Preseason

The Chicago Bulls put on a show in their preseason opener at the United Center, easily defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 131-95 on Tuesday night. Zach LaVine had 25 points and three steals, Alex Caruso had a 10-point, 10-assist double-double as seven Bulls scored in double-figures during the exhibition.

It was a 36-point victory, 131-95, for the Bulls Tuesday night to open the preseason in a game that wasn't that close against the Cleveland Cavaliers. There were for the Bulls 36 assists against nine turnovers, though 26 versus four when the primary starters left, 13 steals and nine blocks with 24 points from turnovers through three quarters, agile defense, transition play, magical passing and highlights galore with dunks off look away and half court passes.

"We're going to try to put a show on every time," said Lonzo Ball.

OK, OK, breathe, breathe. Aum, aum, aum... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6... water gently washing down a stream, flute or harp music. Relax, relax, relax.

It was not easy watching the debut of the new look Bulls who for a change were everything they said they would be, Lonzo Ball a maestro with so quick a release as to make Tom Brady jealous, Alex Caruso off the bench leading with 10 assists and enough time playing in Los Angeles to learn how Magic Johnson did it, Nikola Vucevic trailing on the break for dunks, Zach LaVine with a game high 25 points and four of six threes getting out on the receiving end to shoot and slam.

"We are a bunch of athletes," said LaVine. "We're going to watch each other's backs. We're going to try to get out in transition. We want to play with that type of style of play. So defensively we were really good. Trying to fly around. We're playing free basketball right now, getting up and down the floor."

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 25 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting.

It was impressive and more than perhaps even they could have hoped.

Sure, it was the Cavaliers, who are going to be terrible. Former Bull Lauri Markkanen led them with 13 points playing off the bench—the Cavs start an untenable front line of Jarrett Allen and rookie Evan Mobley—but Markkanen got dunked on by a 6-4 guy and scored most of his points in the third quarter after the Bulls had 69 points and led by 21 at halftime.

It was a rout from the start led by many of the guys not even expected to play.

Patrick Williams and Coby White are out with injuries and reserves Derrick Jones Jr., Tony Bradley, both targeted for the playing rotation along with Williams and White, also were out along with rookie Marko Simonovic. The latter three had minor injury issues.

So Javonte Green started at power forward/guard and had two blocks in the first quarter, an offensive rebound for a score and seven points. Troy Brown was high scorer in the first with nine, all on threes. The Bulls played small as they probably will do much of the season. But they were relentless (big hearts, as I'm sure we'll dip into often for go to cliches), helping from the weak side on defense, forcing the Cavaliers much bigger inside players to force shots while denying them post position.

Highlights from Chicago's dominant win against the the Cleveland Cavaliers in their preseason opener.

Five first quarter blocks and three steals led to the transition points the Bulls have promised in an emerging, if untraditional, defense. This group of players generally is being doubted for defense coming from a lack of size and physical nature. But they showed at least in this game defense can come in many different shapes and sizes. The Bulls even outrebounded the Cleveland Brobdingnags and doubled up on second chance points.

The crescendo was a late second quarter pairing of the four regular starters with Caruso that led to an All-Star weekend's worth of highlight plays, a block leading to a Caruso no look pass for a DeRozan slam dunk, DeRozan dunking on a three-on-one fast break, LaVine getting a half court pass from Caruso for a baseline dunk, Ball pushing the ball for a driving LaVine dunk. Strap in for this thrill ride.

"We have a lot of smart players on this team, a lot of unselfish guys and people that are going to run. And when you have all that it doesn't make my job too hard," said Ball. "I think we know we have a lot of talent and there's just one basketball out there and we understand that and it's all about getting the best shot and I think everyone understands that one through 15; we showed that tonight. Whenever we can get out in transition like we did tonight we are going to put ourselves in a good position to win."

Javonte Green throws down a dunk over former Bull Lauri Markkanen.

Doubters about LaVine long have insisted he merely was a scorer who preferred to monopolize the ball. Though his defenders insisted that's what he had to do to give his (uniformly poor) teams a chance to win given the lack of talent. Already Tuesday with playmakers all around him, LaVine immediately dashed downcourt. It helped space out the Cavaliers defense, giving the Bulls guards room and LaVine still was able to get his points with so much less effort.

"To come out here and play with pace, have him (Ball) get the ball off the rim and run, it's good. It fits our game pretty well," said LaVine. "He gets the ball out of his hands so fast. He's such a high IQ guy. I think we're all on the right mindset of going out here and playing hard, setting the tone from the beginning. "But for me to play off the ball, get cuts, get easy shots, get easy spot-ups, it's something I haven't had for awhile," LaVine acknowledged. "Coming out in the third quarter, DeMar played on the ball and I was able to get some spot-up shots and just get in a rhythm real easy. I'm excited for that. We've been playing this way in practice. It looks like this. It was good to go against another team. Just guys cutting, helping on defense, coming over from baseline and doubling down and gang rebounding. AC (Caruso) going to the lane, pump-faking and throwing it to the corner. We have a bunch of guys who know how to play and make open passes. It's good to play with guys like that."

As coaches will be, Billy Donovan said sometimes they passed too much and didn't get to the free throw line often enough. He's still working on the first shutout in NBA history.

Listen to Billy Donovan's postgame presser following Chicago's preseason win over Cleveland

But the four regulars who started were at least plus-38 in the plus/minus with seven Bulls scoring in double figures. Caruso had a double/double with his 10 assists, the 6-4 Green had four blocks, rookie Ayo Dosunmu coming in after halftime got a big welcome and had eight points in 13 minutes, Stanley Johnson, who can't shoot, made a couple of threes, and Matt Thomas, who can, also made a pair. Heck there even was franchise history. With Caruso, Dosunmu and Alize Johnson (game high 11 rebounds) playing together, it was believed to be the first time in franchise history with the majority of the lineup wearing headbands.

