Chicago Bulls Blog

Learning from Steve Nash and the Suns

It was too depressing watching the Bulls collapse against the Lakers and Trailblazers this week, so I went out to see some angry, competitive NBA basketball, the Lakers and Suns, Shaq and Kobe VIII, the new Bad Boy Suns, who had a couple of players suspended and more fined in recent altercations, the one-loss Lakers who remember Raja Bell's body slam of Kobe in the playoffs a few years back, of Mike D'Antoni trash talking how the Suns always take out the Lakers in the playoffs, of Shaq recently—and supposedly—saying how Jackson engineered his feud with Bryant by effectively pitting them against one another in still another brilliant psychological ploy.

So there was Jackson, in monotone explaining before the game how despite the matchups, "you still have to throw a double or triple, you're always in the process of trying to figure out how to box that big mother out…"

Just then O'Neal leaped into the media scrum and grabbed Jackson.

Yeah! Shaq and Phil fight!

Nah, Shaq just grabbed Jackson in a sentimental bear hug and whispered in his ear how the media was "starting that crap."

Shaq called Jackson "a great guy who always took care of me."

Darn.

"All that stuff is all over," Suns coach Terry Porter offered about Shaq-Kobe, Kobe-Phil, whatever. "I think that's behind them. They burned those bridges and let go. I think they look back to the championship years and are just enjoying them."

They probably were the last Shaq ever will see with this seeming declining Suns team routed 105-92 by the Lakers.

I'm spending this winter splitting time between Chicago and Phoenix, and it didn't seem a bad idea Thursday with the temperatures around 80. There's always some artificial media interest in Shaq and Kobe, though it's grown tiresome for the basketball world and them as well. Kobe had a pedestrian 24 and Shaq 15 and nine rebounds with limited impact on the game.

The Lakers are terrific, if not unbeatable, and the Suns are one of the few things not shining brightly in Phoenix.

I hate to see it.

I loved what the Suns have been the last few years, and I understand it had to change once Shaq came, and they had been thwarted so many times in the playoffs. Though I still think they won the championship that season they had the ridiculous suspensions against the Spurs and the league took away a likely title. Yes, I believe that system can work, and it should be what the Bulls are doing now.

I can't help but think Bulls in my new role.

Look, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas aren't getting bigger or stronger. Aaron Gray isn't getting faster or more agile. Vinny Del Negro worked for the Suns during the entire Mike D'Antoni tenure. He knows that game and that style. Rather than try to play against big, physical front lines like the Bulls did and failed in Los Angeles and Portland this week, like I had been advocating earlier in the season, use the strengths you have.

That really is what the game is about. You should put your five best players on the floor as often as you can. Maybe you don't win a championship like that if you don't have a great big man, as Don Nelson rarely does. But you can compete and make the other team respond.

The Bulls will get a chance this week with the smaller, faster Warriors Friday and the Nuggets Sunday.

So this is what you do: First you put Derrick Rose on top of the floor where it is more difficult to disrupt him, as the Trailblazers did. They are not a great team yet, and Greg Oden isn't anywhere near ready despite the public and media there urging him to be great, but the Trailblazers—thanks to coach Nate McMillan—work and defend. You've got to like that as well as the talent they have that's developing.

So anyone who takes the ball up and begins to dribble on top of the floor, say like Ben Gordon, you immediately suspend for insubordination. Rose has to be like Chris Paul and Jason Kidd. He has to have the ball and in transition all the time. And run with him. When Kidd came along he was too fast for his break and outran it at times. Rose also will learn.

Put a scorer in a pick and roll with him. Get Luol Deng some postups. Someone has to be in the post and I think Deng can do it. Start Rose and Gordon in the backcourt, Deng at three, Nocioni at four and Drew Gooden at five and have him popping out and opening the middle for Rose as D'Antoni did for Steve Nash.

Oh, my heart aches and breaks. What have they done to my favorite guard?

It was such a joy to watch Nash these last few years, running, making the right decision on the move, painting the court like a great masterpiece. But it's like an old love affair now. Maybe you only remember the best of it. And eventually it has to end, and Nash was going to get older and slower at some point. But not so soon!

He was scoreless in the first half against the Lakers with three shots. Sure, the Suns trailed by just 50-44, but they're posting up Shaq, which also clogs the middle for Amar'e (hey he says that's the real spelling) Stoudemire. They're slower, obviously, but in trying to be a defensive team they've got Shaq, Stoudemire and Nash, hardly known as defenders.

They're 8-5 now, which isn't horrible, and have played reasonably well, beating the Pistons here this week and winning in San Antonio when Tony Parker was still playing.

But it breaks my heart not to see Nash at his best and not to see the Suns playing the way they did.

I probably shouldn't have, but I asked Nash after the game if he'd been marginalized.

He offered a nervous laugh as it's a sensitive topic in Phoenix.

"A little bit," he conceded. "I don't necessarily have the opportunities I used to have. But we have other weapons we did not have in the past. We can go inside and it's something we did not do. So you shouldn't expect the numbers like 20 and 10, the numbers on the stat sheets you saw in the past. But our defense has improved and we're doing the things people said we needed to do. It's an adjustment for me. We don't play the same way."

Shaq and the Suns insist it will be better come playoff time. So we'll see.

But I think you try to use the best you can as much as you can. I wish the Suns continued to do that and I hope the Bulls will.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.

Depression sets in as Bulls lose 2001 style

I got the feeling right from the beginning that Wednesday's Bulls game against the Portland Trailblazers was going wrong. First, it was a turnover on a drive by Dragan Tarlac, err, I mean Drew Gooden. Then Corey Benjamin, err, Ben Gordon, fired a quick jumper and missed. LaMarcus Aldridge drove right by Dalibor Bagaric, err Aaron Gray, just before Eddie Robinson, err Tyrus Thomas checked in and air balled a post up move.

