Blog a Bull

Deng's stats aren't much better than last year's, but I thought he's been our best player in the games I've watched.

Rose got all the credit for the Lakers game for that amazing shots, but Deng had basically done everything to get them to that point in the previous 1-2 min.

msquared10 - January 4, 2012 reply

I think Rose has been our best player in the games I've watched

I don’t really think its been close. Deng is certainly all-star worthy. But Rose is playing like a franchise player.

Isn't because

Rose IS a franchise player? lol

well yea, but that is my point

I keep seeing these Deng is playing as good as Rose comments or Deng is 1(b) and Rose is 1(a) and I just have to shake my head. Deng has played well, but offensively, Rose is everything for this team.

I think they are playing very different roles right now.

What makes Deng great is he has all those intangibles that don’t show up on a stat sheet. He plays hard for 40+ minutes every game, making an effort to impact every play offensively and defensively. If I had to make a terrible analogy, I would say Deng is like the ship’s captain, trying to keep things righted throughout the entire game, and Rose is like the coast guard, saving everyone’s asses when things get bad. ;)

Of course, that’s not to say I don’t think Rose isn’t having an impact for the entire game, but I do feel like Deng has been by far the most consistent, in that regard.

Yeah.

I think Deng is kinda growing into the Scottie role. He’s been amazing. Aside from elbowing Rose in the head.

Prevenge - January 4, 2012 reply

was that actually deng though?

on the replay it looked like maybe noah was the one who hit him heh.

I thought it was on the replay but I could be wrong.

/shrug.

Prevenge - January 4, 2012 reply

Sadly, his lock down defense doesn't show up in the box score

Option27 - January 4, 2012 reply

I think teams are feeling Deng's power and that helps

the problem for Deng is that both Melo and LeBron are in the East now. As a SF he would have more chance in the West, imo

i don't think he gets voted in at the forward spot regardless

it is a bit of a problem with melo now also in the east, but if he can keep it up maybe the coaches finally vote him in. especially if a a guy like pierce is finally starting to wear down.

I think if the Bulls have one of the top 2 records in the East

he’ll get in on the coaches vote

Yeah, if our record is that good again, there's no way they can just take Rose like last year

you'd think

except when we were the only team with a winning record without an all star in 2007 (and were skipped over by not only fans, coaches, but also the commissioner)… or how they voted in MAJOR losers last year (griffin and love).

i don’t know. i don’t have faith. hope he gets it though.

Johannes Factotum - January 4, 2012 reply

The only reason

I think that he’d get in, using that rationale, is that if Rose is the only all-star again – we’re talking MVP rd. 2.

If Deng makes the all-star team, then the NBA can give it back to some jagoff like Lebron or Kobe.

All Star?

As much as he deserves it, he’ll probably need the rest by then.

El Toro de Goro - January 4, 2012 reply

Rose won't win it again

Even if this year is superior to last. That’s just the way it is.

http://www.nba.com/allstar/2012/asb/eng/landing.jsp?referrer=asb12_chi&cid=asb12_chi

now you can do something about it

start voting.

anorexorcist - January 4, 2012 reply

You should fanshot that

(And we should rec it, so it sticks, and people remember to vote)

http://www.nba.com/allstar/2012/asb/eng/landing.jsp

I agree. He was already shafted for one year

Make sure you vote if you really want Deng in the Game. Ballots are out already.

(you all should follow this blog)

Scumbag yfBB:

says we should follow blog; doesn’t link to it.

NittanyCub - January 4, 2012 reply

ha!

I’ll fix that, thanks.

Is there anybody who isn't on reddit?

wow

3 people vote for the bulls as most impressive so far. have they been watching the same team?

or maybe i haven’t watched enough other basketball, lol…

I've been watching a lot of games this season...