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Bulls put on a show, cruise by Cavs in preseason opener

In a sonnet for defeat, let us count the ways the Bulls Wednesday lost 118-71 to the Dallas Mavericks. For it was to the depths, breath and height of despair they felt deep in their souls.

--- Poor shooting, seven of 29 on threes, 35 percent overall;

--- Poor ball movement; 21 assists, though most for quick shots;

---- Little penetration to space the court for easier shots; just 19 free throw attempts and 11 through three quarters before a throw-in-the-beach towel 44-11 Mavericks fourth quarter;

---- Cursory defense with the Mavs making 18 threes and shooting 50 percent overall.

Though the Bulls did trim a 48-point deficit to 47 at the final buzzer.

“I thought we played as five individuals on the floor tonight,” said Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, who was burning through timeouts early in the fourth quarter as the Bulls went up in flames. “Last night (winning in New Orleans) the best thing we did was handle the adversity well, fought back and played with a lot of confidence and did it together. Tonight, we let our lack of shot making affect us on the other end. And then we came back and tried to get it back individually, but you can’t do that. You have to trust what you are doing and if you have any chance of getting back in the game you have to do it together. I don’t think you can look at a lot of guys out there and say they played well tonight.”

Robin Lopez and Paul Zipser led the Bulls with 12 points each, the only Bulls to score in double figures. Though Lopez did play well, going at Dirk Nowitzki successfully to start the game.

“Obviously, it’s early on,” noted Lopez. “I thought there were some good things. I thought what we did differently today than we did yesterday when our offense wasn’t quite there we let it affect our defense. I thought we responded to lulls differently than we did yesterday. Shots weren’t falling and we let it affect us on both ends of the floor; we just have to have faith in what we know we can do.”

The Mavs, like much of the NBA, have gone to the spread, pace, shooting offense, leaving no real position for a veteran mid range shooting power forward like Nowitzki. So they are playing him at center, and Lopez had success to start shooting hooks and driving past the anchored veteran.

The Bulls actually led late in the first quarter and into the second with some athletic plays. David Nwaba slammed in a driving baseline dunk. He fell hard and appeared to hurt his right hand. He was wearing a wrap afterward, but he said there was no damage. Bobby Portis, whose defensive rebounding was about the best thing the Bulls had going, threw a half court bounce pass to Cristiano Felicio for a three-point play as the Bulls tied the game. And they came back some, like they did in New Orleans, late in the second quarter on a pair of Justin Holiday scores with a three after the Mavs led by a dozen.

The Bulls still trailed just 49-43 at halftime.

But the signs weren’t positive to start the second half this time, unlike in the Game 1 win, with Kris Dunn and Nikola Mirotic starting this game for Jerian Grant and Portis. Lopez, Holiday and Zipser appear to be the core for now.

Dunn, who finished with two points on one of nine shooting and six assists, was stripped on a break and then failed to finish an open drive. Grant was able to finish later in the quarter as the Bulls still trailed just 62-57. But the Bulls continued to take rushed shots and the Mavs began raining down threes. It was 74-60 after three and then, whoop-there-it-is, 82-60 just over a minute into the fourth quarter.

“There is going to be a lot of adversity this season, as I said,” offered Holiday. “It was good for us to go through this and hopefully we can learn from this now because I’m sure this won’t be the only time this happens. We have to tell the young guys to keep pushing in what we are going to do; don’t change anything. You can get frustrated, but don’t change what we are here to do, play together, play hard and see what happens.”

As good a game it was for both point guards against the Pelicans, it was as poor in Game 2.

Dunn started and seemed uncertain with his shot. Grant had five assists, but little penetration to set up better shots. They combined for Grant’s two free throws in 41 minutes.

Even with the 1-1 start, getting to the free throw line for easy points has been an obvious team deficiency. Way too many long jumpers. Dunn appears the more explosive, but seems to be playing tight, not attacking to create shots. The Mavs did that much better with rookie Dennis Smith with 14 points and J.J. Berea with 11. They were led by Harrison Barnes with 17. The Bulls still were missing Lauri Markkanen with a back issue. Zach LaVine is out from ACL surgery. The Bulls overcame their failure to get to the free throw line in Game 1 with good shooting, but it’s problematic to rely on the shooting so much.

“Try to move the ball around, try to stick together,” reminded Holiday. “I know it sounds like a cliché, but it matters; put the next teammate before yourself, see what we have in attacking there. When shots aren’t going in you really can’t control that, but what you can control is how you get to that shot.”

Zipser shot well, but Mirotic was off target too often, those long rebounds, as we have heard, leading to fast breaks and better shots for the opponents when the defense doesn’t retreat. Until defeat.

“A big part (for the point guards) is coming down and getting us into our offense, getting us into our flow and we just did not do a very good job of that,” Hoiberg conceded. “We got stagnant with our movement; this is a great opportunity for us to look at film and get better because of this game. You have nights like this with a young group; you have to dig deep, get back to work and hopefully get better the next one.”

The Bulls play their exhibition home opener Friday against Milwaukee.

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Mavericks too much for Bulls in preseason loss

The musical question Thursday after the Bulls closed the preseason with a 97-81 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Omaha may be whether Jimmy will eat world. Devour the basketball world?

Can Jimmy Butler emerge as a big time, prime time, all-world scorer with some clarity, a most beautiful thing that may be necessary with the offensive concerns facing the Bulls this season.

