has the latest documentation of Noah's Journeys, this time as he was hanging out at the recent Lollapalooza. At least this time he was smart enough to be seen with only a can of Pepis in his hand (at least we THINK that was only Pepsi in that can). Look, why don't we just get started on the Joakim Noah reality show and get it over with? (Photo from Deadspin.com)
The Bulls management has gone ahead and bought out the remaining season of NBA journeyman, Tim Thomas' contract. Thomas, who came over from the Knicks in the Larry Hughes trade, "contributed" in 18 games for Chicago last season; by buying out his contract the Bulls remain juuuuusst below the luxury tax level, which would have been a tremendous move for the franchise, except for the unfortunate fact that some of that money that Tim Thomas would've been getting is, instead, going into the hands of Lindsey Hunter and Jannero Pargo. I'm no fan of Timmy Thomas, but, really, Paxon, Forman? Signing Pargo and Hunter? Replacing Thomas with those two is, I don't know, sorta like fixing a leak in a dam by removing one sorta leaky and ineffective brick with two smaller and even less effective bricks. Ugh. Look, I'm sure Pargo is a perfectly decent dude: probably he loves dogs, goes to church, kisses his wife before he leaves the house, respects the game, et cetera ... BUT ...
Remember the proposed three-way trade between Chicago, Utah and Portland last week? The one involving Carlos Boozer to the Bulls, Tyrus Thomas to the Utah Jazz and Kirk Hinrich to Portland? Well, the Blazers decided to nix that by outright offering a sexy contract to Jazz forward of the future, Paul Milsap, Utah which is already strapped financially after reupping with Mehmet Okur, et al, now has seven days to match Portland's offer to Milsap.
Meanwhile, this puts the Bulls components: Tyrus and Kirk on the back burners of both Utah and Portland respectively. However, Utah is still expected to try and trade Boozer so there's a glimmer of something for Tyrus (sadly) being shipped to Salt Lake City for the Booze Man. Which isn't a terrible deal. The Bulls would essentially be "renting" Boozer for next season, it's just, y'know, Tyrus is pretty rad. And speaking to the radness of Tyrus, behold the people's champ's twitter site!, replete with "LMAO," complaints about babies on planes, people farting on planes, and, indeed, even well spoken notions re: trade scuttlebutts:
t_time24: "No I'm not traded. Just switching locations for the weekend!"
or this gem,
t_time24: "To clear the record, I never commented on playing with D Will [Utah's pretty awesome point guard]. And I am a BULL. Let it go people!"
The Bulls, Utah Jazz and Portland Trailblazers are involved in a verbal menage a trois, so to speak, that would --and this is all hearsay-- send power forward, Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Tyrus Thomas to Utah and Kirk Hinrich to Portland. For Chicago the speculative trade talks suggest that the front office is growing weary of waiting for Tyrus to grow into his potential and truly flourish; Boozer is an elite offensive force in the paint and would be a (relatively slight) defensive upgrade over Thomas as well, sans Tyrus' explosive shot-blocking talent and apocalyptic athleticism. With only one year left on his contract the trade for Boozer should be seen as essentially a one season rental before, inevitably, Boozer heads for greener pastures in the 2010 free agent bonanza. However, this isn't even close to a bad thing as Boozer's expiring contract will give Chicago a great position to go out and grab a Bosh or Wade...
Like to shout, wear stupid hats, throw things at people and wear the color red? Have you longed to be the center of attention during NBA timeouts? Your time has come.
The Chicago Bulls will hold tryouts today for 2009-10 IncrediBulls squad. You know, those guys and gals who try to keep your attention focused on the court when the Bulls are down by 12 to the Cavaliers with 1:20 left in the third? If you're interested, bring your lungs and enthusiasm to the McDonald's at 3200 W. Roosevelt Rd. between 2 and 4 p.m. TODAY. You have to be at least 18, live in Chicago, be in decent physical shape and be "a BULLS fan." Cause nothing puts a damper on a TV time out than a guy dressed in Bulls warm-ups shouting "Let's go Knicks!"
There's no way of verifying it (unless someone makes an admission), but an anonymous text message to a website claims that Bulls' forward Joakim Noah was spied once again enjoying a little... um... herbal therapy, as reported on Deadspin (via "Texts From Last Night"). It's not the first time the Noah has been allegedly imbibed. And depending on your views on marijuana, this is either a major problem for the Bulls to deal with or a whole lot of nothing.
Ben Gordon stopped by the ESPN 1000 studios on his way over to Mo-Town this morning and is claiming that the Bulls didn't even make an offer to him this off-season. Okay, but they did make an offer to you in each of the past two off-seasons, Gordon, for approximately $50+ mill. over five years in each offer. You did have your chances, and maybe (though I doubt it) the Bulls management realized that the team could be better without your 20 points a night, your mercurial FG%, your demand for star money when, in fact, you're not a star: you take entire defensive possessions off, you are a poor rebounder -even for a 2 guard, you have no concept of ball movement in a team-oriented offense...
Meanwhile, out in Las Vegas the odds have been released for the favorites to win the 2009-2010 NBA Championship. Not surprisingly, three of the NBA's final four this year: Cleveland, Los Angeles and Orlando take spots 1, 2, and 4 respectively, with Boston sliding in at 3. The Bulls are a little lower on the list at 14 with 50/1 odds, sandwiched in between Atlanta and Miami who are both at 50/1 as well.
Former Bull Ben Gordon surprised exactly nobody by signing with the Detroit Pistons for a reported $55 million over five years. Gordon had led the Bulls in scoring the past four seasons, rejected offers from the Bulls the past two off-seasons with each offer, reportedly, in the $50+ million stratosphere.
Without Gordon on the books, Chicago has much more salary cap space for the remainder of this free agency period and also, potentially, for the 2010 free agent market that includes LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, et al.
The NBA's free agency season starts tonight at 23:00 CST and the question on many fans of the Bulls is" What team is making the grab for BG7?" Gordon, Chicago's mercurial, shoot-first-ask-questions-later guard, has strongly been linked with divisional rival, Detroit. With flirtations between Pistons GM, Joe Dumars, and Gordon's agent getting downright ribald* at moments. The Pistons after taking a huge step backward last season (barely qualifying for the playoffs as the 8 seed and getting swept by Cleveland in the first round) after making it, at least, to the Conference Finals for the past six seasons, have started the housecleaning by firing head coach, Michael Curry, today.
"With the 16th Pick, from Wake Forest, James Johnson!" So sayeth the Commish.
Reaction from a crowded living room of Bulls fans: "Meh. He's not that bad." "Can you say, Marcus Fizer???" "He looks sooo fat, but in a fast way." "I'm not unhappy about this pick, he could be alright."
Not exactly a glowing endorsement, but the lowdown on Johnson isn't that bad. Considering that this is arguably on of the worst draft classes EVAR! OMG!! Johnson should provide at the very least 10-15 minutes, 6 fouls and a few boards night in and night out.
Best-Case Scenario:
Johnson develops into a utility tool who, with some NBA seasoning, could develop into a decent outside defender with his insane (7'1"!!!!) wingspan to guard taller shooting guards and forwards. Offensively, if Johnson keeps at his Wake Forest production he could easily eclipse Ty Thomas and the perpetually injured, Luol Deng, as the Bulls most productive front court man. And that's what I really think this pick is: a "Break Glass in Case of Injury to Deng" Johnson could very easily slide into the starting 3 spot in Chicago's uber-athletic front court. I'm surprised that the Bulls didn't go hunting for a two guard to complement Rose, but they still have the 26th pick...
