Scooterball

2011-01-24T10:15:00.000-06:00

Why David Stern must do something about this

2010-07-09T09:17:00.004-05:00

Miami Heat President Pat Riley tried to destroy the NBA once before. He was coach of the New York Knicks and had implemented a new defensive system to stop the one superstar he did not have. Michael Jordan. Riley completed shifted tactics from when he was coach of the Showtime Lakers that scored 110 ppg to a system that relied on physical defense and a hard fought game that grinded through to the end. Scoring throughout the 90's dropped like a fly and when Riley was coach of possibly one of the dirtiest teams in NBA History, the Miami Heat, scoring in the conference finals was in the low 70's.

The fans were losing interest and coupled with the roof tactics and constant fighting the fans were turning off the television. Pat Riley had successfully made basketball boring to watch and once Michael Jordan left he had all but accomplished that.

Riley won out and drafted a player in Dwyane Wade in 2003. Wade was someone who would give him good offense and a scoring option. In 2005, the Heat acquired Shaquille O'Neal and in 2006 they won a title. The team had a mix of Showtime Lakers and that defense Riley had with the Knicks and Heat in the 90's. But after 2006, the team was too drunk from winning the title the year before. The Bulls swept them the following year and rebuild went into motion.

What exactly Riley's master plan was will probably never be known exactly. He's known for being a snake and sends his dogs out to do his dirty work. Many have thought all along that's what Dwyane Wade was doing, especially starting with his comments about how Chicago was not loyal to its players but Miami was. That had Riley written all over it.

Bosh was going to follow whoever he could to wherever he could. The fact that LeBron essentially sold himself out to be gifted titles to himself well that's already a covered story. The scary part of this is that these three already make so much money (Well Bosh makes the least) that they don't need NBA contract to carry themselves. If they truly care about winning and creating this one team dynasty with absolutely no real competition to it (if they are able to acquire what they need) then this is something the NBA will need to look at.

What Riley is about to create here is a monster that is going to turn away MANY MANY NBA fans. If NBA fans do not think their team has any chance, they will not care what happens. The popularity of the NBA essentially becomes what hockey was until the past few seasons.

If LeBron and Wade sign for minimum money so they can acquire good role players, you will see a dominant NBA team that no one can rival. At present, the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic can still beat this team. If Miami somehow gets a decent center (Shaq is the only one I can think of but does he have anything left?) then they are a threat to the future of the NBA.

There is a chance the Miami Superteam creates more Superteams. Not in the present state of the NBA. Why? The salary cap.

Most guys do not make 100 of millions in endorsements like LeBron James does. Wade does not make as much as Bron, but makes more than plenty. Carmelo Anthony rivals what these guys does as the next player who is a Superstar and has the money. Carmelo is a free agent next season, but it reminds seen what is important to him. So the fact most of these guys don't have the endorsements leads to the fact that they will take what money they can earn through their salary and run with it.

And what concerns me the most is what the supposed rumor was coming out of the 2008 Olympics in that LeBron, Bosh, Wade, and Chris Paul said they would get together and team up on the same NBA team. My concern with these guys taking less money now is that the Heat create room again in 2012 and add Chris Paul to that lineup (With him taking less money obviously so they can add role players). What does this do for the NBA then? Completely and utterly destroy it. By this point the Lakers are dying, the Celtics are dead, and likely no other NBA has matched what Miami can do. You essentially have the NBA dream team that will go through the NBA like the 1992 Olympic team did in Spain.

So this is where David Stern comes into play. Stern enjoys competitiveness and the marketability of All-Stars. Stern glady let the Lakers first three-peat occur in 2000-2002 with little fanfare. However, I have never had a problem with NBA teams having two superstars. The league has had plenty of teams that could match those teams with two superstars.
But Stern has to realize that what Miami can potentially do and already has done to an extent is EXTREMELY dangerous to the NBA and its future. Miami is a small market that nobody cares about. It's fans don't even care about most of the time.
Fans strive on legacies of players, and none of these guys will have one anymore except Wade, who was already established in Miami, had one going for him before hand.

So I ask what is David Stern going to do about this? There is a collective bargaining agreement on the table for next season and I think these three guys all going to one team will be the center of discussion. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if Stern does something to prevent something like this from happening again. What he could do exactly? I'm not sure. All in all I'm almost in favor of the compensation of a lost FA being brought back to the NBA (The NFL has it why cant the NBA)?

In the 70's if a free agent went elsewhere, the team that lost that FA got compensation picks (This is how the Lakers acquired Magic Johnson). I would welcome something like that back, but in reality NBA draft picks aren't worth that much and a team like Miami would surely be picking 30th every year, so it's not much of a loss to Miami.

In the end, Stern must come up with something. What that something is, I am just not sure.The league is too big to be dominated by one team year in and year out. Though it happens anyways sometimes, to have clear domination is not good for the league. Teams have dominated in the past, but they always had worthy foe's. I'm not so sure Miami will beyond the LA Lakers this season. When all is said and done, the idea of a lockout canceling the NBA season next year is sounding better and better every day.

LeBron Shocks the World; Proves he's unworthy of the title "King"

2010-07-08T22:49:00.004-05:00

The "King" is not a King, he's more like a sissy. He has shown that his love of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees fits right into the way he wants to go in the NBA.

LeBron James has decided to form a superteam in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Of course as a Bulls fan I wanted LeBron James on the Chicago Bulls. I thought it would make a great rivalry with the Miami Heat and they would remain competitive for years. Instead, they all go to the same exact team.

