Bulls Review: Week 6: Dec 8th

Well the Bulls are at it again. They look sharp one game and then the next they look like the B team down at the YMCA. No consistency at all. They bury the 76ers on the road last Sunday only to lose to them back home on Tuesday. I picked the Bulls to split those to games, but after seeing the number they did to the 76ers on Sunday I thought for sure they would win against the same team two day later at home. There is no reason to also not win a game against the Bucks. The Bucks game was one the Bulls needed to win and they are lucky they beat the Wizards on Saturday or I might have had to take a break from watching them. It is really hard on the fans when the team is so inconsistant. We have know idea what to expect each night. Let's break down a few things shall we.

First, I would like to talk about Drew Gooden. I think he is a perfect example of the Bulls inability to play the same way twice in a row. I had Drew Gooden as my Player of the Week last week. I really thought that maybe the Bulls had a post player that was decent. For five games in a row he was averaging about 20 points and 10 rebounds and I was starting to get excited, but as a Bulls fan I should of heeded the warning as Gooden went on to lay two eggs the next two games. The 1 field goal game against the Bucks had me rethinking the Ben Wallace trade. OK, so it was not that bad, but the Bulls really changed their gameplan after that loss opting for a small lineup against the Wizards.

Drew Gooden is still by far are best post player and I really liked it when Vinny had him and Derrick Rose running the high sreen and roll two weeks ago. Gooden is a pretty good shooter and an equally good passer and I felt they had a good thing going. When ever Gray, Tyrus, or Noah would set a pick the other teams would just double Rose because these three can not seem to either hit the open jumper or drive to the bucket after the pick for the open pass and a layup. Gooden really is the only bigman I want to see setting the pick because other teams understand he can hit the open shot and this forces teams to make a gamble. Do they still double Rose and allow Drew the open look or do they not double Derrick and allow him to drive to the paint? The Bulls need to employ this scheme more often.

Something else that the Bulls need to be careful with is Derrick Rose's minutes. He is averaging over 38 minutes per game. He is bound to start wearing down at some point. My guess is some time in January. The Bulls are really going to need him in good shape if they really want to make a run at the playoffs. Kirk Hinrich should be returning come January, but he will be far from 100%. Infact I am not so sure he will be very effective until February or March and the Bulls could be out of the playoff picture by then.

I hate to beat a dead horse but the Bulls need to make a trade if they are looking to make it into the playoffs and for sure if they plan on getting out of the first round. Now John Paxson and company may just play the hand they have until this next summer or maybe even hold out until 2010. I sure hope they know more then the rest of us do because a few trades have taken place that the Bulls could have been part of. We could have went after Camby or Harrington. I understand that neither of them would make us a contender but it would have been a move in the right direction. We could have moved Hinrich and his contract out of town for Camby's expiring contract.

We still have options as of today. Chris Kaman was on the trading block a couple of weeks ago as the Clippers were trying to land Jason Richardson but that deal never got done. I think the Bulls should make a call to L.A. if you ask me. Also I came up with a trade on ESPN's trade machine that would package Tyrus Thomas and Andres Nocioni to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Charlie Bell. We all know how much Scott Skiles loves Nocioni, so this trade could happen. Also we would be losing a contract from a position that we have two large contracts. Those being Luol Deng's and Andres Nocioni's. We would still have money freed up by 2010 for a push for a Superstar like Wade or Bosh. I just hope Paxson is making phone calls because there is no reason not to try and shake things up a bit.

Now for this weeks Ups and Downs

Up - Luol Deng looks like his old self by posting 26-4-4 against the Wizards on Saturday.

Down - Drew Gooden goes 1 for 11 from the field in a loss against the Bucks.

Up - The same Drew Gooden plays a great game against Elton Brand and scores 20 points with 12 rebounds.

Down - The inconsistency of Nocioni. He scores 19 points one night and 1 point the night before. Sad, because I love Nocioni.

Up - Ben Gordon is putting up very consistant numbers lately, scoring 21, 18, 22, and 21 points in the four games last week. Who thought that he would be one of our most consistant players this season?

Down - Joakim Noah. Enough said.

Now for the Player of the Week

Ben Gordon. As well as Derrick Rose has been playing and even though Derrick did win the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Award, I still give a slight edge to Ben this week. I really could go with either of them and be happy but Ben has been a machine. He is not just scoring. He is playing at a very high level. He averaged 5.75 rebounds last week and 4.75 assists as well and lets not forget that his shooting has been lights out.

