SB Nation - Derrick Rose

Chicago Bulls 101, Atlanta Hawks 98 or Joe Johnson tries his hat at 06-07 Kobe Bryant

hawksdawgs — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:58:44 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

about 11 hours ago: Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah, left, and James Johnson (16) try to stop the Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson (2) from scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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Oddly enough, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson were the difference in this game. That and four horrible jump shots by Josh Smith.

Now I understand the desire to go crazy over the Joe Johnson show. There was way too much Joe Johnson. Especially when Al Horford was having a perfectly fine game and Joakim Noah had five fouls for what felt like the last 20 minutes of the game. I get that feeling. The Hawks probably could have used some more ball movement and diversity. And despite what Nique says, a fade away two point jump shot with a hand at your chin is not a good shot. I understand all this.

But with all that said, Joe really did have the advantage. Outside a few forced shots (and you are going to have a few when you shoot 32 of them), Joe could have made near every one of those looks. That last missed layup was so good my buddy and I were talking about how he went too soon in the game clock. Joe got his looks. He passed to open shooters. But Bibby missed open shots, Marvin missed open shots. And Josh took open shots.

On the other side of the ball, the Bulls did what we wanted them to do, only they succeeded. Rose, Taj, and Kirk hit jump shot after jump shot. Hats off to them. They deserved to win.

On a night when our defense forced them into jump shots, they hit them. VDN played one on one defense knowing Joe could get his shot and banking on the fact that he would not always hit it. Del Negro was right. And without any real help for Joe, every possession mattered for the Hawks and we wasted too many.

A lot of what ifs were left on the table, but I am going to answer the ones with blame toward the guys that did not score 40 points on 50% shooting.

The Hawks won't win them all. And that includes the ones they should. But anger tonight. Perspective tomorrow. Go Hawks!

NBA Eastern Conference: Taking Stock

tenaciousT — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:04:32 -0000

NBA –arama

After making my preseason predictions, I said I'd check how things were going from time to time. It's time. Let's take a look around the east, see what’s going on, and fess up to a few big misses. A number of predictions are on target...so far. Preseason predictions are in parentheses followed by current record

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (63-19) - 20-4
Thought they were going gently into their assisted living facilities, eh? Tut tut, my skeptical friends. The ‘assisted living’ comes courtesy of one Rajon Rondo, point guard extraordinaire. Rondo plays one gear higher than the rest of his starting unit.

11 game win streak says they are rounding into shape after starting strong, stumbling, then slowly righting the ship. The only major surprise was/is the lack of 48 minute intensity, and rebounding woes. They still look like one of the best teams in the NBA to challenge the Lakers. Back with a vengeance? They are back. Vengeance comes later.

Toronto (35-47) - 11-17
International crisis or communication breakdown?
Some expected more, but they are about where I expected and for the same reason – defense. Bargnani is part of the dilemma. He is a skilled big, but not an interior presence. With a domestic vs. international player rift surfacing recently, the Raps played their best defensive game of the season afterwards. Hedo’s not fitting in like they hoped…yet.

Jose Calderon has disappointed so far in what was supposed to be his big year. The rebuilt roster should be better later in the season, but aren’t built for prolonged defense. They are giving up 103.5 over their last 5 games, which 5 points better than before.

New York (31-51) - 8-16
After a 3-14 start, the ‘D’Antonies’ are 5-2 in their last 7 games. Another team without interior defense. They looked under every rock for a bona fide PG but the right one – the draft. Biggest current embarrassment is choosing Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings in the draft. This was going to be a learning year anyway, right? Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague were also still out there. Any of those better than Chris Duhon? Maybe some are already.

D’Antoni, frankly, has disappointed as well. I’ll confess, I thought Darko Milicic was a good risk for a team starved for bigs that block shots and play defense. Go figure. Jordan Hill may end up being a good player some day, too. Winning started by benching Nate Robinson. Coincidence? Sharp shooter Gallinari continues to impress, adds some board work.

76ers (41-41) – 6-19
Okay, this is one that’s not going as I thought it would. Oye.
Injuries are only part of the problem. Is Brand a lesser player now? Or is he just on the wrong team? Maybe it’s all bad karma for Elton leaving a good situation in Clipperland. (Yes, I did just say that.) Louis Williams (injured), Marreese Speights, and Thaddeus Young give hope for the future. It’s so bad that Iverson is back. Yeah, I know.

New Jersey (26-56) – 2-24
Say no more. Accident on the Jersey Turnpike. Tie up for miles, but not for years. No, they are not this bad. Bad luck continues with Yi Jianlian getting 50 stitches (yes 50) in his mouth courtesy of a Sean Williams elbow in a recent practice. The sooner this team can exit the swamp the better. Still, Brook Lopez will become an even better player if this season doesn’t kill him first. Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts are all good young talent.

Central Division

Cleveland (58-24) – 19-7
They are much better after starting 0-2 and 3-3. Not dominating like last season, but still a force. Shaq shooting a career low 49%, though they are now winning with him. Most lopsided team scoring distribution I have ever seen for a top team. Only three players in double digits and one of them is Shaq at 10.8 per.

Second best FG% defense and 4th best points allowed means they are still dangerous and in the hunt. Though Shaq is mostly a sideways or backwards move, if they get to the finals he helps against Lakers’ frontline. Shaq can’t slow down an already very slow team…can he? I feared this team more last year. Stop LeBron and you stop the Cavs. Am I wrong?

Stat of note: Cavs lead league in points in paint defense (34.1)

Milwaukee (35-47) – 11-12
Early season surprise coming back to earth lately. Many thought I had them too high. But Skiles always seems to get players to overachieve for a few years, until his tough guy ways get tired. Brandon Jennings makes a big splash with 55 point game but is tailing off since then. Still, he is the real deal and will figure things out.

Bucks are first in shot attempts and dead last in free throw attempts, which pretty much goes hand in hand. No one on this team gets to the line, except Jennings and Hakim Warrick.

