Luol Deng Fights Malaria

Luol Deng and the Nothing But Nets Foundation are in Africa right now helping out the people of his native country of Sudan, which is smack-dab in the middle of a malaria epidemic. Deng was born in Sudan, but was able to escape the country to Egypt after the political situation turned bloody when he was bout 4 years old. He later emigrated to London, and then moved to the United States when he was 14. He still remains active in helping out his home country, though, and is very dedicated to the cause of helping prevent malaria with donated mosquito nets (thus the name of the foundation).

Said Deng, “My mother has always spoken about the issue of malaria; it has been a problem for a long time in Africa. The fact there is an agency ready to raise awareness and do something about it … that really touches the bottom of my heart.”

After you are done getting some Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com, you might want to check out another site, www.nothingbutnets.net, to help out some very needy people in Sudan.

Bulls Sign Smith

The Chicago Bulls recently signed forward Joe Smith to a two-year mid-level exception recently, adding another big man who can score to the Bulls’ roster. Chicago will still have to sign some big money players in Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, both of whom will likely eat up a ton of salary. But still, the Bulls look like they just got a little bit deeper with Smith, who has a pretty decent outside jumper and a few post moves.

Said Paxson, “From a basketball standpoint, I felt we needed another big, preferably one who can shoot from the perimeter if we couldn’t get a legitimate post player. The way we play we need some bigs who can space the floor and shoot the ball. And with [Andres Nocioni] being able to slide over and play some [power forward] we have depth there. Also we aren’t counting out [rookie center] Aaron Gray’s size [7-0] as being a component we haven’t had.”

The Bulls keep getting better and better, and the prospect of getting Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com is getting more and more attractive.

Tyrus Thomas Working on Midrange

Sumer is a time when NBA players can relax, work on their tans, vacation, try out for team, or work on upping their game. Tyrus Thomas, the Chicago Bulls sophomore power forward, is working on improving his offensive capabilities by shooting midrange jump shots nearly every day. Thomas already possesses the ability to drive to the hoop and finish in style, but he will need to develop a jump shot if he expects to get more playing time this season. Last year Thomas was used as a backup for P.J. Brown, who will most likely retire or go to another team before the start of this next season.

Said coach Scott Skiles, “Whether or not his role increases next season is going to depend on if he can operate on the top-flight players the way he can against second-unit guys. He had a lot of blowout minutes last season.”

Tyrus Thomas definitely does not lack for some awe-inspiring feats of athleticism, but if he were to have a more complete game, he might be a starter for the Bulls, even a star in the NBA. Here’s hoping that Tyrus can get that 15-footer down this summer. If he does, you’ll get to see him make those shots by going to StubHub.com to get Chicago Bulls tickets.

Noah Sits, Curry and Gray Impress

So what’s the big news in Chicago Bulls Land these days? Well, there isn’t a lot of trade gossip, just a lot of players moving attempting to impress the coaching staff at the summer league games. Assistant coaches are running the summer games, with Scott Skiles taking the time to assess the players’ skills and readiness. Joakim Noah continues to rehab his injured shoulder, working on improving his general fitness before he picks up a basketball again. Guard JamesOn Curry has probably been the most impressive recruit this year, getting accolades for his size, rebounding and defense. Gray has also been going quite well in the preseason games.

Said Coach Scott Skiles of Aaron Gray, “I think Gray’s movements can be deceptive. He can appear to be slow. But he is covering ground. He has a chance because he has legit size and he plays like a big man. He likes to use his size and rebound. He has made good decisions with the ball.”

The season is a long ways away. Right now is a time to sit back, watch the trades happen the roster develop, and to keep checking out StubHub.com for all the best Chicago Bulls tickets.

Talkin’ ‘Bout Aaron Gray

One of the newest additions to the Bulls team is Aaron Gray, a seven foot power forward/center from the University of Pittsburgh. Though he might look like a natural basketball player, Gray was actually a football player for most of his life, and wasn’t very good at hoops until he began playing in college. It appears as though Gray has not yet hit his ceiling as far as his basketball potential goes, and he might grow very rapidly as a player as he adjusts to life in the NBA.

Said Aaron Gray, “I started off pretty bad. I’ve come a long way. The only thing that was really given to me was my height. I had to work hard for everything, including ‘left foot, right foot,’ just walking down the street. As far as I’ve made it is amazing, but I still realize I have a ton of progress to make.”

Gray is currently competing for a spot on the roster in the Summer League games that the Bulls are playing in Orlando. If all goes according to plan, he will be an effective reserve who can play along side Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah when the season starts up. To see him play, you can check out Stubhub.com for Chicago Bulls tickets.

