SB Nation - John Salmons

Bulls 92, Pistons 85: Given the current state of the team, a must-win that was won

your friendly BullsBlogger — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:40:41 -0000

"It's not your fault, their minds were poisoned all these years by that blind jackass Neil Funk. "(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Detroit	86.0	98.8	41.0%	26.9	37.0	17.4
Chicago		107.0	50.7%	31.9	34.3	19.8

Ugh, that was a terribly boring night of basketball. Not much of a recap is needed, the Bulls opened up the game huge with a 23-6 lead (credit for coming out strong given they were on a 4 game losing streak) and never trailed. They likely saw a Pistons team missing Hamilton, Prince, and Villenueva and realized they weren't going to be threatened offensively, and played like it.

Not that there weren't some good performances. I don't know how anyone can say any team with John Salmons should be in transition more (does anyone kill fast breaks with such regularity?), but he shot well, hit 3-4 3-pointers and finished with 22 points. Brad Miller had his first solid game in a long while, and his six assists included two lobs to Derrick Rose (shame Rose's one attempt at a lob - this season? - didn't convert). And, of course: Noah rules.

They actually weren't that bad from an efficiency standpoint tonight on offense, but maybe it's just seeing 11 more minutes of Lindsey Hunter (egads, I think VDN thinks he 'found something' here), Hunter-Pargo together, Taj fouling out in under 20 minutes...this team is going to be very bad for the next few games, so it was good they got a team worse (and more banged up) than them tonight, and got the win.

This Pistons team looked really inept, their remaining guards of Gordon, Stuckey, and Bynum each were ballhogging and missing, and any time Chucky Atkins was in there was a disaster. And apparently the renaissance of Ben Wallace took a break tonight (maybe he's just so used to nights off in the UC?).

The big sidestory* in this game was, of course, the return of Gordon. The in-house crowd was split maybe 65/35 boos, which is a pretty pathetic referendum on any hoops sophistication in this town. But I likely should've expected it, and given that they were more enthusiastic seeing Cuppy Coffee win the Dunkin Donuts race on the jumbotron than in booing Gordon, it stopped bothering me. It's not like the crowd at these games is exactly a 'hardcore' sampling of fan. Though they didn't get their free big macs tonight, they did see a game where Gordon (not looking 100% on the ankle) had chances to get his team back into the game (with the Bulls blessing) but instead shot them out of it. He was 2-8 from three and missed a lot of makeable up-close shots, as our vaunted tall guard couldn't really stay with him, and Lindsey Hunter seemed really determined to get into the scoresheet as much as possible through fouling.

But yeah, there was some shaky dribbling, ill-advised leaners, barreling into the lane, outsized on defense....but watching it from the other side, I still missed the guy. At least he'd make these games less excruciating to watch.

*(And as an emerging sidestory, James Johnson again with the DNP-CD)

No need to panic: everything is going according to the Bulls plan

your friendly BullsBlogger — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:21:02 -0000

As I said after the Bulls loss in Utah, it does matter that the Bulls are getting blown out on this road trip in addition to merely losing. It matters in that it follows that this Bulls team is not likely to perform up to a .500 record the rest of the way at this current level.

But even with Thomas and Hinrich's absence bringing this team's performance down to far below average, their record is still 6-8, and the games they've lost so far on the trip were games they wouldn't have been favored in preseason anyway. At least if you figured they'd be at or near 41-41 at the end of this season and tempered the game-by-game expectations accordingly.

They may sign a fringe player at guard to a nonguaranteed deal if Hinrich's out for an extended period, but with little room under the tax they likely can't even give a prorated vet minimum as it'd completely close their options later in the year if another signing is necessary. It's a testament to poor planning and cap mismanagement on the Bulls part that they assembled such nonexistent-to-poor depth, as D-Leaguers could likely give the Bulls more than what Hunter/Gray/Pargo currently provide, and at half the cost. The fact that they're counting on spots 10-13 on the roster means that the season already hasn't worked out for the best, but it doesn't mean you throw away guaranteed money, especially with such a tight budget going into the offseason. It similarly makes any trades very difficult to complete.

