[Thanks to bullshooter for today's game preview. -Matt]

Playing out the String

Oh yeah, there is a game tonight.  That's been the prevailing feeling for the last few weeks now that Bulls have gone into unequivocal tanking mode.  Not coincidentally, most of you should feel lucky that you didn't witness ignominious defeats to Washington and more deplorably Miami.  

But that's in the past and soon this season will be thankfully as well.  As bad as this season has been, I still think the future is bright and tonight should bring more vivid glimpses of that future in the form of more minutes for Thabo (please God, let them bench Hughes), TT (stay out of foul trouble) and JoNo, regardless of whatever the official Boylan statements may be.

Tonight's opponent, the LeBron's come into town one pinched sciatic nerve from being in much worse shape than even our Bulls.  And I am not talking about Ben Wallace, who's played most of the season as if his lower vertebrae were fused in the offseason.  No, LBJ is wearing down and the Bulls have been able to overcome his hot starts and that fact that Loul can't seem to get in his way.  Earlier season victories featured a well-timed collision with Hinrich and later a double-team by Thabo and JoNo.  In fact, Boylan tried putting TT on Dwight Howard for stretches, why not try him on LBJ in the first half tonight.  Deng should be able to handle Wallace, I hope.

As an added bonus, tonight's game is on tWWL.  And doubly bonusly, the game starts at 6pm CDST (this time I am really sure), so you have time to watch the game and still go out and enjoy yourself.  So sit back and cheer on the Bulls in their quest for the 8th-most ping pong balls (they're currently tied in the win column).  And if you haven't figured out yet how to keep this Bulls team from screwing up your evening...

Blogging with the enemy:

Cavalier Attitude

Brian Windhorst

[Thanks to bullshooter for tonight's game preview, even though he's a pain in my ass in the comments section :) -Matt]

Top 10 Reasons to watch tonight's game:

• 
  
• The youngsters. Noah, Sefolosha, and Blogabull favorite son Tyrus Thomas have seen their minutes go up as the Bulls have fallen farther out of the playoff race.  The future is upon us.
• 
  
• Ben Wallace.  It always feels good to get the better end of a deal.  As long as Larry Hughes is sitting on the bench, it's not even close.
• 
  
• Be a Witness.  Hey, LeBron is pretty good even if none of his teammates are...
• 
  
• The end of an era.  Small ball as interpreted and implemented by Skiles/Boylan is coming to an end.  You may never get to see BG, Duhon and Hinrich on the court at the same time ever again (at least in the same uniform).
• 
  
• An old school central division matchup.  How many times do you think they will show Jordan over Ehlo?  Can you ever get enough?
• 
  
• EJ, Kenny and Charles.  Maybe Chuckles will come up with something new about the Bulls other than "They're too small."  He'll most likely say something mildy controversial and definitely politically incorrect.
• 
  
• The game's on TNT.  For those of you who are Bulls diehards and don't pirate game feeds, this is your one game per fortnight, and it's on at 6pm CDST [have no fear, it's at 7. -ed.], so you can catch the game and still do something else tonight.  And how many times can you really watch Law & Order?
• 
  
• The NBA: Where Mascot Mayhem happens.  That guy should have walked up behind Posey and ...
• 
  
• Did I mention the youngsters?  You might even get a little Aaron Gray, if you can get just a little Aaron Gray...
• 
  
• Who am I kidding, there haven't been 10 reasons to watch this team since late January.  But if you are true Bulls fan like me, you'll start missing them as soon as the playoffs start.   So even if they are playing for ping pong balls, sit back, have a beer and enjoy it while it's on...

Blogging with the enemy:
Cavalier Attitude
Brian Windhorst

[Thanks to Bullshooter for today's game preview. -Matt]

Game previews usually include a bunch of links to stats, recaps of recent games, and commentary about the current state of the team.  I don't think anybody who's going to read this needs a refresher about what's going on with the Bulls right now.  I also don't think records and stats have much bearing on tonight's game.  Dwayne Wade doesn't have to be reminded who swept him and the Heat out of the first round of the playoffs last year.  Those playoffs and several heated regular season games are still fresh in his mind. And Shaq has obviously circled this date in advance as the perfect night to make his return from injury.  

