The Demise of Joakim Noah?

Last night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers could only be toppled by the Chicago Bear's blown game against the Minnesota Vikings earlier this afternoon. What a terrible weekend for Chicago sports.

Last night's game against the Cavaliers wasn't as bad as the records might indicate. Cleveland is a decent team with lots of offensive firepower. Kyrie Irving, though mostly contained, still poured in 19 points and 6 assists. Emerging power forward Tristan Thompson had 14/14, and Dion Waiters did his best Nate Robinson impression, coming in off the bench and taking every shot that came his way en route to 20 points and 0 assists.

However, the big difference maker last night was one Andrew Bynum. The much heavier Bynum dropped in 20 points, grabbed 10 boards, and blocked 5 shots in 30 minutes of action. Bynum absolutely dominated Joakim Noah, which leads me to this question...

Are we experiencing the demise of Joakim Noah?

After posting career highs in scoring, rebounds, and blocked shots last season, Noah has yet to show anything offensively, scoring only 8.8 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. On the defensive end, Noah has not shown his trademark energy to quite the same extent, grabbing only 8 boards per game and not even averaging 1 block per contest.

It goes without saying that, offensively, Noah has zero confidence. His trademark 18 footer isn't there, but even worse, he's scared to death of pulling the trigger. Noah's only shooting 62% from the freet throw line, down 10 percentage points from his career average of 72%. While his hi-low passing remains fantastic, Noah no longer needs to be guarded on the perimeter, allowing teams to clog the paint against slashes from Luol Deng and easily double down on Carlos Boozer or Taj Gibson in the post. This allows a poor defensive team like the Cavaliers to look competent (at times).

On the defensive end, I suspect Noah isn't suffering from a lack of confidence. Rebounds are often as much effort as skill, particularly for Noah. This season, guys like Anderson Varejao and Bynum have pushed him around with little resistance. Because Noah usually plays well at the beginning of games, I'm questioning whether his issue may be conditioning or even the lingering impact of the injuries Noah sustained during the preseason.

A Gibson/Boozer combination is too small to remain on the floor for a sustained period of time, particularly against a dominant post scorer like Andrew Bynum. Noah either needs to sit until he's healthy or figure out what's going on in his head.

If the Bulls want to make it to a second round exit this year, Noah must step up his game. I have a hard time believing his career has peaked, and I am confident that he'll resemble the Joakim Noah of 2012-13 at some point this season. However, this offseason may be the perfect time to start grooming his successor.

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Is Adidas to Blame for Derrick Rose's Injury?

It's funny how popular this topic has become, particularly in the shoe world. I'm a sneaker enthusiast myself, and while I lean overwhelmingly Nike, I buy every Derrick Rose signature model. I haven't picked-up the newest pair yet, but that's only because I can't walk thanks to injuries suffered on the basketball court while wearing the Rose 2.5.

Mmm, now that's healed

Shoes don't make you play basketball any better or any worse, for the most part. If you suck, you suck. If you're good, you're good. Some of the best basketball players I know love knowing about different shoes and care deeply about what they wear, while other dominant basketball players I know couldn't care less about what shoes they wear. However, I am a firm believe that your selection can impact your health.

Thanks adidas

Take the Rose 2.5 (shown above). The way the midsole is situated is relatively unstable, and the lightweight (cheap) materials don't provide great ankle lockdown. Rose was banged up all season when he wore these, and I went as far as to blame the shoes for some nagging injuries. I stand by that statement, but I do not believe the shoes had anything to do with his ACL.

Nor do I believe the Rose 4 has ANYTHING to do with his torn meniscus. The web's premier footwear reviewer Nightwing2303 noted that the shoes are fantastic and graded them well for support--the area where the 2.5 lacked.

