Chicago Bulls (2-3) Vs Cleveland Cavaliers (3-4)

With the battle of the pathetic Florida teams headlining Monday Night Football, tonight is the perfect night for Chicago Bulls basketball. The Bulls take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs continue to build a solid core around star point guard Kyrie Irving, and if this team acquires LeBron James in the offseason, the Cavs will dominate the East once again. Let's take a look at some key players.

Kyrie Irving

I can't recall a more obvious number 1 pick who was a less of a consensus pick than Kryie Irving. Due to injury, he didn't play much at Duke, and we've also seen him slowed in the NBA. However, don't let some injury trouble and his slow start in 2013 fool you: Irving is an elite point guard. He certainly showed it last night, dropping in 39 points with a career-high 12 assists.

Irving isn't a one dimensional scorer; rather, he's a quick guard who can get to the rim and finish with fantastic three point range. Irving is one of the most unguardable players  in the league, so Derrick Rose will have his hands full in their first ever head-to-head match-up.

While we've seen the Bulls do a fantastic job clogging the paint, Irving is incredibly talented, so he will get his buckets. If the Bulls sufficiently clog the paint, he can display his solid passing skills by hitting one of his strong three point shooters like Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters, or C.J. Miles. Ouch. That's dangerous.

Andrew Bynum: 2nd Bust in a Row?

Cavaliers fans were rewarded this offseason with gobs of cap room, but let's face it, the team  hopes LeBron James opts out of his contract with the Heat in order to return home to Ohio. Whether or not you think there's a chance that happens (it's either Miami or Cleveland, IMO), the Cavs' front office wanted to retain maximal flexibility, hence the team took a chance on former Laker stud Andrew Bynum.

Bynum has played in just 5 of the Cavaliers' 7 games, and he has not looked good.  Like many 7 footers, Bynum's knees have been horrible for the majority of his career, and he was also sidelined all of last season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

If Bynum does play (doubtful since this would be a back-to-back), he will not make a meaningful impact. Bynum has looked lost offensively, shooting just 32% from the field--an impressive task consider how short his average shot is. Bynum is not the double-double machine that he was for the Lakers in 2011-12. In fact, he's hardly worth mentioning at this point, less his $12 million contract.

Tristan Thompson

Tristan Thompson had a disappointing rookie campaign, but he's become a solid and durable power forward. We can assume he'll match-up against Boozer defensively, but Boozer respond by banging the ball inside against the much lighter defender. The trio of Taj Gibson, Boozer, and Jokaim Noah should help keep Thompson off the boards on both ends of the court. Along the same line, Thompson won't be able to do much inside, so look for him to settle for some long, inefficient jump shots.

Although Kyrie Irving is a top 5 point guard, the Bulls will win tonight. However, I think it will be a struggle. The Bulls have not played well against teams with great three point shooters, and the Cavs are just that with Waiters, Irving, and Jack on the court at the same time. The Bulls should be able to get some easy buckets offensively, especially since Anderson Varejao hasn't to form after he missed considerable time last year with a blood clot.

Boozer should go off for at least 20 points tonight. Rose should have another solid game, showing some strides, though Irving will embarrass him on the defensive end a few times. The Cavs aren't a great rebounding team, so Taj and Noah should generate several second chance opportunities. With the Cavs taking the 11th most three pointers in the league, the Bulls should have several fast break opportunities that will lead to easy buckets for Jimmy Pump Fakes.  

More importantly, the Cavs are not a deep team and have to play the Bulls after a double-overtime victory last night. 4 of 5 starters played 40+ minutes, while the Cavs' best bench player, Jarrett Jack, played 37 minutes. The Cavs will be tired, and the game could get ugly if the Bulls get out on the break like they did against Utah.

The score: Bulls 97 Cavs 89

An Ugly First Half, but the Bulls Win!

It looked ugly there for a minute: the Bulls and Jazz were both running down the court, throwing ugly passes, and missing wide open shots. The first half was a high school basketball game played by the most ridiculous athletes in the world.

However, the Bulls ultimately overcame a terrible first half to easily discharge the Jazz, 97-73. The victory was quite impressive, especially while the Bulls registered 21 turnovers (the Jazz had 17).

What I loved

Luol Deng came to play, as he does every single game. He might be the single hardest working regular season player in the NBA, somehow grinding out 38 minutes in what should have been a massive blowout.

Deng just missed a triple double, shooting 7-9 from the field for 19 points, with 11 boards, and 9 assists. Deng also had 5 steals and 5 turnovers, so he really wasn't THAT far from a quintuple double.

I remain extremely optimistic about Deng's performance for the rest of the year. Even a hardworking, charitable citizen like Deng is motivated in a contract year. Whether or not the Bulls pay him, Deng will get at least $50 million this offseason, and performances like last night reinforce what an excellent player he is. Although a faction of Bulls fans think Deng isn't good enough of a player to contribute to a championship, I can see Deng singing this song, foreshadowing when the Bulls lose him in the offseason and LeBron drops 40 points.

