Click-a-Bull (Overacheivers?; Rose Disrespected?; Deng; Reader Links)

"Click-a-Bull" is likely the only Bulls update you'll get here at BBS for a while. I've already started my "2010 Season Preview" (which have been lengthy in the past), so I'm saving all of my thoughts/ideas for that. Looking like it will be a two-part post. But stay current with links ...


Overachievers? Chicago Bulls Will Be "Big Four" Team in the East

Now that free agency has lulled some fans into a snooze, it is time to start looking speculatively at what teams can do this upcoming season.

Clearly, the Eastern Conference has taken major strides in becoming a more well-rounded group, and one of those teams prepared to make a jump are the Chicago Bulls.

Yes, the Miami "Thrice," Boson Celtics, and Orlando Magic stick out on a level of their own, but it appears Chicago is ready to break down the door and enter among the East's beasts.

Despite not having the hopes of teams like Miami (72 wins, really?), there are clearly higher expectations in the Windy City.

To realize these expectations, there will be areas where the Bulls will perform, and some where they may have to "overachieve" to get to the promised land.

Here are four areas that Chicago will need to perform to be apart of the "Big Four," and whether it will take more than just 100 percent to surpass and take down some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and NBA.

Ranking the point guards, 10 through No. 1

5. Derrick Rose(notes), Chicago Bulls (last year: 11th)

I take in quite a bit of noise for Bulls fans for pointing out Rose's bad defense, his inability to consistently get to the line and his so-so passing. But I also saw him hit a 3-pointer a few days ago -- it had arc, rotation, follow-through; the whole schmear -- and I can't help but bump the guy up. Especially with a screening-and-finishing partner in Carlos Boozer(notes) waltzing into town.

Top 10 players for the next five seasons, where's Derrick?

There are many ways to value players. How much would this player help you in one year? How much would this player help you if you were starting from scratch and had to build a team over a number of years? Do you factor in present contracts when making these choices? A top 10 player list can look fairly different depending which of those rules you take.

For our purposes, I'm going to go with the pick the best player for the next five seasons disregarding contract and just looking at projected on-court value over that period of time. The assumption, of course, is that teams will be formed via dispersal draft, so talent will be spread out evenly throughout the league.

...


#8 Derrick Rose
I waffled with where to put Rose, because amongst all players, with Rose you are really projecting what he can become rather than what he is right now. I'd put Rose as a top 15 or so player right now, but the leap to the top 10 is fairly big. He needs to improve shooting and defense, but we've heard good reports in both aspects this off-season.

Rose started simply dominating the game at the end of last year, and his overall numbers are skewed negatively as he struggled to recover from a leg injury early on that robbed him his athleticism. His mid range shot is one of the best in the NBA, and he can get open looks at will with his amazing quickness and ability to hit it off the dribble.

Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng Dominating International Play

With the news of Carmelo Anthony wanting out of Denver, many Chicago Bulls fans have willingly offered up Luol Deng and an assortment of players and picks for the Nuggets' superstar.

Not so fast.

As a member of Great Britain's national team, Deng has quietly put up fantastic numbers as arguably the best player on his squad.

Deng put up games of 32 points and nine rebounds, followed by 23 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Then against Ukraine he posted 28 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Sure, these stats are inflated by a lower level of competition. But what would it say about Deng if he put up worse numbers against the same opposition? At least he is dominating when he should be.

More importantly, his time with Great Britain could provide a boost to his confidence and leadership, particularly after his name was thrown around in all sorts of speculative moves. Remember how poorly the Bulls performed after trade talks for Kobe Bryant?

His performance also serves as a reminder to fans that he is still young (25 years old) and is just nearing the time when most players enter their prime. People act as if he's washed up, when really he has just had bad luck with injuries.

I want to believe Deng is going to be a great player on the revamped Bulls. I want to believe his injuries are behind him. I want to believe he has the drive to prove all the doubters wrong who call him "soft."

But I just can't right now. Not even after his strong showings on the international stage.

I asked BBS readers if they had any blogs or links to include, and got a few cool responses. Please keep them coming in and I will include in future "Click-a-Bull" posts. Here's the first set:





Search For a New Favorite Team: The Chicago Bulls?

I’ve spent the last several years as a die-hard LeBron James fan, and by association a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, ever since I got a fist-bump from LBJ at a game. In the the wake of the LeBron Circus, however, I’m in the market for a new favorite team—and I’m chronicling my search. Maybe I’ll announce my decision on ESPN.

Subscribe to the RSS feed to get the continuing saga.

The Chicago Bulls are in a great spot. Their roster is unbelievably loaded, and yet thanks to the Miami Heat they’re still going to start this season well, well under the radar.

Talk about a dark horse to win the Eastern Conference. If the Heat don’t gel, the Boston Celtics keep getting older and the Orlando Magic continue to not improve then the Bulls could swoop in and take the East when nobody’s looking. It sounds like a lot of if’s, except that all of them seem possible—if not probable.

