Last night's 96-94 Bulls loss to the Cavs was one of the most exciting and yet frustrating games to watch for me personally.
Missed free throws eventually doomed the Bulls and the number of questionable calls on the refs were unusually high (one-sided against the Bulls).
First, the missed free throws. I zoom into the waning seconds of the 1st quarter, where Luol Deng has 3 free throws as he was just fouled attemting a 3-pointer (gasp!). He made 2-of-3. If he had made 3-of-3, the Bulls and Cavs would be tied going into the 2nd quarter. Did you know that whoever was leading the 1st quarter won the game in this series? That is why I was really hoping Luol would calmly sink those 3 FTs. Instead he choked on one and immediately I thought to myself, "That is going to come back and haunt us."
Down the stretch, Taj Gibson really choked on the line, but in all fairness, so did Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng. This is strange, given the fact that the Bulls shoot a very admirable FT Percentage as a team. I guess it was pressure time and they could not deliver.
Secondly, the missed calls. I was shocked at how Brad Miller came in and got quickly called for 2 fouls for simply defending Shaq. Then Joakim Noah defended Shaq and got called for another foul. That is 3 fouls in 1 minute all on our big guys defending Shaq. I really think this needs to be reviewed by the League Office in terms of rules and calling fouls.
The other big miss was the no-call on Shaq for fouling Derrick Rose. That would have put Shaq out of the game earlier, as he had another foul on Rose where Rose hung in the air and converted what should have been an "And 1" situation. Instead they waved off the basket, Bulls did not convert, and the Cavs ripped off a 6-0 run from there.
Hats off to Vinny Del Negro aka Dead Man Walking, for being the consummate professional and getting his overmatched team to compete hard in Game 5. Best of luck in the league somewhere else next year (maybe Nets?).
One great thing about this series is how the Bulls have identified THE 2 core players to build around moving forward. Now it's time to go buy some talent!
Here are the Dr.'s top 5 REALISTIC choices for this summer's Free Agent class:
1. Joe Johnson - The All-Star scoring machine from the Dirty South can create his own shot, HIT A THREE POINTER, and can make free throws. A pure shooting guard with size. If the Bulls do not sign Joe Johnson, John Paxson should just retire as GM.
2. Chris Bosh - Chris can play center moving Joakim to the 4 position. His post moves are unstoppable and he alters many shots in the paint. Also a solid FT shooter and fun personality. And let's face it, he really wants to get out of Canada.
3. Carlos Boozer - If the Bulls can sign Boozer, they would again sign a solid post player and rebound machine. Noah would stay at the 5, but can you imagine this combo of Noah and Boozer as you drive to the hoop? Also, Boozer gives Rose an option to dump into or also play pick-and-roll basketball. Boozer may also gel well as he joins fellow Dukie, Luol Deng, in the locker room.
4. Dwayne Wade - The Chicago native has hinted that his heart is in Chicago but he loves Miami and who could blame him? But his frustrations in Miami may have finally bubbled over as the Heat lose to the Celtics in Game 5 this year. The slow development of Michael Beasley no doubt has him scratching his head as to whether he will ever win another ring with the current team. The Bulls need this All-Star's scoring touch and ability to get to the charity stripe. His game would complement Rose's immensely.
5. David Lee - The All-Star Power Forward would be a great addition to the Bulls as he has proven he can consistenly rebound and play pick-and-roll basketball with Duhon (or the PG flavor of the month) in New York. Lee + Noah again makes the Bulls formidable from a defensive standpoint and opponents must respect his jump-shot, unlike Noah's. He also is a great passer and has great court vision. He also would enjoy teaming up with fellow Gator, Joakim Noah.
As for D. Rose - please work on your 3-pointer all summer. RX: 100 made 3-pointer shots a day. Make defenses pay for backing off of you at the perimeter. Also, continue to build on your improved defense. By following this prescription, the Dr. believes you will be unstoppable next year, hopefully with a new Free Agent addition to the team!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Lebron messes around and gets a triple-double, Bulls on the brink of elimination
LeBron James sent a stern message to any future opponents standing in his way of an NBA championship this year. He can defeat you single-handedly.
