Bulls Blog - I guess this is the 'thin' part

Moving day

2005-09-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce my long-planned and eagerly-anticipated move over to BlogABull.com. This new site is part of Sportsblogs Nation. A collection of top-notch sportsblogs, their portfolio up to this point has been only baseball blogs, but they've tabbed me to be to start and lead their hoops blogging. I'm really excited about the move, as the new site looks cleaner and the software

Big news

2005-09-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

Not yet. But soon enough! (By the way, it's regarding this site, not the Bulls, obviously.)

Eddy requesting trade?

2005-09-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

From today's Trib: Eddy Curry's agent has asked the Bulls to consider a sign-and-trade for the restricted free agent, a source familiar with the negotiations confirmed Tuesday. Curry's agent, Leon Rose, did not respond to a message, and Bulls general manager John Paxson declined to confirm or deny the request. But Paxson acknowledged the parties are nowhere near reaching an agreement I'm not

Austin's odyssey continues

2005-09-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

After waiting in vain for an offer from an NBA team, Mario Austin has reportedly signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of Israel's Premier League. Austin, the Bulls 2003 second round pick out of Mississippi State, averaged 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Bulls in the Vegas Summer League. With the recent signings of Malik Allen and Othella Harrington (and potentially Darius Songaila), there was little

Tyson Chandler re-signs

2005-09-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

6 years, $63m. More if he hits certain statistical benchmarks for incentives. UPDATE: NBA blogosphere reaction to the Chandler signing: NBAFanBlog, UnknownColumn, NBA News, Give me the Rock And for your weekend reading pleasure, SacKingsblog.com gives you Carnival of the NBA #15.

Never too early

2005-08-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

There are still many questions to be answered by the Bulls in the coming months, from the possible signing of Darius Songaila to the re-signings of Curry and Chandler. But next offseason will be the big one. If the team shows improvement this season (whether or not it means as many wins) the 2006 offseason could be where Paxson looks for the final piece to make the Bulls contenders in

Frontcourt press

2005-08-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Rumors have been swirling around the Bulls and their search for another frontcourt player to go along with the recently resigned Othella Harrington, Antonio Davis, and the assumed-to-be-back Curry and Chandler. Earlier today ESPN.com's Ric Bucher revealed in his latest chat that the Bulls are likely to land Sacramento Kings Forward (and restricted FA) Darius Songaila. (And while

Comin at you like a bullet(point)

2005-08-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

Some Bulls things: via TrueHoop, here's nice puffy article on Luol Deng. We already know about his newfound ambidextrous-ity, but there's also stuff about his work promoting basketball in Britain. Found this at Hoopshype monday morning (actual source link doesn't work), a blurb mentioning a familiar face: the Jerusalem roster is a step closer to

Another Bull back in the fold

2005-08-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Daily Herald is reporting that the Bulls have reached a one-year deal with Othella Harrington worth $3.2 million, which should become official next week. (Seems like the Herald has really been ahead of the Trib and Sun-Times in Bulls news this summer.) By all accounts John Paxson's visits with Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry's agents went well, but no agreement was made with either player. It

Carnival of the NBA #14

2005-08-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Is up at the acclaimed TrueHoop. Go for your semi-regular dose of the NBA blogosphere....

Rookie forward may fit the bill

2005-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

[Let me preface this post by introducing myself so that you don't think Matt is responsible for this madness. My name is Mike Aparicio and I'll be contributing to the Bulls Blog from time to time.] With Brian Grant set to sign with the Phoenix Suns, the Bulls free agent options for a backup forward have dwindled to names like Tom Gugliotta and Malik Allen. Hardly inspiring. One player that may

Bulls interested in Brian Grant

2005-08-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Daily Herald reports the Bulls are one of several teams interested in forward Brian Grant. Grant, who was waived Wednesday by the Lakers under the new amnesty clause, has also drawn interest from Denver, Phoenix and former teams Miami and Portland, among others. While Grant's agent, Mark Bartelstein, refused to speculate on where his client will land, he feels the Bulls are in contention.

