[ed. note: the sidebar (fanshots especially) are filling up way too fast with random Heat stuff. And since this isn't a Heat blog, it seems a bit much. Not that I don't enjoy laughing at the Heat, just want to consolidate it more. So if you have stuff on the Heat, put it as a comment here. -ed.]

SCHADENFREUDE - "The pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others"

(If you don't like aimless & rambling rants, please read no further…)

When I used to see the word Shadenfreude in print (come on, nobody actually 'says' the word Shadenfreude, do they?), the example that would come to my mind would be of those lucky multi-million dollar lottery winners - you know the ones - those that would quit their jobs, blow their wads on luxury cars and poor investments, and eventually wind up broke and destitute (No Scottie, I'm not referring to you). It wasn't a real sense of pleasure in that you want to go out and celebrate, but just one of those smug feelings where you know someone had a rare chance at something, and they blew the opportunity. Then, sometime early to mid 2010, a fellow by the name of Tiger Woods threatened to become my poster child for Shadenfreude… Tiger was the arrogant billion dollar golden boy with supermodel wife who walked on water, spat and cussed as he demolished playing fields, and widely ignored the fans who flocked to see him weekly, yet the world gave him a pass because he was 'Tiger', and his ability to perform on the playing field seemed to hold detractors at bay. In my mind, Tiger's comeuppance was long overdue, so it still gives me a little bit of pleasure to see him humbled nowadays by announcers and players alike, and to see him struggle while he tries to re-discover his swing. I hope in the long run it will make him a better man and a better golfer but the outcome is yet to be seen. But then… then… something happened in July 2010 that would forever shake my world…

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I tend to side with the masses here on BaB and feel that (outside of LeBron) Bosh would theoretically be the best of the Big 3 to compliment to our young core of Rose, Deng & Noah. 

Wade's game is similar to Rose's, and two slashing / jump shooting athletic guards who are poor 3pt shooters give's me nightmares that go something like, "Rose slashes to the basket and kicks out to Wade, Wade fakes the three and slashes and kicks out to.... Brad Miller standing behind the arc, Miller shoots...".

So assuming that LeBron sticks around in Cleveland, Bosh would seem the natural compliment to the Bulls core as he slides into the 4 position that Taj is keeping warm for him.  He has improved his game over the last few years to become a steady 22/10 franchise-type player in Toronto.  But what does Bosh bring to the table?  I've been to a handful of Raptors games over the years, and my observations on Bosh lead me to believe that he's slightly overrated, and in a non-Big 3 hyped year, he's not worthy of a max contract.  When I say this, I'm saying this as a fan and an observer, not as a 'stat' tracker.

Bosh is a big, long, athletic kid, who loves the midrange jumper.  In the games I've seen him play in, he always seems to get his stats, but they're not 'impact' stats (if that makes sense).  Bosh doesn't seem to make the big play, or grab the big rebound often (although that doesn't mean he's not capable of it).  More often he's clearing out for a 1 on 1 at the top of the key rather than a PnR.  At times he tends to disappear from games, especially when his jumper is not falling.  His defense is what I would call 'adequate', but not good  - and his lateral quickness on defense reminds me a little of Deng's (I know, ouch).  I just don't think Bosh is really a franchise type player (i.e. LeBron, Carmello, Kobe).  He's had a pretty crappy supporting cast for the last few years, but at the same time, he hasn't been able to do much with it.

Despite my personal observations on Bosh, I think the positive impact of Bosh on this team with a max contract outweighs the Bulls NOT picking up any of the Big 3 - but it makes me wonder if perhaps picking up a Boozer or a Lee for less than max money wouldn't be the smart thing to do.  Both Boozer and Lee are similar to Bosh, but having cap space to sign a 'service-able' (non-Pargo) shooting guard this offseason will be almost as important.  Having a backcourt of Derrick +1 will not cut it any longer, no matter how good that +1's defense is.  This Bulls team needs a 3pt shooter next to Derrick, or else the lane gets narrow for him and for Bosh/Boozer/Lee.  I think the signing of Bosh without any movement on a shooting guard is an improvement, but the Bulls can't move to the next 2 levels (playoffs and deep playoffs) without some offensive consistency at the 2.

If we can sign Bosh, sign him.  And pray that we can somehow dump Kirk and pick up a solid shooter to pair with Rose.  But if Bosh can't be signed, I don't think the drop off in a Boozer/ Lee is as high as some seem to think.

I think I asked some form of this question last year as a Tyrus critic, but would like to get some of your current thoughts based on the upcoming trade deadline...