And I would believe it. Granted, we just squeaked by the Hawks, but the Heat got some of their wins just barely squeaking by teams like the Timberwolves. Right now, the Bulls look much more solidified as a team than any other group I’ve watched.

well the bulls are 5-1

but they could easily be 3-3. i guess that’s why i don’t see it.

but, i could see why they look like one of the more cohesive groups out there.

So could the Heat

But the Heat’s close wins came against the Wolves and the Bobcats. Our close ones were against the Lakers and the Hawks.

DRose01 - January 4, 2012 reply

i'm not even arguing that the heat are the most impressive team thus far, though

but it’s hard for me to believe it’s the bulls, is all.

Well then who's been better?

kozzer - January 4, 2012 reply

yeah i mean guess you all are right

it seems like we’ve been struggling but i guess everyone has…

We may have struggled

But the teams that we struggled with are playoff teams likely. We struggled against the Lakers, GS, and the Hawks. The Lakers and Hawks are going to the playoffs (and the Hawks are in my opinion a top 3 team in the East), and GS is playing like an above average team.

The Heat needed final shots to beat Minnesota and the Bobcats. 2 teams likely to be picking in the lottery next draft.

macjack09 - January 4, 2012 reply

I like how we've all just agreed

to not mention Golden State ever again.

Yeah, but the same could be said of the other 5-1 (or similar) teams.

Portland (4-1) squeaked by Philly and then dropped a game to the Clippers, though they did have a solid win against the Thunder.

OKC (5-2) had close games / buzzer beaters against Minnesota, Memphis, and Dallas (all 4 point or less victory margin), then turned around and dropped 10+ point losses to Dallas and Portland.

Miami (5-1) had buzzer beater games against Charlotte and Minnesota, and likewise got their other wins against struggling teams.

No team has really dominated through all their wins so far, and I’m guessing the Bulls got some extra nod from the writers since they opened on a road trip. :)

fair enough

esp regarding the road trip, and then of course a 40 point victory.

Lu has not shot well from the outside this year, but he has been very, very solid.

Hopefully he finds his stroke…although we might have to give him a bit of a pass if his 3 point percentage dips. It is clear that Thibs is not going to conserve him, so these minutes will take their toll on some nights I’m guessing.

bleigh82 - January 4, 2012 reply

I don't know how many passes we can give if we hope to win a championship

Deng gets a pass
Boozer gets a pass
Noah gets a pass
Asik gets a pass

All of the sudden its like John Stockton has joined the team!

If he finds his stroke he could finally reach the 20ppg mark

Boozer sucks

Noah has no offensive game, but he does bring energy and defense. They should’ve never signed Boozer, he just don’t fit with this team. Deng has always been the Bulls next best player.

Big Ike - January 4, 2012 reply

Just Derrick Rose happened.

Wake - January 4, 2012 reply

For Crissakes

This is a six-game sample size, Boozer and Noah both have PERs around 16, and the gripe here is…what, the bench is playing too well? Roughly 27-28 teams would kill to have this “problem.”

BenGo07 - January 4, 2012 reply

How many teams can finish a game with 3 of their starters out

Because the bench as a unit was playing hot….I bet miami would love to have a bench like ours too…Our bench more clutch than lebitch

I knew your name looked familiar

What happened to all the other contributors? Is it just you over there now?

NittanyCub - January 4, 2012 reply

I'm not sure if I'm even over there now

…although I hope to pick things back up at some point in the near future.

BenGo07 - January 4, 2012 reply

Unfortunately only 1 team can win the championship

and 29 teams would kill for that.

the Bulls are competing with those other 2-3 teams

The Boozer-Noah issues are an ongoing trend by now, don’t you think?

Boozer actually played well in the Miami series (better than Derrick, at least)

Last year he was our best defensive rebounder (and great rebounder overall), and finished the season with a PER of 19, after being in the top 15 for most of the year, until the foot injury. Really sounds like a guy that needs to hang em up….

Wow, just wow.

