Knocking Carlos Boozer is old hat for me, as I've been doing it since even before he got here. The real red flag for me was seeing how happy Utah fans were to see him go, and knowing that if Jerry Sloan couldn't get him to play defense, then nobody ever would. Now it seems like most of Chicago has joined the hate-wagon, with fans booing him at home and old timers like Horace Grant calling him out.
The Bulls have rallied together on this subject, with everyone from players to coaches cutting him slack, mostly excusing his poor play because of injury. It is right that the Bulls do this and a good sign of their team unity. However Carlos Boozer hasn't been playing badly because of his "turf toe" injury. He plays badly because he is lazy, stupid, clumsy, and a bit of a head case. Grant was too kind in his criticism. If Boozer's play was anywhere near as effective as Horace Grant's (a guy who was the fourth or five option on his team) then no one would be booing him at the United Center.
Have you ever seen a veteran player get as many defensive 3 second calls as Boozer? Have you ever seen a power forward less effective at defending the pick and pop, or on helping out on the weak side? Have you ever seen a player make such a spectacle over the very few times he actually does score a basket, obnoxiously wagging his head back and forth, as if trying to knock that tiny pea brain of his back into place? And how about all the mishandled balls? Or the constant bitching and glaring at the refs when he thinks he's fouled? Have you ever, ever, seen the guy hustle back down the court when the other team has a chance at a fast break? And few players shout obscenities as loudly as Booz does on the court; you can always hear him even over the TV filters. Yes, it is no surprise that Bulls fans, who are every bit as discerning as Jazz fans, have starting booing the guy.
I joked earlier that Boozer was my new Deng, the Bull I used to bash up until this year when he suddenly decided to play decently. But now I would say that Boozer is becoming my Tyrus Thomas, a guy whose play is so staggeringly predisposed to infuriate that it becomes impossible to watch him without becoming incensed.
I'm an optimist though, so I'm not completely giving up hope. I've seen Boozer have good offensive games, not as a Bull actually, but last year against the Bulls. No doubt Paxson and Forman saw that game as well and decided then and there to sign him without doing any more research on the matter. The point is though that he is capable of producing good offense. And even though he's a wretched defender, he's OK defending on the ball in the low post, a position that utilizes his shoving skills most effectively. The Bulls should chop his minutes down and use him in spots where his strengths would be most effective and weaknesses least damaging.
It is possible to be a very good player in this league and be a poor defender. Zach Randolph is a perfect example of that. LaMarcus Aldridge also comes to mind. I'm sure the Bulls were hoping to get a player close to that level when they signed Boozer, but so far they've gotten nothing. And don't try to show me stats that he's rebounding, because he's a master of the "poach rebound". Every time a defensive rebound comes down in a spot where Boozer and some other Bull could equally get it, Boozer claws at it like a maniac while Noah, Taj, Thomas, etc, wisely let the crazy guy have the ball before it gets knocked out of bounds. In other words, his rebounding stats are inflated.
OK, now that I've beat that horse to death, let's take a lightning look at the Hawks series. Bulls came out flat in game one, Atlanta hustled and shot the ball well, so they won. In game two, Bulls defended well and both teams shot poorly. Bulls won that one with defense and rebounding. The big surprise is that Rose has not been able to have a monster game with Hinrich being out of the lineup. His backup, Teague, has played far better than anyone expected and Rose has been a bit off. Not sure if it was the MVP distraction or what. Even with home court advantage taken away the Bulls should still win this series, even with a pathetic Boozer. However, they will not get by the Heat playing at this level.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Trouble With the Eight Seed
Pretty much no one expected the Bulls to have so much trouble with Indiana. I certainly did not, but I'm not at all surprised at the ways in which they are struggling. First off, I'll say that Indiana deserves a lot of credit by playing as hard as they possibly can and not being intimidated by the team with the best regular season record. But the Bulls have themselves to blame for not having an easy first round series.
Carlos Boozer, my biggest concern going into the playoffs, is reason number one for the Bulls' troubles. He's been absolutely horrible in this series, completely outplayed by Indiana no-names like Tyler Hansbrough. Deng, the other Bull I'm always worried about, hasn't been great either, but nowhere near as awful as Boozer. Rose has been excellent, but often not his usual superior self. He has too many turnovers, is missing a lot of outside shots, and seems uncomfortable with the Pacers double teams. Brewer seems bothered by the thumb injury he received in that last, meaningless regular season game. Really, only Noah has shined, along with Korver hitting some clutch shots at the end of games.