The Tyrus supporters continue to hound on the organizations lack of ability to develop Tyrus’ potential. I think everyone here on this blog realizes that Tyrus has tremendous athleticism which typically translate into potential, which ‘could’ develop into skill. At the Tyrus’ current state, I would say he’s stuck somewhere between athleticism and potential, and has only occasionally broken out with skill to match expectations. My questions is, when is enough ‘enough’? At what hypothetical point do the Tyrus supporters give in and say, “this kid just doesn’t get it?” Under the assumption that Tyrus is traded this week, and he goes to another team with what many are calling, a “real” coach, I, for one, am anxious to see the outcome. Not because I want to see Tyrus do poorly, but I really want to see how he is able to perform outside of the Bulls organization to finally put to rest this debate on Thomas.

As a Bulls fan, I would have loved to have seen him do well here, and I still would not mind him exceeding his last 4 years performance at his next destination. If Tyrus is successful on his next team, and is able to earn himself solid minutes, and able to propel himself to somewhere near his lofty expectations in Chicago, I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong about him, and that maybe (MAYBE) there were some elements here in Chicago’s organization that were not conducive to his success. HOWEVER, if he spends the next few years struggling to earn minutes, or bounces around from team to team as a 7ppg/5rpg headcase, earning himself a poor reputation in this league, then will all the Tyrus supporters readily agree that perhaps Tyrus himself is more at blame in this situation than the Bulls organization? Or will a future failure on Tyrus’ part cause the Tyrus supporters to lament that these NBA organizations do not know how to properly handle sensitve personalities like Tyrus’? Or that these other teams don’t realize the potential and still aren’t giving Tyrus his deserved minutes to prove his worth? Or that the Bulls somehow screwed up Tyrus so badly that he was permanently damaged developmentally?

It’s a debate that could last at least the next couple of years, and maybe more. Needless to say there will be a lot of Bulls fans watching Tyrus on his next team. Personally, I would set a reasonable bar for Tyrus for the next few years on his new team to allow him to adjust. Perhaps in the range of his 2008 season when he was getting 27 mpg, 10.9ppg, 6.4rpg. If he could match those 2008 numbers on this next team in his first season with them, and perhaps elevate himself over the next few years to 30-32mpg, I would like to see him in the 15ppg, 7-8rpg average (a couple blocks per game) on his next team. Nothing spectacular. Nothing outrageous. If on his next team, he can CONSISTENTLY convince his next coach to keep him on the court for those type minutes, CONSISTENTLY achieve those type stats, help his team win, not pull any handguns on his teammates, I will readily admit that the Bulls organization was perhaps the major reason for his uninspired performance here in Chicago (whether it be poor handling, poor coaching, inability to inspire, etc…). However, if he is unable to attain that type of consistency elsewhere in this league, are the Tyrus supporters just as willing to step forward and discuss the possibility that Tyrus was more of the problem than they cared to admit?

Some may point at my future Tyrus expectations and correctly calculate that a simple increase in Tyrus' minutes on the Bulls would have mathematically resulted in those types of numbers, but the kicker here is that Tyrus has to be on the court for those minutes in order to get those numbers (something he was unable to do here, be it his own doing or the organizations, or a combination of both). 

What are your thoughts/ expectations for Tyrus on his next team(s) over the next few years? What would make you think twice about your current pro-Tyrus or anti-Tyrus stance?

Under the assumption that the Bulls take Rose with the number 1 pick, there are a lot of articles and rumors that Riley is actively shopping the #2 pick as he has become disenchanted with Beasley, perhaps due to his personality, or perhaps Riley covets other PFs more, and is willing to take back pieces in a trade to move down the draft.  There are a lot of good arguments on this board for both cases, so just out of curiosity, I'd like to see what YOU think the Heat will do with the #2 pick in the draft tomorrow, assuming Rose is selected #1.

i apologize in advance if this sounds completely ludicrous, but after watching noc's defensive ability, i get the feeling that he can guard the 2 position.  he's not the quickest guy on the court, but recovers quickly and seems to perpetually disrupt the person he's defending.  this, coupled with his newfound scoring ability, has lead me to wonder on several occasions if he could actually play the 2 position consistently, or if he would get into foul trouble early and/ or tire on the offensive end.  he appears to be confident with his outside shots, and isn't exactly shy on pulling the trigger, and with his size, i'm sure he could post up smaller guards on mismatches, and could adequately defend the position.  the only real concern would be his perceived lack of dribbling skill... but i don't think the bulls would ask him to bring the ball down the court much if hinrich or duhon were in the game.  the odd man off the bench, of course, would be b-jizzle, who appears, from recent performance, to be successful coming off the bench, or duhon.

this question is posed purely to pick brains, and not to suggest that any lineup changes be made this year... i would like to know your thoughts on noc, and if you feel he is athletic enough to play a combo 2/3 game instead of the 3/4 game, and if you feel he could contribute at that position on this team... or if you feel he would get abused at that position (and why).  i'm not sure if it would be of much help on this year's team, but theorizing we pick up a 'big' via trade this year or in the draft next year, i wouldn't mind trying him at the 2 in order to keep him on the first team with hinrich, deng and wallace.  of course some of the floor 'leadership' would be reduced if duhon didn't start, but isn't that what captain kirk is there for?

