NBATipoff

Check out my new post on NBATipoff.com -

College conference debate, with a twist

D-Rose in China with Superman

From DwightHoward.com -

Heyyyy world. I’m going to be heading to China in a couple of weeks. I’ll be in there with Derrick Rose from August 22nd to August 26th participating in the adidas Double Double tour. I’m really excited, but need some tour guides and some suggestions on which basketball courts I should visit. If you’re in Shanghai and have some suggestions for courts I should visit, submit some photos of your favorite courts here.

Bulls (and some NBA) Links

Kmart and I were both disappointed with the old-news, over-used "Shaq v. Kobe" Christmas day game, and we weren't the only ones ...
Reactions to NBA schedule -

5. Dear beloved NBA, can we stop the ill-advised Kobe-LeBron and Kobe-Shaq fascination?

Do the league's schedulers need to be reminded that few games in the last five years featuring these supposed rivalries have been competitive?

If you're excited about the Cavs-Lakers Christmas battle, you cannot attribute it to the quality of the basketball.

The Lakers manhandled the Cavaliers by an average of 13 points in both meetings last season, and were the only team to beat James' squad at Quicken Loans Arena when he played—the other home loss came against the Philadelphia 76ers in which the Cleveland starters rested.

Those two contests, televised on TNT and ABC, respectively, showed James' shortcomings more than his brilliance.

Top 10 PGs -

Dropping in at number seven in the countdown is the young developing superstar Derrick Rose.

Rose was the first pick of the 2008 NBA draft and he certainly lived up to the honor as he took home the Rookie of the Year award and lead his team to the playoffs despite being only his first year.

Rose finished the 08-09 season with averages of 16.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, and 3.9 rpg. He then raised his level of play in the playoffs with averages of 19.7 ppg, 6.3 apg, and 6.4 rpg showing his excellence in all parts of his game once again despite his age. In his playoff debut, he finished with 36 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the field. The 36 points tied him with Kareem Abdul-Jabar as the most points scored by a rookie in his playoff debut.

The Chicago native's blazing speed and freakish athleticism for a 6'3 guard ensures his future is bright. With the departure of Ben Gordon, look for Mr. Rose to increase his shots per game and also take on the leadership role full time in Chicago.

I (and most analysts will agree by February) would have put D-Rose in the top 2.

Big Fil always points out that D-Rose was not the most obvious choice for Pax. I counter that it was an obvious choice if you actually watched Beasley play, because he was not the low post scorer/presence that the Bulls needed, but more of a 3 in the NBA. ANyway, here's someone else that says it wasn't the easiest choice at the time -

Hindsight is always 20/20, so I try to evaluate past moves through both the lens of how reasonable the situation looked at the time and how reasonable the decision looks after time has passed. Here's a review of all major moves in the past year that will effect the Bulls going forward.

Drafting Derrick Rose #1 overall. Many felt this was the obvious choice, but there were plenty of reasons to take Michael Beasley who would have fit in perfectly with the Bulls existing core while Rose forces the Bulls to recycle much of their roster. The decision clearly looks like an A/A as Derrick looks to have the highest ceiling of his draft class.

Offseason pressure on D-Rose -

NBA
rookie of the year Derrick Rose has had a busy offseason.

The NCAA investigated the University of Memphis for academic violations during the one year Rose played at the school. An Internet photo surfaced with him flashing a gang sign. And his backcourt mate with the Bulls, Ben Gordon
, has signed a big deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Rose says he's not worried about the situation at Memphis, and he's apologized for the photo. But he'll definitely miss Gordon, the Bulls' leading scorer over the previous four seasons who headed to rival Detroit for a five-year, $50 million-plus contract.

"Ben is a great player, one of the best scorers I ever played with, a great guy. He had to make a business move and went to Detroit," Rose said Thursday at his summer basketball camp. "I'm going to miss him a lot. He took a lot of pressure off me last year."

Pressure seems to be the theme for Rose these days.

In a letter to Memphis, the NCAA said an unknown person took the SAT for a player - with his knowledge - and that the player used it to get admitted. The governing body says the athlete played for the Tigers in the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. Only one person fits that description - Rose.

Rose said he talked about with former Memphis coach John Calipari about the situation.

"I know I didn't do anything wrong," Rose said. "That was up to Memphis, what they had to do. Coach Cal told me not to worry about it. I definitely wasn't worried about it."

Rose apologized earlier for the photo that was taken at a party while he was at Memphis.

Rose denies wrongdoing in SAT "scandal" -

Derrick Rose learned a lesson this summer that all young adults must learn at some point: He's got to grow up.

