SB Nation User Blog: Basketball Smurf

Del Negro Unable to Control Bulls

Basketball Smurf — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:30:39 -0000

Del Negro Unable to Control Bulls

The Bulls don't look like the bundle of chemistry and sunshine we were promised in the summer. I have a question - do the Bulls vets have a problem with giving the ball to Rose?

Thunder Acquire Eric Maynor for Bag of Chips, Back Rub

Basketball Smurf — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:58:05 -0000

Thunder Acquire Eric Maynor for Bag of Chips, Back Rub

Wouldn't it be cool if the Bulls used their vast wealth to improve the roster... nah.

With the Bulls expiring contracts they should try to get a good player on a salary dump. They should, but they won't.

Open Game Thread #24: Bulls vs New York Knicks

Basketball Smurf — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:16:10 -0000

[Sorry! Not sure what happened, I had one scheduled -ed.]]

Go Bulls

Apparently fan posts have to be 75 words long. who knew? Well, the Bulls are currently playing the Knicks. This is as good a chance they have had for a win. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Post your thoughts (and other things) below. Its the dramatic return of Chris Duhon, one of the top point guards currently on the Knicks. A chance to see Al Harrington up close, for those who wanted to trade for him... Is this 75 yet?

Hollinger Projection: Bulls 32-50, 12th in East

Basketball Smurf — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:53:11 -0000

Hollinger Projection: Bulls 32-50, 12th in East

According to Hollinger, the Bulls only have a 17% chance of making the playoffs. I guess he hasn't been watching them play...

Play James Johnson. Play him at PF.

Basketball Smurf — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:31:57 -0000

Play James Johnson. Play him at PF.

Thonus makes a good argument for getting Johnson more minutes. I'm ambivalent on whether they label him a PF or SF, but Hunter should never see 22 minutes. That is unacceptable.

Hinrich to Miss 1 to 2 weeks

Basketball Smurf — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:55:31 -0000

Hinrich to Miss 1 to 2 weeks

[From the fanshots. This may get ugly. And I AM sort of bummed I won't see Hinrich-Gordon on Tuesday. -ed.]

Courtesy of Doug Thonus who got the info courtesy of Bulls.com.

This is the exact situation we signed Lindsey Hunter for. As a veteran basketball player / grief counselor; he should be able to navigate the team through the misery that is his and Pargo's play.

Just thinking out loud as we scour the East: Shouldn't Chicago at least be looking into Iverson?...

Basketball Smurf — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:02:04 -0000

Just thinking out loud as we scour the East: Shouldn't Chicago at least be looking into Iverson? Ben Gordon's scoring has been sorely missed, John Salmons hasn't been able to recapture last season's second-half mojo and the Bulls, although very close to the luxury-tax line, have two open roster spots and would not go over the tax line if they signed Iverson to a prorated veteran minimum deal. We repeat: Just thinking out loud.

http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-091127-28/latest-nba-chatter

Taj Gibson Represents Everything Wrong with the Chicago Bulls (A Rant)

Basketball Smurf — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:46:54 -0000

I'm trying not to hate Taj. I'm trying. But it is really hard. Its not his fault. He is just a symbol. Its like dating any girl with the same name as an ex-girlfriend you hated. Or turning the channel every time you see Tom Cruise's face. You want to give them a chance, I'd love to see Valkyrie for instance, but every time I see Tom Cruise's face I am reminded by everything I hate about him and what he represents. Every time I see Taj Gibson, I'm reminded of why Pax and Gar are terrible and why the Bulls have spent the last 10 years playing horrible basketball that is frankly tough to watch.

My dislike of Taj can be broken down into two categories - on the court and off the court. They bleed together a bit, but they represent two separate failings of this organization.

On the Court:

Taj Gibson does nothing the Bulls need. Seriously. If you were listing his strengths, of which there are few, the Bulls already have numerous players who perform his job better. Offensive rebounding? Noah, Deng and Tyrus are better. Shot blocking? Noah and Tyrus are better. Mid-range shoooting? Deng, Salmons, Miller, Hinrich, Tyrus and Rose are better. None of Taj Gibson's so called strengths are things the Bulls lack. In fact, he is at best the 3rd or 4th best player on our team at all of his "strengths." In truth, Taj Gibson should not be playing at all. Tyrus' injury means he needs to see some minutes (never 38). But when Tyrus comes back, Taj should get so many DNP-CDs, the Bulls decide to put that on the back of his jersey. And when he does, someone should break his kneecaps.

I guess Taj's great ability is to be where he suppose to be. A young Malik Allen. Well, that is just fine and dandy. I'm sure if you gave me the playbook and a month of practice I could be in the right place at the right time, just like VDN wants. But of course, just like Taj, I would do nothing once I got there. Who cares if he is a willing screener if they aren't effective? Who cares if he is in position to space the floor if he can never hit a wide open shot or make a play with the ball? Who cares if he plays great positional defense if that position defense yields 17pts and 9rebs in one half.

But Taj's on court production is just a symbol of the true disaster he represents off the court. A management so dumb, myopic, and bitter against its own players and fans that it would rather pay Taj $1 million a year to suck than deal with a "difficult" player.

