Bulls Beat Cavs in OT

The Bulls outscored the team that some people are calling the best in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 15-6 in overtime in a 102-93 win last night.  After struggling for much of the game, Derrick rose made some big plays down the stretch in regulation and in overtime.  He finished with 16 points and six assists, a number of baskets coming on acrobatic moves at the rim.  The Chicago native could have the best mid-air body control in the league.  Luol Deng had himself a really good game, scoring 22 points on eight of 12 shooting from the field and adding eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block.

Probably the most impressive thing about the Bulls’ win was their containment of LeBron James.  James, recognized by most as the best player on the planet, did end up with 28 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, but he made just eight of his 28 field goal attempts and committed eight turnovers.  Chicago received solid bench contributions from Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni, each of whom scored in double figures.  The Cavaliers have looked like the best team in the league to this point, and the Bulls should consider this perhaps their biggest win of the season thus far.

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Rose’s Huge 4th Quarter Lifts Bulls Past Raptors

Derrick Rose scored 17 of his 25 points in the final quarter of last night’s 102-98 win over the Toronto Raptors.  The rookie added 10 assists in the contest and committed only one turnover.  Rose has shown flashes of the incredible player that he could be throughout this season.  His dominating fourth quarter performance last night is just one of many examples of Rose’s ability dominate.  He’s still learning the game and has a long way to go, which exemplifies his vast potential.  He’s already the unquestioned face of the franchise and gets top billing at home games, being announced last in the starting lineup.

Bulls fans have to be encouraged by Luol Deng’s first start since returning from his latest injury.  Deng scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and added four assists in the win.  Deng needs to be the Robin to Rose’s Batman for this team to succeed, in the short term and in the long run.  Kirk Hinrich also had a solid game, coming off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds and six assists.  These guys are two of the highest paid players on the team and they need to perform as such.  They’re crucial to the team’s playoff hopes this season.

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Go After Odom

With the Bulls in desperate need of frontcourt help, this blogger proposes an option that was discussed on this blog before the season started.  Now that Kirk Hinrich and Lakers forward Lamar Odom are both back from injury, why not attempt to trade Hinrich for the disgruntled Odom.  Odom is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, probably in his life, and is averaging far less minutes (26 per game) than in any other season.   Last season, when forced to play power forward, Odom showed that he could be a dominant inside presence.  He showed the ability to score on the block and rebound much better than he had in the past.  He’s also a fantastic passer, and if the offense were run through him in the post, he’d be able to kick the ball out for open jump shots better than most big men.

The Lakers would probably be open to at least considering such a swap.  Odom isn’t a huge part of the team’s game plan and Hinrich would be a major upgrade over Jordan Farmar.  Hinrich isn’t a pure point, which works just fine Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, and his perimeter shooting and slashing would benefit the club greatly.  Another player, such as Cedric Simmons, would have to be thrown into the deal on the Bulls’ end to make the trade work financially, but this would not be much of an issue.

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Deng, Hinrich Return But Bulls Fall

The Bulls won the first quarter of last night’s game against the Portland Trailblazers, but it was downhill from there.  Forward Travis Outlaw was too much to handle, scoring 33 points in the contest.  Greg Oden exposed the Bulls’ shaky frontcourt by scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.  In a game where Brandon Roy struggled, netting just 11 points, the Bulls were unable to capitalize, falling 109-05.

Drew Gooden posted another solid effort for the Bulls, scoring 20 points and pulling down nine boards.  Derrick Rose had rough shooting night, but was able to dish out 10 assists.  The team did see two of their best players, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich, return from injury, though.  Hinrich did not do a whole lot, but he’s been out for an extended period of time, so that’s to be expected.  Deng, on the other hand, had a very encouraging performance off the bench.  In just 22 minutes, Deng scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds.   He made just three of his 10 field goal attempts, but those 10 shots along with his eight attempts from the line show that he’s being aggressive.  If Deng can get his level of play back to where it was two seasons ago, the Bulls can certainly make a push for the playoffs.

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Thuderstruck

The Bulls fell to 16-21 after an overtime loss to the Thunder on Saturday in which Chicago only scored four points in the extra period.  Being outscored by 11 in overtime at home by the team with the league’s worst record isn’t exactly what Bulls fans are looking for.  Drew Gooden played fairly well, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the game.  Gooden remains the team’s only consistent inside scoring threat, though there is a chance that he’ll be shipped before the trade deadline.  Ben Gordon chipped in 22 points as well.

The Bulls were the latest victim of the rampage of a season that Thunder forward Kevin Durant is having.  The second-year pro has really shone since his position shift to his more natural spot at small forward.  The former Longhorn hung 28 on the Bulls on Saturday, adding 12 rebounds and four steals.  Durant is the kind of player that doesn’t come around very often, very similar to Bulls rookie Derrick Rose.  Their games are completely different, but their level of talent is similar.  Rose has already shown the vast potential he has in the rookie campaign, but if he takes a similar leap to Durant’s from his first to second season Bulls fans will be elated.