It was that bad. Tim Floyd bad.

It ended up for Portland 116-74, and the absolute lack of competitiveness, fundamental play, court awareness, offensive movement and innovation, defensive help and general basketball intelligence on the Bulls part was staggering.

"It seemed like the game was over before it even started the way we came out tonight," noted Ben Gordon.

Derrick Rose should have been wearing a name badge so his teammates knew who he was as the ball went nowhere, but in quick shots to the basket, though Portland obviously targeted Rose. Rose had his first game of fewer than 10 points and apparently in the spirit of being a good teammate, he looked ordinary and overmatched. He has six points and one assist on one of eight shooting. Portland, which isn't that good of a team, drove the ball without resistance, and you were left shouting, "Someone, anyone, stop the ball!"

Here was the Bulls offense, typified in the third quarter with the Bulls trailing by 30: Larry Hughes runs up after Greg Oden, with 11 points and 10 rebounds, scored on a postup move and shot with just a few seconds gone on the 24-second clock. The ball caromed wildly, picked up by Brandon Roy with a game high 20, who fired to Aldridge for a lob dunk.

That's right. No one knew the shot was going up that quickly, so even if the defense tried to get back there was no chance.

Shooting is simple basketball: Make the defense move, find an open spot and make sure your teammates are in position to get back and defend.

Bulls offense: Typified by Thomas later in the third as he grabbed a rebound and dribbled out 94 feet, falling down and throwing up a wild shot.

As Casey Stengel once said about his 1962 Mets, the losingest team in baseball history: "Can't anybody here play this game!"

Could Luol Deng, who sat out with a leg, injury, be that valuable?

The worst loss in franchise history was at Minnesota Nov. 8, 2001 in the nadir of the Floyd era, if such a depth could even be measured. The Bulls lost in Minnesota by 53, after which Charles Oakley wondered very aloud what the heck that idiot of a coach was doing. The team fined Oakley $50,000 despite truth being the ultimate defense.

There was one outrage after another Wednesday.

Larry Hughes, starting at small forward for Deng, took an inbounds pass after the Trailblazers blew out to a 12-1 lead and quickly fired a three without anyone else touching the ball. This after the Bulls opened with three turnovers in their first five possessions, so perhaps Hughes just figured no one would catch the ball.

Thomas threw an overhand fastball pass to Noah from about three feet away that flew eight feet over Noah's head. Andres Nocioni, team high with 13, kept losing sight of his man leading to backdoor slams several times. Look, no one is being singled out here. Bulls players backed off the three-point line despite Portland hitting their first two threes. The Bulls had just six assists with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Gordon dribbled the ball multiple times at the top of the circle and then ran into an offensive foul. Thomas followed that turning the corner and running into an offensive foul. Rose threw balls into Joel Przybilla's underarms and dribbled the ball off himself out of bounds. Przybilla had a season high 14 points with nine rebounds and three blocks as everyone scored for Portland.

"I think it started with our defense and shadowing Derrick Rose," said Portland coach Nate McMillan of what Rose will get from now on. "That seemed to disrupt their offense. We just came out and were all about business. From start to finish, this was our best game of the season."

Hey, it was bad all around, and it happens, though you hate to see a team give up and play dumb. That said, the Bulls hadn't done it much this season, basically only against Boston in the first week of the season and at 5-7 have their second best record at this point in the season in 10 years.

"They jumped on us early," noted Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro. "They put a little pressure on us and got us out of it a little bit. Their big guys just controlled the paint on us. We got in foul trouble early. We had too many turnovers and we got back on our heels. The list can go on and on. It was just one of those games where we could never get anything going and give Portland a lot of credit. Their size with Oden and Pryzbilla and their length... they share the ball and get out in the open court... Aldridge... the list goes on. They did a better job with their pressure. For us, I'm curious every night how we're going to respond. We've had that personality to bounce back, but we didn't have it (Wednesday)."

The Bulls really haven't been playing like this, but Wednesday's blowout after Tuesday's against the Lakers in which the Bulls never really were in the game, did emphasize some fundamental weaknesses that go beyond the individual play.

Like the Lakers, the Trailblazers are huge up front, especially with Oden returning. The Bulls front line is no match in these types of games, so perhaps Friday in Golden State will be a better test. Against Don Nelson's Warriors, it's a small ball, open court, penetration game in which the Bulls should compete. If they cannot compete in that kind of game, even if they do not win, then there will be more serious questions.

Aaron Gray, who started, is too slow, though a decent backup second round pick. Joakim Noah was more active this time compared with Tuesday's game, though much too skinny as he fouled out in just 17 minutes and spent way too much time again complaining about calls, which usually just gets you more.

"I don't even know what to say," Noah offered after the game. "It's a long season and we've got a lot of growing to do. You've got to work harder. I feel like sometimes you can't make excuses for yourself. You need to put things in perspective and realize individually we'll have to play harder. Basketball is a game of runs, but at the same time you can't be down all the time. You just have to play hard and play possession by possession. I feel like we were giving up so many easy plays around the basket."

Last season, Noah complained about the team play and eventually-and extraordinarily-had a suspension extended by request of his teammates. At this point, his teammates probably are thinking he should be at least in better condition before complaining much.

Thomas? He had seven points, though four in the last two minutes when he seemed to be enjoying the garbage time scoring chances.

One of the big story lines for Wednesday was Thomas' play against Aldridge. It wasn't one of Aldridge's better efforts, four of 13 for 11 points with a pair of blocks. Not that anyone didn't know, but he is way more advanced and effective than Thomas and clearly a further source of Thomas' frustration playing against him.