We don’t need to say anything about Derrick Rose, right? Top five point guard, getting better each year, only 21 years old, blah blah blah. In these next couple years Rose is going to be informing us all whether he’s decided to become a real-deal superstar, or just a regular ol’ star.

He put in 20 points and six dimes per game last year, and is the undisputed leader of an offense in which he won’t be the only legitimate contributor this year. If he can parlay his athleticism into some frisky defense, he’ll quickly go from awesome-to-watch to just-plain-awesome.

You know what ups the ante on the Bulls, though? Joakim Noah. I hated the guy when he played at Florida, and figured his hustle game would never translate to the NBA.

Joakim Noah
Year PPG RPG
07-08 6.6 5.7
08-09 6.7 7.5
09-10 10.7 11.0

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Noah has a nose for the ball that is almost unmatched in the league, as we’ve seen his rebounds go from 5.7 to 7.5 to 11.0 per game in his three years in the NBA. He’s got the size for it, at 6’11”, but it’s his uncanny ability to get into position that translates into boards.

Throw in ten points, a block and a half, wicked cool hair and improved shooting from the stripe (74% last year—downright respectable for a center), and at 25 years old you’ve got a big man you can do business with.

Screenshots of Michael Jordan in NBA2K11







It took time to appreciate Scottie

Growing up in central Illinois in the 1990′s if you weren’t a Chicago Bulls fan you were pretty rare. There were usually two schools of thought on who your favorite player was, obviously most went with Michael Jordan and everyone else rooted for Scottie Pippen. I fell into the first camp. I loved MJ he was the man. I knew Scottie was good but he was just Robin to Michael’s Batman. He was my little brother’s favorite.

Years later Scottie Pippen has made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame. It wasn’t till a few years ago, after watching and re-watching countless games on dvd, ESPN Classic, and NBA TV that I truly began to appreciate Scottie Pippen as a basketball player.

He was truly ahead of his time. I myself have been guilty of being in awe of how much of a freak that LeBron James is but give me Scottie’s smothering defense and I like my chances. He was a 6’7 point forward that could literally guard all 5 positions. MJ could take chances on defense to get his highlight dunks because he knew Scottie had his back. Playing against the Bulls defense with all its length and Scottie as its anchor was like trying to throw a hardball through a tree try as you might you weren’t making more than a dent.

Scottie got steals, blocks, and for my money is the greatest player I have ever watched at taking charges. He would throw his body in front of anyone to get a stop. I can remember a playoff game in the late 90′s where he took 4 charges! That’s in one game! Find me a time a superstar took 4 charges in a playoff series let alone a game!

PK's First Post: White Sox / Twins Series at Threat Level Orange

Hello BBS community. To piggyback off of the earlier statement of the other new addition to the writing staff, Pete, I would like to say that it is a real privilege to have the chance to contribute to this great forum for fans of Chicago sports that have meant so much to them over the years. I will be trying to put together some post as the season winds down on my favorite Chicago squad, the Chicago White Sox, with some Blackhawks thoughts thrown in as a “Johnny Comeback Lately” to our city’s hockey team.



I have always loved baseball, as a kid growing up it was the sport that shaped my childhood more so than any other and the game that I have grown most attached to now that I am nothing more than a washed-up, ex-athlete at the ripe old age of 26. However, each of those 26 years has been spent as an avid Chicago White Sox fan, something that is not always easy to do once you move out of the South Side community that embraces their team. This is a Cubs city, which I am ok with (but I am sure will be the topic of conversation for at least one post along the way here). I take solace in my team and look forward to each spring with “enthusiastic pessimism” that I think a lot of fellow Sox fans share with the start of each season. This season has not disappointed in providing its fair share of both those emotions. To the disappointment of seeing a lack of offensive production early in the season, only to bulldoze through June and July with a 25-5 record going into the all-star game, only to come back down to earth over the last 10 days dropping series to the O’s, Twin’s and Tigers. Which have all combined, brought us to this week’s 3-game set against those same Twin’s (a team that I have nothing but respect for from top to bottom, but a team that has caused me more frustration than an overly jealous girlfriend or when people dress their dogs in designer clothes).

I see this as being a big to moderately huge series for the Sox who currently sit 3 games back going into tonight’s game in MN. Here are a few things that I am interested in keeping an eye on over the next 3 games (both enthusiastically with some pessimism mixed in).