From my experience, the only really impact shoes can have on a player from a pain standpoint are hotspots (areas where the shoe pinches your foot) and cushioning (some make your feet very bruised/painful). Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour like to boast about how their respective patented cushioning system is better for your knees or "disperses impact" evenly. I'm not sure I buy that, particularly in light of Chris McDougall's Born to Run that traces  injury not to overuse or to lack of cushion, but rather to the unnatural design of modern running shoes. You should read the book--I named it one of the best books last year--but to make a long story short, modern running shoes force runners to strike with their heels rather than their forefeet, causing injuries. He runs with a tribe of Tarahumara Indians that run hundreds of miles without real shoes or injuries. Maybe Nike could show us some evidence to the contrary, but I doubt it.

Players get injured all the time--Russ Westbrook torn his meniscus wearing Jordan shoes. Kobe tore his Achilles in Nikes, and Joakim Noah suffered approximately 4 million injuries wearing his French tennis shoes.  On top of that, LeBron James has seldom worn his new shoes this year--a Nike product!

You can rip on Adidas for making some of the ugliest shoes I've ever seen, but you can't blame it for Derrick Rose's injury any more than I can blame Adidas for my injury. I landed viciously on someone's foot and rolled off. I would have been injured badly in any shoe, though I admit some shoes would have done a better job than others of protecting my ankle. Rose's meniscus came on a freak play and bad pass from Joakim Noah. Terrible luck yes, the shoes? Not a chance.  Rose would have been injured in Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Li Ning, or New Balance.

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The Bulls Fall to the Jazz

In case you didn't believe that the loss of Derrick Rose was going to ruin the season, the Bulls tried their best to refute that notion,  losing in overtime to the pathetic Utah Jazz 89-83. By no means did I think the Bulls would be good,  but losing to possibly the worst team in the NBA without Enes Kanter and with Derrick Favors limited to 26 minutes thanks to foul trouble is simply inexcusable.

The Bulls hit 1-13 three pointers to shoot a whopping 7.7%. That simply is inexcusable when the opposing team is trotting out Richard Jefferson, Alec Burks, John Lucas III, and Trey Burke as perimeter defenders. 

The Bulls looked fine defensively, forcing Gordon Hayward into terrible drives and even worse jump passes. Though he was occasionally bailed out by the officials, the Bulls did a great job containing Hayward, who I'm convinced has a much lower ceiling than many experts believe.

Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer Audition for the Rest of the League

While we know that Coach Tom Thibodeau  was forced to give both Marquis Teague and Tony Snell considerably playing time (we'll get to that in a second), I think it was clear that the Bulls wanted to feature Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng in order to make them more enticing acquisition targets. Deng and Boozer attempted 18 and 23 shots, respectively, and ended with solid games of 24/10 and 26/16. Deng managed to get 13 free throw attempts, and it goes without saying that he will be in high demand throughout the entire league. Because he isn't signed for next season, he may not yield an amazing return, but he will certainly be able to net at least a 1st rounder if he continues to score so efficiently. I still think the perfect fit for him is in Memphis.

As for Boozer, while he experienced his normal defensive lapses, he provided much-needed fire power, showing limitless confidence from everywhere on the floor. Boozer took some terrible shots, but hell, someone needs to shoot. I'm confident Washington would love to add him to the fold. The rumors of his untradeableness are greatly exaggerated, in my opinion, particularly because he only has the rest of this year and next year remaining on his contract. Washington has another year of Nene. The Bulls could also afford to eat Eric Gordon's bad contract, which would happen to fill the Bulls' void at shooting guard.

The Kids Can't Play

Tony Snell and Marquis Teague are not very good--yet. Snell showed some flashes with his beautiful, high-arcing three point shot that should develop into a fantastic weapon in the lower part of the Bulls rotation. Teague is scared to death of Thibs, and frankly, it's time to move him. He's quick and can occasionally get to the rim, but his coach despises him. He will never thrive on the Bulls.


Can We Please Stop the Derrick Rose Hate?