But while depth has become a real issue, and though they are boring to watch (and really hard to blog about), the Bulls aren't in a dire situation. Not yet. The early part of every Bulls season is always the toughest, and then they surge towards mediocrity and an early playoff exit. With more games against their eastern peers (and the Nets) as well as Tyrus Thomas returning, it will likely happen again this year. There may be cries here for an Iverson (or anyone) signing to help 'save' this season, but there's nothing to save. A meaningful season was punted on July 1st, and the narrative surrounding the Bulls is acknowledging more by the loss that they may have been just blowing smoke when saying they'd make a step up this season due to...I don't know, 'ball movement' or something.

The idea that a full season of Salmons ('fluke rule') and Miller ('old and out of shape rule') would make a big difference has proven false. Hinrich was supposed to be a better complement to Rose (he can't be if the skills he provides are overshadowed by general suckage) and Rose himself was to be an All-Star now that nobody would be getting in his way on offense (wha?). The defense certainly looks ordinary again after a fast start, and that was one realistic hope for actual improvement.

But team improvement wasn't necessary in this grand franchise plan. In fact, the plan is not really a plan at all: it's to be lucky. The Bulls may be positioning (and not there yet, depending on some cap variables) to acquire a max free-agent, and it'll be tough for me to call it an achievement of the team if they're able to pull it off: it'll mostly just be a fortunate occurrence.

And if you look throughout NBA history for how teams become championship contenders, a lot of it is indeed luck. The Bulls already had more than their share given their improbable lottery victory two summers ago. But now, though seeing improvement from Noah and a bounce-back year from Deng is a big help, they need another massive stroke of luck to be relevant again. Whether they get that or not, it stinks that it's not only what the franchise could use, but what they're absolutely banking on. Their front office is certainly not making their way back to the top by being good at their jobs.

Bulls 101, Kings 87: Bulls shamefully break 100 points on the road, no free big macs

your friendly BullsBlogger — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:57:49 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Dilbert tie? (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Browse more photos »

	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Chicago	94.0	107.4	51.2%	19.3	30.0	16.0
Sacramento		92.6	45.7%	16.0	31.0	22.3

I don't have much this morning, but it was nice to see the Bulls turn in a competent offensive performance as a team, and for John Salmons individually. He still does not look like the same player as last year, and gets his shot blocked way too often, but Salmons did hit a couple big 3-pointers (and Deng with a couple 21-footers) to keep the Kings at a manageable distance in the second half.

As usual, the most pleasant aspect of watching the Bulls was Joakim Noah, who again played heavy minutes and kept his production up accordingly with 15 points and 14 rebounds. He dominated and frustrated Jason Thompson, a rising young frontcourt player in his own right who'd strung together some solid rebounding efforts. But Noah has been past 'rising' this season, and is already here. He outmuscled Thompson throwing him off his game leading to my favorite sequence of the night, when he blatantly pushed Noah going for a dunk, and reacting flabbergasted that he got called for a foul. With not only the production but seeing him act like an buffoon every time he's on the bench, Noah is worth watching on this team.

Another positive was the Bulls getting their good Jannero Pargo half of basketball for the week. But there was some bad as well, most worrisome being Derrick Rose getting completely outshone by Tyreke Evans. I'm avoiding Rose's struggles for now, just hoping it's the ankle. Please let it be the ankle.

Also, Taj Gibson fouled out in 11 minutes and Hinrich continues to shoot poorly.

But this was a must-win for the trip, and it was a fairly comfortable victory at that. Amazing how easy not-league-worst on offense for a night will make things.

Preview: Bulls at Kings

Ziller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:31 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Browse more photos »

" HAHA! And then the Hamburglar was like, 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?' HA HA HA HA HA HA! Oh my god, it was hilarious. ... You had to be there."

THE OPPONENT

The Bulls are doing it wrong. Whereas the Kings thrive on offense and pull through (sorta) on defense, Chicago does the opposite: good boring defense, bad boring offense. That is not the way to win hearts and minds! Ask San Antonio! Ask Detroit!

Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich deserve the defensive credit. Noah is second in the league in total rebound rate, and eighth in blocks per game. Deng is averaging 18/9 as a combo forward, and playing the stout man defense he is reputed for. Hinrich is a gnat, as you well know. I have no idea how John Salmons's defense has been, but I do know that it was wildly overrated in Sacramento, and I know that Salmons is still trying to find his offense. (His True Shooting is 41.3 percent. Seriously.)

