After most of the signings, I personally was hoping for a Finals appearance with 2 Finals games won. At worst, I wanted to see a ECF loss to Orlando (although not because Howard punched Rose with his body again. Just because I don't want to lose to rondo, james, or bosh). I wanted 52-55 wins.

Now after the preseason we have determined the following: Boozer is out and Bogans, Scalabrine, Brewer, Gibson, and Watson suck (at least seems to be public opinion). I havn't been too disapointed with Bogans and I like Watson. Watson is just not Acie Law: a backup who plays like Rose. Watson plays point gaurd like Monta Ellis. Whatever the case, it's clear the team is simply not meshing, at least right now. They have almost an entire roster of new players and a new coach, but when the season begins with Oklahoma City and the Circus Trip, that could end the chances at "elite" status rather early.

So what are we hoping for? What is realistic? Should we be looking for 41-45 wins with a 2nd round exit? Should we think they'll suddenly be awesome when Boozer comes back and will dominate the 2nd half of the season? Should we expect the finals? Or should we expect a 6-8 seed and lots of momentum plays by LeBitch in round 1?

I really don't know what to think of this team, and i'm not sure Thibs knows how to coach it as a unit yet. All i'm expecting right now is a 35-point whooping by the Thunder in front of a very loud crowd which will feature Durant Dominance, lots of Scalabrine and lots of Thunder 3's, including a 4th quarter one by Thabo with 5 minutes left.

If the Bulls are really looking for a good shooter who can score 15-20 any given night won't complain about a role that may or may not see him get consistant playing time, and hits his shots from beyond the 3-point line, then frankly I don't understand why Flip Murry is looking for work. I really wouldn't mind seeing him back. I realize he wouldn't be getting consistant, but I think he'd be fine with that. We need a very good three point shooter who can come in when we need another shooter on the floor. Say there's 3 seconds left on the game clock, and we have the ball down 3. Doesnt Rose, Murry, Korver, Boozer, Noah look a lot better than Rose, Brewer, Korber, Boozer, Noah? I'm not saying I want Murry taking that shot, but defenders would have to respect him much more than they would Brewer in that situation, and should a play break down in that situation, Murry is a much better guy to accidentally have the ball that Brewer. Watson would likely not be in the game in that situation as he plays the same position as Rose.

I just think that bringing back Murry is a low-risk, high-reward move.

We dont know if the rumors about lebron and bosh to the heat are true or not (although they sure sound like it). But the truth is, Miami is by far the most attractive destination. Let's look at the pros that favor Miami: Pat Riley, Dwayne Wade, Shaq played there (still has the "Heat is awesome!" thing going for it because of the Shaq brand), weather, girls in unbeliveably small shorts and bikini tops, Chris Bosh joining as well, no state income tax, lots of money, chance to create a superteam and obilterate the nba for the next 15 years possibly going on the longest title streak of all time.

To me, that is extremely hard to turn down. Remember, James is the same guy who likes to wear his white "Check my $tats" t-shirt when entertaining ladies around the pool. He's got Miami written all over him.

So, while it's not official yet, all signs point to LBJ in Miami with Wade and Bosh. So, should the Bulls change focus and try to get Joe Johnson and David Lee/Amare Stoudemire to commit as early as possible? It seems like they really need to be careful about waiting for Lebron. We could easily see Lebron, Bosh, Wade to Heat; Johnson, Lee to Knicks; Dirk to Mavs; Stoudemire, Gay to Nets; Boozer to Jazz; and the Bulls end up empty handed with 5 guys under contract and only two years before Rose bolts to the Lakers to play with pal Kobe.

We did a thread like this for the mid season, so why not an offseason one? Any of these headlines could be on the newspapers and websites throughout this offseason. Feel free to reply with your own.

May 9: Bulls To Hold Press Conference To Announce Beggining of Coaching Search
Chicago Bulls GM Gar Foreman and VP of Basketball Operations will be holding a press conference at 11:00AM Tuesday on Comcast Sportsnet. They are expected to announce that they will be starting the process of looking for a new head basketball coach to replace Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro, who wishes to once more thank the organization for his chance, is also expected to be at the conference.

