Bulls Beat Wizards to Make their Pre-Season Record 2-1

The Bulls took on the Washington Wizards in an exhibition game last night, and to the delight of Chicago fans, the Bulls pulled away with a win. The final score was 97-76 thanks to a mighty effort by the Bulls. Luol Deng contributed 11 points and eight rebounds while Andres Nocioni added ten points. The Bulls are now 2-1 in the pre-season, and seem to be gaining momentum as they push along. Their season opener will take place on Halloween, and there’s no doubt that the team will be incredibly fired up by the time that game rolls around.

In their game against the Wizards the Bulls were able to pull away in the third quarter with an 8-0 run. They led by 7 points (48-41) when Kirk Hinrich and Thomas Gardner hit back-to-back three pointers. Their six points were followed by a slamming dunk by Tyrus Thomas; giving the Bulls a 56-41 lead and providing Chicago fans with plenty of excitement. Gardner, who has been taking Gordon’s place while he’s out with a minor injury, finished the exhibition game with eight points. Thabo Sefolosha and Adrian Griffin also sat out again; they’ve now missed all of the Bulls three pre-season games. Griffin is out with a sore lower back and Sefolosha has a right hamstring strain. The missing players’ injuries are minor so Chicago fans can expect to see them out on the court again soon.

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Scott Skiles Kicks Back and Lets His Team Figure it Out

Rather than stomping his feet and screaming from the sidelines, Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles has been using a more relaxing coaching strategy to get through to his players. At the Bulls recent exhibition game against the Mavericks, Skiles sat back and let his team figure out their mistakes at points when they looked disorganized or seemed to be struggling. This laid-back strategy is Skiles’ plan to help the team develop in the pre-season. When Luol Deng hung wide-open for post-up opportunities and none of his teammates seemed to notice, Skiles practiced his meditative strategy. Of the team’s slip-up he said, “In a more regular-season setting, I would take control of that and make sure that we knew. But all of that can’t fall to me at this stage of development as a team. The guys on the floor have to recognize that.”

2007-2008 marks Skiles’ fourth season coaching the Bulls, and his decision to stay out of their faces in the pre-season really seems to be beneficial to building the team. The key to having a successful basketball team is having a group of guys that work together and communicate on and off of the court. We’re all familiar with the “team” acronym – together everyone accomplishes more – there’s no doubt that this is true and Skiles taking a step back and letting his players figure it out right now will definitely be beneficial down the road. The Bulls failure to spot Deng in the shooting guard position could perhaps be a result of the absent Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha, who are both out with minor injuries. If that’s the case then Skiles is giving the players a fair shot to get it right, and to be perfectly honest, it seems that they will.

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Bulls Beat the Mavericks 100-92 in their Second Preseason Game

The Bulls beat the Dallas Mavericks 100-92 last week, making their preseason standings 1-1. Luol Deng was the big-scorer of the night, finishing with 18 points. Deng was closely followed by Tyrus Thomas, who added 13 points and seven rebounds to the team’s stats in their second preseason game of the year. The Bulls pulled away from Dallas during the third quarter, leading 61-60. Deng’s jump-shot, Thomas Gardner’s dunk and Kirk Hinrich’s three-pointer gave the Bulls a 70-60 lead with a little over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Despite the absence of four injured players – Ben Gordon, Joe Smith, Adrian Griffin and Thabo Sefolosha- the Bulls were still able to pull through and walk away with their first win yet.

Joakim Noah checked into the game in the first quarter and received a nice applause from the crowd. The rookie scored 11 points in his debut with Chicago, while fellow rookie Aaron Gray finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The real star of the game was Luol Deng, who was 6 of 7 shooting in 21 minutes and scored 11 points in the first half, which the Bulls finished with a lead of 53-49. Kirk Hinrich added nine points and six assists in the game’s first twenty minutes. The game definitely proved a good start for the Bulls, who will take on the Washington Wizards on Tuesday and the Toronto Raptors on Friday. The Bulls regular season kicks off on Halloween when they battle the New Jersey Nets.