Sam weighs in

2005-08-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

While he is nowhere to be found in the Trib lately, My Man Sam(tm) wraps the Bulls quiet offseason in a neat little package for ESPN.com. Since it's been all Duhon all the time this week, might as well highlight that part: The Toronto Raptors extended Duhon a $9.3 million, three-year offer, which the Bulls say they'll match next week. Part of the reason, of course, is

Let the games begin

2005-08-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

As reported by WSCR earlier this afternoon, Chris Duhon has signed an offer sheet with the Toronto Raptors. Until the actual figures are reported (if anyone gets a linked source on this, please comment below) it's hard to say much about this. But having the Raps involved makes me worry there will be an overpayin' going on, and an offer may have been extended which the Bulls shouldn't

Our lyin' eyes?

2005-08-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

On his new blog, APBR bigfoot Dan Rosenbaum has unveiled his findings in using adjusted +/- statistics to find the best and worst defenders at every position. In his analysis of big men, Tyson Chandler was found to be in the top 5, and conversely Eddy Curry was in the bottom 5. Kindof expected. In his latest post on the subject (ranking PGs, SGs, and SFs) however, his results are

Scoop Jackson called me out

2005-08-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

I know this is out of the scope of this blog, but I come to you as a Cubs fan and a Chicagoan. And this will be fun. Otherwise I wouldn't attack such an easy target , for 'fisking' a Scoop Jackson article is pretty much the definition of a 'straw man' argument. But for those who aren't from here and would take this article for anything besides a laughingstock, I feel the need to

The insider on his way out

2005-07-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

RealGM has reported that NBA Insider reporter Chad Ford is leaving ESPN. Ford is a polarizing figure for NBA fans, and I know a few bloggers who don't particularly like his work. Meanwhile the unofficial cap-guru and NBA economist (and now a blogger!) Dan Rosenbaum gave Ford some accolades before the departure was announced: I don't think anyone works harder than he

Deeeeennng!

2005-07-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hard not to get excited after reading this article in the Trib Tuesday morning: Bulls officials remarked in passing that the 20-year-old [Luol]Deng has grown an inch in the last year, now measuring 6 feet 9 inches. Deng points out another important attribute: The injury forced him to do drills with his left hand because he couldn't use his right for nearly three months. "If my right hand were

Carnival of the NBA #13

2005-07-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Is up at The City. Go and check out what's happening in the basketblogosphere. If you insist on keeping it Bulls-centric, check out recent posts from Bulls Report (on Jay Williams) and Running with the Bulls (on Eddy's heart).

Guest Post - Jay Williams as the Terminator

2005-07-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

The following post is from Nels, of Give Me The Rock. His blog is usually focused on fantasy basketball, but as a Bulls fan he is welcome here to spread his blogging wings... Nuno over at NBA FAN BLOG has a post up about Jay Williams (aka the Comeback Kid? aka The Terminator ["I'll be back"]). I also saw an article on CNNSI about him. Here's what I want to talk about: Ironically the Bulls may

Guest Post - Eastern Conference preview in July

2005-07-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Commenter 'REB' sent this in to me, and although I don't like the exercise of making far-to-early predictions, with no real news around what's wrong with speculating a bit: Just because it's Mid July and the NBA season doesn't start for more than 3 months is no reason not to predict the East playoff picture. So here's one reader's fearless prognostication. Definitely in the

The best Bulls trade ever

2005-07-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

Polynice(and a pick) for Pippen right? Well...yeah. But in Harlan Schreiber's Central Division installment of best trades in each franchises history spends most of its space detailing how the 70s Bulls were formed. And if you haven't yet, stop by the previous post's recent comment thread. Seems to be a haven for those (including myself) who are itching for Bulls news and the coming season.

All about the O

2005-07-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

(That's proof of the kind of education you get at the Scott Carefoot institute of blog headline writing.) Now that Eddie Basden seemingly has fulfilled GM John Paxson's offseason search for the M2GwcDaS, it's time to look at the other offseason priorities: Backup point guard and scoring power forward. The Bulls have two of their 'own' free agents at each position, Chris Duhon and

Happy 2-year Blogiversary!