Still, the Bulls are 5-4, just like the Kings. The team's only road win happened to come in Cleveland, which tends to count for a lot. The other road games have been losses in Boston, Miami and Toronto. This will be the first game of the Bulls' annual circus road trip, which stinks, because theoretically you'd like to catch them at the end, when they have tired mind and cold brain stems. I have a feeling their brain stems might be warmish to steamy. As it were, this is probably the "easiest" stop on the tour (which also visits the Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers, Bucks and Jazz), and as such could either be Vinny Del Negro's Alamo or his Waterloo. Let's find out.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Luol Deng	9	38.6	7.0	15.6	45.0	0.3	0.6	60.0	3.2	4.2	76.3	3.0	6.2	9.2	1.7	1.6	0.8	0.8	1.6	17.6
Derrick Rose	9	32.6	6.0	12.9	46.6	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.8	2.4	72.7	0.8	2.1	2.9	5.3	3.0	0.9	0.4	1.3	13.8
John Salmons	9	38.0	4.3	13.7	31.7	1.3	5.0	26.7	2.6	3.4	74.2	0.6	3.4	4.0	2.7	1.7	2.0	0.7	2.2	12.6
Joakim Noah	9	32.7	4.9	8.8	55.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	2.8	72.0	4.3	7.9	12.2	2.2	1.8	0.3	2.0	2.9	11.8
Kirk Hinrich	9	29.4	3.7	9.8	37.5	0.9	3.3	26.7	1.7	2.4	68.2	0.4	2.8	3.2	4.6	2.6	0.9	0.3	2.7	9.9
Tyrus Thomas	4	20.8	3.0	6.8	44.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.3	4.0	56.3	1.3	4.0	5.3	0.3	0.8	0.8	1.8	1.8	8.3
Brad Miller	9	22.6	2.8	6.4	43.1	0.2	1.0	22.2	2.4	3.2	75.9	0.9	3.8	4.7	2.0	1.4	0.3	0.2	2.6	8.2
Taj Gibson	9	23.1	3.2	6.8	47.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	1.7	53.3	2.2	2.7	4.9	0.7	1.0	0.9	1.0	2.9	7.3
Jannero Pargo	8	10.5	1.6	4.6	35.1	0.4	1.4	27.3	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.8	3.8
James Johnson	5	5.6	0.8	2.8	28.6	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.4	0.4	100.0	1.0	0.2	1.2	0.0	0.6	0.0	0.0	1.8	2.0
Lindsey Hunter	1	7.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	0.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Rose and Salmons vs. Udrih and Evans. Tyreke Evans took turns guarding Trevor Ariza (not well) and Aaron Brooks (well) on Friday, and I imagine the same will be true here. I assume Salmons will continue his pattern of shooting jumpers (a career-high five threes per game this season -- I know Ben Gordon, sir, and you, sir, are no Ben Gordon), though if he has a steamy brain stem in lieu of a warmish brain stem, he may remember Beno Udrih is not adept at defending the drive, and if he has the opportunity to line up across from Udrih may attempt to drive a little bit. We know firsthand Salmons is a fairly skilled finisher, and while Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson have improved as defenders at the rim there is no proof they can deny crafty finishers, of which John Salmons qualifies as such.

At the other end, Evans should be able to drive around or through either Bulls guard. You wonder if The Notorious VDN will opt to stick the long Deng (T.W.S.S.) on 'Reke, but then you realize that makes sense, which is something The N. VDN rarely does, so you stop wondering about that and begin wondering if Jarlsberg is a good choice for a grilled cheese sandwich. (Is it? If not, I have some Swiss, so let me know.)

As for Rose, I will say this: he is pretty good.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

OK, so, in case you don't know, the Kings are opening up a buffet from 6-7 for any fan with a ticket. (The promotion is currently the splash page of Kings.com. Seriously.) If this game sells out, I predict that the Kings will immediately move to the Silver Legacy casino in Reno. I will be watching the attendance figures with baited (by roast beef and tiny cobs of corn) breath. The only hurdle is accounting for the notoriously healthy Brad Miller Reunion bump. Half of Loomis might come out!

BOLD PROCLAMATION

John Salmons will pass the ball to Kevin Martin exactly as many times as he did all of last season.