He averaged 14/10 against Miami,. while Bosh plugged in 23/8. He couldn’t stay on the floor in fourth quarters. Rose played poorly because he had to try and single-handedly score against the big 3, which he wouldn’t have had to do if Boozer did what he was supposed to.

He still played better

And that wasn’t even my point, anyway

And I still find it remarkable how you bitch about Rose even more than I do in most of those game threads

Then you come in threads like this and act like none of that happened

Did you just tell yourself that you bitch?

Option27 - January 4, 2012 reply

We all might as well agree to a new tagline.

Bitch-a-Booz: We think he gave 1.7%.

I can get with that.

Have I ever denied it?

I know that I can get very reactionary in those game threads. So do most people. A lot of bitching going on in those threads

I bitch about everything in game threads to let off steam when I watch.

Game threads are retarded and reactionary. These threads are where I step back and look at the big picture.

And here’s you 6 months ago.

Yeah, Boozer and Noah have replaced Luol as the two contracts that freak me out going forward

Ok, your point?

Those contracts still freak me out going forward. In fact, I think that’s an even truer statement today than it was six months ago.

Why do they freak you out if you think Boozer is good.

I think he believes, as I do, that Boozer's good right now, but he probably won't be when he turns 33.

Exactly

Well, he turned 31 two months ago.

He hasn’t been very good so far this season and his problems aren’t new, they’ve been around for a while. He had the injury excuse last season, but he doesn’t look different now, so I’m kind of done with that. My opinion of Boozer won’t change with one game either, I need to see him rip of a bunch of very strong games against real teams. i don’t give a shit if he gets buckets against Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, etc. I’ll only back off of him if he can show me something against teams that can actually play.

Booz is 30.

Same age as me. I’m old :-(

chicity773 - January 4, 2012 reply

his problems aren’t new, they’ve been around for a while

That’s the thing though, these “problems” you’re talking about are not that big of a deal. Sure, he’ll never live up to that contract, but he’s still a productive player

Also, I get that those threads are reactionary

but at least I recognize some of my stupidity. It’s almost like you’re in a complete state of denial. And the fact that you go as far as criticizing other people for what they say in those threads, is bothersome.

Who did I criticize for their talk in game threads?

Everything I’ve talked about here is in response to what’s been said here. You brought up game threads.

Yeah, I wasn't talking about anything you've said in here.

I was speaking in general terms. I know for a fact you’ve called me out on several occasions for things I’ve said in those threads. Pretty sure I’ve seen you do it to other people to, but I don’t remember any specific quotes or anything. Whatever, no biggie.

Additionally,

the only player that I really go after too hard in game threads is DRose, and I admit to that. Most of my vitriol in game threads is aimed at Noah, Boozer, Taj and CJ, and for the most part I stand by the criticism.

Noah is overpaid, overloved, would be better off never posting up anybody ever again and should really consider trashing his jump shot.

Boozer is overpaid, under-productive and lazy, in my opinion. He’s a con-artist, too, as he supposedly woo-ed over Noah with that lobby meeting and has talked a big game this offseason, yet hasn’t brought much offense to the table. He has skills in the post yet he relies heavily on his jumper; that’s laziness in my opinion. Instead of working hard to get deep position on his man he settles for mid-range face ups.

Taj is a decent player, and what I bitch about in game threads is his shot selection. His shot is not good, and while he’s not as dumb with his shot as Josh Smith, he shoots jumpers too often. He, like Noah, should be relegated to cleaning up the trash.

CJ………I see a guy who shot 37 percent last year and is down at 31 this year. He likes to jack shots, especially when he sees Rose get up off the bench. I’m not a big fan of his, but I also think he’d be better off if he was a 2 guard instead of the PG with the second unit.

Granted Noah has had a rough start, I think his passing ability is

really underrated and he’s not as bad in the post as he showed last night. He’s one guy I’m not terribly worried about. He’s a big who can move and even start the break. This is more than just saying, oh wow, I like him, he is neat to watch, I just think if the guy gets his clock right, and starts pressing the fucking jump button when he should, he’ll be alright.