Given all the recent history, tonight's game will at the very least be interesting.  The Bulls should be ready to get smacked in the mouth and how they respond will tell a lot about where this team is and where they are going.  Were the first few games under Boylan merely a 'honeymoon', or is this team destined for the lottery?  Was the Philly comeback a blip or a sign that this team does have some life and a chance to get back on track?

I'd feel a lot more positive about the outcome if Nocioni and Hinrich weren't game time decisions.  But maybe that's for the best.  We all know Noc's is never going to backdown from anybody, so maybe this gives us a chance to see what other guys will do.  Hopefully, the youngsters, Thabo, Noah, Gray, and maybe even Tyrus will get a chance to show what they are made of.  Hopefully, they will get the opportunity and rise to the occasion.  Maybe a Shaq elbow to the head will knock some sense into Wallace and get him to play hard for more than 5 minutes at a time.  Who knows...  

Game on at 7pm EST on ESPN 2.

Blogging with the Enemy:

Crazy from the Heat
Ira Winderman

[Thanks to bullshooter for tonight's game preview, even though he still believes in this Ben Gordon benching thing, and hates Tyrus Thomas. -Matt]

A Tale of Two Franchises

or Two Draft Picks, or Two Forwards... Tonight brings the Portland Trailblazers to town.  If the Bulls are copying Detriot's blueprint for building a champion out of many good players, but no dominant ones, then the Trailblazers are copying the Bulls blueprint for drafting winners from strong college programs, at least according to GM Kevin Pritchard.  The Bulls' and Trailblazers' fate was also intertwined by a 2006 draft day trade.  In that trade, the Bulls swapped the rights to LaMarcus Aldridge taken with the second pick and a conditional second round pick for the rights to Tyrus Thomas taken with the fourth pick and young forward and Blogabull favorite Viktor Khyrapa.  Aldridge and fellow 2006 draftee Brandon Roy form the nucleus of a young Trailblazers team that has finally suceeded in putting the Jailblazers teams of the recent past behind them.

On draft day in 2006 scouts were questioning whether or not Aldridge could fill out or have enough toughness, while Thomas was seen as having the most upside.  However, Aldridge has emerged to start and average 18.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this year, while Thomas's future remains cloudy.  Thomas started 11 games at the beginning of this year, but has logged only 16 minutes in three games since the Bulls fired head coach Scott Skiles five games ago.  The reasons for this benching are a continuous and inflamatory source of debate here on blogabull.  Thomas's inconsistent minutes beg the question: could the Bulls have gotten Aldridge and Roy instead of Thomas and Sefolosha, another young Bull seeing very limited minutes so far this year?  Also, you have to feel kind of sorry for Khryapa who's played about 10 minutes since that trade after starting for most of the previous year for Portland.

Aside from that idle speculation, the Trailblazers come into the UC on a hot streak having won 14 of their last 15 games, even without injured number one overall pick Greg Oden.  The Bulls have won 3 of 4 under new coach Jim Boylan and scored over 100 points in each game, making the move to bring Ben Gordon off of the bench look like the greatest idea since sliced cheese.  Interestingly, Accuscore gives a decided edge to the Bulls tonight.  The game is on TNT at 8pm EST, so need to hunt down bootleg LP feeds.

Blogging with the Enemy:

Blazers Edge

[Thanks again to bullshooter. Like a Noc defensive rotation, better late than never, right? -Matt]

Unless Matt is working feverishly elsewhere, here's a game thread.  Curry has been benched and David Lee is the starter.  Jamal Crawford is out with a finger.  I look for BG to continue to emerge from early season doldrums and the Bulls to take advantage of the Knicks general dysfunction.  Also, it'd be nice if the Bulls could get a lead in the second half so that some of the guys could get a more extended look.