[+] EnlargeDerrick Rose
Nick Friedell for ESPNChicago.comAfter wrapping up his camp on Thursday, Derrick Rose spoke to the media for the first time since being involved in two scandals.

Since the Bulls were ousted from the Eastern Conference playoffs earlier this summer, the 20-year-old point guard has found himself in two major controversies. First, he had to deal with being at the center of an academic scandal involving Simeon High School and the University of Memphis. A few weeks later, a photo surfaced of Rose allegedly flashing gang signs at a party while he was a student at Memphis. On Thursday, the NBA rookie of the year spoke publicly for the first time since the controversies, and he admitted that it's been an interesting couple of months.

"I'm not a kid anymore," Rose said, after his basketball camp at the Joy of the Game Gym wrapped up for the day. "I'm always in a spotlight. [I'm] the leader probably of this team, [I] gotta be the leader of this team, and I can't do foolish things anymore."

While Rose acknowledged making some bad choices, he denied that he did anything wrong regarding the SAT scandal.

BBS - Breaking news (not really)

So last night I went out to dinner with resident BBS reader Duckfart and his family for his 25th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG GUY!!!! We went to Ditka's and the meal was phenomenal. Not 20 minutes passed and in walks John Vincent, local Frank Sinatra impersonator, and regular performer at Ditka's. This is BBS relative because as you might recognize, Vincent sings the national anthems at quite a few Bull's and Sox games. (Including the most important Bulls game in a decade, Game 6 of last year's epic Bulls/C's series)

John Vincent, singer at Ditka's on Chestnut. (Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)

However, the BBS relevantness didn't stop there. I looked over at the booth next to us, and asked Duckfart if the kid looked familiar. After he turned over we clearly identified him as fellow southsider, Blue Island native, Brother Rice baller, and UNC National Champion, Bobby Frasor.



We thought this was pretty cool and I debated saying something to him on the way out. Until I passed him and saw this man sitting across from him having dinner.

Some of you might recognize this man as one of the greatest people to ever walk the earth. Recognizable only by face and firmly implanted in Bull's lore. This is the man who accepted the 1.7% miracle, Bull's executive vice president of business operations, Steve Schanwald.

Now the next obvious question would be, why are the Bulls taking Bobby Frasor out to dinner? The roster is likely set at 13 with Aaron Gray at the last spot. So are they recruiting Frasor for their D-League team? Are Schanwald and Frasor related? What's the story here? Whatever it is, BBS will continue to follow this story (probably not).

Lastly, the sports randomness continued when we passed legendary CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel on the walk home. All in all a very random Tuesday night in Chicago.


'MMM HHHM MMM HMMM MMM HMMM MMM HMMM MMM HMMM MMM HMMM MMM HMMM MMM HMMM'

Jay Cutler Love Fest

Jay Cutler has Chicago football fans optimistic about the upcoming football season, but BBS warns you to never underestimate the stupidity of the man on the right. (Photo Courtesy: Chicago Tribune, Nam Y Huh, Associated Press / July 31, 2009)


The mass media has been absolutely gushing about Jay Cutler recently... and it feels pretty great. All three BBS contibutors went absolutely bonkers when the trade was announced.

Here's some recent articles that have me giddy about the Bear and their new franchise QB this year.



Cutler: Two Minute Drill

Crunch time: Jay Cutler ran the two-minute offense for the first time in training camp, and the result was a long Robbie Gould field goal. Cutler was 3-for-6 on the drive, with completions to tight end Greg Olsen, Brandon Rideau and Earl Bennett.

Cutler might have come up with six points if Bennett had been able to make a spectacular diving catch on Cutler's last throw, but Bennett dropped the pass when he hit the ground.

Lovie's take: Coach Lovie Smith is looking forward to seeing Cutler in a two-minute drill that counts. "He's been in that situation a few times," Smith said. "That's the money part of the game. That's been his track record. He knows how to take us down the field."

Clayton: Cutler more than just a strong arm

Sure, Bears fans are excited about Cutler's arm. It's one of the best in the game. When he snaps off a lightning rod of a pass, they hoot and holler. Whether it's awe or cautious disbelief, Bears fans stand and shout out critiques to the receivers or the thrower when the play doesn't go perfectly. Cutler's arrival has created a fascinating adjustment for a knowledgeable fan base raised on great defense and running the football.

Cutler's arm is only part of the story: His knowledge of the passing game and receiving talent might equal his arm strength. Cutler has a double gift. He knows where his receivers like to have the ball placed on throws. Plus, he can deliver those passes to the right location. For example, Cutler said Devin Hester likes lower throws, but the completions work best when he gets the pass off to him quicker. Because split end Earl Bennett played with Cutler at Vanderbilt, Cutler knows exactly the right places to make the most of Bennett's talents.

