Bulls 18th in Power Rankings

The Bulls fell two spots in this week’s ESPN.com power rankings.  Coming in at 18th on the list, the Bulls have posted a 13-17 record this season.  “If you claim to have seen this coming, you’re fibbing: Chicago’s only three road wins were on the dreaded annual Circus Trip,” writes Marc Stein.  “The Bulls went 3-4 in those games and are 0-10 in their other road games. Imagine that.”

It’s evident that the Bulls are a different team on the road than they are at home.  The team has posted a 10-3 record at the United Center, which is cause for hope if they can get their act together on the road.  The starting backcourt of Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon is the most consistent thing this team has going for it.  Again, a solid post presence would greatly help in the consistency department.  Tyrus Thomas has been showing more frequent flashes, which is encouraging, but a veteran presence is needed.  The Clippers’ Chris Kaman can be had, but the Bulls will be especially reluctant to part ways with Thomas now that he’s looking better and more focused.  Sacramento’s Brad Miller is an option and could potentially be had for a deal including Joakim Noah.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Rose’s 13 Dimes Help Bulls Sink Nets

Derrick Rose showed why people think he can be one of the best point guards in the league in the Bulls’ 100-87 win over the New Jersey Nets last night.  Rose handed out 13 assists in the contest while chipping in 21 points on nine of 15 shooting.  The 13 assists were a career high for Rose, who became just the fifth Bulls rookie to post 20 points and 10 assists in the same game.  Rose is currently averaging 17.6 points per game to go along with 6.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds.  Lately he’s been showing better range on his three point shot, but is still reluctant to launch from deep.  Rose is making a strong case for rookie of the year, but it’s going to be difficult to beat out Memphis’ O.J. Mayo if the former USC standout continues to score at will.

Ben Gordon turned in another solid performance last night as well.  The shooting guard led the team in scoring with 24 points, doing it in efficient fashion on 8-14 shooting.  Gordon nailed five three point attempts in this game, as he’s shooting close to 44 percent on the season from behind the arc.  Gordon will be seeking a hefty, long-term contract this summer, and he’s playing at a level that will likely earn him one somewhere.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Johnson’s 41 Too Much For Bulls

The Bulls were unable to overcome 41 points from Atlanta’s Joe Johnson in the team’s 129-117 loss to the Hawks on Saturday.  The Bulls rolled out a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas and Aaron Gray with Luol Deng sidelined with an ankle injury.  Each of the five starters played more than 30 minutes in the contest and contributed solidly.  They didn’t get much help from the bench, though, and the defensive effort was lackluster all around.  The Hawks are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, so there isn’t much reason to fret if you’re a Bulls fan.  The loss does drop the team to 13-17 overall this season and currently positions them on the outside looking in as far as playoffs go.

Chicago received good performances from their starting backcourt of Gordon and Rose, who combined for 60 points in the contest.  Gordon was hot from deep, hitting six of his eight attempts from behind the arc.  This backcourt combination is proving to be more formidable than anybody thought going into this season.  Rose is playing beyond his years and Gordon is having his best season as a pro, albeit in a contract year.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Bulls 16th in Latest Power Rankings

The Bulls come in at number 16 in this week’s ESPN.com power rankings.  “With all the focus on Derrick Rose and the usual reams of Bulls-related trade chatter, no one even talks about this guy any more: Ben Gordon is averaging 22 ppg over the past 23 games after a quiet start,” writes Marc Stein.  We discussed Gordon’s solid season in yesterday’s post, and it’s true that he’s probably having his best as a pro.  The Bulls are definitely in the market for a big man, now more than ever with Drew Gooden sidelined for a week or more.  This blogger still thinks they should go after Chris Kaman.

The Bulls, at 13-14, currently stand tied for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.  The Bulls can look like a playoff team one night, but look like a lottery team the next.  Consistency will be key for this team under a rookie head coach.  A reliable low-post presence would really steady the team’s offensive production.  Kaman can score on the block with a variety of post moves and is a good rebounder.  There’s no reason he can’t average 16 and 11 in the East.  There are a lot of teams vying for the last few playoff spots in the conference, so if the Bulls can stabilize their interior attack, they’d be wise to do so.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Bulls Win Fifth Straight at Home

Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose are proving to be a pretty consistently productive backcourt for the Chicago Bulls.  The pair of guards combined for 50 points in the team’s 106-98 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday.  Rose scored 24 points while dishing out three assists and collecting five rebounds in the contest, while Gordon added 26 points of his own to go with three dimes and four boards.  Thabo Sefolosha logged 34 minutes in the game, and displayed the all-around skill set that has always intrigued this blogger.  Sefolosha scored 10 points, hitting both of his threes and added four boards, two assists and four steals.  This three guard rotation, four when Kirk Hinrich returns, would be really solid if Sefolosha can be consistent, something he’s yet to prove in the NBA.

Gordon is having perhaps his best season as a pro thus far, coming off a summer in which he and the organization couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term extension.  He’s averaging 21 points, four assists and three rebounds per game while shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc.  With Luol Deng struggling to consistently perform, could the Bulls perhaps have given the wrong man the extension?  It’s too early to tell, and Gordon still hasn’t performed up to the level of contract he was expecting.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Bulls Visit Champs Tonight

The Bulls head to Boston tonight where they’ll take on the defending champion Boston Celtics.  The Celtics are riding a 16-game winning streak and have a 24-2 record on the season.  The Celtics preach defense, defense, defense and do a good job following through.  Boston’s team defense can be mostly attributed to assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, who somehow still isn’t a head coach in this league.  The Celtics just don’t give up easy buckets, maybe because they’re afraid that Kevin Garnett will literally punch them in the face if they do, or at least make them cry.

