The sad and really shocking news about Greg Oden requiring another micro-fracture surgery and missing this year and the 2011-12 season being very uncertain raises a question. From your extensive experience with the NBA what NBA player went down to injury who you think would have been the best NBA player? I am thinking about Jay Williams motorcycle accident as a candidate. Oden seemed primed to be a force in the NBA.
Bruce Roberts
Back in the 2008 draft, I think I was one of the few guys who actually wanted the Bulls to take Mike Beasley with the #1 pick. With that being said, I am glad I am not a GM and the Bulls took Rose and have no regrets. However, since Beasley has been playing so well recently, he reminds me of the player he was at Kansas State and the dominant offensive force he was projected. My question is, why didn't more teams try to get this guy? I have read a lot about him, and he is more of a goofball/jokester than someone like DeMarcus Cousins or a pre-Grizzles Zach Randolph who were an actual problem. Did teams think he was washed up/not worth the trouble and locker room disturbance?
Sharvil Sheth
Rose's offensive caliber is not questioned at all. But much like a pendulum swings from one end to the other, Rose's previous handle-with-care halfcourt slowdown sets by Vinny D have now been replaced with "take the ball up court, beat your man, and either drive or pull up with a J without any passing on the offensive end" by Tommy T. I counted at least five times where this happened. It may be fine, because thats what it might take for the Bulls to win, but you can't think that the rest of the squad are happy not being involved in the offense at all, even if it's just swinging the ball around for an eventual Rose score.
Rose's defense is definitely questionable. Countless times where Tony Parker would either blow past him or beat him in transition to the other side of the court. It's great if you can score 13 in a quarter, but isn't that mitigated when your counterpart is making you look silly on the other end? Maybe Rose was spending too much time and energy scoring on the other end. Whatever the issue is, let's put Rose in the Steve Nash/Jason Kidd career trajectory (two great scoring and/or passing PGs who don't play D) and wait to elevate him to the CP3/Tony Parker/Westbrook (overall do-it-all guards with strong defense) level just yet.
Dennis Chong
Just wondering your take one coach Thibodeau's substitution methods, starting to think he benches guys and forgets them or sits them to make a point that they're not doing sobering right... I felt like he packed it in too soon against New York. Also against Houston he sat Brewer almost the entire third after he had a great start to the game and then against San Antonio he played Scalabrine entirely too long especially once Rose got them back in the game. It's really starting to concern me. Before the season people said a coach like Thibs could get you ten wins alone, well I think he, while not fully at fault, helped lose three already.
Big fan-Anthony Lewicki
I was watching the game against the Spurs last night on espn for a bit to get the views from the national TV analysts and one thing that particularly interested me was Mark Jackson and Van Gundy's top 5 list of best point guards in the league. I personally think Jackson hit it right on the head except for his last pick in order: Williams, Paul, Rose, Rondo, Westbrook (I think Nash should be number 5 but Westbrook a close 6th). What bugs me of course how ridiculous Van Gundy is with his: Williams, Paul, Rondo, Nash, then Rose/Westbrook/Billups (seriously). Van Gundy also goes on during the telecast underrating Rose and the only thing he really mentioned that was true about how his game needing improvement was his defense and he didn't praise him in any other areas where he's improved (passing/assists, 3pt, more vocal, etc.) In your opinion, who is your current top 5 PGs in the NBA this season and why is Van Gundy never giving the Bulls props?
Alex Mattucci
Why are all the people that where hyping the Heat all summer now telling us that we are overreacting to their slow start?
Charles Clark
Bosh is obviously the most valuable and expendable piece Riley has to improve his team. How about Bosh for Scola and Battier or Miller? To Portland for Camby and their Miller? I know Bosh can't be traded for another month but the Heat would have plenty of time to develop chemistry before the playoffs. Either trade would improve the heat dramatically though I don't know why I am volunteering this since I am a Bulls fan.
David Yuen
I've been very impressed with Asik's early season play, but I'm a little worried that his tendency to hang on the rim after a dunk is going to get him T'd up.
Ben Jablonski
Which player will be left off the active roster when Boozer is healthy? Who is the 13th man?
Jeremy Man
Do the foreign guys like Asik get the rookie hazing?
Ryan Schanser
I've been hearing rumors that the Bulls are searching for a 3rd PG. Sundiata's been taken off the market by Minnesota. They're holding out on Pat Bev so who are they gonna get? Do you think they should bring back Kyle Weaver?
Kyli Jones
I've been hearing a lot lately about speculation around the league that Kevin Love is upset with his lack of playing time and might be demanding a trade. Do you think that if he would get traded there would be a chance he would go to the Bulls? He's a great shooter, can stretch the floor, and rebounds like crazy. If we were to trade Gibson in the deal, he'd be our primary big off the bench that can score, hustle, and spread the floor well. I really like his style of play and maybe I'm just hoping, but we need shooters and spacing the floor would be great for slashers like Rose and Deng.