[Thanks to bullshooter for today's game preview. -Matt]

The first day of the rest of their lives

The Milwaukee Bucks come to town for the first game of the Jim Boylan era.   Boylan's official announcement as the permanent interim coach, at least for the rest of the season, marks the end of a clash in philosophies between GM John Paxson and previous head coach Scott Skiles.  Over  the last several season Paxson has been remaking the team through the drafting of above-average, but not necessarily great players and a few key free agent signings.  With a roster than now includes at least 11 players with significant talent or potential and Skiles steadfastly refusing to play several of them consistently, a change was inevitable.  This was especially true when the Bulls failed to recover from their usual slow start (2-10 record, currently 9-16).  Paxson has mentioned his goal may be to try and package several of his stockpiled "good" players for one truly great "star" from a failing team looking to rebuild.  Only time will tell, and in order to maximize that chance, Paxson needs his players to play and demonstrate their talents, not languish on the bench behind more proven but under-performing veterans.

However, another overarching Paxson tenet for this Bulls organization has been accountability.  So it would seem to be somewhat hypocritical for Paxson to force the next coach to play the promising youngsters who haven't necessarily shown they can consistently produce at the expense of more consistent veterans if the stated goal of making the playoffs is truly the focus of this team.  And that sentiment was in evidence last game against the spurs when even in a blowout youngsters Noah, Thomas and Sefolosha didn't get any significant minutes.  The next several games under Boylan, of whom Paxson is confident "Jim [Boylan] is his own person." should demonstrate whether the most important goal is changing the rotation, or winning.  Perhaps it can be both.  

Boylan's benching of Ben Gordon for Chris Duhon is the first of perhaps several moves.  While in a contract year, Duhon is playing somewhat better early this season compared to last.  However, the Duhon/Hinrich backcourt has been shown to be inferior to the Hinrich/Gordon version.  Is this an attempt to insprire BG to return to his former levels?  Are the Bulls attempting to showcase Duhon?  Have the Bulls soured on Gordon to the point they are already trying to deal him quickly?  BG provided no hints today and  Hinrich is clearly not the answer at the off guard and this move only stunts and delays his development at the point.  Perhaps this move was made with the later move of putting Sefolosha into the rotation and starting lineup in the near future.  Who knows, but it certainly doesn't look like a stable situation.

Overall, expectations should be for a gradual change in minutes for various players.  Ben Wallace, another candidate for benching based on his inconsistent play early this season, would figure to be a much harder sell for coming off of the bench.  In fact, expect an early hook, ala Shaq as opposed to an actual benching.  Both Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray have shown glimpses this year and should start to eat into Wallace's minutes.  Likewise, the enigmatic Tyrus Thomas should start to see more of Joe Smith's minutes, even with Smith proving to be a solid and capable 4.

Tonights opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, come into town just ahead of the Bulls in the Central Divison standings.  The Bucks have lost seven straight on the road this season and 10 and of their last 12 at the United Center.  They were blownout in Denver 125-105 Wednesday night and are 4-12 over their last 16.  In their previous matchup this season, the Bulls lost 78-72.  The Bucks come armed with several talented big men in Andrew Bogut, the latest Chinese sensation Yi Jianlian, and Charlie Villaneuva, not to mention all-star sharpshooter Michael Redd.  The Bucks will provide an excellent test for Bulls and the Bucks' big men should provide many excellent opportunities to play all of the Bulls bigs.  The Bucks might also be just what BG needs to get back on track based on his 48 point shootout with Michael Redd last year.

Blogging with the Enemy:

Bango's Bunch

The Bratwurst

Brew Hoop

[Thanks to Bullshooter for today's game preview. Early start: 6pmCST -Matt]

Tonight's game features a battle between the 25th and 26th place teams in the Hollinger Rankings.  While neither team should be proud of that mark, it does represent a five place improvement for the bulls from two weeks ago when they were dead last.