2005-07-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Well, close enough, it was(around) this time two years ago when I moved on from my 6-month old all-purpose blog to one completely focused on the Chicago Bulls. Most of my posts were in that direction anyway, and lets face it it's easier to find a specific audience all in tune with one hobby: Bulls Basketball. When this blog started in the summer of 2003 the upcoming season was almost

Summer league star

2005-07-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Draft Express is at the Vegas Summer league, raving about Bulls invitee Eddie Badsen, the man who is looking to be a cost-effective solution at the 2-guard spot: Eddie probably fell to the second round because he's just not a workout warrior, he doesn't have the size, length, or explosiveness that make scouts drool. But, Basden can play basketball, something that gets lost

GMs gone wild

2005-07-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Building off my last post, looks like Bobby Simmons was too rich for John Paxson's blood as well, signing a 5-year, $47m deal with Milwaukee. Simmons getting 5 years is less of a risk than Raja Bell, or Brian Scalabrine, but still it's alarming that the trend this offseason has been long-term contracts to what seems like every free agent out there. I'm guessing this storm will be

So much for undervalued

2005-07-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

It was theorized here that since the offseason was heavy in shooting guards, the M2GwcDaS could be found in a free agent to perhaps slipped through the cracks. And Raja Bell seemed like a great fit, even during last season as he played for the Jazz. But I guess I underestimated his market, since he is reportedly joining the Phoenix Suns for an unspecified, mid-level deal. This

Carnival of the NBA #12

2005-07-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Is up at Motoring.

NBA players and Vegas. It's like PB&J

2005-07-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

Go here for the Bulls summer camp roster. The only 'veteran' listed is Jared Reiner, and only Bulls' draft pick is 2003 second-rounder Mario Austin. The rest is your usual assortment of minor league hopefuls goin' for the dream. Have a nice long weekend...

I would title it 'filling holes', but I'm too immature

2005-06-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well needless to say the Bulls won't be the only one thinking about Finley, and will have to fend off actual contenders like Phoenix. goGPonus doesn't like the prospect of Finley coming to the Bulls. Neither do I. But he'll still be another free agent in the pool, and if he gets signed by another team a player of similar skillset could fall to Chicago. And as far as that other

No horse in this race

2005-06-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night is Draft night, and I would put up a mock draft but I think it'd be an exercise in futility. This looks to be a first round with plenty of trades and surprises, and for that alone it should be a fun year. And while the Bulls don't have a first round pick, I won't be losing sleep knowing that John Paxson got Luol Deng as a result of it. Imagine how high Luol Deng would've

Homeward bound?

2005-06-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

As part of the new CBA to go in effect this summer, NBA teams have been granted one get-out-of-jail-free card. Specifically, they can waive any player on the roster and save luxury tax payments on that player. While this doesn't mean the money owed to the player is absolved, or that the team would even get cap relief, for a team like the Knicks who are well into the luxury tax threshold

Some kids' lives are about games

2005-06-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

I give Dan Shanoff a lot of...'guff' for his 'Daily Quickie' column, but he stepped up to the plate earlier today regarding the new NBA age minimum: Many readers emailed in response to yesterday's Quickie with a common rant: 18-year-olds are better off with a year of college P.T. than NBA pine time! What bunk. Show me the college coach who puts an individual player's NBA

Stern and Hunter

2005-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a blockbuster action-buddy-comedy movie. Want CBA blogging? Forum Blue and Gold CelticsBlog Crazy from the Heat Spur of the Moment End of the Bench Rising Suns

Of 'big shots' and 'the little things': the Robert Horry question

2005-06-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

Now I will be the first to admit that I am not much of a basketball historian. I don't usually do well placing things in context, for instance any argument involving the Basketball Hall of Fame. But I do know sensationalistic windsock-ery, the grabbing of an immediate story and running it into the ground with hyperbole until the next one comes along. And this whole Robert Horry for the

Carnival of the NBA #11

2005-06-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Is up at End of the Bench. Your map to the basketball blogosphere.

P.J. and the Bull

2005-06-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading his blog, Forum Blue and Gold, you'll know that Kurt is enjoying the return of coach Phil Jackson to his Lakers. But with that return has come the inevitable questions on Phil's true ability as a coach. I guess winning 9 championships isn't enough, so to further quell the critics Kurt goes back to the '93-'94 season, when Jackson coached up a Michael-less

Thoughts, interrupted watching Darko actually play

2005-06-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

My Man Sam(tm) wasn't making much sense this weekend: Forget whoever wins this NBA Finals series being the world champion. The world continues to catch up with the NBA, as was evident when Game 1 ended Thursday night with the San Antonio Spurs beating the Detroit Pistons 84-69 and Argentinian Manu Ginobili the best and most exciting player on the floor.

