The week started off on the down side and then ended on a high note. They lost Kirk Hinrich for three months to an injury and signed Lindsey Hunter to fill his spot. With Kirk gone the Bulls seem to be finding themselves finally. They still look a bit shaky at times and sometimes they get stuck making a lot of quick outside shots. Kirk will be missed for sure , but with Hughes back in the lineup the Bulls look like they will survive. When they are driving and passing the ball they become a very difficult team to deal with. They almost won all three of their games this week. They barely lost to the Hawks and came from behind in an impressive win over the Mavericks and then ended the week controlling and in the end beating the Pacers. All in All it was a good week for Bulls fans, so let's take a closer look at what went down.The first thing that must be discussed is the play of Ben Gordon. He has been putting up some real Allstar-like numbers in the past two weeks, and his 35 point effort against the mavericks was downright insane. He is really shining with Derrick Rose on the floor to take pressure off him. I really think the Bulls should have signed Gordon this summer , but hindsight is 20/20. I was like most who thought that Luol Deng was the must sign, but I am starting to think I might have been wrong. The season is still young, but Gordon clearly looks like the better player so far. His ability to create his own shot and his talent of blowing past opponents to the hoop is scary good and are both rare in this league. I really like him starting alongside Rose, but if we face a team with a taller shooting guard that has a post game then the Bulls should start Larry Hughes, once healthy of course, in his place.
The continued growth of Derrick Rose is the key reason the bulls sit at .500 right now. With out him the Bulls would surely not be doing do well. I would have to boldly say that Rose is the best rookie so far this season and by a pretty large margin. O.J. Mayo is about the only player close, but Rose is a complete player already. He is averaging 18.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and climbing, and shooting over 46% from the field. If and when he gets his ppg up to 20+ then I think he will not only be a lock for rookie of the year, but should have a great chance at landing on the Allstar team. I am in awe at how fast his game is getting better and how he acts and plays like a savvy vet.
I would like to see the Bulls run some more high screen and rolls with Derrick Rose and Andres Nocioni. Those two have a special thing going and Rose really seems comfortable making the pass to the open Nocioni. Nocioni is also good at faking the shot, which most teams respect, and then driving the lane. In fact when any of the Bulls players start to drive into the paint good things seem to happen. Luol Deng's jumper has not been as pretty as it was in the past but when he drives to the hoop like he did against the Pacers then things open up for everyone.
The Bulls really are a team that is solid in the 1,2, and 3 spot. Drew Gooden has been serviceable as a power forward, but can not guard most centers in the league. Joakim Noah is too small and weak to be a effective center right now and Aaron Gray is as slow as they come and prone to foul instead of play defense. As much as I love some of the players that the Bulls have, it has become increasingly obvious that a trade needs to take place. Tyrus Thomas has had his moments but overall has not been the player we need him to be. He had a nice 15 foot jumper in the preseason but that has disappeared altogether.
It is really hard to figure out exactly who the Bulls should go after in a trade, but one clearly needs to happen. Ben Gordon's stock could be hitting a peak pretty soon here, so maybe the Bulls could trade him after all. The whole team is tradeable if you ask me except for Rose. I would trade Deng or Gordon for the right player. We need a big man and we need one in a bad way. If we had a good inside player then we could contend. John Paxson just needs to find a team that is underachieving and make a phone call. What about Dallas and Dirk or the Timberwolves and Al Jefferson? What would it take to get a deal like that done?
Let us look at the Ups and Downs of week 3
- UP: Bulls come back from a first quarter thrashing to beat the Mavericks.
- Down: Kirk Hinrich gets injured and is set to miss 3 months of play.
- UP: Ben Gordon continues to shine and scores 35 points against the Mavs.
- Down: Thabo Sefolosha has scored only 15 point total in the last five games.
- UP: Andres Nocioni has big game off the bench against the Pacers and scores 20 points with 11 rebounds and 2 steals.
- Down: Tyrus Thomas id shooting 28% from the field so far this season.
- UP: Derrick Roses averages slowly climbed all week long with one great outing after another.
- Down: Bulls allow Al Horford to have a career game at the United Center.
Player of the Week
Derrick Rose - Ben Gordon is a close second this week, but Rose has become Mr. Consistent. Something we have been missing in Chicago for a long time. You know exactly what you are going to get from him each and every night. He leads the team whenever he steps foot on the floor. Not bad for a rookie.
Predictions for the week ahead
With the Circus trip starting this week the Bulls will be up for some big tests and we should have a good idea what the Bulls are made of after the next two weeks.
- Bulls 94 Lakers 106- The Lakers are a couple of steps up the ladder of the Bulls as far as being a contender. The Lakers should own the Bulls in this game and the Bulls reserves will make the score look closer in the end then the game really was. Bloodbath.
- Bulls 101 Blazers 97- This should be a close game and it will take all the energy the Bulls have to win this game seeing as how it is the second of a back to back. Bulls need to win this game.
- Bulls 105 Warriors 111- This game will be a high scoring affair with the Warriors having the edge. If the Bulls can control the tempo then they could sneak out a victory here.
I think the Bulls have a chance against either the Blazers or the Warrior and should be able to beat one of those teams and end the week at 6-7. As Bulls fans we need to keep our fingers crossed.
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