Now Rose has a tweaked ankle and Indiana has the confidence of knowing that they've have played the Bulls even for four games despite being down 3-1. I'm thinking the Bulls should still be able to close them out at home, but they need the right their ship quickly before moving on to face more talented opponents.
Fortunately, Orlando is struggling, to the point where they might not make it past Atlanta. Atlanta is a team the Bulls have difficulty against anyway, so they will need to improve in any case, but at least they will face a team with some flaws next round.
I'm at the point now with Boozer where I'm actually happy when he picks up his second stupid foul in the first quarter and has to go to the bench. I think that if he's off, which he has been for most games in recent memory, then the Bulls should be giving more time to Thomas and Gibson. I know it is hard to bench a guy whom the Bulls have invested so much money and hope, but the playoffs are no place to leave a guy in who keeps screwing up.
Carlos Boozer, my biggest concern going into the playoffs, is reason number one for the Bulls' troubles. He's been absolutely horrible in this series, completely outplayed by Indiana no-names like Tyler Hansbrough. Deng, the other Bull I'm always worried about, hasn't been great either, but nowhere near as awful as Boozer. Rose has been excellent, but often not his usual superior self. He has too many turnovers, is missing a lot of outside shots, and seems uncomfortable with the Pacers double teams. Brewer seems bothered by the thumb injury he received in that last, meaningless regular season game. Really, only Noah has shined, along with Korver hitting some clutch shots at the end of games.
Now Rose has a tweaked ankle and Indiana has the confidence of knowing that they've have played the Bulls even for four games despite being down 3-1. I'm thinking the Bulls should still be able to close them out at home, but they need the right their ship quickly before moving on to face more talented opponents.
Fortunately, Orlando is struggling, to the point where they might not make it past Atlanta. Atlanta is a team the Bulls have difficulty against anyway, so they will need to improve in any case, but at least they will face a team with some flaws next round.
I'm at the point now with Boozer where I'm actually happy when he picks up his second stupid foul in the first quarter and has to go to the bench. I think that if he's off, which he has been for most games in recent memory, then the Bulls should be giving more time to Thomas and Gibson. I know it is hard to bench a guy whom the Bulls have invested so much money and hope, but the playoffs are no place to leave a guy in who keeps screwing up.
Friday, April 8, 2011
In the Driver's Seat
Bulls got the big win they needed over Boston to put them in excellent position for the one seed in the East. Even more reassuring is that the two guys I'm most worried about in big games, namely Deng and Boozer, both played pretty well. And our three-headed SG monster has worked out OK lately as well. Bogans has given them good defense and is finally hitting some threes. Korver gives them a streak shooter off the bench. And Brewer has been great with steals, energy plays, and for his patented sneak-up along the baseline backdoor trick.
And to top it off, Rose is looking like a lock for MVP. One of his main competitors, Dwight Howard, just gave the Bulls a break by getting yet another technical for griping, and getting suspended for their upcoming game against the Bulls. Barring a collapse, the one seed is in the bag. That means Indiana first round and most likely Orlando for round two, with the winner of Boston vs Miami in the conference finals. If the Bulls had sat down at the beginning of the season and wrote down the most favorable scenario for them come playoff time, it would look very much like the position they are now in.
Let's rewind two years and remember that great playoff series the Bulls had against the Celtics. In that game seven, Ben Gordan had 33 points and Rose had 18. Celtics shot the ball better and were clearly superior at moving the ball around. Over that seven game series, Rose vs Rondo was close to a wash, with perhaps even a tiny advantage to Rondo. At the time, I said that the Bulls would have won if they had an upgrade over Tyrus Thomas at the four.
Now, Rondo is a bit better, but Rose is a whole lot better. We don't have a scoring SG like Gordon, but we have lots of good role players and a much better bench. Instead of Tyrus, we have Boozer and Thomas. We didn't have Deng for that series but that was probably an advantage. This year he's actually an asset. And the rest of the Celtics are about the same as before, just two years older.
Of course the playoffs are more than just being better than the Celtics, but the Bulls have shown that they can beat anyone this year in a series. And this just may be their best chance for a bit. They are going in with perfect seeding and are relatively injury-free. Next year, the NBA will most likely see a lockout. Superstar teams like Miami and New York may start to hit their stride. Plenty could start to go wrong, so even though the Bulls are relatively young, the future is now.