That new logo smell

2005-06-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

Check it out...it's so...graphical. BIG BIG thanks to JChance for doing the logo you see at the top of the page now. I honestly went way too long with just the text on top. I like this much better. While I was too lazy (and too...not proficient in photoshop) to create another logo, that didn't stop me from making countless suggestions and requests during the time he worked on this for

See?

2005-06-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

No reason to get all excited. Now lets all take a deep breath....and exhale. ahh... Man, what a crazy day in Chicago though. I don't think I've seen a crazier contract negotiation fit in so short a time. It ran the gamut from dead to done in about 24 hours. But Skiles is here to stay, although with the job security NBA coaches enjoy who knows what we'll be saying a year

Skiles fever: avoid it!

2005-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, I feel shamed by the fellas at goGPonus.com since they are blogging up a storm about the Scott Skiles contract negotiations and here I am twiddling my thumbs enjoying playoff basketball without a care in the world. I've already directed you toward their site, but since then there have been 2 more developments since that post. The first was in response to MyManSam(tm)'s take

Skiles watch

2005-06-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

goGPonus.com is covering the Scott Skiles contract negotiations like Kirk Hinrich on Ray Allen. Go here and here. Update(6/6): Even more here.

"Radio's best combination of Ritalin, diddlin' and country fiddlin'"

2005-06-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

I have to mention this great writeup in the Trib about my favorite sports radio show, WSCR's midday show hosted by Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein. For those who aren't in Chicago (the station sadly is not listenable online) there really isn't a great way to describe it, but to me it serves as a refreshing departure from the banality that encompasses most of sports talk (

Carnival of the NBA #10

2005-06-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Is up at the prolific Off Wing Opinion. Even though its a hockey blog at its core, its a daily read for any sports fan, and Eric did a fine job with the Carnival. So check it out.

I'm not gonna do..

2005-06-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

What everyone thinks I'm gonna do...and just freak out. Honestly, I'm not that worried. Yet.

I got needs

2005-05-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

Over at DraftCity, there's a long and comprehensive article by Tim Reistetter. I'd select some passages but they don't allow it, the jerks. I will point out that he underestimates the Bulls need for the Mythical2GuardwhocanDefendandShoot (M2GwcDaS....good luck getting that acronym to catch on) by pointing out how well the Bulls defended the 2 that year. But as we know that was

Fun with similarity scores

2005-05-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Basketball-Reference.com was very quick to get the 2005 regular season stats up, which means that their similarity scores are up too. Go here for the full definition, they basically compare a players' season with anothers at the same age using a variety of physical and statistical factors. So the players' best comp means that at that age they had the most similar season, NOT that

Larry Brown is a joyless old bastard

2005-05-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yes and Yes. He's a basketball legend (and read Loose Balls for some really good early Larry Brown stories) but he's just so miserable, looking with that sad clown look and whining that whiney whining of his. Even when he won the title last year he looked like his dog got ran over. During the Olympics there was this article by Adrian Wojnarowski which was a must-read, and his

Non-playoff thoughts

2005-05-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Bucks fans out there for winning the lottery. I regretfully missed it, and I sincerely mean 'regret' since it is usually a great source of unintentional comedy. But I feel similar thoughts to those at Les Bullez: how nice is it that we won’t be seeing Wes Unseld, or MJ, or Honest Abe Pollin, or Ledell Eackles, or Kenny “Sky” Walker sitting at a table

More on the 'mythical 2-guard who can defend and shoot'

2005-05-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

I think I should trademark that name, it'll be mentioned here alot this summer. Anyway, from John Hollinger's Wednesday chat (reg. req'd): Jerry (Laredo,TX): John, which guard would be best for the Bulls next year since they need a big two guard: Raja Bell, Antonio Daniels or Doug Christie? John Hollinger: We can eliminate Daniels because he's only 6-4 and is probably

Carnival of the NBA #9 - Conference Semifinal edition

2005-05-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

A Bulls season finished, the offseason yet to begin: a perfect time to check out what the NBA bloggers are up to: Starting off in the Western Conference, the best part of having a Spurs-Supersonics series isn't the play on the court but the back-and-forth banter between San Antonio Spurs Blog and the multi-author attack of SuperSonicSoul. As of this posting, game 4 is

