Bulls Sting the Hornets

The moment we've all been waiting for. For the first time since January 4th against the Pistons, the Bulls had all of their original starters in the starting lineup. The Bulls looked great as a unit as the game started, gaining an early 10 point lead. Rip Hamilton, who has been missing for most of the season, only played 17 minutes total, but seemed to give the Bulls a clear boost when he was in. Coach Tom Thibodeau seems to be easing him into game play due to the fact that he has missed so much time. I look for his minutes to increase as he gets his legs back.

The Hornets led the Bulls 95-91 with 1:25 remaining, the Derrick Rose happened. Ten seconds after the Hornets went up four, Rose sank a pair of free throws to put the Bulls within two. Twenty seconds after that Rose dribbled down the court and got up a shot from the elbow, the shot missed but Joakim Noah was there to clean it up, tie game. After a Taj Gibson block, Rose came down the court with 20 seconds remaining and put up a fadeaway from the baseline. The shot rattled around the rim before eventually dropping in, Bulls lead 97-95 then Rose hit two more free throws to ice the game. The Bulls won 99-95.

Rose finished with 32 points and 9 assists. Noah added 15 points and 16 boards. Deng had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Boozer finished with 14 points and 7 boards. Overall, I was impressed with the Bulls but we did look a shaky on defense at times. Sure, it was a little too close for comfort, but keep in mind most Bulls players were coming off of a 6 day break during which they did only God knows what (Noah...).

 Bulls vs. Hornets Highlights

Though the Bulls won, many fans attending the game left disappointed as Rose missed 2 free-throws with 5 seconds left. The Bulls already had the game locked up, but fans were denied free Big Macs, which are given away for each Bulls home win in which they score 100+ points. The Bulls needed just one more point to send fans home with saying "I'm lovin' it."

Rose's New Deal

Last December, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls agreed to a new contract worth $94.8 million over the next five years. After the deal was inked, Rose was quoted in an interview saying "Of course, I know I'll be able to afford whatever I want, but other than that, there aren't too many things that excite me. Me winning is one of the things. Me being around my family, that's another. Money, that's the last thing I think about." It's amazing to see someone of his status and ability be so humble.

 Rose's latest shoes, courtesy of Adidas.

No less humble, this week, Rose signed another ridiculous contract. This time, a shoe endorsement deal with Adidas. It is the largest contract Adidas has ever offered and the second largest shoe deal ever. Who signed the largest shoe deal ever? You guessed it, none other than Michael Jordan. Rose's new deal with Adidas guarantees him $185 million over the next 13 years.

The two greatest players in Chicago Bulls history now own the first and second largest shoe deals ever.

To put his deal in perspective, Rose's contract guarantees him enough money to purchase 1,681,818 pairs of his own shoes (valued at $110 per pair). That is enough to cover the feet of the entire population of some African countries. With the $185 million he is guaranteed over the span of this contract, Rose can afford to purchase the most expensive car in the world, the Bugatti Veyron. Actually, he can afford to purchase 77 of them. Rose can stay in the world's most expensive hotel room, the Royal Penthouse Suite at Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland. He can actually stay there for 7 years and 291 days forking up $65,000 a night for hospitality. However, it seems highly unlikely that Rose will choose anything close to this kind of conspicuous consumption. As he said, Rose will be happy enough spending time with his family, friend and teammates leading the Bulls to their first NBA Championship since the days of Michael Jordan.

Say No to Howard

Lately, there ha been a lot of rumors flying around about the possibilities of trading for Dwight Howard. Howard is undoubtedly the best center in the NBA and would be an incredible addition to any team, however, I argue that the Bulls should stay out of the race for Howard and work with what they have. I can see both sides of the argument. Rose and Howard together would be an unstoppable force for years to come, but I believe that we would have to give up way too much to acquire Howard.

Yay or nay?