May 15: Bulls set to Interview Jackson, Van Gundy, Hinrich
The Bulls have been busy in their search for a new coach, interviewing candidates such as Doug Collins, Pete Myers, Lindsey Hunter, Kevin McHale, and Lawrence Funderburke. Within the next several days, reportedly, the Bulls will interview former Bulls and Lakers championship coach Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy for the coaching position. They will also be interviewing gaurd Kirk Hinrich, who will be considered as a player-coach. Others in line to interview this week are former Bulls coaches Tim Floyd and Vinny Del Negro, as well as Byron Scott, Doc Rivers, and Dragan Tarlac.

May 27: Bulls Introduce Kevin McHale as new Head Coach
The coaching search for the Bulls came to an end last night, when the team announced Kevin McHale as the new head coach. McHale's official title will be Special Assistant to Vice President of Basketball Operations In Charge of Coaching Operations. McHale has had previous success as a head coach. He has already been endorsed by several players, including Kirk Hinrich, who said McHale could "be a real glue guy".

June 24: Bulls Trade Out of Draft
The Bulls traded their only draft pick of the year to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for cash considerations. Reportedly, Gar Forman was close to selecting SG Xavier Henry, but VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson reccomended trading the pick. "I actually got a call from Scott Skiles, who is a good friend of mine" noted Paxson. "He thought that we really needed an athletic young power forward, with emphisis on the points of defense and rebounding, but with no players that we liked that fit that bill available, Gar decided that the best move was to trade the pick."

June 30: Bulls Begin Targeting Free Agents
The Bulls have been waiting for this free agent class for over three years now, and they are not aiming to disapoint. The will be reportedly visiting, and possibly offering contracts to LeBron James, Joe Johnson, David Lee, Chris Bosh, Ben Wallace, Dwayne Wade, and Ray Allen within the next two days.

July 2: James to Bulls a "Done Deal"
Reports from sources close to the teams have been flying out of Cleveland and Chicago that LeBron James will be signing a maximum contract to join the Chicago Bulls later today. James, the two time MVP, did not immediatley return calls or emails reguarding the reports.

July 3: James Deal Not Happening, Player Says Bulls Wont Let Him Wear His Headband
LeBron James agreed to the terms of the Bulls contract, but the Bulls didn't agree to his. Reports say that James would have signed with the Bulls if the organization was willing to waive it's "no headband" policy. James wears a headband to keep the sweat out of his eyes. John Paxson did not comment on the possible James deal, but Gar Forman did read the following to the media this morning: "We as an organization have specific rules in place. We don't break those rules for any one player or any number of players. -John Paxson".

July 7th: Huge Sign and Trade, Bosh and James to Change Teams
LeBron James and Chris Bosh, both who the Bulls had shown interest in, have been signed and traded for each other. The news will be made public tomorrow when the Raptors and Cavaliers have a joint press conference in Toronto. Brian Coangelo excitedly noted "we didn't just add the best player in the game. We also just signed every official in the NBA."

July 8: Big Day for Bulls, Team Re-Signs Three Players
The Bulls, who have been quiet so far this offseason, have re-signed three players to return. Brad Miller, Joe Alexander, and Jannero Pargo will all officially be announced as returning at a press conference with Gar Forman, Kevin McHale, and John Paxson later this evening.

July 11: Bulls Sign Amare Stoudemire, Anthony Morrow
Years of preparing for the summer of 2010 has paid of , as the Chicago Bulls signed All-Star Amare Stoudemire to pair with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. In his introduction to the press, Stoudemire has said that he is excited to join the team and to play with Derrick Rose. "I think we're the favorite to win the East, and maybe the whole thing" said Stoudemire. The deal is a maximum contract. The Bulls also announced the signing of fan favorite Anothony Morrow, a sharp shooting 2-gaurd. "They couldn't hit a three last year, and that's what i'll bring to the team" said Morrow.

July 17: Bulls' Stoudemire Injured In His Home, Will Miss Season
Bulls recent offseason signing Amare Stoudemire fell down 11 flights of stairs in his newly purchased Chicago home. MRIs showed 11 broken bones, and he also has a sprained wrist and ankel. Stoudemire will miss the upcomming season to rehab and is a game time decision for opening day the following season.

