Del Negro Remembers The Alamo

Tonight Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro will return to a place he knows well, a place where he spent his best years as a player, San Antonio, TX.  Del Negro and the Bulls will visit the AT&T Center this evening to face the Spurs.  The current Bulls coach won a title with the opposing teams’ best player, Tim Duncan, in the mid ‘90s but will be facing his former mate as a coach for the first time in his young coaching career.  The Spurs have been plagued with injuries to two of their big three, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and have struggled out of the gate.  Ginobili returned in the Spurs’ last contest, though, and was a factor in a San Antonio win.

It’s fortunate for rookie Derrick Rose that Parker is not expected to play, as the Spurs point guard gives opponents fits with his lightning quickness.  Rose is coming off a gutsy performance against the Utah Jazz in which he scored 25 points and dished out nine assists, all with an injured hip.  “Derrick was penetrating, making plays for himself and finding people, so I just wanted to get the ball in his hands,” Del Negro said of the rookie’s performance in Utah game.  “He’s only going to get better as the season goes along.”  That prospect is music to Bulls fans’ ears.

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Hughes’ Buzzer Beater Silences Jazz

The Bulls stole one on the road against the Jazz last night thanks to a buzzer-beating jumper from guard Larry Hughes. Hughes hit the shot to win the game 101-100 after the lead had seesawed for the last couple of possessions. It was a good game for Hughes, who scored 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting (2 of 3 from deep) while committing just one turnover. Derrick Rose led the team in scoring with 25 points, also adding nine helpers in the process. Rose hit a tough shot to put the Bulls up 99-98 before the Jazz regained the lead. On the game’s final possession, the rookie missed, but Hughes’ timely board set himself up for the step back winner.

Drew Gooden posted another solid game, dropping 18 points and 5 rebounds in the contest. Luol Deng returned from injury, logging 16 minutes but only making one basket. The team’s big men had trouble containing those of the Jazz, though. Reserve forward Paul Millsap, starting last night in place of an injured Carlos Boozer, scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive glass. Center Mehmet Okur added 26 and 9. Despite their defensive struggles in the paint, the Bulls came away with the victory in this one.

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Late 18-2 Nuggets Run Sinks Bulls

The Bulls dropped to 6-8 after suffering a 114-101 loss in Denver last night.  Denver went on an 18-2 run to finish the game and finish off the Bulls in a late comeback.  Four Denver starters eclipsed the 20-point mark, with forward Carmelo Anthony posting 21 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists.  Chicago again had a tough time stopping the opposition’s big men, yielding 21 points to Nene and 26 to Kenyon Martin.

The Bulls topped 100 points despite scoring just 16 points in the final period of play.  Drew Gooden played well inside for Chicago, contributing 21 points and 7 rebounds.  Gooden has never quite lived up to his potential, but has had the tendency to put up nights like this; it’s been inconsistency that’s been his trademark, though.  Ben Gordon had the hot hand from deep in this contest, connecting on five of his seven attempts from long-range, good for 28 points total.  Derrick Rose added 15 points and 6 assists.  Center Aaron Gray chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds in just 17 minutes of play, his five fouls keeping him on the bench.  Forward Luol Deng missed his third consecutive game with a sore hamstring.  The team travels to Salt Lake City to face the Jazz tonight.

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Post Issues

It’s become clear that the Bulls are seriously lacking down low.  No player on the roster has the ability to consistently score in the post, and it’s hurting the team.  The club has been dependent on outside shooting since they dealt Eddy Curry to the New York Knicks a few years back.  Even then, Curry was not a huge offensive threat.  Elton Brand was probably the team’s most recent formidable big man, but he was shipped in order to make way for the Tyson Chandler/Curry experiment, and we all know how that turned out.

The Bulls had a guy who is now a good post player, for all of 10 minutes.  The Bulls selected LaMarcus Aldridge with the number two overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft but promptly shipped him to Portland for the rights to the number four overall pick, Tyrus Thomas.  A little more than two seasons later, Aldridge is developing nicely and has a solid post game and midrange jumper, while Thomas is still unable to create any offense for himself and is in danger of being labeled a bust.  The Bulls could look to move Ben Gordon for some low post help, but could also look towards the draft.  If they can pair stud rookie Derrick Rose with a good big man, the franchise will have a nice base moving forward.  Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin would be a great addition, but the Bulls will have to play much worse on a nightly basis to have a shot at him, unless lottery lightning strikes twice.  Chicago takes on Golden State tonight.

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Blazed

After finding themselves down 21 points after one quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers last night, the Bulls failed to win even one of the remaining three periods, falling to 5-7.  The 116-74 final score was very telling of the utter dominance Portland displayed in the contest.  Andres Nocioni led the Bulls in scoring with just 12 points, coming on 5 of 13 shooting.  The Bulls, as a team, shot just 34 percent from the field.  Chicago’s lack of frontcourt depth, and talent for that matter, was a glaring weakness yet again, as Portland centers Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla dominated the glass.  In fact, Oden logged a double-double in just 17 minutes of play.

Every Bulls player struggled last night.  The team made just two of their 15 three point attempts and gave up what seemed like an endless amount of easy buckets to Portland players.  It’s abundantly clear that the team did not come to play tonight, because this club is capable of playing at a much higher level.  Their lack of post scoring makes it difficult to remain consistent on offense, because, as seen last night, if the team’s jumpers are not falling, there isn’t much the players can do to get buckets.