Dogfishhead - January 4, 2012 reply

He can definitely pass,

as we all saw in that final play last night. But all that talk about having a center lead the break is meaningless, IMO. With Rip and Derrick on this team, I want him giving them the ball any time there’s a chance to run. He has nice plays sometimes, but is it worth it chancing a fast break on his ball handling when the chances of success are greatly improved if he dishes to Rose of Rip?

It looks good and is fun when you see a big push the ball, but it’s not always the best basketball play.

The worrying thing about Noah is the injuries

Other than that, you’re right that there will always be some pretty good value in what he provides.

Yet somehow we'll likely have one of the best records in the league for the second straight year with that group of misfits...

I just find it funny how the hyperbolic negativity is only tolerated if it’s not aimed at D Rose. It’s a strange double standard.

I’ve always felt like Rose should be more accountable, seeing as he’s the best, and highest paid player. Meanwhile, other people want to blame everything on CJ Watson who plays about 8 minutes per game on a good night. To each his own I guess

Lol,

I never said those guys sucked. They’re all good players, and the team is great, but that doesn’t mean there are a lot of things that can be corrected.

Should Taj and Jo not shoot as many jumpers or get post feeds? As long as there’s a better option on the floor(Rose, Deng, Boozer), they should have to defer touches and get their points on fast breaks and garbage plays.

And now you’re getting on with the hyperbole. When CJ fucks up, I say something about it. I don’t blame everything on him, I just think he’s a bad basketball player, or at least a bad fit on this team.

My post mentions their flaws as individuals and why I call them out in game threads. Each of those flaws are legitimate. They’re clearly not killing the team, but little changes can have drastic effects come playoff time.

I wasn't talking about you specifically with the Watson stuff, and yes, I was being hyperbolic there

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with calling out players, I just think if people nitpicked over Derrick’s flaws in the same way that the other players are, people would be all over that shit. Again, this is not directed specifically at you.

But you did just remind how pissed I was at Taj last night at one point. I knw his defense was stellar, but I his combination of never wanting to pass, not hitting jumpers, and takng bad shots, has been pretty tough to watch

Yeah.

He does a lot of good things out there, but some real rough ones too.

And I KNOW that you know that I definitely get on DRose for his faults. :)

I’m an equal opportunity hater.

Um, maybe?

But I just don’t view it as direly as many seem to. Every team has problems. That Boozer and Noah don’t always mesh as nicely as one might hope (sometimes they do; I didn’t hear any complaints after the Memphis game) is one of them good problems. Just trying to keep some perspective.

BenGo07 - January 4, 2012 reply

I won't complain as long as Chicago can keep injuring the opponent's best big man.

booz still had 4 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl

while randolph was in the game.

This isn't a six game sample size. Noah and Boozer have had issues dating back to last February.

And every 3 days there’s another excuse. And that awesome depth we enjoy now? It’s gone by next season.

Why is it gone next season?

luxury tax? it doesn't have to be gone

but unless the Bulls plan on paying the tax, there will be some drastic changes to the bench mob. I predict either CJ, Brewer or Korver gets the ax, probably 2 of the 3 if it means keeping Asik.

Right, but it doesn't necessarily mean our front court depth is gone, like Ozzie said

You think the Bulls can afford to keep both Taj and Asik on the bench?

Other teams are going to make offers and the team is capped out.

I thought I heard that Asik is not eligible for a very big contract this time around for one reason or another...

As for Taj, that one will be tricky. Although due to the fact that he’s undersized, I don’t think teams will as quick to throw silly money at him. I think he has more value for this team (due to some of Boozer’s faults) then he would for most others.

Asik is the guy that some team would throw silly money at

They technically can get by for another season with both on the bench

Asik’s first year offer tops out around $5m, and Taj isn’t an RFA yet, so maybe backcourt/wing depth is lost as a result but not everything.