The bidding season

2005-05-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Over at The Cavalier Act, Amar is forming his free-agent wish list. The Cavs have plenty of cap room this summer (especially if they renounce rights to Zydrunas Ilgauskas), and after finding Lebron his sidekick, Amar's next ideal target for bidding would be Tyson Chandler: At 7′1″ and a lanky 235 pounds, Chandler may be a defensive monster in waiting. He has shown more than just

The hangover

2005-05-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 days since the Bulls final game of the season, and I'm still gathering thoughts. So much to say, yet not much that wouldn't be repetitive of what's been said by myself and you guys at Bulls Blog over the past 7 months. While this playoff series was winnable, a playoff series victory wasn't as important as gaining playoff experience for this young team. And losing to a

Game 6 (and 7?)

2005-05-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, enough about Bobby Simmons. Theres still a game to play. Prognosis: negative. But as we've seen all season with this team, never say never. Thoughts go below here.

Game 5

2005-05-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the return home brings back the stellar play of games 1 and 2. Kwame Brown's been suspended, Chris Duhon is nursing a sore back, and Ben Gordon is nursing a poor shooting percentage. Scroll down to leave Gordon-award thoughts. Game 5 thoughts go here. UPDATE: Well...that run to end the game was very exciting, but can't mask the fact that for the 3rd straight game they were outclassed

First-annual Ben Gordon awards roundup

2005-05-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

2nd place in Rookie-of-the-year voting behind Emeka Okafor, and winner of the 6th man award. Ben is the first rookie ever to win the 6th man award, quite an accomplishment. CelticsBlog is (naturally) saying that Ricky Davis got snubbed for 6th man. I will say that the race for 6th man was more competitive than rookie of the year (6th man award is always an odd judgment anyway, if

Game 4 recap

2005-05-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Blech. They can't play this poorly 2 more times can they? It's now a best of 3 series, so if they do they're toast.

Game 4

2005-05-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

For a game 3 recap, Runnin' With the Bulls sums it up pretty well: Etan Thomas was fourth on his team in scoring, but his 20 points and 9 rebounds were the difference in today’s game. Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes, and Antoine Jamison combined for 74, but Thomas’ buckets all came from within 2 feet of the whole effectively maximizing his efficiency: 8 of 9 from the field.

Game 3 open thread

2005-04-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

You learn things in a playoff series. For instance, I didn't know that the MCI center was nicknamed 'the phone booth'. Game 3 comments go here all weekend. Tell your friends.

Handle with care

2005-04-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some meaningful (or perhaps not) stats regarding the Bulls and Wizards' performance in the regular season and in combined games 1&2: Free Throw Attempts Bulls FTA - Season 25.0 Wiz FTA - Season 30.2 Wiz oFTA - Season 24.8

Game 2 open thread

2005-04-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

So....whaddaya think?? Update: Bulls Win! Hinrich had his predicted 'big game' (to say the least) with 34 points in 24 minutes, aided by going 5-5 on 3-pointers. Good games all around, especially by the veterans, led by Antonio Davis (18pts in 30min). Skiles went to the bench after an ugly start to the game, and Griffin (22 min), Piatkowski (16 minutes), and Pargo (8 pts in 13 minutes) helped

Multimedia

2005-04-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Check out myself, Matthew from Spursblog, and Dave from Crazy from the Heat on SportsBloggersLive all week (right now you can listen to a streaming realplayer file, the mp3 should be up soon). The show was recorded today, with other (and more prominent) guests including Peter King and Will Carroll. Basically I tried to praise the Bulls' defense as best I can, and answered a

Bulls 1, Wizards 0

2005-04-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon, and Kirk Hinrich carried the Bulls to a series-opening win over the Wizards 103-94. The United Center was electric, what a fun and intense game from start to finish. The No-Ci-O-Ni chants reverberated throughout the arena as the game closed, appreciating a 25 pt, 18 reb effort. If the rest of the series is anything like this first game then there is a lot

Eastern Conference playoffs - round one: Chicago Bulls(47-35) v. Washington Wizards(45-37)

2005-04-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Game 1: Sunday at Chicago, 4:30 TV: CSN/TNT Game 2: Wednesday at Chicago, 7:30 TV: CSN/NBATV Game 3: April 30 at Washington, 2:00 TV: CSN/TNT Game 4: May 2 at Washington, TBD Game 5: May 4 at Chicago, TBD* Game 6: May 6 at Washington, TBD* Game 7: May 8 at Chicago, TBD* *if necessary No need going over what a great season this has been, what it means, who deserves

Good times all around, well maybe not all...