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Hughes on the Block

Apparently the Bulls are trying to unload shooting guard Larry Hughes.  “The Bulls are shopping Hughes aggressively, and I’m starting to revisit my thinking that his contract will be impossible to move,” writes K.C. Johnson, Bulls reported for the Chicago Tribune.  “The reason I say this—and this is strictly speculation on my part—is I’m starting to believe the Bulls will take virtually anything beyond ridiculous long-term contracts to move Hughes.  They want to open up more opportunity for Sefolosha and also ease the glut of guards in the backcourt.”

Hughes is not a part of the team’s long-term plans, and his contract is probably attractive because it’s a big number that comes off the books in 2010, in time to clear cap space for a club to pursue a player in that coveted class of free agents.  Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon have locked themselves in as the starting backcourt for the remainder of the season, as they’ve played pretty well together, and Thabo Sefolosha is showing more consistency.  One must also consider that Kirk Hinrich will return from injury eventually, which would crowd the backcourt if Hughes is still on the roster.  If the Bulls can get any frontcourt help for Hughes, the deal should be made.

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Prospect Peek

If the season ended today, the Bulls would be out of the playoffs and back in the lottery.  This could not necessarily be a bad thing; look what happened in the last lottery.  The Bulls won the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery despite having less than a two percent chance of doing so.  As of now, they have a 0.6 percent chance of winning, so obviously the number one pick is an even longer shot this season, but there are some quality players that will likely be in the 2009 draft.  Let’s take a look at some frontcourt players that could help the Bulls.

Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin will be the prize of the draft is he declares.  Should the Bulls strike gold in the lottery again, Griffin would give Chicago exactly what they need inside and set the team up with two of the more promising young players in the league in Griffin and Derrick Rose.  Georgetown big man Greg Monroe would probably be the next best option.  Jordan Hill of Arizona has been rising on draft boards as well.  Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal is having a solid sophomore season and could be a realistic option for the Bulls considering their odds of winning the lottery.

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Bulls Sneak Past Kings

The Bulls got a much needed win last night, albeit against the Sacramento Kings, but a win is a win.  The 99-94 victory ends a three game skid for Chicago, brining the team’s record to 15-20.  It was a solid all-around effort for the Bulls, with five players scoring in double figures.  Ben Gordon led the team with 24 points, while Drew Gooden notched a double-double with 18 and 10 in his first game back from injury.  Derrick Rose had himself a good game, chipping in 16 points and eight assists and had a big step-through bucket late in the fourth quarter that basically won the game for Chicago.

Gooden coming back will help the Bulls’ frontcourt woes, but there are a lot of trade rumors swirling about the team shipping him before the February 19th trade deadline.  The only way the team can justify such a move is if they net some sort of inside presence in exchange.  There is going to come a point this season where the Bulls will have to decide whether they’re looking to make the playoffs or rebuilding.  They’ll have to see how they fare when Luol Deng returns from injury before making that call, though.

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Bulls Slide in Power Rankings

The Bulls took a serious tumble in this week’s ESPN.com power rankings, falling from 18th to 23rd on the list.  At 14-20, the Bulls are currently sitting in fourth place in the central division and would be the first team on the outside looking in if the playoffs started today.  Still, the Bulls are losers of three straight and have won just three games in their past 10 contests.  Chicago still has plenty of time to turn things around, but, again, the lack of a consistent inside scoring presence has hurt this team on the offensive end.

It hasn’t been all bad in Chicago this season, though.  “How good is (Bulls rookie Derrick) Rose?” Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson was quoted as asking by Marc Stein.  “You’d be stupid not to pick him Rookie of the Year.”  Rose certainly has been the bright spot for the Bulls this season, already exceeding most people’s expectations.  Ben Gordon has also been really good for the team, but it’s unlikely that he stays in Chicago after this season due to the tumultuous contract negotiations he and Bulls’ management had this past summer.  Forward Tyrus Thomas has been coming on a bit as of late, and if he can take the next step in his development, he could help bolster the Bulls’ inside attack.

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Trade Winds

It appears that some Bulls fans are calling for major changes to the team’s roster.  “They will build around rookie Derrick Rose, that’s a given,” writes Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.  “But the Bulls have proven time and again this season they’re a long way from competing with the elite teams.  So a little tweak of the roster won’t do much good.  They need to make a big splash.”  McGraw goes on to say that the Bulls should be looking toward the much anticipated 2010 free agency period as well, where players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Chicago native Dwyane Wade are slated to become unrestricted free agents.

Should the Bulls let Ben Gordon and Drew Gooden leave this summer, along with letting Larry Hughes walk a year later, the team will have significant cap space to work with come 2010.  Rose is the cornerstone of the franchise, and coupling him with a superstar player would likely make the team a legitimate contender.  Still, the same frontcourt issues will plague the Bulls should they neglect their need for scoring in the low post.  There are a lot of deals being thrown around right now throughout NBA circles, many of which involve the Bulls.  At this point, however; this blogger has not seen one that seems likely at this point.  Plus, we know from the years of Kevin Garnett rumors that John Paxson isn’t quick to pull the trigger on a deal.

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