Side Note: Toronto is known as the international team. But even they can’t compete with Milwaukee. Current starters are from 5 different countries: Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Cameroon, and U.S. Positively cosmopolitan for a city Shlitz beer made famous.

Detroit (36-46) - 11-14
I guess they are a bit better than I thought. Will this last? Even with key players injured, they put together a recent 5 game winning streak. They are still working a new system with a new coach. Loss of Tayshaun Prince hurts, Gordon is playing hurt, and Rip Hamilton is still in and out.

Still, the biggest surprise is the renaissance of "I’m retiring" Ben Wallace. Back up to 30 minutes and 10 rebounds a game, he can still defend, too. Detroit is 2nd best in points in paint defense. Can he do it all year and where is his help?

Pistons have the 3rd best total rebounding and 3rd best offensive rebounding differential in the league. Rodney Stuckey’s career year (19.3 pts) is offset by lower shooting %. He should stop taking three pointers altogether (21.4%)

Indiana (30-52) – 9-14
Danny Granger’s team is without Danny Granger for a while. With mediocre stats everywhere, just what do they do better than most NBA teams? Foul. They are 3rd in league with 2.2 foul differential.

Mike Dunleavy returns to a system that uses him to his best advantage and not a minute too soon. If the Pacers win 36 games, and that’s possible, that means O’Brien would have coached three straight 36-46 records here. Hey I have to find something interesting, don’t I? T.J. Ford is underwhelming again.

How are they doing attracting more fans? The past three years they went from 30th to 28th to 27th this season in attendance. They are a team with more integrity, but a few more wins wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Chicago (41-41) - 8-15 No one expected this meltdown. The loss of Ben Gordon’s 4th quarter points, Tyrus Thomas’ injury, Kirk Hinrich playing hurt, John Salmons’ underachieving season are all contributors, but all are secondary to Derrick Rose’s lack of noticeable improvement.

The chant for Vinny Del Negro’s head grows louder and I’m not against it. But I’d ask…who hired a rookie head coach for this team in the first place? That is where the blame should lie. Del Negro did reasonably well last season, but the wheels are falling off the wagon now.

Deng is playing well and Joakim Noah is continuing his rise up the food chain, but it’s nowhere near enough. I am fast becoming a Joakim Noah fan. Plays with passion, toughness, and heart.

Southeast Division

Orlando (60-22) -19-6
Fools go where wise men fear to tread – the paint against the Magic. They are crazy deep and probably Boston’s biggest problem in the East. Jameer Nelson returns soon and that’s not good news for opponents. Right now they are better offensively (5th rated) but worse defensively (9th rated) than last season, while giving up 2.2 more points.

This is a great situation for Vince Carter, who is playing 5 minutes less, but leads the team in scoring (19), while still hoisting up 17 shots per and will be a solid 4th quarter option for the Magic.

D. Howard is getting one less block a game, but shooting a career high in FG% (63.4%) While they probably over paid a bit for Mickael Pietrus ($5.3 mil), he continues to be a valuable piece to this team. Ryan Andersen has quietly been a nice addition. Marcin Gortat – the unhappy multi-millionaire.

Atlanta (48-34) - 18-6
This team is playing even better than I thought….and I thought this would be a good team. Woodson said the next thing is to learn how to win on the road. The Hawks are 7-4 so far this season and that is a huge step forward. Three of those road wins were against very tough home teams - Dallas, Boston and Portland.

For a team that could lose their leader (Joe Johnson) and their coach next season, they are moving from pretender to contender. Their youthful exuberance could make up for whatever they are missing. Al Horford and Josh Smith are unique young players and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson provide the veteran leadership. They are pasting the lesser teams and are 3rd in the league in average winning margin at +8.4 points. Just behind the Celtics and Lakers. Hmm…

Miami (38-44) – 12-11
Dwayne Wade is to this team what LeBron is to the Cavs. Probably more so. Jermaine O’Neal is actually playing pretty well, but is a shell of his earlier self. We knew going in that the Heat go as Wade goes. Michael Beasley is improving and Haslem is solid.

They stretched the Lakers to a (lucky) Kobe Bryant banked buzzer beating 3 pointer over Wade’s outstretched hand. That probably defines their season as well as anything. With $50 million coming off the books in 2010, this team (hopefully) gets a complete rebuild. With a player option for $17 million, whether Wade stays or not remains to be seen.

Charlotte (33-49) - 10-14
Solid defensive team (2nd in points allowed) that has trouble scoring (27th). Deliberate offense (pace: 28th in NBA) helps keep opponents’ numbers down. 5-5 over the last ten, they added controversial, but multi-talented Stephen Jackson. It gives the team a focal point (and… gulp…leader) Larry Brown has great experience handling prima donna players and Raymond Felton is playing better since Jackson’s arrival.

Gerald Wallace, the last original Bobcat, was plucked from deep on Sacramento’s bench. Time to test him for HRH (Human Rebound Hormone). He has gone crazy boarding, up from 7.8 last season to 12.2 this year. I’d like to know the last time an established player made that kind of jump. He continues to ply his game for a team going nowhere.

Talented DJ Augustine has perplexingly gone backwards this season. Tyson Chandler, who could have been an earlier version of Joakim Noah, is showing how much Chris Paul helped his game.

But we forget just how bad this team was before Larry Brown arrived.

Washington (41-41) - 7-16
In preseason I wrote…. "everyone’s favorite ‘move up’ team." What I didn’t write was that it would take some doing to keep all these scorers happy with shots and minutes. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. And things aren’t getting better. They are on a 6 game losing streak as I write this.

I never saw a happier, more hopeful team in the losers’ locker room than the one that ended its season against the Celtics last year. They all knew a much better year was coming. They had their version of a big three returning. But ubuntu doesn’t live here. Tragic because there is a lot of talent here. Flip Saunders has to sort this out, but I’m not sure where he starts.

I’ll end by (again) making my pitch for an unsung role player buried on the Wizards bench. Dominic McGuire would make a great (and cheap) Celtic.

There you have it. I apparently thought way too much of the Sixers. Comments welcome on all teams.