Aldridge isn't a beast inside, but clearly plays in more control than Thomas and has a better feel for the game. He likes to pop out and shoot, but has some nice moves around the basket and one of the few times they were faced up against one another, Aldridge with the Trailblazers ahead 53-28, spun around Thomas for a layup. The next time Thomas had the ball, he missed with a quick shot 16 footer.

Will Thomas become Tyson Chandler?

That's the question the Bulls still have to answer.

It's easy to forget, but Chandler was the quivering wreck Thomas is now, being booed at home, literally in tears after games, throwing up shots so wild they were giving out body armor in the expensive seats. Chicago cheered when he was traded. Now, fans wonder how the Bulls could have done such a thing. Where was the patience? How could they think about replacing Chandler with a veteran like Ben Wallace? Perhaps, like Chandler, Thomas just needs a change of scenery and new team. Chandler once here seemed hopelessly lost.

Which brings up the question of moves, and if this trip continues badly—it's now 6-54 in the so called November circus trip. These players weren't there for them all, though it probably feels like it after Wednesday-it becomes how long can the team wait.

Which leads back to Portland again.

The rumors all season have been that Portland has been one of the teams most anxious to acquire Kirk Hinrich. And perhaps even while he is hurt. The thinking in Portland has to be that Steve Blake, though he played reasonably well Wednesday with 10 points, five assists and three turnovers, isn't a point guard for the playoffs and Hinrich should be back in February, perhaps just in time for a playoff run and the playoffs.

Portland looked awfully good Wednesday, though they haven't much of this season. They came into the game 24th in rebounding, 17th in blocks, 22nd in steals, 28th in opponent's shooting, one of the key measures of defense, and 13th in points allowed. They certainly looked like a playoff team Wednesday, and the thinking is with Oden getting into shape they can make a run of some kind.

There's been talk of importing Oden's buddy Mike Conley from Memphis, but, for the Bulls, it comes down to deciding on a direction.

One is to accept that Rose is the future to build around, which they apparently have, and though not completely giving up now, aim for the free agent market of the next few years.

Look, I don't think LeBron James wants to come to Chicago, but Chicago has plenty to sell to free agents with a championship basketball tradition, championship baseball history on the South Side, big city marketplace and home of the incoming U.S. President and perhaps an Olympics. The rumored deal you hear about has Hinrich going to the Trailblazers for someone like Channing Frye, whose name comes up often, and Raef LaFrentz and his $12.7 million expiring contract. Maybe you throw something in and get one of those many low first rounders the Trailblazers have hoarded. All they seem to need is an experienced point guard who can make a shot, like Hinrich.

Then after the season you let go of Gooden and Gordon and eventually make a move with Nocioni, who draws interest and essentially is a backup, and you're so far under the salary cap you can bring in two big time free agents. And you've got the guy who already looks to me like the best point guard in the Eastern Conference.

I know. It's a lot of ifs and buts and maybes, and it could make it painful until then and we've seen that story before in 2000 and it failed miserably. But the idea is to build a champion, and to do that you need stars. More than one. Like the U.S. economy, we have to hope Wednesday was the bottom.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.

A long night at the Rose Garden

This one was over early. Turn the page and move on. It was all Portland from start to finish.

116-74 the final.  You already know this but Greg Oden is going to be a major force in the NBA. Big time. He alters shots, block shots and is a monster on the boards.

No Luol Deng (hamstring) but it wouldn't have mattered. The Blazers came out smokin' hot. The Blazers led 34-13 at the end of one. Led by as many as 47. The competitive fire wasn't there for the Bulls.

Catch my recap here:

Both the Hawks and Wiz needed a win...Atlanta prevailed snapping a four game losing streak. My main man for the Hawks, Marvin Williams with 14 boards. The Hawks pulled down 58 boards.

The Wizards drop to 1-8. Will Ernie Grunfeld make a move?

Jermaine O'Neal with a 16 point, 17 rebound game as the Raps beat the Heat. Bosh with a double-double. Bargnani with 25. D-Wade with a monster game of 40 points and 11 assists. He also drew a flagrant for slapping Kris Humphries. Not good.

The Cavs eight game win streak is over losing to the Pistons. Detroit shot 51%.

OKC isn't just bad, they are REALLY bad. 1-10 after losing to the Clippers. Chris Kaman with a 25 and 14 game.

John Salmons is having a monster start of the season. The Kings may win some-lose some but they're fun to watch. Salmons with 29. Sac beat the Hornets on the road. Impressive!

Minnesota got a much needed win beating Philly.

Here come the Mavs...Jason Terry with 31. Rockets lose at home.

More Chauncey, the Billups Show is in full bloom. 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in Denver's win over the Spurs.

Utah's C.J. Miles is coming in to his own. Jazz 105 Bucks 94.

Got to grab a flight to San Francisco. Hang in there my friends. Always a pleasure.

Bulls play Standins for Lakers Show

Did you ever see one of those movies where there's a giant and a little guy and the little guy wants to fight? So the giant puts his open palm against the little guy's forehead and the little guy starts wind milling punches and doesn't hit anything because he can't reach the giant.

That, worst of all, was the story of Tuesday's Lakers not-as-close-as-the-final-score 116-109 win over the Bulls in Los Angeles Tuesday.

The Lakers didn't seem to take Tuesday's game very seriously. Phil Jackson even yanked Kobe Bryant after a mocking playground type play with the Lakers ahead 79-65 in the third quarter. Bryant got into the open court ahead of everyone on a turnover and stopped to throw back for a lob to Trevor Ariza. It went awry, but Bryant gathered it in and stepped back to the three-point line and hit the shot.