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Lakers Beat Bulls Behind Gasol’s 34

The Bulls hung tough in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers last night, but the third quarter saw the Lakers pull away.  Despite a valiant fourth quarter effort by Chicago, the Lake Show came away with the victory 116-109.  L.A. forward Pau Gasol hurt the Bulls time and time again on the inside during this contest, finishing with 34 points on the night.  Lakers center Andrew Bynum also fared well in this game, notching 18 points and nine rebounds.  It’s clear that the Bulls need some help inside.  Starters Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah combined for a paltry 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Super rookie Derrick Rose continued to shine despite the losing effort.  The point guard scored 25 points and dished out nine assists, raising his season averages to 19.5 points per game and 5.9 assisters per game.  Ben Gordon chipped in 23 points, but was just 6 of 22 from the field and 3 of 11 from three point land.  Luol Deng chipped in 11, but has certainly been a disappointment after landing a huge contract with the team in the offseason.  Rose seems to be the only guy who consistently contributes solidly every night, which is not going to be enough for the Bulls to make the playoffs.

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The Comparisons Begin

Derrick Rose is already being compared to Michael Jordan.  Alright, so that statement is a little misleading.  Nobody is suggesting that Derrick is as good or will ever be as good as His Airness, but Rose is the first Bulls rookie to score in double figures in his first ten games as a pro since MJ.  “I didn’t even know that to tell you the truth,” Rose said when reporters altered him of that statistic.  “I’m not even near (Jordan) right now.  Hopefully I will be, but I’m too far way.  For me to do that is nice.  I’m worried about winning right now.”

Winning is not going to come easily tonight as the Bulls head to the Staples Center to face the defending Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers.  Coincidentally, Rose, in the midst of his first Jordan comparisons, will be facing the man who has evoked more comparisons to Michael than any other player, Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers (7-1) suffered their first loss of the season the other night at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.  It’s going to be difficult to defeat this well-rounded and deep Laker team.  The Lakers have so many weapons on offense and the Bulls are surely going to have some difficulty containing L.A.’s potent attack.

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Bulls Back to .500

The Bulls improved to an even 5-5 record with a win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.  Again, it was super rookie Derrick Rose leading the way for Chicago, scoring 23 points in the contest.  Rose has scored in double figures in every game of his pro career.  He’s currently averaging 18.9 points per game and dishing out 5.6 assists; he had eight on Saturday.  Rose is also averaging five rebounds per game and getting more than a steal per contest while limiting himself to less than three turnovers.

Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni all made solid contributions in the victory, which is becoming a pattern for the team.  Kirk Hinrich would also probably fall into that group, but he’s going to be sidelined for three months after undergoing thumb surgery.  Larry Hughes has returned to the lineup after taking a nasty spill this preseason.  He came off the bench against the Pacers, chipping in 12 points, but shot just 4-11 from the field and failed to register a single assist.  It was initially thought that Hughes may take some playing time away from Rose, but there’s little chance of that happening now as it appears that the rookie is already the best player on the team.

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Bulls Comeback Sinks Mavs

The Bulls improved to 4-5 last night with a win over the Dallas Mavericks thanks largely in part to a typical Ben Gordon scoring outburst.  Gordon dropped 35 on the Mavs as the Bulls erased a 19-point first half lead, winning the contest 98-91.  Gordon hit 12 of his 21 attempts from the field (2-3 from three) and sunk nine of his 10 free throw attempts.  There have never been any doubts about Gordon’s ability to score in this league, but it’s his inability to do it on a consistent basis that’s earned him the reputation as a streak scorer.  Gordon can give you 35 one night, then nine the next.  If he were steadier night in and night out, he may have received the hefty contract he was seeking this past summer.

Derrick Rose handed in another solid, well-rounded performance, chipping in 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.  Luol Deng added 20 while no other Bulls player reached double digit scoring.  The Bulls did a good job protecting the ball in this contest, though, only turning it over six times.  Newly-signed Lindsey Hunter did not enter the game, but will give this team veteran leadership, outside shooting and tenacious on-ball defense once he breaks into the rotation.

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Rose Flourishing in Offense

Bulls rookie Derrick Rose is faring better in his inaugural season than most NBA pundits had predicted.  It’s been tirelessly documented on this blog that the transition from the collegiate ranks to the pro game is especially difficult for point guards, but Rose already looks like a veteran out on the floor.  Part of the reason that Rose is playing so well is that head coach Vinny Del Negro’s offense is well-suited for the young point guard.  “The Bulls’ style is open, with at least good spacing, and it is designed as a penetrate-and-pitch scheme, which again favors the skills that Rose brings to the table,” writes Basketball Prospectus’ Anthony Macri.

Rose is more than willing to pass the ball, but he sees very little help defense from perimeter defenders thanks to the Bulls’ outside shooting prowess.  Rose is an excellent finisher at the rim, so by the time the help does arrive, it’s often too late.  Rose is currently averaging roughly 19 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game.  The assists would be higher if Rose had more capable finishers at the rim.  Tyrus Thomas is a strong finisher, but he needs to be set up perfectly because he lacks the ability to create for himself.  Once the Bulls find a post player of some kind, Rose’s assists are sure to spike.  He’s doing pretty well in the meantime, though.

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