1. The probable starting pitchers do not include the name Freddy Garcia. This is good. Although I have been pleasantly surprised with the production we have gotten out of Sweaty Freddy, it looks like the season has begun to wear on him a bit. Instead, left-hander John Danks (12-8, 3.19 ERA) will pitch in the series opener for the White Sox against Twins right-hander Scott Baker (10-9, 4.76. In Game 2 on Wednesday, White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd (8-9, 3.70 ERA) will face left-hander Francisco Liriano (11-7, 3.26). And in the series finale Thursday, White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle (11-9, 4.05) will face right-hander Carl Pavano (15-7, 3.27). I think that having 3 innings-eaters like Danks, Floyd and Buehrle going in the series is huge help, mainly to try to spell our bullpen after a much needed off-day Monday also. With Putz and Thornton logging a lot of time, Pena having been scored on in his last 5 appearances and Bobby Jenks with a nagging back the real bright spots have been the young guys in Santos and Chris Sale who the Sox brought up earlier this month. Helping to save those arms has been something Danks, Floyd and Buehrle have done well as of late. John Danks, who after Freddy Garcia's short outing Tuesday, went 8 quality innings giving up 1 run on six hits while striking out 7 and walking 2 in Wednesday's victory against the Tigers. Gavin Floyd, who had been one of the best in the majors over the last few months, needs to get back to that form and get some revenge agains the Twins who dealt him his worst start since June 2 in his last start (surrendering six earned runs in a 6-1 loss to the Twins, topped off by a 3-run homer to Jason Kubel, who has made a name as one of the biggest Sox killers, in the 7th – a pitch I don’t think he should have even thrown to the Twins left-handed hitter as he had already thrown 120+ pitches at that point and Sale was warm in the Sox bullpen). Buehrle, is 24-17 vs. the Twins which is his highest win-loss total vs. a team, is an innings-eater by trade and needs to avoid the occasional 4 to 5 runs in the first couple innings before settling down.
   
   
   
2. Although it is a small sample-set, I was happy to see Mark Teahen having good at bats with his return to the line-up against the Tigers after is 2 ½ months on the DL with a fractured finger. After not signing Jim Thome (who I will never speak ill of even if he hits 35 homers against the Sox in their remaining 2 series with the Twins because of the respect I have for him), the Sox not picking up a big left-handed bat at the trade deadline or to this point and Mark Kotsay having a rough go of it and not really being a DH the Sox need a little pop from the left side this series against Baker and Pavano. I am not saying that Teahen is the same as Thome, Dunn or Fielder in terms of left-handed pop, but he doesn’t need to be one of those guys with a month and a half left. He needs to get consistent at bats, give some guys some rest with his versatility in the field and maybe breathe some life into a team their own manager said didn’t look like they came to play on Sunday against the Tigers.
   
   
   
3. Lastly, the Sox need a shot in the arm by taking 2 of 3 in this series to start getting on a little bit of a run. Over their last 10 the Sox are 3-7 while the Twins are 8-2, winning 7 of their last 8 games. It would be nice for the Sox to get a little bit of swagger back with upcoming series against the Yankees, 1 more set with the Twins and ending their season with series against Oakland, LAAAAA and Boston (teams the Sox have had their struggles against). Twins finish up against the rest of the AL Central which they have killed this year (31-17) and could probably stand to be cooled down a bit by dropping a series at home against the Sox.
   

I will try to end each post with a different quote from the biggest homer announcer in baseball, Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, starting with an appropriate one for the series that kicks off tonight – “Time to cinch it up and hunker down!"

Click-a-Bull (Are Bulls Good?; MJ = GOAT; Rose / TeamUSA; Miami Douchebags)

Are the Bulls As Good As We Think?

What if the Chicago Bulls aren't as good this season as everyone expects them to be? In the eyes of many it's something of a foregone conclusion that Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Co. will automatically be a top four seed in the Eastern Conference, but a number of factors both with the Bulls organization and the rest of the conference could stop that from happening.

There's no question that this is a better team than it was last year; Rose is on the cusp of superstardom, Boozer adds the inside veteran presence the organization has coveted for years, and the team is deeper than it's been in years.

Despite the improvements, however, both internally and through trades and free agency, even the most die-hard Bulls fans have to ask if they're expecting too much for this group to be a top-three team in the conference right away.

For starters, this is a team that really doesn't know each other well. For all the criticisms the Miami HEAT have taken regarding all these new pieces being thrown together, the Bulls really aren't a whole lot different. The team will have two new starters and at least seven completely new teammates, and you can add in one or two more as the team looks to finalize a roster that still stands at only 12 guys.

Not only that, but the team is under the leadership of a rookie head coach, albeit one that many expect to eventually be very good. However, when you consider the fact that Tom Thibodeau will be instilling an entirely new system in Chicago, and over half the team is brand new to the organization, we have to consider that there could very well be a lengthy period of time when the Bulls struggle, especially in the beginning of the season as they adjust to each other and, inevitably, head out west for the annual circus road trip. This is a team that tends to start off slowly, and that could be compounded this year simply because everybody is more or less new to everybody else.

All that, however, says nothing to Chicago's chances in the conference, let alone the Central Division. Few would argue that Orlando and Miami are the clear 1-2 teams in the East this season, and beyond that the Bulls, Celtics, Hawks, and Bucks are likely to fill out 3-6 in some order.

Are the Bulls a 3-4 team, or a 5-6? It's impossible to argue that they're a top six team, but we rarely hear much of teams seeded fifth or sixth after the second round. It will be hard for Chicago to live up to expectations if they can't even secure home court advantage in the first round. It's not an impossible thing to do, but it's far from a certainty.

