SB Nation User Blog: Belize

The Chicago Bulls are rebuilding. I know, the R word is a dirty, vile, horrible label to...

Belize — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:17:44 -0000

The Chicago Bulls are rebuilding.

I know, the R word is a dirty, vile, horrible label to put on a team, and this team isn't completely hopeless just yet. The front office could still pull off some huge deal to bring in a star to complement the young nucleus of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng (his massive, long-term contract means he's a Bull for at least another two years, so we may as well accept him as our SF for the forseeable future). But, in all honesty, who can the Bulls get? More importantly, can the Bulls offer a package for a star that no other team can top? I think not.

Like I already mentioned, the writing has been on the wall for longer than we may like to believe here in the Chicagoland area. Since the Michael Jordan dynasty ended in the 90's, the Bulls have never been a legitimate contender, and whenever they got close, the front office made the wrong move at the crucial moment. Elton Brand was let go, only to bring in Tyson Chandler. When Hinrich, Deng, and Gordon stunned the NBA by shutting down Dwyane Wade in the playoffs and exceeding everyone's expectations, the Bulls spent their money on retaining Kirk Hinrich for the long haul and going balls-out for Ben Wallace. When that failed, and the Bulls had to decide to re-sign Gordon and/or Deng, they chose Deng, who has since been an oft-injured, scarcely productive flop.

Say it ain't so

"Right now, it all depends on what team I decide I want to go to," Stoudemire said. "If I want to...

Belize — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:56:55 -0000

"Right now, it all depends on what team I decide I want to go to," Stoudemire said. "If I want to sign an extension with a mediocre team— probably not. I’ll sign an extension with a team that has a future. You follow what I’m saying? The ball is in their court now."

STAT

Don't ask me why, but this commerical reminds me of the BG/Bulls fiasco last year. Sorry BG, you...

Belize — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:19:10 -0000

Don't ask me why, but this commerical reminds me of the BG/Bulls fiasco last year. Sorry BG, you can't get the red truck - its was a limited time offer only...and you should have jumped on it earlier. Enjoy the piece of junk you ended up with.

Wade: Getting to the playoffs "is not enough"

Belize — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:18:12 -0000

Wade: Getting to the playoffs "is not enough"

Well, this made my day.

Obama agrees with the millions and millions of sports fans..MJ vs Kobe? MJ, no contest.

Belize — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:34:16 -0000

Obama agrees with the millions and millions of sports fans..MJ vs Kobe? MJ, no contest.

Brandon Jennings VS Joe Buddens and the World

Belize — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:08:29 -0000

Brandon Jennings VS Joe Buddens and the World

Personally, this is hilarity.

On next season in Milwaukee ...

Budden: You better worry about Ramon Sessions, diggin' in your a**, pause.
Jennings: He's not going to be here. [inaudible] That money is going to Charlie.
Budden: N****, Ramon Sessions is gonna be there.
Jennings: I doubt it.
Budden: They ain't go no other guards.
Jennings: Ridnour.
Budden: N****, get that bum-a** n**** outta here.
Jennings: He's going to be a backup.
Budden: To who?
Jennings: To who? Who else n****?

On what happened on draft night ...

Budden: Who was hatin' on you?
Jennings: Jay Bilas.
Budden: What happened? You ran in the draft late or some dumb s*** like a loser?
Jennings: No, I was at the hotel. This is what happened right. My agent is like "Well, we ain't hear nothing .We ain't have no guarantee." So we makin' phone calls and s*** and n***** is saying like "The workouts is great and everything and he's the best point guard but we don't know yet, we just don't know."
Budden: They didn't say that about Rick Rubio, number one, and number two they didn't say you the best point guard. They said your jump shot is shaky, you got some potential, but your work ethic is bull****. You averaged 3 points.
Jennings: You're a liar. I know you're lying now.
Budden: I'm just telling you what they said.
Jennings: That ain't nothing but a college person.
Budden: Just tell me what happened. You end up running in the draft? I tunred it off after that.
Jennings: No, n****, I came out there and made my appearance n**** and I had the best appearance out of all them n******. And I was the best dressed, they said, by the way. I was the best dressed.

On whether he'll start next season ...

Budden: You think you gonna start for real though?
Jennings: I don't know, actually, I really don't know.
Budden: I heard that n**** Scott Skiles is an a**h***.
Jennings: That n**** tough, that n**** tough though. There must be a reason he liked me. There must be a reason.

On Ricky Rubio and the Knicks ...

Budden: Let me know when Minnesota get there. So I can watch Rubio light your f****** a** up. I never seen a n**** hate on Rubio so much.
Jennings: [inaudible]
Budden: You know what's funny? You're the only guard in the draft talking s*** about Rubio.
Jennings: The other n***** are scared.
Budden: What are you going to do when Rubio comes to the Knicks?
Jennings: Rubio is not coming, they are not giving up Rubio. You got Jordan Hill, you happy with that?
Budden: I don't really know enough about Jordan Hill to be happy ... I'm happy with Toney Douglas.
Jennings: I know they were booing this n****.
Budden: What does that mean? They boo everybody n****.
Jennings: If it was Stpehen Curry, them n***** would've went crazy in there.
Budden: Shut the f*** up, you don't even know nothing about New York basketball.
Jennings: F*** the Knicks, them n***** skipped out on me.
Budden: Oh man, you feel to the Knicks like I do about Jay-Z? [Laughs] Yo, the Knicks is your Jay-Z?
Jennings: F*** the Knicks, them n***** is always going to be weak.
Budden: This is where I f****** hang up on your f****** ass for talking stupid.
Jennings: Duhon ain't gonna get it done.

Three rounds later, I have to make it clear I remain firmly in the camp which maintains that the...