This weeks Predictions

At home vs the Knicks - Bulls 106 Knicks 100. Should be a high scoring game with little to no defense. I think the Bulls can keep up.

On the road vs the Grizzlies - Bulls 98 Grizzlies 93. Should be a fun game to watch. O.J. Mayo vs Derrick Rose should get national attention.

At home vs the Nets - Bulls 91 Nets 98. Bulls are bound to lose at least one game this week and Devin Harris has been the best PG in the east so far this season. D-Rose vs D-Harris will be great. We will get a chance to see what Rose is all about in this game.

Once again the Bulls could win all of their games this week, but I also said that last week and they went 2-2. The Bulls really need to be winning these games against all these subpar teams. Their schedule is only going to get harder with the Celtics, Jazz, and Pistons around the corner.

Written By ChiTownCliff
CBS Spoortsline community member

Bulls Review: Week 5: Nov 30th

As the weeks start to pile up here for the Chicago Bulls one word is starting to ring out loud in my mind. Average. They are good enough to keep close to most teams in just about every game, but do not have the talent or the passion to close out close games. They should have won their game against the Spurs last Wednasday, but when the tide started to turn in the fourth the Bulls looked confused and unable to adjust. I sense that this will be the trend this season and we are sometimes just going to have to get lucky to win games like we did against the Jazz. Lets take a look at the Bulls thus far and take some guesses at what the future may hold.

One thing that needs to be said right up front is that the Bulls need to keep the ball in Derrick Rose's hands at all times when he is on the floor. He just makes things happen and it has been a very long time since the Bulls have had a player that gives me peace of mind when they have the ball in their hands. About ten years to be exact.

The real problem seems to be two fold. One, the players seem to not all be on the same page and lack fire. One has to start pointing fingers in the direction of coach Vinny. The season is young and I expect that Vinny Del Negro will continue to be our coach for the next two seasons at least. The players also have to take some of the blame. They need to act like professionals. Highly paid professionals. Ben Gordon might be a good example of how to be a professional. I might not always like his shot selections but he does conduct himself like a Pro on and off the floor. I think Larry Hughes could learn a lesson from him. There seems to be a few attitude issues surfacing lately and on a team that appears to have some chemistry problems that could equate to a very long and hard to watch season.

I really hope that Luol Deng can get healthy pretty soon hear. So far this season one could say that he was a waste of a big contract or that he looks like he has lost all his passion. I have a real problem with convicting him of these charges until he is healthy. I think it is safe to say that he is not a number one option, but I still think he can be very effective. A few seasons ago he was averaging 18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting over 51% from the field. I would be happy if he could just return to those kind of numbers. He does not have to be the leading scorer. Ben Gordon can have that role this season and if Gordon leaves this summer then Rose can step into that spot. If Deng can get healthy and return to his old self then the bulls might be able to win a few more of those close games.

All in all a Bulls fan can not be to unhappy right now. We are 7-9 going into tonights game against the 76ers and that is not all that bad. Most of are losses have been fairly close and if we do win tonight that will mean that we went 3-4 on the Circus Trip and that is pretty solid. The last time the Bulls won three games on the Circus Trip was two seasons ago and we ended up with 49 wins. I think there is still some hope for are team. I think we should expore a few trades for a bigman, but I would not be to unhappy to just sit back and watch the Bulls play as is. I think if we can get healthy and start playing with a bit more consistency then things could turn around for us. If Paxson can land a player like Chris Kaman or Andrew Bogut then that would be great, but if not I will be content watching Derrick Rose bloom.

I know there has been a lot of talk about the free agent class of 2010, but I think Bulls fans need to focus on the present a bit more and enjoy Derrick Roses rookie season. He has the makings of a superstar. 2010 will be here before you know it and the Bulls will have cap space to go after a superstar and I think they will land someone then. Maybe Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudemire but I am sure with a core of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng that we will be able to attract a big name. I think we could still make a trade in the near future to tweek our roster a bit, but I am not holding my breath.

Now for the Ups and Downs of the last week:

• Up- Larry Hughes hits a buzzer beater to give the Bulls a much needed victory on the road in Utah.



• Down- Bulls lose control of their lead against the Spurs and end up losing a game they should have won.



• Up- Derrick Rose and Drew Gooden show signs of being an effective pick and roll matchup.



• Down- Tyrus Thomas averaged 2.6 points per game in the three game he played in this week.



• Up- Drew Gooden averaged 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in those same three games.



• Down- Larry Hughes has attempted 52 three pointers thus far this season and has only made 8. He is only shooting 15.4% from beyond the arc. He needs to stay within 17 feet when he shoots.