And you sir, are no Michael Jordan

Yes, I'm looking at you Kobe Bryant. I'm looking at you LeBron James. It's not your fault, the media screwed you both on this by bringing it up all the time, but in case there's any doubt, let me clear it up for you. You may be great, but you are no Michael Jordan.

For whatever reason the media loves to dust off the "is this guy better than Michael Jordan" talk every couple years with some guy who's clearly not better than Jordan. There's only two men who can rightly be compared to Michael Jordan. Wilt Chamberlain (the domineer of raw stats) and Bill Russell (the domineer of wins). They both lose, but you at least have some type of argument for either guy.

Before we begin, let me address the argument that because we're having a conversation about this that somehow it validates the idea. I had a conversation yesterday with my five year old where she told me I no longer need to go to work. She said she called my boss and made sure it's okay, and that he understands that she misses me too much. I asked what his name was, and she replied "barbecue".

Having a conversation doesn't validate in any way the contents of the conversation. If you've ever spoken with a moron (I assume we've all done that at some point) then I doubt you feel their thoughts were validated merely by being spoken outloud. The media are simply morons with this. Except they're not actually morons, they're shameless self-promoters trying to boost their ratings by attempting to prop up the players playing presently on their networks.

There are many ways to sum up this argument, and what makes it so simple is that Jordan wins all of them. That's why the case of comparing Kobe or LeBron is so absurd. Neither guy wins any argument against Jordan.

It'd be easy to close the book on where these guys are right now. There are so many open and shut ways to do so. I could say look at the rings. Look at the Finals MVPs. Look at the stats. Look at the league MVPs, defensive MVPs, any statistical or subjective metric etc... Those would all fairly simply prove the point Jordan is the best to ever play the game, and any rationale person would choose Jordan after hearing those arguments.

However, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to take it a step farther. I'm going to show you that no reasonable extrapolation of the rest of their career for Kobe or LeBron can ever put them ahead of Jordan regardless of how many rings they win from here on out.

That's right. If Kobe wins the championship the next three seasons or LeBron rattles off eight straight, neither guy is better than Jordan. They just aren't, and the rings if they come (which they probably won't in enough volume for either guy to pass MJ anyway) then it still won't matter. Jordan will still be the best ever.

Rose, USA National Team heading to Spain

Derrick Rose may not have had a big game statistically speaking when the USA National Team took on France in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, but it didn’t bother him in the least.

“I feel good about how we played and we got the win. That’s the biggest thing,” said Rose of USA’s 86-55 victory, in which he recorded two points, three assists and three rebounds in 15 minutes of play.

“Our game today was just pushing the ball,” said Rose, who wore No. 6 and entered at the 5:35 mark of the first quarter with the USA up 6-2. “Everybody was making shots and we eventually got out to a good lead.”

The game started slowly, though, for both teams, as through one period, it was tied at 16-16.

“France played well and we had some jitters to start out the game,” said Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who leads the USA National Team’s coaching staff. “It’s the first time for most of these guys to play for our country in a game. That’s why these exhibition games are so important for us.”

Krzyzewski, who said he was pleased with his team’s defense and effort, opted for a starting lineup that consisted of Rajon Rondo, Chauncey Billups, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Tyson Chandler. Hence, Rose came off the bench, but again, he’s taking no issue with that whatsoever.

“I’m a ballplayer and I’ll continue to play,” said Rose. “My role on this team is defense and pushing the ball. When I’m in, my job is to pressure the ball so opponents aren’t comfortable bringing it up the court. There are a lot of great scorers on this team, so I don’t need to score. I’m working hard on defense and pushing people different ways, just trying to be as aggressive as I can.”

Rose proving himself with Team USA

The 2010 USA Basketball Men’s National Team’s first taste of international competition—or any competition outside of their own team—came on Saturday afternoon with Derrick Rose and his teammates leaving Madison Square Garden with an dominating victory over China.

The teams participated in a scrimmage, with four 10-minute quarters and a scoreboard that was reset at the end of each frame. The Americans won the first three quarters convincingly, including an impressive 35-8 third frame, before coming up short 17-16 in the final period.

Rose, aiming to make the final roster of 12 players which beginning training in Madrid, Spain on Aug. 17 and compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey Aug. 28 to Sept. 12, scored 12 points and dished out two assists in the winning effort. The USA team, which has not won the FIBA World Championship since 1994, will look to take its first real step in doing so when it meets France on Sunday back at the Garden (12 p.m. on ESPN2).

“I’m just trying to put pressure on my opponents and play well,” Rose said following the scrimmage, which opened the doors to a limited audience of about 500 people, including the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, who sat in the first row near the American bench.

Danny Granger led all scorers with 22 points, while Eric Gordon contributed 15 and Kevin Durant chipped in with 14.

For Rose, the experience with the USA team has been different from what he is accustomed to, with more focus on transition play and fewer amounts of possessions, he said.

