If Korvers shot stays down then it is a completely different game. Do you think the Bulls advantage in depth will start having more of an effect next week when the games are played closer together? Al Horford said after the Atlanta series that the Bulls front court depth started to wear on him.
Jim Harlan
Do you think we are going to see LeBron and D-Wade both take turns guarding Rose throughout the rest of the series like they did last night? That way they don't exert too much energy on defense like Wade did in game one trying to guard him by himself.
Mike Smith
Will coach Thibs go to something different when they have games like last night? Why not take a chance on putting Rasual Butler out there with Korver struggling?
Terrence Wells
Boozer needed to be out there at the end. He would have only been guarding a tiring Haslem at the end, or a useless Howard, or a cold Bosh. I think it would have been worth the risk in defensive liability to have him out there, especially when no one can make a basket. The team needs to get him going in the post more in the second half, or even take his jumpers. They are not involving him in many plays, just him and Noah passing the ball around the 3 point line. We all know Boozer is capable of dropping 20 points a night, but he is just not getting enough looks where he wants the ball. Which brings me to another point. Our pick and roll is hideous to watch. Firstly, the pick. They are not setting the pick on the defender, especially Boozer. Instead they give some room and force Derrick to find the pick. This gives the defender room to squeeze through and immediately double team Rose. Then there is Derrick. He doesn't push over the pick (however bad it is) hard enough. He pulls back too much looking to split. Go over hard and get the big man on his heels.
Daniel George
Why is there a four day lag between games 2 and 3?
Ateeq Aahmed
Any thoughts on Jason Phillips, in my eyes, taking away the Bulls aggressiveness on defense with his whistles in the second quarter last night (primarily a two minute stretch)? I thought it turned the game. Prior to that the Bulls were outplaying the Heat, with a carryover affect from the 2nd half of game 1.
George Golemis
Sometimes I get a good laugh at the expense of some of the bloggers. One blogger suggested that the Bulls should trade Bogans, Pargo, Lucus, and the Charlotte pick for O.J. Mayo. I don't see Pargo and Lucus coming back, but my question to you is do you see the Bulls using Taj Gibson as trade bait to get the SG that they need, before they lose Taj?
Nathaniel Sowell
I love the way Taj is playing right now: great defense, monster dunks, mid-range jump shot falling. So I think that means it will be time to trade him at the draft right after the Bulls win the championship. The Bulls would miss him a lot, but if he continues playing well, his value is likely as high as it will ever be. There seems little chance they resign him anyway. Plan A should still be to take your best shot at trading for 1. Courtney Lee 2. Arron Afflalo 3. Wes Matthews 4. Gerald Henderson (despite the hip surgery). Plan B: This draft has a really bad rep. as it seems short on stars, but it doesn't mean that there are not some starting caliber talents there. If Plan A fails, why not take a shot with maybe Taj and one of the Bulls first rounders to move up into the late lottery IF Alec Burks is still on the board. I've seen him play many times and like his game a lot. He is an athletic scorer who can create his own offense. This is also a less expensive way of filling the SG role which gives them a better shot at trying to retain Asik.
Matt Maloney
Wouldn't it make sense for Jordan to move the Bobcats to Chicago?
Ryan Carpel
With Turner most likely the future of the Sixers, how do you see Philly offloading Iguodala? It's obvious the only way Turner can flourish is if he starts and can run the point forward role, which Iggy is currently taking into his own hands. With a new labor agreement coming up, does it seem near impossible with Iggy's massive contract? Maybe a trade to Sacramento or Minessota, both craving a highlight reel wing player?
Edward Fung
I can see Phil not coaching again but if the Heat don't win a championship this year I could see LeBron calling for Jackson to coach the Heat. Jackson has coached the best player of the previous two decades and won 11 titles. It's only natural for LeBron to believe he is next and Phil should coach him. I would love to see Pat Riley's reaction to LeBron's request.
David Yuen
I just saw an interesting debate on ESPN regarding the greatest basketball duo's of all time. A question was posed as to whether Lebron and Wade could take Jordan and Pippen in 2 on 2. That got me thinking that if I could pick one player to match up LBJ defensively in the history of the game it would probably be Pippen. Who else has the size speed and ability to match up with that monster?
Joe Tanner
Would the NBA ever consider changing its lottery process? Since a number of people believe it's rigged because of the coincidences that result (Bulls get the #1 pick when the hometown kid Rose is available, Abe Pollin dies and Wizards win, Cavs lose LeBron and get the #1 pick), there may be other ways to eliminate that. I have a suggestion. End the regular season at 80 games. While the playoff teams get a week off to rest up, the lottery teams play a one-and-done tournament. The final two teams standing get the top two picks in the draft, and then the other picks fall based on worst record. That way you're rewarding a team that actually is putting effort into getting better instead of handing the top prize to a poor team that just happens to get a lucky bounce.