I understand why fans would be frustrated by seeing the Bulls' best player go down for yet another season. However, fans and radio talk show hosts alike need to calm down. It's too early to say that Rose "won't ever be the same player" especially since he's ONLY 25 YEARS OLD. He's not ancient, and he could easily have another decade left in his career. Yes, it hurts to see him miss some of his formative years, but it isn't the end of the world. There is NO REASON to want to trade him, nor is there any reason to believe he won't be a superstar when he returns. Maybe he should have gone to Germany like Kobe Bryant, but in any case, he's still a star point guard who is the heart and soul of the Bulls and Chicago. 

If you want to trade Rose or think it's time for him to retire, then you can also denounce your fandom. You think you're frustrated? How do you think Rose feels?

And if you look at his stats and say "he wasn't that great anyways," then you don't know a damn thing about basketball. The Bulls are a great team with him and a bottom of the barrel team without him. Need I say more?

Yes, the Bulls need another superstar, but not to replace Rose, but because you need multiple superstars to win an NBA title. Parker/Duncan, Wade/LeBron, Kobe/Gasol - the list goes on and on. Stars matter more in the NBA than any other sport, but luckily teams are dumb enough to let them go (I'm looking at you OKC). The Bulls will find one, fans simply must be patient. Or, Reinsdorf could fire GarPax and make the process go much quicker.  

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Why Won't LeBron Wear his New Shoes?

On occasion, Stormin Normin likes to share his opinions on fun issues that are loosely related to what matters in the NBA.

Performance footwear is a strange hobby of mine, so whenever a footwear topic becomes a hot button issue in the NBA, I simply can't help but comment.

The performance footwear blogosphere (yes that does exist) has been buzzing because LeBron James has only worn his flagship Nike LeBron XI shoe for a handful of quarters this year, opting instead for the previous version of his shoe. Nightwing2303, the premier performance footwear reviewer, in my opinion, considers the LeBron XI the best iteration of the line.

I can't walk right now, so I can't comment, but the shoes look awesome, and the technical specs suggest the shoe will play extremely well.

So why aren't they good enough for LeBron and his terrible feet?

Obviously James wear tested the shoe, so I cannot imagine this is the first time LeBron's ever worn the shoe. However, the nature of the materials dictates a fairly long break-in time, so LeBron's preference for a fresh pair every game may not provide him with the break-in time adequate for the shoe to fit comfortably.

Nike is paying LeBron a lot of money to be playing advertisement for this $200 basketball shoe, so I imagine Beaverton is none too pleased with James' current selection. Guaranteed Nike engineers are working on anything possible to get the shoe up to snuff for LeBron.

While I doubt sales of the fashion-driven men's version of the shoe will suffer, kids across the country may not want their parents to shell out $200 for a shoe LeBron isn't even playing in. Derrick Rose's last adidas shoe is still sitting on shelves, largely because he never played an NBA game in them.

What does this have to do with the Bulls?

Footwear is important to any basketball player. No, the LeBron XI won't add 5 inches to my vertical, but I will be comfortable and not have to worry about the shoe while I'm playing. The same cannot be said about playing in Chuck Taylors or Air Force 1s or any really old shoe. Being comfortable while you're playing basketball is paramount to success, particularly over a long, grueling season.

So you can imagine just how happy I am that Joakim Noah quit wearing tennis shoes, opting for Adidas basketball sneakers this season. Noah has struggled with foot problems, and I think the major reason was his Le Coq Sportif shoes. 

I would never wear these on (or off) the court.

Essentially, I hope James, and to a greater extent Noah, help stress the importance of footwear on the court. The last thing I want to see happen is a Bulls injury because a player gets another $50k a year from an unknown brand instead of sticking with the tried and true Nike, adidas, and Under Armour.  

What's Going on with Derrick Rose?

The last time this Bulls blogger was able to write consistently, Derrick Rose won the MVP, and then faced a year riddled by injuries.

Flash forward to 2013: Rose is perfectly healthy, except for a sore neck, which has lead to some Kerry Walsh-inspired athletic tape.