“We as guards really have to take care of the ball and make sure we don’t make any dumb plays,” said Rose. “We’re also full court pressing all the time. You always have to make sure your man is in front of you so you can pressure and make it difficult for teams to run their sets. It also allows you to take some time off their shot clock.”

USA coach Mike Krzyzewski seconded Rose’s thoughts following the scrimmage.

“We need to play the full court so teams don’t just come down and have an extra six seconds,” he said. “I thought our effort was real good today.”

As for Rose, Krzyzewski likes what he is seeing out of his fellow Chicago native. But he wants to see a little more of that swagger he knows is in the 21-year old point guard.

“He’s been good, especially with his ball pressure,” commented Krzyzewski. “All of these guys sacrifice their egos to be on here, but we don’t want them to lose their egos. When he’s in the game, we want him to have a Bulls ego rather than just trying to fit in. That’s a little bit of a process.

Derrick Rose: ‘I am not worried about the Heat’

When speaking with the media, Rose was about a potential rivalry brewing with the Miami HEAT. ``I am not worried about the HEAT; I am just worried about the Bulls. I know that my team is ready.``

Link

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The late John Wooden would have liked Derrick Rose.

Coach Wooden always told his UCLA teams not to worry about their opponents and to focus on playing, which is the approach Rose is taking with the Miami Heat.

Instead of worrying about Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, instead of worrying about the attention the Heat are getting, Rose is punching the clock, putting in work, and extending his three-point shot.

Of course, this will make him unstoppable.

Rose has always been able to get to the basket. Defenders have such respect for his athleticism they back off him and concede the jumper.

If Rose can consistently knock down three-pointers, defenders won`t be able to back off him, which will make it easier to penetrate and create scoring opportunities.

The third year point guard should head into 2011 as a pick-your-poison player. And it will be because he took a ‘Wooden’ approach to this summer.

Rose Wants to be the Best (scroll down)

A big year is ahead for Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. The Bulls are expected to be one of the powerhouses in the Eastern Conference and his development is a big reason why along with the additions of head coach Tom Thibodeau and All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer. Part of Rose's preparation for his big year includes participating in Team USA and playing for Coach K, which has really helped his game in his quest to become the game's best.

"If anything he is a motivational speaker and he really has humor when he talks," said Rose on ESPN Radio. "If anything you are going to listen to him because he is going to be a legend, a Hall of Famer I mean in this game. For him to be coaching me is wonderful. Too bad I didn't go to Duke, but it's great even just being here with him and his staff is great and I am lucky to be on this bus headed to the gym.

"I hope everybody out there put me as one of the top players in the NBA if not this year or last year, hopefully one of the years I do play in the NBA. But I am not going to stop; there is no point of playing this game if you are not trying to be the best. So while I am out here working out and all that stuff, I am playing to be the best player."

Seriously, do these guys want to look like douchebags?

I posted a couple days ago about Dwyane Wade continuing to raise his level of douchebaggery. I mean seriously, how dumb do you have to be as Wade to say the stuff he said here?

You've got LeBron James keeping mental notes about all the people who pointed out he's a douchebag. Hey LeBron, every look back at this and think that people might not call you such a douchebag if you weren't being such a douchebag? Who has their own hour long show to tell their hard core supporters to f 'off.

Now Chris Bosh, who had, up until now largely been just called Wade's bitch because people had hurt feelings while not really doing anything too negative has stepped up his game when it comes to douchebaggery.

"If you think about how many times somebody asks you, 'How are you,' that's how many times I was asked, 'Where you going? So it's like, well, in my case, I'm going to have fun with it. I'm going to play with people's emotions. I'm going to be high and low."

"I wouldn't call it a game because it's serious, but, I mean, it's entertainment at the end of the day . . . "It's entertaining to see people react to your real emotions because if it wasn't fun I wouldn't do it."

So, a good time to Chris Bosh is screwing with peoples emotions? Look, I get where you are coming from. It's aggravating to have people all up in your face asking you about your plans all the time, but show some respect you m----- f------ a-----. You know those people who you're screwing with?

They're the ones who make it possible for you to be paid an outrageous sum of money rather than to work some minimum wage job, so maybe you should back up the truck and appreciate them a bit more.

I'm trying to go back in my mind and think of three guys who were extremely popular, who managed to combine forces which in and of itself should have created something wonderfully popular, but instead completely assassinated their own brand and popularity.

To put this in perspective, they have turned Kobe Bryant, who was at a minimum an adulterer and possibly a rapist, into a hero. Think about that for a minute. These guys have lowered themselves to a status which falls beneath alleged rapist (which says something fairly horrible about fandom in general).

Bears Preseason Game 1 Review

Hello to all the readers out there of BBS. Im glad I have been asked to contribute and bring thoughts about my favorite chicago team Da Bears. I'll also be posting with some random blackhawks thoughts and maybe if i can get away with it, cubs thoughts. I hope you all you readers enjoy or it pisses you off so much that you comment. Anyway, without further ado, here goes my first post......