Mike Dunleavy also finally hit some shots. He did look a bit hesitant in spite of having some wide open looks, but I was pleased to see Dunleavy take 7 shots in 21 minutes without once turning over the ball. While it can be easy to get down on a "blockbuster" offseason move who struggles at the beginning of the year, it looks like Dunleavy will eventually settle in and start becoming the a serious deep threat.

What I liked

Unfortunately, Derrick Rose is not yet Derrick Rose, yet every game he shows some flashes of returning to his MVP form. Rose passed the ball a little bit better and actually registered 5 free throw attempts.

Still, Rose turned the ball over far too much (4 times) and struggled to attack against the inferior defenders that guarded him. The last part of Rose's rehab is to return to game play, so let's just think of his current performance as part of his rehab program. I think we'll see him return to dominance by mid-December.

Defensively, the Bulls looked like a shutdown team, though that may have been a product of the pathetic Jazz offense. The blueprint for stopping the Jazz wasn't rocket science, but the Bulls executed perfectly, holding the team to 29% shooting. Bravo defense, bravo.

What I hated

This team is still missing a lot in terms of both effort and discipline. Lazy passes,  only 8 three-point attempts, and 21 turnovers are not positive, particularly against semi-decent teams that can capitalize. I hope that Thibs hasn't worn this team out the way Scott Skiles did in the mid-2000's. Thibs is a fantastic coach, but so is Skiles--but only for a few years at a time.

Additionally, Jimmy Butler continues to look completely lost on offense, with practically no confidence in open shots. I've seen some folks appropriately dub him Jimmy Pump Fakes, since he refuses to quickly pull the trigger on wide open threes. Butler needs confidence, so ideally, I'd like to see him take the next few open threes he gets without hesitation. As the great Colin Keeley says, great shooters shoot through adversity. If Jimmy can become a knockdown shooter, then the Bulls offense becomes significantly more dangerous.

Bottom line...it was an ok win

The Bulls need to win easy games to ensure a higher seed in the playoffs. Frankly, Bulls teams in the post-Jordan era have been notoriously sloppy against bad teams, so the weak first half performance against the Jazz comes as no surprise. Bulls by the Horns provides a more positive assessment of the game for those who do not share my frustration.

Anthony Bennett: Ready to miss some shots

The Cleveland Cavaliers come to town Monday with perhaps the worst #1 overall pick since Michael Olowkandi and a struggling Kyrie Irving.

I'll write a full preview, but at the moment, I think it's safe to say another victory is in the cards.

As always, Let's Go Bulls!

Chicago Bulls (1-3) Vs Utah Jazz (0-5) - Bulls Win

The Bulls are going to win tonight, and it should be a rout.

After losing 1st round pick Trey Burke to injury, the Utah Jazz have been forced to start the ancient Jamaal Tinsley or the incredibly undersized former Bulls chucker John Lucas III. Don't get me wrong, I think JL3 is a decent spark plug to have coming off the bench, but he is not anything close to a starting caliber NBA guard. In  his increased role, Lucas is taking 4.4 3's a game a shooting 18%! Jerry Sloan would not allow this.

Anyways, let's take a look at some key Utah players.

Gordan Hayward: The Great White Hope

 Gordan Hayward has developed into a very solid NBA player, and one who is likely to get overpaid in the offseason. I really like Hayward as your classic jack of all trades player. He's a solid three point shooter, ok defender, decent rebounder, and a good passer. He's not great at any one thing, but you'll watch the game tonight and see that Hayward somehow ends up with 19 points 7 boards and 5 dimes. 

Still, I'm not worried about him. The Bulls duo of freak wing players did a great job on Paul George in their previous game, so I'm not worried about Hayward dominating the Bulls tonight. It certainly doesn't hurt that Derrick Rose will be able to do whatever he wants tonight since he won't actually have to defend any of Utah's point guards. 

Enes Kanter

 

Enes Kanter is an intriguing player, having shown so many flashes that Utah was able to let both Stormin Normin-fave Paul Milsap (the most underrated player in the league FOREVER) and Al Jefferson (ok, a black hole) walk away. 

Kanter's off to a great start this year, averaging nearly 19 points per game on 55% shooting while adding nearly 10 boards. That's all well and good, but I think the Bulls will defend him well. Los Bulls have plenty of size in the inside, and they can throw a combo of Taj/Noah/Nazr at him all game. With fellow big Derrick Favors struggling a bit offensively, Kanter will get his shots and some points, but every single bucket will be earned. 

What? I'm picking the Bulls? 

Yes, after totally underrating an Indiana team that will contend for an Eastern Conference loss to Miami, I'm pretty confident the Bulls will be able to dismantle the Jazz. The Bulls have had a knack for leaving three point shooters wide open this year, but Alec Burks' 13% success rate from downtown and Al Jefferson's nearly as pathetic 24% three point shooting , the Bulls can afford to let Utah put up some threes. And when Utah bricks these threes, the Bulls will get out on the break, allowing for some easy buckets. 

Offensively, the Bulls should easily outplay the Jazz, particularly if they can make some three point shots. For the love of God, Derrick, PLEASE DESTROY WHOEVER GUARDS YOU!

Bottom line: Bulls 101 Jazz 85

   *Note- why I love the Internet: sommeone compiled Enes Kanter highlights!!!