Offense optimistic: Bears management clearly values the strength of the receiving corps more than outsiders do, but offensive coordinator Ron Turner is going to play the equivalent of a shell game. One of the Bears' favorite formations is putting tight ends Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark on the outside of Hester and Bennett, effectively turning the tight ends into wideouts and the wideouts into slot receivers. Olsen and Clark combined for 95 catches last season, nine more than the top two wide receivers in the league. The plan is to draw safeties or linebackers on outside coverage, opening up the middle of the field. Offenses with great wide receivers wouldn't have to do such trickery, so this is a sign the Bears may be good but not great at wide receiver.

Urlacher on the Bears:

"I still don't feel like I'm that old," says the 10th-year middle linebacker. "I definitely don't act that old. But we're getting up there and we can't play forever, we know that. The window is probably closing a little bit, but this is the best team we've had since I've been here."

It is pointed out to Urlacher that he says this every year.

"I know I do, but I truly believe it this year," he says. "Position for position, you look at our team and we match up well with everybody. People say we don't have any receivers. We'll see. I think all those guys have something to prove, but I think we stack up well with everybody."

Kreutz on Cutler:

On the practice field later, Kreutz stays after the final horn to work with some of the younger linemen. The longest-tenured Bear, along with Mannelly, at 12 seasons, Kreutz somehow looks younger this summer, more energetic, definitely in a better mood.

This is pointed out to him.

"Any time you have a lineup with the caliber of quarterback Jay [Cutler] is, I'm not knocking anybody I've played with, but I've never had anybody of that caliber, so of course I have a little extra hop in my step," Kreutz confirms.

3rd round pick Jarron Gilbert on Cutler:

"Jay's the first-round draft pick here," Gilbert said with a laugh after Sunday afternoon's training camp practice session at Olivet Nazarene University. "But yes, there's definitely a pressure. I'm the leader of the class, basically, as far as draft picks [go]. I put pressure on myself to come out here and perform."

.........................................................

Gilbert saw considerable action against the Bears' first-string offense Sunday, which meant he went up against Cutler. But as much as he would have liked to have earned some brownie points in getting to the Bears' heralded new quarterback, Gilbert played the good teammate.

"I don't go against Jay; I stay 3 or 4 feet away from him at all times," he said with a laugh, acknowledging he doesn't want to become known as the guy who hurt the new franchise player.

But Gilbert admits to being somewhat in awe of Cutler, happy that he's a teammate, rather than an upcoming opponent Gilbert and the Bears would have to face.

"Just watching him out here, he's a great player," he said. "I've never seen a quarterback like that who can throw the way he does. It's great to see him on the field."

NBA Schedule release!

And for the first time in a couple years, the Bulls are not playing on opening night. Anyone want to go to Butch Maguire's for the Bulls first game, October 29? Should be a rough start for the Bulls: back-to-back v. Spurs and @ Celtics!

Also, I am getting 4 tickets to the Bulls/Thunder game (January 4) in the $150-200 range, please let me know if you are interested in watching 2 future MVPs and Hall-of-Famers (D-Rose and Durant)!


Printable schedule.

Sam Smith has some Bulls' schedule highlights -

It seems like the NBA may be saying to the Bulls something like, "OK, let's see if that playoff series with Boston was for real."

That's because the NBA released its 2009-10 schedule Tuesday, and the Bulls are in for a brutal opening.

The Bulls open at home Oct. 29 against the San Antonio Spurs, whom many experts felt had the most productive offseason with the additions of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and rookie DuJuan Blair.

The Bulls then go to Boston and Miami, return home to face the Milwaukee Bucks and then are back on the road to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and Shaquille O'Neal.

That's just the appetizer in November, which concludes with the always difficult so called "circus trip."

The Bulls head out to the Western Conference Nov. 13 for five games, concluding with a Thanksgiving Day game in Salt Lake City on Nov. 26, and then finish the six games on the road in Milwaukee Nov. 30. That concludes an opening stretch of 10 of 15 games on the road and road games against contenders like Boston, Cleveland, the Lakers, Denver, Portland and Utah.

It could leave the Bulls early in the season trying to dig out of a deep hole unless they come into the season well prepared and healthy.

And Chris Sheridan covers the league-wide highlights -

Oct 29: San Antonio at Chicago (TNT)
Richard Jefferson is expected to attend, wearing black. If he changes his mind, expect to be notified by e-mail.