I have a been a bears fan from birth and i am one of probably only 5 fans who enjoy watching pre-season games. I enjoy it because you get to see the team really come together and to get a chance to watch some of the young guys on your team play and see if they can be play makers down the line. So, yes i watched all of the bears 1st preseason game. Here are some random impressions from the first game:

Encouraging

1. Culter and most of the skill position players on offense didnt play more than 1 drive but in that drive they moved the ball down field for a FG. They all seemed to be on the same page and they got to the line of scrimmage quickly and there was no confusion as to the plays. With Martz's new highly complex offense this is more than i would have hoped for. For such a small sample size, it has the bears' offense trending upward.

2. The WRs - All offseason Martz has been saying that the Bears have maybe the most talented group of WRs he has ever had. I may start believing him after saturday night. Johnny Knox looked pretty much uncoverable with 2 catches for 51 yards and Devin Aromashodu looked to picked up where he left off at the end of last season and he wasnt even playing with the #1 offense. I dont think there will be any question that Knox will emerge as the bears #1 WR this year.

3. Major Wright - The kid can play. He made 7 tackles and was consistently around the ball and play. The fact that he was says some not great things about the defensive performance (not good to have the ball get to your safety/last line of defense) but he looks like a player. He also looks like he wants to hit people which is exactly the type of safety that bears fans have been craving since Mike Brown's departure. His apparently scheduled to have surgery on a finger injury he sustained in the game but still should be ready to play come the regular season. http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/08/bears-keeping-major-lid-on-wrights-finger-injury.html Whether or not, he starts Bears fans will quickly notice when wright is on the field in a good way.

Discouraging/headscratching

1. The offensive line - The starters actually played most of the first half together and it was a mixed bag of results. The pass protection was pretty good and this was against a 3-4 defense which they hadnt game planned for. The run block was just terrible. The entire game the bears had 21 rushes for 48 yards. I dont care what game it is, your line has to be able to run block better than that. The bears are suppose to still be a running team but we all know that really isnt the truth with Cutler and Martz now. But, they still need to be able to run the ball effectively. This game only did nothing to quiet my fears and those of many bears fans that they didnt improve the O-line enough in the offseason.

2. Still no pass rush. The bears didnt have much of push from the front 4 at all. I thought Peppers was suppose to cure this. In a sideline interview, Peppers said that the chargers were throwing the ball too quickly for there to have been a pass rush. Geez, somehow that type of excuse out of a guy you are paying $18 million a year doesnt reassure me. Without more pass rush this year, the bears will be toast and i will be the only one watching in december. lets hope this trends upward quickly.

3. The lack of depth. The bears dont have a lot of quality depth except for at the LB and WR positions and it shows in pre-season games. Now most NFL teams dont necessary have starters in their 2nd units but usually they have some quality backups. The bears dont. There is a huge drop off at OT, QB, CB, S and DE for the bears and it shows. This just means that they will have to avoid significant injuries to keep playoff hopes alive.

There you go, my impressions from the 1st preseason game and i got through the whole article without even ripping on Frank "I suck hard" Omiyale or Mark "I have to hope the OT jumps because thats the only contribution i can make" Anderson. Check back for more bears updates soon.

Click-a-Bull (Scottie Pippen: Hall of Fame)

Slow summer here at BBS, this is why. But now that we're back and improved with new writers, wanted to get a quick Pippen HOF Tribute up.




MEMORIES OF SCOTTIE PIPPEN

I enjoyed watching Scottie Pippen play basketball as much as I enjoyed watching Michael Jordan play basketball. I watched them both for 11 years, from 1988-1999, as I covered the Chicago Bulls for the Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights. I saw Jordan mature into the greatest basketball player of all time and I watched Pippen grow into a future Hall of Famer.

While Jordan was a marvel of physical ability and competitive drive, Pippen was the athlete I would want my kids to be, someone who transformed himself into a great player. Greatness was not thrust upon Pippen, it was something that he earned through hard work and determination.

I bristle at the continued use of Batman and Robin to describe the relationship between Jordan and Pippen. Giving it exactly 10 seconds of thought, I prefer Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with Jordan as Robert Redford's Kid and Pippen as Paul Newman's Cassidy.

Pippen was the best defensive player I ever saw. With his incredible wingspan and quick reflexes, Pippen was able to stymie the best players in the game. In fact, by the time his career was over, I believe Pippen was more highly regarded as a defensive player than Jordan was.

Offensively, Pippen was adept at taking advantage of situations, but he never overstepped the bounds of basketball decorum by trying to score when he did not have the advantage. He employed his teammates and gave them scoring opportunities never offered to them by Jordan, who would just as soon score himself.

While Jordan brought many basketball highlights to the game, and did things that younger players tried to emulate frequently, Pippen brought back the bank shot to professional basketball. Remember how great he was at that? The 15-foot bank from the right side was his specialty, and brought to mind the thousands of bank shots I attempted under my father's watchful eye as I was growing up. I never tried to stuff a basketball.