Carl Feldman
Do the Bulls get Toronto's 1st round pick? I thought Chicago got a Round 1 pick from Toronto when Chicago traded James Johnson to Toronto.
Charles Lapp
Bulls packaging 28 and 30 to move up yet not a lot of interest just yet.
Mike Sutera
Again, I ask why the coach is not playing Kurt Thomas?
Linda Esposito
Can you explain the mystique surrounding Perkins? He can't catch, jump, run, shoot, or do much of anything on a basketball court aside from being 6'-11" and scowling each time he's called for a foul (about every minute and a half for him). For months we've heard about the "Perkins Deal" and how it affected the Celtics, invigorated the Thunder and changed the balance of power in the East. I've watched the guy play. Not only this season, but the past 3 or 4. He's terrible. His value is completely psychological. He was hurt most of the season before the deal, rarely playing for the Celtics. Even when healthy, he was not a crunch-time member of the Celts. Now with the Thunder, they're clearly better when Collison and Ibaka man the front line. Yet people (okay, TV commentators) insist on his "leadership", "toughness", etc. But I watch games. He's bad. Maybe not Jamal Magloire-bad. I'd only go so far as to say he's Jason Collins-good. And that, my friend, is damning with faint praise. Am I missing something? Is it his fake tough guy act that allowed KG to preen even more so? I've always thought in the NBA that talent will out. But Perkins has no talent, yet remains this oft-cited beacon of NBA... what? Perhaps I just don't like looking at his scowl every time he's in. You have to earn a scowl like that. I just don't know that he ever has.
Bryan Quigley
It's a question no one would have asked a year ago, but do you think the Bulls can re-sign Deng when his contract is up? I know a lot will depend on the new CBA, but under Thibs, he really has become a key cog for this Bulls team and would be hard to replace.
Jon McLean
How proud would Stormin Normin and Johnny Red be of this team?
Gorav Raheja
What should Chicago's general attitude towards Phil Jackson be? I personally am happy to see him retire, and hope he stays retired this time. Do we give him too much credit for his accomplishments? In 1989, he earned his first head coaching job, inheriting two of the best players in the history of the game in Jordan and Pippen. The Bulls were coming off an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. Sure, he helped Chicago win six championships, but he wasn't much part of any building process. I was a fan of Jackson's until 1997, when he decided he would coach his final year, and decided to bring the entire ship down with him. Understandably Jackson didn't see eye-to-eye with management, but he showed up to training camp that fall with booklets and hats reading "Last Dance". Who was he to decide it'd be everyone's "last dance"? His Zen craft encouraged (or brainwashed?) the players to walk away as well. Even Jordan threatened management after the 1998 season that he wouldn't play for any coach other than Jackson. We all know what transpired following Championship #6. So Phil rode off into the sunset. Once again, he inherited two more future hall-of-famers in Shaq and Kobe. When the Shaq-Kobe alliance crumbled, Phil deserted the team. I resent his arrogant behavior and cockiness in thinking he can make or break any team. How much credit does Phil deserve for his work in Chicago and Los Angeles? Shouldn't Pat Riley at least be credited with sticking with the Miami Heat (since 1995) through thick and thin?
Mike Burgher
Hopefully, as you say, sabermetrics is dead in the NBA, with the Rose ranking being a self-inflicted wound. Game One illustrated the intangibles that sabermetrics cannot capture. Rose got zero of the Bulls 19 offensive rebounds, and therefore zero sabermetric credit. But surely he was a major contributer to the rebounding, as the Heat problem started with the need to trap or double Rose way out on the court, leaving 3 to guard against 4. If the Heat want to compete on the boards they probably need to play Rose more straight up. Of course, that's a Scylla and Charybdis choice; Rose could easily go for 40 or more if played honestly by any of the Heat guards (including Wade). The Heat's best option may be James on Rose the entire game, and without switching on picks. Although nobody in the history of the game could shut down Rose entirely, James may at least blunt his success, and allow the rest to stay with the 3 point shooters and go 1 v 1 with the big men, and at least have a chance on the glass. Of course, the law of unintended consequences then arises, and who knows what effect that would have on the Miami fast break, James at the other end, James' stamina and minutes, etc. And those negative consequences would not likely be credited to Rose by the sabermetric myopia. By the way, was the insertion of Magloire intended for comic relief?
Sheldon Hirsch