It is clear that the Bulls' 2-point win in Game 3 was really the Cavs not being interested in winning 3 games in a row while clanking a bunch of free-throws from the charity stripe.
With his whole arsenal on display, LeBron dropped an effortless triple-double on the hapless Bulls, who committed a dumbfounding 12 turnovers. And when I mean turnovers, I mean people throwing the ball straight into the first row without a player in sight.
The #1 problem again seemed to be the play of Brad Miller. His super-slow drives to the lane are almost comical, as the defender, guaranteed to be not only quicker but also younger, stuffs his meek attempt at scoring 2.
Joakim Noah was a monster, but his 20-20 game felt really empty as the air just went out of the United Center by halftime.
My fellow Bulls fan, Munkhi, noted that Vinny Del Negro did a poor job in not stopping the momentum that the Cavs built during the 2nd quarter. Instead he went Phil Jackson-style and tried to let the overmatched Bulls “play through” the difficult period. What he should have done was called some timeouts to regroup his young, reeling team, and maybe insert some people who can score.
Now let’s be clear, nothing Vinny would have done could have stopped the avalanche of the Cavs scoring, led by LeBron. So why not get offensive? Why not put a bunch of slashers and scorers on the floor? By inserting James Johnson who picked up a foul-per-minute, it was clear he still thought he could somehow STOP Lebron instead of keeping pace with him. And if you are going to foul someone, REALLY FOUL someone (see point 5 later).
With Game 5 looming around the corner, The Dr. has come up with a few pointers for Vinny and the gang.
1. Get production from your bench (SG position) – When Kirk doesn’t get going the Bulls get in trouble…fast. Don’t be shy of yanking Kirk and RUNNING PLAYS for Flip Murray. If he can’t get it going, throw in Pargo to play with Derrick Rose. He can shoot three-pointers. The Cavs made 3x the number of three-pointers as the Bulls.
2. Stop Antawn Jamison – you know you can’t stop LeBron. But you can stop Jamison. He is a crafty veteran with a variety of “YMCA”-gym rat moves and his 3-point plays were destroying the Bulls. If you foul-him, wrap him up every time. Consider even doubling him. He is a major difference-maker
3. Do not play Brad Miller – Play more of Hakim Warrick, Taj Gibson, Chris Richard. These guys are young, quick, long, and can do all the dirty work that Brad can. And by the way, Brad cannot hit the 3-pointer consistently.
4. Light a fire into Luol Deng – Deng started to settle for comfortable fade-away jumpers again instead of driving into the lane. Even if you get blocked every time, it can help get the Cavs into foul trouble.
5. Attack LeBron James – do you remember the Jordan Rules? The Detroit Pistons aka the Bad Boys, knew how to stop the best player on the planet. Everytime MJ drove the lane, he got fouled HARD. Hammered. Thrown to the ground. Flagarant Fouls everytime. And this was to teach him a lesson - If you drive the lane, you are going to get rocked. They even extended this to Scottie Pippen. And guess what - it worked (for a couple years)! This strategy should be employeed by James Johnson and anyone else you don’t give a crap about in terms of staying on the floor. Get out there and try to intimidate LeBron. I’m not saying injure him, but lay down some good hard fouls to remind him that the Bulls are not going to go down without a fight. Maybe even literally.
It is clear that the Bulls' 2-point win in Game 3 was really the Cavs not being interested in winning 3 games in a row while clanking a bunch of free-throws from the charity stripe.
With his whole arsenal on display, LeBron dropped an effortless triple-double on the hapless Bulls, who committed a dumbfounding 12 turnovers. And when I mean turnovers, I mean people throwing the ball straight into the first row without a player in sight.
The #1 problem again seemed to be the play of Brad Miller. His super-slow drives to the lane are almost comical, as the defender, guaranteed to be not only quicker but also younger, stuffs his meek attempt at scoring 2.
Joakim Noah was a monster, but his 20-20 game felt really empty as the air just went out of the United Center by halftime.
My fellow Bulls fan, Munkhi, noted that Vinny Del Negro did a poor job in not stopping the momentum that the Cavs built during the 2nd quarter. Instead he went Phil Jackson-style and tried to let the overmatched Bulls “play through” the difficult period. What he should have done was called some timeouts to regroup his young, reeling team, and maybe insert some people who can score.
