Ford Set to Tour Country

ESPN’s NBA draft guru Chad Ford has embarked on his annual trip around the country to watch the top players in this year’s draft class work out.  “We’ll see Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, Jordan Hill, Earl Clark, Jrue Holiday, DeJuan Blair, Austin Daye, Darren Collison, Nick Calathes and a host of others over the next two weeks,” Ford writes.  ”The trip will end at the Chicago pre-draft combine, where the 60 top prospects in the draft compete in a number of skill and physical challenges in front of every GM in the league.”

The name that sticks out the most for the Bulls is probably DeJuan Blair.  As noted previously on this blog, the Bulls could use a bruiser like Blair doing his thing in the post.  The team already has Tyrus Thomas, but Blair would provide a different style of play down low.  He’s a good scorer and a solid rebounder, in the mold of Utah’s Paul Millsap.  I’d say Millsap is probably the best-case scenario for Blair as far as development goes, with Michael Sweetney probably being the worst-case comparison.  Blair could very well be waiting for the Bulls when they select in the middle of the first round and would certainly be considered if he were.

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Praising the Bulls

ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford had high praise for the outlook of the Chicago Bulls in his weekly chat session yesterday.  He was asked the following question by a reader, “Of the teams that have been knocked out already, which one has the best chance to make the leap to elite?”  Ford said that he thinks the Bulls are one of the teams that are poised for a jump into the tier of elite clubs in the NBA.  “I think Chicago and Portland are the two teams with the best shot of moving into elite status next year,” he wrote.  ”Both are young and improving and will only get better with time.”

Being put in the same boat as the immensely talented Portland Trailblazers is a really good sign for the Bulls.  The Bulls have a lot of young players that are really coming into their own, led by star-in-the-making Derrick Rose.  The sky looks like the limit for Rose and he is going to have to become a leader on this team.  He’s already the best player on the roster and other players always look to that guy for leadership.  The Bulls can go as far as Rose takes them, which could be pretty far.

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Rose & Co. Blooming

The casual NBA fan would tell you that the Chicago Bulls simply got hot at the right time just as the playoffs got underway.  A fan that closely followed the team this season would tell you that the Bulls were playing very good basketball well before then.  Those that are thinking that the Bulls were a flash in the pan this season, a team that simply got hot enough to nearly take down a depleted Boston Celtics team, should do further research on how this Bulls team finished the season.  The team played extremely well down the stretch, especially following the deadline deal with the Sacramento Kings that brought over John Salmons and Brad Miller.

The Bulls should be back in the playoffs next season, and probably as a higher seed, as their future looks increasingly bright.  This blogger would expect the Bulls to make a similar jump to what the Atlanta Hawks did from last season to this past one.  The situation that the Hawks were in last season is very similar to that of the Bulls this past season.  The Hawks also took the Boston Celtics to a seventh game in the playoffs, albeit as an eight seed, and were able to secure home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs this year.

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No Patterson, Other Draft Options

Last week this blogger pegged power forward Patrick Patterson as a player the Bulls should consider selecting in the NBA Draft in June.  Well, you won’t be seeing Patterson in a Bulls uniform any time soon, at least not next season, as the Kentucky Wildcat has decided to return to school for his junior season.  So who else should the Bulls look at?  DeJuan Blair is an option, and he could add some toughness inside for Chicago.  He’d fit well next to center Joakim Noah, who really impressed me down the stretch this season, and is a big body with scoring ability.

If Wake Forest’s James Johnson were to slip, he’d also be an option.  Gani Lawal could also be a player the Bulls take a look at, though he’d have to wow teams in workouts to move up enough to warrant a selection by Chicago in the first round.  There aren’t many power forwards that will be worth taking in the middle of the first round in this year’s draft.  The Bulls may have to look at whoever is the best player available as opposed to trying to fill a positional need.  Things will become clearer as the draft approaches and the Bulls consider all of their draft and free agency options.

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Draft Notes

While the decision whether to re-sign Ben Gordon will be the most pressing move off the offseason for the Bulls, they’ll also have to decide who to select with in the NBA Draft in June.  The Bulls struck gold last year when they won the draft lottery and were able to select Derrick Rose with the first overall pick.  This year’s lottery is later this month, but the Bulls will not be in it because they made the playoffs; they’ll have a pick just outside of the lottery.  This year’s draft is considered to be a weak one, especially with a number of talented freshman electing to return to school for their sophomore seasons.

The Bulls should probably look at the power forward position if they can find a guy worth taking at their draft position.  There are some good prospects to be had in the second half of the first round.  If he stays in the draft, Kentucky power forward Patrick Patterson would be a guy the Bulls would have to take a look at.  He’s not likely to go in the lottery and is ready to contribute right away.  He’s a capable scorer with an NBA body that could help contribute in the post for Chicago.  Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair could also be a nice fit for the Bulls down low.