And now we come to the 26th pick...
The Bulls received this pick from Oklahoma City during the season when Chicago shipped Thabo Sefolosha to the Thunder back in February.
Taj Gibson from the University of Southern California. Huh? So now the Bulls have the new James Johnson, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Brad Miller, Luol Deng, Aaron Gray and, apparently, now -Taj Gibson. An wealth of 3-5s if I ever saw one, but how will all these guys get minutes? Also, where's an athletic 2 guard? I know nothing about Taj Gibson but am already unhappy about this pick. More recap Monday!
The Chicago chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America is meeting tomorrow to figure out once and for all how they should regard players of the Steroid Era in their future Hall of Fame voting. One Delaware sports writer is urging them to "do the right thing."
When the dust clears after tonight's NBA draft, will Kirk Hinrich end up wearing a new uniform?
Local Iowa State and Duke basketball fans might have something to do next January 6.
The Fire is gearing up for its next match in the Super Liga against fellow MLS club Chivas USA Tuesday at Toyota Park.
ChicagoNow blogger Matt Olsen lists 10 Chicago sports surprises that weren't really surprises. Personally, I'd add the continually rising cost projections for hosting the Olympics.
It'll be Mark Brown (no, not this Mark Brown) instead of Gonzalo Omar Basile who will take on Fres Oquendo at "Windy City Fight Night 3" this Friday at the UIC Pavilion. On the undercard, Rita "La Guera" Figueroa has a rematch with Tammie "The Tasmanian Devil" Johnson. Man, I love nicknames.
The Chicago Machine hope to end a three-game losing streak when they take on the Washington Bayhawks this Saturday at Toyota Park in Major League Lacrosse action.
If you just can't let go of the 1985 Bears, you might have a reason to watch the Cleveland Browns a bit closer this season.
The Lou Malnati's Pizza Bronco team does a worst-to-first run in the Wilmette House women's baseball league. Meanwhile, it's the Riveters versus the Skyline and the Comets versus the Turtle Rock in Chicago Gems Women's Baseball League action at Bedford Park Fields.
The NBA draft is tomorrow, so get ready for an onslaught of analysis, suggestions and predictions about the possibilities that lay before the promising Bulls. The local pundits are having their say, while the national media is weighing in as well. And yes, there are trade rumors as always. But no words carry more weight than new Bulls GM Gar Foreman. So if you have a favorite as their No. 1 pick (No. 16 overall), place your bets now.
After an entertaining if too-short run in the Playoffs this past season that culminated with an anti-climactic Game 7 loss in Boston in the first round, the Bulls are looking to reload in this month's NBA Draft; armed with two first-round selections, what will the Bulls be looking for? Tailgate looks into the future with some, ahem, lucidity...
First things first: Chicago, in spite of drafting Derrick Rose last year and some guy named Jordan back in 1984, does not have a track record of awesome or even adequate draft selections. Check the facts and convince me that Eddy Curry was the best the Bulls could've done with the number 4 overall pick in '01. Or, of course, there's the infamous Draft of 2000: the Bulls with three!!! first rounders, pulled Marcus Fizer, Chris Mihm and Dalibor Bagaric; guess which one is still in the league?
While the percentages of male fans may not be all that surprising, there are some unexpected stats in there -- which team's fans are the best paid and most educated, for instance.
Gar Forman took over John Paxson's position as the general manager of the Bulls in expected news.
Wasting no time, Forman is already on the record as saying that getting sometime star, Ben Gordon to reup with the franchise is a priority. Big Mistake! Look, Ben Gordon is a totally passable professional basketball player, the only major problem is that he's a black hole on offense. Yes, he'll make big shots from time to time, see: Round One of this year's Playoffs; but he'll often miss a ton of ill-advised shots that his ego tells him he can make. These misses will often be rebounded by the other team, starting a fast break opportunity for said team; leading to easy baskets against the Bulls. Additionally Gordon can't figure out how to play defense; so, please, Forman, I beg you, shop Gordon or send him happily on his way to the fortunes of free agency and let some other team get burdened with a bloated contract payable to BG7.
The Trib says the Bulls may be entertaining offers to deal guard Kirk Hinrich to the Los Angeles Clippers, possibly getting either Marcus Camby or Chris Kamen in the deal. The perennially losing Clippers have the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft and are reportedly leanding toward drafting Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. He's be one more big man in their coffers, meaning they'd be willing to part with one or two. Stay tuned.
Worried about what the Bulls are gonna do with the Vinny Del Negro experiment; or who they'll be drafting in next month's NBA Draft; or what on Earth a team can do with unrestricted free agent-to-be, Ben Gordon? Well, Joakim Noah is forgetting all about that! TMZ, ahem, "reports." NOTE: PHOTOS ARE NSFW!!!! Yes, the young Joakim has discovered the two-headed joy of women and marijuana, kudos, young Jedi!
It's do or (almost) die time tonight for the Blackhawks in their playoff series against the (boo) Vancouver Canucks.
Now that he's back in the fold, the White Sox' Scottie Pods wants his old number back. Meanwhile, manager Ozzie Guillen thinks the team has more pressing needs.
Speaking of the Sox, they hold their first Volunteer Day this Saturday. It's not too late to sign up for the event, inspired by their No. 1 fan.
Derrick Rose? Jay Cutler? Patrick Kane? Who's Chicago's most marketable athlete?
Handball fanatics, the place to be this weekend is Elgin. Yes, Elgin.
The Bulls' playoff run been berry berry good to Comcast Sports.
As if the Chicago Rush didn't have enough problems, what with their entire league collapsing, now they're accused of sticking it to one of their fans.
Look out Robert Morris College: Roosevelt University is getting back into the intercollegiate athletics action.
Fresh off their victory over Kansas City, the Chicago Force take their undefeated record to Detroit to take on the Demolition in Women's Tackle Football action.
The equally unbeaten Chicago Fire, meanwhile, face the New England Revolution at Toyota Park.
Final observations on the Bulls surprising, but ultimately disappointing season...Seven overtimes. Margins of victory as big as 21 points and as small as one point. A young, inexperienced team (albeit one with the reigning Rookie of the Year) taking on the defending NBA champions (albeit it one missing their star player).
They're already calling the Bulls/Boston Celtics Eastern Conference quarterfinal series the "greatest first-round NBA series of all time", a title that at once is both awe-inspiring and overblown at the same time. Granted, it had more than its share of thrilling moments. But greatest? Well, that's going to take some research. In the meantime, Bulls fans can take some solace in that early assessment and dream of better things next season.
The Bulls hopes for a first round upset of the defending NBA champs came to crashing halt in Boston on Saturday night. After an astonishing seven game series with more twists and turns than a Grisham novel, the Bulls were outmatched in the deciding game. Sadly after a record setting seven OT sessions in the first six games of the series, this one wasn't nearly that close as Boston (after an early Bulls lead) grabbed the momentum and led from the second quarter on, with the Bulls only making it close in the fourth quarter for the requisite high-drama that this whole series seemed to be blessed with.