2005-04-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

Even in a game where the Bulls had nothing to play for, they nearly beat the Pacers (who were playing for the far-more-desirable 6th seed rather than the 7th), sporting a lineup that included Pargo, Pike, Reiner, and new signee Lawrence Funderburke. A game like tonight just solidified how fun it's been all year to root for these guys. Despite the outcome, it was a fitting end to a great

It's official

2005-04-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

With yet another 4th quarter comeback netting the Bulls a victory over the Knicks, and a Wizards loss, the Bulls secured the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and home-court advantage in the first round. and the people rejoiced... Another reason for celebration: Carnival of the NBA #7 is up at Knickerblogger.net, and with a twist.

Playing out the string

2005-04-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Back on March 1st I was forecasting expected wins for the month, adding: You'll probably notice that I go to extremes when the Bulls are facing very good teams, or very bad ones. I figure this because during this stretch of the season I can imagine a good team as more likely to be gearing up for the playoffs (while not yet at the point yet where they would be resting guys), and a

The missing

2005-04-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

First off, Roche has a quick recap of the top stories stemming from the OT loss to the Pistons. Like Nocioni getting suspended 1 game (didn't I tell him to stay on the floor??) and Skiles getting smacked in the head... The suspension will hurt in a big game against fellow-contender-for-home-court Washington Wizards. That game got moved to ESPN by the way, more national TV for the

Bullet points are a blogger's best friend

2005-04-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

Some Monday reading: Paul over at SuperSonicSoul.com hosted Carnival of the NBA #6. So if you're just reading here and a few other places, this is a good start-off point to find new NBA blogs. Father Knickerbocker has a recap of Friday's Bulls victory over the Knicks, with a nice quote from Skiles along with some Jamal Crawford bits at the end. Kelly Dwyer

Home court advantage: Bulls?

2005-04-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know... W L PCT GB 1 x-Miami 56 19 .747 - 2 Detroit 47 27 .635 8 ½ 3 Boston 41 34 .547 15 4 Chicago 42 32 .568 13 ½ 5 Washington 41 33 .554 14 ½ 6 Indiana 40 34 .541 15 ½ 7 Cleveland 38 36 .514 17 ½ 8 Philadelphia 37 37 .500 18 ½ New Jersey 37 39

A scoop of reality

2005-04-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Despite my best advice, Nocioni got into some brief altercations in the Magic game. Nothing escalated though, even after a head-rattling foul by Kelvin Cato to send Nocioni into the basket support. Despite that brief moment of fire by the Magic, they didn't look much like a playoff team, and letting an undermanned Bulls team on the bad end of a back-to-back beat you on your home

I come not to bury Luol Deng, but to praise him

2005-04-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Bulls fallen rookie, here's my post from a month ago that goes into just how important Luol Deng is to this team. No need to re-hash what we already know. But in regards to his replacement, Andres Nocioni, the prospects are worrying at best. While another solid rookie, Noc is obviously no Luol Deng. Nocioni's poor offensive efficiency (10.08 PER) undoubtedly

Well, crap

2005-04-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

First the Illini lose, then I come back to read this. I guess one way of looking at it is that Deng will be around and be enjoyed for 15 years, and if the Illini play their cards right they can too. But for tonight I'll just let it hurt and gather my thoughts for later in the week.

Number nine

2005-04-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Only half-watched the game last night, an expected win over the Bobcats. I was too full of Illini pride (or was it beer?). Anthony Roche is on it though, so go there.

Case closed? (the sequel)

2005-03-31T21:34:00.000-08:00

Soon I'm going to have to remove that question mark from the title. Ben Gordon did it again, albeit this time not with a rainbow three or a floater in the lane (although he did have a couple of those), but with a drive and a dish to Tyson Chandler, who was rolling to the basket and scoring (with a foul) with 2.8 seconds left in the game, putting the Bulls up 3 over the visiting Cleveland

Case closed?