Bryant barely played in the fourth quarter, coming in for the first time with under four minutes left as Lakers coach Phil Jackson used primarily reserves down the stretch. Bryant played just 31 minutes and had eight of his 21 points in the first half and didn't score until almost midway through the second quarter.

Then Bryant broke open a five-point game coming out after halftime.

It went something like this: Luol Deng miss, Kobe jumper. Derrick Rose miss, Kobe three. Ben Gordon miss, Andrew Bynum dunk after several Lakers' offensive rebounds. Joakim Noah putback, Kobe jumper. Rose blocked by Bynum, Pau Gasol running layup on a pass from Kobe.

That made it 73-58 Lakers with the Bulls into a timeout less than three minutes into the second half, and though the Bulls battled back behind some brilliant Rose drives, a nice hesitation floater shortly thereafter and a twisting drive through Bynum and Gasol, the Lakers size and the Bulls' sloppy and too often fearful play guaranteed a loss.

“They got too many easy baskets and took us out of everything we wanted to run offensively by taking away our first option," said Drew Gooden. "They were usually playing good ‘D’ and pressuring the ball. They did a tremendous job defensively on us tonight."

Chris Webber on the NBA-TV broadcast made a nice comparison with Rose to Rod Strickland, the slippery guard from DePaul who was a wizard in getting to the basket. But Strickland didn't shoot even as well as Rose does now, and Rose has more the athletic ability of Darrell Griffith or Dwyane Wade going to the basket.

I was a bit surprised that Bryant didn't take any defensive turns on Rose to test him out, though Bryant is smart. With Rose's young legs, he may have made Bryant look bad.

I also was surprised we didn't see more of Thabo Sefolosha, who, predictably, has fallen out of the rotation with the return of Larry Hughes. Hughes had six points and almost 19 minutes, and the guard issue that didn't materialize with Kirk Hinrich and Hughes hurt could be an issue now if it forces Sefolosha to the bench. It's clear Hughes is not in the Bulls long term future, so you figure the Bulls need to get a better idea what Sefolosha can do and how he fits with Rose, if at all.

Sefolosha didn't enter Tuesday's game until 2:29 was left and the Bulls were down 14 and Rose going out, the official end these days of Bulls games.

Now, the Bulls head into Portland Wednesday, and, what do you know, Greg Oden is looking like he can play. It's the 2007 No. 1 pick against the 2008 No. 1 pick.

Oden had 22 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday in easily his best game as a pro through the Trailblazers lost to the Warriors, and it will be another game that tests the Bulls smaller, mostly skinny front line with Portland also playing LaMarcus Aldridge. You'd expect Gray to get more time against Oden, who is settling in as a defensive player and rim rocking dunker.

"This is a team that's relatively thin inside," Jackson said of the Bulls after Tuesday's game.

Hey, Phil, can you spare a post player. You've got four or five.

You also wonder how much the Bulls will get out of Drew Gooden, who had nine points in the first four minutes and didn't score again. He's battling a sore ankle which he aggravated some before leaving Chicago, and there's also questions about Luol Deng after he was slowed with leg problems in the game against the Lakers.

It was a brutal—and probably unfair—night for Deng in many ways. He had just nine points and three turnovers and wasn't able to do anything much in having to guard Kobe Bryant, who seemed to be able to score whenever he felt like. Though that would be hardly unique. Ask the Raptors after giving up those 81 points a few years back. Deng also was being looked at frequently by trainer Fred Tedeschi after coming up lame at shootaround earlier. But Deng came in for his worst beating from the NBA-TV studio crew of Ahmad Rashad, Gary Payton and Chris Webber.

After the game, Rashad, who generally is the most positive of broadcasters, piled on the hurting Deng. He introduced the show as saying they were going to see if they could find Luol Deng. When they came back. Payton said he might find Deng in his pocket, a reference to Deng playing so small or invisible.

Discussing the game at halftime when the Bulls still were in it, Payton and Webber were equally tough on Deng. Payton declared: "Deng hasn't showed up and I don't think he's going to show up this year." Webber said Deng was one of those players who did nothing in the offseason to improve his game. NBA-TV was taken over this season by TNT and they're apparently trying to create another Ernie Johnson-Kenny Smith-Charles Barkley trio, and while the group was auditioning, it was Deng mostly being victimized.

“We’ve got a lot of things to improve on but we’ve got to keep on playing and try to keep on getting better," Deng told reporters afterward. "Eleven games (5-6) and we’ve just got to keep playing.”

Perhaps what was most galling—other than a gruesome 21 turnovers—was the deference paid to Bryant. When he decided to begin scoring in the second quarter, Bryant drove the middle, one time high stepping for a finger roll as Bulls defenders—to use the term generously—stepped aside like he was some form of royalty. Yes, Bryant is something of the king of the NBA now, apologies to LeBron James, but it was time for someone, anyone, to knock him on his butt and at least announce the Bulls were in the building.

Just like my old buddy Norm Van Lier was likely saying.

"I thought we did a decent job of that tonight, especially in the first half," said Gordon. "You see how great his is, though, when he came out in the second half and controlled the tempo of the game.”

Rose, as expected, was in the building and opening some eyes even in Los Angeles with 25 points and nine assists and though Gordon had 23, it came with six of 22 shooting as the Lakers gave him trouble with their size. They pretty much left Fisher on Rose with the occasional trap, but like with any great players, it's tough to keep the ball out of his hands for too long. But the Lakers constantly had Gordon in mismatches with Gordon forced, at times, to guard Vladimir Radmanovic or Bryant.

There were some good moments, though.