Oct. 30: Chicago at Boston (ESPN); Orlando at New Jersey; Golden State at Phoenix
Based on what happened between the Bulls and C's in April, we should expect this one to go two or three overtimes, at a minimum. Also, Vince Carter returns to The Swamp, and several hundred witnesses are expected (when Jason Kidd played his alumni game at the Meadowlands, the place was maybe half-full, prompting Kidd to say it reminded him of his first home game with the Nets). For the Warriors and Suns, it'll be a night for both teams to wonder what might have been had the Amare Stoudemire trade talks on draft night moved forward. Over/under on Stephen Curry's playing time (Don Nelson has this thing about rookies; just ask Anthony Randolph): two minutes.

...

Dec. 2: Detroit at Chicago
Ben Gordon's alumni game, but you'll need to purchase the NBA package if you want to watch it. NBA TV is broadcasting nationally that night and has chosen to televise Sixers-Thunder and Rockets-Clippers (NBA TV also passed on Suns-Cavs, Shaq's first game against his most recent former team).
javascript:void(0)
...

Dec. 15: L.A. Lakers at Chicago
You can expect some speculation about whether this will be the final time Phil Jackson coaches a game in the Windy City -- unless he makes that speculation moot before then by announcing his plans for 2010-11.

***********UPDATE*************

I missed this gem from TrueHoop -

Jeremy from Roundball Mining Company was alarmed to see that his Nuggets were playing 22 back-to-backs. Sounds like a lot, right? Dan from Piston Powered and Brett from Queen City Hoops pointed out the Pistons and Bobcats, respectively, each play 23 back-to-backs. As do the Bulls!

After reading about the schedule, and discussing it with the other 2 BBS contributors ...

THE BULLS GOT HOSED! What a terrible job of scheduling a young, likable team. This schedule fails to showcase a young superstar on the national stage, and hurts the teams playoff chances by shuffling the thru back-to-backs and no real home stretch to recover/get momentum. Thanks, David Stern!

White Sox and Bulls links

I was away at JORTS this weekend, but it was an interesting weekend for the White Sox. The Sox were attempting to sweep the Yankees, and Kenny Williams traded for Jake Peavy, who rejected the Sox a few months ago and has been out with a broken ankle since June 13. So does this trade help us now? Or at any point this season?! And did we give up too much?!

I have no idea how to feel about this, and my guess is that it will depend on what other moves we make (to get younger/faster and shed some payroll) this off-season.

Some analysis of the trade :

Peavy happy to be in the Chi.



Kenny playing "poker" -

The day before, he gave no impression, no idea. He walked around the offices of U.S. Cellular Field with a smile on his face while his team sent a message to the American League. No one knew.

The next day he came in calm. Same demeanor. But that was a disguise.


When the news broke that the White Sox finally closed a deal that they had begun piecing together last season, bringing 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy to town, general manager Kenny Williams had the same look on his face that he had had the day before. A look that gave no one any idea of what he had up his sleeve, what the hell he was doing. A look that gave away nothing despite Peavy's veto of a trade to the South Side just more than two months ago.

It was like one of the greatest hands of poker ever played. His own staff didn't know until that morning that he'd been working trying to make one of the biggest deals in team history. He made everyone around him think that everything was normal. I repeat, no one knew.

Peavy "pain free".



 



I'm not a huge fan of the Basketball HoF, but they gave MJ an exhibit -

The Basketball Hall of Fame has opened a Michael Jordan exhibit before his enshrinement next month.

The display features items from Jordan's NBA career and from his time at North Carolina and with the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. There is also a batting glove from Jordan's brief foray into baseball.

The exhibit is made possible in part by a $250,000 donation from

Nike and features several pair of the superstar's Air Jordan shoes.

30 teams in 30 days -

2008 Statistics

Finished 41-41, second in the Central Division, seventh in the Eastern Conference

Postseason

First Round: Lost to Boston Celtics 4-3

Key Additions

James Johnson via draft, Taj Gibson via draft, Jannero Pargo via free agency

Key Losses

Ben Gordon via free agency

You would think the loss of your leading scorer would completely dismantle your team, right? Not in the case of the Chicago Bulls. Thanks to a future all-star and having another star come off of injury, the Bulls are ready once again to make another push into the playoffs.

This off season the Bulls lost their sixth man in Ben Gordon. Even though he came off the bench most of his career with Chicago, his shooting touch and scoring flurries were pure fire and it would usually be his hot shooting that would lead the team to victory.

But those days are gone now and Gordon will be bringing his scoring outbursts to the city of Detroit where he was signed as a free agent.

Even without Gordon though, the Bulls do have a lot of young talent that it can rely on to carry it to the postseason. With point guard Derrick Rose at the helm, this team has a bright future to look forward to. In his first season, he averaged 17 points and six assists per game and took away rookie of the year honors.