Shoutout to the Garbage Men

Yo-Yo what it do, the Bulls may have lost last night's game against the defending champeen Lakers, but they hung tough throughout most of it, even leading the game at one point in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, they had no answer for a late-game barrage of threes from the likes of Steve Blake, Shannon Brown, and Matt Barnes (wha ha happened?). Luckily, the Bullies have a chance to right things tonight against the Phoenix Steve Nashes Suns. One of the bright spots from last night's loss was the play of Joakim Noah, especially his defense against Pau Gasol, who was held to 12 points on 3-10 shooting. This leads me (closer) to the topic of today's post.....

If you haven't been following the goings on down in South Beach, the Pat Riley Chemical Feast are off to a blistering(ly pedestrian) 8-6 start, and one of their most glaring holes is their utter lack of a dirty work player, i.e. one whose scoring is generally inessential to their actual impact on the court.

Let's recap a brief and very incomplete list of some of the NBAs great (recent) past and present garbage men, describing the strengths they harnessed to offset their lack of traditional basketball skills, and rating them on the standard 5-point junkyard dog (JYD) scale. In no particular order:


Dennis Rodman:

This pic pretty much says it all. There wasn't a single loose ball that the Worm saw and didn't yearn for with the burning passion of a thousand dying suns. He led the league in RPG seven times, averaging 15+ a game in six separate seasons (twice over 18). Perhaps no other stat confirms his otherworldly rebounding prowess than his all-time leading career mark for rebound rate. At 23.4%, this means he grabbed nearly a fourth of all the caroms available throughout the course of his career. He couldn't shoot or post-up worth a damn, but Guy. Got. Ball. Oh, and he spent the great majority of his career playing against guys at least twice this size.

4.5 out of 5 JYD:









Bruce Bowen:

Not your prototypical JYD, but a JYD nonetheless. While he always had a very limited offensive repertoire, he never really hit true JYD status until his long and fruitful tenure with the Spurs. Through eight seasons, three of which resulted in a championship, he averaged just a shade over 30 minutes a game, with a paltry 6.5 PPG over that span. He also established himself as one of the premier defenders in the NBA, generally focusing in on defending the opposition's top offensive wing player. While he also got criticized (justifiably) for his at-times dirty defensive tactics, you can't argue with the results or his indelible contributions to those perennially championship contending Spurs teams.

4 out of 5 JYD for BB:









Ben Wallace:

The original Big Ben (excluding this one, of course), who is known primarily for his boss-as-hell afro, all-time poor FT shooting, and prodigous defensive and rebounding skillz. Undrafted out of college, he's been in the league going on a decade and a half now. He's won defensive player of the year four times in his career, and made four all-star teams in that span as well. All this despite the fact that he'd still likely miss the first bucket given this opportunity: It's a fucking gimme, mang!

Also, he was featured in one of the all-time great NBA video game commercials:


For all of the above and not much else, Benny the (one-time) Bull gets a 4.5 JYD:









Joakim Noah:

A JYD for the twitter-age, if there ever was one. Since being drafted out Florida with the 9th pick in 2007, Joakim has gone from a being a poor-man's Andy Varaejo into an elite-level beast on the glass and defensive end in general. Joakim has improved so much in this time, that he's actually starting to play himself out of JYD status. He's currently averaging a cool 15 pts and 13 rebs, which means he's actually got more offensive game than a JYD has any right to have. But to be fair, he's certainly ugly as hell, which any true JYD should be.

3.5 out of 5 JYD (if only because he can actually put the ball in the basket on a semi-regular basis)









Honorable Mention, Jerome Williams:

After all, he's the namesake for this post's terribly dumb scoring system, so I'd be remiss to exclude him from the definitive (ask anyone) list of JYDs. With career averages of 6.6 pts and 6.4 rebs/game, he clearly was never a focal point on the teams he played for. But through sheer hustle and determination, the true JYD was able to hang in the league for nearly a full decade. Praise be to Jerome for maximizing his uber-limited skillset.