Back-to-Back Preview: Bulls and Bucks

DexterFishmore — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:30:20 -0000

The United States has an unemployment rate of 10%, yet Vinny Del Negro still receives a paycheck for coaching the Chicago Bulls. This is called market failure. Anyone outraged over Goldman Sachs bonuses should reroute a little populist anger toward Coach Vinny, as no one in America gets paid more for so little achievement. He's turned Derrick Rose and a bunch of other guys you've actually heard of into one of the suckiest teams in the league.

He'll be fired soon if there's even a tincture of sanity in this world, but luckily for Lakers fans it won't be until after tonight's game. The Lake Show kicks off a back-to-back at the United Center against the woeful Bulls, followed tomorrow by a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks. With their loss on Sunday to Utah, the Lakers ceded the league's best record to the Boston Celtics, who've been masterful at taking care of business on the road. There's a little urgency here for the Lakers to keep up, lest they start falling behind in the race for playoff home-court advantage.

These games really do matter.

Tonight: Chicago

Let's start with a basic truth about the Bulls: they're awful. Their record of 8-14 belies the true depths of their badness. They're 28th in the league in net points per game, ahead of only New Jersey and Minnesota. Over their last five games they've been outscored by an incredible 0.18 points per possession. This stretch includes two separate home losses by more than 25 points, a 35-point road loss to Atlanta and a home loss to the Nets. The only win in the last five was an overtime home victory over Golden State.

Girlfriend, please.

Word around the league is the team has quit on Del Negro, and the numbers won't tell you otherwise. Despite having the prodigiously talented Rose at the controls, the offense ranks 28th. They run hardly anything resembling a planned system. Most of their "plays" are either half-assed pick-and-rolls, or flattened 1-4 sets that ask Rose to improvise off the dribble. They don't get to the line and they're some of the worst shooters in the league. Other than that they're awesome.

Rose, in his second season, is regressing under Del Negro's non-guidance. His turnovers are up over his rookie year, and every other of his offensive metrics are down. He's made only one three-pointer in eight attempts. As a defender he's just terrible, lacking the ability to stay in front of any half-decent point guard. Derek Fisher isn't going to blow by him, of course, but Jordan Farmar certainly could.

Rose, in his defense, is getting less than zero help from his teammates. Starting shooting guard John Salmons has a True Shooting Percentage of 48%; keep that up over the long haul, son, and you're out of the league. He's made 33% of his threes this year, which isn't at all good but actually makes him the Bulls' best perimeter threat. That role you'd think would fall to Kirk Hinrich, but he's having a nightmarish campaign in terms of both injuries and performance. Hinrich has missed his last 13 long-distance attempts.

Up front, there's a little more for the Lakers to worry about, but only a little. Luol Deng is back at small forward after missing the playoffs to injury last year. He's OK, but it's hard to look at his performance and remember why we all once considered him a lynchpin to a possible Kobe Bryant trade. Something tells me if that trade had gone through it would not be viewed fondly by either Lakers fans or Kobe Bryant.

During tonight's broadcast you'll hear at least a few times that Taj Gibson is having a "promising rookie year." This is a stretch, and even that's putting it generously. Gibby has certainly played a fair amount, about 25 minutes a night, but his output hasn't been anything special. He's been turnover happy, he's not a good passer and he hasn't scored efficiently. Also, he's two years older than Andrew Bynum, so please don't think he's bursting with Ridiculous Upside.

If there's a bright spot in Chicago's season so far, it's been Joakim Noah. He has a fun-to-watch all-around game and is rounding into one of the NBA's better centers. With his length and bounciness, you'd think he's one of the few opposing centers who could cause problems for Bynum. Recently, though, both Chris Bosh and Brook Lopez have had big offensive numbers against Noah, so I'm hopeful Drew will rock and roll as usual. When the Lakers beat the Bulls in November, 108 to 93, Drew and Pau Gasol combined for 35 points.

(I pause here to remind everyone that Joakim, whatever his quirks and limitations, did call LeBron a bitch to his face. That alone earns him some affection in these parts.)

Brad Miller and rook James Johnson provide "depth" in the frontcourt, but not really. Miller has fallen off steeply, and Johnson doesn't look ready for The Show yet. Also off the bench we'll see a little Jannero Pargo, who's always fun. He likes to shoot a lot, which shouldn't be confused with being any good at it.

On Saturday the Celtics visited the United Center and won by 26. With Kobe still hurting the Lakers aren't likely to run it up to the same extent, but a comfortable, 15-point W is a reasonable expectation. The goals tonight should be to get the three-point game working again (after shooting 3 for 21 in Utah) and make quick work of a demoralized, fractured opponent. That would give the starters plenty of rest for....

Tomorrow Night: Milwaukee

It's always heated when the Lakers and Bucks face off. That's to be expected when one city has stolen Penny Marshall from the other. There's also the Lew Alcindor thing, but it's mostly about Penny. Milwaukeeans have forgiven... but not forgotten.

The Bucks don't have an obvious talent edge on the Bulls, but they do have the advantage of a coach who's not grossly incompetent. Scott Skiles, true to his rep, has forged a strong D in Milwaukee where just a couple seasons ago was one of the worst in the league. The Bucks rank seventh in defensive efficiency thanks to an aggressive scheme that forces turnovers prolifically.

On Wednesday night Skiles will run waves of big and athletic wing defenders at Kobe. Starters Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova and reserve Luc Richard Mbah a Moute are all capable or better and are likely to alternate shifts on Mamba Duty. The Laker ballhandlers will need to pay close attention to securing the rock - I'm looking at you, Ron Artest - but fortunately that's been a team strength this year. The turnovers that Milwaukee generates, in any event, come at the cost of a wickedly high foul rate.

The Lake Show bigs will face some combination of Andrew Bogut, Ilyasova, Hakim Warrick and Mbah a Moute. No pushovers in that group, no Eddie Curries, but also nobody that should really bother either Bynum or Gasol. Bogut has the size but not the agility, the other three vice versa.