Aaron Gray did a nice job in the post with a season best output of 11 points and five rebounds. Though Gasol came out flying with 14 of the Lakers' first 18 points and ended with 34, the Lakers huge front line is not all that mobile and Gray was able to maneuver for position and some put backs.

It wasn't a very good night once again for starting center Noah, who was in foul trouble almost immediately as he was being torched by Gasol, and later was yanked after he was beaten down court for a layup by Bynum.

Tyrus Thomas was, as is often the case, Good Ty and Bad Ty.

Thomas came out hustling and disrupting plays, flying into the stands to save a loose ball, blocking Bynum from the weak side and then making one of the highlight plays of the season when he stole a pass from Jordan Farmar and as Farmar tried to reclaim it went behind his back and passed ahead to Gordon for a layup and then Bulls 33-32 lead. It is the promise Thomas shows with his brilliant athleticism.

Then less than two minutes later, Thomas twice offered up lazy passes that were picked off by the Lakers among their 16 steals for scores.

It was a relatively easy night for the Lakers, though now that you see them I don't quite see a dynasty. I was talking with Chet Walker before the game (my name drop of the day). Walker, the 70's Bulls All Star and 60's star with the 76ers after dominating at Bradley, lives in Los Angeles and I consider him to be the most underrated player in NBA history. Having split his career between Philadelphia and Chicago and then being an activist in the players' union, which shortened his career, Walker doesn't get the credit he deserves for being an all timer in league history.

He's still working on screen plays and seems to have a promising one some studios are looking at about college basketball. He produced the Mary Thomas movie which was a TV hit.

Walker watches the Lakers and says they're somewhat overrated given their buildup thus far, and I'd have to agree some. Their guards, other than Bryant, are small and give up penetration and Gasol and Bynum seem to both play center and sometimes don't space the floor well. Plus, they have yet to solve the small forward position with Radmanovic hardly suited to chase around the smaller, big time scorers.

It looked good against the Bulls, though the Bulls outrebounded the Lakers and got to the free throw line more. It suggests the weaknesses that the Celtics showed up in last season's Finals.

The Bulls should only have such problems.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.

NBA News and Notes-Blogging Wednesday's Games

It's a done deal. Lindsey Hunter is a Bull. Excellent move by John Paxson.

Audio preview for tonight's game:

There is no such thing as an "off" night even as an NBA broadcaster.  Spending time with my family is my top priority but with the kids occupied with homework and video games I can catch a few games courtesy of the NBA League Pass.  It's a beautiful thing.

A Greg Oden sighting... yes, it's true.  His defense is solid and his offense is rusty. D-Wade just ran in to Joel Przybilla... that's got to hurt.  I've got to mute the game, sorry ESPN, but the Heat PA announcer ranks among the worst in the league.  Rudy Fernandez is very impressive.

I am flat out lovin' the Celtics-Hawks game. Za-Za just left with a shoulder injury so look for Atlanta to play small ball.

Indiana's T.J. Ford is chewing up the Nets.

No Michael Redd-no offense for the Bucks. Milwaukee with just 31-1st half points... are you kidding me?

NY scored just 80 points Tuesday against the Spurs. They have 60 at halftime against the Grizz.

Halftime: Orlando 71 OKC 42. Dwight Howard has already posted a double-double. That says it all. Good night Thunder. No Kevin Durant, he's out with a knee ailment.

Halftime: Lakers 50 Hornets 31. Are you kidding me?   I'll stay with this game... The Lakers are crazy good. CP3 wound up with 30 points, 13assists, and 7 rebounds.

Final from Toronto: Philly 106 Raps 96.  Calderon left with a hamstring injury. Not good.

More finals: Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce!  Guess who hit the game winning shot for Boston against the Hawks?

I guess I was kidding... the Bucks battled back and beat the 2-5 Spurs.

"The Man" Dwight Howard—children please cover your eyes—30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks... remember he's just what, 22 years old?!

Portland hangs on for a win over Miami... solid "W" for the Blazers.

Phoenix scored only 82 points last night and lost to the Rockets.

Beno Udrih had a career night. 30 points, 5 boards, 7 assists

Did NY just score 130 points?  Same old Grizz.

Spoke to TJ Ford after the Pacers-Nets game. He is lovin' life as a Pacer.

Bulls-Mavs tonight at the United Center. Dallas has been a big time disappointment. They're 2-5 and haven't won a home game.  Is the window closing with Dirk and Company? Yes. Are they a legit Western Conference power? We'll find out by the All-Star break.  Would the Mavs deal Jason Kidd if the they go south in the standings?

Derrick Rose sat out Wednesday's practice but hopefully will be good to go tonight.  The Bulls are hoping Larry Hughes will be ready to roll perhaps Saturday against Indiana.   

Got to get back on defense tonight. With Kidd running the break they are still a dangerous transition club.

Bill and I with the call on the Bulls Radio Network at 7 pm. Neil, Stacey and Johnny on Comcast.

The Blackhawks did a fine job honoring two greats in Pierre Pilote and the late Keith Magnuson. Read Bob Verdi in today's Trib. Good stuff. Charlie Weis isn't going anywhere. Not at 3-4 million a year for the next seven seasons. 

One last note... Congrats to Lou Pinella on winning NL Manager of the Year.

Bulls vs. Grizzlies Game Blog

Rookie of the Year!

Rookie of the Year!

Rookie of the Year!

C'mon, UC fans, let me hear you!

They're always yelling "MVP" stuff about Kobe and LeBron.

The Bulls have this season's NBA Rookie of the Year.

"It's not even close," one scout told me Saturday night after Derrick Rose lit up the Memphis Grizzlies for 26 points in a 96-86 Bulls victory. "Unless maybe Greg Oden does something, and it looks like he'll miss a lot of games. And they haven't even gotten to opening up the court for him yet."