Now let’s be clear, nothing Vinny would have done could have stopped the avalanche of the Cavs scoring, led by LeBron. So why not get offensive? Why not put a bunch of slashers and scorers on the floor? By inserting James Johnson who picked up a foul-per-minute, it was clear he still thought he could somehow STOP Lebron instead of keeping pace with him. And if you are going to foul someone, REALLY FOUL someone (see point 5 later).
With Game 5 looming around the corner, The Dr. has come up with a few pointers for Vinny and the gang.
1. Get production from your bench (SG position) – When Kirk doesn’t get going the Bulls get in trouble…fast. Don’t be shy of yanking Kirk and RUNNING PLAYS for Flip Murray. If he can’t get it going, throw in Pargo to play with Derrick Rose. He can shoot three-pointers. The Cavs made 3x the number of three-pointers as the Bulls.
2. Stop Antawn Jamison – you know you can’t stop LeBron. But you can stop Jamison. He is a crafty veteran with a variety of “YMCA”-gym rat moves and his 3-point plays were destroying the Bulls. If you foul-him, wrap him up every time. Consider even doubling him. He is a major difference-maker
3. Do not play Brad Miller – Play more of Hakim Warrick, Taj Gibson, Chris Richard. These guys are young, quick, long, and can do all the dirty work that Brad can. And by the way, Brad cannot hit the 3-pointer consistently.
4. Light a fire into Luol Deng – Deng started to settle for comfortable fade-away jumpers again instead of driving into the lane. Even if you get blocked every time, it can help get the Cavs into foul trouble.
5. Attack LeBron James – do you remember the Jordan Rules? The Detroit Pistons aka the Bad Boys, knew how to stop the best player on the planet. Everytime MJ drove the lane, he got fouled HARD. Hammered. Thrown to the ground. Flagarant Fouls everytime. And this was to teach him a lesson - If you drive the lane, you are going to get rocked. They even extended this to Scottie Pippen. And guess what - it worked (for a couple years)! This strategy should be employeed by James Johnson and anyone else you don’t give a crap about in terms of staying on the floor. Get out there and try to intimidate LeBron. I’m not saying injure him, but lay down some good hard fouls to remind him that the Bulls are not going to go down without a fight. Maybe even literally.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
LeBron proves to be too much, Bulls lose Game 2
I hate to be the one to say “I told you so” but when Vinny Del Negro substituted Brad Miller for Taj Gibson early in the first quarter, Antawn Jamison went off for 5 straight points and left Miller gasping for breath.
It didn’t really matter in the end, as LeBron James proved to be completely unstoppable. He dropped 40 points on the Bulls and even winked at the Bulls bench after a 3-pointer over the recently vilified Joakim Noah. Last night was LeBron’s night and there was nobody that could stop him. Well at least, nobody on the Bulls bench. Especially rookie James Johnson (can you say FACIAL? That dunk was so sick).
Looking for some silver linings in the game however brings us to Flip Murray. As I mentioned in my last article, Flip Murray is instant offense and the Bulls needed him badly last night. With Kirk Hinrich struggling with his shot (and TNT analyst Reggie Miller astounded at how off his timing was), Flip came to save the day. His ability to consistently drive and hit the 3-pointer makes it a no-brainer to play him consistent minutes in Game 3.
Derrick Rose did his usual thing scoring 23 points, and what was more impressive was he limited his turnovers to only 1. Luol Deng was consistent and even drove coast-to-coast and dunked on the Cavs. Love the aggressive nature. Stop settling for jumpers! You can’t hit them consistently!
Joakim Noah had a playoff career-high 25 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and taking the constant punishment of Shaquille O’Neals high-flying elbows. Can a ref please call him on an offensive foul for that play? I love that Noah has gotten into the crowd and even though his quotes are locker room material for the Cavs, he has some more room to grow in the “Most Hated Athlete” role. (See Dennis Rodman getting into Karl Malone’s head in 1997-1999 seasons).
But who really beat the Bulls yesterday? The obvious answer is to name LeBron James and certainly going 40-8-8 is tough to stop. But Jamario Moon proved to be the guy that drove the nail into the coffin, with his timely 3-pointers. It reminded me of Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers, or to take it back, Steve Kerr of the 90s Bulls. Michael Jordan drives, kicks out to a wide open Kerr…Ka-Boom (shout out to Neil Funk)! Game over.