The Bucks' offense is more a work in progress. The big story this season, as you don't need me to tell you, has been Brandon Jennings, who's like Derrick Rose was last year but better. After his 55-point detonation back in November, Jennings cooled off for a bit. The last two games, though, he's looked rejuvenated as he led his teams to wins over Toronto and Portland. He has a rare ability to get his lefty shot off against anyone along with great range (even if his 45% percentage on threes is very unlikely to hold up). He's moreover an above-average rebounder for his posishe.

Backing up Jennings is veteran Luke Ridnour, who you might be surprised to learn is having a splendido year. His True Shooting is over 60%, which he combines with a low turnover rate to make him one of the best backup PGs around. I doubt that his current performance level is sustainable, but give the guy credit for showing renewed verve in the summer of his career.

For most of the season the Bucks' starting shooting guard has been Charlie Bell. In Saturday's game, however, Charlie got the DNP-CD despite seeming to be in good health. I was about to research why he got benched when I remembered my favorite Andrew Bogut Video:

After watching it three more times and laughing heartily, I forgot all about Charlie Bell. Is he going to play tomorrow? Let's watch and find out together!

The Lakers should have Milwaukee solidly outgunned, but between the Denver and Utah games they haven't really blown us away with their performance in back-to-backs. It's time to fix that. There are plenty of back-to-backs on the horizon, so the Lakers need to get in the habit of sustaining that Night One energy across two games.

The honor of Penny Marshall demands it.

	Lakers	Bulls	Bucks
*RECORD*	18-4	8-14	11-11
*NET POINTS PER GAME*	+8.5 (2nd)	-8.6 (28th)	+0.9 (14th)
*PACE*	94.9 (8th)	91.8 (21st)	93.4 (11th)
*OFFENSIVE RATING*	108.5 (11th)	98.0 (28th)	104.2 (24th)
Turnover Rate (Off.)	12.8% (4th)	13.9 (16th)	13.0 (7th)
FTA/FGA (Off.)	0.266 (26th)	0.274 (24th)	0.227 (30th)
Free-Throw %	75.4 (14th)	73.2 (22nd)	73.7 (1st)
Effective FG% (Off.)	50.1 (13th)	44.6 (29th)	48.9 (20th)
True Shooting% (Off.)	53.9 (16th)	48.8 (29th)	52.0 (26th)
Off Rebounding Rate	28.0% (10th)	28.7% (7th)	25.5% (22nd)
*DEFENSIVE RATING*	99.7 (2nd)	107.4 (19th)	103.3 (7th)
Turnover Rate (Def.)	14.6% (11th)	12.9% (24th)	15.9% (3rd)
FTA/FGA (Def.)	0.262 (2nd)	0.282 (8th)	0.328 (30th)
Effective FG% (Def.)	46.0 (1st)	49.3 (15th)	49.6 (17th)
True Shooting% (Def.)	50.3 (1st)	53.0 (9th)	54.9 (20th)
Def Rebounding Rate	72.4% (21st)	71.4% (26th)	76.2% (3rd)

All statistical terms defined here. Parentheses indicate league rankings. Numbers are courtesy of Basketball Prospectus and HoopData and, except for record and net points per game, are through Sunday night's action.

Rose and Vinny on Rose's role

your friendly BullsBlogger — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:26:59 -0000

More McGraw (as if there could be such a thing!) after Monday's practice, displaying the two most important influences on Rose's game.

Rose himself:

People are saying they want me to shoot more, but I’m the point guard, I can’t do that. I’ve got to pass the ball to people and get them open. So taking over as a point guard is getting people open and shooting it here and there. If I was the two guard, it would be something else. That’s just not my game right now.

And his first NBA coach:

Asked the same question, coach Vinny Del Negro’s first response was, "What do you think?" in sort of an "isn't it obvious we want him to take over" manner.

Del Negro went on to talk about how it’s a learning process for a young point guard; he wants him to be aggressive, but also set up teammates, etc. He added a line that was interesting.

"There are other areas Derrick will continue to improve in that are probably more important than that," Del Negro said.

Doug over at ChicagoNow says that Rose is shooting plenty of shots, just not doing what it takes (namely drawing contact) to maximize his efficiency. I suppose, but even when there are stretches where Rose is shooting plenty (of floaters), there are too many others where he's happy to just drift through the game.

(and if Rose is to eventually be the all-NBA superstar type, shouldn't there be one 40-point, 28 shot outburst in his early career?)

Is that something that can be coached out of him? I can't say for sure, it probably can be learned, but also a certain personality is required to recognize and embrace that the best way for your team to succeed ( especially if your team is full of overmatched teammates) is to be unabashedly selfish.

The Bulls have to continue to develop Rose and best foster this particular improvement, and as VDN says, improving many other facets as well. We expected a leap in production: getting to the line more, increased range on the jumper, passable defense...has any of this happened? The ankle injury slowed him for the start of the season, but we're 20 games in , and the explosion is there to see in enough of his spectacular plays to make me write that off as an ongoing excuse.

If the Org.'s mantra since winning the lottery was that Rose is #1 priority, then it follows that there are grounds for VDN to be fired if only to try and give Rose some better developmental coaching. Because right now I can't argue that he looks much different than when he entered the league.

The Jonny Pod

Stop-n-Pop — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:54:56 -0000

I know I promised a double game wrap so let's quickly deal with the Laker game before moving along to the tilt that, unfortunately, says the most about Our Beloved Puppies: The Lakers are the best team in the NBA and there is no shame in losing to a team that could end up as one of the all-time greats. The end. As for the Kings...

I'm a big Apple fan but one of the things I can't stand the most about the company is their willingness to spring new products on their consumers with little or no warning. My personal experience dates back to the little iPod you see above. I went out and bought that little doohicky about a week, maybe two, before the iPod video launched.

I enjoyed my iPod. It iPoded well and was able to hold nearly all of my music. Yet, it probably became irrelevant at just about the time I bought it.

And so begins the career of Jonny Flynn in a league with Tyreke Evans.