Assasins were for hire last night in Beantown as both Chicago and Boston's finest ice-blooded dagger droppers, namely, Ben Gordon and Paul Pierce put on a show in the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 5 in what has become the most physically-demanding and competitive first round playoff matchup in recent memory. Gordon and Pierce matched jumper after jumper after jumper; neither The Truth nor BG7 was going to let his team go quietly into the night. Gordon who didn't even heat up until the fourth after struggling with a strained hamstring all game long and Pierce who, prior to this game, has been -at times- absolutely AWOL in this series, went off with the Celtics prevailing to take the 3-2 series lead with Chicago's backs-to-the-wall in Game 6, Thursday night at the United Center. Now onto the analysis!
Four games into their round one series, and Chicago and Boston already have an entire postseason's worth of memories and nailbiters. The Bulls tied up the riveting series at two games apiece after their dramatic double-overtime game four victory. Honestly, even haters of the NBA should be taking a long look at themselves and realizing that their foolish "unbelief" in the NBA is heretic. Cop the video above of John "That's how you spell HERO, mothafu**er!" Salmons blocking Paul Pierce's three-pointer with seconds left in OT numero dos and tell me that's not compelling sport and theater.
Let's just all take a big step back and re-evaluate the Bulls-Celtics series. Ouch. Those numbers for the Bulls? God-awful! And hey, I'm not just talking about the pathetic 37.5% fg percentage. Cop what the Cs shot and recognize one thing: the Celtics have shot an insane 48.1% and 49% from the field over the course of the past two games, including a shocking 57.1% from 3-point land in game three last night. Now, this is definitely --to a point-- attributable to the Celtics having incredibly hot shooting and over the course of a seven game series the Celtics will have to cool off (won't they??); but the Bulls team defense must improve or else this series is like the dodo for Chicago fans. What should be much more concerning for the Bulls isn't the final score --hey, we all get the short end of the stick-- but the physically intimidating manner in which Boston set the tone from the tip-off. The Celtics simply pushed Chicago and the Bulls did nothing. So, Bulls, listen if you wanna keep playing into May next time Rajon frickin' Rondo b*tch slaps a Joakim Noah, step in and let him know he can't do that in your stadium.
Meanwhile, with all the plaudits surrounding Rose, the Bulls still are a toothin' and clawin' with the Boston Celtics in their first round match that's knotted at one game apiece. Game three is tomorrow night at the United Center and the Bulls are imploring you to wear red and be noisy. Shocking, I know. In any case, with game three tomorrow night, now would be a great time for Boston's already depleted and injury-addled bench to get more bad news. -- Dramatic aside: Stranger at Door: KNOCK, KNOCK. Boston's Front Office: "Who's There?" SAD: "Bad News." BFO: "Bad News, Who?" SAD: Bad News, Leon Powe Just A'sploded His Knee."
So, ouch, sheesh! Celts are totally cursed with injuries and yeah, Chicago Bulls, you better win this series.
Rose averaged at least 17 points per game, along with six assists and shot 45 percent from the floor during the year. He joins exclusive company in that regard. Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson all had similar numbers in their rookie seasons
Rose is coming off an impressive game one performance against the Celtics in which he scored 36 points and had 11 assists. The Chicago Bulls have scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. to make the announcement.
Whoa. Boston-Chicago is a wooly series where, seriously, the Bulls are going toe-to-toe against the reigning NBA champs. Without the above trey by Jesus Shuttlesworth, aka: Ray Allen, the Bulls would be up 2-0 going back to the United Center for Game 3. Alas, Ray-Ray nailed the triple in spite of Noah's fro's best effort to block it and here we go, sportsfans, this series is getting good. [Duh!-Ed.]
The Chicago Bulls struck first in their opening round series with the Boston Celtics; as the Bulls, led by Derrick Rose's 36 points and 11 dimes, won in overtime 105-103. Rose tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for points scored in a postseason premiere in a game that had the Bulls looking like the savvy, playoff-seasoned team and not the greenhorns of the second season. Game two is Monday night in Boston. Buckle up, Bulls fans, this is gonna be good.
The Chicago Bulls wrapped up the regular season last night with a home loss to the dismal Toronto Raptors, but thanks to a miraculous 76ers win in Cleveland; the Bulls will be opening the playoffs with a first-round match-up against a Boston Celtics squad that will be without Kevin Garnett instead of the fierce and relatively healthy, Orlando Magic.
The Bulls start their series on Saturday afternoon in Boston and will be looking to steal away at least one victory in Beantown before the series heads to the United Center next Thursday (4/23).
And even though the Celtics are still, well, the Celtics: a defensive titan of a team, with a highly efficient offense led by the bloodless assassin, Paul Pierce, and, oh, by the way defending NBA Champs; without Kevin Garnett the Celts are a very different team.
The Bulls wrapped up at least the seven seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs last night in Detroit by putting the clamps down on a feisty Pistons squad. A balanced offensive attack, led by Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon helped the Bulls trim a fourth quarter deficit in the final minute into a lead with seconds to go and the Bulls held on to cinch (at least) the seventh seed. Currently the Bulls are the six seed, which as we've discussed before is not what the Bulls want; nay, the Bulls want/need to face Boston who they match up oh, so much better with than Orlando. However! unless the 76ers can beat Boston tonight or the Bulls lose tomorrow night at home against the Toronto Raptors, Chicago will be stuck in 6th which means facing the juggernaut Orlando Magic, who shoot waaaaaay too well from three-point land and happen to have a hulking, laboratory-bred freak called Dwight Howard lurking in the paint. So, maybe now is the time for VDN to start Aaron Gray and the rest of the bench whilst DRose, et al get some much needed rest against the Raps.
Behind strong 24 point performances from both Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas the Bulls took care of business at the United Center against Philadelphia and strengthened their hold on the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. Sporting garish and awful green jerseys in honor of "Green Week," the NBA's feeble attempt at celebrating eco-awareness or not clubbing baby seals (seriously, Shaq isn't allowed to club any baby seals this week); the Bulls outhustled and flat out overwhelmed the flagging 76ers who are now a mere 1.5 games ahead of Chicago for the 6th spot.
For the Bulls, the victory further cinches their already close-to-guaranteed playoff berth, really, it's just a matter of who ends up where, but Charlotte could still sneak in, but would likely be knocking out Detroit and not Chicago.
With five games left to play and with the Bulls mere percentage points ahead of Detroit, it's a little too early to say, emphatically, "Yes." But, the Bulls are on the verge of returning to the second season for the first time since 06-07. Still, the MoTown Get Along Gang, aka: the Detroit Pistons, have had a decade's worth of discontent and injury bugs crammed into this season and yet, there they are: scrapping with the Bulls, while at the same time keeping the Bobcats collective heads under water 'til them kittens don't breathe no more. Honestly, the Pistons, how do they stumble in first gear all season, lose players ('Sheed, Iverson in the past two months alone) and keep on rollin'? Gotta respect Joe Dumars and if the Bulls wanna make the playoffs an annual rite of spring then Paxson would do well to take notes when Joe D speaks.
Michael Jordan is officially a hall-of-famer. Jordan has been elected to the basketball hall of fame. It goes without question that MJ would one day be in the basketball hall of fame. It was only a matter of time before he would become enshrined.
He led a storied career and left little doubt that he would be a first ballot hall-of-famer. He lead the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships while snagging five MVP awards. Hall of fame inductions will occur Sept 10-12 at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Jordan along with four others including former Chicago Bull and current Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan will be inducted.
In spite of Hollinger's Playoff Machine, the Bulls chances of getting into the second season took a big hit last night in Indianapolis courtesy of TJ Ford's game icing jumper with a scant 3.9 seconds left on the clock. Not only did the Bulls lose a heartbreaker, but the pesky Charlotte Bobcats had the gall to defeat the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, thus sweeping the season series from the Lake Show and making up a game on the Bulls in the standings.