5 out of a possible 5 JYDs:









Finally, here's a timeless and G-funked-the-hell-out cut from the Above the Rim soundtrack, starring TuPac, one of the dudes from Cool Runnings, some other guy, and Marlon Wayans:




HAPPY THANKGIVING EVERYONE!!!!!

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Is TMac available???

Yep the worse has happened for the bulls. They have reported missed out on signing the big 3 in free agency. No Bosh, No Wade, and No LeBron (well, this is an assumption). But the bulls have signed Carlos Boozer. It doesnt matter that i actually think the bulls can be a better team with boozer and solid role players around rose and noah. It matters that the Bulls got shut out of the summer of 2010. Once again, the bulls organization fell flat and whiffed at free agents. I mean they basically threw last season so that they could sign a huge free agent this summer and now nada. It is just embarrassing that an organization acted the way they did and came up empty. Like i said its doesnt matter that i think the bulls will now be with the addition of a couple good role players legit contenders for the conference title. The summer of 2010 is still a disappointment for the bulls. TMac is a free agent, maybe we can sign him 10 years after wooing him as a free agent and coming up empty. That will make up for missing on the big 3 right?

And im sticking to my prediction that Bron will stay a Cav.

Also, this link is to a great coverage about free agency and how good boozer makes the bulls.

http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-freeagency-100707/lebron-set-join-wade-bosh

Pending the Free Agent Bonzana

Look everyone has been awaiting the summer of 2010 for the last 2 years in the NBA and now its 2 days away. This blog will be following it closely and will be bulls heavy here for the next 10 days or so. So, everyone strap in and enjoy the ride.

There are rumors running wild about what will happen with the big 3, wade, bosh and Lebron. It sounds like wade is staying in Miami and bosh will go wherever bron does. So will it be to the bulls? i dont know. i'd put it at a 33% chance between the bulls and the heat and some other wildcard. There is no question that bosh and bron will be the bulls #1 targets and they are the best talents in free agency. But if the bulls whiff on those 2 which i say there will be 66% chance of that happening, who should the bulls look to next?

According to the link below, the bulls already have scheduled a meeting with carlos boozer. He would be a great fit for the bulls. He would not command the max salary which would save the bulls some money. He gives them a post presence and plays good defense. Also, rose would still be the superstar on the team. The bulls also are reported to have a meeting set up with joe johnson. He also is a great fit with the bulls. He is a shooter/score in the ben gordon mode who spaces the floor for Drose. He also isnt a superstar that would take the ball out of drose's hands. He probably doesnt command a max salary either. Bron and bosh are better players no doubt but boozer and johnson would be better fits for the bulls and allow Drose into the superstar that i think everyone believes he can become. Missing out on bron and bosh may not be the worst thing in the world. We will see what happens in 2 days.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5337879

Interview about Lebron's impact on Chicago

Great interview and great sources. A good watch.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=166723

Definitely not Vinny

The bulls have a new coach. His name is Tom Thibodeau. I will take to take to calling him Thbow because he is cooler than tim tebow and his last name is too long. Thbow was the hot coaching candidate of this offseason. He has 30 some years of assistant coaching in basketball, most of it in the NBA. I mean this guy is the anti-Vinny. He doesnt have any head coaching experience but he is known around the nba as a defensive guru and hopefully creative on offense. People know him around the nba and respect him which is more than could be said for Vinny when he came in and probably when he left too. This is a very solid hire and one respected around the league.

I'm happy with the hire because there was no one i really wanted to coach the bulls. There were no big name coaches out there available. No D'Antoi or other proven nba head coaches. Plus unless you have Phil Jackson or someone, in the nba, i dont think a coach makes much of a difference to the players or on the scoreboard. thbow would seem to be a solid coach already who can maybe improve into an elite coach in this league that does make a difference. but still players and talent wins in the nba. thats the bottom line.

so,the big question remains tho: does thbow bring lebron to chicago? The answer is no. i dont think the coach really matters to lebron. i think lebron will go where he thinks he will have the best chance to win a championship. And talent wins championship. If he comes to chicago, its because he believes that the talent of the bulls (rose, noah and crew) can win a championship with him. Thbow wont help bring bron to the bulls and wont stop bron coming either. good start to the offseason, pax and gar. now bring the talent so we can win.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bulls/post/_/id/1003/thibodeau-brings-experience-respect

Do I have to watch?