That’s why it’s more likely no Amnesty next offseason regardless for Boozer, they’d really need it the following one.

There is some 'early bird' rule in the new CBA that says Asik only gets 5 million for the first 2 years of his next contract.

I do not know the details and would jump off a bridge before reading the CBA. Anyone know the exact details?

THEKILLERWHALE - January 4, 2012 reply

I posted the details for you in the previous thread

Taj is still on his rookie deal next year.

Calm down

Anyone else notice that monstrosity on Noah's right elbow?

Is that new, or has it been there the whole year?

that looked new to me as well

I didn't notice it

yeah, i mentioned that last night

couldn’t remember if he had been wearing it before either. i was a bit worried about it.

No Horford, you didn't

I felt like we played a great game.

Yeah

The hawks are the same dumbass team from last year

Their shot selection was dreadful towards the end

but I thought they really did do an incredible job of controlling the pace (not easy to do against a Derrick Rose led team), and they were pretty terrific on D. If they hit a few free throws and/or drive to the basket instead of taking a stupid jumper or two, we’re probably very sad right now

but they shot poorly almost all game

so it’s not a great game

Shooting poorly doesn't = bad game, necessarily

he said "great" game

I thought they were a smarter different team in the 1st quarter

then they went back to what they really were…Thank you J smoove

bring back captian kirk!

He looked so sad on the bench last night, like “man I wish I will still on that team” :(

Da Bears2333333 - January 4, 2012 reply

next year

I think the Bulls will clear out Watson, Korver, and Brewer. Sign Hinrich, and tell fans he's the perfect amalgamation of all three

I like captian kirk but

not that much!

Da Bears2333333 - January 4, 2012 reply

If we keep brewer and sign Hinrich for cheap I’ll be happy.

HeXDeMoN - January 4, 2012 reply

Isnt he though...

okay hes not….id like to keep brewer though, i think you can find a 3pt specialist for cheap, i think hinrich can be more pg-ish than cj (maybe not the same scorer though) but hinrich will never have brewers tremendous athleticism on defense…and for that reason brewer should be kept if at all possible…

I'm guessing the org will drop KK and CJ

Bring back Brewer, sign Kirk and give Butler a few minutes a game.

illwill - January 4, 2012 via iPhone app reply

after i posted my comment

i wondered if butler just couldnt replace brewer as the athletic 3 and d guy…but the fact that the organization wont play him at all this season makes me think otherwise….even if he had the athletic ability of brewer (which i dont think he does) the lack of playing time and experience hes getting is probably reason enough to believe that next year he wont be able to fill brewer’s shoes..

They need to keep some depth

so they wouldn’t get rid of CJ Korver and Brewer, who are all currently in the rotation and replace them with only Kirk and Butler. Thibs likes going 10 deep.

That's why I get nervous when people talk about possibly trading Asik at some point because he'd return more value than Taj.

I’m more concerned about our big man depth than anything, with how much people are overpaying bigs right now, and the fact that we’re not likely to have a decent draft spot in the next couple years.

I think that's actually a legitimate possibility

Assuming Kirk will take any contract the team gives him, it would allow them to save quite a bit without much talent dropoff.

I can’t wait to see which blogabuller explodes when this happens.

I'm not even sure it'll be that big of a deal

Kirk will be a backup, like you said will take less money, and we’re all expecting it.

The explosion will happen after Thibs really likes his grit, and starts him opening night :-)

Bulls against the Zone

Why did Atlanta abandon the zone. I thought they had the Bulls really confused and struggling against it. The Bulls started scoring some points when ATL switched back to man defense with 2min left in the 3rd qtr. 37 points up to that point and then 39 points in 14 minutes from there on…

HG@PTY - January 4, 2012 reply

yeah, that was a big mistake by the Atl coaching staff

the zone forced Rose to give up the ball and stopped his penetration. The one thing I can say in their possible defense is that its harder to set up a zone after you’ve missed a shot and they missed a bunch of shots.