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Young Bulls Mean a Promising Future for Chicago

The Chicago Bulls have one of the brightest futures of any NBA team out there due to the fact that their oldest team member, Kirk Hinrich, is only 26-years-old. Although younger players may mean less experience in some cases, the Bulls have set themselves up for a promising future. Whether or not the Bulls will have a new “superstar” like Michael Jordan anytime soon, is still up in the air, but there’s definitely hope for players like Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and the newest member of the team, Joakim Noah. Many basketball critics think that without a superstar on the court, the Bulls won’t have a chance of winning an NBA Championship, but then again there are those who argue that it can be done – hey, look at the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

Whether or not the Bulls will make it to the finals this year is obviously unpredictable, but for now Bulls fans can definitely have confidence in the fact that their team has been re-built in the best way possible – young, energetic, talented players. One weakness that Chicago may have this season is their lack of interior offense. Ben Gordon has struggled defensively and turned the ball over to much, forcing Skiles to take him out of the game at crucial points and therefore weakening the team’s offense. Hinrich has improved as a point guard, but many believe he’ll never measure up to some of the great points out there. Still, Hinrich is contracted with the Bulls for the next five years and there’s no doubt that he will improve greatly in the future. Either way, Chicago does have a solid team this year and it will be interesting to see how the season plays out.

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Thomas Gardner Rocks the Bulls’ Training Camp

Thomas Gardner joined the Bulls training camp last week in hopes of making the team’s roster. Gardner, the 22-year-old shooting guard who played college ball for Missouri until his junior year when he left to play for Belgium, was undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. Gardner earned an invitation to the Bulls training camp after performing well for Chicago’s summer league squad. In his practice with the Bulls, Gardner started at shooting guard for Ben Gordon – who was out with an ankle sprain – and Thabo Sefolosha – who had a strained right hamstring. According to press notes, Gordon “threw down an impressive fastbreak dunk in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Gardner’s dunk was replayed on ESPN’s SportsCenter about five times because he went right over the top of Milwaukee rookie Yi Jianlian.

The Portland, Oregon native is seeing his hopes rise a little higher since his outstanding performance last week. Of his playing coach Scott Skiles said, “I thought he played well. He’s a good defender. He doesn’t try to do too much. He made one of the most athletic plays I’ve seen since I’ve been coach here, running on the wing, catching that ball and punching that thing. There are some things he can do out there.” Gardner was definitely excited about his first-ever NBA game, not only did he impress Skiles; he also made it on SportsCenter, any rookie’s dream. After giving up 33-year-old rookie Joseph Blair, the Bulls roster now stands at seventeen. There’s still more time for Gardner to prove himself (as if he hasn’t done that already) – so be sure to stay tuned to see whether or not he makes the roster number 18.

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A Look at Gordon’s Financial Future With the Bulls

According to the New York Daily News, Ben Gordon (who will be a restricted free agent next summer) has made it crystal clear to the Bulls that he wants a long-term $70 million extension with the team. It seems that Gordon’s demands are not at the top of Chicago’s priority list – as Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng have priority over him. Hinrich is currently receiving a salary of $47.5 million over the next five years, and according to press notes he is rightfully deserving of this salary. “He is the leader of this team and isn’t afraid to shoot the ball in the clutch.” Deng stands right behind Hinrich in the “extension line.” The 22-year-old from Sudan is hot off of breakout year in which he averaged 18.8 points and 7.1 boards per game. Press notes state that “Chicago should be doing everything it can to make sure he (Deng) remains in red and white for years to come,” and so Gordon’s extension looks further and further away.

Gordon is definitely a key part of the Bulls team. He is the top scorer and has improved his shooting, achieving a career high of 45.5 percent from the field last year. The problem is that Gordon is an undersized shooting guard who doesn’t rebound and isn’t the greatest one-on-one defender. Gordon’s inconsistency and common loss of control will cost him when contract negotiations take place in the future. $70 million is a lot for Gordon to request – especially when Deng and Hinrich stand in front of him priority-wise.

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Will the Bulls Defense Match Last Season’s Performance?

The Chicago Bulls rocked the court with their outstanding defense last season – they allowed the sixth-fewest points per game, limited opponents to the second-lowest shooting percentage and forced the second-most turnovers on average – not bad. Bulls fans are wondering how their team will follow last years unstoppable season when they begin the 2007-2008 season later this month. When asked about the subject Coach Scott Skiles said, “I don’t know, but I do know we’ve added some length and each guy at his own spot individually is better. Then guys are doing a good job of reading each other. It’s hard to imagine we’re not going to be very good defensively.” Coach and players are equally confident of their ability to follow in their own footprints, and fans will definitely be delighted if this is the case.