Chicago Tribune 8/24/06

Nets Invite Jay Williams to Camp

By DAVID PORTER
Associated Press Writer
Published August 24, 2006, 3:12 PM CDT

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jay Williams' bid to resurrect his NBA career after a serious motorcycle crash three years ago has brought him to New Jersey, where he worked out for Nets officials and has been invited to training camp.

Kevin Bradbury, who represents Williams, said the Nets invited the former Duke star and No. 2 draft pick to training camp in October. Williams hasn't played in the NBA since his 2002-2003 rookie season when he averaged 9.5 points for the Chicago Bulls.

Nets general manager Ed Stefanski said Thursday that Williams had given "strong indications" that he was interested in accepting the invitation.

Williams crashed his motorcycle into a light pole in June 2003, fracturing his pelvis and tearing knee ligaments. He was hospitalized for 3 1/2 months and had nerve damage in his left leg. The Bulls bought out his contract for about $3 million.

Williams is considering the offer and no contract has been signed yet, Bradbury said. The Nets are expected to have a full roster of 15 players under contract, which means Williams would not receive any guaranteed money.

"That allows us to get a look at him, plus the whole league gets a look at him," Stefanski said. "I haven't met a much nicer kid than Jay. He has unbelievable desire. If anybody has the drive to make it back into the league, he does."

Bradbury said Williams has held workouts for several teams over the last two months, including Phoenix, Seattle, Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Lakers. He also participated in Steve Nash's annual charity game in Vancouver last month.

"He used to be one of the explosive guys you'd ever seen, and he's not that type of player any more," Bradbury said. "He's not going to rise up on you like he used to. But he still has good foot speed and lateral movement, and he can still get by a guy in either direction.

"He's working really hard on extending the range of his jump shot because he knows he has to have those things to compete at this level again."

Williams, from Plainfield, N.J., led Duke to the national title as a sophomore. He was a two-time All-American and the 2002 AP college player of the year.

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Several topics:

1. So the Trailblazers pick up Jamaal Magloire for 3 scrubs today... a potential low level All Star caliber PF/C for a handful of, well, nothing. The bucks get MAYBE a decent backup in Steve Blake.  Makes me wonder if a Duhon plus a Schensher and change could have made this one happen for the Bulls.  Don't get me wrong, I think we'll do fine with the PJ Brown, Wallace, Allen combo, but Magloire would have been a nice complimentary veteran widebody in the middle...
2. Knicks let Jackie Butler go to the Spurs for 3/7?... 3/7????? wtf?  and then signs restricted Jared Jeffries to a 5/30????  Just when you think that he might turn this thing around, he just kicks himself in the nuts.  Not to rip on our AG, but I would prefer to have a Jackie Butler for 3/7... 3/7 is like those mcdonald's special wednesdays when you can buy burgers for $0.29 each... you have to buy 10 of them... we should have taken a flyer on Jackie Butler... hold the pickles.
3. Did the Cubs really just trade away Maddux again?

I just read on another post that Deng is now almost 6'10"?... Does anyone have any documented info on that?... I saw a Skiles post from 2005 saying that Deng grew an inch last year and he joked that Deng might be 7' by next year... 6'10" isn't bad for a swingman just starting to come into his own.. now if he could just get a little more aggressive on offense instead of settling for 15' jumpers I think the Bulls could have the east tied up with their current roster.

Has anyone heard anything on what sweets does over the summer to keep in shape?  Any chance at all he'll come into this season at a slimmed doen 240-245?  I'd even take 250?  If you're involved in professional basketball, how hard is it to stay in shape??... I mean, if he's running up and down the court over and over again in games and in practices, doesn't that burn an incredible amount of calories?  Doesn't that mean you would have to be eating Krispy Kremes and Big Macs all day in order to actually gain weight?  Between sweets not losing weight, and Ty1 unable to put on a few pounds, you have to wonder who the Bull's nutritionist is, and what his take is on sweets and Ty1.  Anyone with an 'inside source'?... Kevin, maybe you could ask your 'guy'?...