After a dominant preseason, Rose has certainly stalled out during the first few games. To start the season, the former MVP has averaged 14.3 ppg on a disgusting 28.8% shooting. The second figure literally causes me to vomit.

Offensively, this phenomenon can best be described as rust. His shot is flat, he's having a hard time beating the first defender, and his famous ability to split double teams has been non-existent.



On the plus side, he definitely did not lose any jumping ability; in fact, Rose asserted that his vertical is 5 INCHES higher now at 43 inches. The athleticism is there, the confidence to split double teams and hit deep shots is not.

It may take a while, but he will be the Rose of old, and if his preseason jumper provides any insight into the future, it suggests he will be shooting at a higher percentage than ever. I expect a 45-47% shooting percentage to become the norm when he's healed, and if he can learn how to get LeBron/MJ calls, we could see that number move over 50%.

Once Rose is back, the offense will look brand new. 

Let's face it: the Bulls don't have another creator on the roster sans Rose. Jimmy has occasional flashes, but he's much better as a corner three point shooter who runs the court for easy buckets. Carlos can do some wonderful things in the post, and frankly, he looks better than he has at any point during his Bulls tenure.

But Dunleavy, Deng, Noah, Taj, Kirk and co. do not create opportunities for themselves. Unless the departed Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli were on the court last year, watching the Bulls play offense was an exercise in torture.

This year's offense looks familiar, but once Rose starts beating the first defender, defenses will collapse, corner three pointers will be open, and opposing defenses will have to choose between closing out on shooters and letting Rose drive, or stopping Rose and letting shooters go wild like they do in Miami. Here's a great story from SB Nation that explains why I love corner three's so much.

By no means is Mike Dunleavy quite the shooter that Ray Allen is (ok, he's the best shooter ever), but he will thrive when he gets open shots.

Patience is in order when it comes to this Bulls team. However, a championship is definitely not out of the question.

Interesting reads on the NBA

1. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_rosenberg/05/21/lebron/index.html

Goes into how great LeBron is. I agree, but the best ever? Nahhhh.

He is doing the same thing he thrived at in Cleveland: Carrying a bunch of scrubs to playoff victories.

2. http://basketball.realgm.com/blog/221103/Noah_To_Seek_Tutoring_From_Kareem

Joakim's working with Kareem. And I do think this will work to improve his post game a bit. Jo's on the cusp of being a top-5 center as is (if he isn't already).

3. http://sports.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981346591

Nonsense, why would any team take on Boozer's contract?!?

4. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7955050/craig-sager-suits-sideline-sartorial-disasters

Hell yeah, this clown's married to a Luv-a-Bull!!!

We're living on a prayer...

Anyone watching the Bulls' lately knows...they have not been playing great basketball. Well, as a team, the defense has been nothing short of spectacular. Offensively...well, let's just say the only more one-manned team with Boozer out is my intramural team.

I've been going to a lot of games lately (in spite of the lack of posts) and I wanted to share a few observations. 

From the Celtics game:

Derek Rose is the best guard in the NBA. Period. I know Kobe has proven more, Wade's pretty tough too, but I saw this man literally battle the Celtics BY HIMSELF. He knew when to take over. He knew when to go and remind us all of MJ. You could say it was a little like Sum 41 in the sense that it was a killer no filler.

I'm not quite ready to say he's better than LeBron, (and he's played MUCH better than Kobe this year, who looks like Jordan-light at the end of his career, except a much more inconsistent shooter), or KD, but Rose is the MVP so far, and I see no reason why it shouldn't continue. 

From the Cavaliers' game:

Rose is disgusting, but he needs some help in the form of another perimeter creator. How good would BG look next to him? About as good as Natalie Portman in every movie she's been in. (I'm thinking Star Wars Episode 2 with the ripped shirt).