An easy question to answer really, Derrick Rose of your Chicago Bulls will more than likely be hoisting the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy come the off-season awards extravaganza. Rose has the Bulls competing for a playoff spot a year after Chicago won the draft lotto and, thus, selected Rose with the #1 pick and has provided a great boost to Chicago's heretofore sluggish and uninspiring offense.
However, should Rose's inspired play and emergence as a point guard of the future be the only factors? The media hands out the ROY award and, honestly, I don't have the faith in them to not simply skim the candidates list, spy "Rose, Derrick," and auto vote him or have their intern/lackey vote for him. Rose --to most media types-- is probably the most household of rookies this season; yet, Russell Westbrook has been steadily and silently dominating teams all season long in the forgotten NBA outpost of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The ongoing chase for the final seed in the Eastern Conference is, seemingly, more and more likely becoming Chicago's to lose. Will they make it?Tailgatetries to answer that question and more!
Last night the Bulls won the season series against the depleted and awful Washington Wizards and won some good old-fashioned vengeance against the Wiz, after being shellacked in front of the Leader of the Free World/Bulls Fan, Barry Obama, last month. Aside from the satisfaction of, you know, clubbing the doormat of the East, the Bulls also further improved their chances of making the playoffs and the likely beatdown at the hands of Cleveland or Boston/Orlando that will come with the 7th or 8th seed.
The Bulls winning ways at the United Center were put on hiatus for at least one night after coughing up a 14 point halftime lead to Kobe Bryant's LA Lakers. The Bulls, who had won 8 in a row at the UC, dropped the decision to Lakers after being throttled in the third and fourth quarters and giving up the ball 23 times to a Laker squad that preys on the opposition's mistakes. John Salmons contributed 30 points for the Bulls in the loss and Chicago's lead for the final playoff berth remained at one game after the Charlotte Bobcats lost to the Indiana Pacers at home.
The Bulls, who had miraculously been slaying vastly superior teams at home for the better part of two months, made far too many mistakes against a team that knows how to win a game even when their superstar is having an off night. In this case, the "off night" for Bryant was 25 points on 10/25 shooting with "only" 7 assists and a "mere" 5 steals.
Potentially huge weekend for Chicago/U of Illinois bball fans this weekend, here's the breakdown:
Thursday: U of Illinois v Western Kentucky in some sort of minor tournament that the NCAA has organized.
Friday: Most of you will probably be calling in sick to watch the continuing coverage of that minor tourney betwixt the colleges of the USA.
Saturday: LA Lakers v Bulls, live from the United Center. Kobe only comes to Chi-town but once a year, and it's not for jury duty. Meanwhile, the Bulls will be looking to push their home winning streak to nine straight and keep a leg up in the race for the final playoff spot.
Sunday: The winner of Illinois versus WKU faces off with the winner of Gonzaga vs Akron [Go Zips!-ed.] in lovely Portland Oregon.
A statistical lesson for all of you NBA general managers-in-training, +/- as a metric for who did what well and what wrong in one game is incredibly inaccurate, see, Marbury's stat line from last night's Celtics-Bulls tilt as evidence. Granted, +2 isn't anything too spectacular, but it is strange that the losing team's backup point guard/"reason the Celts lost to the Bulls," would be in the positive at all. To wit, Boston's coach, Doc Rivers, kept Marbury in for the majority of the fourth quarter in lieu of the disruptive and much taller and larger, Kendrick Perkins; and the Bulls feasted on Marbury's awful defense, attacking at will, the lane and making easy layup after easy layup. With the small Boston lineup --for cereals, the 6'7" Paul Pierce was the tallest Boston player on the floor for most of the fourth-- even the man child/coach, Vinny Del Negro, knew what to do: attack the rim, rinse and repeat.
This St. Patty's Day edition of WBMP will be looking at the Bulls performance of the past week --spoiler alert: not good. And what the Bulls need to do in the weeks left in the regular season to make the playoffs.
Last Week:
The Bulls book ended two nice wins over Milwaukee and New Orleans by losing three straight to Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia, yet, there the Bulls are in a virtual tie with the Bucks for the final seed. The wins and losses all made sense as, you guessed it, the wins came at home and the losses were all on the road, where Chicago has been an awful 10-26 for the season.
This Week:
The Bulls deathMarch [Pun-tacular, seriously-Ed.] continues as they face the Boston Celtics tonight, than @ Oklahoma City, LA Lakers at home, @ Washington and Detroit at the United Center. For Chicago to keep up with Milwaukee and Charlotte, both of whom have much easier schedules of the next two weeks; the Bulls have to win the oh-so-winnable games against Oklahoma City and Washington and pull out a win against BOS, LAL or MoTown, stay tuned!
After getting absolutely brained against the Magic on Wednesday night in Orlando, the Bulls find themselves in Philadelphia tonight with a key head-to-head game against the 7th seed, 76ers, and then travel back to Second City to play New Orleans at the United Center tomorrow night --a game, by the way, this writer will be attending. The good news for Chicago is that as terrible as the Bulls have been on the road, Philly has not been much better at home; barely holding a .500 record. With Chris Paul and Co. rolling into the Windy City tomorrow night and with 5 of their next 7 against likely playoff teams, the Bulls need to beat Philly to stay on pace with the rest of the teams vying for the final playoff berth; particularly with Charlotte breathing down their collective necks and with the Bobcats having 8 of their next 10 against teams that are sub .500.
As the season has progressed I've really not been paying too much attention to the Miami Heat, they've been a team hovering in the 3-6 seed limbo of the Eastern standings; I've been aware that Dwayne Wade has been mercilessly slaughtering defenders for the majority of the season and that he definitely deserves far more MVP chatter than he's garnered. However, after last night's double-overtime tense-fest against the Bulls; I'm now a believer in the Heat and that they will be posing a serious threat to either Boston, Orlando or Cleveland at some point in the playoffs. Just watch the video and try to convince yourself that what Wade is cooking isn't just as delicious as the Michelin-starred Kobes and LeBrons of the NBA.
Tailgate's weekly look at how close the Chicago Bulls are in the race for the final playoff spot in the East, this week: The Bulls are almost to the 7th seed!
After throughly dismantling their closest competition (statistically and geographically) on Friday night, the Bulls are now standing tall in "the race for death by LeBron or KG" that is the 8th seed. And with the 7th seed, Philadelphia 76ers, reeling, --dudes have lost 7 of their last 10, ouch-- the Bulls have a legit shot at closing the two game deficit and sliding into the 7th seed where they'll still be demolished by Cleveland or Boston in the first-round. But still! All of this with VDN as the head coach, who'd have thunk it?
The Chicago Bulls are in a virtual tie with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, tonight the two squads are facing off for the final time this season with the Bulls holding a 2-1 series edge for the season. Should Chicago win they would vault one game ahead of the Bucks and potentially give themselves some breathing room from the rapidly ascending Charlotte Bobcats and New Jersey Nets, whom are playing the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, respectively. In any case, the UC should be loaded with more action than the most awesome action flick of all-time; and with any luck, Derrick Rose will be telling the Bucks, "Hasta la vista, baby."
Now that Terrell Owens has been released by the Cowboys, would he be a good fit for the Bears? And how long before he brings Kyle Orton to tears?