The Bulls current roster is more than enough to bring home the coveted NBA Finals trophy. It seems that the Bulls are developing more and more chemistry by working together everyday, and they can only get better from here. In order to get Howard, we would almost certainly be sacrificing any depth that we have. And with all the injuries that we have had, depth is exactly what we can't afford to lose.

Every potential trade package that I have seen includes the Bulls sending a combination of players that the Bulls can't afford to lose. Any scenario would have to include Joakim Noah as the Magic would need to get a capable young center in order to even consider trading Howard. Most scenarios also involve a combination of Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, CJ Watson and/or a package of draft picks. In other words, the Bulls would have to scrap their entire bench and at least one valuable starter in order to lure in Dwight Howard. In my opinion, it just isn't worth it.

The better decision would be to wait it out. If Howard doesn't get traded before the season's end, he becomes a free agent in the off season. If we were to pursue him then, we may be able to get away with amnestying Carlos Boozer to make cap room, leaving up with a starting lineup of Rose, Hamilton, Deng, Noah and Howard. Though many speculate he doesn't want to come to Chicago, I think that even he would find it hard to argue that coming to Chicago would make the Bulls the team to beat.

If there is trade that involves sending a combination of players that doesn't include Noah, Deng, or Gibson, then I'm all for it. Go for it, pull the trigger. But to me, it seems that such a trade is very unlikely to happen, the Orlando Magic will definitely try to squeeze all the talent they can out of the Bulls in exchange for their superstar. Mark my words, if the Bulls end up trading away Luol Deng along with Joakim Noah and/or Taj Gibson, it will be a decision they will end up regretting.

Decide for yourself: Howard or depth?

Dynamic Duo: Stacey King and Neil Funk

It doesn't get much better than Stacey King and Neil Funk. These two combine to form the most entertaining commentating duos I have ever heard. Though some may argue they are biased, or perhaps annoying, for Bulls fans like me, they are perfect.

Stacey King reacts to one of his "peeps."

King, the color commentator, was a Bulls player himself. He was selected with the 6th overall pick of the 1989 draft and went on to win 3 championships with the Bulls before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He started his broadcasting career as a studio analyst for Comcast. After filling in as a TV commentator for a playoff game in 2006, he was added permanently in 2007. Funk, the play-by-play announcer, started as a radio announcer for the Bulls in 1991 and went on to become the TV announcer in 2008.

 The Dynamic Duo, themselves.

What makes this duo so likable as a Bulls' fan, is that they are fans themselves. Sure, they may be a little biased, but that is what many people like so much about them. They root for the Bulls, just like true fans should. They are such avid fans that it makes them so easy to relate to.

Some people call them obnoxious, but I call those people up tight. Loosen up, if you can't find humor in the commentary of these two individuals, then you have little hope. While Stacey tends to get excited, it is just a normal thing for a fan to do.

Some of my favorite Stacey King sayings are "Too big, too fast, too strong, too good." He says this quite often, usually after reigning MVP, Derrick Rose makes some sort of ridiculous play and scores. Another favorite is "Gimme the hot sauce!" This saying comes after Kyle Korver hits a shot, in most instances, a three. And of course, my all time favorite, "Drive home safely!"

He also coined the popular nickname "White Mamba" for Brian Scalabrine. In case you aren't familiar, Scalabrine is the last player to come off the Bulls' bench, but a fan favorite nonetheless. The name is a derivative of "Black Mamba" used as a nickname for Kobe Bryant, arguably the best player in the league.

Bulls give their best Stacey King impressions.

I'll conclude this post with a gift to each and every one of you. Here is a Stacey King soundboard that should keep you entertained for the next hour or so, I know that's what it did for me.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/stacey-king-soundboard.html

Buck Hunting

Wednesday night, the Bulls took on the Milwaukee Bucks at home. This game was nothing short of a massacre. The Bulls gained the lead with 7:05 remaining in the first quarter and kept it for the rest of the game, beating Milwaukee 109-91. Six Bulls finished in double digits: Carlos Boozer (20), Derrick Rose (16), Luol Deng (16), Ronnie Brewer (15), Joakim Noah (13) and Kyle Korver (11). Joakim Noah also contributed 13 rebounds and a surprising 10 assists, recording his first career triple double. More accurately, it was the first triple double by a Bulls' center in about 35 years. Artis Gilmore recorded the last triple double by a Bulls center on December 20 1977.