LeBron James has set in action a course that allows the integrity of the NBA to be destroyed. He's taking less money to join the Heat as are Wade and Bosh. My fear is they will take even less so the Heat can sign role players and completely dominate the NBA for the next 5 years (if not longer).

I will bring that up in another post.

Back to LeBron...LeBron took the easy way out. LeBron decided he wasn't going to be the man anymore and was going to go party with his friends in South Beach.

And South Beach is just that. At this point, Miami was the only place they could do this. I dont think any of the free agents were impressed with New York's management and thats why they pushed it aside. It could have been done there, and probably would have been. Instead they settled for the small market of Miami that its fans only care about when the team is a winner. Miami will fill their stadium now and for all we know they will win multiple titles. My only hope is they all fail miserably.

We will see if they can set their ego's aside and co-exist. We will see if Miami can acquire quality role players to do what it takes to beat the Lakers. At present to me this team cannot even beat an aging Celtics team in 2011. They have no interior defense to speak of and any FA out there wont settle that issue. We will see though.

Next....My Pat Riley is very evil post.

Doom and Groom Strikes Chicago

2010-07-07T12:25:00.002-05:00

In all likelihood the Chicago Bulls have struck out in this free agency. Atleast in the top three. This morning ESPN reported that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were going to sign with Miami. At 11:30pm CDT they were on ESPN telling everyone that they were joining forces. They were rather mum on LeBron and said they did not know yet and it was LeBron decision and gave the impression that they themselves did not know yet.

But right now, there is not one source reporting that LeBron is leaning towards Chicago. Everything out there right now says that he is staying in Cleveland, going to Miami to join forces with Wade and Bosh, or going to New York. Chicago has fallen from first, to second, to third, to fourth since July 1st.

So, the Bulls seemingly will move on to Carlos Boozer and some lesser players (likely shooting guards). This is essential the equivalent of getting Brad Miller and Ron Mercer in 2000. Yes Boozer is leagues ahead of what Brad Miller was in 2000 and the Bulls win a playoff series with Boozer being added to this team next year, but if you compare to the free agents class, its a strike out. 2000 had Duncan, TMac, and Grant Hill as their top 3. Duncan re-signed and TMac and Grant Hill joined forces in Orlando (Florida must be a major pull for free agents...that and LA). Eddie Jones and Tim Thomas were the next best available. I guess Boozer could be one of them...but all in all..major disappointment running across Chicagoland today.

There still is a chance the Bulls end up with LeBron. I for one think LeBron only knows his decision and whatever the media reports is just pure speculation. LeBron will reveal his decision tomorrow. He could still pick Chicago, but to me its a small small chance. I just do not see it happening at all, nor should I have ever from the beginning.

I wrote last week that when this all began I thought we had zero chance of getting anyone. I am beginning to come back to that thought now. I'm even getting itchy feelings that we will end up with no one, not even Carlos Boozer. Of course if that happened, that would just lead me to ask questions such as why? What's wrong with our front office? and why would no one want to play with Noah and Derrick Rose?

Free Agency Update

2010-07-06T12:50:00.003-05:00

-LeBron undecided
-Wade undecided..Canceled scheduled press conference today
-Bosh trying to get Raptors to sign and trade him to a team of his preference. Raptors don't seem so willingly.
-Joe Johnson has resigned with Atlanta for an insane amount of money
-Amare Stoudemire has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks
-Nothing heard from others, most seem to be waiting on LeBron James

So thats that. Not much to say other than my Joe Johnson prediction is wrong (Though I said in the description he would resign with Atlanta if they gave him max money and they did). Amare signed with the Knicks, one of the two teams I thought he would go to.

LeBron's decision is likely to be Thursday, the first day free agents can sign. After that you should see Wade, Bosh, and Boozer make quick decisions.

My Personal Predictions for Free Agency

2010-06-29T14:51:00.004-05:00

Here's what I think will happen when free agency hits. This is all just my prediction, some of it is based on facts predicted, alot of it is based on idealism, and what I think is a best fit for a player and if the player values loyalty the highest or not.

1. LeBron James (Cle) - Sign with the Chicago Bulls
I usually never make predictions about my own team with this, but I still truly believe LeBron James will sign with the Chicago Bulls. To me the Bulls give him the best team to still be the clearn No. 1 option and lead a team to a championship. LeBron seems to adopt Jordan's shadow and welcomes it. I believe he wants to play for Jordan's team and will take the challenge. The Bulls will welcome him in open arms, there will be some stricter rules for LeBron than was in Cleveland, but I think he will adapt for a chance to win a title. If LeBron does not sign with the Bulls, I think he stays in Cleveland, and to me there's an outside chance he does indeed sign with Miami, but I find it highly unlikely. Every other team, I do not believe have a chance at LeBron James. James only stays in Cleveland because he thinks it as his home and he does not want to leave home. He will then hope somehow the Cavs get a team that can win a title. But I myself do not think he'll ever win a title in Cleveland.

2. Dwyane Wade (Mia) - Re-signs with the Miami Heat
Wade is not going anywhere, to me he's made it clear that he's staying in Miami, especially by the way he talks in the media. Wade is in my mind actively recruiting other FA's too. Whether or not there is much influence to it is another story, but we shall see. But Wade stays in Miami 100%. Miami will score another free agent, for me is the next guy on this list.

