Biggest news first: Derrick Rose participated in practice Sunday and if there's no setback Monday morning he'll be starting the 3pm contest that day. It's a weird start time (President's Day I guess?), and Sam Smith noted after the Saturday afternoon debacle against the Nets that they're now 1-4 in day games (and the 1 was that improbable comeback win against the Lakers on Christmas). But he also rightly points out that usually day games mean you're on national TV facing good teams. This time it's the Hawks, who aren't upper-echelon but a solid test even if Rose is back.
Nobody really has an answer for what happened in that Nets game, which seems appropriate. There had to be some effort issues, sure, but they were compounded by New Jersey's 3-point shooting whereas otherwise maybe the Bulls 2nd unit could've done their usual comeback magic. Deron Williams was able to dominate the game to where their lead was never in question, and a lot of the damage was done against CJ Watson, who continued his recent trend of bad performances.
CJ's not alone though, his backcourt-mate Ronnie Brewer scored 5 points in 27 minutes, and has averaged less than 6 points per game on 36.6% shooting in the 11 games since Rip Hamilton last started.
It's undoubtedly been a bad stretch for both, but they're bench players for a reason. I suppose there are some short-term fixes the Bulls can try. Thibodeau went outside of his comfort zone on Saturday and brought in Jimmy Butler first off the bench. Mike James also appeared ahead of John Lucas in the game (and were unfortunately tried together), but James will probably be cut again once Rose is re-established. The only practical sustainable fix is just waiting and getting healthy, and figuring Watson and Brewer will settle back to their norms when in their usual roles.
It's a concern that even that isn't quite enough (and how the Bulls frontcourt performed in that game leads to another story...and are you paying attention to what the Heat have been doing lately?), but there's no need to urgently press Rose back into action, as Nick Friedell strangely speculates at ESPNChicago. KC Johnson got in a dig at the concept of resting Rose based on opponent, but the failing of the Bulls in playing Rose in that Hornets game wasn't because of the opponent, it was because Rose wasn't healthy. And though the Nets loss does give Thibs ammo in his mantra that opponent doesn't matter, and I hope this anecdote from Mike McGraw was part of some post-game tirade by Thibs to that effect (because it's funnier to imagine that way), let's all agree that maybe it's not the opponent but merely the fact that it's still the regular season that makes it to where the Bulls should side with caution.
They're certainly doing that with Rip Hamilton, to where the consensus seems to be he won't be returning until after the All-Star break. In the wake of some recently-poor performances by the Bulls, it's tantalizing to focus instead on what may be with a full starting lineup, as Sam Smith did in this piece about their passing acumen. But while there's certainly time, Steve Aschburner at NBA.com notes that the Bulls really don't know what they have with Rip, who was signed on to be the difference this season.
More time for Jimmy Butler or Mike James wouldn't be that difference. The veteran free-agents now and in buyout season likely will choose destinations with more playing time, as J.R. Smith did with the Knicks. Or they're players not good enough to supplant a member of the Bulls 2nd unit even when they're struggling. Of course, hindsight on other options from the offseason shows disappointment all around, like Tracy McGrady with the incoming Atlanta Hawks. But at least, unlike Rip, they're playing.
The bench mob is a formidable asset and has kept the Bulls at a very nice record. But they've also shown to have their appropriate limitations, so getting Rip and Rose right is what can get this team back to great.
0 recs | 68 comments
I'm not sure we don't know what we have in Rip
Sure he’s missed plenty of games, but the Bulls’ offense has been so good in the games he has played in that I think we can conclude that he’s still capable of being a high-impact player when health.
Poloplaya14 - February 20, 2012
against a lot of bad teams though
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hamilri01/gamelog/2012/
One great win against the Clippers (not a great defensive team, especially then), and then the Pacers and Heat games were losses.
your friendly BullsBlogger - February 20, 2012
though I agree that 'when healthy' is the biggest question mark with him
and he’s a old man who gets injured a lot, so…
your friendly BullsBlogger - February 20, 2012
yeah, we jsut dont know if Rip will be enough. This is why I have been pushing for a bench scorer rather than hoping for a Howard trade
Lets hope we wont have to be talking about trades towards the deadline..