Noah credited his triple double to the attention drawn by Derrick Rose, saying "the only reason I was able to do it was because they were trying to get the ball out of Derrick's hands." Rose looked healthy once again, as he recorded 16 points and 7 assists in 30 minutes. He told reporters after the game that he is no longer experiencing pain and that his back spasms are no longer.

Bulls vs. Bucks Highlights

After the game, a reporter met up with Joakim to discuss his triple double. The postgame interview concluded something like this:

Reporter: What are you going to do for the all star break?
Noah: Can't tell you!
Reporter: Watch your teammates?
Noah: Yes, hang with my teammates...

I can only imagine what Noah was talking about doing during he all-star break... (picture above taken in a bong shop)

We won't see the Bulls play again for 6 days, when they take on the Hornets at home. Next is the NBA All Star Game, featuring Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. The Eastern Conference All Stars will be coached by Bulls' head coach, Tom Thibodeau. Stay tuned for off court stories and all star updates...

Noah's New Move

My new favorite dance move. Be sure to break this one out the next time you're at your favorite club. Thanks, Joakim.

Joakim Noah's gun dance.

He's Baaaaaaaaack!

What did I tell you? The Bulls got right back to their ways Monday afternoon as they beat the Hawks 90-79. Bulls' MVP, Derrick Rose, returned to the starting lineup and seemed to re-energize the entire team as they soared past the Hawks. What a relief it was, Rose seemed to be at 100%, blowing past the Hawks defense on his way to 23 points and 6 assists. Although they may be the deepest team in the league, last game made it clear that the Bulls need their superstar.

Rose's comeback definitely helped me get over their poor showing just two days earlier. It was clear that it also helped the rest of the Bulls' team. Said Joakim Noah, "Having Rose back just opens up everything. He was very aggressive tonight. When he's aggressive like that, it opens up everything for everybody, and it gives us a lot of confidence."

Though we lost two of our five games without Rose, I have no problem with him sitting for as long as he did. There is no need to risk complicating his injuries to pick up meaningless regular season wins. I wholeheartedly agree with Thibodeau's philosophy of sitting banged-up starters until they're close to full health. If we are going to achieve our ultimate goal of an NBA championship, we need to be healthy in the playoffs. Resting our players now is the only surefire way to ensure that will happen.

Bulls vs. Hawks Highlights

Nothing But Nets

The Bulls squared off with the Nets this Saturday, February 18th. If I didn't know any better it would have thought the Nets were the best team in the league. Despite the low quality competition, the Bulls got stomped by the Nets, 97-85. The Nets led by as much as 17 in the first quarter and never looked back, deflating an already flat Bulls team.

The Bulls defense was virtually nonexistent, as they gave up 29 points to ex-Illini point guard, Deron Williams; 24 to ex-Kardashian boo, Kris Humphries; and 19 to rookie, MarShon Brooks. 5 Bulls scored in double digits, but that wasn't enough to make up for their lack of defense. The Bulls definitely missed their MVP this game. It's hard to believe he would have let this happen had he played.

I tried long and hard to find a silver lining in this defeat, but it couldn't be done. Worse loss of the season by far. That being said, it is was a trivial game, no need to make it anything more than it is. Sure, we played terrible, but at the end of the season, this will not be a game I point back to and say "if only we could have won that." I look for the Bulls to get right back in their groove as they take on the Hawks on Monday. The Bulls and Hawks are 1-1 against each other this season.