• Up- Ben Gordon continues to score at will averaging 23.6 points for the week.
  
  

Player of the Week

I have to hand the award to Drew Gooden for a very solid week were he has stepped up and been the bigman that the Bulls seem to really need. He is playing with fire on both ends and looks like a very nice fit with Derrick Rose. Kind of a poor man's Williams/Boozer combo. I can only hope that coach Vinny sees this and starts exploring using the pick and roll with these two a lot more often.

Predictions

Bulls 96 76ers 99. As much as I would like to see the Bulls win 3 games on the Circus Trip I do not think it will happen. I think the 76ers match up well against us and it will be hard to win on their floor.

Bulls 103 76ers 97. Bulls rebound and win at home against the 76ers. Home sweet home.

Bulls 99 Bucks 91. I think the Bulls match up well against the Bucks and I see Derrick Rose having a big night.

Bulls 98 Wizards 94. This game could go either way, but I think the Bulls will take this one.

If all goes as I think it will then the Bulls will go 3-1 for the week and be at 10-10 by weeks end. The bulls have no real strong teams on the radar this week so they need to step up and win some games. They could conceivably win all four games or just as well lose two of them, but if they lose more then two game of the four then it will be a bad week in my eyes.

Written By ChiTownCliff
CBS Spoortsline community member

Trade ideas for the Chicago Bulls

Against the Warriors the Bulls went with a small lineup with Andres Nocioni at the power forward spot. It worked, but Bulls fans can not expect that kind of outing every night with a small lineup. I think Vinny will change his starters every night if needs be to attempt to hide the truth that the Bulls have a big hole on the roster. The Bulls need a starting big man with an inside game worse now then they ever have before. Derrick Rose is the future of the Bulls for sure, but he needs a real talent down low for him to become a top NBA player. The Bulls are deep with talent and should be able to pull off a trade of some kind this season. Here are a few ideas on what they could do.

One option would be the blockbuster route. I think the Bulls could target Dirk Nowitzki if the Mavericks continue to hover around or below .500. The season is young but if the Jason Kidd trade continues to look like a mistake and the Mavericks can not solidify themselves as a contender then the door could be open for a trade and the Bulls could make a very attractive offer.

I think the Mavericks would like to replace the two first round draft picks they lost in the Kidd trade, so the Bulls would have to offer at least one and maybe two 1st round picks right from the get go to show that they are serious. I think if the Bulls packaged two first round picks with Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, and Thabo Sefolosha that the Mavericks might make the trade. Gooden's contract expires this summer so the Mavericks would free up some money, and the Picks would get them back into the draft.

Another option is the two picks and Drew Gooden, Ben Gordon, and either Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, or Thabo Sefolosha. With Gooden and Gordon the Mavericks would have two expiring contracts. That might be hard to pass up on.

The bottom line is if Cuban could let go of Dirk or not. Dirk has not provided them with a Championship yet even when he was surrounded by talent, so maybe Cuban would make the smart business decision and not be stuck in the mindset that Dirk has to stay. Like I stated though, this trade depends on the Mavericks not performing well by the deadline.

Another trade idea that would not be quite as glamorous but almost as effective would be to go after Chris Kaman. While I understand that Kaman is far from the player that Dirk is, he is never the less a very solid inside threat and that is just what the doctor ordered. The Clippers just picked up Zach Randolph and already have Marcus Camby, so they would not be hurt that bad by losing Kaman.

I think the Bulls would also have to include a first round pick to get the deal done. I would package Drew Gooden and Ben Gordon with one first round pick and I think the Clippers would jump on it. They would get two expiring contracts and a first rounder. The Clippers would also have to through in another small piece to make the numbers work, but it could get done.

John Paxson and the upper brass of the Chicago Bulls passed on making deals for Kevin Garnett and Pau Gasol. They need to make some kind of deal before the deadline. I would love to see them steal Chris Bosh from the Raptors or Al Jefferson from the Timberwolves, but that is unlikely at best. They need to focus their attention on teams that are struggling and have a solid big that we could make an offer for.

In the end the real problem is the real lack of solid big man in the league. If your team does not have one then you can expect to pay a lot for one, hence having to offer one or two first rounders just to get the door open to talks. The Bulls could just keep playing with what they have and wait until the big summer of 2010, but that is a big gamble. What if the Bulls can not pick up one of those prized players when that day comes. Then they will again be on the outside looking in for a long time.

Written By ChiTownCliff
CBS Spoortsline community member