The Bulls need to recognize that the key to the Celtics’ improvement this season has less to do with the big three, and more to do with point guard Rajon Rondo.  This team goes as Rondo goes, and he’s posted stinkers in their two losses this season.  Derrick Rose will be responsible for containing Rondo, and it’s not going to be an easy task.  Rondo is crafty and savvy beyond his years and Rose hasn’t shown a ton of interest on the defensive end this season.  If he can give Rondo problems and slow him down, the Bulls will have a shot in this game.  If Rondo is constantly pushing the ball up the floor at top speed, it’s going to be a long night for Chicago.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Trade Winds Blowing

The Bulls are apparently looking to acquire some inside help via trade.  General manager John Paxson recently acknowledged that he is engaged in talk with other teams.  “We’ve had a lot of conversation, trying to find things that fit,” Paxson said in a story in the Chicago Tribune.   Speculation is that two teams Paxson has spoken with are the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers.  Sacramento looks ready to part ways with center Brad Miller, a former Bull, while the Clippers have been rumored to be shopping center Chris Kaman.

Both players would fill a major need for the Bulls, providing inside scoring for a team that has been lacking in that area since they traded away Elton Brand in 2001.  Miller is a finesse big man who won’t provide huge rebounding numbers, but is crafty around the basket and has a nice jumper.  Kaman, on the other hand, is a double-double machine when he’s healthy, and much younger than Miller.  His contract isn’t the most desirable, multiple years at a high price, but this blogger believes that he’s one of the better centers in the league.  Paxson should make Kaman a priority as it would give the Bulls a solid starting frontcourt in him and Drew Gooden.  It’s unclear who the Clippers would be looking for in return, but one would think that Tyrus Thomas would be on the top of their list.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Bulls Fall in OT

The Bulls were able to overcome Derrick Rose’s worst game as a pro for four quarters, but couldn’t get the job done in overtime last night against the Bobcats.  The Bulls were outscored 16-7 in the extra period, resulting in a 110-101 loss.  Whereas it appeared that Rose should have been able to dominate the Bobcats’ point guard tandem of Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin, the exact opposite was the case.  The Bulls rookie shot just 3 of 16 from the field for a mere six points in the game.  Felton and Augustin, on the other hand, combined for 50 points and were the team’s two leading scorers.

Coming off a solid 16 point performance on Saturday night, Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas had an even stronger outing last night, scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds.  Thomas has seemed to respond to Vinny Del Negro’s recent assertion that players like he and Joakim Noah wouldn’t see the floor until they started giving more effort.  Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here, but perhaps a light has gone on for Thomas.  Both Luol Deng and Drew Gooden posted solid efforts in this contest, but fouled out.  With the loss, the Bulls fall to 11-13 on the year.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Bulls Head to Charlotte Tonight

The Bulls travel to Charlotte to tonight to face the new-look Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.  The Bobcats recently completed a trade in which they sent their leading scorer, Jason Richardson, to Phoenix along with forward Jared Dudley in exchange for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary.  Before this trade, Richardson would have been the Bulls’ primary focus on defense.  Now Gerald Wallace, Diaw and Emeka Okafor all must be accounted for.  Diaw is coming off a 25-point performance in last night’s matchup against the Hawks.  Bell will be looked upon to contain Chicago guard Ben Gordon.

Derrick Rose will be matched up against both Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin throughout the game.  Rose possesses a significant height and athleticism advantage over both players, especially Augustin.  He should be able to dominate both players on offense and give them fits on the defensive end.  The Bulls match up well with the Bobcats in that Charlotte is less likely to expose the Bulls’ lack of frontcourt depth than most teams, as they have a similar problem themselves.  Drew Gooden should be able to post solid numbers against the small Bobcats front line.  The Bulls are just 3-9 away from the United Center this season, but figure to be in line for a W this evening.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

Bulls Nets Victory Against New Jersey

The Bulls secured a victory in Saturday’s contest with the New Jersey Nets despite giving up 39 points to Vince Carter.  Ben Gordon had the hot hand from deep, connecting on four three pointers and totaling 29 points in the game.  Derrick Rose also had himself a game, dropping 22 points while collecting six rebounds and dishing six assists.  Four other Chicago players scored in double figures in the winning effort, one being forward Tyrus Thomas.  Thomas finished with 16 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks in just 24 minutes of play.

Thomas’ inconsistency can be maddening, but performances like this remind Bulls fans the vast potential that still lies within the LSU product.  Physically and athletically, he’s got it all.  He can jump out of the gym and his length is something you just can’t teach.  But while Thomas is supremely physically gifted, he hasn’t developed the skills that could make him a force in this league.  Were his shooting and ball handling to improve, he’d be on his way to becoming an unstoppable frontcourt player.  It’s encouraging for Bulls fans to see Thomas play well, as he did on Saturday, but it makes the games in which he struggles hurt that much more.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.

 Page 1 of 2  1  2 »