July 28: Bulls re-sign Chris Richard
The Bulls needed to make a move after losing Stoudemire for the year, and today have re-signed PF Chris Richard. It was announced earlier today.

August 1: Bulls extend Rose, Noah, Hinrich
The Bulls made a big splash today, giving Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Kirk Hinrich maximum contract extensions. GM Gar Forman said "we'll be contending for years now, especially when we get Amare back". Hinrich, who still had 3 years left on his old deal, will start his new contract when his current one ends.

Now, i'm not going to even say if im pro or anti a 3rd season of Vinny Del Negro's coaching. But Vinny certainly is an option still for next year, and i'm going to show why he isn't automatically the worst possible situation.

1. He's been to the playoffs twice in two years. Self explanitory.

2. He can motivate, and keep the team focused. Something i've noticed about Vinny, is when the team pulls out one of it's Bulls: 4, Other team:17 starts in the first quarter, Vinny calls a time-out, and i'm not sure what he says, but it seems that more often than not the Bulls come out of the time-out and win the first quarter by 4 or something. He certainly knows how to keep a young team motivated and trying, and he seems to know how to keep them from getting demoralized when the other team hits a momentum 3 or gets their home crowd into it when the Bulls are on the road. Same type of thing with the Vinny-Pax thing. Whatever he did, the team stayed focused to make the playoffs.

3. Who else is out there? Unless we get Phil Jackson, Doug Collins, or maybe Byron Scott, I really don't know if there is a better option. Avery Johnson? Lawrence Frank? Kevin McHale? Hubie Brown? No thanks. There a few former players who I think would make a good coach (Scottie Pipper, Chris Webber) but the last thing we want is a guy who has never coached a game before.

4. What the hell else did you expect out of Vinny? This is my main point in Vinny's favor. The Chicago Bulls hired a coach with zero expirience. In my opinion, we got the best case senario out of him. Vinny developed Rose into an All-Star and Noah into a near All-Star, and both aren't done. He got us to the playoffs last year and damn near won that Boston series. This season, take away the 10 game losing streak, and we win about 46 games. I don't know about you, but I think we win a series against either Milwaukee or Boston. Say "well he shouldn't have lost 10 in a row". Ok...the 3 best players on the team were out. He had to start guys on this horribly thin roster who would be lucky to make the rotation of most playoff teams (Pargo, Warrick im looking at you). Honestly, I am really interested in what else you wanted out of Vinny as a head coach. I think he did the best possible job he could, and might just deserve a chance to do something with a real contender, like the Bulls should be next season.

5. The Paxson thing? Fire Paxson. If this is the reason for firing Vinny...maybe Paxson should go instead. Who is more valuable to the team? A 2-time playoff coach who developed Rose and Noah, and overachived with a roster building for next year, or a guy who made just as many (if not more) questionable moves as he did good ones?

Again, im not going to say if im on the Vinny love train, because i'm not looking to be flamed. I figured this was something that is a major issue for a favorite team, and it needed to be discussed.

One thing we all seem to have forgotten is that in the Isiah Thomas Warrick deal, the Bucks have the choice to switch first round picks with us this year, so long as ours isnt in the top 10. It wont be, and right now we are looking at a situation in which while we sit at home watching the Bucks in the playoffs, we then get to switch first rounders with them and move down in the draft so Scott Skiles can draft an athletic 4 with leaping ability and little offensive upside.

I think it is important not only to make the playoffs, but to get a higher seed than the Bucks. In order to do that, the Bulls need to find a way to dominate the inside (on both ends of the court) without giving away trips to the free throw line, hit some open 3s, and not allow the opponents to dissrupt the passing lanes to such an extent (half court and full court presses that lead to double teams have been common since the Indiana game, and they're leading to fast breaks for the opponents).

It's not going to get easier to defend power forwards and centers any time soon with the likes of Boozer, Howard, and Antawn Jamison and Shaq looming. But something needs to be done or not only to we miss the playoffs and finish with a losing record (attractive to Bosh?), but we also give Skiles and the Bucks our draft pick.

It's easier in many ways to get players that compliment your guy, than it is to get players that your guy compliments. Derrick Rose should be Batman, not Robbin.