DETAILS

The game begins at 7 PM, though the tip may be late if Scott Moak is allowed into the buffet. ("Please rise from your seats as we prepare to salute the ham smothered in au jus and garlic mashed potatoes and ranch dressing.") Game thread at 7, Game Thread II at 8, post-game thread at 9:45, recap in South Dakota.

3 In the Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Chicago

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:23 -0000

by Tony Dejak - AP

What does Shawn Rogers have to do with the Raptors? Well he is a good example of anchoring a defense. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

View full size photo »

After a brutal and highly criticized loss to a shorthanded Spurs team, the Raps come back to the (friendly?) ACC for a match-up against the Chicago Bulls before once again packing their bags for the West Coast.

Can the Raptors secure a win against the Chicago Bulls?

After the debaucle in San Antonio is there not a more fitting time for the league to release the 2009-2010 All-Star Ballot? I mean after the loss to the Spurs don't you just want to grab as many voting cards as you can and send all four of Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu and Jose Calderon to the All-Star game?!

Ok, so it is a little too early to think about All-Star selections, but it is true that the Ballot has been released and there are four current Raptors listed.

It's also true that if the team continues to play like they did Monday night that no-one outside of CB4 will have even the slightest chance of making the trip to Dallas to play in Sunday's game.

But let's leave the All-Star talk for later this season and leave Monday's disappointing effort behind and focus on the game at hand.

In fact, if I was Coach Triano that is the exact message I would be relaying to the players prior to tonight's game. There is, after all, at least defensively, no-where to go but up. It would almost be unfathomable for the Raps to give up more points then they have over the past two games. (If you were counting at home they have given up 260 points in the past two contests.)

Working in the Raptors favor is that Chicago might be one of the best opponents in the league for a team hoping to hold its opponent to less than...100 points.

After seven games the Bulls offence has only scored on average, 88.6 points per game. That puts them second last, just ahead of the Charlotte Bobcats. This is not a team built to win games by simply outscoring its opponent, but a team that likes to use the shot clock and get good looks at the hoop.

This approach has worked thus far mostly because their offensive style of play has been complemented by some solid defense. So far this season, the Bulls have only allowed one opponent to score over 100 points and over the past four games (3-1, the only loss coming last night to the Nuggets when a buzzer beater by Miller was denied) they have held their opponents to just under 87 points per game. Now that's some good defense.

Also working in the Raps favor tonight is that the Bulls, are not a strong 3 point shooting team. As a team their 3 point shooting percentage is below 25% (4-18 last night) and their best three-point shooter percentage wise is Luol Deng...but he has only taken four shots from beyond the arc all year. If the Raps intend to collapse the paint to prevent the likes of Derrick Rose, John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich from attacking the rim at will, the stats would indicate that this the team to do it against.

Of course these are NBA shooters and if you give them wide open looks time and time again eventually you will get burned.

It will be interesting to see how the Raps respond in tonight's match-up as their current mini-slide could easily turn into a full-blown slump considering their next opponents (Clippers, Suns, Nuggets, Jazz). If there is one game where a W is more likely than not, it is probably the one at home facing a team playing the second half of a back-to-back.

Of course if the team continues to have defensive woes don't expect the ACC crowd to sit idle. If the Raps show little effort I am sure the Boo-birds will be out in full force. If this were to happen I don't think I would have issue with it.

And here are tonight's three keys to the game.

Setting the tempo: Two teams with two completely different styles. The Raps can score and allow their opponents to score. The Bulls are the polar opposite. The team that dictates the tempo of the game for the greatest period of time should win. That might be over simplifying it but if the Raps can't keep a high tempo then the Bulls will grind them down. The Bulls may not be the most exciting team to watch but they are getting the job done, even without Tyrus Thomas and a slow starting Rose.

The Three Ball: The mantra for the 2009-2010 Raptors should really be "Live by the three, die by the three." If the Raps shooters are hot the Bulls won't have an answer. If the Raps shoot like they did in New Orleans or against Detroit you have to like their chances as the Bulls simply don't have the offensive firepower to keep up. If the shots don't drop then what are the Raps to do? I would suggest defend but....

Defence: For the foreseeable future defense will inevitably be one of the three keys. In any shape or form the Raptors have to show they at least have a pulse on the defensive end. Without it they have no chance of living up to the expectations of many.

