Rose Named to Rookie Team

Bulls rookie Derrick Rose has been named to the rookie team in the NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge.  There was little question that Rose would make the squad, as he’s been one of the league’s most impressive rookies this season.  Other rookies to be named to the team include Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Rudy Fernandez, Brook Lopez, Marc Gasol and Greg Oden.  The rookies will be facing the sophomores in the game.  Players named to the sophomore team include Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Al Horford, Wilson Chandler and Thaddeus Young, among others.

The sophomores traditionally dominate this game, which makes sense considering they’ve got more than double the pro experience than the rookies do.  However, this year a lot of pundits are predicting that the rookies will win the game, or at least make it competitive.  This is due to the quick development of youngsters like Rose and Mayo, who are already leaders on their team and look like future All-Stars.  Rose is currently one of the frontrunners for rookie of the year and will certainly be one of the go-to guys on this rookie team.  The sophomores have not lost this game in more than half a decade, a trend that Rose and his fellow rookies will surely be looking to put an end to.

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Bulls Sail Past Clips

The Bulls coasted to an easy victory against the lowly Los Angeles Clippers last night thanks to a solid all-around effort from the team’s starting lineup.  Head coach Vinny Del Negro seems to have settled on a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah after shuffling the rotation for much of the first half of the season.  Things may change when Drew Gooden returns to action, but for now this lineup seems to be working.  Each Bulls starter scored in double figures, and the five players combined for 80 points.

Luol Deng led all scorers with 23 points.  Deng has been solid as of late, scoring and rebounding at a high level in most contests.  Derrick Rose added 21 of his own, as well as four rebounds and six assists.  Tyrus Thomas scored 16 and pulled down 10 rebounds, getting to the line for six free throws to help offset a 5-15 shooting night.  Joakim Noah went for 10 and eight with four blocks.  His play as of late has been impressive, both on the boards and on the defensive end.  It appears that Noah and Thomas are more focused than they were earlier in the season, and Del Negro is rewarding the youngsters with more playing time.

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Brand on the Block?

There are rumors going around that Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers could be on the trading block.  Brand was drafted first overall by the Bulls in 1999 and played at a high level in Chicago before being shipped to the Clippers for a top five pick in 2001.  The Bulls have not had a consistent post presence since letting Brand go in that deal, but could now have the chance to rectify that mistake.  Perhaps a package of Larry Hughes and Tyrus Thomas would get the job done, and maybe a draft pick.
It looks like Brand’s style of play just doesn’t fit the way the rest of the Philadelphia team is built.   Brand is better in a half-court offense, while that team is suited to run.

The Sixers would get back cap space in Hughes and a guy who should thrive in an up-tempo system in Thomas.  A trade of Brand would be an admission by the Sixers that they made a mistake in signing Brand, but the team seems to fare better without him.  The Bulls would add the inside scoring presence that they sorely lack, a move that could push them into the playoffs.  A starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Elton Brand and Joakim Noah looks pretty good.

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Draft Notes

If the season ended today, the Bulls would be in the lottery and not the playoffs.  Though a playoff berth would be great, we’ve seen what lottery picks can do for teams.  ESPN.com’s Chad Ford has the Bulls selecting Kansas center Cole Aldrich in his latest lottery mock draft.  “Aldrich was a role player in KU’s 2008 title run, but this season he’s the man in the middle for the Jayhawks,” says ESPN.com’s draft bio.  “His combination of size, skill and solid athleticism has a lot of scouts keeping a close eye on him.  This is a weak draft for big men and, while Aldrich could surely use another year at Kansas, more and more scouts and execs are talking about him as a potential lottery pick in 2009 if he declares.”

The Bulls could definitely use a big man, but another big that is raw offensively would not fit the bill in Chicago.  Unfortunately, most big men are relatively raw coming out of college these because most leave the collegiate ranks early.  Georgetown’s Greg Monroe is one of the more skilled freshman bigs we’ve seen in a while, though he’s likely to be a top three pick if he declares, thus it would take another lottery miracle for the Bulls to be in position to select him.

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Jefferson Too Much as Bulls Fall to T-Wolves in OT

The Bulls got a glimpse of a dimension that they sorely lack yesterday in their 109-108 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday.  The Wolves repeatedly fed the ball into the post to forward Al Jefferson, who is establishing himself as one of the premiere post players in the league.  Jefferson finished with 39 points in the contest.  Big Al is exactly the kind of player the Bulls lack, a guy who can play down low with his back to the basket and score in a variety of ways.  Minnesota rookie Kevin Love, another skilled post player, also hurt Chicago, going for 19 points and 15 rebounds.

The Bulls played the Wolves tough in this one, and Minnesota’s 9-2 record in 2009 should not be discounted when judging this loss.  Luol Deng continued his solid play since returning from injury, scoring 22 points and adding eight rebounds.  Ben Gordon led the team in scoring with 23 in the game.  Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah seem to have ensconced themselves in the starting lineup thanks to their solid play as of late.  Thomas finished the game with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Noah had 14 points 10 board and an impressive seven blocks.