“He was probably the main reason we won,” said James.
For Game 3, The Dr. has come up with a few remedies to finally get the Bulls their first postseason win of 2010:
1. Do not play Brad Miller – Miller has length sure, but his jump shot has proven inconsistent and he cannot keep up with the likes of Jamison, Varajeao, or Moon. He should retire immediately.
2. Do play Hakim Warrick – He has played LeBron very well this year and his length really does bother LeBron.
3. Bring 3-pointers back to the game – Flip Murray wasn’t afraid to shoot them. And it helped. How about some minutes to Pargo?
4. Keep driving the ball, get to the line, get LeBron into foul trouble – The most frustrating thing about watching the Bulls is to see them make 2 passes and then have someone shoot a jumper. And more often than not, they miss. Having LeBron off the court is the best thing to happen to the Bulls.
For the offseason, The Dr. recommends that Derrick Rose become a lethal 3-point shooter. They are giving him that shot ALL NIGHT. Take it...next year.
It seems that Rose is ready though for Game 3.
"My confidence isn't going anywhere," Rose said. "If anything, it's making me want to play even harder to beat them. At the United Center, it's going to be time to ball."
If that doesn't get you pumped for Game 3, I don't know what will.
It didn’t really matter in the end, as LeBron James proved to be completely unstoppable. He dropped 40 points on the Bulls and even winked at the Bulls bench after a 3-pointer over the recently vilified Joakim Noah. Last night was LeBron’s night and there was nobody that could stop him. Well at least, nobody on the Bulls bench. Especially rookie James Johnson (can you say FACIAL? That dunk was so sick).
Looking for some silver linings in the game however brings us to Flip Murray. As I mentioned in my last article, Flip Murray is instant offense and the Bulls needed him badly last night. With Kirk Hinrich struggling with his shot (and TNT analyst Reggie Miller astounded at how off his timing was), Flip came to save the day. His ability to consistently drive and hit the 3-pointer makes it a no-brainer to play him consistent minutes in Game 3.
Derrick Rose did his usual thing scoring 23 points, and what was more impressive was he limited his turnovers to only 1. Luol Deng was consistent and even drove coast-to-coast and dunked on the Cavs. Love the aggressive nature. Stop settling for jumpers! You can’t hit them consistently!
Joakim Noah had a playoff career-high 25 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and taking the constant punishment of Shaquille O’Neals high-flying elbows. Can a ref please call him on an offensive foul for that play? I love that Noah has gotten into the crowd and even though his quotes are locker room material for the Cavs, he has some more room to grow in the “Most Hated Athlete” role. (See Dennis Rodman getting into Karl Malone’s head in 1997-1999 seasons).
But who really beat the Bulls yesterday? The obvious answer is to name LeBron James and certainly going 40-8-8 is tough to stop. But Jamario Moon proved to be the guy that drove the nail into the coffin, with his timely 3-pointers. It reminded me of Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers, or to take it back, Steve Kerr of the 90s Bulls. Michael Jordan drives, kicks out to a wide open Kerr…Ka-Boom (shout out to Neil Funk)! Game over.
“He was probably the main reason we won,” said James.
For Game 3, The Dr. has come up with a few remedies to finally get the Bulls their first postseason win of 2010:
1. Do not play Brad Miller – Miller has length sure, but his jump shot has proven inconsistent and he cannot keep up with the likes of Jamison, Varajeao, or Moon. He should retire immediately.
2. Do play Hakim Warrick – He has played LeBron very well this year and his length really does bother LeBron.
3. Bring 3-pointers back to the game – Flip Murray wasn’t afraid to shoot them. And it helped. How about some minutes to Pargo?
4. Keep driving the ball, get to the line, get LeBron into foul trouble – The most frustrating thing about watching the Bulls is to see them make 2 passes and then have someone shoot a jumper. And more often than not, they miss. Having LeBron off the court is the best thing to happen to the Bulls.
For the offseason, The Dr. recommends that Derrick Rose become a lethal 3-point shooter. They are giving him that shot ALL NIGHT. Take it...next year.
