Getting Deep into the Stats with the Bulls
Chicago will play the Washington Wizards tonight in at the United Center. It should be a great game- one that the Bulls should win while trying to get back into a playoff race in the East. Unfortunately for those of you looking to get some pre-game analysis about the Wizards- how they will try to defend the Bulls, who the Bulls will have to watch out for, etc.- today happens to be a Friday. As such, we’re going to go a little off the beaten path. What can we dig up about the Bulls that you guys out there in Chicagoland don’t already know? I bet we can find something at the stats theme park known as basketball-reference.com… Ah! Yes. Here it is. Did you know that on a per 36 minute basis, Larry Hughes gets to the free throw line the most out of any current or past Bulls player this season?
BULLS FREE THROW ATTEMPTS PER 36 MINUTES
1. Larry Hughes, 6.3
2. Aaron Gray, 5.5
3. Drew Gooden, 4.9
4. Viktor Khryapa, 4.8
5. Ben Gordon, 4.6
6. Joakim Noah, 4.5
7. Tyrus Thomas, 4.5
8. Andres Nocioni, 4.5
9. Joe Smith, 4.2
10. Luol Deng, 4.2
Interesting stuff. Did we trade to get to the line more often, being that Gooden and Hughes are so high on this list? Or perhaps they are just playing hard and drawing fouls because they’re trying to impress people. Follow these figures by getting some Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com.
Bulls Win at Indiana
The Chicago Bulls aren’t used to going into Conseco Fieldhouse and getting a win, but with some of their new players they just might have to start getting the hang of this feeling. The Bulls capitalized on good nights from both Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to beat the Pacers on the road 113-107. Hughes scored a game-high 29 points, and Gooden added ten and 15 rebounds. The Bulls maintained their lead over the Pacers, who were just a half game behind Chicago entering the game.
The Bulls are now 23-34, nowhere near out of the woods yet. However, this win is one of the steps they need to take to have a shot at getting the last playoff spot in the East- a spot that is still wide open, with many potential suitors. The Bulls play the Wizards at home on Friday night. Then they have a pair of Cavs games sandwiching a Memphis game. If the Bulls are ready to get serious about the playoffs, they’ll win these next four games, or at least three of them. They are all winnable games.
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Bulls to Play Pacers on the Road Tonight
It’s not a far drive, so you should consider getting some tickets to see the Bulls in action versus the Indiana Pacers. It should be a great game. As you might know, the Bulls are trying to keep their half game lead over the Pacers in the Central Division. If they lose, they’d fall from their current third place position in the standings. Plus, the Bulls are trying to get hot for a stretch here. They just got back from a brutal string of road games out west versus some of the best teams in the league. They were also getting used to some new guys- Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes- and adjusting to being without some regulars- Ben Wallace and Joe Smith.
If you check out the Bulls report at CBS Sports you’ll be able to see some of the things that make the future look optimistic for this team. As you probably saw on TV, the Bulls showed some real fight against better teams, and they never gave up even though they were down versus the Rockets and Mavs. If they give the same kind of effort versus the Pacers, they will certainly come away with a win, getting them one step closer to that final playoff spot in the East.
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Kidd, Dallas Hand Bulls Tough Loss
The Dallas Mavericks extended their home game winning streak to 11 as they handed the Bulls a tough 94-102 loss in Big D. Jason Kidd, the newest star in Dallas, had a great all around game, helping lift the Bulls over the Mavs with 11 points, 8 assists and 9 rebounds- almost a triple double. Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls were lead by Ben Gordon, who came off the bench to score 25 points. Drew Gooden had 17 and Larry Hughes had 14. Both of the new Bulls players came off the bench and played well.
But it was not well enough to get past a very good Dallas Mavericks team. While both the Bulls and the Mavs were involved in huge player deals in the past week, the Mavs seem to have adjusted better, and they were in better shape to handle new players to begin with. The Bulls would have liked to have won this one, but they are playing some tough Western Conference teams right now, and wins are at a premium. Let’s hope the Bulls can pull it together against the Pacers on the road tomorrow night. They should be an easier team to beat than the ones Chicago has been playing lately.
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Chicago No. 20 in ESPN Power Rankings
Since it’s Monday, you know that the NBA Power Rankings are out, and that the Bulls Blog is all over covering the latest movement for the Bulls. You might be happy to know that they have moved up one place, from No. 21 to No. 20. However, the notes on the side of the power rankings say that the Bulls aren’t doing very well. It is too early to see if the trading of Ben Wallace and Joe Smith has paid off, but perhaps the Bulls will begin to climb the rankings as soon as we get a few more wins under our belts with the new players.