I'm not really sure what the correct word is for what Evans did to Flynn last night but here are several that I think should qualify for a chance at the title: eaten, mangled, transmorgified, cold-cocked, and stampled (I made this one up). Whatever it is, I'm sure we Wolves fans will have more than enough up-close opportunities to figure it out over the next however many years.

The most disappointing thing about last night's game wasn't the action on the court. The Wolves played well early on their 4th game in 5 nights spanning from Toronto to Minneapolis to LA to Sacramento and they lost Ryan Gomes to an ugly ankle injury. It was one of those games where you can probably talk yourself into chalking the loss up to a little bit of a lack of effort, a little bit of indifference, and a whole lot of "let's get out of here". What was most disappointing about the game is that for all the talk of two top draft picks, Ricky Rubio, and future assets, the Kings--a franchise that was below the crap-ass level of the 2008/09 Wolves--fell into a bit of luck (see Evans, Tyreke) and are now miles and miles and miles beyond the Wolves. A bad game is a bad game is a bad game is a bad game (believe me, I watch the Wolves) but last night's demolition was something more. It was a realization that the Kings have something that cannot be answered by Jonny Flynn or Ricky Rubio....to say nothing of what Jason Thompson and a legit 7 footer (Spencer Hawes) means for the Wolves' front line.

For 4 quarters Evans had his way with the Wolves' back court. From post ups to Manu-esque below-the-rim drives to the hoop the guy got what he wanted when he wanted it and he did so primarily because of his physicality. He physically dominated his position more than anyone else on the court. I know we talked about his physical upside in the lead up to the draft but....well, there it was on full display. The guy is LeBron James at the point, and yes, I went there. Maybe Manu with muscles is more like it. Congrats to the Kings for finding the bit of luck that all franchises need to make the big jump from level to level.

Who is that guy for the Wolves? Well, if there is one thing to hope for it is that John Calipari can go 3-3 with dominant lead guards in the NBA Draft. If Derrick Rose is the speedster and Tyreke Evans is the physical powerhouse, here's hoping that John Wall is a magical combination of the two and that the Wolves finally end up with the top pick.

Wrapping this up, last night's loss had more to do with roster management than anything else. The Wolves have fallen behind yet another young bad team that they were ostensibly ahead of last season. At least they didn't find themselves in this position because they passed on or traded Evans in the draft. Kahn's got that going for him.

Until later.

Nets 103, Bulls 101: Won't say rock bottom since there could be a ways to go

your friendly BullsBlogger — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:04:41 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose stands on the sidelines against the New Jersey Nets trying to figure out how many days until he's a free agent. It's a long process. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Browse more photos »

	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
New Jersey	96.0	107.3	47.0%	28.6	28.9	13.5
Chicago		105.2	48.9%	17.0	36.4	17.7

Bulls weren't embarrassed tonight, they're just continually embarrassing with this loss being another instance of it. Though of the 8 losses in 9 games, this certainly is the worst opponent.

And the Nets didn't disappoint in showing their ineptitude for long stretches of the game. But you could tell from the outset that the Nets smelled a win here, and they proved that they're just as good as the Bulls...or that the Bulls are just as bad as them.

I didn't see a team that quit on their coach, or played down to competition. This is who the current Bulls are, a team that's as good as the New Jersey Nets, having to put up a 31-point fourth quarter to lose by 2. I truly thought all 4th quarter that the Nets ran out of gas and the Bulls would narrowly get this one. And I was not rooting for them to lose as some kind of statement to show how bad they are. The fact that it was this close at the end, and they were down double-digits for a majority of the 3rd quarter, showed how comparable these current rosters are, win or lose.

(though the final possession was indeed a head-scratcher, with the Bulls having 14 seconds and John Salmons launching a 3 with a hand in his face with 7 left. I'm fine with not holding until the last shot in that situation, but the 'quick' shot has to be a better option than that, and Rose has to at least touch the ball. Also, Vinny ran out of timeouts, and he subbed out Taj (one of the team's best offensive re bounders) before Rose missed the final rebound, which I believe was on purpose? Anyway, credit Kiki Vandeweghe and his cool glasses for fouling Rose up three.)

A young duo of Harris-Lopez that's possibly better than Rose-Noah (Rose had a great second half when he realized a bit late that they needed him to score a lot, but Lopez dominated Noah). Middling wings in Lee and CDR that seemed interchangeable with Salmons-Deng at a fraction of the price. Crappy depth all-around.

Taj Gibson had a great night shooting the ball, but registered two defensive rebounds in over 35 minutes. He actually was benched in favor of Brad Miller to start tonight's game, a move I'm in favor of...but Miller looks one step over the hill and provided nothing tonight.

It's real bad right now. And while I don't see any changes overnight, when they get absolutely hammered in Atlanta tomorrow, the Org. may have no choice but to do something to salvage the season. A season they were not really interested in anyway, but they can't let it stay this bad.

Postgame notes and quotes: Wizards over Bucks

Mike Prada — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:15:43 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

17 days ago: WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Brendan Haywood #33, Caron Butler #3 and Gilbert Arenas #0 of the Washington Wizards celebrate after a made basket against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Verizon Center on December 2, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Some interesting stuff that people on the Wizards said before and after the game. Stats will be up later.

Boykins love

Earl Boykins wasn't originally going to talk to the media. He had somewhere to be and left before everyone got there, and the Wizards' PR people apologized to everyone on his behalf. But he eventually came back and chatted for a bit, though he's not the most talkative guy in the league.

One thing he was asked was about playing in Italy last year, which yielded an interesting answer.

"It was easy for me [to go to Europe], because when most guys go, they go because they're forced to. I chose to go. That's the big difference. When you choose to do something, it's easier to handle being away from home."

It's nice that he tells himself that, and clearly it's allowed him to persevere. But let's be honest, he kind of was forced to go to Europe. The money dried up in the 2008 offseason and nobody was willing to offer him good money, so he went to the only place that paid him. Nothing wrong with that, just saying his explanation doesn't seem right to me.

That was probably the only thing that I can find fault with Boykins for on this night. Many other guys talked about him, particularly his former teammates, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison.