And to top it off, Rose is looking like a lock for MVP. One of his main competitors, Dwight Howard, just gave the Bulls a break by getting yet another technical for griping, and getting suspended for their upcoming game against the Bulls. Barring a collapse, the one seed is in the bag. That means Indiana first round and most likely Orlando for round two, with the winner of Boston vs Miami in the conference finals. If the Bulls had sat down at the beginning of the season and wrote down the most favorable scenario for them come playoff time, it would look very much like the position they are now in.
Let's rewind two years and remember that great playoff series the Bulls had against the Celtics. In that game seven, Ben Gordan had 33 points and Rose had 18. Celtics shot the ball better and were clearly superior at moving the ball around. Over that seven game series, Rose vs Rondo was close to a wash, with perhaps even a tiny advantage to Rondo. At the time, I said that the Bulls would have won if they had an upgrade over Tyrus Thomas at the four.
Now, Rondo is a bit better, but Rose is a whole lot better. We don't have a scoring SG like Gordon, but we have lots of good role players and a much better bench. Instead of Tyrus, we have Boozer and Thomas. We didn't have Deng for that series but that was probably an advantage. This year he's actually an asset. And the rest of the Celtics are about the same as before, just two years older.
Of course the playoffs are more than just being better than the Celtics, but the Bulls have shown that they can beat anyone this year in a series. And this just may be their best chance for a bit. They are going in with perfect seeding and are relatively injury-free. Next year, the NBA will most likely see a lockout. Superstar teams like Miami and New York may start to hit their stride. Plenty could start to go wrong, so even though the Bulls are relatively young, the future is now.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Better Without Boozer?
Hate to think that the Bulls are better off without their most expensive off-season acquistion, but it often looks that way. It has certainly looked that way during the past few games with Boozer going out with what seemed like a minor ankle turn. They move the ball better on offense and both Taj and Big Sexy are certainly better defenders. Boozer is a bit of a Black Hole offensively. He slowly pivots and then holds the ball for several seconds before doing something, and all too often what he decides to do is either take a fade away jumper or cause a turnover.
Hard to complain about the Bulls when they are tied for the one seed in the East! Clearly this is above expectation. Thibs should be a lock for coach of the year. Rose is looking legit for MVP, although I still have some doubts about whether he deserves it. Regardless, both Rose and the Bulls are playing very well right now and just before playoffs is a great time to be able to say that.
The bench have been the real heroes lately. Everyone on the second unit has been rock solid during the past few weeks. Not that the starters have been bad either. Bogans has clearly upped his game lately, and even my favorite-Bull-to-bash, Mr Deng, has played extremely well.
So why am I still not certain that the Bulls could win even a first round playoff series? The playoffs are just a different level of intensity and I wonder how flawed players like Deng and Boozer will hold up there. Not to be a pessimist, because the Bulls are in a great position right now and they can realistically beat any team in a series. I could not have said that early in the year, but they have proven that they can play with anyone.
They clearly have momentum and esprit de corps. Even Scalabrine (who I have to sometimes blink my eyes because I see Jackie Moon on the court when he comes in) has shown some true leadership. Bulls fans get a free Big Mac when the Bulls win a home game and score more than 100 points. However, the NBA also has an etiquette where teams don't try to score with the game in hand with less than 24 seconds left. So, the Bulls found themselves in the uncomfortable situation where they had a sure win with 98 points and got the ball with 21 seconds left. Of course the home crowd was screaming for a basket but Scalabrine demanded the ball and held it to the end. Then he followed up with an apologetic Twitter tweet to the fans for not getting them a sandwich. That's the veteran savvy that takes away the pressure from the guys who actually win the games!
A bit early to predict playoff seedings, but the one and two spots are clearly looking better than number three. The three seed will most likely face New York, or a suddenly hot Philadelphia, while the one or two will most likely see Charlotte or Indiana or whoever starts to fade in the stretch.
Hard to complain about the Bulls when they are tied for the one seed in the East! Clearly this is above expectation. Thibs should be a lock for coach of the year. Rose is looking legit for MVP, although I still have some doubts about whether he deserves it. Regardless, both Rose and the Bulls are playing very well right now and just before playoffs is a great time to be able to say that.
The bench have been the real heroes lately. Everyone on the second unit has been rock solid during the past few weeks. Not that the starters have been bad either. Bogans has clearly upped his game lately, and even my favorite-Bull-to-bash, Mr Deng, has played extremely well.