The lack of effort against the good teams is disturbing, but I can't knock D.Rose for saving his effort for when they need him. Just please, someone step up. It seems like CJ Watson is occasionally the only thing representing an NBA scorer off the bench. 

From lately, I'd hate to say I told ya so but, KURT THOMAS IS THE BUSINESS. I've been a big fan since his days with the Knicks, and was pretty encouraged by his signing. When Joakim returns, we are in business now that Omer won't have to see the court anymore. 

In the spirit of Bill Murray, "Let's go Bullz"!

Grieving 101...Dealing with the Joakim Noah Injury

Another great win for the hot as fire Bulls. If you saw the game, you already know the following:

• Boozer can BEAST against a team with no inside presence. Absolutely beast.
• We can win games without Rose scoring much
• The Raptors are easily the worst offensive team I've ever seen. Well...wait no...they are pathetic. Bayliss should score like 40 points per game, because who the hell else on that team is supposed to?

On a side note, have you ever been offended so much by how a team plays? Toronto literally does not move on offense. I felt like I was watching a pick-up game where one guy is just soooo much sicker than the rest so they all stand by and watch him, alas the Cavs from 2003-2009. The problem? No one on the Raps is THAT sick. I love Bayliss, but he is not quite that dopeness.

That being said, let's look at who may be signed to help fill the void left by Joakim's injury.


Option 1 (most likely option)

The Return of Chris Richards


Y'all know Chris Richards? Well, maybe you don't. The current Bulls regime loves ridding the team of players that don't fit the attitude of the team, and bringing back players who do. Chris Richards is the epitome of that.

He was boys with Joakim back on the Gators' National Championship team. Is he good? Well, no. But he hustles, grabs some boards, and is willing to play some d. Sadly, he might be juuuust a touch to small to really be effective.

Chance of signing: 75%

Option 2

Rasheed Wallace

No. Do I really need to elaborate? He would KILL the energy on this young, exciting team. Cancer.

Chance of signing: 2%

More likely, we shall see the team change the line-up from within. I don't like Boozer shifting over to center. As any reader knows, I loathe the idea of letting Asik on the court for anything but getting up for the starters for a time-out.  He might start, but I will not be excited about it. He is getting slightly better on defense, but he's completely and utterly lost on offense.

Taj? Too small, and way too valuable spelling the other the bigs when they need some rest.

Personally, I'd start Kurt Thomas. He's a savvy vet who doesn't need the ball, can rebound, and can even knock down a 15 footer if he's open. Additionally, I like his size, and he can protect the basket a weeee bit better than Asik.

If Omer Asik starts, don't be surprised, but feel free to break something, because I can assure you I will.

Weekly Wrap Up

Wonderful week of basketball, mostly in the sense that I was able to watch every game, except the TWolves last night (but do they really count as an NBA team??)

Let's reflect on the win against the Lakers...

Was it awesome for D. Rose to go off and make Kobe cry? Hell yes it was. But this Laker's team was without Bynum, and near the tail-end of a long road trip where they had played 4 games in 5 nights. It was a good win, but nothing that we should get too excited about. Not yet anyways.

Every other game this week (less the Cavs, what the heck was that) was pretty much what any fan could have expected. The Cavs reeked of classic trap game, but luckily Rose hates losing, an MJ-like quality that will serve us well now and in the future.

On another note, cut Asik. Thanks.

RJ

Weekend Wrap Up

I'll have to admit, I missed the Rockets game but it sounded great. But I did watch the entire Celtics game. Disappointment.

It was great to see Boozer work his post moves. He's literally the piece we've been missing since Eddy Curry left. However, he's horrendous defensively and still looks rusty. Basically the Grey Goose to Taj Gibson's Dimitri's.

Though its great to have Booz back, I've noticed a disturbing trend in D. Rose...an unwillingness to drive. Initially, I assumed it was overconfidence in his much-improved jumper, but his face tells a different story. He fears getting clobbered. Now, do I blame him? Not at all. The NBA powers-that-be have failed to identify him as a top 5 star (which he is), and he does not get the protection he deserves. Dwight Howard has been known to nearly murder him underneath the hoop, and Shaq straight up cleared his ass to the ground. What is this?