Speaking of Bears quarterbacks, a Sporting News blog says that Rex Grossman's eminent departure is bad news for Chicago. And while he is visiting Cincinnati, Dallas seems more than eager to welcome him there.
Sure Blackhawks defenseman James Wisniewski was as fan favorite, but Daily Herald sports blogger Tim Sassone says give his replacement, Sami Pahlsson, a chance.
Thornton High School rules the top spot in the Tribune's final boys high school basketball rankings. The highest Chicago school, De La Salle, finished third.
NBA.com writer David Aldridge gives props to Norm Van Lier and Red Kerr.
To paraphrase Douglas MacArthur, displace cheerleaders never die, they just hook up with other sports teams.
Registation may be closed, but there's still plenty of action to be had on and off the course as the annual Chiditarod runs this Saturday. Shopping carts have never seen this much action.
Tailgate's ongoing look at whether the Bulls will make the playoffs, this week we look at the other teams clawing and fighting for the 8th and final seed.
First things first, in the span of the past week Chicago has been the most manic team in the Association, spec the wins and losses of the past seven days: Orlando, win, WTF? The Bulls massacred the Magic, are you kidding me? What, was Dwight Howard out with a case of the plague? [No, he played, dropping 26/12 in the loss -ed.] New Jersey and Washington, gimme wins, right? Ha! Not. After pantsing the Magic, Chicago decided to take the fourth quarter of the Nets game off and let Devin Harris go off for 42 points, including 19 in the fourth. Meanwhile, on Friday night against Eastern Conference laughingstock/door mat/[insert-insult] with a very famous Bulls fan in the house Chicago decided to not show up and get blown out by the Wizards. When you get blown out by the Wiz in front of the Pres there's only one word: pathetic. But on Saturday Chicago somehow put the locks down on the mighty Houston Rockets and pulled out a quasi-miraculous fourth quarter win. So, uhhm, yeah, the Bulls are missing their meds or something and as a result are simultaneously amazing and awful. Stay tuned and now onto who else is vying for the last playoff spot.
Between now and the end of the NBA's regular season,Tailgate will be taking a weekly look at how the Bulls playoff chances are faring against the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Here is where the Bulls stand in the East if the season were to end today: on the outside, looking in; a game and-a-half behind the Skiles-led Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th seed. Yet, thanks to last week's many trades a new --if minor-- hope surrounds the United Center. The schedule is favorable, to say the least, with only 11 road games left and less than half of their remaining games against teams with a .500 or better record.
UPDATE: Literally minutes before the trade deadline yesterday afternoon, Bulls GM, John Paxson, sent shooting guard/small forward, Thabo Sefolosha to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2009 first-round draft selection. Another fairly "meh" move by Chicago, but sure, okay, a first-round pick for a heretofore, unheralded and borderline draft bust, makes as much sense as anything else the Bulls have done the past three days...
The Bulls in their never-ending quest for relevance in the NBA trade season made yet another move by swapping Larry Hughes (and his grossly oversized contract) to the New York Knicks for league-wide journeyman, Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson. Of the three obscure and, fairly, worthless acquisitions; Thomas is by far the most "household name," having averaged a "robust" 11.7 ppg through his career that has meandered from Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York (twice), Chicago, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
As for Roberson and James, what can be said? Hmmm, well, James is over 7' which ties in nicely with GM Paxson's growing collection of over 7' players with marginal NBA talent, see: Gray, Aaron. Roberson likely was thrown in to make the deal work money-wise for the Bulls and Knicks.
Clothing designer Novem has created the ultimate Chicago sports fan t-shirt.
Designed by Paul Deters, it features the mascots of every major league team in Chicago: a totem pole of White Sox, Cubs, Bulls, Bears and Blackhawks, with the Fire behind and Sky above.
It's available for $29 online or in their studio store at 1104 N. Ashland.
The Chicago Bulls have agreed to send power forward, Drew Gooden, small forward, Andres Nocioni, and small forward, Cedric Simmons to the Sacramento Kings for center, Brad Miller and guard, John Salmons. The trade works nicely for the cash-strapped Kings who will be acquiring Gooden's expiring 7.2 million dollar contract and Simmons's expiring 1 million dollar contract, both of which, will come off the books this summer. For Chicago, the Bulls get Brad Miller, a decent big man with a surprisingly developed handle for a center, along with a solid, if not spectacular, defensive game. Salmons is a very, ahem, "interesting" pick up for Chicago, as they already have two other shoot-first guards in the forms of Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes.
All rumor! Sadly, the force of nature that is Amare Stoudemire won't be teaming up with the annointed one, Derrick Rose. Bummer. But!...A new trade rumor has already sprung up, this time involving the Toronto Raptors at-times dominant power forward Chris Bosh. Bosh, who's a mere 24 years old, has been quietly evolving into one of the NBA's better fours in the relative anonymity of Toronto since he was drafted in 2003. According to a Sun-Times article, the trading elements are very similar to the nixed Stoudemire deal and it would involve Chicago shipping Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden and a potential first-round pick north of the border while bringing Bosh to the Windy City.
With Derrick Rose being about the only good thing going for the Bulls right now, it's as good a time as any to iron out some of the wrinkly rumors swirling around the Bulls, John Paxson and Amare Stoudemire.
Short answer: YES!
Long answer: Let's wait and see. The trade deadline for the NBA is at 3:00 pm on Thursday and the Suns, Bulls, Amare, everybody else involved, surely would love to get this deal wrapped up before then. But Phoenix did just fire their head coach and there is a lot of talk coming out of the desert that with interim-head coach, Alvin Gentry, running the show, he might want to make Amare more of an offensive focal point as opposed to a third or fourth option.
Bulls rookie point guard/the only reason to suffer through a Bulls game, Derrick Rose claimed the 2009 Playstation Skills Challenge at the NBA's All-Star Weekend in Phoenix this past Saturday night. Rose took down New Jersey's Devin Harris in the finals and sealed his win with a stylin' dunk to let everybody know who will be winning Rookie of the Year come the off-season. Now if Rose could only convince Vinny Del Negro to step down...
No matter how this thing with John Paxson and the Bulls shakes out, he may not be to blame for their current state. Might it be this guy?
For years now, Cubs fans have been making an Iraq-like surge and turning Milwaukee's Miller Park into "Wrigley Field North". Now the Brew Crew and Amtrak are looking to return the favor.
One blogger sees something sinister in the fact that the Cubs' pitchers and catchers report for spring training today and the calendar reads "Friday the 13th".
Is Carlos Quentin really Floyd Robinson, V 2.0? The two San Diego natives and White Sox outfield stars, separated by 40 years, recently met and compared notes.
MLB.com profiles the "father of black baseball", Negro League founder and Chicago American Giants owner Rube Foster.
It might be grabbing at straws, but a Tribune reporter says Favre's (possible) retirement will hurt the Bears. Yeah... that's it... that's what's hurting the Bears.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. sees the Bears going after Florida WR Percy Harvin... if they know what's good for them.
No Decepticons were in sight, but a Transformer IS making an appearance at the Chicago auto show.
Whitney Young, the top high school basketball team in the state, continues its quest for the city title with a quarterfinal game Sunday against CVS at the Pavilion.
Chicago vs. Tokyo in the battle for the Olympics: Might TV have the final word? If not, maybe a mural will sway the Olympic Committee.
If the Bears actually signed everyone who reportedly has expressed an interest in playing for them, think of the team! For now, throw T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Simeon Rice on the pile.