I dont have much to say about the Bulls-Cavs series otherwise then I'm not sure i want to watch. I just dont see anyway the bulls can win this series. The Cavs are better than the bulls in every aspect. They have more skill, more size, probably more athleticism and speed. Many the bulls can win a game but i doubt it. We are only gonna have to endure watching Bron dance for 4 games. Bring on the FA summer of 10.

CAVs in 4 games.

2 man enter. 1 man leave.

Pax v. Vinny. I've got my money on Pax & in real life. Coach & team president get into a fight?? sounds like the bulls will have some tv producers pitching a reality show that takes place in their front office. This is a fucking mess and embarrasses the bulls across the league. It is just stupid that executives and coaches could act like this over the playing time of a player.

I now want the bulls to lose tonight. Lose so they dont make the playoffs. Get this joke over with. Making the playoffs only makes this story last longer and makes bulls fans have to see more of Bron dancing (getting to the point where i hate Bron, by the way). Everyone knows Vinny is gonna be fired whether or not he is a bad/good coach. So get it over with. making the playoffs only prolongs this stories and the questions to the bulls players about this. Come on, Bulls. Lose!

A new/old face for the bulls???

So yesterday during the national championship game, i found myself thinking what does Coach K have left to prove in the game of college basketball??? (Besides making his name spellable.) He has now won 4 championships and has established the program as the most sought after scholorship in college BB. He has coached the national team to a gold medal. Would he consider a move to the NBA? It would seem that is the only basketball arena he hasnt tried/conquered yet.

Previously i have thought (and im not the only one) that who is coaching your team wont influence free agents at all. But the more i thought about it, the more i could coach K being the exception to that rule. The Olympic players raved about him & his coaching style. Most of the players who went to college wanted to play for him or atleast consider it. Bosh, Wade, Bron, Boozer, and David Lee all played for coach K in the Olympics and i would have to assume that joe johnson would be considered for the team in the future. And they listened to him and won a gold medal because of it. He has the name to be a draw for some of these guys to a team he is coaching.

So, could he be a possibility to coach the bulls next year? Definitely. He is a hometown chicago guy and big cubs fan. The bulls would be an appealing team to him because of their young nucleus that plays defense and the chance to sign a big free agent. Now it would cost the bulls probably i would think 10+ mill a year. would they do it?

The bulls under paxson have been all about drafting players from winning college programs. How bout a college coach that has built a winning program for their next coach? The bulls have done everything they could to make their team appealing to a free agent this summer, why not take the extra step and hire the most appealing coach too?

Do we want the bulls to win?

The bulls are battling for a playoff spot. I just cant decide if i want them to get in. And its not for the reasons you would think. Getting a higher draft pick doesnt help because the bucks can swap picks with the bulls so long as the bulls arent in the top 10 which seems very unlikely. It is always good to get playoff experience right? Plus it will look good to free agents, right?

First off i dont think it matters to Free agents if the bulls make the playoffs. they know rose-noah-deng are good. i dont think the bulls being a 8th seed as opposed to just out of the playoffs changes anyone's decision about signing with the bulls.

More than anything im worried about injuries and wear on our players. These days who isnt hurt on the bulls? Rose is banged up. We know about Noah and Taj with plantar whatever. Deng and James Johnson say they want to try and come back and play which is great attitude to have as a player. but i would rather have these guys healthy for next season when they have a chance to win something than play hurt for the right to a 1st rd exit. Can you just shut down a team? I'll just pray to the injuries gods till the end of the season, i guess.

Bulls Trades

Sorry, it took me a while to get to this but.....................

I really like what Gar Forman has done at his first trade deadline.

Most importantly the bulls now have the chance to offer a max contract in what will be the summer bonanza of '10. But also, i dont think they got worse. Look Salmons couldnt hit the side of a barn this year and while it seems like everyone liked him, he wasnt giving you a spark of the bench. Flip Murray certainly can give you a spark of offense (that might be all) off the bench. But he is a better bench player than salmons with more offense and not much defense.

