Pretty standard media conference introducing Thibodeau as coach, with the exception of a plethora of LeBron James questions that obviously he couldn't address. He notably recognized that Derrick Rose needs to improve his defense among all the nice things he said about Chicago and the Bulls, both the players and the organization. I'm still sold on him and a bit shocked that the Bulls seemed to have made a wise coaching choice.
Tomorrow is draft day and more importantly for the Bulls, a day of trading. It's no secret that the Bulls are trying to clear more cap room so they can sign two max free agents. Lots of teams are trying to save money though, so it will be difficult. The two contracts the Bulls most want off their books are those of Deng and Hinrich, in that order of desire. Unfortunately, Deng will be harder to move than Heinrich. The Bulls will package their number 17 pick in any reasonable deal that would get rid of one of those guys.
Of course, I really, really want to see Deng go. Now that Tyrus Thomas is gone, Deng is the Bull I'm most likely to bash. There is a rumor that has us swapping Deng for Orlando's Gortat and Pietrus. May not sound like a lot to get back but I would take that trade in a heartbeat. I know there is plenty of talk of "saving" Deng to use in a sign and trade for someone like Bosh, but the Bulls would be foolish to wait around for that possibility. If they can get Deng off the books on draft day then they should jump on it.
It will be tougher for me to see Hinrich go, but as I've said before, he's a bit overpaid, although not as much as Deng is, and he should be far easier to move than Deng. If Kurt was just a bit more consistent with his 3 point shot, then I would certainly keep him, but the Bulls need someone who can spread the floor, more than they need Hinrich's capable defense. The rub is that I could see Kurt improving his shot too, but the Bulls need to roll the dice for free agents, and that means saving money.
If we wind up keeping the 17 pick, then we have to focus on a three point shooter or a big, but take the best available player, regardless. I like Paul George, Xavier Henry and Luke Babbitt, but fear they will all be gone before 17. I know there is plenty of talk about James Anderson, and I think he will be available, and I'm not sure about him. If he really can bury the NBA three, then he could be a good pick. Larry Sanders is another name tossed about for the Bulls and I don't know enough about him to know if he's a good pick. I suspect he's more of a project than an immediate contributer. Texas guard Avery Bradley is another name you hear. I think he's a pretty decent player, and if Hinrich winds up leaving then we'll need a combo guard, although Bradley seems a bit short for that. Ditto for Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe's teammate, Daniel Orton, is another possibility. Kentucky will likely have 5 players drafted first round, which shows how insanely talented they were, but all are young, and Orton is more likey to be picked for future upside rather than what he will offer next year.
Bottom line, if the Bulls can pick up someone as good as Taj this year (and avoid a pick as bad as Johnson was) then they did a great job. Likewise, if they include this pick in a trade that nets them cap room.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Let's Talk Combine
Before I do though, I'll just say that the Celtics are a good team to emulate and if Thibodeau can get the Bulls to play like them then next year will be good, LeBron or not.
The annual Chicago combine is where the new recruits are measured, tested and examined, but most importantly, where many of the deals concerning the upcoming draft are made.
Comparing combine performance is always fun though. Let's look at point guards, past and present:
I fully expect Wall will continue to be compared with the other guards in that list over his career. His combine numbers look good too, especially for the wingspan (bigger than Evan Turner's!) and agility tests. However, I see he skipped the bench press and suspect he would have scored lower in that then the other guys. That's not going to frighten any GM's though. Kevin Durant infamously couldn't get any reps on the 185 bench press test and got a lot of mocking press for it. He was still drafted number 2 and is an all-star now.
Biggest max vertical this year was Terrico White at 40". Strongest was Luke Harangody with 23 bench press reps. Wall was best in the agility test. Dexter Pitman is the fattest at 20.8 body fat.
