Bulls Pick Noah, Critics Weigh In

There’s a lot of time now to digest the Bull’s picking Joakim Noah as the number nine pick in the NBA Draft. Bill Simmons definitely had his opinion on the matter right away. He commented, in real time, apparently, that the Bulls picked up Noah so that they could put Ben Wallace in a trade for some other player. He hints at Kobe Bryant. Of course, the Bulls would have to package something pretty special with Wallace to get a player like Bryant. Might I suggest right here: Wallace, Gordon, and another player to throw in, maybe Duhon.

A few minutes later in the article, Bill Simmons laments a two minute rant by Stephen A. Smith about how the Bulls did not address the low post scoring issue. A lot of Bill Simmons’ article was ranting about Stephen A. Smith, come to think of it. Anyways, there are a few theories about why the Bulls picked up Noah and why they didn’t get Spencer Hawes, but the prevailing one seems to be that the Bulls need a replacement for Ben Wallace.

Personally, I wish that the Bulls hadn’t picked Noah because I think this guy is incredibly annoying, and I can’t stand even writing this story about him. If the Bulls get Kobe Bryant, I think I might have to go on strike. But until then, I guess I can still stand the thought of suggesting to you to get Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com.

Bulls Take Joakim Noah in Draft

The Chicago Bulls took Joakim Noah as the number 9 pick overall in the first round of the NBA Draft yesterday evening. Their other picks were in the second round for Aaron Gray, a center from Pittsburgh, and JamesOn Curry, a shooting guard from Oklahoma State. Though Noah doesn’t fit a glaring need for the Chicago Bulls- inside scoring- he will be a defensive presence, and will probably be used as a backup for Ben Wallace. The Bulls actually got their choice of Noah or Spencer Hawes when their pick came, but they elected to go with Noah, the 6-9 forward from Florida who just won back-to-back national championships under Gators Coach Billy Donovan.

Noah showed up to the draft with a flamboyant suit and his afro completely picked out. Said Noah of his outfit, “I think it felt funky. There are always going to be haters, but I got a lot more love than hate. I’m very happy with it, and I think it was definitely a success.”

There will be plenty of time to sit back and digest the picks in the weeks to follow. Right now, it looks like the Bulls got a reserve role-player, and perhaps a couple of other reserves who might make the team, might not. If you are interested in seeing Joakim Noah play for the Bulls, you can always go to StubHub.com to get Chicago Bulls tickets for games next season.

Bulls Await Draft Tonight

The NBA Draft kicks off tonight at about 6:00 pm EST. The Chicago Bulls will have three picks: 9, 49 and 51. All eyes will be on Bill Paxson when the Bulls finally get to pick, and everybody in Chicagoland is wondering what he will do with his picks. Some people think that if the Bulls don’t get their top choices, they will elect to try to trade down in the hopes of landing a key player through a trade. Other people think that at least one of the Bulls’ top choices will be available by the time the Bulls pick, so Paxson will decide to pull the trigger on either Spencer Hawes, Yi Jianlian, or Joakim Noah.

Paxson said yesterday, “Ideally we’d like to find a guy who can contribute. That would be the perfect scenario. I’m pretty confident if we pick a guy that maybe isn’t going to give you 20 to 25 minutes a game next year, he’s going to get better here as a player. It’s trying to build your basketball team. That’s how we’re looking at it, as well.”

No matter what happens, the Chicago Bulls tickets will have a different kind of appeal when you visit StubHub.com tomorrow.

Do Bulls Need Facilitator?

Mike Imrem had an interesting article today in the Chicago Daily Herald. He claims that, like Bulls general manager Bill Paxson said the other day, the Bulls do not need a superstar in the ilk of LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. Imrem does think, however, that the Bulls need to get a player who can make the other key components on their team better. What he means, is, that the Bulls need a missing link that will facilitate, link, if you will, the various other positive components of their current roster. Who that player is, or what he does, specifically is anybody’s guess.

Of course, I agree that the bulls are one missing player away from being a Finals contender- especially in the East- but I disagree that Bill Paxson will have to trade to get him. I think it is entirely likely that the Bulls could pick up a forward or center, like Spencer Hawes or Jason Smith, who will add the one thing that they need: low post scoring. Having an inside threat will open up so much for the Bulls, because most of their offensive talent likes to play on the perimeter. And the Bulls might not need to trade any of those good perimeter players to accomplish that.

If the Bulls can land Hawes, Smith, or somebody ranked higher, I would definitely suggest checking out Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com to see them play next year. It’s too early to tell what will come of their draft pick, but the best way to find out is to be there live.

Paxson Denies Everything

Chicago Bulls General Manager John Paxson denied any involvement in trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday. This flies in the face of so many unsubstantiated rumors that the Bulls and Lakers has been trying to work out a deal to get Kobe Bryant into a Bulls uniform next year.

Said Paxson, “There’s nothing going on. That’s just the reality of it. I put myself in the other person’s position when talking about deals. Unless that franchise would ever have a change of heart that they just have to do something … what we would have to give up, I don’t know how that would work for us. They’ve got maybe the top talent in the league — definitely top-three. What we would have to do to get there … I don’t even know what it would be, but it would be significant. And then, are we better? That’s what you’d have to ask yourself.”

So right now, if you believe Paxson, there are no Kobe trade talks going on. You can sleep easier now, knowing that those Chicago Bulls tickets that you get at StubHub.com will be getting you into a game without crybaby Bryant.