In this match-up the thing to watch is Derrick Rose against Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack. The Raptors PG's have to slow him down and keep him from dominating. If they can't I would suggest Triano have Hedo run the point but stick Sonny Weems on Rose. Weems might be the only guy on the Raps roster with the quicks to put up some resistance.

This is a winnable game, but if the Raps fail to secure the W at least all those in attendance will have had the opportunity to thank Chuck Swirsky for all his work while with the team.

That's one positive...right?

To get the Bulls side of the story visit Blog a Bull.

The Downbeat - 5 November 2009 - #94 - The Great Debate Edition

Basketball John — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:15:45 -0000

Fantastic discussions yesterday. Whether it was in the Downbeat, a can of tuna (where Vromanite's trade machine 'shop was on BDL), or the beginning of the end, it was great to see everyone's opinions and discussion. Perhaps the best part was that it didn't regress into name calling, etc. We have an amazing group of posters, commenters, and lurkers. High quality stuff all around.

This was brought up in one of the discussions. But what would everyone think of a Boozer for Tyrus Thomas and Jerome James trade? Or also include Kyle Korver and John Salmons in the mix?

Everyone's deal, with the exception of Salmons, expires at the end of the year, so there's not a huge risk that way. Thomas has been disgruntled in Chicago because he believes he should be starting. Seems like both players could use a change of scenery.

However, if Thomas came here, he would likely be the backup as well to Millsap/Okur. He wouldn't start but I could see him getting huge minutes as he would come in for either one of them. What about a second unit of Price, Matthews, AK, Thomas, and Ronnie B? Does that work? Does acquiring him mean even less playing time for Fess and the KOOF?

From what I've read up on Thomas is that he's a great shot blocker, but not necessarily a good defender with help D and the like.

I think at this point, if the Jazz could land this deal, it would be a huge win given the current value of Boozer.

Late start again tonight against the Spurs. They've had a semit-easy start to the season as they've got to plan NOLA and Sacramento at home. Their lone loss came on the road against the Bulls.

And in a bit of a scheduling perk to give some of those old bones a rest, they haven't played for 5 days. So despite being on the road, they've had a mini vacation leading up to the game that will give them fresh legs and ample time to develop a game plan. Not good news.

Some of the biggest complaints from Jazz fans right now is the lack of hustle, lack of toughness, and seemingly lack of desire.

Has the bar been set too high for Jazz fans? Should be be comparing the current team to the Stockon and Malone days? We don't expect the same numbers necessarily that both of them put up on a consistent basis. They were once in a lifers.

I'm not going one way or the other with this issue, but is it fair to compare the two eras?

I just barely took a look at the stats from Dallas this morning. The Jazz were in the penalty with 9 minutes left in the game. The stats that stood out to me was that Deron AND Memo had 0 fouls to start the fourth quarter. They then are called for 5 fouls apiece and the Jazz as a team have 13 of their 24 fouls in that quarter alone. That resulted in Dallas going 18-18 from the free-throw line. Of course nobody could handle Dirk either. Unbelievable.

So, is that a result of fatigue? Home court advantage? They had more fouls called on them in the fourth than the previous three quarters combined.

It just seems weird that with the flip of a switch the Jazz would get tired at that point and start hacking at such a high rate.

Bulls blown out by Celtics: So it's not all happy days?

your friendly BullsBlogger — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:36:39 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

We always look like we're getting along as long as everything is super awesome! (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Browse more photos »

	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Chicago	90.0	100.0	42.7%	24.4	33.3	16.7
Boston		131.1	66.2%	27.0	33.3	17.8

(more on the 4 factors box score)

After knowing the result, I can't say I paid too much attention when watching the DVR'd game Saturday. From what I could tell, Noah and Tyrus looked pretty good (though it'd be nice if Tyrus could finish once when fouled), so that's a good sign. Brad Miller was able to give a forearm to Rondo's face, so good on that. And the Bulls had a lot stacked against them considering it was a second night in a row for them, and they were on the road against possibly the best team in the league. Derrick Rose likely felt the ankle injury more in this game than in the opener, as we'll have to peg some excuse as to how Rajon Rondo absolutely dominated the game.

Overall, the Bulls were crushed. Salmons/Deng/Hinrich shot 8-31, and as a team they had their second straight abysmal performance from beyond the arc (2-15). They were able to draw fouls but this offense is in deep trouble when they don't hit jump shots.

