Aside from a stretch during the second quarter when Teague sat out for an undisclosed injury, the outcome of this game was never in doubt. Coach Adrian Griffin once again opted to play the starters the vast majority of the minutes likely because they are the five most likely to secure a spot on the final roster. All five of the starters rewarded Griffin’s choice by scoring in double digits. The Bulls were led by Andrew Goudelock’s 31 points and Malcolm Thomas’s NBA Summer league record 22 rebounds.

This year’s summer league team has been flat out dominant thus far and, should they continue this level of play, it’s feasible that the Bulls could win the inaugural NBA Summer League tournament. While not necessarily a title of any worth it’d still be nice to see Chicago win something.

Before we wrap up tonight, here is a brief look at the performance of each starter:

• Malcolm Thomas
  Thomas has been flat out dominant in the summer league games he’s played in over the past few years and he continued that trend with a record 22 rebounds. Offensively he moved around well without the ball and put up a solid shooting night. Defensively he played some lockdown defense and made life difficult in the paint by elevating and using his length to force opponents to alter their shots. If Thomas can keep up any semblance of this kind of play through training camp and the preseason he may see some meaningful minutes next season.
• Erik Murphy
  After an abysmal Summer League debut, Erik Murphy managed to bounce back by knocking down 7-of-10 from the field including 4-of-5 from long range. Seeing as he was drafted by the Bulls simply to spread the floor, it’s nice to see Murphy settle in and get into a groove.
• Tony Snell
  Snell showed flashes of being a good shooter in his first summer league game but his shot eluded him yesterday night. Snell struggled to get anything going on offense. This isn’t the kind of performance I’d like to see out of Chicago’s first round draft pick but, to his credit, he did play smart. Rather than chuck up shot after shot, Snell repeatedly drove to the basket and drew fouls (seven on the night). Defensively Snell played smart, had good rotations, and quick hands throughout the night.
• Andrew Goudelock
  Goudelock was a maestro shooting from the floor last night as he went 10-of-13 (5-of-6 from three point range) to post a super efficient 31 points. What’s more impressive was the way he refused to let the defense stop him. After nailing a few three pointers in a row, Denver clamped down on him and refused to give him space to operate. Goudelock responded by simply taking a step back and shooting from an even longer range. I’m not a fan of the way the ball stops with him as soon as he gets the ball, but Goudelock’s ability to create for himself and shoot the long ball are two things the Bulls can use. It’ll be interesting to see what happens moving forward considering Chicago already has a slight jam with their guards.
• Marquis Teague
  Teague put up yet another solid performance. His speed allowed him to blow by defenders and he continued to make the right passes at the right time. He even shocked Bulls fans a bit by shooting and making some jump shots including a three pointer. His finishing around the rim continues to be suspect but hopefully that can improve with time.

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As one would expect the game was filled with quite a few up and down moments, especially for Chicago. After starting off hot on a 10-2 run to open up the game, the Bulls allowed the Grizzlies to come back and take a four point in a matter of minutes. After a brief timeout, the Bulls managed to go on a brief run of their own to go up nine points by the end of the first quarter. A 17-1 run by Chicago led by Goudelock put Chicago up for good in the game. The Bulls allowed the lead to dip down into single digits after playing as if they were characters from “NBA Street,” but an angry Tom Thibodeau-esque timeout by Griffin ended those shenanigans.

Much to the chagrin of many Bulls fans wanting to hear screams similar to the ones Carlos Boozer produces, Charles Boozer, Carlos Boozer’s younger brother, did not see any playing time.

Because it’s the summer league we shouldn’t read too much into both individual and overall performances. However, the following are brief evaluations of key players from yesterday’s game:

• Andrew Goudelock:
  Last year’s Developmental League MVP showed off a strong ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor. Goudelock made quick work of the defense as he stretched the floor with spot up three pointers after offensive rebounds, pull up jumpers off of the dribble with isolation play, and a decent ability to drive to the hoop. Early reactions from some are “Nate Robinson who?” while others, like K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune say it’s unlikely that Goudelock ends up with the Bulls.
• Marquis Teague:
  Teague showed some very, VERY strong flashes in yesterday’s game. His shot was still terrible but off dribble he obliterated his opponents with his speed and control, he controlled the pace of the game the entire night, and he made good and smart passes all night long. On the night he recorded 7 assists but if he were playing with better teammates that number would have at least gone up to 12. Once again it’s Summer League so I don’t want to get too excited, but Teague is looking strong.
• Malcolm Thomas:
  Thomas once again put in a very strong performance in the summer league. Last year’s darling member of the team struggled on offense (nothing new) but shone once again with strong performances on defense and on the glass. Thomas’s performance once again reminded me why I believe Thomas could be a more serviceable backup rim protector than Nazr Mohammed if he bulked up a bit and got stronger.
• Erik Murphy:
  Murphy was… underwhelming. Not only did Murphy foul out, but he couldn’t get his shot going throughout the night. Despite getting good looks from three point range, Murphy ended up clanking all six attempts off of the front iron and didn’t notch a single rebound. However, it’s only the first game of summer league and at the end of the day it really means little (Kevin Durant’s summer league debut is one of the worst all time and look at how he turned out). Murphy’s shot looks pretty good despite the misses and I believe it’s only a matter of time before he starts making buckets.
• Tony Snell:
  Snell was a hard player for met to get a read on yesterday. At times he showed flashes of strong play on both defense and offense with solid individual defending, good ball control, a good shot motion, and decent passing. Other times he looked completely lost as he failed to rotate, was tentative both on and off of the ball, and made terrible passes. Like I said with Murphy, first games mean little and I’m sure Snell will get things together at some point in the next year.

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Fellow rookie Taj Gibson missed the team’s final three games with a sore foot. In the two games he did play, Gibson averaged a double-double (13 PPG, 10 RPG) while shooting 55 percent. One concern, other than the injury, is that he swatted only one shot…and this is a guy who finished his college career as USC’s all-time leader in blocked shots– third Pac-10 history. He also racked up 19 fouls in those two contests.

The Summer League pretty much confirmed my suspicions about the two rooks. They have talent and potential, but they’re pretty raw. Fortunately, they won’t be expected to do much heavy lifting this season, barring an injury to Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah or Brad Miller. Still, it’s nice to have the added depth in the front court, especially since the back court depth is wafer thin.

Summer League Info
Chicago Bulls: Summer League Central

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Reality check: Adam Morrison led the Summer League in scoring before his rookie campaign…after which he went on to average 11.8 PPG on 37 percent shooting and lose his starting job midway through the season. (And he was playing for a 33-win team that wasn’t exactly loaded with talent.) Heck, Adam’s averaging 20+ points in Summer League action right now. What does that tell you?

I’m not saying some of these kids might not turn out to be good. They might even be great someday. But let’s try to keep things in perspective. I will say this, though: I was pretty hyped up about Gibson’s seven offensive rebounds. Hitting the offensive glass is a pretty sure sign that somebody is working their butt off. Let’s hope that’s a continuing trend.

In other news, Scottie Pippen has a message for Bulls management: get better players before Derrick Rose burns out. Said the Pipmeister: “As good as he is, you can beat a dead horse only so much. If he’s not motivated here by winning as his career continues, then he’s going to start looking at guys like Ben Gordon who made a move [to Detroit]. Playing this game is a lot of fun. But the meat-and-potatoes of this league is winning. If you’re not on a team that’s winning, it takes a lot out of you as a player.”

This is only going to be Derrick’s second season, right?

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