Speaking of the new guys, they were unavailable for the game at home on Friday versus the Denver Nuggets. The short-handed Bulls put together one of their best offensive performances of the year, winning 135-121 behind Ben Gordon’s 37 points. The first game for Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes and the rest of the newcomers was this Sunday, when the Bulls lost to the surging Houston Rockets on the road. It was the Rockets’ 12th straight win. The Bulls will play Dallas tonight on the road.
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HUGE Bulls-Sonics-Cavs Trade
Today was going to be a Friday Funny News Day at the Bulls Blog, but boy were we mistaken. At the last second before the trade deadline expired, the Bulls, Cavs and Sonics did some major trading. There were rumors that Ben Wallace would be involved in a trade at the deadline all week, but us here at the Bulls Blog were awful surprised to see this one go down. Just focusing on what happened with the Bulls, here’s the info you need to know:
THE BULLS LOST:
- Ben Wallace
- Joe Smith
- Adrian Griffin
THE BULLS GAINED:
- Drew Gooden
- Larry Hughes
- Cedric Simmons
- Shannon Brown
Wow. And not the town that Luol Deng is from in Sudan. But, WOW. This is huge news for Bulls fans. Soak it in over the weekend, watch the Bulls play and then we’ll be back here on Monday to discuss this mega deal further.
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Nets Beat Bulls in Overtime
Their first game back from the All-Star break was a close one, but the Chicago Bulls wound up losing to the New Jersey Nets in overtime 110-102. Vince Carter topped all scorers with 33 points, and Jason Kidd’s replacement at point guard, Marcus Williams, had 25 points and 4 assists, plus several key plays down the stretch and in overtime. For the Bulls, Joe Smith lead the team in points with 17, and all three of the Bulls’ stars- Hinrich, Gordon and Deng- played, though Gordon and Deng both came off the bench. Check out the overview of the game at Fox Sports.
While we were all obviously hoping for a win here to start off the final stretch of the season, the Bulls Blog is pleased with the tenacity of the team. We gave it a clear, hard effort, and the Nets, it seemed, were just as hungry to start winning right away. If the Bulls had not collapsed in OT, we could be looking at a team with a lot of momentum right now. As it is, we have a team that gave it a good go, but clearly is not at full strength yet. But that day is coming soon.
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Bulls Return to Action vs. Nets
The Bulls will play their first game back from the All-Star Break on the road in New Jersey, battling a team they hope to catch in the next few weeks. In the last blog we determined that this was going to be a critical game to determine if the Bulls were going to be serious about getting their playoff ambitions back on track. The Bulls Blog still feels the same way. The Bulls don’t necessarily have to win the game, but they do have to play with some fire. Of course, it might be easier to beat the Nets this time, as there was a huge trade deal that has taken away one of their key players.
As you might have already heard, Jason Kidd has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd, Antonie Wright and Malik Allen will not play for New Jersey, but instead the Bulls will have to adjust to playing against new Net players Devin Harris, Maurice Ager, Trenton Hassell, DeSagana Diop and Keith Van Horn. It’s yet to be seen if the Nets will be better off without Kidd, but we’re guessing that they won’t be as sharp with all the new faces to get used to.
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CBS Reports on the Bulls’ Situation
There’s been a lot of time to analyze the situation from the Bulls perspective these past few days. There was a distinct lack of representation of Chicago players at the All-Star Game festivities, and the absence seems to be just noticeable enough for the Bulls to really look inward and ask themselves the tough questions. How did we get here? How can we get to the playoffs? Where is this team headed? You can read about it at CBSsports.com.
The Bulls will have to come out of the All-Star Break with a full head of steam. They open up against New Jersey, one of the teams they hope to catch and pass in the next few weeks. It’s not as though the game means everything, but will be a good barometer of where the Bulls are in terms of seriousness. If they can come out with a win on the road versus a team that’s just as hungry as they are, the Bulls will spark new life into their future, their fans… and into the Bulls Blog. Let’s get out to the game to root for the Bulls!
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All-Star Break Gives Bulls Time to Reflect
Since the Bulls haven’t played as a team since Thursday, and they won’t play again until Wednesday, we’re in the exact middle of what they call the All-Star break. The Bulls could use this time to address some of their more obvious shortcomings. There’s a good article at the Daily Herald that mentions a few things that the Bulls can do to solve problems, while also pointing out blame for some of the team’s woes, and mentioning a few of the good things that have happened this season.
Because the Bulls Blog is a positive weblog based mostly around trying to get people to consider buying Bulls home game tickets, let’s try to keep things upbeat. For example, the author of the article, Mike McGraw, mentions that Thabo Sefolosha’s emergence has been one of the great things about this season. The kid is young and he is developing a nice game. If he continues on this path and stays with the Bulls, he could be the next Gerald Wallace. Hey, we’re trying to be optimistic here.
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