The bulls are coming off of a 103-98 loss to Dallas Monday night that wasn't close until the fourth quarter when the bulls finally woke up.  Notable from that game was the 2nd half benching of Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas.  Skiles decided to play a backcourt of Chris Duhon paired with BG to start and when that didn't have the desired effect, brought Hinrich back.  The benching seemed to make Hinrich more aggressive offensively as he scored 14 second half points, all in the fourth as the bulls made a late run at respectability.  The pairing didn't benefit BG at all, as he only hit one late three pointer.

The bulls and bobcats squared off just this last Saturday in what might have been the bulls best performance so far in this disappointing season.  BG had what blogabullers everywhere hoped would be a breakout game with 34 points and after a customary shaky second quarter the bulls controlled the game, much like they were expected to and won 111-95.

The bobcats come into the game with the better record at 6-10 to the bulls disappointing 4-11 (did I mention the bulls have been disappointing?)  Charlotte also lost Monday, getting blown out in Toronto.  The big news in Charlotte is the signing of Anderson Varejo to an offer sheet.  The deal is for three years purportedly for the MLE, with the third year being a player option.  The bobcats lost big man Sean May to a knee before the season started which created the opening for Varejo.  This would mark the second power forward the Cavs have lost under strange circumstances in the last few years with the other being Carlos "Stab the blind man in the back" Boozer. [The Cavs have matched on Varajeao -ed.]

Accuscore predicts a charlotte victory so blogabullers everywhere need to channel their positive thoughts and concentrate extra hard to sway the outcome.  Either that or hope that Hinrich and Gordon can find their lost mojo and redevelop what used to be good chemistry, or that a possible lineup change that would start Joe Smith pays dividends.

Blogging with the enemy:

Bobcat Bonfire
The Charlotte Blogcat
Queen City Hoops
(Shows how crazy North Carolinians are for hoops that there are this many blogs for a miserable bobcat franchise.  Kudos.)

Matt: I'll just piggy-back this diary since it's up and already has the discussion going. Fanhouse has a quality post on this as well.

Denver's real good, but shouldn't be 20+ points better, and there's no doubting this was yet another shit effort by the Bulls, made worse by the fact that one of the players who had been doing decent, Ben Gordon, also turned in an awful performance.

But this Tyrus thing is just getting silly. Again, why root for a team that starts Adrian Griffin? Tyrus had a terrible game (although I thought the first foul was a bad call, so after getting an another one soonafter he was yanked regardless of what he did), but what Skiles doesn't seem to get is that even if Tyrus isn't performing to capabilities by sprinting and focusing all the time (or whatever), he still helps the team win.

Sam Smith calls Tyrus a fan favorite in the sense that we're all rubes who like shiny dunks and blocks. I'd say that fans are more fooled by the flopping and fist-pumpery of Nocioni, who was completely abysmal on defense last night.

Just figure this: The Nuggets had Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin, the Bulls had Adrian Griffin and Andres Nocioni. Pax has claimed wanting to make this team more athletic, maybe it'll take a coaching change to get our athletes on the court.

Diary: Sam Smith has his latest tantalizing glimpse into what Skiles is thinking.  Apparently, Tyrus isn't being athletic enough.  Interesting that the reason he isn't playing is that he isn't running the floor correctly.  Yet another guy settling for jumpshots?  Have a field day with this one, guys.

The Bulls-Piston game headlined the Daily Dime.  Jalen Rose finds ways to highlight the weaknesses in the Bulls' win.  He cites no on-the-floor-leader as one.  He then has a box blasting management for leaking the financial aspects of the deals BG and Luol turned down.  Seems like he is still a little bitter about his Bulls days, and all the trades he was a part of over the years...

Interesting article on how Noc's minutes are getting squeezed.  Noc is a classic sub, his minutes were going to be limited as soon as a PF started playing well enough to warrant the minutes.  Also mentions Duhon coming in before Thabo, also warranted based on the fact that Thabo might not have hit a shot yet this year.  There is a brief mention of Ben Wallace being stuck on the bench for the 4th quarter.  BW doesn't seem to upset yet, which is good since Tyrus and Joe Smith, and even Noah are playing well enough to keep him there, at least until he is 100%.

