Weekend Notes:

Well after bemoaning the fact that I hadn't yet seen Andres Nocioni play with team Argentina, turns out I missed a televised game on Thursday afternoon against Greece. The good news however is that Argentina won and will play the US. So you figure that game, whether its live or not, will be in primetime. Here's another report on Nocioni by Trib columnist Mike Downey. Check out the zinger at the end of the article. Ouch. But don't be too upset Bulls fans, this is the same guy who wrote a column comparing Ronald Reagan to a Horse. And I'm not talking ironically or anything. For real..a horse.

Some other things I noticed this week:

• Toni Kukoc will not be having a Pippen-esque (injuries and all) reunion tour with the Bulls, as he has re-signed with Milwaukee.
   
• Say what you will about Eddy Curry, but at least he isn't involved in this kind of crap.
   
• Linton Johnson has signed with the Spurs. Johnson, if you remember, won his job with the Bulls after beating out Trenton Hassell in last year's preseason. Then when the season started he couldn't hit a shot. Not to take away from the effort he put forth, but jettisoning players like Johnson and Dupree and replacing them with non-NBDL talent can only be a good thing. Ya hear, Paul Shirley?

Are you excited about Olympic Softball???

You're not? You mean the endless ESPN.com coverage hasn't made you a believer? Oh?

I'm not blaming THAT for the lack of basketball news lately, I'm just easily bothered by such things. Didn't you know that Softball is giving Americans that thirst for dominance that USA basketball soured? Why, listen to this idea!

"Turn the guys' Home Run Derby on its head and create a one-on-one exhibition that showcases the pitchers. (You wouldn't tune in for a "Jennie Finch vs. Crystl Bustos" one-on-one showdown? More intriguing than Big Unit vs. Bonds.)"

Oh, I'm there!!! I know exactly zero people who would want to watch this! In fact, I am more likely to be 'intrigued' by those two in a pie-eating contest than a Softball showdown.

Sure its nice to see an American team dominate, and equally interesting to question the Men's Basketball team for their failure to dominate. But there's a fundamental difference that has been looked over when comparing the two. People care about Basketball. Not nearly as much as the gambling Juggernaut that is Football, or even maybe this recent Baseball renaissance that is happening. But while conceding that, there are way more basketball fans than softball fans. If the Softball team went over to Athens and won a Bronze, nobody would be decrying the loss of an American-born sport...so when they do well, lets not go overboard in ushering in a new major sport here. (you want to bet that ESPN has the broadcasting rights to team USA softball?) Instead, I will now sit back and wait a week for nobody to care anymore. again.

Instead lets focus on important things....at least what should be important to Bulls fans: a possible Olympic Basketball semifinal matchup between team USA and Argentina. For this to happen, the American team has to beat undefeated Spain (which due to their style of play may not be that difficult), and Argentina has to handle the surprising host Greece. If this happens it will be my first chance to see new Bull Andres Nocioni, whose scouting report by Chad Ford makes me salivate:

Nocioni is the team's starting small forward. He's been quiet in the Olympics so far, but he's widely considered one of the top players in Europe. The Chicago Bulls signed him to a three-year contract for most of their mid-level exception earlier this summer. Nocioni is an aggressive athlete who can pound you in the post or take you out to the perimeter and kill you with 3s.

Most importantly, Nocioni is a good defender who should be able to lock down the Shawn Marions and Richard Jeffersons of Team USA. He hasn't been making a lot of noise offensively in the Olympics, preferring to defer to Ginobili and Scola, but he's capable of going off whenever they need him to.

This possible matchup is slated for Friday, and hopefully can satisfy that Bulls-watching itch I've been suppressing all summer. I just thank god Softball is over so I won't be distracted by its awesomeness.
 

Olympic Basketball quotes not likely to be heard on NBC:

"if I hear one more commentator complain about "lack of fundamentals" and "not playing as a team", I'm gonna scream. Of COURSE they have trouble playing as a team; they're an all-star grab-bag with less than a month of practice time and under ten games together. It's to be expected, and it's not a moral failing, it's a preparatory one. Take it up with the organizing body. As for fundamentals, if these guys are missing "them", then surely some of these commentators will be able to tell me WHICH fundamentals are missing. Are they not setting picks well, not finding the open man well, bad footwork in the post? When someone tells me WHICH are missing we who care about basketball can have a useful discussion about it. Until then, hush you lot."

-These Days

All these U.S. players America wants to call malcontents and uninterested don't come close to comparing with Brown. He's the biggest headcase of them all. He ripped the construction of his roster, ripped his players, and his message had been delivered. This has nothing to do with me. Unless we win, of course.

-Adrian Wojnarowski

While many European stars would be awful in NBA, the reverse is also true. There are some NBA stars who wouldn't see the light of day on a good Euroleague team. Jefferson and Marbury are prime examples.