It seems that Rose is ready though for Game 3.
"My confidence isn't going anywhere," Rose said. "If anything, it's making me want to play even harder to beat them. At the United Center, it's going to be time to ball."
If that doesn't get you pumped for Game 3, I don't know what will.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Bulls drop Game 1 to Cleveland Caveliers, advice from Dr. Suhweeet
Anyone remember the epic Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Caveliers first round series back in the late 80s with Michael Jordan man-handling Brad Daugherty and Mark Price?
Back then, Jordan was a one-man wrecking show with a limited back-up cast. He didn't fare too well and it took him many years to get to his first championship.
Today, LeBron James is a one-man wrecking show but not in the same way. He has learned from Michael's mistakes (MJ thought he must take 25+ shots per game to win the game) and led his team in assists with 8.2 per game throughout the regular season. It's like he skipped that step and became the Michael Jordan of the championship Bulls.
The Bulls reaction is that Derrick Rose is now trying to be Michael Jordan. Put the team on your back, try to claw back single-handedly. Derrick Rose took over 25 shots yesterday to an impressive double-double and near triple-double...but the game was never that close.
Jordan's Bulls earned a championship once he learned to trust his teammates and his teammates DELIVERED. For Rose, he could pass the ball all he wants, but the inconsistency of a jump-shot happy team will always lead him to driving the ball for a higher percentage shot. Not to mention, there is no 3-point shooter on the Bulls (they only connected on 1 yesterday).
The glaring hole that needs to be addressed in the off-season is a solid 2-Guard (Joe Johnson, Dwayne Wade), or a solid post-threat (Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer) that defenses will respect.
In the short term, Dr. Suhweeet (yours truly) recommends the following to Vinny Del Negro and The Bulls:
1. Do not play Brad Miller and Joakim Noah together. Neither can cover Antawn Jamison and he lit them up quick when Noah was covering him.
2. DO pass the ball to Taj Gibson. He consistently makes his jumper, much like All-Star David Lee of the Knicks. This stretches the defense and will allow Rose to easily drive to the hole if he wants.
3. Get Kirk Hinrich going early - With Kirk shy to shoot, defenses collapsed easily on the only scoring threat - Derrick Rose.
4. If Kirk doesn't get it going, play more of Flip Murray - Flip is a savvy veteran who can score in bunches. Something the Bulls desperately need.
With these recommendations, one can only hope to make it a closer series. But if Shaquille O'Neal, Lebron James, Mo Williams, and Antawn Jamison are clicking, this team will be very hard to stop. And not just for the Bulls.
-Dr. Suhweeet
Back then, Jordan was a one-man wrecking show with a limited back-up cast. He didn't fare too well and it took him many years to get to his first championship.
Today, LeBron James is a one-man wrecking show but not in the same way. He has learned from Michael's mistakes (MJ thought he must take 25+ shots per game to win the game) and led his team in assists with 8.2 per game throughout the regular season. It's like he skipped that step and became the Michael Jordan of the championship Bulls.
The Bulls reaction is that Derrick Rose is now trying to be Michael Jordan. Put the team on your back, try to claw back single-handedly. Derrick Rose took over 25 shots yesterday to an impressive double-double and near triple-double...but the game was never that close.
Jordan's Bulls earned a championship once he learned to trust his teammates and his teammates DELIVERED. For Rose, he could pass the ball all he wants, but the inconsistency of a jump-shot happy team will always lead him to driving the ball for a higher percentage shot. Not to mention, there is no 3-point shooter on the Bulls (they only connected on 1 yesterday).
The glaring hole that needs to be addressed in the off-season is a solid 2-Guard (Joe Johnson, Dwayne Wade), or a solid post-threat (Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer) that defenses will respect.
In the short term, Dr. Suhweeet (yours truly) recommends the following to Vinny Del Negro and The Bulls:
1. Do not play Brad Miller and Joakim Noah together. Neither can cover Antawn Jamison and he lit them up quick when Noah was covering him.
2. DO pass the ball to Taj Gibson. He consistently makes his jumper, much like All-Star David Lee of the Knicks. This stretches the defense and will allow Rose to easily drive to the hole if he wants.