“I thought we took a step in the right direction in certain areas,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said as the team finished off a 3-4 preseason. “We took care of the ball, better defensively the first three quarters and that’s a potent, very efficient (Atlanta) team. So we took a step in the right direction there. Obviously, offense was a struggle all night. We weren’t hitting shots; they were packing the paint. I thought it affected our pace, affected our cutting when we weren’t scoring; something where we have to manufacture through cutting and being solid on the offensive end. Take that first game away against Milwaukee, we were doing a pretty good job getting down hill (on offense), making shots, getting into the paint. Tonight obviously that didn’t happen. Important week ahead (to) get ourselves ready for the opener.”

The Bulls begin the regular season Thursday at home against Boston, two days after the NBA season officially opens. The Bulls, at least initially, tried to play the final preseason game like a regular season game with what is expected to be the opening night starting lineup.

Butler led the Bulls with 18 points, but on five of 16 shooting as the Bulls had a brutal offensive night with 30.5 percent shooting in the Doug McDermott/Kyle Korver homecoming at the Creighton U. arena. McDermott and Korver each had 16 points, though Korver was more efficient with four of eight threes. Taj Gibson again stood out for the Bulls with 12 points. He was the only Bulls player to shoot 50 percent.

The Bulls trailed much of a sluggish first half, by 25-21 after the first quarter and 44-39 at halftime. The Bulls had their best run early in the third quarter behind Gibson’s eight points in the first four minutes to tie the game. But the Hawks getting 16 points and 15 rebounds from Dwight Howard led 68-62 after three quarters and broke open the game in the fourth quarter with the Bulls playing 13 different players. Though the starters shot a combined one of seven in the fourth before going out. Basically not able to produce for the Omaha stakes.

“Our pace has to be good, and it has been for the most part this preseason,” said Hoiberg. “We’ve been getting (the ball) up; we’ve been having some quick strikes before the defense gets set. Tonight I thought we settled for a lot of contested shots instead of trying to get in there. We missed a lot of looks as well, missed 66 shots, shot 30 percent, 18 from three. You are going to have those nights. But the thing is we did guard and that kept us in the game until that last part of the fourth quarter. We’ve got to continue to fight, to cut and screen when times get tough and we’ll work on that this week.”

The Bulls have scored reasonably well in the preseason, though some teams have tested out a mixture of reserves, like Cleveland not even playing anyone in their regular rotation. One of the principal issues hanging over the Bulls this season is whether they can make enough three pointers and score enough to support a combative defense.

It didn’t help Thursday that Denzel Valentine and Nikola Mirotic, both with three-point shooting potential, remained out with what is considered minor injuries. It’s still unclear if either or both will be ready for the opener. Michael Carter-Williams made his Bulls debut with four points and three assists with one of five shooting in about 20 minutes. He was the first point guard off the bench, though Hoiberg did experiment with lineups that had Isaiah Canaan with McDermott for floor spacing.

“I thought (Carter-Williams) was solid for the first time out there,” said Hoiberg. “He got fouled on a couple of post up opportunities. He can get in the paint and make plays. It’s about getting him comfortable about what we are trying to do.”

The Bulls were 54 for 170 shooting threes in the preseason, 31 percent. They were four of 22 Thursday. Surprisingly, Dwyane Wade with eight points Thursday was the team’s best percentage three point shooter in the preseason, 43 percent on seven of 16, as many threes as he made all last season. Wade shot 39 percent overall and Butler 34 percent with just six three-point attempts, making three in his five games. Rajon Rondo had three points, nine rebounds and six assists Thursday. He had been shooting close to 70 percent until two of 14 the last two games. Wade, Butler and Rondo had six assists each Thursday.

McDermott seemed to be pressing a bit Thursday as the fans back in his college home seemed to be trying to root the ball in every time he shot. McDermott was two of six on threes after a slow start. He finished the preseason 12 of 32 on threes, positive, however, in that the Bulls were finding him more three-point opportunities. He’s generally too good to miss too many, except for Thursday.

“I asked him how he scored 3,400 points when we had lids on the basket like we did tonight,” Hoiberg joked about McDermott’s collegiate records. “Doug’s a weapon out there. We want him shooting; his teammates want him shooting. I thought Doug had some good open looks. We took too many contested ones tonight; tonight we weren’t shooting well.”

There’ll be games like that as teams lay off the outside shooters. The Bulls potentially do have enough shooters to respond with McDermott, Mirotic and perhaps Valentine and Canaan. But perhaps what they miss most is that go-to type scorer when offense breaks down like it did Thursday. When Rondo cannot get into the paint and it’s too much to ask of Wade to be that guy regularly, can Butler be the player to break down defenses, create for himself, raise his scoring average dramatically? Butler has done a substantial amount of his scoring from the free throw line this preseason. He’s 32 of 36 overall from the line, averaging almost eight free throw attempts per game in about 22 minutes per game.

Butler averaged 13 points in the preseason in just those 22 minutes. Butler has made himself an NBA All-Star the last two seasons, averaging 20 points and then just under 21 last season. Can he do more? Does he need to?

The Bulls have a week of practices now to prepare for the opening game. Games then come fast then with six games in the first 10 days and 11 of the first 16 games on the road.

Hoiberg’s plan integrated with strong defense—Robin Lopez had six blocks Thursday for 16 in six preseason games—is a fast offense pushed by Rondo out of the backcourt. Not so much just spacing out for three-point shooting, but opportunity scoring inside with Gibson and Wade as well. But when shooting breaks down, like it did Thursday, will there be someone to carry the offense through rough parts? Can Wade do it? Probably sometimes. Is Jimmy the guy now to climb that next level to NBA elite where the top players can average 25 points and free up teammates by virtue of their excellence that demands defensive attention?