2005-03-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

Ben Gordon sure looked like the rightful rookie of the year tonight, scoring 35 points in a 102-99 victory over Charlotte and fellow ROY candidate Emeka Okafor (who did have 17pts 10rebs). After Tyson Chandler was ejected with 5 minutes remaining the game, the Bulls heavily relied on Gordon as his floormates down the stretch were Davis, Harrington, Pargo and Deng. Many times the Bulls

Oh, that Mariotti...

2005-03-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

I don't normally read Jay Mariotti's Sun-Times columns, but I do like reading nice things about the Bulls. So I got to read his piece on how the Bulls are back and blah blah blah. It's mostly garbage, standard fare from a guy who seems to have a little too much on his plate, even after getting canned from his radio show. I've pointed out this phenomenon before, but the guy can't write

TV Time-out

2005-03-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

Two things:From the Trib last week:Comcast SportsNet Chicago launches on the Dish Network March 30, giving the station nearly complete penetration in the Chicago area. Finally!! Nothing like a Chicago baseball season to get Dish Network off it's collective ass. Where was this announcement in October??? Similarly outstanding news: The Bulls-Cavs game this Thursday has been moved from 7:30 to 7,

Kirk Who-rich?

2005-03-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

(Ugh, I apologize, but that title was so lame I laughed when it popped into my head. So there you go.) Well the Bulls tried their darndest to pull off an Arizona (can we call it that after Saturday?), but held off the Memphis Grizzlies for a 94-86 win, their 6th in a row. In a month that was looked upon hesitantly, and started out a bit iffy, this win streak has firmly placed the

Carnival of the NBA update

2005-03-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

Carnival of the NBA #5 is up on Celticsblog.com. Jeff did a great job over there on it, so make sure you check it out. And I guess my buddy Jeff (a different one) is right, this weekend's NCAA games totally nullify my post from last week. Then again the point I was trying to make in that rant is that the Basketball is better in the NBA, if not the drama sometimes. Obviously

ILL!

2005-03-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

INI!

The prep test

2005-03-24T20:35:00.000-08:00

The Bulls have struggled at times, but have kept their heads above water with a 6-7 record. With other teams around them slipping and firing coaches left and right, I suppose 6-7 isn't that bad. Here's the East standings: GB 1. Miami -- 2. Detroit 9.0

Point-Counterpoint

2005-03-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

Reasons the NCAA tournament has me pining for the NBA playoffs: It is the best basketball in the world played by the best players in the world. Give me EJ, Kenny, and Chuck over ESPNtalkinghead, DickieV, and Digger any day. Steve Lavin is very good though. Come on, all the big talent skip college, and the marginal talent would if they could. Have you watched the

Carnival update

2005-03-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

Carnival of the NBA #4 is up at Hornets247.com. Click, scroll down, and look for the tent:

Pop quiz hotshot:

2005-03-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

What position do the Bulls defend the best? Would you believe it's the 2? Position oPER PG 16.2 SG 12.8 SF 14.3 PF 14.7 C 14.0 One theme of this season here has

Carnival of the NBA #3

2005-03-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

Sure there was a 1-week layoff, but the Carnival keeps rollin. Again if this is your first time and want to know what the Carnival is about, click here. On with this week's selections from the NBA blogosphere... --This week I'll lead off with Forum Blue and Gold, since Kurt was nice enough to email me and mention his post on Reggie Miller's case for the Hall of Fame. This week there's

Early look at the meat market

2005-03-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back, thanks for all the well-wishes. They all, in their unique way, affirmed my suspicion that I'm a huge dork. The Bulls are still looking like less of a force without Luol Deng in the lineup, losing a close one at San Antonio and collapsing in Milwaukee before pulling out a win at home against those same Bucks. Tonight they face Portland in a semi-winnable game. The Blazers

Defense, relatively

2005-03-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

We've been hearing it the past month from Bulls coach Scott Skiles: The Bulls' defense is slipping. They once had a 26 game streak of holding opponents under 100 points, and since then have allowed that benchmark 11 out of their last 15 games. But while that was it concerned I wondered how much of this was due to the better competition in that more recent stretch than they had in

Sweet Lu(ol)