I have always been a fan of hakim warrick. he is a solid player. he isnt a starter in this league but he is a pretty damn good first big guy off the bench. he is long and athletic and can score some and block shots. so pretty much he is what many hoped ty thomas would be. he will give the bulls some consistence off the bench and provide what the bulls hoped they would be getting from thomas at the beginning of this season.

Look the bulls may win 2 more games or 2 less games then they would have with salmons & thomas this season. but they got rid of 2 contracts that they needed to.

Nice job Gar. Now lets all play the waiting game and cross our fingers for summer 2010.

Bron is a pipedream right?

According to the NY daily news, maybe not. If you believe the article that was written on monday in the paper, Bron really would only consider 3 teams this summer. Resigning w/the Cavs, the Knicks (b/c they have enough room for 2 max contracts) and suprise!, our own Bulls.

Do i believe this article? Nope, not for a second. I would say there is a 1% chance that Bron comes to the bulls. but, the article does make a good point that next summer the bulls might be the most ready to win team out of any of the free agent players, maybe even the Cavs. Makes sense if you think about it. What are the Cavs without Bron? Mo Williams, now Jamison and an aging Shaq. No question in my mind that Rose, Deng, Gibson and Noah is a better more talented core.

Does that factor into Bron's decision?

I dont know but let me have the dream for a minute......

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2010/02/20/2010-02-20_cross_nets_clips__heat_off_lebrons_list.html?page=1

Am i a prophet?

Tyrus Thomas had another blow up. He hasnt been getting the playing time he has wanted and went off on vinny. Is anyone surprised? This is what we have come to expect from Ty. And he will probably be traded before the deadline in 10 days and his days as a bull will come to an end. Chalk up another drafted big man with unlimited potential that didnt develop for the bulls. I would say im dissappointed but i pretty much predicted it in my season preview (read below). See ya Ty, bring on the summer of '10. Also, there are links at the bottom to 2 good articles on espnchicago about Ty.

TT might be the biggest key to Bulls success this season. He will start at the 4 and has to bring energy, rebounding, blocks, highlight dunks, and the occasional 15 ft jumper. With his ability, he should dominate the boards and be able to intimidate everyone at and above the rim. If tyrus can average 15 pts, 9 boards, 1.5 blocks per game, it will be a successful season and the bulls can think about locking him up long term.

With that said however, i dont think it will be the case. I think its very likely that by midseason, you will see taj gibson starting at the 4 and tyrus coming off the bench. This might be a better role for tyrus because he can bring that spark that the 2nd unit needs and he can be a little more reckless with his fouls. Throughout the preseason, gibson has shown everything that tyrus doesnt do. Gibson is fundamentally sound, rotates well on D, talks well on D, and surprisingly can hit the 15 ft with consistency. I dont think Gibson is the answer at the 4 nor do i necessarily think he is a better player than tyrus but i think he can be more consistent and a better fit starting along side noah.

The bulls have chosen not to extend tyrus' contract and he will be a restrict FA at the end of the year. I think the bulls have taken this approach because tyrus has yet to really produce and they have liked what they have seen from taj gibson. In the end, i think this will be tyrus' last year with the bulls or he will be dealt at the trade deadline. I just dont see him becoming a consistent player yet and the bulls will not want to pay for the potential. I really hope i am wrong because i believe tyrus could be a game changer for the bulls and make them a team to reckoned with.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bulls/post/_/id/136/tyrus-thomas-returns-to-bulls-practice-after-suspension

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/columns/story?columnist=greenberg_jon&id=4898908

what cant rose do?

please watch this dunk. I'm not sure what is better, rose's spectular dunk or the announcer's reactions. best dunk of the year so far by a bull.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSWv1nwZcnU&NR=1

the bulls have an allstar

and his name is derek rose. I think next year he will be the starting point guard but it is very impressive for him to make it this year as a 2nd year player. Now which FA wants to play with him?

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/01/hold-hold-rose-all-star-game.html

A moment of silence for the departure of.....