As reported on ESPN today, LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss said that Kobe is not untouchable and could be traded in the right deal.  On sportscenter, Chad Ford, or whichever reporter is playing the role of Kobe confidant/insider/publicist mentioned Dallas and Chicago as Kobe's first choices for possible destinations.  He also mentioned that Dallas might offer Jason Terry and Josh Howard, and clarified that he was pulling those names out of his arse.  

The most natural trade offered by the Bulls centered on BG might look like this, and pretty much guts the team.  The Bulls are really handcuffed until Noc is unlocked in Dec.  But then he becomes a pretty big salary cap chip, and the Lakers can worry about him taking minutes from Luke Walton and Lamar Odom.  This deal probably doesn't get done if the Bulls are involved until the trade deadline, unless the Bulls include Hinrich or Wallace, which doesn't make as much sense for the Bulls.

My personal opinion is that this becomes a much bigger story next week after Sportscenter finishes their "Where will A-Rod Go" bit and Joe Torre's situation is clarified.

Dave Berri in his Wages of Wins blog takes a crack at extrapolating the future of last years rookies based on their first year performance.  The numbers look good for Tyrus and mixed for Thabo.  

He also hammers Adam Morrison, which I think is a little unfair based on his role and the much larger amount of minutes he was played.  Comparing Morrison to Balkman, a guy who played fewer than half the minutes and was only asked to rebound and play defense isn't the best comparison.  However, if Morrison was that bad, it makes you wonder why they put Morrison out there so much.

Hollinger came up with a way to rank the championship team and the runnerup from the last 30 years.  Not surprisingly, the '96 Bulls finished first by an overwhelming margin.  The Bulls placed three in the top 5 and 6 in the top 15.  Here's the top 10. The best team not to win came in at 24, the '97 Utah Jazz.

The season's over, so let the SamSmithery commence!  It might be a good idea to put trade ideas all in one place until we get a better picture of where the pick is going to be, who's available, etc.

Since it's my diary, I'll throw out the first one: Duhon, BG, salaries (Sweets/Khryapa/Griffin) and this year's pick (assuming it's 9 or lower) for Corey Magette, Chris Kaman, and their pick (14th).  The Clippers underachieved, sending their notoriously penurious owner Donald Sterling into a tizzy.  This deal gives the Clippers salary relief, a point guard to replace the injured Shaun Livingston and 57 year old Sam Cassell, and a bona fide scorer. The Bulls get a scoring big with a decent salary, albeit a long one, and a scorer who gets to the line habitually.

Continue reading this post »

[Thanks to bullshooter for getting things started today -Matt]

The Wiz trot out a skeleton crew due to a devastating amount of injuries.  Everyone should understand the necessity of a win for the Bulls, two more wins secures the second seed and a veritable yellow brick road to the finals.  But let's not get ahead ourselves, I see a blowout, but any win is a win, Hollinger rankings be damned.

As we head into the stretch run for teams at the top of the standings, teams at the bottom are getting ready to start tanking in earnest.  Kevin Durant has created a lot of buzz recently with his play and has caused some to speculate that the number one choice might not be so clear cut.  There are also a few rumors (probably a David Stern plant to scare teams from tanking) that either Durant or Oden might return for their sophomore season.  Here are the current standings based on win percentage (since the teams have played different amounts of games)...

1. Boston -- Even after throwing 19 out of their last 20, they still have only a one game lead for the most ping pong balls.
2. Memphis -- Not playing as badly as you might expect for a team with this much at stake.
3. Philly -- Can't seem to do anything right.  4-6 over their last 10.
4. Milwaukee -- In great position to get the second pick.  This team would be scary with Bogut and Durant, not to mention Redd.  However, they are getting players back from injury and are closer to the 9th spot than the top spot.

I fully expect Boston to get the top spot.  However, I think they've used up all of their karma and I don't see them coming away with either Durant or Oden.

As far as every Bulls favorite lottery team is concerned, the Knocks are doing everything they can to move up.  They currently stand in the 10th spot.  However, at 7 games under .500 and probably needing a collapse from the Bulls, Orlando, Miami, or Toronto to get into the playoffs, I see them in the lottery.  