So why am I still not certain that the Bulls could win even a first round playoff series? The playoffs are just a different level of intensity and I wonder how flawed players like Deng and Boozer will hold up there. Not to be a pessimist, because the Bulls are in a great position right now and they can realistically beat any team in a series. I could not have said that early in the year, but they have proven that they can play with anyone.
They clearly have momentum and esprit de corps. Even Scalabrine (who I have to sometimes blink my eyes because I see Jackie Moon on the court when he comes in) has shown some true leadership. Bulls fans get a free Big Mac when the Bulls win a home game and score more than 100 points. However, the NBA also has an etiquette where teams don't try to score with the game in hand with less than 24 seconds left. So, the Bulls found themselves in the uncomfortable situation where they had a sure win with 98 points and got the ball with 21 seconds left. Of course the home crowd was screaming for a basket but Scalabrine demanded the ball and held it to the end. Then he followed up with an apologetic Twitter tweet to the fans for not getting them a sandwich. That's the veteran savvy that takes away the pressure from the guys who actually win the games!
A bit early to predict playoff seedings, but the one and two spots are clearly looking better than number three. The three seed will most likely face New York, or a suddenly hot Philadelphia, while the one or two will most likely see Charlotte or Indiana or whoever starts to fade in the stretch.
Monday, February 28, 2011
End of Trading Deadline, Start of Buyout Season
Bulls were strangely quiet during the trading window. The only thing they did was send off James Johnson to Toronto for a bad draft pick. They did make a serious offer for OJ Mayo though, dangling Brewer plus both first round draft picks, but the Grizzles wanted Asik, and the Bulls were right to hang on to him. Strangely, Memphis reportedly accepted a worse deal from the Pacers but it didn't go though in time. Can't argue with the Bulls about that -- they made a good offer and stopped short of making a bad one. Since they currently have the three seed for the playoffs, you could make the argument that they don't need much.
It's been a very long time since the Bulls were an attractive destination for buyout players, but this year they should be active. For the uninitiated, the buyout period is where the bad pauper teams jettison players for salary cap reasons. The better players often resign with a playoff bound team for less money, hoping for a ring. Boston has been particularly successful with snatching up buyout players, as has the Lakers and other elite teams. With the poor economy, this year's crop of buyout players will be better than usual, with names like Troy Murphy, Mike Bibby, Leon Powe, Samuel Delembert, Jared Jeffries, Corey Brewer, Jason Kapono, TJ Ford, and Rasual Butler. Bibby is supposedly headed for the Heat, who badly need him. Lots of teams will fight for Murphy, including Boston, who will probably pick up some big man. The Lakers and Dallas will likely get someone. Miami is probably the team with the most to gain by picking up buyout players.
Current rumors have Butler headed for the Bulls, giving us yet another average SG. I guess he can be more useful than Johnson though, so it could be a good move. I think they should take a good look at Brewer, if only to confuse teams by having two Brewer's on the same squad. Seriously though, he has some size and athleticism, actually, a slightly taller version of the Brewer we already have.
Bulls have been hot lately and you can make the case that they can handle anyone in a series this year. I believe this is true, however, I also think they could just as easily lose a first round playoff series. There's no really great team this year. San Antonio is the closest to that and the Bulls just beat them handily, so it really is a wide open year with the championship up for grabs.
It's been a very long time since the Bulls were an attractive destination for buyout players, but this year they should be active. For the uninitiated, the buyout period is where the bad pauper teams jettison players for salary cap reasons. The better players often resign with a playoff bound team for less money, hoping for a ring. Boston has been particularly successful with snatching up buyout players, as has the Lakers and other elite teams. With the poor economy, this year's crop of buyout players will be better than usual, with names like Troy Murphy, Mike Bibby, Leon Powe, Samuel Delembert, Jared Jeffries, Corey Brewer, Jason Kapono, TJ Ford, and Rasual Butler. Bibby is supposedly headed for the Heat, who badly need him. Lots of teams will fight for Murphy, including Boston, who will probably pick up some big man. The Lakers and Dallas will likely get someone. Miami is probably the team with the most to gain by picking up buyout players.
Current rumors have Butler headed for the Bulls, giving us yet another average SG. I guess he can be more useful than Johnson though, so it could be a good move. I think they should take a good look at Brewer, if only to confuse teams by having two Brewer's on the same squad. Seriously though, he has some size and athleticism, actually, a slightly taller version of the Brewer we already have.