Jamison said he couldn't believe that Boykins hasn't been able to stick anywhere.

It kind of amazes me that it's hard for this guy to stay stable in the league and stay on a team," he said, latter adding that "The only thing that amazes me [about Boykins] is that this guy was at home relaxing, and all of a sudden, he's acting like he hasn't missed any time."

Arenas was also asked why Boykins hasn't been able to stick, and said he thinks a lot of it has to do with the stigma that's resulted from his height. Arenas said people look at him and make assumptions that there are better guys out there because of how small he is. He also seemed totally comfortable with Boykins taking the last few shots, which is either a sign of selflessness or being overly passive, depending on your perspective.

"Coach yelled at us like four games ago, saying 'Why don't you run the goddamn floor?' I was like, 'Well, me and Earl got this thing going for the last couple years.' Earl goes and attacks, and if he doesn't have anything, he passes it back to me and I go. He knows that when he gets stuck, I'm behind him. That's just how we play."

There were people chanting "MVP! MVP!" when Boykins went to the free throw line. Jamison laughed about it and said he didn't hear until someone told him after the game, while Boykins said he also didn't hear it (which I don't believe).

Flip Saunders said the final play was indeed run for Boykins, and not Arenas, in case you guys were wondering. He considered playing Nick Young down the stretch instead of Boykins, but decided to stick with Boykins and it worked out.

(Below the jump: Caron Butler's aggressiveness, Gilbert Arenas' mid-range shooting, Arenas' beef with the refs, Brendan Haywood breaking down the defensive strategy on Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings and more)

Caron Butler's aggression had to do with his health

Comcast SportsNet's Chris Miller said it best tonight - Caron Butler had "that look." Before the game, he was out on the main court shooting game-speed jumpers - spot-up shots, one-dribble, etc. As he stepped onto the court, he took the ball from the ref, bounced it around, all while strutting from one side of the court to the other.

His numbers weren't incredible - 15 points on 10 shots - but he got to the line 10 times, attacked the rim and had a nasty throwdown on Bogut tonight. It was a Butler who wasn't settling for jumpers, instead choosing to attack sensibly. It was a Butler we hadn't seen all season.

After the game, I asked Butler what caused his renewed aggression. He said a lot of it had to do with his ankle feeling better. Remember, he missed the Philadelphia game and was nagged during the San Antonio game with that ankle.

My ankle is feeling better, and I'm able to maneuver. At the time I wasn't feeling so well, I was settling for jumpers and stuff because I couldn't explode to the basket and do some of the things I can do.

Then, as if catching himself mid-thought, he somewhat changed his tune so that it didn't seem like he was excusing his poor performance.

But I'm not going to make no excuses. I'm just going to go out there and play and don't point no fingers. I just try to do what I can. Sometimes, maybe for a guy like myself, 60 percent is better than somebody healthy, so I'm just trying to do the best I can. But now I'm definitely feeling much better and adding another dimension to this ballclub.

The explanation still makes some sense, though. We all know how Butler plays through pain often, so it's very possible that ankle injury was worse than he let on. Ankle injuries can nag you for a long time too - Derrick Rose, for example, is struggling in large part due to his slow recovery from a preseason ankle injury.

Butler didn't say whether Saunders told him to be more aggressive, saying instead that "it's common sense" to drive to the rim more, especially when a smaller player is defending him. However, Saunders said he did in fact talk to Butler and encouraged him to drive to the basket more often.

"I told [Caron], he's got to be more aggressive. He's one of the one guys that we have that can put it on the floor and beat people off the bounce. When he does that, it sucks the defense in a lot and it opens things up for everyone else."

Either way, I hope this keeps up. I also hope we see more of Caron posting up. I'll save this for a future video segment (if I can get source video), but I really liked how he was deployed tonight.

Butler also was very happy about his jam on Bogut, bragging that it was the second time he got Bogut in his career ("He's on my wall twice!"). I asked him when that other dunk happened (I didn't remember), and he said it happened last year. Anyone remember?

Gilbert Arenas angry at the referees

What started as an innocent question to Gilbert Arenas by Kyle from Truth About It turned into an all-our rant against the referees. Arenas accused the referees of "profiling" him and can't understand why he was called for two straight offensive fouls when he tried to drive to the rim.

Read more about it on Truth About It, where Kyle has the transcript of the exchange. It'll be interesting to see if Arenas gets fined at all for his comments.

This version of the "more aggressive Gilbert Arenas" means...

Arenas eventually calmed down, as he always does, and opened us up his mind, heart and soul about, well, everything. At one point, when asked about the bench, he praised DeShawn Stevenson's ability to play his role by saying he job previously was basically to make some shots and "irritate" the other team like Dennis Rodman used to do. I guess that's a compliment...

I eventually asked him about his mid-range jumper, which he seems to be knocking down far more proficiently than he did earlier in the season. Why is he stroking that shot now when he wasn't before?

"Now, I'm concentrating on shooting. Before, it was like 'Shit, I'm open, let me just shoot it before coach yells at me for not shooting it.' At the beginning, Twan was out, and I was scoring. Then, there was this little part about 6, 7 games ago where if I saw an open shot, I was taking it, but I wasn't in rhythm. I wasn't thinking about shooting. Now, I'm thinking about shooting again. When I come off the pick, I'm shooting instead of just thinking about passing."

I also asked him about Antawn Jamison's comments from last week and what it meant to hear him and Flip Saunders imploring him to be more aggressive. He said it helped a lot to hear those comments from them.

"I was afraid what those guys were going to think. I've been gone for two years. You come back, and they're holding up the ship. If you're coming back and you're coming back shooting, you don't want them to look at you sideways."

Brendan Haywood reads the scouting reports

Talk to Gilbert Arenas, and he'll break down offensive schemes and stuff like that in a very detailed manner. Brendan Haywood is the same way, except defensively.

I asked Haywood what the team strategy was on Andrew Bogut, who was held to just eight points on 4-14 shooting. Haywood had a major hand in that, of course, but Andray Blatche did a good job on Bogut as well. That's really key, because Bogut does so many things for the Bucks.