A win certainly wasn't expected, but I said going into the game that we could tell if anything was fundamentally different about this season if they merely kept things close. But nope, they were finished off pretty early, and spectacularly in the 3rd quarter.

It doesn't mean they're especially bad, but that all the talk after the opener about this team being so cohesive and happy won't make up for their talent deficiency against the better teams. They lack players able to score against tough defenses, and while I do think they'll prove to be a better defensive team this year it certainly showed last night it'll be a work in progress.

They're average. They'll lose nearly half their games and sometimes look really bad doing so. That's why it would've been nice for Luol Deng to hold off on the hands-across-the-world talk until they were more than one game in. Or the quotes from Doc Rivers pregame about how they 'fit' better. Even during the game the ESPN telecast had Bill Simmons sit in to pump his book, and he mentioned how he liked the Bulls as a contender for the 4th seed because 'they look like they get along'.

Well it didn't prevent them from getting blown out that night, and it won't in the future. What will is being better, not feeling better.

A more appropriate test will be Sunday against a fellow fringe playoff contender in Miami. Maybe the commentary will be less about smiles-per-minute and more about the ball-going-into-the-hoop-thing.

Orlando Magic 101, Chicago Bulls 98

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:25:50 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Browse more photos »

In a surprisingly entertaining game that featured 23 lead changes and 11 ties, the Orlando Magic held off the Chicago Bulls, 101-98, to improve their preseason record to 6-0. Ryan Anderson and Dwight Howard scored 18 points apiece to lead 7 Magic players in double-figures. And Anderson hit the Magic's biggest shots of the night: a driving layup in traffic to bring the Magic to within a point at 92-91, then a three-pointer from the left wing on the Magic's next possession to give them a 2-point lead they would not relinquish.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Magic	93	108.3	52.1%	38.0	25.0	19.3
Bulls	93	105.4	52.0%	28.4	15.6	15.1

But the Bulls made the game real interesting after Anderson's heroics, as Kirk Hinrich's jumpers continued to keep their hopes alive as they turned the game into a free-throw-shooting contest. Orlando did its part to ice the game, but the Bulls' persistence until the final horn, and the game's competitive nature throughout, made this one about as fantastic as it gets, at least in the preseason.

Tonight, I was most impressed with the way the Magic's newcomers performed. Yes, Anderson tied for the team lead in scoring, and shot an efficient 5-of-9 from the field, but he continues to struggle on the glass, grabbing only 2 rebounds tonight; reserve guards Anthony Johnson and J.J. Redick were the only Magic players to grab fewer rebounds. Matt Barnes did his all-around thing again, with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and just 1 turnover in 24 minutes. He's defending a bit better than advertised, which is a plus. And although Brandon Bass struggled to stay in the game--he fouled out after 18 minutes--he displayed his range (3 midrange jumpers made), tenacity (one wicked dunk in traffic), and handle (he drove past the defense for the aforementioned dunk) on offense. And snaring 4 rebounds, as he did, is impressive given his relatively brief period on the floor.

I've somehow managed to omit Vince Carter's name from the discussion. He played reasonably well, with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, but struggled on the defensive end; his matchup, John Salmons, scored a game-high 19 points and left him in the dust after at least one crossover dribble move.

Indeed, it's defense, coupled with the persistent turnover bug, that will likely be the focus during the Magic's practices this week. They have just two exhibition games left before opening the regular season a week from Wednesday against Philadelphia, which is also excelling in the preseason.

Odds and ends:

Rashard Lewis sat out as coach Stan Van Gundy wants to get a better feel for how his team will perform without him during his 10-game suspension to start the season. Anderson started at power forward in Lewis' stead.
Jason Williams also got the night off, as Van Gundy gave Anthony Johnson another opportunity to make his case for winning the Magic's backup point guard job. He did not acquit himself, missing all 3 of his field goals and both of his free throws in 16 minutes; to his credit, he did grab 1 board, record 2 assists, and play well on defense, though. Still, it looks like Williams has all but locked-up the right to back-up Jameer Nelson.
Nelson quietly had a good game, with 12 points on 8 shots to go with 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers. He shot just one three-pointer preferring instead to work on driving to the basket and on the pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop games. It was a pick-and-pop set with Anderson which led to his crucial trey, and Nelson showed great patience in running it.
Redick tallied 1 blocked shot tonight, a nasty swat of Luol Deng from behind in the lane. He recovered the ball, raced down the court on a 3-on-2 break, and badly missed a pull-up three-pointer in transition.
Incidentally, Redick's block of Deng gave him more blocks tonight than Howard, who earned a donut in that category, while fouling out. Not that there's cause for concern, or anything.

