The Most Impressive Debut
BGI turned on the Bucks/Bulls game last night on the glorious NBA League Pass preview, eager to see whether I’d missed any cheap shots or tech’s following the pushing, shoving and name-calling of the final preseason game between these two. But instead, it looked as though Nocioni & Co. weren’t wasting any time being worried about beefing with Richard Jefferson.
In fact, all of Chicago’s expected dysfunctional behavior was nowhere to be found. Tyrus Thomas looked focused for all of his game-high 41 minutes, and as the Chicago Sun-Times’ John Jackson perfectly stated, he “looked more like a basketball player instead of an athlete playing basketball.” After a summer of being pissed about his contract not being as big as Luol Deng‘s, Ben Gordon played the type of game that every GM wants out of their sixth/seventh man, dropping 18 points off the bench and spreading the floor with 3-6 shooting from deep.
For all of the rumors that Kirk Hinrich would be a throw-away after drafting Derrick Rose, Captain Kirk’s change of pace was almost as effective as Rose’s supersonic stride. Hinrich contributed 15 points and 7 assists on the night, also knocking down half of his tries from beyond the three point arc.
And though Charles Barkley commented that the Bulls would struggle to adjust to Vinny Del Negro‘s offense, which emphasizes the three-ball, the squad looked like they could strike from anywhere on the court. I remember a stretch when a lineup of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Gooden, Noah was on the floor, and the Bucks’ D simply could not keep the Bulls from getting into the second level of their defense no matter who had the ball.
Rose definitely deserves a lot of the credit. His first step forced everyone to take a step closer to the paint last night, and thus had RJ, Michael Redd, and Luc Mbah a Moute frantically trying to close out on shooters when Rose dished to the wing. But the Bulls’ supporting cast should get some love too. Not only did they take advantage of the late-shifting D, but they also seemed to have realized that they are the supporting cast. And with that, maybe the dysfunctional label will be a thing of the past.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
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October 29th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Mikey says:
The Bulls looked pretty good… but they were playing against the Bucks defense.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Sam I Am says:
They will still get slaughtered when it’s time to meet…
THE WOLVES OF MINNESOTA (lol If only I were a home fan, but I live too far away)
October 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
bulls have too many of the same pieces and still do not have a low post presence; niether defensive nor offensive. and dont try to sell me drew gooden on the block. n*gga please.
heres what john paxson should do to keep his job:
trade kirk hinrich to denver for expiring contracts
trade larry hughes to the clippers for cuttino mobley
trade drew gooden to the knicks for zach randolph
..and if any of those deals dont get made, trade tyrus thomas to portland for lamarcus aldridge
the bulls would be more balanced looking like:
derrick rose
ben gordon
luol deng
zach randolph (or lamarcus aldridge)
joakim noah
……..with cuttino mobley headling the bench with nocioni
October 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
D-NICE says:
Like alot of fans in Canada I got screwed over by TSN2, a bootleg ESPN 2 that wasn’t made available to Roger’s cable subscribers because of a contract dispute….so my friends and I had to resort to watching this game…And we still ended up in heated ball arguments and ended up enjoying the young bulls smashing the bucks….one of my boys said BG sucked and for the rest of the game he just kept proving him wrong…Rose and the Bulls are gonna surprise this year
October 29th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
dagwaller says:
Nice write-up of my favorite team. Especially considering this game didn’t get aired for a lot of people.
I’m not looking for more than 45 wins from this team (and that’s being wishful, I think), but as long as they beat up on the teams that they’re supposed to, and put the clamps on better teams and hope that the shooting gets hot at the end of the game, it’s possible.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Ian says:
i mean comon who the hell would be worried about richard jefferson
October 29th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Kobeef says:
Richard Jefferson looked pretty lost without Kidd setting him up. If he doesn’t step it up he is going to end up on a most over-rated list pretty soon.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
fallinup says:
I love my Chi-town boys. But let’s not pass judgement until they play and actual NBA team. The Bucks don’t count.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
..and if any of those deals dont get made, trade tyrus thomas to portland for lamarcus aldridge
KP already traded the draft rights of Tyrus for LeMarcus. Pritchard is not stupid.
Tyrus isn’t half the player LMA is or will be
October 29th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
dagwaller says:
I was just thinking. Richard Jefferson – Jason Kidd = Shawn Marion – Steve Nash.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
the second coming says:
nice post. I wanted to watch this bulls game but couldn’t. good analysis…still think they need a center though.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
doc says:
D-Rose is enough to make any team a contender.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
parinaz suns says:
jefferson without kidd is not the same as marion without nash. marion was a hell of a player before nash came to phoenix. he earned his huge deal while nash was still in dallas. so don’t compare him to jefferson.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
doc says:
yeah jeff bitch ass is no Marion.
October 29th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Jefferson does everything as Marion does but Marion does everything better than RJ..
October 29th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
dagwaller says:
Yea, I just meant the idea that as a third option, Jeff and Marion were good. When no one was watching for them, when no one expected them to create their own shots, etc. But take away the guys getting them great shots, and take away the other options, and they’re exposed.
October 29th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
parinaz suns says:
no. marion creates his shots by getting deflections and getting them on the fast break. marion’s greatest strengths are his defense (4th in voting for defensive player of the year 2 years ago) and his versatility in general (hence the nickname of matrix). and this has nothing to do with the players on his team.
jefferson is a poor mans marion. sorry but I’ve watched all of Marion’s games since he was drafted so I think I’d know.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
w says:
Uhmmm Dag i hate to burst your bubble but nash didnt really make too many shots for marion… Most of his points came from hustling and getting in position. He was getting the same numbers with marbury, who isn’t exactly known for getting his teamates great shots. IMO Marion is far better than jeferson its not even all that close.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
dagwaller says:
Good points, guys. I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I guess we’ll have to see how Marion does this year – if he can keep getting those hustle buckets.