Bulls vs. Nets Lowlights

Rose-less Revenge

Thursday night, the Bulls got their revenge on the Celtics, who had beaten them just 4 days earlier. After losing 5 of their last 6 games to opponents in playoff position, the Bulls made a statement, beating Boston 89-80. The Bulls, still minus Derrick Rose, were able to hold all Celtics players under 20 points as they picked up their second straight win. Rajon Rondo, who went off for 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds last game, was held to just 17, 8 and 7 this game.

Leading the charge for the Bulls were Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer who finished with 23 points a piece. Deng added a team high 10 assists, while Boozer had 15 rebounds. Joakim Noah finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds. In the absence of Rose, Bulls' point guards CJ Watson, Mike James and John Lucas III combined for 22 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Sure, Rose alone can put up those numbers and then some, I'm just happy we were able to hold off the red-hot Celtics without him.

Bulls vs. Celtics Highlights

Home, Sweet Home

After a nine game road trip, the Bulls returned to the United Center Tuesday night to take on the Kings. Still missing Rose and Hamilton, the Bulls had little trouble fending off Sacramento. Chicago led for a good majority of the game and held off a late run from the Kings to win, 121-115.

Though they won, the Bulls definitely felt the absence of Rose. "Missing Derrick, even though we're winning games, it's huge," Deng said. "He makes the game so much easier. When he's not there, you've got to work extra." CJ Watson filled in for Rose with 10 points and 2 assists. John Lucas III, the backup point guard for the game recorded 9 points and 9 assists. Luol Deng led all Bulls scorers with 23 points. He also dished out a career high 11 assists. All in all, six Bulls players scored in double figures: Deng (23), Noah (22), Korver (18), Boozer (16), Gibson (15) and Watson (10). The offensive showing masked the Bulls' poor defensive effort. They allowed three 20+ point scorers, but I'll take a win any day, especially when we're missing two starters (one being last year's MVP).

Tuesday night's victory clinched the all star game coaching spot for head coach, Tom Thibodeau and the rest of the Bulls' staff.

Bulls vs. Kings Highlights

Celtics Edge Rose-less Bulls

After starting their season at a dismal 4-8, many questions were raised about whether or not the aging Celtics had what it takes to contend in the powerful Eastern Conference. Since then, Boston has gone 10-3 and left many of their previous doubters with a new opinion.

The Celtics continued to impress against the Bulls on Sunday, as they beat the Eastern Conference leaders. The Bulls were minus Derrick Rose, who is experiencing back spasms. Also missing was Rip Hamilton, who has officially sat more games than he has played this season. Despite missing two starters, Chicago hung around for the whole game, nearly pulling off a come-from-behind victory on the Celtics' home court. Although they never had the lead, every time it looked like the Celtics were pulling away, the Bulls would rumble right back within a couple points. In the end, they fell just short, losing 95-91

Celtics point guard, Rajon Rondo, stole the show, leading all scorers with 32 points. Rondo also had 15 assists and 10 rebounds, as he recorded his second triple double of the season. Rose's replacement, CJ Watson and Bulls power forward, Carlos Boozer, led the Bulls offensively with 22 points a piece. Though Watson turned in a good game offensively, he chucked up two questionable shots in the games waning moments and really hurt the Bulls with his lack of defense on Rondo.

The Bulls play the Celtics again on Thursday, hopefully then Rose will be back to bring Rondo back down to Earth.

Rose and Deng selected to All Star Game

As many Bulls fans have hoped, both Derrick Rose and Luol Deng have been selected to the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. Derrick Rose was chosen by fans as the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference and Luol Deng was chosen as a reserve by NBA coaches. This is Rose's third All-Star Game in four seasons. For Deng, it will the first All-Star appearance, though many believe he has been snubbed in the past. Nice to see Deng finally getting the respect he deserves.

Deng and Rose, the Bulls leading scorers.

This season Rose has averaged 22 points and 7.8 assists per game. Deng has averaged 15.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. Each have missed time due to injuries.