The Knocks are also in a pack of teams only separated by two games in the win column.  From that group, I see Atlanta and Portland continuing to try and play hard.  I don't see Sacramento or Seattle trying hard at all.  Unfortunately, the Nets, who have finally figured out they aren't going anywhere in the foreseeable future are only two games ahead of NY and dropping fast.  Minnesota may also wise up, but that's not a given.  So the Knocks, depending on what happens could reasonably end up anywhere from 8th to 14th.

Looks like the plantar fasciatis caught up with him.  He will be out a while, possible even through the All-star break.    

Story here.  Viktor will be activated.  "I'm ready," he understated......................................................................................... ......................

So it looks like the proposed Gasol trade would come down to Deng/Gordon, Brown for salary purposes and our 07 first round pick.  Baring discussions about whether it would be better to swap Hinrich or Noc since it looks like the Grizzles want Deng or Gordon, which one is the better trade for the Bulls?  To me there are two criteria to consider: salary implications and rotation implications.  

From a salary standpoint, which of the two is going to ask for more money in an extension this summer?  Does Gordon think he is worth max money?  Does Deng?  Paxson might have had some leverage with both sticking around and using the argument that the Bulls need both to be effective and that taking a home town discount ensures both that they will be playing with each other.  Assuming they get along well, and I have no evidence to dispute that, it seems like a plausible argument.  With one of them gone, what's to stop the other from bargaining from a point of strength, especially given Wallace's and Gasol's big deals.

From a rotation standpoint, I think it is much easier to replace Deng than Gordon.  Noc, Thomas, Khryapa and even Sefo seem like adequate replacements, although probably not the same combination of size and athleticism that Deng provides.  On the other hand, I don't see anyone replacing Gordon's scoring ability at the 2 spot, or on the entire team, although Gasol's contribution at the 4/5 will offset that some and should make things easier for all the other spots.  

So I guess in my opinion Deng would be the better choice.

The almighty Skiles has taken notice of the prolonged slump Chris Duhon finds himself languishing in currently.  Skiles even hinted a lineup change may be imminent!.  Read that again Haters.  A LINEUP CHANGE MAY BE IMMINENT!  Now if we could only figure out which god to pray to or which animal to sacrifice so Thabo and Tyrus could get some burn...

[Thanks to BlogABull reader bullshooter for tonight's game thread. TNT game tonight! -Matt]

Nets at Bulls: Two Teams in Search of Low Post Offense

Tonight's epic clash of Eastern conference powers between the Chicago Bulls and the New Jersey Nets represents a must win game for the Bulls.  After making roster moves that indicated a new "win now" attitude from management, Bulls' fans everywhere are despondent over the Bulls' recent losing ways (4 out of 5), including a loss to these very same Nets.  This communal lugubriousness comes on the heels of last weeks euphoria that the Bulls' were almost clearly the class of the Eastern conference.  

New Jersey brings its own baggage to this contest.  While enduring injuries to several front court players, not to mention the most recent revelations of marital strife surrounding star point guard Jason Kidd, the Nets have clearly underachieved.  All the controversy has culminated in a 15-19 record, which surprisingly is still only one game out of first place in the woeful Atlantic division.

Tonight's contest represents yet another watershed moment in the Bulls' quest to return to the promised land.  With tougher matchups looming, it also represents a chance not only to create momentum, but also allay the fears of the many tormented souls who frequent Blogabulldom.

Blogging with the Enemy: Nothin' but Nets | NetsDaily Blog

The season is one-third over and before anyone jumps on this morning to voice his/her displeasure with Benny the Bull and offer suggestions for who we could get for our mascot, I thought I'd take a look at the standings.  Here's a link to my earlier predictions, which had Philly, one from Memphis, Miami, Seattle, and Toronto, and the Atlantic division.  So, without further ado:

1.  Memphis.  Even with the return of Gasol, a change of coaches and style, this team has still only managed to win 8.  Dump Gasol already...
2.  Philly.  Playing hard each night to win as many ping pong balls as possible.  This team will be good for a long time with whomever they get from the next draft.
3.  Charlotte.  What a pathetic basketball city.  Did anybody hear their WNBA team folded?  Sad.
4.  Seattle.  Duh.
5.  Atlanta.  Hot start faded quickly. Do they have any low post scorer's?