Belize — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:30:09 -0000

Three rounds later, I have to make it clear I remain firmly in the camp which maintains that the Boston-Chicago series in Round 1 -- dramatic, historic and irresistibly terrific as it was -- needed to have a bigger impact on the championship itself to merit any Greatest Series Ever consideration.

You are entitled to disagree, as always, but you are likewise invited to consider how quickly those teams faded from our consciousness as the playoffs progressed. The view here is that if the outcome had no real impact on the Eastern Conference bracket -- an indisputable reality given Garnett's absence -- it doesn't matter how many games went to overtime. The stakes simply weren't high enough to get Celtics-Bulls into the greatest-ever debate.

None of that, though, would dare stop us from putting the Bulls -- pretty much all of them -- high on this list. Derrick Rose playing better in Games 1, 4 and 6 than he ever did during a regular season in which he was the rookie of the year, Joakim Noah suddenly looking like an NBA difference-maker, Ben Gordon performing under pressure -- these guys were catalysts for a postseason that was far more unpredictable than we were all expecting.

Where's my trophy?

Five Burning Questions Should they re-sign Ben Gordon? Last summer, Gordon and the Bulls were...

Belize — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:08:06 -0000

Five Burning Questions

Should they re-sign Ben Gordon?
Last summer, Gordon and the Bulls were involved in a drawn out and bitter contract dispute. The guard turned down a six-year, $59 million extension, and the Bulls ultimately settled with the minimum qualifying offer to retain his restricted free-agent rights. Gordon tried to get other teams to put a bid in on him, but nobody bit. The undersized shooting guard had to "settle" for $6.4 million, and he responded with perhaps the best season of his career. His 75 starts were a career-high, and he averaged 20.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on .455/.410/.864 shooting. Although most of his numbers fell off in the playoffs, Gordon scored 24.3 points per game (despite 38.8 percent shooting) in a seven-game battle with the Celtics (overtimes allowed him to play 43.4 minutes per game). Although he hit a number of critical shots, he missed more and made a number of bad decisions while dominating the ball in the final moments of many of those games. If the Bulls are going to re-sign him, they will certainly go over the luxury tax threshold. Furthermore, the wing positions are as crowded as ever with John Salmons in the mix. Unless they can get Gordon at a discount, which is highly unlikely, they should let the 6-foot-3 shooting guard play elsewhere.

Can John Salmons and Luol Deng both start?
Six games after Salmons arrived via trade last season, Deng injured his tibia, and after visiting with a number of doctors, a small stress fracture was discovered. The forward went on to miss the final 22 games of the regular season and all seven of the Bulls' playoff games. Meanwhile, Salmons went on to further establish himself as one of the best players on the team and had a number of big playoff performances despite playing through a groin injury. Both players are traditionally viewed as small forwards. So, is there room for both of them in the starting lineup? Salmons should almost certainly be able to start at shooting guard for the Bulls next season (if Gordon leaves), while Deng holds down the three-spot. In 13 games in place of Kevin Martin last season, Salmons averaged 21 points as the Kings starting shooting guard. He started 25 games as the shooting guard in the season prior, and his ball-handling skills are certainly strong enough to be an asset in the Bulls backcourt. His availability to play at off-guard further makes Gordon expendable this summer.

Who should they target with the 16th pick in the draft?
In 2002, the Bulls took Final Four star Jay Williams. In 2003, they took Final Four star Kirk Hinrich. In 2004, they drafted Final Four star Ben Gordon. They did not have a pick in 2005, but in 2006, they traded LaMarcus Aldridge for Final Four star Tyrus Thomas. In 2007, they selected Final Four star Joakim Noah. And in 2008 they drafted Final Four star Derrick Rose. You see where I'm going with this? I think the Bulls stick with that trend this summer and target Tyler Hansbrough with the 16th pick. Hansbrough dominated his four seasons in the ACC and then measured nearly identical to Blake Griffin at the Draft Combine. He actually had a slightly longer wingspan and ran a faster sprint than Griffin. His vertical was less than two inches below that of the consensus No. 1 pick. Hanbrough's presence on the Bulls would pressure Tyrus Thomas to work harder and be more consistent. The UNC star would also provide the Bulls with some additional inside scoring, as his post moves, shooting touch, and free-throw shooting are all excellent. He works extremely hard, is aggressive in all aspects of the game, and he's a proven winner. Other players they may look at in this draft slot include James Johnson (PF, Wake Forest), Terrence Williams (SG, Louisville), B.J. Mullens (C, Ohio State), Earl Clark (F, Louisville), and Gerald Henderon (SG, Duke). Personally, I think they'd be foolish to pass on Hansbrough.

Should they pursue the always rumored blockbuster trade?
Perhaps as much as any other team in the league, rumors always swirl around the Bulls in regards to blockbuster trades. It probably will be no different this offseason, and they have already been linked to deals involving both Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire. However, I like their current make up as it is, especially considering that they have $25 million in expiring contracts. The Bulls would prefer to remain under the luxury tax and adding another star would probably not help them attain that.

Is any team in better shape for next summer?
The Bulls currently have six players signed for the season following next, and they happen to be their best six players. To make things even better, they only have $40 million committed to those players, meaning they could afford a max contract player such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, or Chris Bosh. Given the talent already in place in Chicago, it may be the most highly sought-after free-agent destination for the star-studded free agent class of 2010.

Offseason Overview of the Chicago Bulls by RotoTimes.com. Some good stuff..some questionable. Still a good read.

Who is Gar Forman?

Belize — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:58:35 -0000

Who is Gar Forman?

Pretty good write up explaining his journey.

Man robs Tony Parker for a Michael Jordan Jersey

Belize — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:51:21 -0000

Man robs Tony Parker for a Michael Jordan Jersey

smh @ this dumbass getting away with it and selling it on craiglist.