Chicago Sun-Times Writers Weigh In

The Chicago Sun-Times asked its leading sports writers to weigh in about the ongoing rumor storm that says Kobe Bryant might be headed to the Chicago Bulls. According to a taped conversation, when confronted by fans in a parking lot about whether or not he was going to stay in L.A., Kobe responded, “Get a Bulls uniform, fellas.” Needless to say, you can’t take anything that comes out of Kobe’s mouth these days too seriously, but there are still plenty of reasons to entertain thoughts of trading to get Kobe Bryant over the summer. Three Sun-Times writers thought that Kobe probably should/would come to the Bulls, and another three said “no way.”

The basic premise on the “yes” side was that passing up on Kobe would probably be viewed as a mistake. But giving up a lot of good players to get Bryant would just put Kobe in the same situation he was in before, and put Bulls fans in the same situation as Lakers fans are in now: fighting the urge to hate the player you have stood behind through so much of his B.S.

Then there was Rick Telander, who wrote that he doesn’t want Kobe playing in Chicago simply because he doesn’t want to support him or write about him. As a Bulls blogger, I couldn’t agree more. I don’t want to have to make an ethical decision every morning when I’m forced to write nice things bout him. But until that time, I can still recommend you get Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com, so you can see a likable team.

Bryant-to-Bulls Reports Not True

Chicago Bulls general manager Bill Paxson said yesterday in an interview that reports of a meeting with the Lakers regarding Kobe Bryant were not true. This comes after an ESPN analyst, Rick Bucher, said otherwise while reporting on television. The Lakers’ star shooting guard has been the talk of the town lately, and the Bulls always seem to get lumped into the discussion of possible teams that Bryant could go to. The others possible teams are usually Phoenix and Dallas.

The question I would like to know is where and when did Kobe said that he would like to play for the Bulls. Did he ever actually say that, or was that a conclusion that people just drew from somewhere. The Bulls seem like a team that would be unlikely to get Bryant even if they wanted him. Kobe demands enough money that the Bulls would have to get rid of Ben Wallace to sign him now, or they would have to wait until contracts expire a little down the road to do a sign-and-trade deal. Then there are the reports that Kobe could go to the Celtics in a three-way trade with the Bulls. It all gets very sketchy after that.

Would you like to see Kobe play for the Bulls? A lot of people wouldn’t, but then there are those who think that one good player could take an Eastern Conference team to the Finals. No matter what happens this off season, you can get Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com.

More Kobe-to-Bulls Thoughts

Marc Stein recently wrote an article in ESPN about how Kobe Bryant might be wanting a trade to a team back East. He recently witnessed the Cleveland Cavaliers make the NBA Finals (but not make them interesting, hey-oh!), with just LeBron James and a few “role” players. So why wouldn’t a team made entirely around Kobe Bryant not do just as well. There are a few possibilities that are out there. One, that Stein suggests, is the Chicago Bulls.

If here were to come to Chicago, what would the situation be like? Who could the Bulls possibly trade to LA in exchange for Kobe? Plus, wouldn’t any of the possible trades, such as combinations of Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Ben Wallace all pretty much mean that there wouldn’t be a good supporting cast when Kobe got to Chi-town?

Fortunately, I don’t think anything will happen with Kobe this off season, Bulls trade or otherwise. Jerry Buss won’t trade him no matter how unhappy he is, and Kobe will probably deny he ever wanted a trade in the first place sometime around September. Besides, nobody wants Kobe’s cheating, lying, ball-hogging, complaining, demanding character ruining a good thing. People like getting Chicago Bulls tickets because they are tickets to see a real team. They never have and never will sell Kobe Bryant tickets at StubHub.com.

Bulls Could Have Landed Garnett

According to an article by John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times the Chicago Bulls could have gotten- and probably should have gotten- Kevin Garnett in a deal last season before the trade deadline in February. This would have, potentially, given the Minnesota Timberwolves a few players, such as Tyrus Thomas, P.J. Brown and Luol Deng, plus the Bulls’ pick in the draft this year. Even though the Bulls are still interested in getting Garnett to play in Chicago, his price tag has been dramatically cut now that the Timberwolves center can opt out of his contract next season.

So who would the Bulls be wiling to give up to get Garnett? Well, it appears that Chicago would like to hold onto Luol Deng after his great playoff performance last season. Ben Gordon and P.J. Brown have been thrown into the mix. Of course, the Bulls appear to be bulking up for the long haul. They don’t seem to be overly anxious to make a championship run immediately, otherwise they might be trying to gut the team and marry Garnett and Kobe Bryant in Chicago. Hey! Now there’s an idea.

You might be seeing KG and Kobe in Chi-Town next season when you get Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com, but most likely, you won’t see either of them.

Hawes Stays in Draft

Spencer Hawes, the 7-foot center out of Washington has decided to stay in the NBA Draft. He had declared his intentions to leave the college ranks for the NBA as early as April, but had not made it official until this Monday afternoon, literally waiting to the last moment to decide on his future.

The Chicago Bulls are happy that Hawes has made this decision. Hawes is the player that the Bulls will be hoping is available by the time they get their number nine lottery pick. Hawes has a variety of post moves and a decent mid-range jumper, that could, potentially, make an immediate difference in the way of paint scoring for the Bulls.

Still, other teams are probably licking their chops at the thought of getting such a sought-after big man. There aren’t that many other pure centers who will be around by the ninth pick. A lot of teams could use a guy like Hawes, even in a backup role. He is young and still growing as a player. The ceiling for Hawes is pretty high right now. If the Bulls snag Hawes in the draft, you might want to get some Chicago Bulls tickets at StubHub.com for a chance to see him play live.

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