Bulls have been hot lately and you can make the case that they can handle anyone in a series this year. I believe this is true, however, I also think they could just as easily lose a first round playoff series. There's no really great team this year. San Antonio is the closest to that and the Bulls just beat them handily, so it really is a wide open year with the championship up for grabs.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Limping into Noah's Return
Overall, the Bulls did an excellent job of keeping up their record during Noah's absence. There were a few bad loses in there, but some nice overall play as well. First up for props has got to be "Big & Sexy" Kurt Thomas. Who would have thought the old guy had so much left in the tank? I just hope we haven't used it all up and rendered him a cripple for the playoffs.
Speaking of cripples, Rose has stomach ulcers, back problems, and seems to grimace after every drive to the basket. He clearly needs some down time. We'll have to see if that will mean missed games or reduced minutes. Watson has been doing a pretty decent job as backup lately. Thibs even plays him at the two spot with Rose sometimes, when we can get away with such a small back court. Watson will clearly see more time at point guard in the near future.
Deng has been playing insane minutes. I don't say that just because I think any time Deng is on the court is a bit insane but because he is among the league leaders in minutes played. And while he still does his usual bonehead, wimpy stuff, I'm going to twist my own arm behind my back until I admit that he's playing his best ball in years. He gets so many minutes because we're short in the front court with Noah out and Thibs has shown absolutely no confidence in James Johnson, so much so that they've actually sent him down to the D-league Iowa Energy. There are teams in the league who make good use of their D-league team to give young players extra minutes, but the Bulls almost never use it. So it is quite a bad sign, and a blow to the Bulls who were so high on him when he was drafted at 16. However, this may also be a sign that Thibs likes using the D-league more than the Bulls have historically.
Our threesome of disappointing free agent shooting guards are all playing a bit better, although none has really broken out. Taj shook off a concussion and has been solid since. Boozer was hurt again for a short stretch with a bad ankle. The Bulls brought him back with reduced minutes and that seems to be wise.
Big priority now for the Bulls is to find a backup 3-4 to fill the roster spot that Johnson leaves open. Then Deng and Thomas can get some much needed bench time. Noah is supposed to be on schedule to return in a few weeks and they really need that to work out.
Speaking of cripples, Rose has stomach ulcers, back problems, and seems to grimace after every drive to the basket. He clearly needs some down time. We'll have to see if that will mean missed games or reduced minutes. Watson has been doing a pretty decent job as backup lately. Thibs even plays him at the two spot with Rose sometimes, when we can get away with such a small back court. Watson will clearly see more time at point guard in the near future.
Deng has been playing insane minutes. I don't say that just because I think any time Deng is on the court is a bit insane but because he is among the league leaders in minutes played. And while he still does his usual bonehead, wimpy stuff, I'm going to twist my own arm behind my back until I admit that he's playing his best ball in years. He gets so many minutes because we're short in the front court with Noah out and Thibs has shown absolutely no confidence in James Johnson, so much so that they've actually sent him down to the D-league Iowa Energy. There are teams in the league who make good use of their D-league team to give young players extra minutes, but the Bulls almost never use it. So it is quite a bad sign, and a blow to the Bulls who were so high on him when he was drafted at 16. However, this may also be a sign that Thibs likes using the D-league more than the Bulls have historically.
Our threesome of disappointing free agent shooting guards are all playing a bit better, although none has really broken out. Taj shook off a concussion and has been solid since. Boozer was hurt again for a short stretch with a bad ankle. The Bulls brought him back with reduced minutes and that seems to be wise.
Big priority now for the Bulls is to find a backup 3-4 to fill the roster spot that Johnson leaves open. Then Deng and Thomas can get some much needed bench time. Noah is supposed to be on schedule to return in a few weeks and they really need that to work out.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Still Looking For an SG
First, let's recap the Bulls ineptitude in getting a shooting guard. Last season they gave away two SGs (Salmons and Hinrich) and then paid a lot of money for three SGs who are all worse than the two they gave away. The Bulls would love to have a Dr. Frankenstein create one good SG by combining the best traits of their three flawed ones, but instead they will have to look for a trade. Just to make things even more idiotic, one of their main trade targets, JR Smith, is another guy the Bulls once gave away for nothing.