Friday's Finds

Hello Bulls fans,

Here are some of the most compelling stories in basketball:

Hoops Rumors: Bulls Offseason Review

There's nothing I love more than an outsider's take on the Bulls--mostly because I am extremely biased and think Mike James is still a great backup point guard. Here, Luke Adams does a nice job of reviewing the Bulls offseason changes, though it is funny that Mike Dunleavy has looked like anything but a knockdown three point shooter at the moment.

Mark Titus' Big Ten Preview for Grantland

I'm on an unabashed NBA elitist, plus my alma mater has consistently put together some of the worst teams in college basketball history over the past 7 years. However, I really like reading Mark Titus due to his frank assessment of his college career, and the ability to single out skills that only a bench warmer would pickup on (I'm experienced here too).

The main interest I have in college is for NBA scouting so I can tell GarPax who to take in the draft, and this article made me quite bullish on Glenn Robinson III.

Hoops World Argues that Byron Mullens was a Great Pickup

Back when Byron was BJ

Ah, a story that's positive on Byron Mullens? Mullens is one of the premier chuckers in the NBA, refusing to stop shooting in lack of his horrendous shooting percentage, particularly from behind the arc. I have a hard time buying that he'll be a positive pickup for the Clips, but hey, his shooting is an upgrade over Blake. 

Post-Game Recap: The Bulls Sucked

I'd hate to put it so bluntly, but let's face it, the Bulls sucked last night. Luckily, so did Indiana for the majority of the night. It took a fourth quarter run by the Pacers starters against the Bulls bench (wtf Thibs) to turn this game into a grinding battle to a blowout.

If you want to actively engage in torture, take a look at the box score: Needles

I was going to post it here, but I don't want such hideous things populating my blog. 

What went wrong?

Rose didn't ABUSE CJ Watson

I was so optimistic at the beginning of this game as Derrick Rose hit a flurry of shots against defensive liability and former bench mob stalwart CJ Watson. However, Rose sat for a very very long time after picking up his second foul, and when he came back, he looked afraid to attack a noticeably weaker defender.

On the positive side, Rose had a few drives, including one beautiful hesitation move on the left side of the lane that left Roy Hibbert frozen in his tracks. Rose also had a beautiful slashing jump pass dish to Deng that was literally so good that Deng couldn't catch it. He's showing flashes of his MVP form, so I'm not ready to give-up on Mr. Rose just yet.

Defensively, Rose didn't look nearly as lost as he did when the famous Michael Carter Williams lit him up in only a way I've seen DJ Augustine do (yes, DJ Augustine). He did make a few terribly late attempts to pick off entry passes to Roy Hibbert. Nevertheless, I like his aggressiveness. 

He did indeed force things in the fourth quarter, ending the game with a sad 6-15 shooting outing.

Roy Owned the Paint

Admittedly, I haven't seen Dwight Howard play much this year, but Hibbert might arguably be the best rim protector in the NBA. The Bulls are not a three point shooting team--why they don't put shooters around Rose, I'll never know--so scoring easy buckets in the paint is crucial. Roy didn't allow that. He altered shots, scared off drives from Deng, Rose, and Butler, and put up his season average of 5 shots swatted. 

Roy "only" had 10 boards, and at the beginning of the game, I will admit that Joakim Noah did a very nice job of beating him thanks to effort. That quickly changed since Noah isn't in shape yet.

That wasn't so bad...

Paul George wasn't quite in MVP form

The Bulls wonderful defensive wings did a nice job slowing Paul George, holding the superstar to 21/6/3 on 6/19 shooting. Only a handful of times did the Bulls actually look exposed, like when George absolutely crossed-up Butler for a slick mid-range jumpshot.

One of his threes came off of a rebound that left him wide open. He did perform will guarding Rose on a few switches, but overall, George didn't have an amazing game.

The Pacers' offense is terrible

Without question, the Pacers match-up incredibly well against Miami. LeBron has to guard David West, freeing Paul George to dominant whoever matches up with him. Roy Hibbert can run free in the lane because, well, Birdman Birdman isn't going to stop him.



On the other end of the court, Indiana has a dynamic duo of wings in Lance Stephenson and Paul George to throw at LeBron and Dwyane Wade, though George was, at times, exposed during the 2013 playoffs. As I mentioned earlier, the Pacers have a dominant rim protector in Roy Hibbert that is damn-near impossible to come by.

However, the Pacers offense is pathetic. They went on a heck of a run against the Bulls last night, but most of the time, the team looks lost. They don't have a great point guard to set-up the offense, which leads to Lance Stephenson chucking up 17 shots and David West standing on the top of the key praying his jab step fakes out the defender (it's the same move EVERY time, but boy did he dominate Taj Gibson a few times).

This team won't beat Miami as is. Perhaps Granger will be the dynamic scorer they need, but I'm simply not sold on this team offensively. The Pacers probably have the same ceiling the Bulls have had the past few seasons.

Bottom line: Let's not panic just yet. Our three point shooting needs to improve but that will come when the last MVP not named LeBron James returns to form. 

As always, Let's Go Bulls!