"Our strategy wasn't to double Bogut at all. We really just kind of wanted to stay at home. You don't want to make anyone comfortable, so you want to sometimes, when he starts dribbling, fake at him a little bit, make him think he might be being doubled when he's really not. But our whole thing was, listen, let's not let this guy get to his left. Even though he's right-handed, he really likes to use his left hand. Let's keep him off his left hand and take away his space for his jump shot."

Now THAT'S a detailed breakdown. It shows Haywood does his homework on players to make sure they won't get in their comfort zone. That's a huge part of being a good defensive player, and Haywood seems to have mastered it.

I also asked Haywood about the team's strategy on Brandon Jennings, who had 17 points, but needed 21 shots to get there.

"We really tried to converge at [Jennings] at the rim. We realized early on that he drives to score more than he drives to pass, so we really tried to step up, take away his scoring angles and make him shoot jump shots. That's just the name of the game. You make guys take contested jump shots, you're going to play good defense."

This is an interesting observation by Haywood. I have noticed a couple times that Jennings tends to shoot those little floaters once he gets into the lane instead of focusing on driving and dishing. He passes really well off the pick and roll on the perimeter, but not as well when he gets to the rim. Again, Haywood did his homework tonight and does it all season. That's the sign of a defensive leader.

Other stuff

Flip Saunders on Andray Blatche:

"Andray's in a tough situation. Right now, our two most consistent people have really been Antawn and Brendan. At times, it's tough to take those guys out. Sometimes, when Antawn gets on a roll, he's one of those guys where he gets on a roll, you want to keep him playing because he doesn't seem to get tired. He gets better as he keeps on going. But to Andray's credit, he's kept a positive attitude these past few games, and even though he played 19 minutes, he had a solid 19 minutes."

Antawn Jamison on beating two very different teams (Toronto and Milwaukee) in back-to-back nights.

"Knowing that the style of play [between TOR and MIL] is very different, for you to be able to adjust to that really speaks volumes. That's the type of team that we have to be. We can be a team that can run up and down the court with you, or we can be a team that can play physical and rebound and just grind it out."

Gilbert Arenas on the last play:

"On the last play, they were so worried about me, and I was like 'You're about get a rude awakening, because this is Earl's show.'"

Bucks 99, Bulls 97: a near ugly-win. By that I mean they were certainly ugly, but lost

your friendly BullsBlogger — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:47:22 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Chicago Bulls' Lindsey Hunter (11) shows off one of his old defensive tricks: laying on top of your opponent and crushing him with your fat. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Chicago	89.0	109.0	43.8%	33.8	40.0	15.7
Milwaukee		111.2	47.8%	12.0	37.7	11.2

Lindsey Hunter played the entire 4th quarter. That's basically all one needs to know when it comes to determining how an NBA game can be lost. The Bulls have major depth issues and it comes to a head when not only Hunter is required to play at all, or significant minutes, but he actually shares a backcourt with Jannero Pargo (0-3 in 11 minutes. As Barney Gumble once said to Lisa Simpson: "Go back to Russia!").

But, overall, Lindsey was an improbable +6 for the night, and though it may not have been old-man tricks but just random chance, his strategy of chucking the ball as hard as he could at the backboard so Joakim Noah could rebound and score was working. In one of the Bulls final possessions, Hunter took an ill-advised (dubbed so by me as it was a field-goal attempt) leaner that wound up back at the 3-point line for Salmons to hit one of the teams two threes of the night.

After the foul shot dance of late-game deficits, in their final possession the Bulls found themselves down two and Derrick Rose passed to a wide-open Brad Miller who front-rimmed a jumper. I guess it was a bit of irony that Miller for once wasn't the old Bull overused in the 2nd half, as that went to Hunter...yet he still didn't seem to have his legs under that shot. Again, Hunter played the entire 4th quarter. I criticize VDN for a lot of things, but failing in a 'ride the hot hand' strategy is not one of them. I think he's mostly done a good job of identifying his best guys and going to them, not who happens to be 'hot' that night. But he definitely stayed with what was working tonight, and the question is then was Hunter actually doing that well? Even if so, it just meant a higher likelihood that he'd return to dust.

But while Hunter was inexplicably on the floor on an offensive lineup substitution in the Bulls final try, another story is Rose passing instead of shooting in that posession. Him doing that doesn't bother me, what did was his complete disappearance in the first half, scoring 2 points in a game where he had to know he'd have to (even moreso than usual) pick up the scoring load for his undermanned team. I don't mind the mindset that brings an occasional deference on a given possession, but Rose seems to drift through entire stints on the floor. (With nobody else being a meanie and taking the ball from him either)

But Rose did recover and had himself a fairly stellar 2nd half, and outperformed Brandon Jennings in that span. In fact, if we're still sticking (and I'm trying to) to the mindset that only Rose/Deng/Noah truly matter anymore on this team, then it was a pretty good night. But the Bucks have 3 point shooting (including slight PFs, as Ilyasova and Warrick must be Skiles dream...though not quite Malik Allen dreamy), as well as a big they can devote possessions to in Andrew Bogut. The Bulls have no such options, and I don't need to go into their designed inefficiency after every single game. I almost feel bad when they came close in this one, that's how bad they look.

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.

Previewing Bulls-Lakers, Where Pau Gasol is Back!

Josh Tucker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:08:01 -0000

More photos » by Reed Saxon - AP

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!

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That's right, folks. The Chicago Bulls have won the Pau Gasol Sweepstakes! As their prize, they get to be the first to have to plan for not only Kobe, Bynum, LO, and Ron Ron, but also the might Spaniard, Pau Gasol! Aren't they lucky?

Actually, no. While he may be a bit rusty in his first game back, he also has a history of performing well against the Bulls. In their two-game regular season series last year, Gasol led the Lakers in scoring, averaging 28.5 points per game, as well as 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 35.5 minutes. The Lakers won both games, the final scores of which were virtually identical: 116-109 at Staples Center, and 117-109 at United Center.