Will it be in the air? Your house, Jimmy?

bulls-finish-off-preseason-in-omaha

Bulls finish off preseason in Omaha

Michael Carter-Williams drove into Chicago Monday and got right to the point.

“I don't really know,” Carter-Williams said about why he was traded twice despite good production. “Some places work for some people and some places don't. I think I was able to have some success my rookie year and I got moved. That's just the business of the game. Crazy things happen in this league. Those are the things you can't really focus on. Whatever happens, happens and you've just got to make the best out of your situation. I think my biggest thing right now is getting comfortable with these guys in the locker room. We've got a season ahead of us. We're definitely a playoff team, so I'm looking to help the team in any way I can. I've got to gel with these guys and that's my main goal. I'm not worried about stability next year or anything like that. I'm just worried about today and tomorrow I'll worry about tomorrow.”

And so the Bulls new point guard begins his drive to help the Bulls move forward in the new season.

“I was also shocked and I didn't know the trade was going to happen, but I think it's a great situation for me,” Carter-Williams said. “I'm happy here and the guys are great and the staff seems really cool and I think I can help this team. I think I can learn from some of the older guys we have here. I think I can come in the game, bring a lot of energy on both sides of the ball. Just try to play my part and do anything to help the team win. I have been fortunate to start a lot of my career, but it's a process. I'm still learning every day. I'm looking to learn from Rondo. He's one of the best point guards in this league. This is something fresh and new and will give me a little push, a little jolt. I think it will be fun.

Carter-Williams also showed that he’s versatile, quick thinking and a team guy.

Before the game, he told reporters he had chosen jersey No. 1 to wear because that was his number in college and when he was Rookie of the Year with the Philadelphia 76ers. Carter-Williams seemed surprised when reminded it was the number worn most recently by Derrick Rose, the popular Chicagoan traded to the Knicks in June. It was clear in the haze and surprise of an unexpected trade and coming to Chicago between being informed Saturday night and Monday morning, Carter-Williams never gave a thought to a jersey number.

“I was No. 1 in college at Syracuse,” he said when first asked about the number. “I’ve been No. 1 a lot. The discussion is probably going to be D. Rose, that was his old number. It has nothing to do with D. Rose. He was great for this city. He’s an excellent player. I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes or anyone’s boundaries. Just a number I like. I was No. 1 in college, I was No. 1 in Philly. I felt like I had some success in Philly winning rookie of the year and when I went to Milwaukee I was No. 5. It’s a new place. I’m trying to get my chip on my shoulder and perform well.”

The Bulls said Carter-Williams is scheduled to take his trade physical Tuesday morning and hope to have him in some of practice and then ready to play in the final preseason game Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska.

For his part, Carter-Williams seemed anxious to get on with his new team after the hectic weekend.

“Today’s the first day I got down here,” Carter-Williams said. “They asked me what number I wanted and I said No. 1 and there wasn’t too much discussion. I know this organization respects Derrick Rose and, like I said, it has nothing to do with stepping on anyone’s toes or anything like that. He was a great player and he did a lot for this city. To be honest, I wasn’t even thinking about it. There was so much going on. I showed up to the game ready to play against Chicago a couple of days ago and I get traded. I have to move all my stuff. There’s a lot of things.”

During the game, Carter-Williams sent out a tweet saying his number choice wasn’t official. After the game, he said he had chosen No. 7.

It seemed apparent from his reaction when speaking with reporters he hadn’t realized No. 1 was Rose’s number. Then he opted to change without apparently being told to do so. It suggests that he is unselfish, about the team and not someone who wants to create issues or disturb the legacy of the franchise.

“The way I’m looking at it is it gives us another very talented player in the mix,” Hoiberg said of Carter-Williams. “He’s got great positional size, a guy who has had some success in this league, especially going back looking at that rookie season where he put up unbelievable numbers. Career wise he’s averaging 14.5 points and almost six rebounds, six assists. So he’s a very versatile player and I think he’ll fit in very well with how we want to play; he’s very good in the pick and roll, you can utilize him in mismatch situations in the post, putting him in there against smaller players. And his vision is huge in the post there when he draws a double team; he does a lot of things that fit. He’s a very willing defender who will pick up 94 feet, so we’re excited about his versatility.”

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Michael Carter-Williams gets to the point

So it was mostly against DeAndre Liggins, Cory Jefferson, Jonathan Holmes, Jordan McRae and Kay Felder, who of course also scored 63 first half points and led by nine. But the Bulls Friday in riding Rajon Rondo’s strong third quarter play, the playmaking of Dwyane Wade and the force of Taj Gibson drove ahead and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, or some form of them, 118-108.

Rondo had 20 points, half in a third quarter when the Bulls got the lead for the first time and pulled away. He also had six rebounds, six assists and six turnovers. Gibson, again the most consistent player in the 2-2 preseason, added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Wade had another flashy all around game with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Rookie Paul Zipser added 18 points, 11 in the fourth quarter.

“I had a lot of turnovers in the first half,” agreed Rondo about his six, though none after that. “It starts with the point guard, so I have to do a better job taking care of the ball; other than that we were still down (only) nine at half and it’s a long game. We have to look at the positives. We outrebounded them the entire game (60-26). We kept chugging at it and found a way. We took care of the ball (in the third). You don’t give a team the opportunity to get those open fast break points and threes in transition, you have a better chance to get back in the game. That’s what we did.

“I think we were trying to make the home run play or the extra pass that wasn’t there,” said Rondo. “But we figured it out in the second half and that’s what the preseason is for and we got the win. I feel pretty good; gave it my best to go out and get a win.”