Noah Sits, Watches Bulls in Summer League

Joakim Noah, the first round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls, has been forced to watch the Bulls’ Summer League games from the sidelines. Noah is healing a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder but would much rather be out there on the court, mixing it up with the other draft picks, journeymen, veterans and other hopefuls trying to make the roster. The injury has been with him for months, apparently. He used to use anti-inflammatory drugs to help while playing for the current national champion Florida Gators.

The center from Florida has been using a combination of weight training, stretching and rubber band workouts to help strengthen the muscles, while avoiding further injury. He will miss playing with fellow draft picks Aaron Gray and JamesOn Curry, as well as veterans Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha.

In other news: Congratulations are in order for Kirk Hinrich, who is getting married this week in Jamaica. Congratulations, Kirk Hinrich. Well, now that that’s over with, I can remind you that players are fighting right now to earn spots on the roster that you will see with Chicago Bulls tickets, purchased at StubHub.com, of course.

Did Bulls Overpay for Nocioni?

Bulls General Manager John Paxson recently resigned forward Andres Nocioni for five years and $38 million dollars. The price tag was a bit high for some people’s liking, and will effectively take the Bulls out of the running for landing a top scoring center like Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett. Instead of waiting to resign the Argentinean, Paxson decided to jump the gun and not allow other teams to pursue Nocioni in free agency.

The Grizzlies were apparently so interested in Nocioni that they flew one of their front office figures down to Buenos Aires to have lunch and discuss his future. No formal offers were submitted during the meeting, but that didn’t keep Paxson from getting worried about losing one of his sparkplugs.

If the Bulls really want Garnett or Gasol they can always wit to do it after December 15th and get one of those players in a sign-and-trade deal. But many people are starting to think that with Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, the frontline of the Bulls will be fine. If you agree, then you ought to start looking for Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com.

Jordan Still Making Headlines

Michael Jordan hasn’t played for the Chicago Bulls in about nine years, and he hasn’t played NBA basketball in four, yet he continues to make headlines in the Chi-Town area and the larger sports-news world. Recently, pictures of Jordan dancing at a nightclub surfaced. He was out, apparently until 4:00 am, living it up and dancing on tables. Another recent headline had Jordan out on the town with former teammate Scottie Pippen.

In an age when celebrities partying or otherwise acting out is good enough for about 90% of the Fox News headlines (news mind you- front page stuff) you really cant expect that anything Jordan does is going to slip under the radar. Rick Morrissey, a writer for the Chicago Tribune, recently dissected the current situation with Jordan. To him, Jordan still remains so popular with the American public because he was so many things that sports stars today aren’t: a winner, a good person with a few vices, and humble despite his superiority. With Kobe, LeBron, or Iverson, you are missing at least one of the key elements.

This is why Jordan is still number three in the list of America’s favorite sports stars, event though he isn’t even playing. The thought of Jordan probably still sells Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com.

Grade the Bulls Draft

Chad Ford of ESPN.com has given every NBA team a grade for their draft picks, and you might be surprised to see what he wrote about the Chicago Bulls. As you know the Bulls got Joakim Noah in the first round, as well as Aaron Gray and JamesOn Curry in the second round. The grade is meant to reflect what Ford thinks about the Bull’s total handling of the draft, but since he believes, as many others do, that the Bulls will not keep Curry of Gray on their complete rosters next year, that the grade merely reflects their decision to pick up Noah in the first round.

The Bulls got a B+. Ford had issued with the fat that Noah will not immediately be able to help the team, and won’t be able to find much time of the court when wither Wallace or Tyrus Thomas are on the floor. The good part was, that when Noah is playing, he will fit in with the pace and energy of the team, and will be a great replacement if and when Wallace leaves soon.

The Bulls would not have gotten such a forgiving grade from myself. However, if you like Noah and think he will help the team, you can show your support for the Bulls’ decision by getting Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com.

Bulls Look to Sign Veteran Big Men

The Chicago Bulls’ general manager, John Paxson, made his intentions known about signing free agents Chris Mihm and Joe Smith. Mihm was with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006, but sat on the bench for the entirety of the season, due to an ankle injury that requires surgery. He is a 7-footer who averaged over 10 points per game for the Lakers two years ago. Joe Smith of the Philadelphia 76ers is a 6-10 power forward. Though he can’t put up very large numbers on offence, he is a veteran and an extra body that the Bulls could use down low to help with Wallace and rookie Joakim Noah.

About Mihm and Smith, Paxson said this yesterday: “Those are the type of guys we’d like to bring here. I think it’s as important for them to meet us and see what we’re about as it is for us to meet them. We’re going to find a way to add a veteran big.”

So even though the Bulls did not address the veteran scoring issue in last week’s draft, they will, apparently, try to use their midlevel exception to sign players to fill in holes down low through free agency. If you would like to see these players in the upcoming season, wait to see if they get signed and then be the first at StubHub.com to secure your Chicago Bulls tickets.

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