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Decision on Gordon Should Be Priority

The Bulls biggest decision this offseason will be whether to re-sign shooting guard Ben Gordon to a long-term contract or not.  Gordon will be an unrestricted free agent once the free agency period begins this offseason and will be seeking a multi-year deal.  The Bulls were unable to lock up Gordon last summer when he was a restricted free agent, as the former Huskie was demanding a contract too rich for the Bulls’ blood.  Thanks to the economic downturn since last offseason, Gordon will probably lower his price.  The Bulls may be able to sign him for less money than they offered him last season.

If the team signs Gordon, then there is a good possibility that they’ll look to ship Kirk Hinrich out of town.  This blogger has heard that Hinirch is a favorite of Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard.  The Blazers have a lot of nice, young pieces to use in a trade for Hinrich.  The Bulls will have to explore their options this summer and seriously consider re-signing Gordon.  Their playoff series with Boston showed that this team is ready to make a push next season and they probably don’t want to lose their best scorer.

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Game Seven Set Ratings Record

Game seven of the Bulls’ first-round series with the Boston Celtics was the most-watched first-round NBA playoff game shown on cable TV, ever.  This is not all that surprising, considering the excitement of the previous game in the series, and the series in general.  The Bulls needed three overtimes to down the Celtics in game six, overcoming a 51-point performance from Ray Allen in the process.  Two of the most exciting plays of the season came in that game, one when Joakim Noah stripped Paul Pierce and led the break before throwing down a thunderous dunk while being fouled by Pierce, another when Derrick Rose swatted Rajon Rondo’s potential game-winning jump shot and recovered the ball.

These were two plays that got this blogger out of his seat, literally.  ESPN.com writer and avid Boston fan Bill Simmons admitted that both of the plays were utterly devastating to him and caused him to throw a fit.  Game six was one of the best basketball games I’ve ever seen.  It was the kind of game that, even if you’re not a fan of one of the teams, by the end you’re rooting as hard for one side as you would for your hometown team.

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Did Bulls Wear Celtics Out?

Perhaps the Bulls’ first-round series with the Boston Celtics took a serious toll on the defending champs.  Boston came out flat in the first game of their second-round matchup with the Orlando Magic last night, scoring just 36 points in the first half on their way to a 95-90 defeat at home.  The Celtics made a run in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback.  There’s no doubt that the Celtics were a bit tired from their grueling seven-game series with Chicago in round one.  Older players like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen had to be feeling the effects of the epic series in which seven overtime periods were played.

I can’t stress enough how great of a series that was.  The Bulls were so close to winning two of their four losses, and relatively close in game seven.  If a play or two went the other way, the Bulls could have won the series, but the same could be said for some plays going the Celtics way, and the Bulls could have easily been downed in five or six games as well.  The team gained valuable experience and their young players will be much better off with that series under their belts.

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Bulls Fall in Game Seven

The Bulls hung tough on Saturday night in game seven of their first-round series with the Boston Celtics, but were just unable to get it done in the waning moments of the game.  The Bulls fell to the Celtics 109-99, though the game was closer than that final score would indicate.  Chicago was unable to get stops at critical junctures late in the game, which is what ultimately sealed their fate.  Ben Gordon didn’t have a great shooting night from the floor, but kept his team in it by making a living at the line.  Gordon scored 15 of his 33 points from the charity stripe in the losing effort.

Ray Allen was again the leading scorer for the Celtics with 23 points.  He hit some big shots down the stretch and was a perfect nine for nine from the line, many of those free throws coming when it mattered most.  This series was undoubtedly the most exciting first-round matchup this blogger has ever witnessed.  The two teams needed seven overtimes to decide the series and every game, save game three, was a closely contested one.  The Bulls played some of their best basketball of the season in this series and things are looking up for this franchise going into next season.

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Staying Alive

Could the Bulls first-round series with the Boston Celtics get any better?  Seriously, this is the most dramatic series NBA playoff series this blogger has ever witnessed, at least in the first round.  The Bulls staved off elimination last night in what was probably the most exciting game of the series thus far, and that’s saying something.  It took Chicago three overtimes, but they were able to outlast the defending champs 128-127.  The Bulls did everything they could to stop a red hot Ray Allen, who scored 51 points in the contest and hit what seemed like an endless amount of clutch, late-game threes to keep the Celtics in it.

The defining play of the game came in the third overtime with the game tied, when Joakim Noah stripped Paul Pierce and slammed it home as he got fouled by Pierce for the and one, with Pierce fouling out of the game on the play.  John Salmons was the high point man for the Bulls with 35 points.  Derrick Rose also had a great game, going for 28 points eight rebounds and seven assists.  He had a huge block late in the final overtime on Rajon Rondo that essentially iced the game.  Game seven will be played on Saturday.

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