3. Chris Bosh (Tor) - Signs with the Miami Heat
Chris Bosh is the one FA that will consider EVERY option. Many rumors have him paring with another top FA, and I do think that will happen. To me he will go to Miami, not because Wade is there, but because he likes Miami. He likes the warm weather and the culture there. To me that is his greatest personal fit, but not necessarily his best basketball fit. Bosh strikes me as a player that works best with a good point guard, so Derrick Rose would be a good fit, but I think he's going with his own self-interest over working with what's best for him. Bosh's second option to me is where LeBron James goes, but if LeBron stays in Cleveland, Bosh will not be traded to Cleveland in a sign and trade. I don't think Bosh even considers the Bulls unless LeBron James is here.

4. Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) - Re-signs with the Dallas Mavericks
No doubt here either. Dirk just wants a new long term deal. Cuban will give it to him, but nothing really changes here.

5. Amare Stoudemire (Pho) - Big question mark (I'm leaning towards New York or New Jersey)
New York seemingly has already moved passed LeBron James and are pursuing Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire. I have heard a report somewhere that Stoudemire does not like D'Antoni, but I have heard he would also gladly play for him again. Again conflicting reports with all these rumors. I do think New Jersey is a good option for him as he would fit right in with their style and tempo that seem to want to produce. They are also in need of a PF. So I can see it happening. If Bosh does not go to Miami, I am positive Amare signs there.

6. Joe Johnson (Atl) - Chicago Bulls (Or if he gives in to money, New York Knicks)
Where Joe Johnson goes really determines his preferences. If he loves money more than anything he'll sign with the Knicks. If he doesnt want the big city spot light like I've seen him say in some reports, he'll go to an town where he wont be the man and that could be the Bulls. There's already an existing relationship between his agent and Jerry Reinsdorf and there have been reports of the Bulls targeting him. To me, Joe Johnson just has Chicago Bulls all over him in the way they are targeting him. The Bulls traded away Hinrich, the only player currently on the team capable of playing SG, so I can see why they would target him over Chris Bosh and the others (Providing LeBron does sign here). There is also speculation Atlanta will try to re-sign him. I think he takes that offer if he cares only about money and a long term deal. If he cares about anything else, he goes to another team. There is an outside chance the Bulls trade Luol Deng for Joe Johnson in a sign and trade, but to me that only happens if the Bulls do indeed get LeBron James.

7. Carlos Boozer - New York Knicks (Or resigns with Utah)
Boozer will likely follow the money, and if Utah offers a good deal, he will take it. I sense the Knicks will offer Boozer a good amount of money as they will be down in their options and he will take it over any other team. Boozer is not a max guy, but New York may offer him the max. As with anything Boozer is a fall guy for alot of teams so in reality he could end up at any of Utah, New York, Miami, Chicago, New Jersey.

8. David Lee - The last team who needs someone
David Lee will be the last "big name" free agent signed. He will go to whoever lost out in the FA sweepstakes.

Some scenarios:
If LeBron resigns with Cleveland; the Bulls likely go after Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh the hardest, but will settle for Carlos Boozer or David Lee/Joe Johnson combo.

If LeBron signs with the Bulls and Chris Bosh signs with the Bulls, they will likely sign and trade Deng for someone (Possibly Joe Johnson) meanwhile the Heat will settle for Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks will get Boozer and a veteran FA (Like Ray Allen type, however I think Ray Allen signs with a winner).

There are also other possibilities, but those are just two I'm going to lay out. Now assuming things do go according to what I think, lineups going into next season will look like this (Give or take some players)

Bulls:
Noah-Gibson-LeBron-Johnson-Rose with Deng on the bench if they cant deal him

Heat:
Question Mark-Bosh-Beasley-Wade-Chalmers

Knicks:
Curry-Boozer/Amare-Gallinari-Question Mark-Douglas

Nets:
Lopez-Boozer/Amare/Lee-Question Mark-Lee-Harris

My thoughts on this free agency season

2010-06-28T11:31:00.002-05:00

I figure this makes me more of my blog instead of just reporting stuff and commenting on it to actually explain my thoughts.

When I first heard of 2010 free agency, it was probably in the 2008 season after the Bulls were clearly not a playoff team and blew games in the 4th quarter constantly. They ended a year that they were expected to be in the Eastern Conference Finals not even making the playoffs.

The forum I was posting on (still do today) there were many looking way ahead to 2010 free agency in which LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire would be available. I brushed it off because I "knew" we would never be in play for 2010 free agency.

Apparently this was GarPax's plan since the end of the 2008 season. They were going to put all their cards into play. They ridded themselves of Ben Wallace's terrible contract and moved forward. But the card they didn't plan on drawing at all was the 2008 NBA Lottery.

The Bulls drew the 1st pick and were lucked into drafting their future point guard, Derrick Rose. From there, they would have a center piece to attract the 2010 crop.

But, I myself, was still skeptical. The Bulls had already extended Luol Deng, but were in major negotiations with Ben Gordon, but Gordon left the offer on the table. At this point in time, that was a blessing.

The Bulls with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon were never going to go anyways. A team of Rose, Deng, and Gordon would have never gone anywhere but the 2nd round either. A team of rookie Rose, Gordon went to a Game 7 against a depleted Celtics squad.

After being the laughing stock of the NBA by failing so miserable in 2000 to get any of those free agents, I figured the Bulls would end up with nothing in 2010 free agency. My feeling was since Reinsdorf negotiated contracts himself, that no player wanted to deal with his low-balling efforts that he has displayed at time. And since Superstars have a tendency to have an ego, no star would want to deal with Reinsdorf.

The only thing that stuck in my head was Reinsdorf saying (several times in fact) "I would pay for a contender".

So the 2008-09 season rolls along and the Bulls make another cap saving move by ridding themselves of Larry Hughes and bringing in a short contract of John Salmons and Brad Miller's 2010 expiring contract. Now the motion is really set and every Bull fan already knows they are putting their eggs in the basket for 2010 free agency.