Off the Court: Lets briefly re-examine how Taj Gibson became a bull.

The Trade of Thabo Seflosha - Before the trade deadline, the Bulls traded Thabo Sefolosha, current Thunder starter and owner of one of the most affordable contracts in basketball (!), to OKC for the pick formerly owned by the San Antonio Spurs.

At the time, from outside, the decision made some sense. Thabo was clearly number 4 in our wing pecking order behind Gordon, Hinrich and Salmons. You add in a presumed return from Luol Deng and its understandable that the Bulls would part ways with Thabo. From the outside, its makes some sense. From the outside....

But if you were fucking Gar or Pax, and you knew that JR had no intention of resigning Gordon, and you knew that you wanted Salmons to opt out of his contract at the end of this season, why in the fuck would you trade your young 2 guard for the #26 pick in a weak draft. How dumb are they? Did they not envision what the team would look like when they decided to let Gordon walk? Of course they did. They were going to focus on "defense." So it makes perfect sense that you would trade your best wing defender without ever giving him an opportunity to get consistent minutes. I mean, the team is going to focus on D. Why in the hell would you want Sefolosha? That guy is known for not being good on D.

The trade of Thabo Sefolosha represents a complete breakdown in organizational planning. Unless of course, the plan was to save a few hundred thousand dollars. They traded a player they could have used for a worse player who duplicates many of the skills already present on the team.

The Drafting of Taj - But you know what? Thabo Sefolosha is gone, and there is nothing that can be done about it. He is at best playing with a dominant wing scorer, and KD fits that bill. Oh well. Its now the day of the draft, and a decision needs to be made. The Bulls have already taken JJ, a 3/4 tweener with raw but self-evident skills.

Now, lets put on our GarPax hats again. Judging by the current roster make-up, and knowing full well that you are not going to resign Gordon (also knowing that you are going to go on national tv on draft night and lie about your efforts to resign him) you would think that you would address a need. What are the Bulls biggest needs? Well, on blogabull, the consensus seemed that the Bulls needed a banger to match up with the big guys (Blair, Mullens), a back-up point guard to some day replace Kirk (Lawson, Douglas, Collison) or a shooter/scorer to replace BG (Budinger, Thorton, Ellington). That seemed to be the consensus on the draft boards as well. Somehow, someway, the Bulls ended up with Taj Fucking Gibson. A guy who they could have gotten in the 2nd round for cash considerations or a future 2nd round pick or a box of donuts. And than Gar Forman goes on ESPN, and acts incredulous when asked why didn't the Bulls address a need with their 2nd pick. Address a need? We are planning on low-balling Gordon and laughing to the bank... not so fast.

Now, this isn't about Taj Gibson's skill level. That has already been covered. Taj may turn out to be better than Douglas, Thorton or Budinger, he may have longer, more productive career than Mullens or Blair - that doesn't matter. Its not about any particular player they could have drafted, Blair, Douglas or otherwise. Its about what they thought they needed to do with the #26 pick in the draft. Instead of addressing a on-court need, the Bulls thought it best to, as far as I can figure, threaten Tyrus by drafting his less athletic, less talented, older and more agreeable twin. Its like they went to Stewie Griffin and asked him to create a Bitch Tyrus (Family Guy reference). Do they follow this up by trading Tyrus? No, of course not. Bulls fan just have to sit and watch as a younger more productive player is slowly replaced by his retarded clone.

I don't care that Gar lied to the public (well I care a little because it shows a lack of backbone - have a plan and stick to it!). What I care about is that he couldn't evaluate the Bulls on-court needs and address them with real solutions. Was it really unfathomable that 07-08 Hinrich would come back? Was it really unbelievable that Salmons wouldn't repeat his career year of 08-09 or that Pargo would continue to suck? Was it hard to recognize that Miller had very little in the tank left or that the Bulls would spend 09-10 getting pushed around again? Its GarPax's fucking job to anticipate these things, and they failed miserably. Again. With the #26 pick in the draft the Bulls had the chance to address a basketball need. Instead, they drafted a mascot for our disappointment.

What it all means. Bulls management sucks. They really do. If they had any foresight at all they would never have traded Thabo without giving him a chance to see the court. You need foresight to build championships. A lack of foresight means you sign Ben Wallace to a huge long term deal on the downside of his career. It means you fail to draft a shooter to replace BG. It means you draft two players to replace Tyrus Thomas than fail to move Tyrus Thomas. A lack of foresight is the reason why the Bulls have been treading water for the last 5 years.

Bulls management is also petty. Don't sign a contract when we want, we pull it from the table even if ends up hurting us more than Gordon in the long run. The Bulls don't like Tyrus' attitude - well instead of working through it, they would rather draft two poorer players who need development and hope they can replace the player they haven't yet developed. The Bulls, on the basketball side, are run like a mom and pop operation or a family business. On the economic side, Reinsdorf could make Trump gush with envy.