No one tougher than Scottie Pippen

There are players who have won more in basketball’s Hall of Fame, though not many more than Scottie Pippen with his six championships playing for the Bulls. There certainly are players who have scored more, shot better, jumped higher, run faster and been more popular.

But there may be no one tougher than Scottie Pippen, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Friday in Springfield, Mass.

Not physically tougher, for fellow inductee Karl Malone certainly was sturdier. And perhaps not mentally tougher in the way we generally define it in sports, as most everyone would point to Pippen’s former teammate and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as the portrait of sporting tenacity.

Ironically, it was Pippen who was long cursed with the ugly label of being soft for his famous migraine headache in the 1990 conference finals, being openly taunted by Xavier McDaniel in the 1992 playoffs and the verbal and physical abuse he endured in the Bulls/Pistons wars of the late 1980s.

But that, really, was part of his great strength, sort of Scottie Pippen as Buddha.


Likely no one in the history of the NBA has endured as much, from hardscrabble upbringing, which is not uncommon among pro athletes, to raging controversies that rank among the highlights in the history of the game. Just mention the number 1.8 and everyone knows the reference. Mention migraine. Mention the gun arrest before they were fashionable and the wonderful tradition of feuds with management, though Pippen took it to the greatest lengths by once announcing his retirement during a championship season while he was on the injured list.

It all made him one of the most polarizing athletes Chicago ever has known, if also once of its most successful and acclaimed.

"Sometimes I wonder why people get so upset," Pippen once told me. "It's just basketball. People come to watch us play. But it's like our job has to always be performed right, perfect, always analyzed, that there can't be a letdown. You want to ask them sometimes, 'Did you ever have a bad day?'”

It’s going to be a great day Friday for Pippen, and let’s get this straight: He’s a bona fide Hall of Famer and not because of Michael Jordan.

Pippen may have been the greatest individual defender in the history of the NBA.

I Loved Watching Scottie Pippen Play Basketball

Scottie Pippen will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, and quite simply, I loved watching that man play basketball.

To me, Scottie Pippen was the ultimate embodiment of team basketball, on both ends of the floor, and played with a physical grace that made him at least as aesthetically pleasing to watch as any player of his era, including his most famous teammate.

I consider Pippen to be greatest individual perimeter defender of all time, outstanding on the ball and even better as a help defender. And I can't lie, how you feel about Scottie Pippen is a referendum on how I feel about you as a basketball fan. If you don't think Pip was one of the 25 or so best players of all time, I don't think I want you in my life as a basketball fan.

That I even have to write those last couple sentences is a reflection that Pippen's legacy can be strangely polarizing to many fans, and that the particular moments and perceptions which stick in fans' heads can be unpredictable, and powerful forces in shaping their memories of players as a whole.

A complication for Pippen in memory is that the signature moments of his career which have stuck with many people are negative - the infamous 1.8-second sitdown in the 1994 Playoffs, and the migraine headache which rendered him utterly ineffective for Game 7 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals - and skew the perception of his career as a whole, in my opinion.

[VIDEO] - SCOTTIE PIPPEN - ULTIMATE DEFENDER



I literally got tears in my eyes watching that video. Pippen was almost unfair - he guards Barkley, Ewing, Magic ... incredible.








Scottie Pippen is a Hall of Famer

Here's my five, and we're going to beat you.

I'm running Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in the backcourt, Bill Walton in the pivot, and Bill Russell with Larry Bird at the forwards. There are better players at possibly four of the positions I've stocked around Jordan, but I don't care. This is my five, and we will beat yours.

And Scottie Pippen starts. Hell, Scottie Pippen brings the ball across half court. And Scottie Pippen is going to be the guy that holds it all together, on his way toward beating whatever hypothetical starting five you want to throw at this lot.

If this column gets too personal, well, this is something you're just going to have to tolerate. Because I've spent a lifetime watching this man play basketball, and I can't imagine another person I'd rather play ball alongside. Ask his teammates, far and wide. They hated life without him.

The awards, the rings, the statistics? They don't matter, with a guy like Scottie Pippen. The 1.8-second sit-out? That's part of the package when you do everything right for little payoff for so long. Kind of like those Amish kids who are allowed a fortnight to go inhale narcotics and chase down women with unnecessary vowels in their first names before submitting to a lifetime of quiet obedience to their respective makers.

Pippen's personal maker was this game, the game that I've chosen to cover and obsess over, and the one that brought him out of crippling poverty in rural Arkansas. His personal upbringing and formative years allowed him to see the game from all angles -- scrub to superstar, unheralded game-changer to too-precious franchise saver -- and nobody, I'm convinced, sees this game better than Scottie Pippen.

Don't Call It A Comeback: BullBearSock Is Back In Action (And Improved!)

Anyone who reads this blog knows that there have been very few posts this summer, and for good reason. I was studying for the bar, and twenty-two days ago my building was evacuated because of flooding. We were finally able to move back in yesterday, but it was an absolutely crazy 3 weeks. Here's what went down since during that time:

- Took (and hopefully passed) the Bar Exam, which was only 3 days after the flood/evacuation. Not the best timing.

