Not surprisingly, there has been lots of speculation that Bulls coach Vinnie Del Negro will be fired, with most people expecting it to happen Christmas Eve, since the Bulls have played Scrooge on that day by firing two coaches in the recent past. But Christmas Eve came and went with no firing. Then, directly after Christmas, there were reports that Vinnie was fired. So, Vinnie had to face a press conference and state that it wasn't true. However, the silence from the front office was deafening. Neither Paxson nor Forman came out to make a statement in support of Del Negro. Their silence was even more punctuated by the fact that the Pacer's coach was in a similar situation with firing rumors and Larry Bird immediately made a statement to support him.
It it seems like the Bulls have their heads up their butt, that's because they do. But before I get back to thumping the front office, I'd like to thump the Bulls players for some of the worst basketball in recent memory.
Post awful circus trip, they get killed by a Cleveland team that clearly looks like they aren't even trying. Then they get destroyed by the Raptors in a game that featured a bizarre moment where a Raptors' guard dribbled the ball past halfcourt in the third quarter with an enormous lead, and then proceeded to casually tie his shoe with the game clock on. The Bulls didn't even attempt to take the ball from him, and instead stood around waiting patiently for him to finish. They probably realized that they would just embarrass themselves with the ball once they got it.
Next the Bulls lose to New Jersey at home. The same New Jersey team that set the record this year for most losses to start the season. A New Jersey team that is currently 2 and 29! Then after a few blowout losses and a few lucky wins, the Bulls produce one of the most stunningly inept games in basketball history. Playing at home to the same Kings team that gave them their only win on the circus trip, a Kings team that is playing without their best player, the Bulls build up a gigantic 35 point lead well into the third quarter. Then they make NBA basketball history by becoming the first team to have a lead like that so late in the second half and lose the game.
Then they lose to the Knicks, one of the very few teams the Bulls have been able to look down on during the past several years. After all the Vinnie rumors, they finally show a bit of life by beating New Orleans, but it was basically a New Orleans team that was taking the night off.
On the plus side, everyone is healthy now and both Hinrich and Thomas played better than usual against New Orleans. This may be the Bulls one last shot at trading Thomas. There are rumors of a three team swap that gets us Al Harrington for Tyrus. Please let it happen!
The other really stunning fact is that as bad as the Bulls have been, they are still in playoff contention! It seems like a bad joke, but there are plenty of crummy teams in the East so all the Bulls have to do is play mediocre ball and they could get a sixth seed!
But getting back to Vinnie and Paxson and Forman, there is certainly plenty of blame to go around for all three. I'd be quite happy to see all of them out the door but the coach always goes first. I've hinted at it before, but now I'll say straight up that Paxson is one of the worst NBA management types I've ever seen. It hurts me to say it because I was a big fan of Paxson when he was a player, starting back in his college days. He's a smart, likable guy, but man has he done an awful job in the front office. And Gar Forman is a joke! Have you ever seen a more invisible GM? Most people I talk to in Chicago don't even know he is the GM! They still think it is Paxson, and really it is all the same because neither one knows what they are doing. This latest fiasco with Del Negro is a perfect example. Clearly the Bulls are looking around for another coach but they don't even know how to do that properly.
Now, as for who I'd like to see as the new coach, that is a tough question and one that I, just like Paxson and Forman, will address in the future.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
It's A Circus All Right
Well, I wrote that the Laker game would be a bellwether of what the Bulls were capable of, and unfortunately, it proved that they can't do much. Deng took one look at Ron Artest and stood in the corner sucking his thumb and crying for his teddy bear. Gasol must have had this game penciled in for his return from injury because he knew the Bulls bigs wouldn't be able to stop him. Kobe basically took the night off since he wasn't needed. Salmons is forever going to be up and down. And worst of all, Rose is proving himself to be no floor leader.
A disaster all around, not just for the Laker game, but during the four blowouts in a row to Denver, Portland and Utah as well. Bulls at least put up a fight against the Bucks, mainly by playing a bit of defense, before losing out in the end. That puts the circus trip in the books at 1-5, with four very ugly loses. Extremely disappointing, to say the least.
Bogut took note of Gasol's triumphant return and repeated it himself against the Bulls. Potential trade target Boozer, killed them. Why would he ever want to come here when he can have career highs against them? Bulls displayed almost no toughness or desire during the road trip. They are a weak team, content to go through the motions for a few quarters and then fold.