You want to get a good look at this, not just the blazing "ooh and ah" Rose crossover on last year's point guard future Mike Conley late in the first half or the bailout pass Rose took from Ben Gordon while Rose was slashing down the lane and dunked forcefully or just shakin' and bakin' a little between the legs and draining a jumper.

He shoots, too?

It's not his highlight yet, and the range of, say, Deron Williams isn't there as well. And Rose can find a few rookie mistakes with opponents trapping him and ping ponging him all over the court, like dribbling out the clock with 24 seconds or passing as the shot clock ran out one time as well.

Though that's like complaining about lint on Catherine Zeta-Jones. Sorry, us old guys like her best.

Yes, it is the Grizzlies and they did win at home dramatically Friday night, but the Grizzlies are an athletic group and had their way much of the first half. It wasn't a particularly inspiring time for the Bulls coming off Friday's drubbing in Boston.

Other than perhaps Kirk Hinrich stepping into three three pointers in the first half in his most confident shooting of the 2-1 start.

As an aside, coach Vinny Del Negro agreed he's learning as well as in continuing to experiment in rotations he pretty much forgot about Hinrich and left him out too long after Hinrich's good start, much like Del Negro kept Rose out too long Friday, even though Rose had some foul trouble but would end up with just four fouls against the Celtics.

Del Negro still is learning his players and the players are waiting.

Drew Gooden, who had a terrific defensive effort Saturday with 20 rebounds, was telling me after the game he knows the coach with his fourth team has to learn to trust him. I was asking Gooden about posting up more and Gooden said he and the team continue to work out whether his best offense for the team will come from posting up or facing up.

Gooden is not exactly Kobe working out of the post, but he can be effective, especially on a team that doesn't have much in the post. Of course, the other side of that is trying to keep the middle open for Rose. But every team needs to penetrate the paint in various ways, and with the pass is vital.

I did like the way the Bulls finished the game with Rose, Hinrich, Gooden, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. Though that's a small front line, it fits probably best with Rose with players who can make shots and spread the court.

Look, Rose isn't Michael Jordan, though I was here covering Jordan in 1984 when he arrived and every game was the same. It was about Jordan, how much he scored, the plays he made. Rose doesn't have that game, and somewhat as important, doesn't have that personality.

He's a surprisingly quiet kid, too quiet, even he admits.

Rose said he got a lesson in that against Boston Friday watching how the champion Celtics communicated, talked trash and to one another, how much fun they seemed to be having—who wouldn't against that Bulls effort?—and how that is important. Rose said he will be trying.

Which I'm getting to.

It is amusing in some respects to be in the post game locker room. The players drift out with a ring of media members around, waiting for the so called stars of the game.

It was another quiet effort from Ben Gordon, and he sat quietly dressing and no one went to ask him a question. Andres Nocioni, interestingly, from a player who barely understood English a few years ago, has become one of the chattiest of players, initiating small talk with reporters as they enter the room.

The rule is the coach speaks in the press room and when he is finished the locker room door is opened.

Hinrich came out to speak and reporters gathered around him with what I called the Pippen look. That's when Scottie Pippen would come out to talk with everyone gathered around asking him questions until Jordan would walk out and everyone would sprint to his locker.

So it was as Rose ambled out and reporters sprinted directly at Rose even as Hinrich was still answering questions.

It's like musical chairs. You never want to be the reporter asking the question when the star of the game walks out across the room. Because then you have to stay because it is too rude to walk away. It's rude for the others, but they don't care.

The players understand, and Hinrich is a reluctant interview anyway, so he usually seems glad there aren't any more questions.

Here's what Rose had to say:

Question: Talk about going offensively with your own shot.

Rose: They were backing off. I know I can shoot. I was just shooting the ball.

Question: Did the coach talk to you about being more aggressive?

Rose: He told me it would be OK if I shoot. He didn't care how many shots. Just shoot the ball and try to get your teammates open and we'll have a good chance to win the game.

Question: Third quarter did you want to dictate more?

Rose: We just got in a flow. We were open but we weren't making shots early. When we realized they weren't falling that's when we started driving.

Question: The knock on you is you need to work on your outside shot. Do you feel comfortable taking that when they back off?

Rose: Yeah, it's comfortable. They leave me open, I've got confidence in my jump shot. Why not take it?

Question: You surprised you've been scoring so much?

Rose: Not really. All I'm trying to do is win the game. If that takes me to score 20 some points or five some points it doesn't matter as long as we win.

Question: Were you trying to turn it up a notch in the fourth quarter?

Rose: I was just trying to be aggressive because we've got people on our team who are real good. So I know if I'm being aggressive, they're going to be aggressive behind me.

Question: How about the first flagrant foul against you (by Kyle Lowry on a late drive)?

Rose: I didn't know it was flagrant until the crowd was going crazy. That's basketball. Things will happen.

(I was wondering if that was retaliation of sorts from Memphis point guards who heard all last season how much better than they are Rose is and how much the team wanted him)

(Rose said he didn't know, but added: "That's what everyone in the NBA is going to do, test you. That's what rookies get: Welcome to the NBA. When you get challenged like that, when I'm getting challenged I'm going right back at them.")

Question: Did it hurt?

Rose: No. Not at all.

Question: Do you feel comfortable in the NBA style of play?

Rose: I've just got to be aggressive. As long as I'm aggressive I get people open or tend to score. All I worry about is winning.

Question: Tonight was the first big rookie match-up of you and (O.J.) Mayo. Do you pay attention?

Rose: I couldn't care less what they're doing now. I'm just trying to win and focus on the Bulls organization.