My feeling is still that we are going to strike out.

Thoughout the 2009-2010 season, Bulls fans complained and bitched and moaned about Vinny Del Negro and how crappy the Bulls were. They sneaked into the playoffs and lost handily to the Cavs in the 1st round. LeBron was moving on and I figured LeBron was staying in Cleveland.

But then LeBron lost to the Celtics in the second round, and lost handily. Cleveland themselves looked like a one man show and then LeBron didnt show up to Game 5 or Game 6 and Cleveland just looked miserable. Yes Jordan showed up to every playoff game (minus Games 4 and 5 against Seattle in the 1996 Finals), but if Jordan wasn't doing all that great, Pippen could back up Jordan. LeBron has no one to back him up.

So then the rumors started, and the speculation started and everyone just about agreed that Chicago was the best destination for LeBron James. He would already have a young budding star in Derrick Rose and a paint stopper and top rebounder in Joakim Noah. Add on the fact that Chicago could possibly acquire another guy by moving some salaries and the Bulls potentially have an dynasty until 2020.

But I was of course pessimistic. I still thought the Bulls would end up with no one but an overpaid Joe Johnson.

But then more reliable "sources" started speaking and people close to LeBron said he's going to Chicago. Of course I've heard this before. I've heard Kobe Bryant himself tell fans to pack their bags because he's going to Chicago.

All in all, its still not definite, but when you look at it, LeBron's best chance to win a championship in the next two years is the Chicago Bulls. He could go to Miami and team with Dwyane Wade but theres no guarantee they can co-exist being that they both have to be "the guy". Derrick Rose will glady defer to LeBron James and let him do the stuff while Rose can back up LeBron. Of course adding Chris Bosh, I dont know what that does to the team as there then becomes too many top guys, though Derrick Rose likely settles for less and becomes less of a player statistically so the team itself can succeed. And of course Joakim Noah doesnt need the ball on the offensive end.

But all in all, I expect by July 6th or 7th for this all to be figured out and we will know what the restructured NBA will look like. I for one would have never thought this even remotely possible, but every day it looks better for the Bulls as to getting atleast LeBron James.

Thing will only get more crazy in the next few days

2010-06-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

Today, Henry Thomas, Chris Bosh's agent, said that the rumors of Chris Bosh to Chicago are not true and that Bosh has not decided yet.

The worthless Stephen A Smith says that Lebron and Chris Bosh are going to Miami. Where or how he figures this is beyond me, but Stephen A Smith has been wrong the majority of his career. I honestly dont know how this guy still gets gigs.

To sum up all of this. Things will only get more and more crazy. Beat writers, experts, analysts will all have their take and their "sources" as to where these guys are going. Until you start seeing rumors with figures in them, I don't figure anything will be true. I'm hoping nothing concrete comes out until July 1st anyways, because its supposedly illegal to do so in the NBA.

Stay tune on July 29th, 30th, 31st and July 1st for more crazy rumor updating.

New York Times: Source says LeBron is headed to Chicago

2010-06-27T20:49:00.002-05:00

The New York Times has reported than an NBA executive has told them that LeBron James signing with the Chicago Bulls is a "done deal":

The LeBron James sweepstakes will kick off in Ohio on his home turf Thursday as five teams — the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Knicks, the Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers — travel there in an attempt to woo James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers, an executive of one of the teams in the hunt said Saturday.

But the meetings might not be much more than a formality. The executive, who did not want to be identified discussing a player who is not yet a free agent, said he had gathered from discussions with his fellow N.B.A. executives that James was strongly leaning toward joining the Bulls in tandem with another free agent, Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors.

“I think it’s a done deal,” the executive said.

He said he thought James was going ahead with the meetings in Ohio “to be respectful to all these teams who jumped through these hoops,” a reference to the clubs, like the Knicks, who traded reasonably talented players like Jamal Crawford the last two seasons in an effort to open up as much salary-cap space as possible. But if James and Bosh are indeed going to Chicago, moves like the ones the Knicks made will have been done at least partly in vain.

I do think its important to key in on the key words "I think" in the executives quote. As anyone who knows anything about the NBA, it is supposedly illegal to talk about any free agents before July 1st, and for an NBA executive to be talking about this makes it sounds like the NBA executive knows what is going on behind the scenes. I think its obviously teams talk to players before July 1st, but the NBA does little about it nor do they seem to care much.

Either way, every source piece that has come out in the last few weeks has stated Chicago as LeBron's favorite. It is looking more and more likely that LeBron James will in fact sign with the Chicago Bulls. Who else comes with him could be a big question. Many also think that 5 out of the top 6 free agents this year will sign with the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. Basically the NBA is getting a complete power shift if this does happen this year. The Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat become the NBA's new power houses while Orlando is somewhat behind them and Boston is likely dead. The West likely stays the same with the Lakers continuing to have control over the West until Oklahoma City gets a power forward (And even then I dont think they'll win titles).

With July 1st approaching it certainly makes everyone more antsy. We shall just have to wait and see what happens.

You can read the rest of the New York Times article here

Death; well not really

2010-06-27T20:44:00.003-05:00

This blog died in January. My last post was January 28th, 2010. I dont know what happened. I think it was because the Bulls were sucking at that time and I was too pissed off to deal with any of it. If I was only a Bears blog, I likely would have less less updates because Football moves at a slower pace.

Anyways, I thought of a new attack for now. Since Chicago is possibly on the verge of reshuffling their priorities I thought, as a Bulls fan, it would be a good time to start writing again.

So to recap the past 6 months...