Continue reading this post »

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like the team is putting way to much stock in getting a 2010 free agent all-star.  It seems like in all likelyhood, the majority of the big names are staying put, and if Salmons does opt back in (at least before we sign anybody), we would have a hard time bidding against the Heat/Knicks. So what happens if the summer comes and goes and James, Bosh, Johnson, Wade, and Stoudemire all continue their lives without moving to Chicago. Do we even have a backup plan? I am really not wanting this to all explode into a pissed off Rose pairing up with Kobe in LA in 2 or 3 years.

ALSO: off topic, but didnt want to star a new thread just for this. any chance?: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ygcp748

I dont want to think the Bulls are tanking. It doesnt make sense. But can they really win ANY close/possible-come-back games if these crappy rotations happen keep happening day in and day out? The only explenation for tanking (and possibly the random injuries that keep happening to Deng and Gordon) is that Paxson knows that he wont be bringing Deng and Gordon back.

History shows that PAXSON DOES NOT BEND ON HIS DEALS, and maybe this holds true to the deals Deng and Gordon turned down. So he has his coach tank, just like he did the year before Deng and Gordon arrived. At the end of the year, he ends up doing long negotiations, until a very unexpected trade happens.

Much like the Curry trade, he sends Deng someplace, gets a lotter pick, and a future unprotected pick or something. He does the same with Gordon.

The Bulls now have 3 lottery picks, which he uses to replace Gordon and Deng, add a low post scorer, and keep the Bulls way under the cap, all while retaining Hinrich, Nocioni, Thomas, Gooden, Hughes, Sefolosha, Gray, Duhon, and Noah.

The Bulls, next year, start Hinrich, Noah, Gooden, and the replacements to Deng and Gordon, make another powerful march into the playoffs on hardwork and defense, this time though the newcommers have veteran guys with them, and are able get to the 2nd round and maybe the conference finals.

The year after that, the teams the Bulls traded with each give them another lottery pick, and the Bulls enter the season with a roster of Hinrich, Nocioni, Gooden, Sefolosha, Thomas, Noah, Duhon, Hughes, Gooden and 5 new lottery picks (2 each from the deng/gordon trades, and the Bulls own from this year).

With possibly the deepest team in NBA history, the Bulls plow through the Eastern conference, and make it to the NBA Finals, winning a championship for the first time ever in the post Jordan/Pippen era.

Larry Hughes, after playing well in the Finals and hitting randomly big shots off the bench retires as a fan favorite and proud Chicago Bull. The money that comes off the books of Larry's gigantic contract is used to sign a center to finally replace the loss of Ben Wallace.

John Paxson looks like a genious, just like he did with the Curry trade.

Honestly, after seeing what Scott Skiles, and now Jim Boylan continue to do, I have several times tried to find an exlenation that had some logic and I cant. All I can see is that the Bulls could be tanking. Yesterday it was like Boylan TRIED to blow the game (see Matt's diary).

And this is a bucnh of crap. This team could have gotten to the Finals if there was any confidence for or from anybody at the beginning of the year. Now...well...Lotter Bound Horribulls.

I have been proposed this deal from the Utah Jazz: Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni, and Adrian Griffin for Carlos Boozer.

That would make my line-up:

Wallace-Smith
Boozer-Noah
Deng-Kryhappa
Gordon-Sefolosha
Hinrich-Duhon

Would like Boozer, not so sure about the ide of having 1 SF, since krap-ya isnt gonna be getting many minutes.

I am also wondering if any of you have pulled of a Gasol trade. I have had zero luck with the Grizzlies. I would prefer Gasol over Boozer. What do you guys think?

UPDATE: Boylan, during a WSCR interview, indicated that Ben Gordon will be benched in favor of Chris Duhon. No word on the rest of the starting lineup, but I consider it indication to now give up on the season until Gordon's traded. Thanks, Bulls, for the heads up! -Matt

[Thanks to HongyDraw for passing along the official announcement.

Found this quote interesting from Pax: "Jim has paid his dues as an assistant coach and has his own ideas on the way he wants us to play" -Matt]

The Bulls have announced that Jim Boylan is the iterim coach for at least the rest of this season. They announced it on their website today.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/boylan_interim_071227.html

Continue reading this post »

Ok, i'm not trying to be a downer or anything. And I am not even I feel one way or the other on this topic.I am just asking for the sole reason of getting the opinion of this community.