Clearly, the Bulls are worse than last year, which makes the playoffs unlikely. And a top draft pick is out of the question with horrific teams like New Jersey, New York, and Minnesota sunk down at the very bottom of NBA muck. Free agency may well be their only hope.
Dare I say Rose has been over-rated? He's not good defensively. He doesn't get the offense moving fast enough -- Bulls are ridiculous with their 24 second violations. And he isn't shooting well. Hopefully, it is a bad stretch and he can learn from his mistakes.
Heinrich has been hurt, so the Bulls are short at guard now. Hunter had to play against the Bucks and it wasn't pretty watching the Buck guards breeze past him. Of course the Bulls are short-handed in the front court as well with Thomas out, but I don't see that as any loss. Speaking of which, Bulls revealed that Thomas broke his arm while doing chin-ups. Now, just imagine that for a minute. Think about attempting a chin-up and breaking your arm in the process. Envisioning that? Now you have a glimmer of understanding as to what kind of a spaz Tyrus is.
Nine out the the next eleven games are at home now, so the Bulls should improve somewhat. Historically, they do improve anyway. Bulls are 10-60 on the circus trip in the post MJ era, so it would be difficult for them to be that bad all the time.
A disaster all around, not just for the Laker game, but during the four blowouts in a row to Denver, Portland and Utah as well. Bulls at least put up a fight against the Bucks, mainly by playing a bit of defense, before losing out in the end. That puts the circus trip in the books at 1-5, with four very ugly loses. Extremely disappointing, to say the least.
Bogut took note of Gasol's triumphant return and repeated it himself against the Bulls. Potential trade target Boozer, killed them. Why would he ever want to come here when he can have career highs against them? Bulls displayed almost no toughness or desire during the road trip. They are a weak team, content to go through the motions for a few quarters and then fold.
Clearly, the Bulls are worse than last year, which makes the playoffs unlikely. And a top draft pick is out of the question with horrific teams like New Jersey, New York, and Minnesota sunk down at the very bottom of NBA muck. Free agency may well be their only hope.
Dare I say Rose has been over-rated? He's not good defensively. He doesn't get the offense moving fast enough -- Bulls are ridiculous with their 24 second violations. And he isn't shooting well. Hopefully, it is a bad stretch and he can learn from his mistakes.
Heinrich has been hurt, so the Bulls are short at guard now. Hunter had to play against the Bucks and it wasn't pretty watching the Buck guards breeze past him. Of course the Bulls are short-handed in the front court as well with Thomas out, but I don't see that as any loss. Speaking of which, Bulls revealed that Thomas broke his arm while doing chin-ups. Now, just imagine that for a minute. Think about attempting a chin-up and breaking your arm in the process. Envisioning that? Now you have a glimmer of understanding as to what kind of a spaz Tyrus is.
Nine out the the next eleven games are at home now, so the Bulls should improve somewhat. Historically, they do improve anyway. Bulls are 10-60 on the circus trip in the post MJ era, so it would be difficult for them to be that bad all the time.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Ghost of Trent Tucker
Bulls sweat out a win against Charlotte on a night where Salmons finally has a decent game. Then they come home for a crazy game against Denver. A tight battle throughout, game tied and time running out, Billups drives to the hole and gets bailed out on a dubious call with .6 seconds left. Billups is money at the line, so he makes the first and purposely misses the second to run out the clock. He gets a bad, quick bounce off the rim though and the Bulls call time-out with .3 seconds left.
Now if you are a Bulls fan and know your NBA history, you'll know that there is a "Trent Tucker" rule in the NBA that resulted from a 1990 game between the Bulls and the Knicks. In that game, the Knicks inbounded the ball to Tucker with only .1 seconds left! He tossed up a prayer that went in. Bulls protested, saying that .1 seconds was too short to get off a shot and they lost that protest! However, the NBA subsequently did a bunch of tests and soon after put in a rule that states that a player needs a minimum of .3 seconds to get off a shot.
So, inbounding from the halfcourt with .3 seconds left, Bulls toss it to a wide open Brad Miller who instantly heaves up a prayer that goes in. Bulls and fans go nuts as they seem to have escaped with one. The officials reviewed the play for a good 15 minutes, and they replayed the shot endlessly from every angle on the TV. There was no way in the world you could tell if the ball was completely off his fingertips. Just no way. It looked good to me, but there really was no way you could say for certain. You'd think that the hoop gods would try to make amends for the Tucker fiasco, but no, Chicago is a hard luck town for its sports' teams. Officials somehow decide to overrule the basket and give Denver the game!