-The Saints won the Super Bowl against the Colts
-Duke beat Butler in one great championship game 61-59. Gordon Hayward heaved a half court shot at the buzzer that almost went in. Pity.
-The Bulls squeaked into the playoffs and played somewhat competively against Cleveland, but ultimately lost the series 4-1.
-The Cavs lost in the second round of the playoffs after being heavy favorite to go the NBA Finals.
-The Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 4-3 in the NBA Finals. The game 7 was the highest rated NBA game since the 1998 NBA Finals Game 6 between the Bulls and Utah Jazz.
-The NBA Draft was recently. The Bulls traded Kirk Hinrich and their 17th pick in exchange for a future 2nd round pick to the Washington Wizards. The purpose of this trade was to clear up salary cap space.

Thats the report. Now to my next post, which will be above this post completely defeating the purpose in this post.

Yes, Derrick Rose was selected as an reserve

2010-01-28T23:25:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Derrick Rose. He was selected to the All-Star team. Rondo was as well. I'm okay with that.

Derrick Rose becomes the first Bulls All-Star since Michael Jordan was an All-Stars in 1998. Alot has happened since then, but it is good to see the 2008 #1 overall pick become the first All-Star from his draft class.

Speaks volume to the way Rose has played lately.

Congrats to Derrick Rose.

Note: Sunday, I will likely have a detailed analysis of the road trip posted, since this Sunday there is no football (Pro Bowl doesnt count) and therefore I have nothing else to write about).

Will Derrick Rose be selected to the All-Star Game?

2010-01-28T10:05:00.006-06:00

Derrick Rose has put the Bulls on his back since the beginning of the month. Since that 35 point blown lead the Bulls have won 13 of their last 17 games, including now four separate four game winning streaks.

Rose himself has stepped up averaging well over 20 ppg since December. This month alone he is averaging over 23 ppg.

Much of the sports media says Rondo is the clear cut choice to go to the All-Star Game.

I could not disagree more.

Boston already has two All-Stars going to the game. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (Likely selected as backup). For them to have three All-Stars, while Cleveland will likely only get one (Unless coaches vote in Shaq which would be a shame). Orlando also likely only ends up with one, but in many ways that is deserving so.

So what makes Rondo so special? Because he looks that much better with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce? Derrick Rose would look like an MVP with those players.

In all likelihood, Rondo is a much lesser PG with lesser players around him. Derrick Roes is averaging about 21.5 ppg over the past two months with much less of a team. The Bulls are now at .500 and would be a playoff team. To me this should end the Bulls drought for an All-Star.

However, it wouldnt surprise me if Rose gets snubbed. LeBron James was snubbed his second year.

Hopefully coaches make the right decision and selected Derrick Rose to be an All-Star reserve.

Bulls trade Aaron Gray for Devin Brown in HUGE blockbuster deal

2010-01-25T23:48:00.002-06:00

Okay, okay, its not a blockbuster deal, but its an upgrade for the Bulls.

The Bulls traded Aaron "White Panther" Gray to the New Orleans Hornets for guard Devin Brown.

My friends at PSD have some pretend love for Aaron Gray (I'm sure a few people are legit) and are crying their heads off at the fact White Panthers is gone.

Gray is a waste of roster space and cap space. Devin Brown can atleast put some decent production in there even if he is a bit of a chucker on shots.

Some say Devin Brown is nothing but a Larry Hughes without the attitude. Maybe true. Brown averaged 9.7 ppg starting for New Orleans this year. I remember him nailing three pointers against the Bulls this year in the one game I have attended this season.

Either way, we will see less of Pargo, and theres even some hope the Bulls strike bigger in February.

Note: Once the Bulls complete this road trip, I will report on every game about it. Sorry about the non-daily updates after game day.

Brett Favre costs his team victory again

2010-01-24T21:31:00.000-06:00

Now for those who know me. I really really dislike Brett Favre. I wish he would just go away and never play football again. But that wont happen. He will be back next season. However, I had a huge smile on my face when the Saints kicker hit the winning field goal in OT for a 31-28 Saints victory.

With 19 seconds to go in regulation Favre rolled out on a 3rd and 15 play. Favre threw across the field (Usually a no no in football) and threw an interception.

Earlier today, the Colts defeated the New York Jets 30-17 to return to Super Bowl. It will be in the same spot Indianapolis won it before, Miami. Ironically the game is on CBS again as well. So I wonder if it will rain again as well as it did in the Super Bowl 3 years ago against my Chicago Bears.

I will likely decide who I'm going with for the Super Bowl in about a week once I review each team.

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

2010-01-17T19:06:00.002-06:00

So how did I do this round?

An awful 0-4.

NFC
1) New Orleans Saints vs 4) Arizona Cardinals
Winner: Arizona Cardinals; Sorry, my mind hasn't changed on the Saints and I think they will falter. The Cardinals need to get their defense straightened out though if they want to win this game. The Saints need to get everything together if they want to win this game.

WRONG! The Saints dominated the Cardinals after the Cardinals first play of the game. The Saints took the game 45-17, and looked like they did earlier in the season.

2) Minnesota Vikings vs 3) Dallas Cowboys
Winner: Dallas Cowboys; Still hate the Cowboys, still hate Brett Favre more. Dallas is now the hottest team in the NFC thats still left as the Packers and Eagles were knocked out. Dallas just looks very well ever since beating the Saints. The Vikes are undefeated at home, but it should be known that in Week 4 they nearly lost ot San Francisco at home. Brett Favre will want to throw throw throw and its questionable as to how Adrian Peterson will look against the Cowboys defense. It will be a close game, but I think the Cowboys will close it out in the end

WRONG! I hate both these teams and well, all the hottest teams in the NFL have lost. It seems the new hottest team each week goes down. The Eagles, the Cowboys, the Chargers. Not a good year for "hottest" team. Minnesota won the game with ease as Tony Romo couldnt even get protection to throw. Favre had another day of ease throwing 4 TDs. Vikings won 34-3.