Interesting Fact: This is the first time the Chicago Bulls have had two all-stars since the 1997 season, when they won the NBA Finals. Who represented Chicago that year, you ask? None other than two all time greats, Micheal Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

No Rose, No Problem

Friday, the Bulls took on the Michael Jordan owned Charlotte Bobcats. Being that the Bobcats only had 3 wins on the entire season, they chose to rest Derrick Rose. This proved to be a good decision, as the Bulls rolled past the Bobcats effortlessly, winning 95-64.

With the way the Bulls are playing it looks they may be able to get away with resting Rose for a couple more games. They are on a current 5 game win streak and have won each of their last 4 by at least 20 points. During these last 4 games, their average margin of victory is 24.5.

While the upcoming schedule looks a little tougher than it has been, I would still recommend resting Rose until he shakes off the injury bug. In my mind, it is much more important for players to be healthy in the postseason than it is to pick up victories of minimal meaning in the regular season. It would be great to maintain the top seed in the Eastern Conference all the way to the playoffs, and I believe it is very possible to do so, but by pushing our starters as hard as we have been lately, the risk for injury is much higher. I would much rather have a two seed at full health than a one seed minus a combination of Rose, Hamilton and Deng.

 

Bulls vs. Bobcats Highlights

Will Ferrell's Introduction

I thought I would share this for a good laugh. Here is Will Ferrell introducing the starting lineups for Wednesday's Bulls/Hornets game. My personal favorite is Deng's introduction: "He collects rare birds and has a pet dolphin named Chachi." See which one you liked best below.

Bulls Impressive in Back-to-Back Blowouts

Last weekend was a rough one to say the least. After using Sunday to recuperate, I started my week off rushing to finish a paper that I had previously forgotten about. I got the paper done a couple minutes before class and proceeded with my day. After finishing my morning classes, I went home to relax. After about 5 minutes of laying on the couch, I realized that I had forgotten about a speech that I had to write for my night class. Now, I really was not in the mood for anymore homework or any kind of work at all. That left me with two choices: A) Go to the library and half-ass a speech, go to class and miss the Bulls game, or B) Drop the class altogether and enjoy my evening watching the Bulls run over the Nets. Of course, I chose option B. Some may say that I have my priorities mixed up, but I call that dedication.

Skip forward three hours and I'm watching the Bulls take on the Nets. This was nothing short of a cakewalk. Even with Derrick Rose leaving the game early with back spasms, the Bulls led the entire game and looked very impressive, earning them a 108-87 victory. CJ Watson, who took over for Rose, almost messed around and got a triple double (Stuart Scott voice) recording 14 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds. Luol Deng looked great again in his second game back from injury, scoring 19 points on 8-14 from the field. Carlos Boozer led all Bulls scorers with 24. As for Roses injury, nobody seemed too worried. "I feel all right, just back spasms. It's nothing to worry about," Rose said. "Tomorrow we have a day off and I'll get treatment. I'll get a massage and hopefully I can play the next game."

Bulls vs. Nets Highlights

Two days later, it turned out Derrick Rose did just that. Rose started against the Hornets, though he was rested for much of the game after the Bulls started to pull away. It seemed that he was benched as a precaution to spare him from injury. He finished with 6 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes played. Taj Gibson had a great game, scoring 16 points in just 20 minutes and Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 18. After a lot of criticism for playing his starters too hard even during blowouts, Bulls' Coach Tom Thibodeau, did a good job of evenly distributing minutes between starters and the Bench Mob.

Bulls vs. Hornets Highlights

Deng's Stellar Return

The Bulls 113-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks marked the first game that Luol Deng was back in action for the first time since missing 7 games with a torn wrist ligament. Deng hardly skipped a beat, scoring 21 points and recording 9 rebounds. Deng also lead the Bulls with 41 minutes played.

Though he wasn't 100% and may not be for the remainder of the season, he performed at a very high level on both ends of the court. Commenting on the injury, Deng said "I felt it, I'm going to feel it. As the game goes on, I forgot about it. I really was cautious at the start of the game. As the game went on, just playing basketball, I didn't really think about it."