Aaron Gray is no longer a bull. This is a sad day for the goofy jack haley benching cheering bulls center. i will shed tears now. they get back devin brown from the hornets who basically sucks at shooting but can play defense and is 6-5. The great white hope will be missed.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/brown_gray_100125.html

Ty Thomas

ive been re-writing this post for about a week. so here we go.

So the rumors are that the bulls are shopping ty thomas. Am i happy about it? i think so. It atleast it means that gar foreman and paxson are thinking ahead. Look the bulls aren't a good team. at best they are a mediocre team which is what we have seen the past couple of weeks. Does Ty make them a better team? yes he does but i think its obvious that the bulls dont see him in their future plans. and would a guy like al harrington help you score points this year and give you cap relief? yep. atleast this may signal that gar and pax have identified an avenue for this team and Ty doesnt fit it. Either way the bulls need more players who can score, not look confused on offense and jack up 18 footers like ty.

Bulls so far. He said what?

"Chicago's size and the athleticism of its guards gave Cleveland problems."

Yes this is actually written about our bulls teams. I have to say after 5 games I am extremely impressed with this team. They are winning games with their defense. I havent said that since 2006 and i have higher hopes for this team. I was at the game against the Bobcats and was extremely impressed with the bulls team defense. The bulls were talking with each other, calling out screens and hustling to cover the open man. Sometimes it took 4-5 pass by the bobcats in order to find an open guy off penetration and even then there was a bull running at the guy. With the bulls increased size, they are able to switch on the pick and roll and not get killed on those matchups. Taj Gibson even d'ed up Bron!

Noah is more impressive every game and Deng is getting back to his old form. Thomas' injury sucks but hopefully he will be back soon. Rose will come around and get back in the rhythm. Their shooting will improve and i think this team can all of a sudden challenge for the 4th best team in the east.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-091105

Act wearing thin....

I would like to start this post off by saying i like Tyrus Thomas and hope he can fulfill his enormous potential. However, this kid needs a mentor/buddy/father/grown man to slap him around in his life.

Tyrus was sent home this morning from Bulls practice because of flu-like symptoms. These symptoms come right after took exception to Vinny's criticism of him and Lindsey Hunter calling him out in a team meeting. This is becoming a pattern in my book. Its no wonder that the bulls didnt sign ty to an extension. He says that he is putting in enough work for him to start but ty, you dont make that decision. its the coaches that make the decision if you are putting in enough work or playing well enough to start. If the coaches tell you are late on your defensive rotations, then you have to show that you can do them first. He is suppose to bring defense to this team but its seems as though that is lacking. Of course, then he wont be playing at the end of the game.

I know this kid is only 23 but its his 4th year in the league and frankly i would like him to start acting like it. Besides rose, he probably has the most potential on the team but he acts like because he is working hard, he is entitled to starters minutes and confidence from the fans/media/coaches. Last year, he averaged 10 pts 6 rbs. Do something first then start talking. And this guy said he could average 20pts 10rbs. yeah right....

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2009/11/bulls-send-thomas-home-with-flu-like-symptoms.html

Bulls Season Preview

Bulls Season Preview

This season has the optimistic feel of 2007 for the Bulls. Now that this team has been together for a whole offseason and after their epic playoff battle with the Celtics, people are looking at the Bulls to once again make the playoffs and finish anywhere from 4-6 in the playoff hunt. I have high hopes for these bulls as well but am not quite sure they will be a top team in the East. There are a couple of questions that loom large for the bulls and that must be answered this year.

Can Tyrus take the next step?

TT has all the athletic talent in the world but it really has yet to translate onto the court. He is maddeningly inconsistent and has been throughout his entire career. One minute he will make a block that you didnt realize was possible and then the next moment he will try and dribble through his legs and lose the ball out of bounds. With that said, TT might be the biggest key to Bulls success this season. He will start at the 4 and has to bring energy, rebounding, blocks, highlight dunks, and the occasional 15 ft jumper. With his ability, he should dominate the boards and be able to intimidate everyone at and above the rim. If tyrus can average 15 pts, 9 boards, 1.5 blocks per game, it will be a successful season and the bulls can think about locking him up long term.