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Potential Deal Breaker

A rumored deal that would send Larry Hughes to New Jersey (mentioned in yesterday’s post) is unlikely to happen unless the Nets change their stance of wanting either Joakim Noah or Tyrus Thomas to be included in the trade.  “Feeling the need for a small forward better than Bobby Simmons and the urge to break up their backcourt so Vince Carter and Devin Harris stop competing against each other for points, the Nets actively pursued Larry Hughes as reports claimed,” writes Peter Vecsey of the New York Post.  “Carter would’ve moved to the frontcourt.  However, the key to signing off on such a deal - unmentioned in everything I read - was Jersey’s insistence either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah be included.”

This would be a deal breaker if this blogger were the GM of the Chicago Bulls.  Simmons is a decent player, but it wouldn’t make sense for the Bulls to part with one of their young big men to land him.  He’s overpaid and I doubt the Bulls want to get rid of Hughes that badly.  Also, from what I’m hearing, Kirk Hinrich is off the trading block, as the team has played better since his return from injury.  The only way I’d consider dealing Hinrich was if I was getting a serious inside scoring threat in return.

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Hughes to New Jersey?

Bulls guard Larry Hughes may be on his way out of Chicago before the trade deadline rolls around.  There is a rumored deal that would send Hughes to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Bobby Simmons and Maurice Ager, both Chicago natives.  Currently it appears that the Nets would rather land Mike Miller of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Hughes is considered a backup plan for New Jersey.  Hughes has not had much of a role with the team this season and is seeing less and less playing time as time progresses, especially with the return of Kirk Hinrich.

This deal could work for the Bulls, but it won’t make the team a whole lot better.  The main positive of this trade would be just to get Hughes off the roster before he becomes a problem.  It’s no secret that Hughes is unhappy with his role, or lack thereof.  Hughes’ best days are probably behind him, and he seems content with just running around and taking a lot of shots, something that isn’t too conducive to winning.  Simmons has talent, but has been a pretty big disappointment since signing a sizeable deal with the Milwaukee Bucks a few years back.  Ager is an undersized shooting guard that has been pretty much a bust since entering the league out of Michigan State.

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Bibby Lights It Up, Bulls Fall

The Bulls entered the fourth quarter tied with the Atlanta Hawks last night but were unable to get it done in the final period, falling 105-102 in the contest.  Atlanta point guard Mike Bibby really hurt Chicago, scoring 31 points in the game to go along with six assists and five steals.  Josh Smith collected 14 rebounds and was one of four Hawks starters to score more than 15 points.  While the Bulls’ shooting percentage was five points higher than the Hawks’ was, Atlanta shot more than 10 percent better from beyond the arc.

Ben Gordon was the high point man for the Bulls in this contest, scoring 21 points on six of 11 shooting.  Gordon was able to get to the line often, going eight for 10 from the stripe.  Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni chipped in solid efforts off the bench, as these two players are serving as good sparks off the pine for Chicago.  Joakim Noah has been showing the ability to rebound as of late; the former Gator collected 11 boards in this one, eight of which came on the offensive end.  Luol Deng also reached double digits in rebounding but struggled from the field, going just six for 16.  This loss drops the Bulls to 18-25.

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Duhon, Knicks Beat Bulls

Former Bulls guard and current New York Knick Chris Duhon got revenge on his old team last night, hitting a crucial bucket late in the fourth quarter to help take down the Bulls 102-98. Duhon wasn’t the most popular player in Chicago during his stint with the team, oft-criticized for his hard partying ways and struggles with outside shooting.  Duhon scored 19 this one, a game that was tight all the way.  New York guard Quentin Richardson really hurt the Bulls, scoring a game-high 24 points and connecting on five three pointers.

Derrick Rose played well in his Madison Square Garden debut, scoring 20 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out eight assists.  Luol Deng posted another solid effort, going for 20 and 10 and youngsters like Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah both made the most out of the chance to start.  Thomas scored 19 points, pulled down 10 boards and blocked three shots while Noah gobbled up 18 rebounds in the middle.  Noah’s rebounding success came partly due to the Knicks’ dearth at the center position, but it’s impressive nonetheless.  Kirk Hinrich also chipped in a solid performance coming off the bench, but none of it was enough to take home the victory.  The Bulls don’t have a player that can consistently take over the game offensively, and while Rose is developing into such a player, he’s not there quite yet.

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Bulls Spurred by San Antonio

The Bulls were unable to pull one out against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, despite a surge in the second quarter that brought the Bulls back into the game after a rough first period.  Five Bulls players scored in double figures in the 92-97 loss at the United Center.  Derrick Rose struggled against former NBA Finals MVP Tony Parker, shooting just six for 21 from the field in the contest.  The rookie did add eight assists to go with his 12 points, but it was not enough to get it done against San Antonio.  Andres Nocioni had a really good game coming off the bench for Chicago, shooting an ultra-efficient six for eight from the field, including two of two from distance.  He added 15 rebounds to go with his 17 points.

The Bulls were simply unable to contain the Spurs’ big three.  Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for 59 points in the game.  Duncan had a really solid game inside, scoring 18 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and adding four assists and four blocks while committing no turnovers.  Ginobili got to the line at will, attempting 11 shots from the stripe.  Watching a player like Tim Duncan come into town can’t be easy for Bulls fans, who are aching for someone with half of Duncan’s post game.

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