Will the Bulls make the playoffs? Please answer honestly, this is not a joke thread.

One-line diaries are prohibited on McCovey Chronicles. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.
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Sorry I made this a diary, I couldnt figure out if we could do private messages here, and for one reason or another, my email (powered by NIU) just wont send out anything right now.

I want to appologize for my complete suck as a member. I know I tend to jump the gun when the Bulls are losing, and I am going to work on that. I certainly want to be liked, and I think it could help by me not declaring a loss in the 2nd quarter. I don't know why I do that, other than years of watching the Cubs. Sometimes, I can tell when a team will lose a winnable game (opening game against New Jersey, I just kept hoping for no overtime because I didn't think it would be good for the Bulls), but I guess even in those cases, I shouldn't declare loses early.

I'll do my best to become a good, upstanding member of the community. While it may not seem like it at times, I am an intellegent person when it comes to basketball. I'll do my best to show it, and not be annoying. Thank you for your ears. Matt, if you want to remove this thread after reading it, that's fine. I just want to say this.

Now, to get to my main topic. The Bulls once again fell behind because of early shots that didnt fall. But

SCOTT SKILES IS THE REASON THE BULLS LOST THIS GAME!

With 6 minutes to go, Scott Skiles told his team he had no confindence in them, and preceeded to empty the bench.

He took out the best players and effectively ended the game. When I saw that, I saw a coach tell his very talented, should have been a great team, that he didnt think they could win, it was pointless to try, and that he was giving up six minutes before the clock ran out.

I dont want to think the Bulls are tanking. It doesnt make sense. But can they really win ANY close/possible-come-back games if these crappy rotations happen? The only explenation for tanking (and possibly Deng's mysterious injury) is that Paxson knows that he wont be bringing Deng and Gordon back.

History shows that PAXSON DOES NOT BEND ON HIS DEALS, and maybe this holds true to the deals Deng and Gordon turned down. So he has his coach tank, just like he did the year before Deng and Gordon arrived. At the end of the year, he ends up doing long negotiations, until a very unexpected trade happens.

Much like the Curry trade, he sends Deng someplace, gets a lotter pick, and a future unprotected pick or something. He does the same with Gordon.

The Bulls now have 3 lottery picks, which he uses to replace Gordon and Deng, add a low post scorer, and keep the Bulls way under the cap, all while retaining Hinrich, Nocioni, Thomas, and Noah.

The Bulls, next year, start Hinrich, Noah, Nocioni, and the replacements to Deng and Gordon, make another powerful march into the playoffs on hardwork and defense, this time though the newcommers have veteran guys with them, and are able get to the 2nd round and maybe the conference finals.

The year after that, the teams the Bulls traded with each give them another lottery pick, and the Bulls enter the season with a roster of Hinrich, Nocioni, Sefolosha, Thomas, Noah, Duhon, and 5 new lottery picks (2 each from the deng/gordon trades, and the Bulls own from this year).

With possibly the deepest team in NBA history, the Bulls plow through the Eastern conference, and make it to the NBA Finals, winning a championship for the first time ever in the post Jordan/Pippen era.

Larry Hughes, after playing well in the Finals and hitting randomly big shots off the bench retires as a fan favorite and proud Chicago Bull. The money that comes off the books of Larry's gigantic contract is used to sign a center to finally replace the loss of Ben Wallace.

John Paxson looks like a genious, just like he did with the Curry trade.

Honestly, after seeing what Scott Skiles, and now Jim Boylan continue to do, I have several times tried to find an exlenation that had some logic and I cant. All I can see is that the Bulls could be tanking.

And this is a bucnh of crap. This team could have gotten to the Finals if there was any confidence for or from anybody at the beginning of the year. Now...well...Lotter Bound Horribulls.

Is there a way to get the sound file from this video? I want to use it in a Bulls slideshow/clipshow I am making, it's the perfect song for it.

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/teams/bulls/loveofthegame_0607.asx

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One-line diaries are prohibited on McCovey Chronicles. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.
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