Deng's impact was certainly felt by the rest of the team, said Derrick Rose of his play: "He makes the game easy. He makes everybody comfortable out there. It feels good when we have all our leaders out there."

While the Bulls looked impressive, they are still missing one key piece, starting shooting guard, Richard Hamilton. I look forward to seeing the Bulls at full strength against some good competition in the coming weeks.

Rip Hamilton, a player who many see as the final piece of the puzzle for the Bulls.

Top 10 Plays of Early Bulls Season

 Here is a quick look at some of the best plays of the early 2012 season.

1. Derrick Rose floats a shot over Pau Gasol with 5 seconds remaining to give the Bulls a late lead on Christmas Day.

2. Luol Deng breaks the tie with a layup off of a perfect pass from Joakim Noah.

3. Luol Deng seals a Bulls victory, blocking a driving Kobe Bryant as time expires

4. Derrick Rose makes it look easy, spinning past 3 Miami Heat defenders for the lay in.

5. Derrick Rose blows by the entire Knicks team and finishes with an amazing up-and-under layup.

6. Derrick Rose splits two Celtics defenders and scoops the ball in with his back to the basket.

7. Omer Asik's hustle leads to a Ronnie Brewer dunk as time expires in the 3rd quarter.

8. Derrick Rose makes up for his bad pass with a huge two-handed dunk vs. the Celtics.

9. Taj Gibson cleans up the Bulls' mess with a monster slam over several Wizard's defenders (Notice the wonderful commentary by Stacey King).

10. Brian "White Mamba" Scalabrine with the beautiful up-and-under reverse layup against the Nets (Stacey King with another magnificent comment: "Boy that boy is smooth, Funk").

Bulls First Half Summary

Being that the Bulls are nearly halfway through their regular season, I thought that it would be best to start with a short summary of what has happened thus far. 

It seems the Bulls have not skipped a beat from their strong season last year. With a current record of 19-6, it is clear that they have everything it takes to win it all. Their .760 Win Percentage is good enough for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and second in the NBA, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite being plagued by injuries, the Bulls have established themselves as a strong contender to take home the NBA Championship. 

Although they have been on a recent skid, losing 3 of their last 6 games, they have remained competitive in almost all of their losses this season.

 Luol Deng, starting SF and second leading scorer, has missed 7 games 

this season with a torn wrist ligament. Without Deng, the Bulls are 4-3.

Even without the teams second leading scorer, Luol Deng, the Bulls came within 5 points of the Indiana Pacers. At 15-6, the Pacers currently have the 5th best record in the NBA.

Also missing Deng, the Bulls came within 4 points of beating the Miami Heat (last year's Eastern Conference Champions) in Miami. Derrick Rose led Chicago to within one point with 49 seconds left before missing two free-throws that could have given the Bulls the lead. Many, including me, are confident that the Bulls can change the outcome of this game when and if they play the Heat at full-strength.


Their most recent loss came in Philadelphia, when the 76ers beat the Bulls 98-82. The Bulls were missing both Deng and starting SG, Rip Hamilton. 


Last game, the Bulls played the New York Knicks, an under-performing team who many expected to be among the best in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls, again without starters Deng and Hamilton, were able to leave Madison Square Garden with a victory, 105-102. They did this even with famous gremlin, Spike Lee, tormenting them from the front row.

 

Multiple photos of Spike Lee heckling the Bulls from his front row seat.

 
Though almost every member of the Bulls starting lineup has suffered injuries, they remain atop the Easter Conference. The Bulls bench (from here on out referred to as the "Bench Mob") arguably the deepest in the league, is the main reasons for Chicago's success. Players like CJ Watson (10 PPG, 3.6 APG), Ronnie Brewer (7.7. PPG, 1.08 SPG), Kyle Korver (7.2 PPG, 2.2 APG) and Taj Gibson (6.8 PPG, 1.41 BPG) have really stepped it up while playing in place of the injured starters.


The Bulls are off to a great start and will only get better from here on out.