Tonight, your 11-17 Chicago Bulls take on the 13-16 Memphis Grizzlies down in Tennessee. People from Chicago love Nashville, so I assume they like Memphis too.
Regardless, the Grizzlies have definitely struggled this year after losing Marc Gasol to injury and eradicating head coach Lionel Hollins. Tom Thibodeau's dad's funeral was earlier today, but he is expected back at game time. I feel so sorry for Coach Thibodeau, and though he's acting brave, he should feel free to take time for himself if he so desires. There's always a little extra incentive when one of your teammates, or in this case, your coach, is experiencing emotional duress. The Bulls should respond accordingly tonight.
Trade rumors are now swirling about the Bulls trading Luol Deng to the Cavaliers for Andrew Bynum and perhaps a first rounder. Don't get too excited: the Cavs want to trade Bynum because he's a jerk who doesn't care much about basketball or teamwork. The Bulls would acquire him, buy him out, and subsequently move under the luxury tax threshold.
I'm not crazy about this idea. For one, the Bulls are the most profitable team in the NBA. Reinsdorf and Co. can afford to fork over a few million dollars. More importantly, trading Deng all but ensures that there's no chance he returns to the Bulls. Unless the Bulls are 100% sure they want to be done with Deng, there's no reason to trade him and burn bridges.
As for tonight...
Without Gasol, the Grizzlies do not score enough, nor are they a dominant defensive squad. Mike Conley and Zach Randolph average 17 points per game, but outside of Jerryd Bayless, the Grizzlies don't have any other scorers. And it shows. The Grizz average just 94.8 points per game, good for 25th overall.
I love watching both of these teams play, but without their respective stars, this game could be ugly. Look for the Bulls to keep it close, if not steal this game.
Final Score: Bulls 91 Grizz 87
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