Next night, at Toronto, they play hard but ragged and fold in the fourth. Bosh and to a lesser extent Bargnani killed the Bulls last year, and they did it again this game. Hinrich and Salmons couldn't make a shot if they were locked in the gym. Salmons was 1-11!
On the plus side, Gibson is already better than Tyrus. Yes, he makes plenty of mistakes and he's not going to be ROY, but we are 8 games into the season and he already knows more about how to play basketball than our four-year-man Tyrus, who is fortunately out for several weeks with an injured arm.
Bulls now have one at home and then the infamous circus road trip. Bulls get kicked out of the United Center while the circus plays there, and they have historically gone belly up during the long road tour. We'll see.
Now if you are a Bulls fan and know your NBA history, you'll know that there is a "Trent Tucker" rule in the NBA that resulted from a 1990 game between the Bulls and the Knicks. In that game, the Knicks inbounded the ball to Tucker with only .1 seconds left! He tossed up a prayer that went in. Bulls protested, saying that .1 seconds was too short to get off a shot and they lost that protest! However, the NBA subsequently did a bunch of tests and soon after put in a rule that states that a player needs a minimum of .3 seconds to get off a shot.
So, inbounding from the halfcourt with .3 seconds left, Bulls toss it to a wide open Brad Miller who instantly heaves up a prayer that goes in. Bulls and fans go nuts as they seem to have escaped with one. The officials reviewed the play for a good 15 minutes, and they replayed the shot endlessly from every angle on the TV. There was no way in the world you could tell if the ball was completely off his fingertips. Just no way. It looked good to me, but there really was no way you could say for certain. You'd think that the hoop gods would try to make amends for the Tucker fiasco, but no, Chicago is a hard luck town for its sports' teams. Officials somehow decide to overrule the basket and give Denver the game!
Next night, at Toronto, they play hard but ragged and fold in the fourth. Bosh and to a lesser extent Bargnani killed the Bulls last year, and they did it again this game. Hinrich and Salmons couldn't make a shot if they were locked in the gym. Salmons was 1-11!
On the plus side, Gibson is already better than Tyrus. Yes, he makes plenty of mistakes and he's not going to be ROY, but we are 8 games into the season and he already knows more about how to play basketball than our four-year-man Tyrus, who is fortunately out for several weeks with an injured arm.
Bulls now have one at home and then the infamous circus road trip. Bulls get kicked out of the United Center while the circus plays there, and they have historically gone belly up during the long road tour. We'll see.
Friday, November 6, 2009
From Terrible to Not Bad
Boston crushes them at their place; then Bulls fold at Miami; they have an awful first half at home against Milwaukee, but bounce back to squeak out a win; and finally they pull out a gutsy win in an ugly game at Cleveland. Most likely we will see quite a bit of this up and down from the Bulls, but they are not at their best right now so there are things to be hopeful about.
Rose is clearly not back all the way yet. He looks good in spurts, but the way they are controlling his minutes, you can tell he's not well. He does show flashes of his regular self, such as during a coast-to-coast drive at Cleveland.
Tyrus was sick with the flu and got a DNP against the Bucks. May be the best thing to happen to the Bulls as it threw Gibson in there. He was bad against Milwaukee, but he was pretty good against Cleveland; certainly better than Tyrus, who did play a bit there and actually wasn't as awful as usual. Maybe the Bulls should keep infecting him with flu all season. Not only will he play better but he might get some opposing stars sick.
Deng is "half a man" this season. What I mean is that when he's up against smaller, more passive defenders, he's doing pretty well; but when he has someone his own size against him, who challenges him, he folds. There was a sequence in the Boston game where Deng wimps out on driving to the basket against Pierce and instead tosses up one of his flat, lazy, no-arc jumpers. Then he stands there, with wrist gaily extended, watching his shot while Pierce runs down the court for an outlet pass. Deng is too late to catch the guy who infamously couldn't run down Noah on the dribble during the playoffs last year, and fouls him for a three point play. This is the Deng I despise.
However, his shot is falling when he isn't challenged, which is far, far better than we've seen from him the last two years. And while he still isn't a fierce defender, he's at least using a bit of energy on the defensive end, which is new for him. I'll take that, because he's never going to be the All-Star the Bulls were dreaming about when he had a decent year two years ago. Just having him become a relatively useful starter is a huge jump.