Are the Orioles fleecing the Cubs? One blogger seems to think so.
There's a movie being made about the Cubs (and no, it's not a disaster flick) and you can be in it.
While Dewayne Wise fights for a roster spot with the White Sox, the coaching staff will be watching closely.
Meanwhile, Sox PR chief Brooks Boyer explains the Obama Effect on the team's merchandising.
You can lose to the Lakers or the Cavaliers and no one will bat an eye. It's to be expected. You can lose to Atlanta or Detroit and people will point to your relative inexperience as an excuse.
Yes, the Bulls managed to pull off that dubious feat, at home no less, Sunday night adding to a woeful stretch that included losing three of their last five and gettign booed by their own home crowd.
To be fair, the Oklahoma City Thunder aren't THAT bad. They do have Kevin Durant, sixth in the league in scoring. And they are in the middle of the pack in rebounding in the league, averaging 42 boards a game.
But this was a Bulls team that was supposed to be improving this season, thanks to the addition of Derrick Rose and veterans like Drew Gooden, to round out a roster that included Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon.
They've looked like anything BUT an improved team in the past month. Granted a lot of that lackluster play can be attributed to injuries (to Deng and Hinrich) but injuried have had nothing to do with a lack of aggression under the boards (anyone seen Joakim Noah lately?) and selfish play. The cry now is that the team lacks leadership. Really? A team with three assigned captains is lacking leadership.
Hopefully the loss will be a wakeup call for the Bulls and neophyte coach Vinny Del Negro. They'll find out tonight when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers 22-14) tonight at the United Center.
When they last met, the Packers beat the Bears 37-3. While the Green Bay tries to figure out how to do it again, the Bears are working on how to avoid a repeat this Monday night.
The Bleacher Report asks: What if Terrell Owens was a Bear? We answer: All hell would break loose.
The Sporting News' reaction to the Wrigley Field hockey spectacular: meh.
Meanwhile, the Hawks' Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are first and sixth, respectively, among forwards in NHL All-Star Western Conference balloting. Brian "Soup" Campbell is third in balloting for defensemen.
Bollingbrook and Whitney Young are at 10 and 15, respectively, in the rankings of the top 50 girls high school basketball teams. And on the boys side? De La Salle manages to squeak in at No. 44.
So far so good for Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro. While other NBA coaches have been falling like teenage girls at a Jonas Brothers concert (the latest was former Bull Reggie Theus who was fired by Sacramento Monday, the sixth firing of the season), Del Negro not only has managed to survive but thrive.
In his first season of head coaching... EVER! ... Del Negro has the Bulls a mere one game under .500, a situation that could improve tonight when they take on the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina. That complete lack of experience was big question mark hanging over his head, placed there by nearly every writer and fan in town. Granted, it's only basketball, but even there, experience has to count for something. Were he Vinny Del Negro the cardiac surgeon or Vinny Del Negro the periodontist, he'd be eating soup for dinner and probably still waiting for his first patient.
Michael Jordan had "The Shot". Now Derrick Rose has "The Move",which is already in heavy rotation on ESPN. Our Brian Lauvray has already sang his praises, but as good as his words may be, there's still something magical about actually seeing Rose make a fool out of Andre Miller. Enjoy.
The startling quick emergence of Derrick Rose as one of the Association's best young point guards, has thus far not been a provincial affair by any means, however, most casual NBA fans across the country probably would still struggle to point him out in a lineup. However that's all about to change after 1) the Bulls managed to pull off three victories in their annual Circus Trip -that time-honored nightmare of drugged animals, terrifying clowns and far, FAR too much noise that fills up the United Center for two weeks every November* also happens to displace the Bulls; and hey! three road wins out of seven games, ain't bad. Besides, the four losses were all to quality squads (LA Lakers, Denver, Portland and San Antonio) that will likely be making the playoffs in the burly Western Conference. Rose, for his part, delivered and is, seemingly, hitting a stride that only a few rookie point guards have hit in this (admittedly) young century --Chris Paul and Deron Williams. On the recent 12 day road trip that concluded Sunday night with a victory in Philly, Rose averaged 17.7 ppg and 6.5 apg while also dropping the first double-double (18 points and 10 dimes against the 76ers) of his blossoming career.
Chicago Magazine gives the feature article treatment to two denizens of the United Center: the Blackhawks' Rocky Wirtz and the Bulls' Derrick Rose(Photo from Chicago Magazine website).
And the Cubs post-season post-mortem examination continues, with Lou Pinella blaming that old standby, the media, while Ryan Dempster says the team flatout wasn't ready. Hey guys, sorry, no do-overs.
Meanwhile, the White Sox, who seems to have come to grips with their playoff loss, work on keeping Bobby Jenks around. But did Nick Swisher phone it in for much of the season?
Four area college soccer teams have made it to the NCAA tournament.
It was bound to happen after that embarrassing loss to the Packers: The "Fire Lovie" talks are heating up. Here is one blogs' 10 reasons why he deserves the ax. Meanwhile, Fanhouse questions Lovie's assessment that the Bears receivers are "pretty good".
The Bulls' Derrick Rose sits atop most Sports Illustrated NBA writers' list of early top rookies. Naturally.
It's not the major draw it used to be, but prep football is still a big deal in Chicago. The Catholic League is gearing up for its title game, pitting Loyola Academy against De La Salle.
A disabled cyclist bikes 1,064 miles from Jacksonville, Fla. to Chicago. His final destination? Where else: Oprah.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation gets a new name.
The Chicago Outfit wants YOU... well, that is, if you're a female and don't mind getting knocked around a little. There's a recruitment Q&A tonight at 9:30
If you haven't had enough of cornhole, and really who has (OK, put your hands down), there's a Thanksgiving tournament coming up called the "Turkeyhole Classic" coming up here in Chicago. No, really.
Gapersblock.com's ever evolving take on the NBA and the superstars that hulk, lurk and shine within. First off, I'd be remiss as all Hell to not proudly endorse and encourage y'all to come to this. The pizza is damn good and you'll be able to meet real sportswriters as opposed to bums like me. So, yeah, if you like pizza, books and watching the NBA, please, embrace this shill. Onto the bball talkin'.
Derrick Rose!!!!! ZOMG!!!
Dude's got me speaking in tongues; seriously, his rookie campaign as a point guard is reminiscent of the Chris "Man-Child to Man" Paul assault on the league in the year of 05-06. To put things in comparison, Rose's, bottle-rocketesque ascension is equivalent to a rook qb putting a team on his shoulders and carrying them through the savages of a 16 game schedule, all the while seamlessly dominating and reading defenses like they were so many pre-K primers. Please, I implore you to spec Rose's stat line from last night. 26 points, 10 rebounds along with 6 dimes and a scant 3 turnovers? That's like Steve Nash and Baron Davis' statistical lovechild!
Meanwhile, on the same box score check out what skull-crushing force of Satan*/Atlanta Hawk center, Al Horford, did to Chicago's beloved Toros. He was definitely eating his Wheaties yesterday morning and morphed into full on "Horford SMASH" mode. 6 blocks? Yes, please!