AFC
1) Indianapolis Colts vs 6) Baltimore Ravens
Winner: Baltimore; Still don't trust the Colts and tend to believe the trend that they will be punished again for resting players down the stretch. The Ravens had a huge win against the Patriots despite Flacco playing like crap. I expect a big rushing attack on the Colts from Ray Rice and Flacco should be able to pass this game. Peyton Manning though will be the key to the Colts, who might still be undefeated if he had played that entire Jets game.

WRONG! This was my pick simply because I hate teams resting players and I figured the Colts would be "punished" in some way for it. The Ravens had multiple opportunities to score points and simply couldn't do it. Manning threw 2 TDs and the Colts defense really stepped up. Colts won easily 20-3.

2) San Diego Chargers vs 5) New York Jets
Winner: San Diego Chargers; San Diego should be able to handle the Jets rush attack and Matt Sanchez won't be able to operate. The Chargers offense will struggle a bit but should be able to pick apart the Jets eventually.

WRONG! The Chargers could not handle the Jets rush attack and Matt Sanchez was able to operate with relative ease. The Jets blitzed the shivers out of the Chargers and for the longest time Phillip Rivers couldnt even get a throw off. This game was close, but the Jets closed it out. The Chargers, winners of 11 straight games, lose in the divisional round again and are denied the Super Bowl again. Jets win 17-14.

So...I am not picking Championship game picks. I am 1-7 in this years playoffs, I think its a good time to call it quits.

Bears DE Gaines Adams is dead

2010-01-17T11:39:00.005-06:00

Per Yahoo! Sports:

Yahoo! Sports has learned from a source close to the Clemson football program that Chicago Bears defensive end and Clemson alum Gaines Adams (notes) died this morning after being taken to Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, South Carolina. Scout.com's Roy Philpott, who broke the news, indicated that County Coroner James T. Coursey released the information. Early reports say that Adams died of a heart attack, though an autopsy has yet to be performed.

Sympathy goes out to his family and friends and well this just sucks all together. 26 years old is certainly too young to have a heart attack and definitely too young to die.

On the business side, well this makes the Bears decision making look..well lets just say this is the guy the Bears traded a 2nd round pick for. I just really can't believe this. Bears luck I guess.

R.I.P. Gaines Adams. It is a sad day in the NFL and Bear nation.

Bulls beat Celtics; Beat Wizards in double OT

2010-01-17T11:36:00.001-06:00

Sorry for not posting for 5 days, been busy.

The Bulls beat the Celtics Thursday night in Boston 96-83. They for the most part had complete control of the game. The closest the Celtics got was 75-71.

Of course the Celtics were missing Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace. So this basically set up a re-match of last years playoff series. Derrick Rose put on a good show and Kirk Hinrich played really well. Tyrus Thomas, while the stats box doesnt look too good for him offensively, was all over the floor creating turnovers and really showing hustle out there.

On Friday night, the Bulls played the Wizards at the UC. The Bulls managed to take the game 121-119 in double overtime. Derrick Rose had a career high 37 points and was all over the place in both overtimes. He hit the game winning shot with 5.4 seconds left. Hinrich had another good game with 19 points and Joakim Noah added another double double.

The Bulls now move to 18-20 on the season and are 8th in the Eastern Conference.

Bulls Win Two Blowouts in a Row!

2010-01-12T11:25:00.002-06:00

No, hell hasn't forzen over just quite yet. But the Bulls have won two blowouts in a row against teams they should be doing exactly that.

They beat the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves 110-96 and then beat Detroit 120-87 last night. Minnesota owns the second worst record in the league and Detroit owns now a 13 game losing streak.

John Salmons has really become more consistent lately and that is a good sign as he is good TRADE BAIT. So is Tyrus Thomas, but as Marc Stein of ESPN puts it, no one wants Tyrus Thomas.

So in beating Detroit the other night, a good point was brought up to me. Ben Gordon.

The Pistons team that Gordon joined was never really going to be that good to begin with, but injuries are definitely killing them this year. But even with a full squad, they are not the same team by any means that went to 6 straight Eastern Conference Finals. The key to that team was Chauncey Billups and they traded him away midseason last year.

In the offseason, Detroit signed Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to huge contracts. Way beyond their means of play in my opinion. This thus hampered their future.

Gordon claims he cared much about winning and that Detroit was the place that would be. If Gordon cared so much about winning, he should have signed with the Thunder instead of letting his ego get the best of him.

The Thunder are never sourced to having offered Gordon a contract, but Gordon basically was locked up with Detroit right away. Detroit was the only team he considered and well to me its because he gets to play the Bulls 4x a year and he would get 4 times a year to prove why the Bulls should have kept him. He hasn't exactly done that yet in Detroit. To me if he did care at all about winning he would have let other teams offer.

The Thunder had a lot of cap space, figure to not be players in 2010 free agency due to their small market, Gordon would have been on a great young team with up and coming players in Westbrook and Durant. They likely would lead the NBA in points per game.

So I think the Thunder would have gone after him given a chance, but Gordon was locked up with Detroit before free agency even began.