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
wasn't deng out for the miami game?
DLRoth - February 20, 2012
he was
your friendly BullsBlogger - February 20, 2012
he was out for the pacers game, too
and he also annoyed the shit out of wade, even on one leg.
Jaina - February 20, 2012
im assuming you are referring to rip (about the one leg)?
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
yeah
Jaina - February 20, 2012
the offense was good
but I wonder what it would have been like if teams had a chance to adjust to Hamilton in the lineup. The threat of him out there definitely helped, but he wasn’t playing that well when he was out there. 13.6 PER, .497ts%, 101 Ortg, 103 Drtg (keep in mind Rose and Deng have Ortg of 116) – these are the worst numbers of his career since his rookie season. The Bulls need some games with him in the lineup so they can solidify how the starting unit plays together.
Basketball Smurf - February 20, 2012
Yeah, but most if Rip's bad numbers can be attributed to missing jumpers that he usually makes
He shot only 37% from 16-23 feet and only 31.6% on 3-pters. He’ll shoot better than that when he gets back. Everything else (passing, defense, activity off the ball – coming off screens and in transition) was there.
Poloplaya14 - February 20, 2012
Guaranteed contracts
I thought Lucas and Watson were guaranteed this year, isn’t that true?
Rainman9856 - February 20, 2012
you mean lucas and scal, and yes, they are now guaranteed. I am not happy with Lucas being there...
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
yes... which is why yfBB referenced cutting mike james.
where’s the confusion?
dantheman3k - February 20, 2012
The problem is that James is better than Lucas
hlac - February 20, 2012
that's a problem
not confusion
Prevenge - February 20, 2012
What the Heat have been doing...
Is playing the best basketball I’ve seen in the NBA in a long, long time. Adding Rose and Hamilton back in to the Bulls starting lineup isn’t enough to make the Bulls competitive with the Heat. I don’t care if it’s acquiring Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard (actually, I do care…I’d prefer to see Howard of course), but the Bulls need to fundamentally change their team to compete for a title.
hitlesswonder - February 20, 2012
Yeah I keep hearing that
But there seems to be a bit of a double standard. When the Heat are rampaging through bad teams and dunking all over the place, they’re the most dominate team since the Globe trotters but when the Bulls smash through these same teams without a starting SG for most of the season, there’s always a… “but”. “Yeah but look what happened last year”, “Regular season means nothing”
The Heat just got the better record two days ago and that was based on this current Bulls team not giving a damn against the Nets. I think the Bulls ability to have an almost better record than last year despite not having Hamilton of the MVP for the last 2 weeks is one of the most underrated stories in the NBA this year. Of course that’s lost in Linsanity and the Heat fellatio.
Dils - February 20, 2012
totally agree. like this espn 5 on 5:
only one of the guys realizes it wasn’t that impressive. which team was it that set that record of 20+ point victories on the road? oh yeah, that team missing their MVP point guard and starting shooting guard. the bulls’ streak had been broken by the celtics at the time this was done, but to me it was kinda insulting none of them even mentioned the bulls’ streak that had just ended a few days before for comparison’s sake…
Jaina - February 20, 2012
I disagree
What the Heat are doing is impressive. What the Bulls have done is impressive. They’re both impressive teams.
tuluse - February 20, 2012
The bottom line is that hitlesswonder's proclaimation that we're not on their level
based on them blowing out bad-to-average teams isn’t exactly irrefutable.
Stacey_Is_King - February 20, 2012
Oh sure his post is near insanity
I’m just a little tired of the culture of shitting on everything. Can’t we save it up for Rondo?
tuluse - February 20, 2012
The Heat model is still not proven.
Not to say it won’t be, but to make statement about championships based on regular season performances makes me think of the Bulls. Looking at History, btw, it appears that the bulls have a 50% or greater chance at a title simply by changing their name to the Lakers or Celtics ;).
DisCUBbobulated - February 20, 2012
the bench mob is overrated
Basketball Smurf - February 20, 2012
hence why i want an another bench scorer
i think the bulls should def look at oj mayo.
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
Only when they're starting?