Mike Mikos
So what are the Bulls realistic chances of winning a championship in the next say decade. (I know it is still quite early). We don't have much more money for free agents for a while. With that in mind do the Bulls need to make some trades to put themselves in contention for a title? If so what do they need to trade for to get them to that championship level? Also wouldn't it be a good idea to hold on to the Charlotte pick because its our best long term chance of getting another player?
John Lustrea
I enjoyed the article on possible shooting guards for the Bulls. I agree that most of the people you identified are good potential targets; what about Jason Richardson? He's shooting great from deep, has the athleticism to be a strong defender, and is in the last year of his deal with a notoriously thrifty team. Would the Suns consider a package of picks, CJ Watson, Taj/Omer and various other pieces to make contracts work? Or is it too hard to match his salary and then the Bulls wouldn't have the cash to resign him at the end of the season anyway? As long as the Suns have Nash they'll be competitive, but they don't seem to have the players to make any serious noise in the playoffs. Reloading with picks and young, cheap talent would improve the Suns' bottom line without destroying their shot at the playoffs.
Brad Hergott
Money aside, do you think Ben Gordon is happy in Detroit? He's had a few very nice games this year so far. Then, I've noticed he was last off the bench scoring seven points. I've noticed Tracy McGrady comes off the bench ahead of him recently. I'm curious what you think.
Bob Gottlieb
I have long wondered why the Bulls and Hawks are not treated as first priority at the UC when the circus comes to town. Year after year, the Bulls find themselves in an early hole, forced to chase the .500 mark the remainder of the season. Granted, the schedule balances out for every team after 82 games, but do most other NBA clubs have to endure eight game road trips (and some years nine out of ten games on the road)? With today's speedy air travel, I don't buy off on the economic factors nor time-saving benefits of lumping many road games "out west" together, especially when several Western Conference teams are settled in the Central Time Zone (Minnesota, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Oklahoma City, New Orleans) altogether (Denver is also only a two-hour flight away). The UC is best known as home to the Bulls and Hawks, so why won't it host the circus anytime between late-June and late-October, instead of forcing its biggest cash draws out of town for several weeks at a time?
Mike Burgher
So a lot of people seem to be complaining about Thibs wearing out the starters and leaving them on the floor for too long. Do you agree that their minutes have to be cut down? Also, if it is indeed the case that they're playing too many minutes, why exactly might that be the case? Seems a bit risky to do it just for the sake of building familiarity and chemistry — besides, it would seem like the bench needs much more chemistry building than the starters. Could it be because Thibs just doesn't have faith in our bench?
Patrick Pressl
Showcasing Deng is one thing, but wearing him out is another! How can the Bulls plan to trade Deng, when he is logging too many minutes early in the season and he never gets a rest? When it comes time to trade him in order to get Anthony — the chance of him being hurt are great. How does playing him so much make sense?
Charles Miller
It is quite obvious that the Chicago Bulls need a shooting guard. I know from reading an ESPN article that Rashad McCants was available prior to the start of the season. Why haven't the Bulls or any other NBA team given McCants a second chance? After all, McCants appears to be a prototypical NBA shooting guard with the ability to be an effective player on both sides of the ball.
Andre Mixon
I watch Derrick Rose play and see Rod Strickland with a better vertical jump and a much better attitude toward the game. Same size and build with that unusual ability to get their shot off among the trees in the middle. Do see any similarity?
Garry Veicht
Given how Taj is playing so far this year, it seems a shame not to give him starter-type minutes when Boozer returns. Why not put him at the 3 and move Deng to the 2? Deng plays more like a shooting guard on offense anyway and seems like he could keep up with most opposing 2-guards. Also, I wish the fans would let up on the Deng trade talk. He's averaging 20 points and 6 rebounds a game, shooting 44% on 3s, is a solid defender, and fits well within the Bulls system. Melo would be an improvement, but he's not worth gutting the bench for. Miami's troubles should serve as a reminder that this is a team game and not just about a couple of superstars.
Matt Coffina
I haven't been able to watch any Bulls games yet, being in Afghanistan, but I've been able to catch most of your post game 'blogs' which I appreciate now more than ever... My question for you is, do you feel like you're watching (with the exception of Rose, Deng and Noah) a bunch of strangers? It may be because I can't watch any of the games this year, but I feel like I'm pulling for a bunch of players who I really don't care about. With the Bulls teams of old we had the likes of Kirk, BG, Duhon, Deng, Noc, etc. All were drafted by the Bulls and grew with the team and it really had me invested in the team. Now, it's like, okay I hope the Bulls win but I really don't care about any of the players except the three I mentioned earlier.
Billy Habibi