Last night the Bulls collectively bore witness [Nike payoff-Ed.] for the first time this season to the King, aka, LeBron James, aka, The MVP-Elect. Bron-Bron was his highlight-ready self as he dropped a smooth 41 points in addition to his nine boards, six dimes and four steals; you know, just the sort of ultra-proficient and dominating performance that leads to an MVP award. Seriously, spec his production over HERE! So yeah, along with his myriad of monikers, I'm throwing another one up there: MVP-Elect. Of course it's early, but barring any (knock-on-wood) injury or Act of God, Bron will be rocking the hardware at the end of the regular-season wherein he will feast, statistically and literally (Dude, he loves cannibalizing on lesser-opponents) on the NBA. Right now, he's rocking a "healthy" 25.8 ppg, eight rebounds and 7.4 assists. I mean, what are you going to complain about with a line like that? "His scoring could be up?" Sure, but, I mean, that's like moaning about how Adriana Lima's body isn't hot enough, in other words: Madness!
To The Hole is Gapersblock's new Chicago Bulls/NBA-centric rambling, quasi-frequent blog. The same guy who spews out this. is responsible for "To The Hole," so yeah, expect dubious grammar, spurious notions on how "basketball" is played and next to nothing in terms of useful material
Everyone knows that the loud, gaudy NFL is King of the American Sportscape and that MLB, with its seven month season is the stately, elder-gentleman of Americana and yesteryear; that even the most jaded observer can appreciate for its mere stubborn refusal to alter its entity. The NHL is a forgotten quantity that struggles in vain with hokey promotions and rule-changes to try and grasp some small corner of America's sports-consciousness.
When the Bulls tip off tonight in their 2008 season opener, it will mark the beginning of the Derrick Rose/Vinny Del Negro Era.
Not to be confused with the Jerry Krause Era (also known as the Post-Jordan-Organizations-Win-What? Era), the Tim Floyd Era, the Tyson Chandler/Eddie Curry Era, the Scott Skiles Era or the Ben Wallace Era.
Yeah, there's been enough "eras" in the Bulls recent history to require a team of archeologists, but for all their digging and excavating, they wouldn't come up with much.
Three playoff appearances in the last 10 years. Five season of 50 losses or more. Only one second place finish and one third place finish during that time. Five different head coaches (not including Bill Berry and Pete Myers coached for a total of five games during that span). Two GMs. Not. One. All-Star.
It's been a dismal decade for the franchise that once defined the modern NBA in terms of talent and organization. The word "rebuilding" has been used more times in relation to the Bulls than in San Francisco in 1906, and often involved a mashup of overwhelmed-and-unfocused rookies and sullen veterans who instantly became unmotivated when they slipped on the red, white and black jersey.
Sure, they're involved in a heated playoff series. Doesn't mean that Derrek Lee and Mark DeRosa shouldn't think about their longterm future.
The Wrigley Field faithful aren't the only ones singing "Go, Cubs, Go". A "fan" in California wants them to win too, although for admittedly selfish reasons.
If the Twins had their way, it would have been double-or-nothing against the White Sox. (OK, not really, but...)
According to one writer, the Fire fans are some of the nicest around town.
Got an extra $90,000 or so lying around? You can sponsor your own triathlon.
Two more elite runners (PDF) announced for the Chicago Marathon field.
The Chicago Sky go for their fourth win in a row, a franchise record, when they host the Seattle Storm tonight at the UIC Pavilion.
A Los Angeles resident tells about the great time he had seeing the Cubs at Wrigley Field recently. Of course, this was before their recent, ahem, troubles.
Despite their contract differences, a Sporting News writer thinks Ben Gordon and the Bulls are "destined" for each other.
The Bears' Kyle Orton says he's not the same QB he's been in the past. Thank God.
It's not a stretch to say that Nike probably owes their corporate life to Michael Jordan. True, the Oregon-based company was around long before Jordan was JORDAN. But they didn't become the No. 1 selling brand of athletic shoe in the world thanks to the silhouette of Steve Prefontaine or Bo Jackson on the side of their footwear.
And while there have been other athletic shoes named after famous ballplayers, did anyone really buy Converse All-Stars because Chuck Taylor endorsed them? Heck, wearing a pair of Joe Lapchick's was considered a good excuse for a beat down in my neighborhood. He might have been a great player in his day, but as a shoe pitchman he lacked the cachet of the kid from North Carolina.
Even though MJ left the court for good in 2003, his departure hasn't affected the popularity of the shoes, which continue to be produced and sold in as many variations as possible. How enduring in the Cult of Air Jordan? Consider that a movie is currently being filmed, not about Jordan the Man, but Jordan the Shoe.
Steve Stone joining Hawk Harrelson in the White Sox TV booth? According to the Tribune, it could happen, though the dominos have to fall in just the right way.
ESPN’s Scoop Jackson says the Bulls’ drafting of former Simeon High School star Derrick Rose evokes the memory another Simeon hoopster tabbed for greatness, Ben Wilson, whose murder 24 years ago stunned the city.
Deposed WSCR morning man Mike North says he has four deals on the table. No word on whether any of them involve dishing out extra relish.
A new online marketplace offers fans the chance to put in a bid for playoff and World Series tickets for the Cubs (provided they make it) from season ticket owners looking to dump them. Presumably the website will offer the same deal for (ahem) the White Sox.
The Chicago Rush take on the Grand Rapids Rampage (don’t you love those Arena Footbal League names?) in an AFL Divisional Round playoff game this Sunday, 2 p.m., at Allstate Arena. In other Rush news, wide receiver Donovan Morgan was named AFL Rookie of the Year
The Sky’s Sylvia Fowles is getting a bit antsy since being sidelined with a knee injury, as she reports on her WNBA blog.
White Sox catcher A.J. Piersynzki needs your help in selecting his at-bat music. Though the website lists suggestions (“Panama” by Van Halen?) , I’m sure there are more appropriate songs...right?
Also, the White Sox host the first Double Duty Classic, featuring the top high school baseball players from across the Midwest, on Monday, July 7, 2:30 p.m. The game will honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and is named for legend Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe.
By the time the draft came around, Rose had become the consensus #1 pick and the discussion had shifted to whether Michael Beasley or OJ Mayo should go second. The newfound emphasis on speed in the NBA game and the instant success of young point guards like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams made the pick non-controversial (beyond the usual questioning about whether it's ever a good idea to take a hometown player, and how much responsibility can you really give to a 19-year old). That Rose is often compared to Deron Williams is another good thing from the Bulls point of view!
What's next for the Bulls? One would have to think that it's the end of the road for one of the Hinrich-Gordon-Hughes troika, but GM John Paxson was customarily tight-lipped during his on-camera with ESPN at the draft. The NBA's free agent and trading season doesn't really kick off until July 9th, so we'll have to wait and see.
Notes:
The 2008 NBA Draft will go down in history as having the most Freshman selections
While the Bulls don't have a particularly rich history of point guard play, let's not forget all the great point guards that have grown up in Chicago over the past 30 years: Derrick Rose, Isiah Thomas, Doc Rivers, Quinn Buckner, Tim Hardaway, Mo Cheeks, and Dwayne Wade (ok, so not quite a PG).
Finally! After a coaching search that seemed to last longer than an explanation of the infield fly rule, the Bulls have reportedly made an offer to Phoenix Suns Assistant General Manager Vinny Del Negro to lead the team on the floor.
The Sun-Times is reporting that "a source" says Doug Collins will be the next coach of the Bulls. Collins was the Bulls' coach from 1986-89, and took them to the Eastern Conference championship before being fired by Reinsdorf. He went on to coach the Pistons and then the Wizards when Michael Jordon was on the team.