-Chad Ford

"Anyone who thinks NBA players over there don’t care or aren’t trying is an idiot, plain and simple."

-Mark Cuban

"None of this changes my mind that we shouldn’t have NBA players in international competition.  Congrats to NBC for what they have accomplished in their marketing and results, turning a profit on a billion dollar investment.  A smack in the head to the NBA for providing our most valuable players, at risk of injury and full subsidy by our teams, to enable a competitor to sell to the same advertisers that could be buying from the NBA and our partners."

-Cuban

 

 

There is one among us(a).

Not really much going on, save for the endless yammering about the Olympic Basketball team. The Brushback says it best (top left page) when it asks "The Olympics: Are They Over Yet?" My only goal is to somehow catch an Argentina game, to see Nocioni play. Beyond that, I will watch US when they're on, but I really don't care if they win or not. Just want to see some good basketball, no matter what the teams involved.

There was good basketball being played in the one game I saw, but it certainly wasn't by Stephon Marbury or Carmelo Anthony (overrated crybaby, btw), it was by Puerto Rico's Carlos Arroyo. Now as loyal NBA enthusiasts we all shouldn't be bemoaning the fact that our league's stars can't shoot [and its not that the league can't shoot, its that they only brought ONE player who is among the top 50 in 3pt% (Jefferson-37th)], we should be happy that an international talent like Arroyo is also in the league. I think players like him showcase what is good about the league as much as some of the 'dream' teamers exemplify the bad.

"All-of-a-sudden basketball-expert" Bill Simmons notes Arroyo's performance as a reflection on current NBA point guards:

Arroyo destroyed Marbury and Iverson. Murdered them. He controlled every aspect of the game, made every big play when they needed him -- it was one of those virtuoso performances straight out of the Cheeks-Isiah-Stockton Era of the '80s. (For some reason, the NBC announcers were surprised by this, including Mike Breen, who dropped "the game of his life" phrase more than once. Before he injured an ankle last season, Arroyo was playing like that every night for the Jazz. Whatever.) More importantly, there isn't an American point guard under the age of 30 -- with the possible exception of Wake Forest's Chris Paul -- who could dream of controlling a game that way.
 

Pandering "NBA golden age" reference aside, the man has a point (no pun intended) about American point guards (since he mentions Tony Parker along with Arroyo).. I don't see why it matters what country the player's from, but did he forget about Kirk Hinrich? It's not hard to forget that a year before Kirk was drafted, Jay Williams was supposed to be the shining star of the franchise, but even if he remained healthy he would have still likely developed into a shoot-first guard in the Davis/Francis/Marbury/(Gordon?) mode. With Hinrich the Bulls have seemed to acquired an even rarer commodity in today's NBA. Someone who would look good in a Team USA uniform right about now.

The Newest Bull

The Bulls have officially announced the signing of swingman Andres Nocioni, of Argentina. This gives the team possibly its first worthwhile European product since Toni Kukoc. Since Toni got traded, "The Sleuth" Jerry Krause had parlayed his mythical scouting experience into busts like Kornel David, Dragan Tarlac, and Dalibor Bagaric. However, from what has been reported, Nocioni looks like he can contribute immediately(unlike his predecessors), and I'm sure he'll get every opportunity to earn the starting SF spot over Luol Deng and Eddie Robinson.

Admittedly, I have never seen him play, but there will be a chance soon since he is on the Argentinean Olympic basketball team, alongside Manu Ginnobili. A month ago when Nocioni was first mentioned by the press, a Bulls Blog reader from Spain had this scouting report:

I've been living in Spain and following Nocioni's evolution for the last 3 years and let me tell you something: this guy is a GREAT player and he'll have an immediate impact on the Bulls.
He's a really athletic guy (like no other white guy in the NBA), extremely strong and aggressive. He started being an excellent defender with limited offensive skills (he'd always drive it to the hole and dunk on someone) but has polished his game and has become a threat from the 3-point line.
If you're afraid you're getting a slow, soft Euro guy forget it...Nocioni will be a fan favorite in no time!!!

If you want to see something with your own eyes before Team Argentina hits the court, check out this footage from the 1999 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. You'll see Nocioni torching a familiar face. Wow, so even *I* have reason to watch the Olympics now.

Now as far as the remaining spot on this team (tall guard who can shoot), candidates Wesley Person(Heat) and Calbert Chaney(Warriors) are now off the market. And while resigning Kendal Gill is a nice idea, I think its Gill who is no longer interested in the Bulls. He had his year with the hometown team, now back off to trying to win a championship. At least I think that's his plan.

 I also forgot to add in my last entry that when going along with the idea that this team needs more shooters, I now have rooting interest in Jannero Pargo winning a roster spot over Chris Duhon. I know, Dickie Vs of the world, Duhon has leadership and court awareness and the ability to crash into cameras. But I prefer more tangible attributes, like, say...putting the ball in the basket.