Others worth noticing:

6.  NO/OK.  Wow, that team hasn't worked out like they had hoped, has it...
13.  Miami, currently sitting just inside the lottery.  Hmm, was anybody shocked by this one?  Unfortunately for them, I think they have too much  pride to get into the top 5.  Riley should have slinked off to surgery instead of calling his team out and slapping them in the face when he bailed out on them.  They'll be hard pressed to roll over like they need to now.

Unfortunately, everyones favorite train wreck, the New York Knicks are still alive in the Atlantic only one game out of the playoffs and actually rising.  They have as much talent as anyone in their division now with the injuries to the Nets and Iverson gone.  Toronto has already lost Bosh to an injury once and will need superb guidance and coaching to get that young bunch to the playoffs.  Oh well.

With one quarter of the season completed, both the race for top and bottom seems to be wide open, especially in the East.  With once-in-a-generation Greg Oden likely to be the top pick, it will be just as important to pile up lottery balls as it will be to get a high seed for the playoffs.  Currently, the leaders (losers) are Memphis, Philly, Charlotte, Portland, Boston.  What makes this even more intriguing is that all of these teams have been bad for a while now, and have some talent.  There are no clear cut dogs.

Given the superior play of the West so far, it'd be a tragedy to have Oden end up out West.  However, baring a trade, I don't think Memphis is going to end up with the most lottery balls.  Here's my prediction:

1.  Philly - Once the Iverson trade goes down, if GM Billy Hunter is at all capable, he'll get a promising rookie, mediocre busts with hopefully expiring contract and a first round pick.  Nobody to replace Iverson's scoring means the Sixers struggle to get to 15 wins
2.  Whichever team's superstar comes down with seaons ending "injury."  The list includes Memphis (with Gasol already out and a candidate to 'have his season ended' or possibly traded), Miami (one DWade high ankle sprain from throwing in the towel, Seattle and maybe Toronto (although they already have good bigs.)
3.  Mediocre team that gives up first: the list includes Milwaukee, Portland and most of the Atlantic division.  The problem with the Atlantic is that all of those teams play each other so much that it's hard not to rack up 8-10 wins.  Even the Celtics should get 8 in their division alone.

My sleeper to get the #4 spot is Sacramento, but that's predicated on another Artest blowup.

Unfortunately Bull's fans, I don't see the Knicks anywhere near the top 5 right now.  Unless Isiah is worse than we think or Starbury succeeds in fracturing the team, the Knicks are a 25-30 win team, which won't cut it when other teams are throwing games.  However, it does look like a deep draft, so a top 10 pick might have a lot of upside.

With a little bit of help from Wade and the others, 'Melo put on a shooting exhibition and carried the US to a 94-85 victory.  'Melo ended up with 35 and brought the US back from a 12 point deficit at the beginning of the third quarter.  With the exception of 'Melo, the whole US team looked sluggish.  The back to back games might be getting to them.  Wade actually got rim-whipped on one dunk attempt that would have been spectacular if he had pulled it off.  The shot about %60 percent from the free throw line.  The FIBA site has been up and down all day, so no boxscore right now.  One side note: Mason Rocca, who started for Italy, went to my high school.