The Magic will face the Indiana Pacers this Wednesday.

NBA Blog Previews - Chicago Bulls

your friendly BullsBlogger — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:34:22 -0000

Below is my entry in this year's NBA Blog Previews. If you're a frequent reader, a lot you may have read before...often. But even for those sick of my offseason whining analysis, there's at least a juicy prediction at the bottom to be mocked in April.

Team Name: Chicago Bulls

Last Year’s Record: 41-41

Key Losses: Ben Gordon, my faith in the franchise

Key Additions: Jannero Pargo, James Johnson (draft), Taj Gibson (draft), cap flexibility

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

Letting Ben Gordon walk. The significant move of the offseason was effectively made during the last season, in acquiring Brad Miller and John Salmons from the Kings at the trade deadline. Not only did it put the 2009 payroll already very close to the luxury tax, but in acquiring a scoring guard like Salmons they were hedging against a Gordon departure, which wound up happening on the first day of free agency.

The Bulls should be able to compensate for the loss of Gordon to maintain their ultimately average level, through the addition of Salmons, a healthy season from Luol Deng, and steps up in the careers of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Tyrus Thomas. Jannero Pargo is back for a second go-around with the franchise, attempting his best Gordon impression up until the point where the shots actually need to go in. With a couple of late first-round picks in a weak draft class, the Bulls went with two older bigs in James Johnson and Taj Gibson for added immediate frontcourt depth.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

The Bulls have a very talented, versatile, and cohesive top-7 rotation. Rose won the rookie of the year last season, but also has various areas of improvement (drawing fouls, 3-point shooting, and defense) that could get him quickly to all-star level. If he can get there (and perhaps beyond towards superstardom) it makes all the difference for this team making everyone else's job easier.

Noah has gone from draft-night punchline to a starting-caliber center in his two seasons, and while never becoming a force on offense he's already a significant contributor, extremely active on defense and perhaps the best ballhandling quick center in the league. Tyrus Thomas is slated for his 3rd straight 'no really, he'll make the leap this year' season, but even if he never 'gets it' he always was at least an average player. Salmons and Deng are a very solid two-way wing combination.

And possibly most underrated aspect of the Bulls roster is their top two reserves, Brad Miller and Kirk Hinrich. Miller really stabilized the Bulls frontcourt last season as a complement to the athletic but raw Noah and Thomas, and though he's getting older Miller has skills that will age well. And Hinrich is possibly the best combo backup guard in the league, with the ability to defend either position, serving as both a low-turnover PG or a 3-point shooting SG to fit a lineup need.

This is a team that when they're clicking will play very well together, and while they'll feel Gordon's loss when needing a bail-out in possessions or games, replacing his minutes with Hinrich/Salmons/Deng will lead to an improved defense.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

Coaching is certainly an issue, and while one can assume Vinny Del Negro will improve in his second year on the job, that may be because he only had upwards to go. Beyond the occasional timeout mismanagement, Del Negro's Bulls sometimes looked like a team that had no coach. A roster that was once a top-5 defense under Scott Skiles fell to the bottom 10 in the league, and while the Bulls were an improved offensive team after the trade deadline, it was never one that looked organized, instead being simply more talented than their softer end-of-season scheduled opponents.

This could be an even bigger problem with Gordon departing, a player who was able to create his own offense. While the Bulls will be hoping improved ball-movement and unselfishness will raise everyone's game, there are many times in a game where they'll need playmakers, and Gordon was the best they had beyond Rose.

As mentioned above, the top-7 are good enough to not need many rotation decisions from VDN, but a key injury could really throw the season off course. Quality depth is another weakness as the Bulls had to skimp in filling out their roster in their goal to avoid the tax this year and getting under the cap next summer.

