Giving me the Bullues..

Man I am so sick of the way this team has underperformed through the Eastern Conference Championship. Let's take a look at what we've accomplished so far this season shall we? Best regular season record in the entire NBA, check. Tom Thibodeau named coach of the year, check. Hometown hero Derrick Rose named MVP, check. In an ideal situation this would be the formula for an overpowering championship team, however, for many reasons this Chicago Bulls team is giving a die hard Bulls fan the Blues.

After coming off the best season since the late 90's it appeared that first round series versus the Indiana Pacers would be a breeze, but that team came to play and managed to give

this crew a run for their money. After the first round up hill BATTLE against the ironically name Pacers came the athletic Atlanta Hawks. I say athletic because the team that plays in the 'highlight house' sure hasn't given the fans anything other than periodic moments throughout the season to cheer for. Nonetheless, the Atlantic Hawks clearly showcased what the Bulls lack, a complete team. Derrick Rose has without a doubt been the heart, engine, and force to make this team go, but it's become more clear throughout the series that if he's not playing top notch basket

ball EVERYONE else has to be at their best. The Hawks brought in a double team around our patented "pick and Rose" technique hedging Rose up high forcing him to either pass the ball to a teammate or reset and attempt to make a highlight move. As the season progressed it was evident that this was the strategy to

slow down this Rosercoaster when he's got momentum towards the basket. Although they were able to slow him down they were unable to stop him allowing us to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Miami Heat have overtaken the Boston Celtics as my least favorite team in the NBA. I've always enjoyed watching Dwayne Wade (Chicago native), but I cannot stand LeBron James. Chris Bosh...eh not really a hater, but he looks like a velociraptor. As the playoffs went on and it became apparent that we were going to be taking on this newly built team I felt we were ready for them. The regular season record showed that we had beat them all three times we played them and when it came to late game situations we were able to persevere. Would that same type of performance come from this team in the playoffs or would the newly dubbed big three show that they are the new recking ball in the league.

Game one of the series was by far the best that the 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls have played as a team all season. Our defense was strong and we outplayed the Heat on all cylinders at the United Center. Even Carlos Boozer had a great game, which throughout the playoffs has been more lost then any type of respect the public had for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Game 2 & 3 the Heat responded strongly and made the united Bulls appear weak and flawed. Whether it was the half court defense getting broken down like an Oreo in Milk or their defense putting up a better stand then the Wall of China this Bulls team has looked severely over matched and it is heartbreaking to watch.

Currently, Game 4 is on and the game has gone into overtime in Miami. The Bulls are making careless passes, shooting too many three pointers, playing poor defense, and overall not making plays. Luol Deng has played phenomenal defense on LeBron James all game and D Rose has had a couple great dunks, but as we've seen in these playoffs the Bulls just aren't into these games like they have been. I do question a lot of the lineups Thibodeau has had in during crucial moments throughout the game. For instance, having Kyle Korver or Watson in the game during a time that calls for more defense than a second shooting option. While I'm sure he has his reasons for each situation this series has been unbearable to watch because of these 'Miami fans.'

For a team with two of the biggest names in basketball their fans are down right embarrassing. They show up to the games late because its 'South Beach casual' and I am more than willing to bet that more than half the people that fill that stadium couldn't tell you what place the Heat finished in the regular season or how long Udonis Haslem has been on the team. In my closing thoughts, I really need the Bulls to at least push this series to a game 7. They have it in them, but for some reason they just haven't put a full game together since game 1. Get it together guys and show what the city of Chicago is made of.

Quick Note: Somebody asked in regards to LeBron's great game, "What can't he get!?"

My response, "A college education."

Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

It's only the first game of the season.

The only thing that kept sounding off in my mind as the Chicago Bulls made countless turnovers that could have been prevented and played less than stellar defense. However, there were a lot of good things that were evident throughout the game and the reminder that we are missing an all star from our starting line up keeps a smile on my face.

I wasn't really too sure what to expect from the Bulls in this game, or for the season. With a couple key off season moves to improve their stock value and appearance on paper this team could be anywhere. After what I consider the luckiest first round draft pick we could have asked for, we're putting together a supporting cast around D Rose. New coach, new center, new shooters, and developed players that remained on the roster.

From the tip off of this game it was evident how much of a talent Rose truly is. The Bulls ran a couple great pick and roll sets, had a couple fast breaks, and played some defense on the Thunder. Obviously I don't know what Tom Thibodeau's game plan was before the game, but I hope it was limit the points of the big 3 for the Thunder. Durant is going to get his upper 20/30 points without a doubt, its the players around him that you need to try and limit and really squeeze when they have the ball. As we saw in the game tonight that was not one of the Bulls' priorities. Westbrook grabbed rebounds and had quick put backs that really took the air out of the quality defensive stops the Bulls had. On top of that they out ran us on the fast break. I was a big fan of the Thunder last year and really think they have a great group that can only improve with their age since they are all such young players, but man are they long. I don't know how to explain it other than that. Every player seems to have a longer wingspan and longer strides than the other players on the court. This was partially the reason as to why the Bulls kept making such elementary turnovers, but a simple pass fake could have solved this problem.