2005-03-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Lets pretend that game against the Rockets didn't happen. And especially forget that I paid to go. Besides, if I would've known that Roche had already unknowingly sabotaged the Bulls effort, I wouldn't have gone. (Wear your lucky Bulls hat next time!) But what I can't disregard was seeing Luol Deng go to the ground right in front of me after spraining his ankle on Yao's big foot. The

A look back, and forward (again)

2005-03-01T05:47:00.000-08:00

[scroll down or click here for this week's carnival of the NBA] Way back before the start of February, I had a prediction of the Bulls going 5-6 in the coming month. With only 3 home games all month and tough teams all over the schedule, the Bulls looked to be in trouble relative to their easy January which saw them make the leap into the East playoff picture. As mentioned in the

Carnival of the NBA #2 - post-tradedeadline edition

2005-02-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

[If you missed last weeks, there's an introduction there of what the Carnival is all about.] The trade deadline has passed and with a critical eye on the short-term and long-term effects on their favorite team, the bloggers around the NBA have been active. --- Knickerblogger has a writeup on the trade sending Webber to the Sixers, noting that people seem to be overlooking the Kings

A post-deadline deal

2005-02-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

Today is a big day for the basketball community, and while it is due to someone changing teams, it is not any of the big names that were mentioned yesterday at the trade deadline. It is the acquisition of writer John Hollinger by ESPN.com. John, as you probably know, has written the fantastic Pro Basketball Forecast (formerly prospectus) for the past few years, and was most recently

Grading the trading

2005-02-25T05:50:00.000-08:00

Lots of moves today, some big names, a lot of big contracts. For the full roundup, go over to NBAFanBlog, and keep scrolling. Like I mentioned in the comments of the previous post, I thought a lot of these deals were win-win for both teams involved, with the exception of the Knicks (and to a lesser extent the Celtics). I continue to giggle with glee to see Isiah fumble his way into

All quiet on the trade front

2005-02-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Doesn't look like much is happening at this year's trade deadline, and for the first time in years I'm not looking around scrounging for some miracle trade to save the Bulls. Despite a loss tonight in Cleveland, the Bulls are for once content with their squad. There was talk of a Chandler swap for Vlad Radmanovic (and that seems like complete BS to me), but don't look for GM John

Steal that win and don't look back

2005-02-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a night at the United Center, packed and ready for the Eastern Conference leader Miami Heat. In the Bulls' first possession Curry had a shot swatted back at him by Shaq, and it looked like the Bulls could be in for a long night. But soon after Shaq was clutching his knee after stepping on a fallen Othella Harrington, and would not return that night. I didn't take joy into

Showdown

2005-02-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

Shaq v. Curry, Wade v. Gordon, Hinrich's good fingers v. his injured ones, Eddie Jones v. the front of the rim..... Big game Tuesday night at the United Center, where I am proud to say I will be in attendance. And yes when I bought the tix it was to see Shaq. But if the Bulls can give the East power a good game, it'll be a big confidence booster before they set out afterwards for 7 of 9

Carnival of the NBA - inaugural edition

2005-02-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the new dream job and wondering why ESPN didn't put Tim Hardaway through that process before that disaster of a tenure... But no time for that, onto the Carnival. For those don't know about blogging carnivals, it basically takes a subject and looks around the blogosphere to gather what the people are saying, er...blogging. So away we go... With the trade deadline rapidly

All-Star Festivities

2005-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Anthony Roche has stats and video clips of the Rookie/Sophomore game over at his blog. Reading that Kirk Hinrich went 0-7 from the field, can't help but think that the finger injury he suffered against Toronto is bothering him. Hopefully playing in the game will help him work his way back, not injure it more. More for the 'praise' category, first from P.J. Carlesimo who coached

Singing Praises

2005-02-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

Scott over at Raptorblog has some nice compliments towards the Bulls after seeing them beat his Raps the night before. How can the Raptors get where the Bulls are now? Well, Chicago needed six consecutive losing seasons before they finally broke their curse. Well, I wouldn't necessarily say they needed it. And I wouldn't say this team is worth so

Break time

2005-02-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

The All Star break is here, and the Bulls improbably stand at 26-23 after a 121-115 victory in Toronto. After jumping out to an 11 point lead in the 1st quarter, and a 14 point lead in the 3rd, the Bulls managed to let the Raptors tie the game on both occasions before taking hold for good. While the Raptors did manage to go on these runs, the Bulls never relinquished the lead and always