And so a preseason of experimentation continues for the Bulls, Friday an odd first of three in four nights. So Rondo, Wade, Jimmy Butler, the latter who sat out Friday with stiffness, and Gibson will not play Saturday in Milwaukee. The Bulls close the preseason with a home game Monday and in Nebraska late next week. The Cavs, meanwhile, took the preseason excuse of pacing some players to perhaps unprecedented extremes. Their top nine players in their rotation, including all the starters, not only didn’t play, but they didn’t even accompany the team to Chicago. That left a lineup of players hopeful to just make the roster or get a D-league chance playing for the Cavs.

It was probably inappropriate, but the NBA lately has allowed teams to make judgments about preseason games, and many have been using mostly reserves and non-NBA players. Though Wade said the Bulls haven’t been able to do that as much and shouldn’t as they try to weave together a coordinated unit with eight new players.

“There’s been a lot thrown at us in training camp,” said Wade. “There are moments you see the continuity is not there; just trying to put everything together. So when you have a veteran team you hate that you have to play so much preseason. When you have a team trying to come together you actually like to have these freebie kinds of games you can learn from. If we didn’t make any mistakes that could be a bad thing. The mistakes you make you can learn from and build on the positives.”

So then it was a success of sorts in the first half as the Bulls bumbled their way to an early 14-point deficit with 11 first quarter turnovers for 16 Cavs points, or whoever those guys were. The Bulls had 17 first half turnovers for 24 Cavs points. But they had just five second half turnovers while continuing to dominate the backboards against the smaller Cavs extras.

Much of that was by Gibson, who led the Bulls 33-6 edge in second chance points and has been an exemplar through the four games. Coach Fred Hoiberg said he’s still considering who will start at power forward, though Gibson has been by far the best front court player on the team in the preseason.

“Taj has been great,” Hoiberg agreed. “He’s played great basketball; not just in games, he’s had really good practices. We’ll keep looking at different things and will make the decision we feel is best for us opening night.”

But Wade also singled out Gibson for praise and the way he has been able to work with the guards.

“I love playing with Taj and we’re learning each other,” said Wade. “Taj has been playing great. He hasn’t been playing outside his game. He’s been picking and popping, shooting his jumper when it’s there, knocking it down when it’s there. When he gets his post up opportunities he’s one of the better post up guys in the league. He’s doing a great job running the pick and roll with Rondo, having his hands ready. If he does that he’s going to have a very successful year.”

Hoiberg has apparently been hoping for someone to emerge with a three-point shot to perhaps play power forward, though Rondo and Zipser were the best three-point shooters Friday, Rondo two of three and Zipser two of four.

“They’re going to continue to play me as a driver; that’s what they better do,” said Rondo. “But I’m working (on my shot). I’m pretty confident in my shot now and I’m just going to let it go.”

Zipser, the second round pick from Germany, been the surprise of the roster with continued mature, controlled play and aggressiveness.

Zipser will get that chance Saturday in Milwaukee with the makeshift lineup as a starter, Hoiberg said. The regulars are expected to start together the last two games. Jerian Grant also had his best quarter of the preseason with 10 in the fourth mostly playing off the ball with Isaiah Canaan, but showing more aggressiveness going to the basket.

After that lackluster, ineffective first half, the Bulls led by Rondo attacked in third with Rondo driving and making those threes and Wade coming off the bench to orchestrate. Hoiberg has been taking Wade out early in quarters and then bringing him back to finish, a strategy that seems to work well in providing his calming presence to close quarters, which is where veteran teams take advantage.

“I finish quarters pretty well, finish games pretty well,” said Wade. “I’m not my best self in the first couple of minutes of the game, for sure; takes a while to get these old bones moving. But I love coming back in after getting a break, after seeing everything, seeing how the defense is playing me, the way they are playing our team. I come back in and feel I am better. I’m able to read the game, a better quarterback and have me in there at the end as a closer and be a point guard, a big point guard in there with certain guys. You want to keep a veteran out there with younger guys; I like it.”

It also suggests the Bulls may not have as much difficulty on offense this season as many suggest with defense more of a priority.

Zipser and Grant with some clever play from Cristiano Felicio carried the Bulls in the fourth quarter to those 118 points and nearly 52 percent shooting. They’ll take a look at the kids Saturday and then begin the serious rehearsals next week. Denzel Valentine and Tony Snell remained out with ankle sprains.

“Tomorrow is a rest day for me,” said Wade. “Sunday get back at it and hopefully get all the bodies ready Monday. We are trying to put everything together.”

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Rondo, Gibson, Zipser lead Bulls to preseason win over Cavs

Dwyane Wade is right, Bulls are far from being any contender for a title. You see the problems not so much the offense(although people wonder how the 3 Alphas will gel this season?), but rather the defense.
Kieron Smith

I noticed with Rondo out, we don't have a true back up point guard. Dinwiddie started, but didn't play the traditional point. Isaiah Canaan played there a good amount too, but he almost seemed like a decoy out there. I remember both of those guys being more scoring guards on their previous teams. Who do you see as Rondo's back-up?  I know we have guys who can play point with Wade, Jimmy and I've even heard Valentine. Do you think we need a true PG off the bench, or does Hoiberg's system allow for other positions to handle the ball? I miss Captain Kirk.
Ateeq Ahmed

I was super impressed with Dinwiddie. He's clearly more of a true Point Guard than Grant is. And with his size, I think he could earn solid backup minutes behind Rondo. Then bring in Valentine and McDermott off the bench as wings. With Niko and Portis up front. Defensively they'll be rough, but they should be able to score. And besides, Hoiberg will likely stagger those substitutions so that at least 2 of the Veteran 4 of Rondo, Wade, Butler, and Taj, are on the court at all times. I can visualize a starting lineup in a couple years of Valentine, Butler, McDermott, Taj and Portis eventually. Valentine and Butler can initiate the offense. Butler guards the opponent's best perimeter threat, McDermott and Valentine spread the floor, while Portis can stretch it. Taj and Portis can hold their own on the interior. That's a legit starting 5 in the East, assuming Valentine and Portis develop as expected.
Paul Giuntoli

