May be our last winnable game in a while, SAVOR IT.

(unless the players smell blood in the water and tank this one)

New thread at 8:30.

Remember last week when Matt Moore of HardwoodParoxysm.com questioned the negativity of this here blog? And that was before 2 blowouts over the weekend and a loss to the Nets!

After that Nets game, I spoke with him on the Podcast Paroxysm for a solid 45 minutes, with the rambling, whining, cell-phone issues, and 'ums' that always make a BaB podcast appearance.

So VDN, in trademark 'I'm in way over my head' style, lashed back at his detractors Thursday after practice, with the ole 'you don't know how it feels' line:

It's easy to sit back on the sidelines and everyone has all these great ideas. People think they know what they're talking about. But until you live it and do it, no one has an idea. All you (media) guys have to write and do your job and come up with stories and that's all great. But you guys really don't know what it's like--because you've never done it.

Not only is this yet another example of an inexperienced coach poorly handling criticism, but it's especially absurd that he pulls this card about 'knowing what it's like' being so important, since he himself had no idea what it's like since he never coached before. I'm sure he glossed over that fact as less crucial in the original interview.

And it's not like the media here is that tough anyway. A sad case in point was surrounding the Nets game. As I said pre-game, the chatter around the city in print and radio was escalating concerning VDN's job.

So after that unconscionable loss, only the team's newest reporter, WSCR's Jason Goff, stepped up at the end of the press conference and asked VDN directly about his job security. Vinny actually took that professionally (unlike today) and reasoned that he wasn't worried since it wasn't up to him. But then immediately afterwards on the CSN post-game, the question was deemed 'not serious' by analyst Kendall Gill, and here's the true eyebrow-raising comment from Goff himself:

I was told by several people in the press room that it was a great question, but they could have never asked it; with a smile.

Yes, everyone: that's our local media.

The question was certainly valid (they lost to the Nets!) and the answer soon popped up everywhere including the national broadcast of the game in Atlanta. And after that blowout, it's only intensified.

And by now it's just a matter of time, as while VDN may now know what it's like to be a real live NBA coach, he has no experience to fall back on when things get this tough, with his job is in the balance (plus his team sucks).

As ever since coming in as an unproven coach, VDN remains an unproven coach.

Maybe a recap tonight, maybe not.

Next thread (won't be around for a prompt recap) at 9.

At least this one will be over early.

New thread at 7:30

Ryan Schwan is a smart dude, and a great blogger over at Hornets247.com. He put together some Venn Diagrams for the league's PGs, separated by advanced metrics (some more common than others) like TS%, AST%, Usage, etc.

Using the league average (for 10gm, 25mpg PGs) as a baseline for making certain categories, he charts together which point guards provide singular or multiple qualities. Even combines different categories based on the 'type' of PG you're looking for, though I'd say his 'master' list is a far-from-perfect combination of qualities.

But no matter how you slice these numbers, the glaring thing throughout is that Rose isn't even above average in...pretty much anything. He only shows up in one of the three diagrams and that was as a high-usage PG.

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose stands on the sidelines against the New Jersey Nets trying to figure out how many days until he's a free agent. It's a long process. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Browse more photos »

Bulls weren't embarrassed tonight, they're just continually embarrassing with this loss being another instance of it. Though of the 8 losses in 9 games, this certainly is the worst opponent.

And the Nets didn't disappoint in showing their ineptitude for long stretches of the game. But you could tell from the outset that the Nets smelled a win here, and they proved that they're just as good as the Bulls...or that the Bulls are just as bad as them.

I didn't see a team that quit on their coach, or played down to competition. This is who the current Bulls are, a team that's as good as the New Jersey Nets, having to put up a 31-point fourth quarter to lose by 2. I truly thought all 4th quarter that the Nets ran out of gas and the Bulls would narrowly get this one. And I was not rooting for them to lose as some kind of statement to show how bad they are. The fact that it was this close at the end, and they were down double-digits for a majority of the 3rd quarter, showed how comparable these current rosters are, win or lose.

(though the final possession was indeed a head-scratcher, with the Bulls having 14 seconds and John Salmons launching a 3 with a hand in his face with 7 left. I'm fine with not holding until the last shot in that situation, but the 'quick' shot has to be a better option than that, and Rose has to at least touch the ball. Also, Vinny ran out of timeouts, and he subbed out Taj (one of the team's best offensive re bounders) before Rose missed the final rebound, which I believe was on purpose? Anyway, credit Kiki Vandeweghe and his cool glasses for fouling Rose up three.)

A young duo of Harris-Lopez that's possibly better than Rose-Noah (Rose had a great second half when he realized a bit late that they needed him to score a lot, but Lopez dominated Noah). Middling wings in Lee and CDR that seemed interchangeable with Salmons-Deng at a fraction of the price. Crappy depth all-around.

Taj Gibson had a great night shooting the ball, but registered two defensive rebounds in over 35 minutes. He actually was benched in favor of Brad Miller to start tonight's game, a move I'm in favor of...but Miller looks one step over the hill and provided nothing tonight.

It's real bad right now. And while I don't see any changes overnight, when they get absolutely hammered in Atlanta tomorrow, the Org. may have no choice but to do something to salvage the season. A season they were not really interested in anyway, but they can't let it stay this bad.

Recap later.