Also, didn

oops, also, didn't we have a run of offensive rebounds while they were in it, or am I imagining things?

I was pissed at how easily Derrick was giving it up

He would essentially take a few steps circling the 3 point line, pass to one side, wait for the pass back, take a few steps the other direction and pass to the other side, then when the clock was at 2, someone would throw up a terrible shot.

It shouldn’t be that easy to completely throw the Bulls off of their game.

there was a lot of bad luck involved too

Bulls had a lot of ins-and-outs and shots they usually make

1st 3 quarters

we’re the weirdest 3 quarters i’ve seen…Missing shots, missing bunnies, and horrible reffing…oh wait the reffing is normal.

Yeah, if it was an away game

I’d accuse them of tightening the rims.

Let's pretend they tightened the rims even though is was a home game.

I like to imagine that the Bulls just wanted to make shit harder for themselves after the Memphis game.

jpx7 - January 4, 2012 reply

They just have to play hard

J Theory - January 4, 2012 reply

In response to this anti-Boozer vitirol

1. The Bulls do not need a better low post player. DRose became the MVP because there was no such low post player clogging the lanes. All of this talk about getting a 2nd shot creator that has been circulating since the ECF is insane. We do not want the ball out of Roses hands. We want players who set screens and play off of the ball. We have gotten them.

2. Boozer is a bad individual defender. However, he seems to have bought into Thibs system and is starting to step up his team defense. He has been showing over screens and filling the lane. He has not been perfect but I see good signs and I think that he will function very well in Thibs scheme by the playoffs.

3. Booz did not sit yesterday because he was especially bad. First, as has been pointed out, the unit on the floor had tons of momentum and Thibs wisely rode the hot hand. The other reason is Josh Smith.
Smith is a physical phenom and the only players on the Bulls who have the physical ability to guard him are Lu and Taj. Lu was (wisely) guarding JJ. Josh Smith will kill you if you don’t play him tough. However, if you take him out of his game, not only is he ineffective, but he actually hurts his team (ball stopping and poor shot selection). Thus, it is absolutely vital that you put a strong defender on him. This is a matchup problem with the Hawks but not a problem that will repeat itself on a nightly basis. Everyone matches up poorly with the Hawks. Their skill sets are bizarre. You beat them by playing them tough and waiting for them to do idiotic things.

As such, I am not at all pissed about Boozer. On the contrary, as he is stepping up his defensive effort, I am pretty hopeful. We are also doing many things to integrate his game into the offense (signing Rip, more PnR). Last night was bad, but was definitely not the worst Bull on the floor last night (although his shot selection was awful). By playoff time, the Bulls will be a damned machine and Boozer will be a cog.

THEKILLERWHALE - January 4, 2012 reply

back to vitriol

1) I don’t care if Rose never wins another MVP, it’s about the team having a better offensive options to help him, not just to end the ECF but over the course of a season to lessen the load.

2) I don’t see this at all. Even if he’s more willing, and Thibs has his back, he just can’t move well enough or has the instincts.

3) Even if you think he didn’t sit because he played bad, he sat and he played bad.

I dunno if last night was some kind of turning point for me or what, just the fact that he’s looking to become an exclusively outside player is worrisome. Who knows he can dominate Jonas Jerebko tonight too.

I agree completely that his shot selection was awful last night.

However, as Rainman points out, the strength of zone D is that you cannot get good position in the post without easy double teams. You couldn’t design a defense to better take Booz out of his usual game and, when that happens, you look for other options. In the face of zone D, it is the job of the rest of the team to hit the open 3 and attack the seams on the drive. The defense is designed to minimize the post-up threat but it creates other weaknesses, which should be exploited, but which lay outside of Booz’s skill set.