Name a better bench with rose and Hamilton starting
BigforkBullsFan - February 20, 2012 via mobile
the denver nuggets
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
i guess i'm of the opinion that depth is overrated
i’d rather have James Harden than Korver, CJ and Brewer. The depth is strong, but the individual skill level of each guy isn’t that high. It helps us during the season no doubt, we have the 2nd or 3rd best record in the league and we can plug guys in relatively well if someone gets hurt. But I think the bench could use a consistent scorer. Won’t happen this year though. The Bulls are what they are.
Basketball Smurf - February 20, 2012
exactly, one example of a team that won it all with a solid 6th man are the mavs
another team are the lakers with lamar odom, and the spurs with Ginobili.
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
The Mavs?
They more than just Barea back then.
T.Moore - February 20, 2012
im talkin bout terry buddy...
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
Oh
Well they had more than just Terry…
T.Moore - February 20, 2012
of course, but he was the main guy who made the difference among the bench players
without him, the mavs would have lost.
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
Barea and Stevenson killed the heat too
T.Moore - February 20, 2012
Stevenson was in the
Bogans role as a starter minus one game. I think they started barea in game 5
comebackkirk12 - February 20, 2012 via mobile
In the finals
The really only used barea and Terry off the bench. Peja was pretty useless in that series. Im starting to think consolidating talent should start with the bench.
comebackkirk12 - February 20, 2012 via mobile
haywood?
Dallas had tons of depth, which is one of the main reasons they were in the finals in the first place. Shit, Corey Brewer was instrumental in beating the Lakers. This “we don’t need depth because Dallas didn’t have it” argument makes no sense at all.
tuff-gong - February 20, 2012
They don't make it without Peja and Haywood.
Ozzie Montana - February 21, 2012
surprisingly, 4 (?) out of the 6 games could have gone either way...
to state the obvious, in that series… you could pick any guy or a circumstance/event as “making the difference”
as i see it, Tyson Chandler was the main factor.
His solid play vs. Heat’s well-known and continued deficiency at Center made it hard for the Heat to come out and defend the perimeter consistently…. and when the Heat became less-than-satisfactory in catchup perimeter defense, they got caught in the dilemma of picking their poison. Tough for Miami when the Mavs shook off their jitters after game 1, and dirk, barea, terry, stevenson, marion.. got in rhythm.
Considering what dallas did to their western conference rivals and the fact that miami was (And still is) an incomplete “team”, I was surprised this party went to 6 games. I was naturally more surprised they won the ECF…
XmikeX - February 20, 2012
I think he
Was talkin about Jason Terry. Id take him over our guard depth in a second
comebackkirk12 - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Agreed
T.Moore - February 20, 2012
the bench mob is only effective when they are all coming off the bench
Brigade17 - February 20, 2012
if this was last year i would have tried to argue
but after the ecf last year, we all know that its true. The bench mob in itself is a terrific regular season time pass for when the bulls are blowing teams or playing against some rivalry or whatever, but in the long run its just a gimmick that doesnt really give us an edge in the playoffs. There is a great difference between having depth and having a seperate (and worse) lineup out on the floor all at once. I like the guys on this team (except jl3, and im starting to hate boozer) but to package one or two together for an upgrade at any given position, especially if it also solves a need…its a no brainer.
its why i initially created that oj mayo trade which sent both cj and brewer for oj mayo and either haddadi or sam young. Oj mayo might not be some star aquisation, he might not even be overall better than cj watson, but he provides real sg offense, mediocre or not. He has the right skill sets on both ends of the court, and he is enough of a combo guard that you can have him run some point.
Its not a blockbuster trade or anything, but even with rip back i have this strong feeling in the playoffs rose is gonna be hit with more and more traps and we will all be saying the exact same things as last season of how we really need another guy who can create his own shot and shots for others. Really oj mayo is the only one closest to being available.
In my dream world, we piggy back onto any trade the lakers are undoubtedly going to make, somehow get pau gasol while keeping deng, rose, and korver (everyone knows how important deng and noah are, but korver is really our only real 3pt shooter, and hes probably one of the few that will excel in thibs system) and then combo that with a trade for oj mayo.