Brad Miller has been a key in the Bulls wins. He's stepped up, particularly in the clutch, with less time wasted on Tyrus. Too bad he's not 3-4 years younger because 10 more minutes of Miller on the floor would win a lot more games for the Bulls. And Noah deserves some props too because he's been rebounding, making the hussle plays, and even banging with Shaq as best as he can.
Hinrich has been decent with his increased minutes, good but not as good as he can be. His shooting is off. Not as off as Salmons though, who couldn't hit the side of a barn for most of this season. I think he was shooting .264 before Cleveland! He was 3-15 vs the Spurs and the Bucks and 2-14 vs Boston. It would be hard to shoot that bad if he was trying to miss! He was 6-13 vs Cleveland and was pretty good vs Miami, so he may have just been in a slump -- hopefully short, because the Bulls really need him.
I shouldn't rub salt in the wound, but Ben Gordon has been shooting very well for his new team. He's scored between 22-30 points in every game and has shot over 50% in every game except one.
Except for some garbage time in Boston, Bulls first pick last year, Johnson, has not played a minute. That's a bit scary, and disappointing when so many other rookies are playing decently. I guess if Gibson pans out he'll be considered a steal, but the Bulls obviously had higher hopes for Johnson.
In short, it looks like we're going back to the scrappy Bulls of the early Skiles era. They don't shoot well but they get steals, defend and rebound. If Rose gets back to form and Gibson progresses, a playoff slot is a realistic goal.
Rose is clearly not back all the way yet. He looks good in spurts, but the way they are controlling his minutes, you can tell he's not well. He does show flashes of his regular self, such as during a coast-to-coast drive at Cleveland.
Tyrus was sick with the flu and got a DNP against the Bucks. May be the best thing to happen to the Bulls as it threw Gibson in there. He was bad against Milwaukee, but he was pretty good against Cleveland; certainly better than Tyrus, who did play a bit there and actually wasn't as awful as usual. Maybe the Bulls should keep infecting him with flu all season. Not only will he play better but he might get some opposing stars sick.
Deng is "half a man" this season. What I mean is that when he's up against smaller, more passive defenders, he's doing pretty well; but when he has someone his own size against him, who challenges him, he folds. There was a sequence in the Boston game where Deng wimps out on driving to the basket against Pierce and instead tosses up one of his flat, lazy, no-arc jumpers. Then he stands there, with wrist gaily extended, watching his shot while Pierce runs down the court for an outlet pass. Deng is too late to catch the guy who infamously couldn't run down Noah on the dribble during the playoffs last year, and fouls him for a three point play. This is the Deng I despise.
However, his shot is falling when he isn't challenged, which is far, far better than we've seen from him the last two years. And while he still isn't a fierce defender, he's at least using a bit of energy on the defensive end, which is new for him. I'll take that, because he's never going to be the All-Star the Bulls were dreaming about when he had a decent year two years ago. Just having him become a relatively useful starter is a huge jump.
Brad Miller has been a key in the Bulls wins. He's stepped up, particularly in the clutch, with less time wasted on Tyrus. Too bad he's not 3-4 years younger because 10 more minutes of Miller on the floor would win a lot more games for the Bulls. And Noah deserves some props too because he's been rebounding, making the hussle plays, and even banging with Shaq as best as he can.
Hinrich has been decent with his increased minutes, good but not as good as he can be. His shooting is off. Not as off as Salmons though, who couldn't hit the side of a barn for most of this season. I think he was shooting .264 before Cleveland! He was 3-15 vs the Spurs and the Bucks and 2-14 vs Boston. It would be hard to shoot that bad if he was trying to miss! He was 6-13 vs Cleveland and was pretty good vs Miami, so he may have just been in a slump -- hopefully short, because the Bulls really need him.
I shouldn't rub salt in the wound, but Ben Gordon has been shooting very well for his new team. He's scored between 22-30 points in every game and has shot over 50% in every game except one.
Except for some garbage time in Boston, Bulls first pick last year, Johnson, has not played a minute. That's a bit scary, and disappointing when so many other rookies are playing decently. I guess if Gibson pans out he'll be considered a steal, but the Bulls obviously had higher hopes for Johnson.
In short, it looks like we're going back to the scrappy Bulls of the early Skiles era. They don't shoot well but they get steals, defend and rebound. If Rose gets back to form and Gibson progresses, a playoff slot is a realistic goal.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Opening Night -- Spurs, home
Bulls beat an old team at home after catching them at the end of a back-to-back, but hey, it's the Spurs, so you have to be happy about that. Duncan certainly didn't look old, dominating the Bulls bigs for 28 points and 16 rebounds. Jefferson is not starting out well with the Spurs. Whether he pans out for them or not will make or break their season. Parker and Ginobili were off as well and the Bulls definitely hussled more, especially for rebounds on the offensive end.
