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Preseason open Game Thread: Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 10, 2009 7:30 PM CDT Comment 202 comments

Listen, if Scott Skiles wasn't such a damned quitter, he would've been a good coach for this team.

202 comments | 0 recs

Rose likely to miss Bucks game

I really hope this is just the Bulls being extra careful...

1 day ago Juiceboxjerry comment 29 comments 0 recs

Kelly Dwyer calls out BBC coverage of the Bulls London game

And while I see his point, look at things in this perspective: They pronounced names better than the NBATV call did. Including the first name of our backup guard, which is something the head coach can't even do.

2 days ago your friendly BullsBlogger comment 33 comments 0 recs

Bulls win thriller in London, rookies impress those with little expectations (i.e. me)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 7, 2009 11:32 PM CDT Comment 65 comments

More photos » by TOM HEVEZI - AP

I hope this was called a foul. (AP Photo / Tom Hevezi)

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As preseason games go, that was a fun one to watch. The crowd was late-arriving but very into the game (as KC Johnson noted, they were ooohing and ahhing the most routine of NBA action), and the close back-and-forth score kept them into it. It was nice that they got the excitement of a buzzer-beater, even if it was in a meaningless contest.

(OK, maybe the announcers on NBATV were terrible, what with Steve Smith yelling at us to appreciate Taj Gibson and whoever the play-by-play-guy-was mispronouncing nearly every name (luOWL) and giving the all-to-rare 3...2...1... countdown a minute early. )

First some notes on the top-7 (3 of them out) that were encouraging all around. Noah just looks great, and if he starts this season like he ended the last it's going to be a breakout year for him. He was active all over, and SLC Dunk remarked Noah "looked like he was swatting 6th graders". Miller already was giving out hard fouls, and hitting jump shots. Hinrich was great, finishing perfect from the field. There's no doubt he played great to end last season, I just worry that his 40% 3-point seasons are the outliers. But if he bucks that trend he'll be incredibly valuable in any role he plays this season. Though hopefully there aren't many instances where he has to play point the whole game because Rose is hurt.

Luol Deng was able to thrill his hometown crowd with a solid game, and just like in the opener it was just nice to see him playing without a broken leg. What was different than the opener was Luol showing something different, a couple of post-up plays. If he can use it to exploit certain matchups, it'd be a nice complement to his game. I'm not sure he'll ever be able to dribble-drive by many defenders. He hit a three-pointer in this game as well, the other thing we all wish Luol could do more often. Though as Bulls by the Horns notes, it's worrisome that Deng still mentions soreness in the leg. Wasn't that injury in the spring? I'd almost rather he lied at this point and said everything was fine...though there was a point where a dunk was instead a blocked layup, which could've been the leg.

Now on to the rookies, with James Johnson being the hero and Taj Gibson giving a second-straight 'I may not stink after all' performance. If Taj can get to the point where we don't scream when he comes into the game for his handful of minutes, that's good enough value for that pick. It'll also be interesting to see how it effects the minutes of Tyrus Thomas, and any reduction in Thomas minutes will mean something bad has happened. Either he's playing like crud, or the Bulls really really don't want to pay him this summer. It may be an issue all season whether Taj is yet another Bull who's consistent competence is valued more than possible greatness (or above-averageness).

James Johnson is a trickier guy to peg in this year's rotation. He was able to flourish in this half-hazard 4th quarter in transition, but he won't be able to dominate the ball in the regular season (unless Deng is hurt again, yikes). Can he be useful away from the ball? At least he showed, like Gibson, that he's active, and as much as I like Tyrus Thomas I think Johnson ran the floor faster than I ever saw Thomas. Johnson also has shown more handle and a prettier shot, but that could just mean he's really meant to be a 3.

I actually didn't think Jannero Pargo was too awful, despite being the only Bull who didn't shoot well Tuesday. He just doesn't need to play in meaningful lineups, is all, because he will shoot regardless of who's on the floor with him. I actually liked him chucking in the first half since he was in a srubby lineup, and does have the innate skill to create shots (if not makes). But if he's in there in 3-guard 4th quarter lineups because of some clutch ability that doesn't exist (at least not with him), that's not good.

Chris Richard was definitely bad. Byers was a bit better (nice put-back dunk), and is still leading in the 'which camp invitee should stay' contest.