I think that sets us up nicely to battle miami for the next couple years. Even if we dont beat them this year, we would essentially have the right core and would need to add just role players which the bulls do a good job of finding.
piccolomair - February 20, 2012
" The bench mob in itself is a terrific regular season time pass for when the bulls are blowing teams "
metalkiwis - February 20, 2012
YFBB, hate to be a grammar nazi:
rainman1003 - February 20, 2012
Seems grammatically correct to me
Poloplaya14 - February 20, 2012
ditto
what’s wrong with it?
SidM - February 20, 2012
shoudn't it be "when this team can get back to great."?
either me no understand english, or my sarcasm meter is broken
rainman1003 - February 20, 2012
my head hurts!
Geo4MVP - February 20, 2012
Remove the proper nouns, enter the subject
so getting (better) is what can get this team back to great.
vs.
so getting (better) is when can get this team back to great.
And we don’t like grammar police. Especially for “that.”
kingj41 - February 20, 2012
goddamn.
i just went for a run and came back a bit dizzy. i re-read the sentence again, and all of a sudden it made perfect sense! LOL
sorry guys, my bad. just one of those days.
rainman1003 - February 20, 2012
Perhaps choosing a different username would do wonders for your head. LOL
BullsFan22 - February 20, 2012
Backups struggling cause they're up against starters rather than other backups makes sense
Option27 - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Update from KC
Stacey_Is_King - February 20, 2012
god i hope he plays
i don’t think i can stand to watch james/lucas for 48 minutes…
Jaina - February 20, 2012
never again....please
Brigade17 - February 20, 2012
cj
Doin his best Pip imitation
NormVanBeer - February 20, 2012 via iPhone app
Also, just one thought
the bench mob is invaluable against virtually every team in the league minus the Heat. Does that mean they’re nor valuable? No. It just means that their importance is mitigated against that one team, and in order to beat them, we’ll simply need the starters to play better.
Rose can play better. Deng and Rip can as well, as can Noah. I’m definitely concerned that they’ll beat us, but this is why I always have to think twice before considering a trade for OJ Mayo, for example.
Stacey_Is_King - February 20, 2012
I think what we have now, is a pretty dang good annual rivalry between the Bulls and the Heat.
This will only propel Rose to get better as Wade, James, and Bosh get older. Right now, the Heat have the edge because – let’s be honest – they have 2 of the best 5 (3?) players in the world in their primes on the same team. But the Heat aren’t a slam dunk for the finals every year vs the Bulls even now, and even if Wade stays healthy (not a sure thing). However, in the not-distant future, the edge will move in the Bulls favor, I think.
The Dwight/Pau argument – If we trade for one of them, who’s going to guard both Wade and James?
DisCUBbobulated - February 20, 2012
Cheer up
You get to play Kirk today while he’s shooting like total crap. If you only get half the airballs he threw up on Saturday, you’ll still get to witness one of ’em.
wjb1492 - February 20, 2012
He just
Needs a change of scenery
comebackkirk12 - February 20, 2012 via mobile
It'll be a crime if James gets cut and Lucas is kept on.
It’s abundantly clear that JLIII is nothing more than a garbage time player; James is a proven pro, better point guard and better defender. He’s such a Thibodeau type player that I’m surprised he wasn’t the choice for third PG from the get-go.
Honestly, I would insert James at the 1 with the bench mob and let CJ slide over to the 2, you get a real PG with that group and CJ’s in his more natural position at SG.
dakoose - February 20, 2012
Agree
CJ and Korver at the 2, whichever is hitting shots gets to play
Trey23 - February 20, 2012
Maybe I just don't completely understand the situation
but I thought Lucas’ contract was guaranteed for the rest of the season, whereas we keep bringing James back on 10 day contracts. Given that, are we not allowed to cut Lucas, or is it just that they’d still have to pay him if they cut him (ie, they’re being cheap)?
Regardless, I agree, James >>> Lucas
SidM - February 20, 2012
rose is starting
just state on CSN
patagonia - February 20, 2012
Good if he is actually ready. Hopefully they are 100% confident.
BullsFan22 - February 20, 2012
game thread is up
http://www.blogabull.com/2012/2/20/2812499/bulls-vs-hawks-2011-12-open-game-thread-34
your friendly BullsBlogger - February 20, 2012
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