Question: Is it tough to know when to take the shoot or look for the open man?

Rose: The vets tell me if they back off, shoot.

Question: Is this your demeanor after a win?

Rose: I've got to be more emotional when I'm on the court, talk and yell a little more. After playing the Celtics and seeing how they play, everyone is emotional. I've got to show a little more emotion.

Question: Is that hard for you?

Rose: Very hard. I don't know why. It's just very hard. That's not me, not my personality. I’m a quiet guy, so why change? I'm going to start. It gets your team ready. When you're out there, you're going to war. The Celtics game. Man, that was an emotional team. There wasn't one time on the court they weren't talking to each other. They were having fun. I'm just learning.

That's scary, though not for Bulls fans.

It was a brilliant start for Tyrus Thomas, with a pair of jump-out-of-the-gym blocks, but he fell back into wild shots and little impact. Joakim Noah was awful in a brief stretch, apparently running to the wrong spot every time as teammates waved madly directing him. Del Negro took him out after seven minutes and left him out. Luol Deng continued to struggle with quick shots and Ben Gordon was, surprisingly, not looking for his shot in most of his early stint. But after that ugly loss and with a trip to Orlando and Cleveland, it was  a vital early season win.

"We took a hard loss (Friday)," said Rose. "It hadn't been off my mind. We went out there and didn't play hard. This game was important."

Hey, a rookie of the year? And a leader?

We'll see. It's been a long time since the Bulls had one of either.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.

News and notes around the league

The Bulls leave for Boston this afternoon. Based on Tuesday's performance against the Bucks don't expect any lineup changes.

The Celtics got their rings before their victory over the Cavs. After the game Doc Rivers said the Celtics can put that behind them and now concentrate on basketball... that's great news for the rest of the NBA.  Can Boston repeat? Or were they a one and done team?

Game time 8PM on ESPN 1000 with Bill Wennington and myself.  Neil, Stacey with the TV call on Comcast.

Just read Greg Oden will be out 2-4 weeks with a right foot injury. Let's hope sooner or later he gets healthy. Can you say Bill Walton  all over again from early years with the Blazers. Of course Walton led Portland to an NBA title in '77 ..the Blazers will gladly take that  once Oden resumes playing.

Caught plenty of ball...

Congrats to Michael Curry as he guided the Pistons past the Pacers.  He was born to lead.

Props to Terry Porter as well in his debut with the Suns.

Chris Bosh was rock solid in the Raptors win at Philadelphia.

The Wizards just can't score as they lost to the Nets.

Should I be impressed with the Knicks or disappointed with the Heat.

Curry and Marbury were spectators.  Make your own comments.

Joe Johnson led the Hawks past Orlando.  JJ can play for me any day of the week.

Rudy Gay isn't bashful.....

All Carlos Boozer does is play and put up numbers night after night.

Tough  night at the office for BD and the Clipps--Lakers win it 117-79.

ESPN is reporting the Lakers and Andrew Bynum are close on a three year-42 million dollar contract.

CP3 with a typical CP3 game we've come to know and expect 21pts 11 assists in the Hornets win over GST

How about the Bucks? Second game in a back to back marching in to a revved up OKC crowd of 19-thousand plus and they beat the Thunder.

How much are the Pacers willing to pay Danny Granger?

Congrats to the Phillies but my interest level in the World Series was below zero.

That's the update for now.  Thank you for YOUR time.

Chuck Swirsky

 

NBA thoughts....

Quick thoughts on the Bulls and other NBA matters:

With the Bulls down 71-69 with 3:37 to go the Bulls coaching staff made a key adjustment as they elected to play Andruw Bogut straight up.  Bogut was drawing a double team allowing the Bucks to swing the ball to open shooters such as Michael Redd who nailed three triples in the quarter.  Ball distribution was another key for the Bulls as they dished out 27 assists.  Derrick Rose has a skill set you can't coach. The irony is that Rose was mentored by Rod Strickland at Memphis.  Strickland, the former DePaul star was an outstanding NBA guard-Rose has a chance to be even better than his teacher and probably will .  Should be an interesting matchup with Rose and Rajon Rondo Friday night in Boston. 

Not many teams in the NBA can match Hinrich, Gordon and Nocioni off the bench.  If the players accept their roles the Bulls second unit will be among the best in the league.

Spoke to the Cavs broadcaster Joe Tait this morning and he informed me the broadcast location at the Boston  arena has been moved to a  seating location that will present challenges  for the radio guys in the league calling a game  but we'll manage.

Still waiting for word on Greg Oden's ankle.  Caught the end of the Lakers-Blazers game-not pretty for Portland. But the Lakers will do that to a few teams this year.

Al Harrington wants out in Golden State? That's a shocker.

Mike Bibby on the block? That expiring contract will draw interest from a number of teams.

Will the Bobcats make up their mind?  Last year they went all out to sign Gerald Wallace and now they are attempting to trade him?

That's the latest...thanks for logging on!

Chuck

Bulls vs. Bucks

Take that, Scott Skiles.

 

No, that's not the complete explanation for a nice opening night effort from the Bulls, especially Luol Deng with 21 points and Tyrus Thomas with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulls pulling away 108-95 victory over Skiles and the Milwaukee Bucks.

 

Thought there was much talk about the failed relationship between Skiles and Ben Wallace, it really was the sensitive Deng and Thomas who felt they suffered the most under Skiles. Deng's objections weren't totally fair as Skiles helped him develop into the kind of player who could command the nearly $70 million contract he signed this summer. Thomas, of course, was the victim of the second greatest Skiles rant in his time with the Bulls, the famous "He hasn't run the court once. Not once!" The most famous was the Eddy Curry obervation that perhaps Eddy should "jump" if he wants to get a rebound.