A great performance all-around. It's not necessarily meaningful that the preseason performance is good, but it's preferred over a poor-looking performance. The top-7 has been real solid. If other players step up to warrant minutes, that's a good problem to have, right?

(So why am I worried that they'll instead ruin a Vinny-proof rotation, with pressure from the Org. to push certain guys (Tyrus) out the door? I'm kidding, the Org. never has direction enough to dictate playing time.)

65 comments | 1 recs |

[From the FanShots. No recap tonight, too late. But it was a fun finish to be sure. -ed.]

J.J. bringin' the good times in London!

4 days ago Juiceboxjerry comment 34 comments 0 recs

Preseason London Open Thread: Bulls vs. Utah Jazz

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 6, 2009 1:30 PM CDT Comment 314 comments

NBATV.

314 comments | 0 recs

Rose, Thomas, Salmons out for London preseason game

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 6, 2009 8:48 AM CDT Comment 40 comments

Stinks for the paying audience, namely Sham. But obviously there's no reason to push guys too hard in meaningless games. At least Hinrich and Miller appear to be back for this one.

At least the kids are having fun over there, you got Rose at Chelsea vs. Liverpool, Deng, Noah and others at an Aresenal match. Deng hoping he won't curse this bid too, and other requisite 'Deng is from London' stuff. Rookie hazing and veteran sleepiness.

Game is on NBATV at 1:30pm central. It'll be fun to see if my recording works!

40 comments | 0 recs |

Who are the Bulls camp free agents, and should we care?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 5, 2009 6:53 PM CDT Comment 35 comments

With the Bulls going into camp with only 13 guaranteed contracts (as did most NBA teams, though none quite as profitable), and with a few minor injuries already popping up, the unsigned FAs on the roster may be more important than originally planned.

And 'important' could merely mean 'get through these mandatory preseason games', though with Aaron Gray out for 6 weeks, and Lindsey Hunter really only signed to be a high-paid assistant, someone could actually make the team.

SBNation brother site Ridiculous Upside recently went over the Bulls camp-invitees, so here is some more background on each:

Derrick Byars - Byars got a full-length profile earlier this offseason, so I'll just touch on a few highlights: he was a very smart and skilled college player, but since then has mostly spent time in Europe and the D-League in addition to getting a few preseason NBA looks. He doesn't rebound or get to the free-throw line consistently, and he's not the quickest guy, but he can definitely score and he's a decent passer for a swingman, and he generally makes smart decisions. Byars averaged just under 17 points per 36 minutes in Bakersfield last year, and he shot just over 38 percent on three-pointers. He also does a pretty good job of staying out of foul trouble. I think Chicago would do well to sign Byars, in part because Luol Deng's health is still somewhat tenuous, and because he would give them another bench scoring option on nights when Jannero Pargo's shot isn't falling. I'm not confident that will happen, and Byars isn't really the type of guy you bring in when you're trying to emphasize defense (though what team isn't at this time of year), but I think it would be a solid fit.

Chris Richard - I tend to get him confused with Chris Hunter, but Chris Richard injured his back last year and was released by Tulsa before the all-star break. He was solid if unspectacular when he played, though, averaging about 14 points and nine and a half rebounds per 36 minutes. Those numbers are an improvement on what he did in the NBA after being drafted by Minnesota in 2007, where he averaged six points and just under nine rebounds. His eFG and TS percentages have both improved as well, so while he's not a world-beater, he'd be a solid bench option at power forward for an NBA team. Provided his body can handle it, of course.

Both Byars and Richard played significant time in the preseason opener, and while Byars looked a bit better, I wouldn't be surprised if Richard is the one (and only one) the Bulls keep due to his size. Even after the rise of Taj (sigh), it's likely the Bulls feel the need for frontcourt emergency depth with Gray sidelined, James fat, and Miller always prone to miss games here and there.

I also wouldn't mind seeing Byars given a shot to out-play Pargo (not to try to read too much into the preseason game, I just truly think Pargo is replacement-level) for a spot at the fringe of the rotation, but with the Bulls nearly $1m from the luxury tax line, they'll likely sign only one of the two, if none. And while spots 12-15 are not that significant, with the Bulls insistent on not paying the tax and having a lot of dead (if expiring) money already on the books, I wonder if they're regretting their summer signings (or at least the terms) of Gray, Hunter, and Pargo.

35 comments | 0 recs |