And finally, Bulls management doesn't place a high enough priority on talent. I can't say that enough. The NBA is about developing and retaining talent. Guys bitch, guys complain, guys are sometimes overpaid - but that is life in the NBA. The most talented group of millionaires will when a championship this year. Not the nicest group. Not the group best at following orders. You don't trade the former #13 pick for the #26 pick to save a few hundred thousand dollars. Not if you want to win in the NBA. You don't value hard work and leadership over the ability to put the ball in the basket. This isn't a church youth group. You put up with JR Smith not because you want to give everyone a 2nd chance, but because one day he will be able to sink 8 3s in a quarter. You keep talent and if the coach can't make the talent play to a high level, you fire the coach. The Bulls have not done enough this season to put the most talent on the court possible. And every time I see Taj (and Hinrich and Pargo), I'm reminded of that.

I'm ready to bolt. I am. If Rose, Tyrus and Noah didn't still give me a bit of hope, I'd stop watching the Bulls altogether. Maybe 2010 fixes all this. But management's track record in the recent past is brutal. I have very little faith in their abilities to evaluate talent, retain talent, and fit talent on the court to produce the best results.

The Time is Now to Trade Deng

Basketball Smurf — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:27:46 -0000

Luol Deng is playing his best basketball in 3 years. He appears healthy, confident and fully recovered from whatever plagued him the last two years. Thus, there is no better time to trade Luol than now. His value will never be higher. He will never acquit himself better than this. If he has 10 more healthy games, trade him to the highest bidder and never look back. It could be the difference between being mediocre for the next 5 years and being a contender.

Here are a few reasons to trade Deng -

1. He is a bad fit next to Rose (and James/Wade/Bosh). Luol Deng, basketball wise, is an odd duck. He is a small forward who cannot shoot 3's, cannot drive to the basket, and cannot post up. He is a slasher and mid range shooter. Though his overall game has improved, he has not developed anything new since he has been in the NBA. This is Luol Deng. And as the Bulls are currently constructed, he doesn't fit.

Rose needs to play with guys who can shoot 3's. And if we are looking to add James/Wade/Bosh - those guys need 3 pointer shooters to play with as well. Deng as a 3rd option doesn't make sense with Rose and a top tier free agent, because he isn't a reliable shooter to spread the floor. He is a very tough fit next to Wade or James, potentially better with Bosh, but still not ideal. His presence clogs the lane. Deng would be much better playing with a power forward who can shoot, but outside of signing Dirk, I don't see how he fits with the Bulls past this season.

2. He makes too much money under the financial realities imposed by JR. If the Bulls spent like the Knicks, Lakers, Nuggets or Blazers are willing to spend, there would be less impetus to move Deng. But the Bulls do not. And Deng as potentially your 4th best starter (assuming we sign a max free agent and Rose/Noah continue to improve) makes too much money. Deng's salary may potentially force the Bulls to rid themselves of Hinrich, Salmons, Tyrus and eventually one day Noah. He simply isn't enough of a difference maker to take up as much cap space as he does when the Bulls are unwilling to go into the luxury tax. The Bulls are forced to spend more wisely, and I don't know if paying Noah, Rose and Deng big money makes the Bulls anything other than average.

3. His value will never be higher. Never. If Deng gets injured again, the Bulls are back to square one with him. His contract becomes an absolute albatross, and he eats up cap space for the next 5 years. Right now Deng is playing inspired ball. I wish him all the best health. But even if he remains healthy, I still think he will eventually have to go. His game is simply too limited to play next to Rose and Noah. He hasn't showing any signs of getting better.

4, Trading Deng frees up cap space for 2010. No single move could do more now and in the future. Unlike Salmons, there is no chance he opts out. Unlike Hinrich, his contract isn't declining. Deng makes big money and letting him go would be a clear signal that the Bulls are serious about attracting a Wade, Bosh or LBJ. Letting Deng go means the Bulls could come in to 2010 with Tyrus, Salmons and Hinirch as a supporting cast to surround a superstar, instead of just Deng. Going forward, each of those contracts would be easier to move for a player who fits better and each of those players has the potential to have as big impact on the court as Deng does.

It is time for Deng to go.

Send him to Golden State for A. Randolph and Maggette, to Portland for Rudy and expiring contracts, to Houston for McGrady, or to Utah for Boozer. The Bulls should try to get a young player on a rookie deal and expirings, but the exact players are inconsequential. The fact of the matter is that Deng isn't part of a future with Rose and his contract and play don't make him a good fit next to a top tier free agent like James, Wade or Bosh. His presence may force the Bulls to get rid of productive vets (Salmons/Hinrich) and talented young players like Tyrus and Noah. Lets go all in for 2010 and trade a player who could potentially hinder the plan while we still can.

Poll

Is this the right time to trade Luol Deng?

Yes, get what you can while you can.

228 votes

No. He is the future.

58 votes

286 votes | Poll has closed

Thunder Extend Sefolosha With Multi-Year Deal

Basketball Smurf — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:58:55 -0000

Thunder Extend Sefolosha With Multi-Year Deal

Because when you get a chance to lock up the Swiss Mister, you have to do it.