4. What are the goals for this team?

Seeing how a first-round playoff loss to a team missing its best player was seemingly treated with such extreme excitement and praise, no doubt it will be important for the Bulls to at least look like a team on the rise, whether it's true or not. And to do that they have to make the playoffs again, entering 2010 free agency as an attractive destination for players looking for a competitive team with the cap space to pay up.

A season where the playoffs are missed could bring a repeat of Bulls free agency past, where Jerry Krause had a league-worst roster and whiffed on plan A through plan Ron Mercer.

5. No really, Gordon was pretty good, but what's the big deal?

The Bulls were average last year, they'll likely be so again this year. Through some internal improvement, they may even wind up slightly better this offseason. But they would have been a favorite for a 4th seed (as opposed to being lumped in with Miami, Atlanta, and several other teams) if they swallowed the tax for one season while holding all their assets, and able to put together the best trade packages together for the next star player to be sold off.

The loss of Gordon was truly significant in signalling a change of direction of the franchise. Where the winning of the 2008 draft lottery could've been seen as the most significant piece of an already talented team ready to contend soon, letting Gordon go meant that in the name of avoiding the luxury tax, the Bulls were instead going to try and get under the cap and re-build around Rose and a 2010 free agent.

And with a declining cap and some decisions to be made on several key players (Hinrich, Salmons, and Thomas) before getting far enough under in that summer, the Bulls may not be able to pull it off. A better plan would've been to use a decade of record profits as justification for a luxury tax bill (even for a non-elite team), and using their expiring contracts to obtain even more talent. The elite teams in the league stockpile good players and get even more, not let them walk in the name of flexibility. And Gordon was the best player ever to have played through his entire rookie deal only to let walk for nothing, a truly spectacular failure from the Bulls standpoint. Things could certainly work out ultimately, but it's a huge risk and the Bulls will need to perform this season as well as get lucky in free agency to make the gamble worthwhile.

Projected Finish: I see this team as fairly fragile, but also with potential for a surprisingly successful season. They really do have talent that could claw their way to a 50 win season, but an injury or some turmoil could have it spiral down in the mid-30s. I could see either scenario playing out, but it's likely that while nothing horrible goes wrong, not everything goes right either, and little bumps in the road keep the Bulls near .500 all year. 40-42.

Recap: Bucks 98, Bulls 86

Frank Madden — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:27:12 -0000

Box Score / Recap

I finally had the pleasuring of seeing part of a Bucks preseason game tonight--albeit a webcam of a television showing the Bulls' WGN broadcast--but it was definitely better than nothing. Fortunately we've also got another package of highlights from Jim Paschke and the Bucks.com crew above.

First off: Andrew Bogut. My how we've missed you. Though the Bucks' first win of the preseason had as much to do with the Bulls' poor play (and lack of Derrick Rose) as anything else, there were some very promising signs from the Bucks' starting unit, notably Bogut. The big man scored 12 along five rebounds in 18 minutes, his longest outing of the preseason thus far, and looked pretty frisky in dropping a couple of hooks, a powerful right hander and even a jump shot on the unsuspecting Joakim Noah. Getting back up to speed has been a process for Bogut, but the process is going pretty well. Knock on wood.

Aside from that, it was a balanced effort befitting of an early preseason game. Luke Ridnour was again efficient in limited minutes while Brandon Jennings was lively but too content to pitch wayward mid-range jumpers (3/12 fg, 6 pts). Kurt Thomas brought his lunchpail to the starting five, deliver five rebounds and six points in 16 minutes. Scott Skiles wanted a better rebounding effort and Thomas helped him get it, as the Bucks won the battle of he boards for the first time in three games. Hakim Warrick also continued to produce, dropping 13/8 in 27 minutes.

Ersan Ilyasova meanwhile got his first rebounds of the preseason (yay!) but wasn't as productive. He buried a couple threes and continues to show a nice ability to pass the ball, but 8/4/3 in 22 minutes probably isn't good enough to lock up the starting PF spot. Keep working, Ersan, you'll get it.

Carlos Delfino also didn't hurt his cause in his first start, though we do know that he won't be starting on opening night--word came down before the game that he will be suspended for the opener as a result of his skirmish with Austin Daye on Wednesday. I'll be happy with Delfino so long as he defends respectably and buries threes, both of which he accomplished tonight. He made 3/5 threes en route to 12 points in 27 minutes, while also helping limit John Salmons and Luol Deng to a combined 4/17 shooting night.