With that said however, i dont think it will be the case. I think its very likely that by midseason, you will see taj gibson starting at the 4 and tyrus coming off the bench. This might be a better role for tyrus because he can bring that spark that the 2nd unit needs and he can be a little more reckless with his fouls. Throughout the preseason, gibson has shown everything that tyrus doesnt do. Gibson is fundamentally sound, rotates well on D, talks well on D, and surprisingly can hit the 15 ft with consistency. I dont think Gibson is the answer at the 4 nor do i necessarily think he is a better player than tyrus but i think he can be more consistent and a better fit starting along side noah.

The bulls have chosen not to extend tyrus' contract and he will be a restrict FA at the end of the year. I think the bulls have taken this approach because tyrus has yet to really produce and they have liked what they have seen from taj gibson. In the end, i think this will be tyrus' last year with the bulls or he will be dealt at the trade deadline. I just dont see him becoming a consistent player yet and the bulls will not want to pay for the potential. I really hope i am wrong because i believe tyrus could be a game changer for the bulls and make them a team to reckoned with.

Where does Rose go next?

The answer is anywhere he wants. Rose has shown Bulls and nba fans that he can pretty much do anything on the court he wants. Last year, the knock on him was that he couldnt hit the jumper. But, he proved everyone wrong. While I dont think Rose will ever have a pretty jump shot, he is able to hit the open jumper and occasional 3 pointer to keep the defense honest. I dont think anyone knows what Rose's ceiling is. This year i think the biggest improvement that we will see will be in on-the-court leadership and presence. By the end of the season, he will be talked about just behind CP3 & Deron Williams as the best PG in the game. I see 20.5 pts, 3 rbs, 8.5 asts, & 1.2 stls a game average.

Scoring? Shooters? A Jump hook?

As everyone knows, Ben Gordon is gone to the hell hole that is Detriot basketball and may i just say thank god. I was never a Ben fan (although i enjoyed his big game winning shots) and am glad the bulls will no longer have the blackhole that he was on offense and might finally be able to have 5 players on defense now that he is gone. But everyone wants to know where his scoring will be made up from. Look i dont think putting the ball in the hoop will be a problem for the bulls. Loul's back, Rose, Salmons, Kirk, Noah and Pargo all should between them make up ben's 20 pts/game.

What i am worried about is how the bulls put the ball in the hole. While Salmons, Hinrich, and Pargo all can shoot from distance, im not sure i would call any of them a good 3 pt shooter. I mean in the playoffs, the bulls best 3 pt shooter was Brad Miller. With their starting 5, salmons is really the only legit 3 pt threat. Defenses might be able to pack the lane more and limit Rose's driving lanes as a result. 3 pt shooting will definitely be a concern and i wouldnt mind seeing the bulls pick up a 3 pt specialist at the trade deadline.

The bulls still dont have any post scoring. Noah, Thomas and others will get you pts in the paint but you really cant run a play for them in the post. In the preseason, they isolated Deng & Noah and they attempted to back down their guys but who are we kidding, those 2 in the post scare anyone. Aaron Gray is about the only guy w/post moves on the bulls and he wont be seeing any court time. I think for the bulls to take the next step they need someone, whether it be a big guy or guard who can post up their guy.

Overall, i think the Bulls will be a frustrating good team. They will be better will be better than last year. They have to be better on defense with gordon gone and a bigger, deeper team but they dont have that shut down defender either who can stop the opposing team's best player. Overall, the Bulls have depth and no injury should hurt them that much. I would say you shouldn't expect much out of top pick Johnson but as i said above i can imagine gibson having a significant role on this team. The Bulls had no problem scoring last year but only with improved defense will they become a real threat in the east. There will still be significant growing pains with this team and that will lead me to end up screaming at the TV and them losing some games they shouldn't. They dont have the firepower to play with the big 3 in the east (Cavs, Celtics, Magic) but they are definitely in that 2nd tier of teams and who knows last year the magic through the improvement of Nelson, Courtney Lee, Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard made that jump from 2nd tier to top tier. But, i think sadly for us bulls fans we will be doomed to another 1st rd playoff exit and then see what the great summer of '10 holds for the bulls.

Bulls 43-39

Finish 6th in the east

1st round playoff loss