If you could go back in time, would you redo the Green/Plumlee for Scola deal? Sure Green was terrible last season for Indy but he’s been amazing this year and Plumlee is going to be a solid bench guy for years to come.
Mike Sutera
With less than 15 games left in the regular season, it's almost safe to say that the 3rd to 6th seeds in the East will be decided between the Toronto Raptors, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards. Which teams would you pick for the most exciting series between any of these four?
Luiz Pedro
It was very refreshing to see Phil Jackson, upon taking his new position, give a "shout out" to Jerry Krause . I believe that Krause received a very raw deal in Chicago. I also believe that much of the Krause/Jordan feud was fueled by their competitive similarities vice their differences. Doesn't this show a deep respect for Jerry Krause by Phil Jackson? After all he worked for Jerry West also who has been recognized by many as the benchmark for GMs!
Greg Mendel
Enough already with the Melo talk! Thibs and Melo would be the worst marriage since Quinten Dailey and George Gervin shared the same backcourt. I can only imagine how many games it would take for Melo to complain about:
A) having to play defense
B) not enough minutes
C) too many minutes
D) not enough shots
E) all of the above
Melo is a chemistry killer hiding behind that smile. Don't do it.
Frank Lux
With how bad the East has been this year, it’s looking more and more like the Bobcats will make the playoffs and the Bulls will get their 1st round draft pick. With the Bulls having 2 possible mid-teens picks, is it possible to package the 2 of them and move up in the top ten? Would love them to move up and grab Jabari Parker but don't think the Bulls have enough to get that high into the draft. How do teams value first round draft picks? I know the NFL teams have a "guide" that they use to value pics for trading for other pics, do NBA teams have something similar?
Alex Pauley
Would the Bulls like to see Tony Snell shoot more when he plays, or are they happy with the limited number of times he is currently shooting?
Kenneth Katz
In the 4th quarter, why don't the Bulls ever consider playing Taj Gibson, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah at the same time? Thibs says that he goes with his best in the 4th quarter, but there have been a lot of games recently where Boozer and Gibson have both been playing very well and somewhere Boozer looks like the better player. It seems to me that in the 4th quarter, Gibson could take more of a Jimmy Butler role defensively, particularly on nights when Jimmy is not playing that well. Sitting Boozer out the entire 4th quarter in games where he has double-doubles, seems like a waste of talent.
Warren Gunnels
Do you know what that thing is that some of the Bulls players are smelling through their nose before games?
Rizwan Hyder
Saw your response about NBA players being approachable and brought up memories. When I was 18, I walked past a cleaners near Clark and Diversey and saw a tall black man who looked familiar. I quickly realized it was Juwan Howard, then coming off of his fourth season with Washington. I liked the Wizards and was a huge fan of Chris Webber, so I figured it would be cool to meet a member of the team and a friend of Chris. I walked in with no reason other than to meet Juwan and tell him how much of a fan I was of the Wizards. He was incredibly gracious, shook my hand, and told me to keep supporting them; just as he was about to depart, others noticed him and approached him as he made his way to his car. Again, he was incredibly gracious, and took the time to chat. Players like Juwan are the reason I get frustrated with the likes of the Minnesota legislator you mentioned and radio personalities who say that hockey players were more approachable due to being white and of normal size. It's a shame that some people unfairly judge NBA players based on race, tattoos, or upbringing. However, I am inclined to think that my interaction with Juwan was not an isolated incident, and that many players are approachable and considerate of fans.
Terrell Bryant
It looks like getting traded to the Cavs was probably bad for Luol Deng's free agency. One fit I could see is with Charlotte. They will have plenty of cap space. The big name free agents aren't about to sign there. However, a second tier guy like Deng might. Kidd-Gilchrest hasn't developed the way I'm sure Charlotte hoped he would, so there are minutes to be had at small forward. The Bobcats now play good defense, so Deng would fit in.
Cameron Watkins
I am a Bulls history nerd, and have thought long and hard about specific players places in the pantheon of the Bulls. Where does Joakim Noah rank among the best Bulls centers? I have always assumed Artis Gilmore would be #1 based on his stats and induction into the hall of fame, but I was born in 1986 and never saw him play. My father tells me Joakim is a shoo-in over Artis due to his recent play, and I certainly rate him over the Longleys and Cartwrights of my youth.
Nathan Hennenfent
What do you think is really most beneficial for the newest crop of one-and-dones? Struggle your rookie year as a 19 year old child in a man's league, or continue to hone your skills for at least one more year in college? I personally believe that even a very impressive talent, like Jabari Parker, would be best served with another year under Coach K's tutelage.
Maria Martinez
It is second time it is happening this season that Tom has kept a player from a triple double. First it was with Deng and now with Noah against the rockets. He could have let him a play. The game was already theirs for the winning. And it is not the case that he would be worrying about distributing minutes to the rookies. That is not one of his credentials. It is team game but somewhere these individual records also help. Records are what keep the memories of players from getting faded away.
Nakul Vaid
I enjoyed your article on LeBron earlier this week where you hypothesized where he might go next in his endeavor to get more rings than MJ and be considered the 'greatest of all time'. But wouldn't that simply make him the 'greatest journeyman of all time'? After all, Robert Horry won 7 rings with 3 teams.,1 more than MJ.
Luke Barac
I found Phil Jackson's debut at his New York Knicks press conference enormously impressive. That certainly shouldn't be a surprise given his past accomplishments. Still, some of the press has seemed so obsessed with minutiae such as how many college games Jackson will personally scout, that some of the larger picture of what Phil Jackson represents has been lost. I'm certainly not saying that scouting is irrelevant, but I think the biggest thing that Jackson can bring to the Knicks is enforcing accountability and responsibility for basic principles. I loved when Jackson said "focus is a capability." I wish Jackson well, although not at the expense of the Bulls, of course. I will also try not to quibble with Jackson's statement that there is no better place to win than New York. What else could he say under the circumstances?
Do you think Woodson needs to make the playoffs to have a shot at keeping his job? He seems to be a decent coach, but the question is whether a new voice is needed to make newly-annunciated principles resonate with the players.
Mitch Tobin
Sam: I don’t believe Woodson has any chance of being retained; nor should he. When you take over an organization like the Knicks with so much Machiavellian nature over the years the only way you can do the job is to install your own people who you are most close to and trust. So Phil should be hiring a coach and new staff and general manager to do that scouting other than Steve Mills, who is more a business and executive guy. I assume he will with no offense to Woodson. Phil when he was named Bulls coach dealt with a lot of who is this hippie who has never done anything stuff. He did reasonably well despite that. Phil has a great ability to block out the noise, which is essential to just being in New York City. As I noted in my Monday NBA column, you can worry about the Knicks for the first time in 20 years.
I was just watching some Derrick Rose videos on YouTube and eventually stumbled upon his MVP speech. It had been awhile since I saw it, but truly made me remember what not only Chicago, but the entire nation and NBA has been missing. As far as I know, one of the most sincere, honest, hardworking people I ever seen in the spotlight. The type of person everyone should be, and the type everyone wants to be. It saddens me to see how the last two years have played out for Derrick, he’s only 25 and already through two knee surgeries. Penny Hardaway is a name you see often when reading up on Derrick Rose online. It’s awful, but what really gets me is the old saying that good guys finish last is true to an extent in Derrick's case. He definitely has accomplished much and been everywhere but last, but just regarding the injury itself makes it seem like bad things happen to good people. He plays the game it is supposed to be played, does not complain, does not ask for attention, but relates so well to the common average hardworking person because they are not recognized in their day to day lives as NBA stars are. Derrick does not ask for it though, and that’s what special.
Mario Persico