- Went on an relaxing vacation in Florida. Thanks to my great BBS-GF, who planned and executed an awesome trip!

- Went to an incredible funeral ceremony, which was a proper send-off for the Chicago Bears' biggest fan, a Chicago Firefighter/Paramedic, and a true hero. Miss you and love you Chris - proud to call you my cousin, lucky to call you my friend.


__________________________________________



But don't worry, I have stayed current on everything Bulls, and will get back to posting regularly going forward. Look for regular posts on Tuesday and Friday, and some other random posts when time permits. Follow me on twitter (@bullbearsock) for updates and all of my random thoughts, and become a fan on facebook for updates whenever there is a new BBS post.

Beyond that, we've also added a couple of new writers to the BBS team. My friend Pete will be taking over as the resident Bears Expert, so expect those posts to start showing up pretty regularly. And my friend PK plans on writing here about the White Sox. That covers BBS, but those two will also be writing about the BlackHawks at times, so we are expanding our coverage slightly.

I'm really happy about expanding, because it makes my life that much easier. Above all else I am a Bulls fan, and I don't feel confident or knowledgeable writing about the Bears or White Sox ... so I am excited to have those teams covered by two knowledge and funny people. BBS is now fully loaded with four great writers, and me. Enjoy!

Pete and PK, welcome to BBS! And welcome back readers - check back later today for a quick Scottie Pippen Hall of Fame post.

Chicago Bulls: An Organization of Integrity (Be Proud Bulls' Fans)

I had pretty low expectations for the Bulls' Organization heading into "Summer of 2010" - you might even say I was pessimistic!

But realistically, I assumed the organization had a "Plan A" (sign Chris Bosh and fill some needs), or "Plan B" (sign Carlos Boozer and fill some needs). Those were reasonable, albeit slightly hopeful, expectations.


Then came the talk that the Bulls had a chance at Wade and LeBron, and even I bought into the hype. If you read BBS or follow me on twitter (@bullbearsock), then you know I am a "LeBron Hater," but even I couldn't resist the lure of potentially landing one of the best players on earth.


Turns out, we never had a shot at Wade or LeBron, and we never even had a chance to sign Bosh. The "Big 3" agreed to play together a long time before free agency started, and all of the meetings were for show (literally, as Wade and Bosh might make a documentary about the "experience").


What has been lost in all of this is just how good of a summer the Bulls have had when weighed against plans and expectations. If Miami wasn't stealing all of the attention, more people would be talking about how the Bulls have addressed some major needs and really improved.

With signing of Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver, along with signing JJ Redick to an offer sheet (that Orlando is expected to match), the Bulls have done just that. We also signed former-draft-pick Omer Asik to add some depth to the front line. We're not done, but if Redick is matched, we can go after other SG options: Ronnie Brewer or Josh Childress. We still need a backup PG, possibly Shaun Livingston or Kyle Lowry. Once we fill those needs, the Bulls will be a significantly improved team from last season.

But beyond the improvements the Bulls have made to the roster, the organization put on a great display of integrity and class. It's somewhat buried in the link above, but worth linking again and pointing out:

It was also made known to James that the Heat would take care of his friends the same way the Cavs did -- special treatment at the arena, changing practice and travel schedules to allow for money-making late-night parties in various cities, and perhaps even hiring a James associate in a high-paying position in the organization.

...

The Bulls' chances were diminished for two central reasons. Wade wasn't willing to go to his own hometown. And the Bulls made it clear James' friends would not be given the privileges they were given in Cleveland or the high-paying jobs.

So maybe the Bulls didn't land LeBron (or Wade or Bosh), but the organization did the right thing. Instead of getting caught up in doing or saying anything to lure a FA to Chicago, the Bulls took the high road. I'll admit it sucks to lose out on those "top tier" FAs, but I could not be prouder to be a Bulls fan this summer. I'm glad the Bulls made the difficult (but correct) choice not to pander to the needs of a prima dona punk. LeBron has won as many NBA titles as I have, and is not bigger than the game of basketball.

I realize the "3 Miam-Egos" are the early favorites to win the title, but I have some serious doubts about that. Boston won with their "big 3" a few years ago, but they weren't filling the roster with minimum salary guys. They had a good defensive center and a PG that turned out to be better than anyone expected. This Heat team is 3 players and no one else. They may be overwhelmingly more talented at 3 positions, but they will be lacking everywhere else.

Additionally, I would much rather be a fan of an organization with class and dignity. The fair-weather, front-running Heat fans can have their "best trio ever" (as Wade referred to the new Heat trio the other day ... maybe he never watched MJ/Pippen/Rodman, or even MJ/Pippen and Will Perdue). It will be fun to hate LeBron and the Heat, and even more fun to cheer for a Bulls team filled with lovable players.

Maybe the Bulls aren't the favorites to win the title after "Summer of 2010," but I could not be prouder to be a fan of this team and this organization.