I'd also like to see some more effort. The Bulls have a terrible habit of forcing themselves to play from big-time behind.


RJ

Deng Solid Number Four, Probably No More

As a long time Bulls fan, like everyone, I have trying to understand the enigma that is Luol Deng. Is he not very good? Is he just overpaid? Maybe his crooked smile hides a tortured soul? Well, maybe not...


In a lot of ways, Luol Deng is the archetype of "well, just not quite there." If you're looking for examples, check out Shia LaBeouf. He's paid like a Brad Pitt type, but he's just not that good. He's okay. He showed some comedic promise on Even Stevens and has since had flashes, but ultimately, he's not what Hollywood wants him to be. It's still too early to write him off, we think, but really, he's pretty much just an average actor. 


This brings me back to Luol Deng. Similar career arc. Back in the day, Lu was "raw" and 2nd only to LeBron for professional prospects. He had a decent season at Duke and the Bulls picked him in the first round. Throughout his first several seasons we saw terrible three point shooting, mediocre rebounding, and decent slashing. He wasn't much to think about. 


Then this preseason, I thought I saw someone knew. Lu was knocking down three's, keeping his dribbling to a minimum (which is good for my heart attack count), and playing intense defense.


Now, a month into the season, we have experienced the best of Luol (40 point game), some AWFUL disappearing acts, and terribly unclutch play. He's clanked some crucial layups off THE BACKBOARD! What the hell? He's better than that. 


But not much. Pending Boozer's return (maybe he is the number two we need), the Bulls probably won't win a title until Luol is the fourth best player on this team. Rose might need another a scorer, but the way he's scored at ease this season, I'll assume he doesn't. That leaves Joakim Noah as one hell of a third best player on a great team, and hopefully, Boozer can be that number two. Much like I gave up on Shia after the 1st Transformers movie, it's time to throw in the towel on Lu. 


Don't get me wrong, I love Deng. Great defender, gritty, long. Awesome mid-range shot. 


He's just not the guy. (If Ben Gordon were 6'4 oh boy would he be the guy)


For now, Deng must be our fourth best player, and thrive in that role, bringing his energy and defense to the table. Or, in my ideal scenario, we would use him to pry OJ Mayo from the Grizzlies, who seem to be a little disgruntled with his poor shooting. I love OJ as the third or fourth best player on a great team, and the Bulls are the perfect fit.


As for Deng, I still love him, goofy smile and all, but cannot say I'd rather have him on this team than BG... Only time will tell. 

Circus Trip Wrap Up

Well ladies and gents, the infamous circus trip is over, and I've drawn quite a few conclusions based on what I saw.




1. Obviously, D. Rose is on another level.


Yeah, I probably don't need to say this, but he's shown that he truly isn't a number two. Rose is an alpha, give me the damn ball and watch what I do with it, kinda guy. More impressive than his position as the number two scorer in the league, Rose looks to bIe scoring effortlessly, and continually scoring in spite of not being on his game. Top PG in the league? Everyone says D.Will, but I think so.


2. Thibs still needs to work on his in-game coaching


Nuggets game.


3. An upgrade at shooting guard wouldn't be nice, it's borderline essential.


Yes, Ronnie and Korver have been a solid 1-2 punch, but we need a consistent scorer who can shoot and defend. Rip Hamilton seems like a perfect fit, as would BG if Detroit would rather dump his salary. In my opinion, either one could put this team on another level.


If neither of them, maybe give Vince Carter *don't kill me* a shot. He's been banged up this season, and clearly, the Magic don't really need him. I wouldn't hate the move.


4. CJ Watson is a decent back-up


SN contributor Corey Hickman has ragged on CJ  a lot, and even called for them to bring in anyone to replace him. As much as I love Patrick Beverly, CJ can play, and not half bad at that, when given some time.