Divisional Round Prediction (Revised)

2010-01-10T19:13:00.000-06:00

Since my original predictions are almost crapshoots now, I'll revise my predictions based on matchup:

NFC
1) New Orleans Saints vs 4) Arizona Cardinals
Winner: Arizona Cardinals; Sorry, my mind hasn't changed on the Saints and I think they will falter. The Cardinals need to get their defense straightened out though if they want to win this game. The Saints need to get everything together if they want to win this game.

2) Minnesota Vikings vs 3) Dallas Cowboys
Winner: Dallas Cowboys; Still hate the Cowboys, still hate Brett Favre more. Dallas is now the hottest team in the NFC thats still left as the Packers and Eagles were knocked out. Dallas just looks very well ever since beating the Saints. The Vikes are undefeated at home, but it should be known that in Week 4 they nearly lost ot San Francisco at home. Brett Favre will want to throw throw throw and its questionable as to how Adrian Peterson will look against the Cowboys defense. It will be a close game, but I think the Cowboys will close it out in the end

AFC
1) Indianapolis Colts vs 6) Baltimore Ravens
Winner: Baltimore; Still don't trust the Colts and tend to believe the trend that they will be punished again for resting players down the stretch. The Ravens had a huge win against the Patriots despite Flacco playing like crap. I expect a big rushing attack on the Colts from Ray Rice and Flacco should be able to pass this game. Peyton Manning though will be the key to the Colts, who might still be undefeated if he had played that entire Jets game.

2) San Diego Chargers vs 5) New York Jets
Winner: San Diego Chargers; San Diego should be able to handle the Jets rush attack and Matt Sanchez won't be able to operate. The Chargers offense will struggle a bit but should be able to pick apart the Jets eventually.

NFL Playoffs Wild Card Round

2010-01-10T19:06:00.001-06:00

So I'll just review the wild card round based on my picks to see how I did (not good)

3) Dallas Cowboys vs 6) Philadelphia Eagles
Winner: Eagles; I just dont see the Eagles allowing what happened to them earlier to happen again

WRONG! The Eagles did allow what happened to them earlier to happen again. The Cowboys went 3-3 against the Eagles this season, owning them in Cowboys Stadium. They won this one 34-14.

4) Arizona Cardinals vs 5) Green Bay Packers
Winner: Packers, they are on a roll

WRONG! Being I'm a Bear fan, I rooted for the Cardinals despite my pick being the Packers. So I'm glad to be wrong on this one. This was an offensive shootout as neither teams defenses could stop the other. The first half though was all Arizona. Early in the 3rd they took a 31-10 lead before the Packers came rumbling back to tie it at 38. The game was again tied at 45. Neil Rackers missed a potential winning field goal for Arizona and the game went into overtime. The Packers won the toss and as the game had gone in the second half, the Packers were likely to drive downfield. Instead, Aaron Rodgers took a hit, lost the football and Arizona caught the fumble in the air and ran in for the game winning touchdown to win 51-45. Arizona will move on to face the Saints in the second round.

3) New England Patriots vs 6) Baltimore Ravens
Winner: New England Patriots; as bad as the Patriots were on the road, this is a home game and thus they will take this honor, even if they are missing Wes Welker.

WRONG! The Ravens completely destroyed the Patriots as they went up 24-0 in the 1st quarter. The Patriots looked lost most of the game and well I thought they would easily overcome the loss of Wes Welker, they did not. The Patriots were quite shaky this season and it wouldnt surprise me if there was a shakeup next season in personnel. The Ravens will go on to play the Colts next week.

4) Cincinnati Bengals vs 5) New York Jets
Winner: New York Jets; That 37-0 trouncing the Jets delievered was outright brutal. I understand Cinci's offense will be more focused, but I think the Jets can take this one. We'll see though.

RIGHT! Atleast I got something right. The Jets rushing attack delivered again and Carson Palmer once again looked lost. The Jets won rather easily 24-14.

NFL Playoffs Day 1

2010-01-09T20:26:00.004-06:00

Well for those of you who don't remember my NFL picks (They're here), I had the Jets beating the Bengals and the Eagles beating the Cowboys.

So how did they turn out today?

Well the Jets did indeed beat the Bengals in a pretty good fashion. Carson Palmer looked very similar to the way he was in the season finale. His passes were not on target and looked lost most of the game. The Jets held the Bengals to 14 points and sent them to another playoff loss. They have not won a playoff game since 1990.

The Jets rushing attack did well once again, though Thomas Jones did not run very well, Shonn Green ran 21 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Sanchez was pretty good as well throwing a TD pass while throwing no interceptions.

The other game, The Eagles vs the Cowboys. Now personally, I absolutely hate the Dallas Cowboys. I cannot stand them. The America's Team label, I just hate. I mainly grew to hate the Cowboys when I was in first grade and the entire neighborhood was fans of two teams. The Orlando Magic for the NBA (When they had Shaq and Penny Hardaway) and then the Dallas Cowboys, who were on their way to winning a Super Bowl that year. Since I'm not much of people being a fan of teams for stupid reasons, I have always hated the Cowboys.

So naturally, in my predictions, I couldn't pick the Cowboys to win a game. I also thought there was no way the Eagles play poorly against Dallas again. It was the last regular season game right? The Eagles had been strong all of December minus that game.

Either way though, I had a feeling who ever won this match-up is going to the Super Bowl. I just dont trust the Saints or Vikings.

So how did the Eagles play? Almost as poorly as in Week 17. The Cowboys defense harassed the Eagles day in and day out. Minus one Michael Vick throw for a touchdown, the Cowboys completely dominated the Eagles in the first half in route to a 27-7 lead.