A few things that were evident towards the end of the game:

Rose floater shot - It fell a couple times early and is a really pretty shot when it goes, but towards the end of the game he continued to use it when it wasn't hitting. The way the Bulls got into the lead was through drawing fouls to slow the Thunder down and not allowing them to stretch the floor. Its great to use that shot when its working, but towards the end of the game he needs to take the ball to the hole and draw some fouls.

Brewer - Thoroughly disappointed in his play tonight. I know hes been injured throughout preseason but he looked really lost out there. Again, it's only the first game of the season.

Referees - Must have been bit by the Durantula before the game because they were sick. It appeared early that Durant was going to be getting the "superstar" calls. I'm really starting to get tired of these, mainly because the Bulls do not have anyone to get these type of calls.

Korver - Did not play a lot, but came off the bench with six minutes left and hits a big bucket. I think as he feels more comfortable after this injury and Boozer takes his place on the court Korver is going to be a really solid piece to the Bulls puzzle.

Derrick Rose foul trouble affecting us early and late. In the first half when Rose got taken out the Bulls had no identity on the court. They were attempting to run everything too fast, and didn't have any one on the court that really wanted to take control (despite Watsons great baskets after the timeout).

Really great to see Deng developed a 3 point shot. I've been waiting for this for as long as we've had Deng. He has always had a great 15-18 foot jumper but for some reason it never worked for him from outside the arc. Now he's hitting it, which gives him the option of being a threat from outside and opening up the lane for others.

Taj Gibson played like a veteran. I really like Taj, for one because he was a late addition on my fantasy team, but also he plays well. He takes his time underneath the basket and he doesn't rush. I would really like to see him develop a more consistent jumper so when Boozer gets back they'll be able to run and inside out game.

Joaquim - Mr Consistent Double Double. Nuff said.

D Rose off season 3 point work not showing in season opener.

When it came down to crunch time the same old bulls showed up and crumbled. It is only the first game, but we still don't have a player that is reliable with it on the line. I only say this because of the way Durant can help his team out and if he wasn't on the court Westbrook or Green could. Rose is starting to step up and I think he could really fit that role well, but he's not fully there yet.

Towards the end the Thunder just had that extra bit to help out, when Boozer gets back I'd like to think the bulls have an edge on them. The Thunder don't really have a great inside force and Boozer's combination of power and an outside shot the Bulls are going to have a really different look than what we saw tonight.

This Season's Fantasy Picks

As a lifetime basketball fan that has always dreamed of playing or coaching past the high school level there is no better feeling than putting together an all star fantasy team. Tonight we have the draft for our "bragging rights" league. I'll be honest, last year I stopped paying attention to my team after the first couple weeks because no matter what I tried to do I couldn't acquire a quality big man to give me some rebounding numbers. At the start of the draft all I saw were star players that I enjoy to watch rather than observing the numbers they actually produce. That's why I'm putting together a list of some of my top players at each position so I can stick to a system rather than just grabbing the best player at the time.

Point Guard

Chris Paul - We saw Chris hurt last year towards the end of the season which really hurt the Hornets. They got rid of Tyson Chandler which appeared throughout the season to be Pauls' greatest asset. Most of the highlights I saw of the Hornets consisted of Paul driving to the basket and either throwing an alley-oop to Chandler or faking the pass and taking a step back jumper. However, the Hornets did acquire Emeka Okafor who we saw contribute a great deal to the Bobcats. Essentially, they received a player that still can't shoot outside who rebounds about the same and can't shoot free throws. David West is still on the team along with an aging Peja, I'm thinking this season is going to be centered more around Paul than in years' past because of the terrible cast around him.

Deron Williams - Similar to Paul's situation Deron is definitely going to be the primary focus of the Jazz this season. It appears that the Bulls liked the way the Jazz lineup was meshed together and just took the core group out of Utah. They did acquire Al Jefferson which with the combination of Mehmet could provide a really interesting inside and out game. New acquisition Gordon Hayward could prove to be a great shooter to have alongside Williams, but I see Deron's points going up rather than his assists.

Dwayne Wade - I absolutely despise the new look of the Miami Heat, but I think it should be interesting to see the way the Heat lean towards. Much like the Celtics in their acquisition of the "Big 3" there has been a noticeable trend in different situations throughout the game of who they lean on. I'm thinking that Dwayne's points are going to go down a little bit, but he is a competitor and will get his points however he has to. I do see his assists going up, but again this all depends on who they're going to be running the patented NBA big and roll with. With Drama Mama James on his team we'll see how when it really comes down to crunch time who they lean on.