5. The Kings are the worst team in the NBA


To see that team quit at the end was downright disgraceful. Paul Westpal should be ashamed of himself, especially considering the insane amount of talent he has in Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins. Cousins is the next Al Jefferson. You can quote me on it.




Stay tuned for my next post breaking down Luol Deng.




Just for fun...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYFlzJyxWlw

A Good Start to the Circus Trip... Bulls 95 Rockets 92

In a lot of ways, this was a really strange game. The first quarter was played fairly tight, but each quarter after that resulted in enormous point differentials and momentum swings...and a lot of strange offensive foul calls. 


The Good:


Derrick Rose: 33 Points, 7 Assists, 3 steals... AND... 4-5 from 3 point range. Yes 4 three's in a single game. And yes, Derrick Rose. So pretty it hurt. 


Ronnie Brewer started to look like an NBA player. That's excellent news. 


The Bad:


Taj Gibson: Luis Scola looked much more like Hakeem out there than himself. Taj also couldn't buy a bucket. 


The Highly Irrelevant:


Omer Asik seems intent on increasing his random two handed power dunk from one to two per game. 


Sadly, there isn't much to say about this game. It was somewhat ugly outside of Rose. 

Bulls Vs Washington Tonight

I would do an exhaustive analysis of the Wiz, but frankly, they are rather mediocre. 


John Wall is obviously one of the top few rookies in the league. He can score, he's almost as explosive as Derrick Rose, and might be a slightly better passer already. 


That being said, Rose is a warrior, the true alpha dog we've been waiting for since MJ retired. Expect a HUGE game from Derrick tonight. I'm talking huge explosion. He has to prove he's the best of Calliparri's henchman, and also clam his position as top young point guard in the league. Big things tonight. 


A little about the Wizards...


They are 25th in the league in scoring.


Last in the league in rebounding.


And they're allowing 104 points per game.


This game might get out of hand early. On the plus side, Al Thorton has played pretty well for them in a hybrid 3/4 position. John Wall is clearly the next great point guard. Andray Blatche will also be someone to watch tonight, but I think Joakim will shut him down. JaVale McGee also has shown some potential this year, as he's come off the bench and grabbed a few boards and is blocking a whole lot of shots. 




Final Score tonight:


Bulls: 109


Wizards: 83


Blowout. 

Eh

Such has been the start of this season. We've seen mixed results. The team has yet to really gel and play cohesively. 


Pure Goodness:


D. Rose's absolute dominance of the Pistons. Grant it, BG kind of dominated the first half (okay, it felt somewhat like a stabbing), but D. Rose  came-up with the Bill Simmons' "eff you" mode performance of the season. He wasn't going to let them lose. 




Kind of Bad:

Everybody's favorite Ashton Kutcher look-a-like, Kyle Korver has been disgustingly on-fire or colder than Chicago in November...


He shot lights out against the Knicks, but otherwise, we haven't seen the Korver that looked like a stud in the pre-season. He'll turn it around. 


What the Heck is going on??


Luol. I'd hate to say you complete me because when I do, you shoot 6-18. When I give up on you, you drop 40 points and shoot three's like Korver's supposed to. I don't even know, Lu, I don't even know. 

How Could I Forget... Game vs Thunder

I can't think of any better way to open the season... ESPN...National Audience...Pre-eminent MVP candidate. 

Damnit. 

Let's take a look at tonight's opponent real quick shall we.

The Good:

Kevin Durant # 35

The biggest "overrated for being underrated" as an MVP candidate of the season. You saw the world championships. KD can light it up better than anyone in the NBA. I'm to the point now where I just might take him over Kobe Bryant in the closing seconds of a big game. I would imagine Lu and Ronny Brewer try to guard him, but it's going to be tough. He will probably go for 30 tonight, even with the Bulls improved team defense. 