Last year the Bulls almost set the record for being the first team since the 1994-1995 Knicks to lead the league in opponents’ field-goal percentage for three straight seasons. The Rockets slipped by the Bulls, taking that honor with them last season. According to press notes Skiles says, “We’re at a high level. We haven’t had much of a drop-off from, say, a practice in March to where we are right now. As a matter of fact, I feel like we’ve picked it up.” Hoorah for the Bulls and all of their hard work in the off-season. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf took in a Bulls practice and then treated the team’s management, coaching staff and players to dinner after practice – an event which has become an annual tradition during Chicago’s training camp.

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Nocioni Returns After Taking the Summer to Recover

To the delight of Chicago Bulls fans, the team’s forward Andres Nocioni will return to the court with his team later this month. Nocioni has spent the summer recovering from an extended case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but finally arrived at the Bulls camp last week. Nocioni, who weighed in at 228 pounds, will return to the court seven pounds lighter than he was last season. There’s talk that the lost weight may affect Nocioni’s ability to keep up with LeBron James, but both Nocioni definitely isn’t worried about that. “I think right now I feel much better with this weight. I can move a little bit faster than last year, and it’s much better for my foot.” Coach Scott Skiles isn’t worried either, recently saying, “He’s moving around well, he’s playing well. Hopefully as time goes on we’ll think it meant something that he came in a little lighter. But right now he’s about the same.”

Nocioni is a ‘6’7” Argentina native who has spent the last few summers ripping up the court for his country’s national basketball team. Nocioni was forced to take this summer off due to his foot injury, and the resting time may have just set him up for a more energetic start to the season. Although the Bulls will most likely benefit from Nocioni’s summer off, Argentina’s team probably wished Nocioni had been around – although they did end up in second place at the FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Las Vegas. The team finished right behind the U.S., earning them a berth in next year’s Beijing Olympics.

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Smith May Take the Bulls Open Starting Spot

The Chicago Bulls have one open spot in their starting lineup for the upcoming season, and it looks like 12-year veteran Joe Smith may be the one to fill that power forward spot. Smith, who is 6’10” and 225 lbs, is up against Andres Nocioni and rookie Joakim Noah for the position. Smith was signed as a free agent in July and Coach Scott Skiles says that he’ll probably be filling in as a backup center despite whether or not he gets the open starting position. Smith has averaged 12.1 points with a .454 field-goal percentage through his career and is definitely going to be a consistent shooter for the Bulls this season.

Of the Bulls starting lineup, coach Skiles says, “There are four spots you can pretty much pencil in. There will just be a battle for power forward. I want the guys to battle for it. It may show itself to us in exhibition games; somebody may play so well that it becomes very clear. I’m certainly open to that. But I wouldn’t read a whole lot into who’s declared the starter anyway at that spot. Because there are so many ways we can go, we may just be game-dependent on that. Certain nights we start somebody, and other nights we start somebody else.” Smith is an NBA veteran who started his professional career with the Golden State Warriors in 1995. He has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Joakim Noah Runs With Chicago’s Hot Shots

Joakim Noah wasn’t just focused on the ping-pong approach to changing his shot in his first NBA practice. Noah was fortunate enough to be a part of Chicago’s starting five as he joined Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Ben Wallace as the first unit running the first drill of the first practice of the Bulls 2007-2008 season. Of the “big five” setup coach Scott Skiles said, “It’s only because those guys know all the stuff so they can direct Joakim around for a few days.” Noah, of course, was all smiles after finishing his first practice. According to press notes, Noah said, “I feel real fortunate. This is all a learning process for me. You’re used to being that guy to tell the rookies how to do it. And now you’re just thrown into a situation where you have no idea what’s going on, and it’s a whole different speed. But I accept it, and I’m real excited to be in this position.”

Noah is definitely working hard to earn a solid spot in the Bulls line-up this year. Not only is he using assistant coach Ron Adams’ ping-pong device to alter his shot, he’s also arriving at practice early (an hour and a half early to be exact) in order to rehab his rotator cuff. “I don’t think it will be 100 percent all year. But I’m happy that I didn’t have to get surgery. I think it’s just a question of repetition and doing rehab. If I don’t do the rehab, I can definitely feel the difference in practice.” The rookie forward, who played for the University of Florida until last year, was taken 9^th overall in the 2007 NBA draft.

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