The second half wasnt any better as Felix Jones ran for a 73 yard touchdown to make it 34-7 Dallas late in the 3rd quarter. Final score: 34-14 Dallas.

So Dallas is now my Super Bowl pick...sadly. Thats just my feeling now. My hate for Brett Favre outweighs my hate for the Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota is undefeated at home, but I can see Dallas taking this game.

The Inconsistent Bulls lose another

2010-01-09T12:02:00.001-06:00

Yep, they lost again. They had a lead early on in the fourth quarter then proceeded to die as Milwaukee went on a 15-1 run and Deng missed a three to tie at the buzzer as the Bulls lost 96-93 in Milwaukee. It was the Bulls 3rd straight loss and while they are certainly playing opponents closely, they are not executing what is needed to win. They start slow, speed up, slow down again, and then by the time its time to win they cant catch up. Other times they start fast and then die. Its just complete inconsistency.

The Inconsistent Chicago Bulls

2010-01-07T21:51:00.001-06:00

The Daily Herald's Mike McGraw wrote an article today detailing the Chicago Bulls inconsistencies. I would just like to label one thing that was stats shown in this article:

Finding a winning formula

Bulls win/loss record:

when they outrebound opponent: 12-8

when they win bench points: 9-4

when they win fastbreak points: 8-9

when Derrick Rose scores 20+: 4-8

when Rose has 7+ assists: 5-7

when Rose has 5+ turnovers: 5-3

when Luol Deng scores 20+: 4-10

when Joakim Noah grabs 15+ rebounds: 3-5

when John Salmons scores 15+: 8-6

when Salmons shoots 50 percent or better: 7-7

when Brad Miller scores 10+: 7-5

when Kirk Hinrich scores 10+: 6-6

when James Johnson plays 10+ minutes: 3-10

when Jannero Pargo takes 5+ shots: 3-7

Basically this shows no good formula for winning really. The best model is when they win the bench point battle and out-rebound the opponent. Beyond that there is no real strength which just shows that the Bulls really cant do much of anything right to win. Perhaps this all falls back on Vinny, or perhaps it just the players not playing defense. Theres many factors this year we as fans take into play as why we lose games.

The 35 point blown lead game is believed to be the fault of Vinny not playing more than 7 guys. I myself think one problem is the way Derrick Rose is used. Rose sits at the end of the 1st and 3rd quarters and missed a good portion of the 2nd and 4th quarter. In the loss against Charlotte, I thought Rose was on the bench WAY WAY too long in the 4th quarter.

Time will tell on what happens. All in all, Vinny Del Negro should have been gone by now and a trade should have been approached on which would bring a 3 point shooter here. This team though, wants to join the ranks of the Cubs and Bears in being in complete disarray though. Sigh..

Lovie Stays (of course); Turner and most of the offense out

2010-01-05T22:46:00.002-06:00

Well no surprise to anyone. Lovie Smith is staying on as the Bears head coach.

Ron Turner and all of the offensive staff minus the WR and RB coach were fired. This does include one of Lovie's friends, Pep Hamilton who I always thought was unqualified for the job.

The rumor that Rod Marinelli was becoming the defensive coordinator is not true. The Bears have said they will look on the outside for an defensive coordinator. I dont think they will look that far though. I expect Perry Fewell to become the next coordinator. He was Lovie's defensive back coach from 2004-2005 before taking the Bills DC job. I will say our DBs were much better from 2004-2006, and most of that was under the direction of Fewell. So it could be a good take.

No word or rumors of who will be the next offensive coordinator. My feeling is it will still be Mike Martz. I just dont anyone else who would take that job except maybe Charlie Weis, who may know that Lovie will be fired, and that he himself could become the next head coach. Not sure how I feel about that.

Another option is USC's offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates,who was also Denver's QB coach when Cutler was there. I do not like this option at all as I feel Bates is unqualified to be calling plays. If he wanted to be QB coach again, then I am okay with that.

Bears Press Conference

2010-01-05T10:16:00.003-06:00

The Bears are holding a press conference at 2 pm today to announce the season report. In all likely hood several coaches are being fired, but the main one, Lovie Smith will be back. Mostly offensive coaches will be fired, despite the fact that the defense continued to decline under a defensive coach, who was calling the plays himself.

So all in all, Ron Turner is likely out as offensive coordinator.

Does this worry everyone?

Jay Cutler is going to be ruined by the Chicago Bears.

Now I wouldnt be posting here if I didnt hate Ron Turner. The problem is Lovie Smith is just as bad as a coach as Ron Turner.

Jay Cutler will be on his third coordinator in 3 years. And in all likely hood Smith’s same old crap will continue and the Bears will suck again next season. Therefore the Bears decided to can the entire coaching staff and Jay Cutler will get another coordinator again.

Now the best QBs have had pretty much the same coordinators year in and year out. Peyton Manning has had the same guy, Brees has had the same guy since coming to New Orleans, Phillip Rivers has had the same guy. I think only Tom Brady has gone through a couple of changes but the coaching regime there adapts to things.

I dont know whats going to happen other than speculation put out there by the media.
Based on what I’m hearing, Lovie’s friends will just be promoted to high places again. Mike Martz will become the OC, and Rod Marinelli will become the DC. Martz does not have the personnel to run his offense here and will fail like he did in San Francisco and Detroit. Marinelli has NO experience calling plays as a coordinator. He was awful as a head coach, and his expertise has always been the defensive line, which well..how well did he do this season with that?

In all likelihood with us having to play hte AFC East and NFC East next season will be a gutter trash season in which we finish anywhere from 5-11 to 8-8. That alone should get Lovie fired, but the damage will well be done.