For guys on the Bulls' radar, James Anderson (OSU SG) scored well in the sprint (3.19) and had a very respectable 14 bench reps. Larry Sanders (VCU, PF) had a 3.27 sprint (tying Evan Turner) but a pretty low (28) max vertical. Lance Stephenson (Cinn, SG) had a slow 3.38 sprint, extremely good wingspan (6'10.5") for his size, and pretty average everything else. Luke Babbit (Nev, SF) had some very good scores across the board. He's clearly more athletic than he looks. Paul George (Fres St, SF) had a wimpy 4 bench presses and didn't do most of the other tests. He's clearly got hops though so athleticism isn't his question mark.
Of course the problem the Bulls will have is that they have to draft before they know who they can get in free agency. They would do best to take the best available player and it would not surprise me to see them draft at any position. I think Anderson is a good choice, but suspect he may be gone by 17. I think the Bulls need to bring in a 3 point shooter, either via draft or free agency. And they need a big guy to take up Miller's minutes.
The annual Chicago combine is where the new recruits are measured, tested and examined, but most importantly, where many of the deals concerning the upcoming draft are made.
Comparing combine performance is always fun though. Let's look at point guards, past and present:
| Name | Height no shoes | Height w/shoes | Weight | Wingspan | Reach | Body Fat | No Step Vert | No Step Vert Reach | Max Vert | Max Vert Reach | Bench | Agility | Sprint | Drafted | Year |
| John Wall | 6'2.75" | 6'4" | 196 | 6'9.25" | 8'5.5" | 5.6 | 30 | 10'11.5" | 39 | 11'8.5" | na | 10.84 | 3.14 | 1 | 2010 |
| Tyreke Evans | 6'4" | 6'5.25" | 221 | 6'11.25" | 8'8" | 7.1 | 28.5 | 11'0.5" | 34 | 11'6" | 7 | 11.81 | 3.17 | 4 | 2009 |
| Derrick Rose | 6'1.5" | 6'2.5" | 196 | 6'8" | 8'2.5" | 4.6 | 34.5 | 11.1" | 40 | 11'6.5" | 10 | 11.69 | 3.05 | 1 | 2008 |
| Chris Paul | 5'11.75" | 6'1" | 178 | 6'4.25" | 7'9" | na | 32 | 10'5" | 38 | 10'11" | 10 | 11.09 | 3.22 | 4 | 2005 |
| Deron Williams | 6'1.75" | 6'2.75" | 202 | 6'6.25" | 8'2" | na | 30 | 10'8" | 35 | 11'1" | 15 | 10.83 | 3.25 | 3 | 2005 |
I fully expect Wall will continue to be compared with the other guards in that list over his career. His combine numbers look good too, especially for the wingspan (bigger than Evan Turner's!) and agility tests. However, I see he skipped the bench press and suspect he would have scored lower in that then the other guys. That's not going to frighten any GM's though. Kevin Durant infamously couldn't get any reps on the 185 bench press test and got a lot of mocking press for it. He was still drafted number 2 and is an all-star now.
Biggest max vertical this year was Terrico White at 40". Strongest was Luke Harangody with 23 bench press reps. Wall was best in the agility test. Dexter Pitman is the fattest at 20.8 body fat.
For guys on the Bulls' radar, James Anderson (OSU SG) scored well in the sprint (3.19) and had a very respectable 14 bench reps. Larry Sanders (VCU, PF) had a 3.27 sprint (tying Evan Turner) but a pretty low (28) max vertical. Lance Stephenson (Cinn, SG) had a slow 3.38 sprint, extremely good wingspan (6'10.5") for his size, and pretty average everything else. Luke Babbit (Nev, SF) had some very good scores across the board. He's clearly more athletic than he looks. Paul George (Fres St, SF) had a wimpy 4 bench presses and didn't do most of the other tests. He's clearly got hops though so athleticism isn't his question mark.
Of course the problem the Bulls will have is that they have to draft before they know who they can get in free agency. They would do best to take the best available player and it would not surprise me to see them draft at any position. I think Anderson is a good choice, but suspect he may be gone by 17. I think the Bulls need to bring in a 3 point shooter, either via draft or free agency. And they need a big guy to take up Miller's minutes.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thibodeau in Waiting?