3. Get Kirk Hinrich going early - With Kirk shy to shoot, defenses collapsed easily on the only scoring threat - Derrick Rose.
4. If Kirk doesn't get it going, play more of Flip Murray - Flip is a savvy veteran who can score in bunches. Something the Bulls desperately need.
With these recommendations, one can only hope to make it a closer series. But if Shaquille O'Neal, Lebron James, Mo Williams, and Antawn Jamison are clicking, this team will be very hard to stop. And not just for the Bulls.
-Dr. Suhweeet
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Jon Scheyer is a d-bag
Did you hear about this prank that Jon Scheyer, Duke Shooting Guard, did?
"After Duke edged Butler for the NCAA basketball title Monday, Jon Scheyer celebrated with friends and family from Northbrook.Scheyer played a prank on high school teammate Zach Kelly by tweeting Kelly's cell phone number to his more than 6,700 followers, who assumed it was Scheyer's number.
As of Wednesday, Kelly had received more than 2,000 text messages and several hundred calls. Scheyer's latest tweet begs his fans to stop texting and calling his friend."
Most Dukies are d-bags so this is actually expected.
"After Duke edged Butler for the NCAA basketball title Monday, Jon Scheyer celebrated with friends and family from Northbrook.Scheyer played a prank on high school teammate Zach Kelly by tweeting Kelly's cell phone number to his more than 6,700 followers, who assumed it was Scheyer's number.
As of Wednesday, Kelly had received more than 2,000 text messages and several hundred calls. Scheyer's latest tweet begs his fans to stop texting and calling his friend."
Most Dukies are d-bags so this is actually expected.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Casting Information on Jersey Shore!
MTV now casting for Jersey Shore!!!
They are looking for new roommates for the Summer.
Applicants must be at least 21 and appear to be younger than 30 years old.
Candidates must apply online and follow the directions found at http://www.jerseyshorecasting.com/
They are looking for new roommates for the Summer.
Applicants must be at least 21 and appear to be younger than 30 years old.
Candidates must apply online and follow the directions found at http://www.jerseyshorecasting.com/
Joseph was an architect?
From UnBeige today:
Architects might soon have some new bragging rights, with the release of a new book claiming that Jesus' father Joseph wasn't a carpenter at all, but was likely an architect. The Telegraph reports on the book, The Jesus Discovery, by the British writer Dr. Adam Bradford, who analyzed "the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures, as well as using human psychology to analyze the behavior towards Jesus as depicted in the Bible" and came to the conclusion that it would have been impossible for the forebearer of Christianity to have been able to travel and disseminate his thoughts as freely as he had without being the son of someone with some stature in the community. Bradford also says this explains that Joseph's career also seeped into his son's speeches as well:
...Dr Bradford re-examined Joseph's position as a carpenter. Again, he concluded there had been a mistranslation and that the Greek word 'tekton' -- which describes Joseph's work -- more accurately means master builder or architect.
Dr Bradford claims this would explain why Jesus, who would have been brought up in his father's trade, made so many references to building in his teachings.
Crucially, Dr Bradford says that it is Joseph's position as an architect that would have first Christ brought him into contact with the Temple authorities.
Architects might soon have some new bragging rights, with the release of a new book claiming that Jesus' father Joseph wasn't a carpenter at all, but was likely an architect. The Telegraph reports on the book, The Jesus Discovery, by the British writer Dr. Adam Bradford, who analyzed "the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures, as well as using human psychology to analyze the behavior towards Jesus as depicted in the Bible" and came to the conclusion that it would have been impossible for the forebearer of Christianity to have been able to travel and disseminate his thoughts as freely as he had without being the son of someone with some stature in the community. Bradford also says this explains that Joseph's career also seeped into his son's speeches as well:
...Dr Bradford re-examined Joseph's position as a carpenter. Again, he concluded there had been a mistranslation and that the Greek word 'tekton' -- which describes Joseph's work -- more accurately means master builder or architect.
Dr Bradford claims this would explain why Jesus, who would have been brought up in his father's trade, made so many references to building in his teachings.
Crucially, Dr Bradford says that it is Joseph's position as an architect that would have first Christ brought him into contact with the Temple authorities.
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