Jason Kidd - What else to say other than quality veteran? Despite the off court feuds with his wife Kidd is always a great pick up and will give you quality rebounds, steals, and assists. It appears as he gets older that his numbers have dropped, but he does tend to go through spurts where he'll catch a flame and start draining shots. When he's feeling it the triple doubles start showing up like acne on a steroid using body builder.

Rajon Rondo - Complete tool for trying to pick a fight with Hinrich in the Bulls vs Celtics playoff series, but man as he really came into his own. Completely different playing style and really able to explode. Still no jump shot which I find amazing at the NBA level, but is extremely aggressive and has a great supporting cast around him. Since the Celtics picked up O'Neal we'll see if this gives the Celtics more offensive possessions or if this is just going to slow their fast break offense down.

Rose, Jennings, and more to come...

Future of the NBA?

Throughout the years we have seen the NBA's game play transition through various forms of game play. In its origin it was created to promote team work and ultimately keep football players in shape in the off season. As the sport caught on and gained recognition we were able to see the progression of stars being recognized on teams. There was still a team first attitude, but team names were being associated with individual players instead of just their name alone. Eventually it was able to progress into the league it is today where advertisements feature a player or two on each team evoking an interest to watch players instead of teams. What I am curious to see is if this new wave of trading for talent rather than growing it from within the organization is going to catch on.

Within the past decade we have seen a number of top tier players traveling to other teams to play along side other greats of their generation. Recently, the now aging Boston Celtics, acquired two of the big three from other teams. The Lakers, without a nickname for their championship squad, brought in Lamar Odom, Ron Attest, and Pau Gasol at separate times to "build" their high caliber team. Now, of course, there is the Miami Heat compiled with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and self proclaimed King, LeBron James. While there is a number of quality teams that are still making a name for themselves in the league I am posed with the question of whether compiling talent to one team is good for the league rather than spreading out the superstars.

In my mind this could go a couple ways. If the Heat are able to acquire a couple championships within the couple years of LeBron's contract are we going to see more teams try and stockpile players who are willing to play for less money. While this will allow for certain cities with the budget to flourish we're also at risk of creating a very difficult future for the smaller market teams which could lead to more teams having to move cities and a big problem for the future.

LeDrama Mama James

Out of the four people or so that have actually seen my opinions about LeBron on this blog you know I have never been a fan. Sure I have respect for him for coming out of high school and immediately making an impact in the NBA and turning around the Cleveland Cavaliers, but for some reason I've never felt he really deserved all the hype. I watched him play twice at the United Center and both times throughout the entire game all he did was look into the stands to make sure that everybody was watching him like a attention craving puppy. Now he has played seven seasons in the NBA and is 25 and as he said in his interview tonight is a "man." However, for some reason he needs to have a 1 hour special dedicated to him telling those interested where he is heading next year. While it is honorable that the contributions from those advertising during ESPN's "the decision" are going to the boys and girls clubs to the cities that were involved in this whole process, it still makes me wonder was all this attention really necessary. Michael Jordan, the greatest player to ever step on the basketball court, informed the Chicago Bulls that he was returning to the team with a fax that said two words, "I'm Back." Now granite times have changed and the media is much more involved in everything I can't help but wonder if in the future we are going to get players like Troy Murphy holding a two day press conference and interview session on why he has decided to resign with the Pacers.

I will always have a Chicago bias, but I still feel that the Bulls were the best TEAM for LeBron to go to. I would cast my hatred aside while he graced the United Center with his presence, but the minute he got off the property I would go back to hating him again. The Bulls organization is most well known for drafting a certain 6'6 player coming from the University of North Carolina and building a team around him. The Cavaliers were trying to do much the same. Apparently now LeBron is willing to take a pay cut to play for the Miami Heat....WELL THEN WHY DIDN'T HE DO THAT WITH THE CAVALIERS??? If he would have taken a pay cut there they could have afforded to bring in other big name players. Jamison was not a smart move, but it showed progress. LeBron's transformation to a member of the Miami Heat just goes to show that this guy is human. For the first time in his career LeBron is going to have an entire city/state/nation hating a choice he has made which will ultimately cause a loss of respect. He has been booed before when playing in opposing teams stadiums, but I don not think he has any idea of how poor of a decision this was and will be in the future. Sure maybe they will grab a couple championships, but at least those that were considered to be the greatest of all times made the players around them better. They didn't need to get bought into a situation, they used what was put around them to make the TEAM better.

Closing Notes. If next year when Carmelo's contract is up he even contemplates going to the Heat I am officially picketing the NBA. The game was finally back to where no matter what game you went to see you could watch an incredible player on your team and another outstanding player on the other, but if it just turns into four or five teams with 4 or plus all stars the league will turn into a joke and lose all the progress it has made since the Jordan dynasty was over. Either way LeBron you're an idiot, I really don't like your demeanor and frankly you have made a life long NBA fan and admirer question whether or not to follow it anymore. As my parents have said in the past, LeBron I'm not mad at you I'm just disappointed.