There are strong indications that the Bulls will bring in Celtic assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to be the Bulls next head coach. The Hornets have had an offer on the table for Thibodeau for over a week and he didn't take it. And the Bulls management flew out to LA to interview him on the eve of the Finals.
There may be a sub-plot there because Boston (through Danny Ainge) initially denied that they gave permission for the Bulls to interview, and later on, Doc Rivers said that he did. Rivers is in the last year of his contract with the Celtics and needs to renegotiate this summer. It's no secret that Thibodeau would prefer to be the Celtic head coach. Could Rivers be trying to get him safely setup out of town?
Thibodeau actually has interest from four teams - Hornets, Bulls, Nets, and Celtics if they lose Rivers. It's a bit strange because he's been passed over for head coaching jobs in the past, but he's clearly red hot right now.
It's so very rare that I'm on board with the Bulls' management that I say this with some trepidation -- but I do like this choice. The Bulls need a defensive-minded coach, and Thibodeau is a defensive specialist. He's said to be very hard-working and knowledgeable. If there is a question mark on him, it may be if he can relate to the players. He only played small time college ball himself (at Salem State -- with a nickname of "Tibs"), and ironically, was said to be a terrible defender! Still, he doesn't have to do it, he only has to coach it so that the Bulls do it. He's also famous for finding the weaknesses of opponents, and he'd better be working on that hard and fast for the Lakers.
I have no idea if having Thibodeau will help or hurt the chances of the Bulls getting LeBron, but again I find myself agreeing with the Bulls in thinking that they can't bring in a coach just on the chance of luring him. LeBron went on the Larry King show and said that he was favoring staying in Cleveland. While I don't put a lot of stock in that, I think the right move for the Bulls is to hire the best coach available and Thibodeau looks like a good pick to me.
Speaking of LeBron (and who can resist that!) check out the "Chicago Wants LeBron" billboard at Grand and LaSalle! http://sendlebrontochicago.com/2010/06/02/chicago-lebron-chicago-puts-billboard-james/
There may be a sub-plot there because Boston (through Danny Ainge) initially denied that they gave permission for the Bulls to interview, and later on, Doc Rivers said that he did. Rivers is in the last year of his contract with the Celtics and needs to renegotiate this summer. It's no secret that Thibodeau would prefer to be the Celtic head coach. Could Rivers be trying to get him safely setup out of town?
Thibodeau actually has interest from four teams - Hornets, Bulls, Nets, and Celtics if they lose Rivers. It's a bit strange because he's been passed over for head coaching jobs in the past, but he's clearly red hot right now.
It's so very rare that I'm on board with the Bulls' management that I say this with some trepidation -- but I do like this choice. The Bulls need a defensive-minded coach, and Thibodeau is a defensive specialist. He's said to be very hard-working and knowledgeable. If there is a question mark on him, it may be if he can relate to the players. He only played small time college ball himself (at Salem State -- with a nickname of "Tibs"), and ironically, was said to be a terrible defender! Still, he doesn't have to do it, he only has to coach it so that the Bulls do it. He's also famous for finding the weaknesses of opponents, and he'd better be working on that hard and fast for the Lakers.
I have no idea if having Thibodeau will help or hurt the chances of the Bulls getting LeBron, but again I find myself agreeing with the Bulls in thinking that they can't bring in a coach just on the chance of luring him. LeBron went on the Larry King show and said that he was favoring staying in Cleveland. While I don't put a lot of stock in that, I think the right move for the Bulls is to hire the best coach available and Thibodeau looks like a good pick to me.
Speaking of LeBron (and who can resist that!) check out the "Chicago Wants LeBron" billboard at Grand and LaSalle! http://sendlebrontochicago.com/2010/06/02/chicago-lebron-chicago-puts-billboard-james/
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