The US team beat the Chad Ford travelling all-stars 114-96.  The game played out much like the others: it was tight for about the first quarter, but then we pulled away and had to work on staying interested in the fourth.  It wasn't close after the first quarter.  Slovenia, formerly part of Yugoslavia (it's right next to Italy), sported seven NBA first rounders on its squad.  Most of their bigs looked like stiffs compared to our guys.  Interestingly, Hinrich led the team in rebounding making a case for himself for best rebounder.  Box score

I didn't see the game but here is the boxscore:

#      Players      Min      2PM-A      3PPM-A      FTM-A      Pts      Ass      R      F
9     Wade, Dwyane     18     9 - 12     0 - 1     8 - 9     26     4     3     1
12     Howard, Dwight     22     4 - 10     0 - 0     8 - 11     16     0     11     2
15     Anthony, Carmelo     20     5 - 12     1 - 3     3 - 3     16     0     5     3
10     Paul, Chris     24     3 - 4     1 - 2     4 - 5     13     8     2     2
4     Johnson, Joe     18     3 - 4     1 - 4     2 - 2     11     2     1     0

6     James, Lebron     22     5 - 10     0 - 0     1 - 1     11     2     7     2
14     Brand, Elton     13     4 - 8     0 - 0     3 - 3     11     2     2     3
5     Hinrich, Kirk     16     1 - 2     1 - 1     1 - 2     6     2     6     1
8     Battier, Shane     16     1 - 1     1 - 4     0 - 0     5     3     0     3
7     Jamison, Antawn     11     0 - 1     1 - 4     0 - 0     3     0     1     1
11     Bosh, Chris     11     0 - 1     0 - 1     3 - 4     3     0     2     0
13     Miller, Brad     9     0 - 0     0 - 0     0 - 0     0     0     4     2

Looks like we handled them pretty easily from the reports so far.  I don't think China had the strong guard play that PR had, and quickly succumbed to our pressure.

After a shaky start, USA pulled together to beat Puerto Rico 111-100.  Here's the box score.  I watched the game this morning and what I found interesting:

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• Carmelo Anthony is on a mission.  He is playing great basketball.  Shot selection is great, and he's shooting lights out.  He's playing really strong with and without the ball.
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• Jamison started, played five minutes and then rode the pine.
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• Kirk had a good game and shot the ball well.  He and Battier off the bench settled the team down after a shaky start.
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Not much to see here.  We dominated.  The final score was 116-63.  You can see the highlight video at ESPN.com.  Here is a link to the box score.  

Hinrich started but didn't shoot well.  CP and Hinrich played about the same amount, for those of you still worried about who is better...

This concludes the exhibition schedule.  The game will be aired on ESPN at 1:30 ET.

With the signing of Ben Wallace, the Bulls finally capitalized on their strategy of amassing cap space to land big-time free agents, albeit after eight years of rebuilding.  Ben Wallace was definitely the biggest name out there.  In the their first attempt in the summer the of 2000, I think we all remember that the big names were Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan.  And as we all remember, the Bulls struck out big-time and ended up with Ron Mercer.  Given the performance of the those players in the 6 intervening seasons, could the Bulls actually consider themselves fortunate not to have signed any free agents that summer?  Hill has never been the same player he was before getting injured at the end of the 99-00 season.  McGrady has been oft-injured and never been to the second round of the playoffs.  And Duncan has never left the Spurs, and was never really an option.  Thoughts?

Since Paxson has turned over half the team this offseason and added several promising young players, I wondered if anybody could give me a heads up on the best place to buy a jersey.  I'd like an authentic game jersey, but since I play ball a couple of times a week, I need something that can be washed.  For those of us no longer in the Chicago area, shops with an online presence would be helpful.

I've read a lot of comments about the Bulls' scoring ability.  A lot seem to question whether or not the Bulls will be able to hold their own.  I just looked it up, and the Bulls were tied for 6th most points per game in the East and 13th overall.  The only team ahead of them that gave up fewer points in the East was Miami.  Given that Chandler is gone and that our core guys should come back with improved games, I am not that concerned about our scoring ability.  Thoughts?

I've noticed that no one on this board seems to remember that we picked up a 6'9" SF/PF who started almost 60 games last year.  Sure it was for the Blazers, but the guy must have some talent.  The Suntimes even forgot to list him today in their roster.  Is this guy a stiff, more trade bait, what?  Does he have the typical Euro jumpshot game, or can he post at all?  Does anybody know?  Pax is assembling some great trade bait if nothing else.