Russell Westbrook #0

Where the Durant hype machine ended, the Westbrook machine picked right up. And rightfully so. He can run the floor, plays suffocating defense, and can pass the ball quite well. That being said, he torched D. Rose for about 20ppg last season. The two guards have come to the point where they are both just too good to guard each other. Luckily, he shoots the three maybe slightly better than myself. 

Jeff Green #22

Green is often considered the swing dynamic of this team. He can be a lock-down defender, and he also attacks the glass on the defensive end allowing KD to really run the floor. That being said, he reminds me of a young Josh Smith, in the sense that he really likes taking bad shots. Brewer, Taj, or Lu could all guard him sufficiently. And we know the way Joakim owns the paint. Great player, but not much of a threat tonight. 

The Bad

White Clones (Byron Mullens #23, Nick Collison #4, Cole Aldrich #45, Nenard Kristic #12)

Honestly, they aren't all bad. Mullens is a Buckeye, but even given my bias, he sucks. 

Nick Collison came out of Kansas with Captain Kirk way back in 02, and he has been a solid back-up power forward. Pretty much the ceiling of Mullens' career.

As for Cole Aldrich, he's another Kansas boy. But he ain't in Kansas anymore. Now, his new point guard is a bit of an improvement of Sherron Collins (not that I don't love him!), but if there's one thing I can spot, it's mediocre white bigs. No threat to Joakim, and I bet he gets into foul trouble early.

Nenard sucks. 

The Unknown

Serge Ibaka #9

Undoubtedly raw, I like Ibaka. He defends, rebounds, and can even put in an easy shot or two. He easily projects as Eric Dampier on steroids, which isn't half bad if you don't pay him over $10 million a season. Or maybe he's the next Tyson Chandler. Who knows? Either way, he'll probably play for the Mavs someday. 

James Harden #13

I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt, just a little, to see anyone losing PT to Thabo Sefolosha. I loved him as a Bull, but he just has no offensive game. Harden is a solid defender, insane athlete, and could be a Jeff Green-like ex-factor for the Thunder. Regardless, don't expect much more than 15 points out of him tonight, and that's assuming a good game. 

The Incredibly Mediocre (maybe the Chris Duhon)

Thabo Sefolosha #2, Morris Peterson (Mo-Pete) #42, DJ White #3, Royal Ivey #7, Daequan Cook #14

There's a common theme among these guys: None of them are bad. 

There's another common theme: None of them are good. 

Thabo provides lock down defense, as we all know, but looks like that kid in a pick up game that missed one shot and the overzealous-wanna-be-D-Leaguer just screamed at him, so no way in hell is he taking another wide open shot. 

Royal Ivey kind of sucks, maybe he should go under the bad. 

Mo-Pete is past his prime, but we all know he has the potential to light it up.

Daequan Cook just keeps getting put on teams that probably have no use for his three point shooting prowess. But hell, maybe one day they'll let him spell Russ and he''ll go for 25 points.   

Guy I really like, like kind of how I liked Casey Jacobsen, Roger Mason Jr, and Mario Austin. And I'm still hoping he gets more burn some day because he will be good, I promise.

Eric Maynor #6

He's just a really good player. Phenomenal scorer, great passer good defender, great athlete. I could go on and on. He just happened to come around at a time when very good point guards aren't hard to find. Poor guy. 

As for tonight's match-up, I like the Bulls new team defense and outside shooting to give OKC a really big fit. Durant will get his points, and so will Westbrook. But D. Rose is too quick to be guarded by anyone, and I think he will make this a statement game. Anyone who says he's a second star guy (not me if you've read previous posts) will be put to shame tonight. Look for Rose and Deng to be the focal points, with the outside shooters having a field day when these defenses have to collapse on Rose. And to Thunder Coach Scott Brooks: Please leave Thabo out there to kill your extremely fun and fluid offense.

Final Score: 

Bulls 101

Thunder 97

RJ