In response to 1, I do not care about DRose’s MVP status in the sense of accolades. In order for him to become a top-5 player he needed that space to work. Have you seen him in the team-USA games? He is totally outside of his game when there are other ball-stoppers on the floor. Yes, we need other offensive threats to lessen the load on Rose. My point is that Boozer has a good skill set to be that offensive threat without taking DRose out of his game.

THEKILLERWHALE - January 4, 2012 reply

Boozer looked like the only player who understood the zone d

When there is 3+ perimeter passes before the ball goes to the middle with 6 seconds left, it’s hardly the fault of the guy who just caught the “hot potato”. I can’t believe how many people are so down on him. Yes, he is a defensive liability but he rebounds.

Rainman9856 - January 4, 2012 reply

Bulls don't have rebounding problems

But they do having a scoring problem which is what Boozer was brought here to do and be consistent. (not just against bad teams).

And even with his soso scoring numbers, his defense , or lack there of erases those gains.

RogersPark Kris - January 4, 2012 reply

The Bulls are actually scoring better than they're rebounding this year.

They have the 8th best offense in the league right now, but they’re only 16th in defensive rebounding.

let me rephrase this

The Bulls wouldn’t be hurt if Boozer didn’t rebound as well. I’m sure Asik/Noah, etc would pick up the slack.

What they need Boozer to do is score when Rose ain’t, especially against good teams.

RogersPark Kris - January 4, 2012 reply

Not to distract from the Boozer bash

but what in the hell has happened to Noah, because he has been worse than Boozer. Is he out of shape, injured, does he need to find his rhythm. One thing I’ve noticed is that his technique for blocking out and rebounding has become poor. I don’t know if that is fatigue or simply because he could in the past rely on his athleticism and didn’t need great technique. He always got pushed around but now it seems he is failing to do the work before the shot is put up. His defense still looks strong to me, although even there he is not quite as active, but I’m waiting for the return of 15 rebound Noah.

I firmly believe to beat the Heat the Bulls have to dominate the interior. Right now, Noah isn’t getting it done.

Yeah every missed shot seems to end up with Noah getting pushed out of bounds.

Is he flopping?

Maybe he is flopping

he is being pushed under the basket on many of those shots and may have little recourse but to flail like he was fouled.

Yeah, it sucks

This has always been the concern, considering his body type, style of play, and the fact that he was never a particularly skilled player.

At least with Boozer he provides the threat of offense, and solid defensive rebounding. Noah is just there.

Not a particularly skilled player?

So all the Noah cliches are back in full force.

Isn't he the definition of "particularly skilled player"?

His skills are very particular for a center.

jpx7 - January 4, 2012 reply

It's weird

Noah’s offensive rebounding is as good as it’s ever been, but his defensive rebounding has plummeted. I looked up the Bulls’ overall DRB%, and it turns out we’ve been below league average this year, compared to 2nd in the league last year. Boozer, Taj, and Asik are all also pulling in fewer defensive boards than last year. Hopefully this won’t be a trend.

could this be related

to our improved play in transition?

SidM - January 4, 2012 reply

Possibly

It does seem like the Bulls are focusing on leaking out more. This is something I will be paying particular attention to over the next few games. There’s going to be a tradeoff between fast breaks off of misses and defensive rebounding.

i didnt see the game so im not sure if i would have noticed

but jaina pointed out noah was wearing some arm band or sleeve or something…maybe he is injured. The bulls are a weird organization where they dont make injuries public, and let the fans hate on a player for so long that by the time the players injury is publically announced, the fans think its bs. Thats what happened to boozer last year (i think boozer is playing better this year, even if its incredibly streaky)

Anyone else notice that Rose hasn't dunked yet this year?

And not only that, but he’s had some shots that he would usually dunk in past years, but is laying up instead.

He’s still been lightning quick, and his all around game has been incredible this year. But do you guys think he’s losing a bit if his athleticism, is this a change in approach where he just doesn’t want to exert the energy to dunk as much anymore, or is this just a really small sample size?