Taj seems so important - so glad he's still here.
LongGiang Li

Do you think Spencer Dinwiddie will be the first guard off the bench? Can he also benefit the bulls like E'Twuan Moore and Aaron Brooks before?
King Berango

Dwyane Wade knows what happened behind the scenes in the summer of 2010 and I do not.  However, I still don't accept some of the way he explained things.  The biggest problem I have is that he claims they would have picked the Bulls, or at least it would have been significantly more likely they would have, if the Bulls had completed a trade of Deng to free up the cap space for all three of them to come.  This, in my opinion, is a disingenuous though wise thing for Wade to say now that he is on the Bulls roster.  After all, the Heat didn't trade away Michael Beasly to free up cap space for all three guys to sign there until after they announced that was their plan.  The Bulls very easily could have found a taker for Deng, I believe, if those three informed the Bulls they would sign with Chicago.  Also, Wade knows basketball better, and I'm sure at the time knew Rose better, than I ever will.  But my recollection of Rose back then was as a reluctant scorer who preferred to run the offense (I'm not saying that was his biggest strength however).  Both in his one college season and on the Bulls he was forced into a scoring role because there weren't other scorers around him.  So it's hard to accept Wade and James couldn't imagine a fit with Rose.  Not to mention the fact that the Bulls roster also had Noah, who was just emerging at the time as a dominant defender and rebounder who didn't need the ball, something the Heat were never able to find during their big three era.
Cameron Watkins

As the team has reinvented itself I was feeling sorry for Taj, the "last man standing" and the "odd man out". Well, it seems he wasn't feeling sorry for himself! Dang he sure looks like the obvious starter. The rest of the depth chart is settling itself as well. Dinwiddie has respectably earned that 12-15 minutes behind Rajon. Canaan will be suitable as a sparkplug scorer when the need arises. Nikola and Doug are both going to have big nights but it's nice not to have to rely on them yet. Snelly Cat will have a role as he is so much more valuable then it seems every media outlet makes him out to be.

The only hole is the final 10-12 minutes of backup big. This is OK too because a little healthy competition between Bobby and Felicio will be positive and not distracting. Should we be warily optimistic? Like playoffs optimistic.
Matthew Mikulice

Are you worried about your League Pass package this season?
Sam Smith

ask-sam-mailbag-10-14-2016

Ask Sam Mailbag: 10.14.2016

Dwyane Wade says it doesn’t matter who you name or who comes next, Michael Jordan always is going to be, to him, the best there ever was, the best there ever will be.

As for former championship teammate LeBron James? Maybe No. 3 all time, which is pretty impressive.

“LeBron when it’s all said and done, when his career is over, yes, he’s arguably a top three player of all time,” Wade said after Bulls practice Thursday. “And depending on what era you grew up in you could decide who’s one, who’s two, who’s three. But no one is going to have a perfect (placement); all the numbers are not going to match up. There’s some who don’t think Michael Jordan is the greatest. You go back to Bill Russell, you go back to Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). So many players can be that. I felt for me, how much higher can you go? LeBron James can win 10 championships. That doesn’t make you a better player. He’s as great as it gets; now you all decide the ranking. But for me, Michael Jordan is my number one favorite player of all time.”

Wade’s comments came after hediscussed the behind-the-scenes  of the infamous 2010 free agency that landed James in Miami instead of Chicago on the eve of the Cavaliers playing the Bulls in the United Center in the Bulls fourth preseason game. James is not expected to play, though Wade is. Wade spoke at length Thursday on a variety of topics connected to James, his former teammate and close friend, including the genesis of their relationship and perhaps the inevitable parting that surprisingly also saw Wade leave Miami.

“It’s tough because these guys are different players,” Wade said when asked about a Kobe Bryant/LeBron comparison. “We’re talking about different players in different times. Even though everybody crossed paths, Jordan crossed paths, Kobe crossed paths with Jordan, ‘Bron crossed paths with Kobe, we’re talking about great, great players. To me, as an individual person, Michael Jordan is my favorite basketball player of all time. No one is ever going to be my favorite like Michael Jordan. Even to this day, he’s still a superhero from that standpoint. I’ll say this: I thought at one point when we came in the league, Kobe Bryant was the greatest player in our era. That’s who we all strived for, that’s who we all looked up to.

“For me, with LeBron, as an opponent, he just…it’s tough to beat him,” said Wade. “He has a great ability to be able to get his teammates in the game and still end up with a triple double even when you’ve got him contained. He’s just one of those players where this game was made for him. Any team he’s on is going to have the ability to go to the Finals. He’s that great of a player. You’ve just got to do your best. Luol (Deng) did his best and Jimmy’s (Butler) gonna have to do his best, but just try to do your best and hope he won’t be the great LeBron that night. Hope he has an off night. But it’s hard to beat him. Obviously he’s been in the Finals six years in a row. That’s for a reason. It’s not just because he got lucky. It’s because he’s that talented and every team he’s on is a Finals team.”

Wade said he and James bonded almost immediately before the draft, though Wade, the college star, joked he understood his position pretty quickly with the man whose high school team was featured on TV more than Wade’s college team.

“I think a lot from our childhoods,” Wade said of their easy friendship. “Our similar upbringings. The struggle of our moms, the way that we had to grow up. And you know, we’re very similar in a lot of ways and you just hit it off with someone. I hit it off with him and we kind of became friends right away down in Chicago at the predraft camp. He walked in and I was in there waiting on the doctors to come in and see me for about an hour and he walked right in and they saw him right away. We kind of kicked it off from there. So it’s just something that happened. There’s no way to explain it, it just happened and you don’t look back.”