 

I suspect we'll miss Skiles' candor compared to the apparently careful and politically correct Vinny Del Negro. Friends whom I've asked about Vinny's coaching style didn't really have an answer. But they all agreed that he's a terrific people person and good and getting people to come together.

 

The Bulls did enough of that on opening night to look pretty good.

 

I liked Derrick Rose.

 

I'm not offering his Hall of Fame induction quite yet, but I liked the way he pushed the ball north and south, as the coaches like to say. The Bulls still seem to run a bit of that weave they ran under Skiles, and Kirk Hinrich still does a bit too much of that side to side dribbling. He was best getting those open shots, though I think he'll be best coming off the bench.

 

That really was the reason we all were so high on the Bulls last season. It wasn't like they had a great team with stars. But it looked like they'd have the kind of bench depth to begin to overwhelm teams, the ability to go, say, nine-deep with quality players against lesser players in this tightening NBA economy. Yes, where you see the dropoff in the NBA these days is in the bench strength. Perhaps the Bulls have overpaid some lesser players, but it does give them quality coming off the bench.

 

When you can bring Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni off the bench along with Joakim Noah, that's three high lottery picks and a wild bull of the pampas.

 

Thabo Sefolosha started and I figured that the way the team was finishing the exhibition season, though I'd still like to see Deng take a shot at shooting guard some as I believe he can post some. Deng went back to scoring most of his points slashing to the basket. So I don't know if he hasn't worked to extend his shot. It seems he hasn't, so I'd try him in the post at times. That first unit needs a bit of scoring help, so there probably will be some experimentation.

 

The Bulls, though, won this game because they were quicker. Was that Mike D'Antoni coaching. Wonder if he wished he'd waited longer before accepting that Knicks offer? Like to see who got the No. 1 pick.

 

The Bulls had a ridiculous 20-1 edge in fast break points and 44-20 in free throws. And that wasn't because of home calls.

 

It was because the Bucks are a woefully unathletic team. The Bulls, for a change, stopped pulling up for jumpers so much and went to the basket, drawing fouls to first keep them in the game against Milwaukee's better shooters, and then being active enough to disrupt at least three Bucks fast breaks in the third quarter when it appeared the Bucks might open up a good lead.

 

The Bucks' only real athlete among the starters is Charlie Villanueva, and Skiles clearly didn't care for his shot selection, the shots generally being the ones he took as soon as he got the ball. Though Villanueva had foul trouble, he didn't play much and the battle of wills between he and Skiles will be one of the Bucks' issues for the season.The other will be Michael Redd, who had 30 points. I don't know what the stat is—and given the Bucks poor record the last several years it's difficult to have a good stat—but I'm guessing when he leads in scoring they usually lose. That will be Skiles' other challenge, getting the ball out of Redd's hands. Though a good shooter, he's a ball stopper and doesn’t fit with the way Skiles sees the game. I wouldn't be surprised to see Redd available in trade at some point.

 

I like the way Rose anticipated and got in the lanes and I didn't see anything to change my mind that he’ll be the Chris Paul and Deron Williams level in impact. I liked the odd stat they came up with that among No. 1 overall picks, only Jimmy Walker in 1967 (Jalen Rose's father) had more assists in his first game. I heard they are checking which overall No. 1 wore longer shorts with four letters in his last name.

 

Rose looked ready with the lob pass, finding Thomas, and Thomas not only hit a few face ups (he still stays outside a bit much), but got to the free throw line. If he can do that—yes, if, if ,if—he won't be Amare Stoudemire, but he won't be the wasted draft pick he's been. Wonder if the Bulls can ask opposing coaches to wear Skiles masks to games.

 

Ben Gordon is going to be an unhappy guy over his contract. We know that. But he can shoot. No one on the team shoots better. He won't like being a reserve, but I think he's a decent guy and won't try to be disruptive. Nothing wrong with letting him shoot when he's open. Better he than most others. He still gets up in the air with nowhere to go and loses the ball, and I assume we'll still see him falling down for no particular reason. But he's our Ben. For now.

 

I had a chance to keep an eye on the other games opening night, and it was impressive to see Paul Pierce tearing up at the ring ceremony. It does mean more for guys waiting so long, which we rarely see. Good for them. I've listed the Celtic s third in the East, but I might have to change that if the Cavs keep Mike Brown.

 

I never quite understand what he's up to. No one misuses a talent like LeBron James more than Brown.

 

Now, he's got James hanging around in the left corner while Mo Williams dribbles around. What the heck is that? Put the guy on the top of the floor and let him operate!

 

James ended with 22 in the loss to the Celtics, but again gagged up a bunch of free throws down the stretch, two of six in the fourth quarter. He's got to make those to be a serious contender and heir to throne he seeks. Brown, though, mercifully, limited Ben Wallace to 19 minutes. Whew, is he done.

 

There was an old joke about Michael Jordan that the only guy who could keep him under 20 was Dean Smith (Jordan averaged 17.7 in college). Better watch out what Brown may do with James.

 

Though the big news of the night was Greg Oden, and as bad as he looked in preseason it was worse in the one sided loss to the really good Lakers as Oden sprained his foot and missed most of the game. He may, indeed, be Sam Bowie. He's been injured often, and when it keeps happening you have to wonder.

 

Seeing him actually playing in an NBA game suggested, as one veteran NBA expert told me, a cross between Tree Rollins in being more defender than anything and the demeanor of Robert Parish. It was a disastrous debut with Oden scheduled for an MRI Wednesday morning. Geez, too bad for the kid. I hope he's healthy. But forget it. He's no Bill Russell. Not even close.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.