I also noticed the lack of dunking

I don’t think it’s something we should be worried about at all. He definitely hasn’t lost any athleticism. I think it’s a matter of him not giving a shit about style points, and yes, conserving energy.

Judge Mental - January 4, 2012 reply

I thought so too, but he he had that one layup last night, late in the game, where it looked like he WANTED to hammer it down

but was unsure once he got up in the air, and layed it up instead. Also that lob from Hamilton in the preseason where it looked like he just didn’t have the explosion. There’s been other instances too, but those ones just stuck out to me

yeah don't remember which game it was

but i remember making the comment “dunk that shit!”

i dunno. i’m not gonna worry about it too much unless it continues.

Dunking takes a toll on the hands and wrists especially

which is why lots of guys skip the dunk contest, or only do one or two early in their careers. It’s smart policy, if you ask me. Why dunk when you don’t have to? the only reason really is the entertainment value for the fans. He’ll dunk when he needs to, not when he doesn’t. Asik on the other hand needs to dunk every time and not even think about layups.

Judge Mental - January 4, 2012 reply

two offseasons ago

he sort of made a comment about not dunking so much because it took a lot out of his legs. Its possible that with the shortened season, he might feel that he should not dunk unless its imperative in order to save those legs a bit….

Absolutely not.

I think Rose is making a mental effort to appear more controlled. But losing his athleticism? No freaking way. He has soared on plenty of plays so far this year. Even last night’s game — watch the replay for his late layup over Josh Smith. It’s insane how much clearance he got over the top of him.

If you listen to the way he’s talked in interviews, and how he’s been trying to play more of the facilitator… I get the feeling Rose wants to be a little less “spotlight” this year. Maybe that’s not the best way to put it; maybe it’s more that he’s trying to distance himself from the “showboat” mentality. Either way, I think it’s just a mental change and has nothing to do with a loss of athleticism.

whhhhha?

He’s not trying to be more controlled, merely ‘appear’ to be more controlled, so that Skip Bayless likes him more?

I blame the fever haze for not wording that well.

is it wording

or do you think Derrick is dunking less to showboat less, not to just save his strength (or whatever).

No, I don't think he's dunking less because he is trying to give a particular image.

I think Rose has really bought 100% all-in to his “all I care about is winning” mentality. I get the feeling he just really does not care about the flash right now. Critics may want to see him put up 30 points, but if he feels the team plays better as a whole if he goes for 15 assists on a given night, that is what he’ll do. When it comes to dunks, it seems like the thought to put on a little extra show isn’t cropping up into his mind, he just wants to get the two points and move on to the next play.

For all I care,

the next time he dunks is in the ECF against Miami. I think it’s fair to say that if dunking, in and of itself, was important to him, he would be doing it. Thankfully he’s not your typical NBA highlight whore.

Judge Mental - January 4, 2012 reply

He's hurt his wrist a few times dunking so maybe he's taken it easy

I just don’t think he cares about style points that much. He’ll unleash one soon enough though

Scribbz - January 4, 2012 reply

You know what they say.

Dunkin’ ain’t easy.

I noticed that too...

He could have very easily dunked that ball last night but he chose to lay it in. I think dunks will come but I think we’re looking at a guy that’s trying to conserve energy and work on other facets of his game. I surely don’t think that it’s a loss of any athleticism.

Dils - January 4, 2012 reply

Those cross overs last night should be proof enough that he hasn't lost any athleticism.

That said, you are right…the dunks have been a missing. They will come I’m guessing, but I’m fine with him conserving them for fast breaks if he thinks he has to.

bleigh82 - January 4, 2012 reply

i thought he was going to dunk it but became worried about

1. how he was going to land and 2. where he was at in position to the rim. I think he had less of a challenge than he probably thought he would have.

I rember reading

That Rose was playing with tendonitis in both knees. Could be a factor.

DRose01 - January 4, 2012 via Android app reply

yup, he said that to McGraw before the home opener.