Suffice it to say that while no NBA team, executive, coach, or player wishes injury on another, the Bulls wouldn't have minded if Gasol had sat out one more game.

On the other hand, Derrick Rose also fared pretty well in those two meetings from last season, averaging 25 points, 6.5 assists, and 4 rebounds in 37.5 minutes per game. With the point guard position being the Lakers most vulnerable point defensively, and our weakest matchup, this could continue to be a problem. But before we get into that, let's look at the Lakers coming in.

The Lakers Right Now

8-3, 3rd in West, 105.4 ORtg, 102.3 DRtg, 94.4 Pace

The Lakers were looking great mid-last week. Had power rankings been done about a week ago, the Lakers likely would have held the top spot. But then they lost two straight, neither of which was close, and we started to realize that the win over Phoenix might have had just as much to do with their weary legs and rough early schedule as it did with out supposed dominance.

With Pau Gasol out until now, much of the season to date has revolved around Kobe Bryant — to an extent that we really hadn't expected with a team still so talented. Simply put, the team has mostly risen and fallen with him. In the early going, when his post game was impossibly dominant and the Lakers were getting it to him as often as they possibly could, LA rolled. After a bit, teams adjusted to that strategy, packing the defense into the paint and forcing Kobe to go outside, and the Lakers to get other players involved. They were slow to adapt, not doing either of these things well, and that led to poor performances overall.

Simply put, teams knew what Kobe was going to do, and they knew the rest of the Lakers weren't looking to do anything but pass to him. It made the Lakers predictable, and quite stoppable, and stopped they were.

On Tuesday, the entire situation looked much improved. Okay, we can give Kobe a pass for getting excited about his new and improved post game, and we can give his teammates a pass for being mesmerized by it and wanting to see more of it. They got a bit infatuated with that lone offensive weapon, but they seem to have snapped out of it. Two nights ago, they were passing the ball, getting other players involved, and playing as a team. Kobe was playing a fully balanced game, running pick-and-rolls on the perimeter, attacking off the dribble from the wings, and of course, still adding a good measure of post play. For two dominant quarters, they were unstoppable — and the story of those quarters was more one of interest and effort than anything else.

On the defensive end, they were engaged, working hard. The perimeter defense was suffocating, even from guys like Farmar, Brown, and yes, D-Fish. Meanwhile, I was pretty impressed with Bynum, who was challenging guards on switches, moving his feet, altering shots, and going after rebounds. If the Lakers play with the interest and motivation they did in those middle two quarters, this game won't be a problem. If they play with the sloppiness and laziness of the first quarter, and if the bench is as disconnected and just plain bad as they were in the fourth quarter, this is a Bulls team that can beat us.

Speaking of Pau Gasol

It's the first time we'll be seeing him this year, so let's talk about Pau Gasol, since we haven't yet. Don't expect him to play heavy minutes; Gasol has worried vocally about his conditioning, and Phil Jackson has said that he'll be happy if Pau can go for 25 minutes. On the other hand, I wouldn't be too worried about what kind of shape his knee is in. He took things very cautiously and slowly — much the opposite of the "if I can breathe without a respirator and have at least one good leg, I'm playing" mentality of one Kobe "Round-theClock Treatment" Bryant — so it seems safe to assume that if he's coming back, it means that leg is in pretty good shape.

The good news is that we could get a fairly healthy dose of Gasol while he's in. After playing without him for 11 games, I wouldn't be surprised if his teammates are looking for him a bit more than usual. If his shot is falling, he's got the skills to really do some damage. Most of all, though, his passing will be a welcome addition to the Lakers half court set. I was pleased with Bynum's passing against Detroit, but I don't know that there's a big man in the league that has Gasol's passing skills. At the same time, his mere presence on the court is likely to encourage a more balanced game both from Kobe, and from the Lakers — and as we saw on Tuesday, that's a recipe for success.

Bottom line: This is the guy that Kelly Dwyer has been repeatedly calling the best power forward in the NBA, and I'm inclined to agree with him. While he may be a bit rusty to start out, there's simply no way to put a negative spin on getting back a player of that caliber.

The Bulls Coming In

6-4, 7th in East, 98.0 ORtg, 99.5 DRtg, 92.3 Pace

The Bulls are a pretty lopsided team. Their defense is 4th best in the league, allowing only 98 points per 100 possessions (for reference, the Lakers are allowing 102.3 points per 100 possessions). On the other hand, their offense is just abysmal, averaging 98 points per 100 possessions — for the mathematically challenged among you, that's less than one point per possession. As you know if you've been paying attention around here, that is NOT good.

As a team, the Bulls take an inordinate number of long twos and mid-range jumpshots, while attempting significantly fewer inside and three-point attempts than most teams in the league. Translated, that means they're taking a lot of the least efficient shots on the court, and not enough of the most efficient shots.

The defensive strategy for the Lakers, then, should be easy: push the Bulls into their already established tendencies. Pack it into the paint and chase them off the three-point line, and they'll almost do the Lakers work for them, settling for low percentage two-point shots.

On the other hand, Derek Rose has vowed to be more aggressive offensively, accurately noticing that his offensive struggles are the result of settling for low quality shots and an overall passiveness on offense. Rose has committed to attacking the paint and playing more aggressively as of this game — how he fares against the likes of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom is yet to be seen, but if the Lakers are hoping to lull the Bulls into taking low percentage shots, they should be aware that it is Rose's intention to do the exact opposite.

Joakim Noah seems to be the story of the Bulls, lately. He's not an extraordinary NBA talent, but the guy just works harder, more consistently, than most players in the NBA. He's an effort player who can really inject his team with energy, and that effort is contagious.

For a Lakers team that is criticized for their effort more than anything else, this could be the story of the game. If the Lakers come out expecting a walk in the park and an easy win, without putting in solid effort and playing hard, the Bulls will have a chance to steal this game. If they buckle down and plan to earn this win, their talent is such that this Bulls team simply isn't good enough to play with them when they're working hard and playing well.