And that’s not usual for him, Wade explained.

“I like my friends to be a very small group,” Wade said. “It’s not a lot of guys that I’ve disliked, obviously. I don’t get to know people that well. Obviously my teammates, I get to know them in a sense, but I don’t want that many best friends. I’m in a couple of group chats, but not that many. I don’t like my phone being blown up like that. So I have guys that I played with for years, obviously, in Miami forever, guys like UD [Udonis Haslem]. And Quentin Richardson, I knew him from Chicago when we were growing up. And then ‘Bron, Melo (Carmelo Anthony), Chris (Bosh), these guys are my close friends. But besides that, I have a lot of guys that come through and I like them and when we see each other it’s love and it’s respect, but we’re not communicating all the time.”

And then it was over, that Heat team of the self proclaimed “not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven” titles gone after two, though with Finals appearances each season. Then LeBron went back to Cleveland, Wade to Chicago and Bosh unable to play and fighting the Heat to return from health issues. It shows how ephemeral success can be in sports, why you cherish every great victory because there are no guarantees.

“Well, it was a jolt to our organization, no doubt about it,” Wade said about James leaving in the summer of 2014. “Our organization was built on us three, and obviously you take one out of it … but Chris Bosh, we didn’t get a chance to play for the next two years. Last year I thought we would see ‘Bron in the Eastern Conference finals. That was our goal. Chris was obviously out because of the blood clots, so things happened in Miami for us in a negative way when it comes to injuries and stuff, and things worked out great for him [in Cleveland]. It is what it is. Like I said, for me he’s a friend and we had four years together. I never thought we would have those four years together. I was thankful for those four years, as I know he was, and all of us will be able to live a long life very good because of those four years. Outside of that, he wanted to go back home. I support him, I’m proud of him, happy that he won a championship last year. I was there rooting him on, and now we move on.’’

Perhaps they’ll meet in the playoffs this season for the first time, James challenging the ghost of Michael Jordan and Wade knowing that is a losing battle. We can only hope to see it before it’s too late.

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Dwyane Wade on LeBron, MJ

We all wondered in 2010 why LeBron James and Dwyane Wade went to Miami with Chris Bosh when they could have come to Chicago to play with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah Luol Deng and Taj Gibson. It seemingly would have been a much better and more complete team than the one in Miami, which had to be rebuilt around them, but which did go to four consecutive NBA Finals, winning two.

So they obviously didn’t make a mistake.

But Wade Thursday after Bulls practice in extended public comments about the most celebrated free agency in NBA history said he and James were serious about joining the Bulls, that if the Bulls had succeeded in an effort to trade Luol Deng to add salary cap space it was possible, that it never was a longtime conspiracy among the three to come together, that, in fact, Wade had told the Heat they’d never get James, and that, in the end, James and Wade decided that with Rose it would be three ball dominant players and better to try it with two and Bosh.

“It was us trying to put together our dream team in a sense,” said Wade. “Chicago was very tempting from a standpoint of what they had on the roster when it came to the young talent. But when it came to the point Miami was able to get three players, that changed the whole dynamic of the summer. It would be a different story (if the Bulls were able to trade Deng). We thought about it. That didn’t happen. It was something they (Bulls) talked about. They were very open with us with what they were trying to do. They heard the news of Miami being able to bring three players in. But it never happened. So we never had to think that far. They (Miami) came with the idea that they can get three players. We never thought it was possible. I was shocked when I heard it could happen. But I know LeBron’s eyes were here (Chicago). I know my eyes were here. I know Chris’ eyes were kind of everywhere because he was in Toronto, so he was just happy that people knew who he was. Toronto was a little different than it is today.

“It pretty much boiled down to what we felt we could build. We had to build a whole team in Miami. Obviously, here they had players already. But once we got me, ‘Bron and Chris, we had to now take pay cuts to build a team. It was obviously tougher to do it in Miami, but because we wanted to play together, us three, we decided to do it there."

“I think we made a good choice,” said Wade. “It worked out. It wasn’t like they had all three roster (spots); they couldn’t get all three of us and add us to the mix of what was going on. It was going to be kind of a sense where Chicago could’ve got two players and it probably was going to be LeBron and Chris or me and Chris. Miami was able to get all three of us. And we really wanted to play together at that moment once we found out it could be a thing. At the same time, you have to look at it, too. They did have a young Derrick Rose. What, he got MVP that next year? So you’re already talking two guys who are ball dominant. And then you have a young up-and-coming star in the league who is ball dominant. At that time, I don’t think it would’ve worked out for us. We took our two ball-dominant selves away from having three guys as ball dominant. So instead of it being me, LeBron and Derrick Rose, it’s going to be a tough one. So we decided to pick what we thought was better from a basketball standpoint.”

Which is how history and geniuses are made in sports. Wade confirmed the Bulls’ effort was far superior to any other teams’ in the NBA as far as trying to recruit the all-time free agents. Wade also shot down the speculation and conspiracy theories that this was percolating among the three as far back as the 2006 World Championships and brewed to a boil at the 2008 Olympics. Nonsense, said Wade, but thanks for the credit of believing they were so smart they could have maneuvered and manipulated such a coup. Further proof was said to be that Heat owner Micky Arison’s son was an intern for the 2006 USA team in Japan, the first time the three played together, and that all signed similar extension to become 2010 free agents. Gotcha!

But Wade said when Miami owner Arison approached him after that Olympics about whether the Heat could get James, Wade said he told Arison to forget it, that there was no chance.