Rose wasn't quite up to par, but he was still quite good. Fortunately, Hinrich played very well, so Rose was able to keep his minutes down. Noah had lots of hussle plays and wound up with a double-double. Salmons couldn't find his shot, going a dismal 3-15, but he played decently otherwise. Miller was solid. Deng still plays bad defense, but he shot pretty well. If he can play at least this well every game I'll stop ragging on him so much.
Gibson played with energy, but still like a rookie. And our top pick, Johnson, got a DNP. How bad does our drafting look now when the Spurs can pick up a guy (Blair) who we passed over twice in the draft and are able to have him in the rotation? Of course it is way too early to judge last year's draft, but at least initially, the Spurs look like they skunked us.
Tyrus was absolutely horrible in the first half. I'm surprised Vinny didn't send him home, but he played about as well as he can in the second half; that is to say, not terrible. He scored 13, all in the second half, but he did it mostly on jumpers, which scares me a lot.
Bulls now have the first of their all-too-many back-to-backs, traveling to Boston. Celtics are looking good this year too. Barring another injury to Garnett, they are my pick to get to the Finals.
Rose wasn't quite up to par, but he was still quite good. Fortunately, Hinrich played very well, so Rose was able to keep his minutes down. Noah had lots of hussle plays and wound up with a double-double. Salmons couldn't find his shot, going a dismal 3-15, but he played decently otherwise. Miller was solid. Deng still plays bad defense, but he shot pretty well. If he can play at least this well every game I'll stop ragging on him so much.
Gibson played with energy, but still like a rookie. And our top pick, Johnson, got a DNP. How bad does our drafting look now when the Spurs can pick up a guy (Blair) who we passed over twice in the draft and are able to have him in the rotation? Of course it is way too early to judge last year's draft, but at least initially, the Spurs look like they skunked us.
Tyrus was absolutely horrible in the first half. I'm surprised Vinny didn't send him home, but he played about as well as he can in the second half; that is to say, not terrible. He scored 13, all in the second half, but he did it mostly on jumpers, which scares me a lot.
Bulls now have the first of their all-too-many back-to-backs, traveling to Boston. Celtics are looking good this year too. Barring another injury to Garnett, they are my pick to get to the Finals.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Season Just Around the Corner
The NBA still doesn't have the refs in place, but it's looking like they are just about to finalize an agreement with them. There have been plenty of complaints about the replacement refs in pre-season, including a bizarre incident where the Israeli Maccabi coach refused to leave Madison Square Garden after being tossed in a warm-up game against the Knicks. A rabbi tried to persuade the replacement refs to let the coach stay, despite having two technical fouls. The refs stuck to their rulebook and the coach finally stormed off after a long game delay.
Rose is hurt, bad ankle. Whether he misses the opener against the Spurs or not is still up in the air. Either way, he's missed most of the pre-season and is bound to not be at his best for awhile. Combine that with a tough early schedule and the Bulls could be digging an early hole.
Bulls play more back-to-back games than any other team, so they clearly have a very unfavorable schedule. Combine that with lots of improvement around the East and loss of Ben Gordon, and you have to think the best the Bulls can do this year is about the same as they did last year.
Tyrus is fuming at being left out of the starting line-up in some pre-season games. Blog-A-Bull has been slamming Vinnie for starting the rookie Gibson over him, but I completely agree with the move. There's no future in Tyrus. I hope he's improved, so that we can fool some other team into taking him on, but I think the Bulls have wasted more time and energy on Tyrus than they should have. Not that Gibson is ready to start, because he isn't, but at least there's hope that he can be a stable NBA player.
So, I think the Bulls should find out what they have in the two rookies, get what they can for duds like Tyrus and Deng, and clear out the cap space for the big guns of 2010. And don't play Rose when he's injured because we'll need him healthy to attract those free agents.
Carlos Arroyo wound up going to Miami, who needs a backup point-guard more than the Bulls do. Maybe that incident with the Maccabi coach scared him out of rejoining them for another year?
Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is about to purchase the Nets and become the most interesting owner since Mark Cuban. The Post reported today that he blew $19k on a lunch at Nello's with six friends! How do you spend $19,000 on lunch? How about $825 for three orders of truffle taglioni; $600 for four orders of truffle carpaccio; $210 for three orders of veal chops; and $72 for six (I'm assuming mineral) waters. Hmm, just googled them and a mineral water is $15-$18 at Nello's! So they were actually being frugal with the waters they ordered! A bowl of soup is $32. Perfect for a Russian billionaire visiting New York before buying their (well, almost "their", Brooklyn in 2011 or 2012) basketball team.
Finally, Victoria's Secret model Marisa Miller squared off against Rose at the Berto Center yesterday for a publicity photo shoot they are doing to nominate the sexiest athletes in Chicago. How they could choose Rose for nomination when they have Noah on the floor? He's completely irresistible when he dons his big bow tie and pulls out the Courvoisier.
Rose is hurt, bad ankle. Whether he misses the opener against the Spurs or not is still up in the air. Either way, he's missed most of the pre-season and is bound to not be at his best for awhile. Combine that with a tough early schedule and the Bulls could be digging an early hole.
Bulls play more back-to-back games than any other team, so they clearly have a very unfavorable schedule. Combine that with lots of improvement around the East and loss of Ben Gordon, and you have to think the best the Bulls can do this year is about the same as they did last year.
Tyrus is fuming at being left out of the starting line-up in some pre-season games. Blog-A-Bull has been slamming Vinnie for starting the rookie Gibson over him, but I completely agree with the move. There's no future in Tyrus. I hope he's improved, so that we can fool some other team into taking him on, but I think the Bulls have wasted more time and energy on Tyrus than they should have. Not that Gibson is ready to start, because he isn't, but at least there's hope that he can be a stable NBA player.
So, I think the Bulls should find out what they have in the two rookies, get what they can for duds like Tyrus and Deng, and clear out the cap space for the big guns of 2010. And don't play Rose when he's injured because we'll need him healthy to attract those free agents.
Carlos Arroyo wound up going to Miami, who needs a backup point-guard more than the Bulls do. Maybe that incident with the Maccabi coach scared him out of rejoining them for another year?
Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is about to purchase the Nets and become the most interesting owner since Mark Cuban. The Post reported today that he blew $19k on a lunch at Nello's with six friends! How do you spend $19,000 on lunch? How about $825 for three orders of truffle taglioni; $600 for four orders of truffle carpaccio; $210 for three orders of veal chops; and $72 for six (I'm assuming mineral) waters. Hmm, just googled them and a mineral water is $15-$18 at Nello's! So they were actually being frugal with the waters they ordered! A bowl of soup is $32. Perfect for a Russian billionaire visiting New York before buying their (well, almost "their", Brooklyn in 2011 or 2012) basketball team.
Finally, Victoria's Secret model Marisa Miller squared off against Rose at the Berto Center yesterday for a publicity photo shoot they are doing to nominate the sexiest athletes in Chicago. How they could choose Rose for nomination when they have Noah on the floor? He's completely irresistible when he dons his big bow tie and pulls out the Courvoisier.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Arroyo?
Lots of rumors about Carlos Arroyo joining the Bulls, which seems strange at first glance. After all, the Bulls are deepest guard and have been very public about saying that their roster is set for the upcoming season. If they do wind up with Arroyo, I'm thinking they will really be pushing to trade Heinrich. Not that Arroyo is better than Heinrich, because he isn't, but because his contract (rumored to be 1 year and 1 million) is far better for a backup point guard.
Now, I know people will debate about whether Arroyo is better or worse than Pargo. Personally, I think he's better. Pargo has a much better outside shot, but Arroyo can drive to the basket and he's better on a fast break. Arroyo has never had the same success in the NBA as he's had in international ball. He's a star on his Puerto Rico national team, and he just had a good year with his Israeli pro team, yet he seems to bounce from team to team in the NBA. Still, he has some skills and is a bargain at $1 million for the season.
Like the Bulls, I'd hate to see Kirk go, but I don't mind losing his contract. I'm still praying that we can package him with Tyrus for a decent big man.
Now, I know people will debate about whether Arroyo is better or worse than Pargo. Personally, I think he's better. Pargo has a much better outside shot, but Arroyo can drive to the basket and he's better on a fast break. Arroyo has never had the same success in the NBA as he's had in international ball. He's a star on his Puerto Rico national team, and he just had a good year with his Israeli pro team, yet he seems to bounce from team to team in the NBA. Still, he has some skills and is a bargain at $1 million for the season.
Like the Bulls, I'd hate to see Kirk go, but I don't mind losing his contract. I'm still praying that we can package him with Tyrus for a decent big man.
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