What with the ongoing Bulls coaching drama, the number one pick in the draft, a roller-coaster ride of a White Sox season, and now this incident, does Jerry Reinsdorf even sleep at night?
So with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft firmly nestled in their back pockets, are the Bulls now a little more attractive to potential head coaches than they were a couple of days ago?
That’s the question being asked around the league, including by the Sun-Times’ John Jackson, who speculates that having that top pick might pique the interest of the upper tier of available coaches, including former New York Knick coach Jeff Van Gundy, last seen analyzing games for ABC-TV, and former Dallas Mavericks’ head coach Avery Johnson.
However improbable it may seem (given the Bulls' lottery odds - 98.3 percent improbable to be precise), the hoop deities have seen the devotion of Bulls fans through thick and thin. They even forced them to acknowledge as much in the ad campaign for the '04-'05 season. What followed were two years of tremendous overachievement follow by two years of chronic underachievement (it was too painful to revisit this until a a couple hours ago), but these were merely Herculean labors to deliver us our much-need superstar.
We all knew it would be a tough sell getting one of the buzz-worthy coaches in the NBA to take on the challenge of running the Bulls. But the Mike D'Antoni snub takes it to a whole 'nother level.
Not only did D'Antonio sign with the New York Knicks for a whopping $24 million over four years, but he did so without even giving real consideration to the Bulls' offer, which had been discussed in the national media for weeks and even called a "done deal" by one report as late as last Friday. Reportedly, Bulls owners Jerry Reinsdorf and General Manager John Paxson were still getting their shi... er, deal together when word came out about the D'Antoni/Knicks pact. The Bulls weren't even given a chance to make a counter offer.
D'Antoni's agent tried to make nice and treated the Bulls like Ralphie Wiggums in giving them a gold star just for the (lame) effort. "Chicago made a terrific, last-second pitch, but at that point Mike was emotionally committed to New York", said agent Warren LeGarie.
As Aaron recently posted, the Chicago Bulls are negotiating with former Phoenix Sun's coach Mike D'Antoni. I feel obligated to issue a formal warning to Bull's fans thirsty for a return to the 1990s glory days: The Bull's will not win a championship with D'Antoni! Stop the negotiations now! D'Antoni provides the quickest route to action-packed mediocrity!
Yes, 232 - 96 is an impressive record and viewing a box score regularly filled with assists, dunks, and +100 point games would be exciting. But impressive athleticism and regular season records do not automatically result in championships. Really! I recently proved a scientific theorem proving Points + Vertical Leap / Speed never equal Success without a 5/8 focus on Defense. Really! Continue reading for some of the postulates.
The lauded auteur behind the critically acclaimed 2005-2007 Phoenix Suns, Coach Mike D’Antoni, seems to favor bringing his frenetic brand of basketball to the United Center rather than spending another season in the desert. The former Euroleague Champion advises his teams to put up a shot within “seven seconds or less” leading to copious amounts of scoring. Since D’Antoini’s Suns started lighting up scoreboards around the league, many teams (the Raptors, Hornets, and pre-Jason Kidd trade Nets to name a few) have copied his up-tempo approach and line-ups filled with smaller, more athletic players who can out run the opposition.
Sporting an impressive 232-96 record during his Suns tenure, why is this savant all the sudden willing to trade the 80˚ winters of Phoenix for our lovely December climes? Blame it on ex-Bulls sharpshooter and current Suns GM Steve Kerr who apparently ticked off D’Antoni with the meddlesome suggestion that he should devote some more practice time to defense. It seems Coach D feels that management no longer supports him, but with the Suns giving up an average of 104 points per game during his régime its tough to argue with Steve. Nevertheless, D'Antoni is so ideologically committed to his style that he would rather move on than try to grind it out defensively in the über-talented Western Conference while having to trot out the rapidly-aging Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal as starters.
Why Bulls GM John Paxon (Steve Kerr’s predecessor as the Bulls token white three-point specialist) would be interested in bringing D'Antoni aboard is a bit perplexing, though. The Bulls he built have been pretty vanilla with their focus on defense, fundamentals, and toughness, not unlike the defending champs the San Antonio Spurs (who happen to have won four championships in the last decade, and coincidentally eliminated D’Antoni’s Suns three times). For Paxon to pull a full 180 means either A) he's doubting himself (after all, last season’s 33-49 record can’t be put on Scott Skiles or Tyrus Thomas’ antics alone) or B) Jerry Reinstorf’s worried the Bulls need some more sizzle to justify $6000 a season for the choicest spots at the UC. The Bulls have the athletic personnel necessary to run and gun in D’Antoni’s system but the question remains whether they should if they wish to excise the ghosts of champions past?
I go back and forth on (coaching in the NBA). I still think it’s the ultimate level. There is something about it. I look at it and say, ‘It’s a real challenge.’ But I love what I do too. I go down and look at what the Pistons (coaches) do in preparation and I think, ‘That’s insane.’
Does the quote above portray a disgruntled college coach looking for new challenges? Or does the statement merely reflect curiosity for the highest level of basketball competition? Analysts and talking heads are discussing both scenarios today, after reports suggested Tom Izzo was a possible candidate for the Chicago Bulls head coaching position.
Another day, another play on words. Using "bullish" to describe the NBA playoffs refers both to my excitement surrounding the competition level and also the chance to watch some former Chicago Bulls in action. Four of the more prominent ex-Bulls still playing are Tyson Chandler, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, and Darius Songaila. Please join me on this pathetic journey of what could have been in Chicago Bulls history.
1. Tyson Chandler. Bulls fans remember Chandler as half of the high school phenom front-court Jerry Krause promised would resurrect the struggling franchise. Chandler now routinely records double-doubles for the surprising New Orleans Hornets. Along with Chris Paul and David West, Chandler anchors a young, talented team capable of long playoff runs for the foreseeable future (I desperately want to say the same about the Bulls).
Although Chandler would be a nice component of the current Bulls nucleus, I struggle to criticize Paxson's decision to ship him to New Orleans. As a Bull, Chandler suffered from chronic back pain, inept offense, foul trouble, and other typical ailments of inexperienced athletes. Wonder if Chandler's stint with the Bulls would have faired differently with two years of college prior to the NBA? Support Chandler and the New Orleans playoff effort on his well-designed web portal.
After compiling a 24-32 record in his little-more-than-three-months tenure as interim head coach of the Bulls, Jim Boylan was fired by the team today.
Yeah, I know, me too. I’ll miss him. Now, what was his name again?
Boylan, who took over from Scott Skiles on Dec. 27, left a legacy that consists primarily of player apathy, lateness, temper tantrums and a general disregard for whatever authority he tried to muster. The Sun-Times’ Bulls beat reporter John Jackson likened the situation to "anarchy."
I pick up a newspaper the other day and realized that – huh? – the Bulls are still playing! Seriously. I mean, who knew? Between the opening of the new baseball season, the march to the Final Four and Dale Bowman spotting muskies at Heidecke Lake in Morris, Ill., I had completely forgotten about their existence. But there they were on Tuesday, getting their hats handed to them by the Boston Celtics in a 102-92 loss.
So when is this deathwatch going to be over? Well, you can console yourself with the fact that there are only eight games remaining in the Jim Boylan Era (as of April 2) until the team is finally taken off life support. In the meantime, enjoy the hardcourt stylings of Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons, recently brought up from something called the Iowa Energy of the D(evelopmental) League.
Clothing designer Novem has created the ultimate Chicago sports fan t-shirt.