“Crazy notion,” laughed Wade. “I wish we were that smart. Thank you for giving us credit of seeing in the future. That theory is crazy. So I’m going to play for two seasons, may get hurt, but let’s hope that this happens in two years? Nah. I never thought me and LeBron would play together. It was a question posed to me, y’all can ask Micky Arison; asked me a year or two before, ‘You think LeBron would like to come to Miami?’ I said. ‘You got a 0.0000.1 percent chance.’ It was a powerful .1 percent because he ended up coming, but I had no idea, I never thought it would be possible. I never thought besides All Star games and Olympics, I never thought about the NBA, taking the same court. But when it presented itself, you open it up, you start the conversation, you start looking at it a little different. That’s what happened. Thank everybody for thinking we were that smart but this kind of happened when it happened.”

Which perhaps makes it that much more frustrating for the Bulls since it was obviously much closer than any of us imagined. Wade confirmed his and LeBron’s relationship with Bosh was vital since they both knew and liked Bosh, but also liked his fit as a player. Wade said he knew LeBron was working with the Cavs that 2009-10 season to trade for Bosh because James didn’t want to leave Cleveland, and James then was trying to get Bosh to make a free agency commitment. But Bosh did not want to play and live in Cleveland.

Would the three have come to Chicago if the Bulls had succeeded in moving Deng to the Clippers as the Bulls had done with trading Kirk Hinrich to Washington, essentially for salary cap space for free agency? The Clippers were one of six teams that summer along with the Knicks and Nets bidding for the top free agents. Clippers’ management reportedly wanted to make the Deng trade. Then owner Donald Sterling overruled them, saying they could do better with the cap space. They instead signed free agents Brian Cook, Ryan Gomes and Randy Foye.

Rose did go on to win the league MVP that season and the Bulls led the league in wins. Though the Bulls lost in five games to the Heat in the conference finals, they were deeper and younger and the view was they could catch and surpass Miami the next season. The Bulls again led the NBA in wins in the 2011-12 lockout season, but then Rose suffered his severe knee injury the first game of the 2012 playoffs and Miami went on to the first of two consecutive championships.

Then after losing to the Spurs in the 2014 Finals, James returned to Cleveland and won the title with the Cavaliers last June. Wade then stunned Miami and the NBA world in signing with the Bulls last July. Bosh with blot clot health problems has not been able to play.

These memories, possibilities and reflections about the historic implications came up after practice with the Bulls Friday hosting defending champion Cleveland and James in the United Center in the Bulls’ fourth preseason game. James is not expected to play as he’s resting much of the preseason. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Wade will play Friday, but perhaps not Saturday in Milwaukee or Monday back home against Charlotte.

Wade, in a revealing 20-minute session with reporters that was his most wide-ranging analysis of that summer, said the trio did understand the potentially consequential ramifications of their decision, which was largely unpopular at the time. The blowback about creating super teams has since diminished, though Kevin Durant has been criticized by some for going to Golden State. Though not nearly to the extent for James.

“We definitely knew it was big,” said Wade. “Obviously, we knew we had to win to make it something. We knew we were embarking on something big. You don’t know exactly what it is; we won’t know even probably for years from now. That first year was a tough year for us. You’ve got guys who at that time had been in this league and fans love. Media wasn’t too bad on us, either. And everything turned because we decided to play together. From a competitive standpoint you love that it was sold out every time you go to the arena; boos are fine. But just the things that people had to say about us, the decision we made to play the game of basketball together. There was a lot of negative attention on that. We took the hit of that. No one else is going to take that kind of hit when it comes to that. Just like Allen Iverson took the hit for tattoos and braids and headbands. Everyone does it now. So we understood what we were embarking on, and that’s why it was huge. I’m not saying we were the first to do it because I know other teams have tried to, but in the point of where we were name wise in our career, in the prime of our career, we were kind of the most powerful to do it at that time. But hey, we did what we wanted to do and that’s what it always came back to us. After that first year, that’s why we got back to playing the game, enjoying the game. It became, ‘We came together to win championships, let’s take care of business.’ ‘’

Wade also offered a salient point about why it was time and appropriate for such a decision. After all, this is what freedom of movement is about, what players fought for over the years. What all workers seek. Why should players be tied to the whims of only one team? Without going into that, Wade was saying it’s basically what the freedoms of the United States are about.

“It was different for the NBA at that time,” Wade agreed. “Everyone had this perception that it was… ‘Best players play against each other.’ You do it with your own team. I don’t think Magic was the only person on his team. I don’t think Larry Bird was the only person on his team. They’ve got multiple Hall of Fame players. So you understand from that standpoint what it takes to be really successful in this league. You want to give yourself a chance. Just the fact that we were both big names. All in all, we’re just like everyone else. We just decided to play together.

“At the end of the day whether you dislike the Heat or you loved the Heat, you were tuning in to watch the Heat,” said Wade. “Same thing with Golden State. Whether you dislike what happened with Kevin Durant or whatever the case may be, you’re going to tune in to watch, whether you want him to succeed or fail. Our game is growing. Eyes are on our game. And at the end of the day, me as a player, I just love the fact that players have the ability to control their own destiny. That’s what we fight for. When it comes to lockouts, all these types of things, we want to be able to do the things that we want to do because they can trade us at any moment, they can get rid of us at any moment. So to have the power to be able to do what we did in 2010, that felt great. That was a great moment for us; three young African-American kids got the opportunity to control their own destiny and call their own shots. That’s what we wanted. Our game is not taking a hit, our game has only grown.’’

It was a historic moment in the times of the NBA. If not, at the time, for the Bulls. Though not for want of effort.

dwyane-wade-tells-the-story-of-the-2010-free-agency

Dwyane Wade tells the story of the 2010 free agency

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