Sigh. It's depressing to discuss these trade possibilities, but let's get to it. I'm not crazy about Smith, even though he is a good 3 point shooter, and that is our biggest need. The main reason the Bulls threw him away in the first place is because he is a bit daffy and not the greatest locker room presence. Which brings me to Stephen Jackson, another guy who gets traded a lot because no one really likes him. He's the best all-around scorer among the candidates though. OJ Mayo is another possibility. After starting for the Grizzlies for his first two years in the league, he's now firmly planted on the bench. He is a young player with the most potential in this list, but he's more of a "score off the dribble" type of guy and the Bulls need a spot-up jump shooter to knock down open looks when Rose drives the lane and takes three guys with him. Jamal Crawford, another ex-Bull who we couldn't wait to get rid of at one time, is now back on the Bulls' radar. He's coming off a Sixth Man of the Year award and can score lots of points at times, but he's pretty limited and another player with some baggage.
Another target is JJ Redick, because the Bulls seemingly can't resist Duke players (I'd bet money they'll draft Singler next year if he's available to them). Or maybe they are just fascinated with players who go by two initials instead of a first name? Redick was their first choice over the summer but he spurned them for Orlando, who overpaid to resign him. Now Orlando has pulled off a blockbuster trade that has pulled in plenty of scorers but leaving them without a backup big man, so they would love to have someone like Taj. With Noah out the Bulls desperately need Taj as well, so even though Redick is likely to be traded it remains to be seen if the Bulls finally get him.
Of course it is getting to be the time of year when everyone talks about Carmelo Anthony being traded. He's firmly a 3, and not a 2, but with a real scorer at SF, instead of Deng, the Bulls might be able to live with their SG by committee. Current rumors have him going to NJ though. And if we are looking for scoring 3's, we could add Iguodala and Gerald Wallace to the mix. While I like both of them better than Deng (actually, there are few starting 3's in the league I like less than Deng) the Bulls would have to think hard about team chemistry before swapping for either.
Despite being well out in first place in a weak division, the Bulls are not playing well and will not go far in the playoffs with this team. The good news is that Boozer is shooting better and Noah will eventually be back. If they could somehow manage to get an upgrade at the 2 or 3 then their outlook should improve.
Sigh. It's depressing to discuss these trade possibilities, but let's get to it. I'm not crazy about Smith, even though he is a good 3 point shooter, and that is our biggest need. The main reason the Bulls threw him away in the first place is because he is a bit daffy and not the greatest locker room presence. Which brings me to Stephen Jackson, another guy who gets traded a lot because no one really likes him. He's the best all-around scorer among the candidates though. OJ Mayo is another possibility. After starting for the Grizzlies for his first two years in the league, he's now firmly planted on the bench. He is a young player with the most potential in this list, but he's more of a "score off the dribble" type of guy and the Bulls need a spot-up jump shooter to knock down open looks when Rose drives the lane and takes three guys with him. Jamal Crawford, another ex-Bull who we couldn't wait to get rid of at one time, is now back on the Bulls' radar. He's coming off a Sixth Man of the Year award and can score lots of points at times, but he's pretty limited and another player with some baggage.
Another target is JJ Redick, because the Bulls seemingly can't resist Duke players (I'd bet money they'll draft Singler next year if he's available to them). Or maybe they are just fascinated with players who go by two initials instead of a first name? Redick was their first choice over the summer but he spurned them for Orlando, who overpaid to resign him. Now Orlando has pulled off a blockbuster trade that has pulled in plenty of scorers but leaving them without a backup big man, so they would love to have someone like Taj. With Noah out the Bulls desperately need Taj as well, so even though Redick is likely to be traded it remains to be seen if the Bulls finally get him.
Of course it is getting to be the time of year when everyone talks about Carmelo Anthony being traded. He's firmly a 3, and not a 2, but with a real scorer at SF, instead of Deng, the Bulls might be able to live with their SG by committee. Current rumors have him going to NJ though. And if we are looking for scoring 3's, we could add Iguodala and Gerald Wallace to the mix. While I like both of them better than Deng (actually, there are few starting 3's in the league I like less than Deng) the Bulls would have to think hard about team chemistry before swapping for either.
Despite being well out in first place in a weak division, the Bulls are not playing well and will not go far in the playoffs with this team. The good news is that Boozer is shooting better and Noah will eventually be back. If they could somehow manage to get an upgrade at the 2 or 3 then their outlook should improve.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)