For more on The Bulls Zone check them out at ChiBullsZone or follow them on Twitter at @TheBullsZone

The post Bulls Zone 114- Reassessing Expectations (Podcast) appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

After a very energetic first six minutes, Derrick Rose (9 points, 3-9 shooting) seemed to lose his legs a bit. He shot too many threes, but otherwise seemed to be no worse for the wear. Jimmy Butler (6-10, 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds), Taj Gibson (6-12, 15 points), Pau Gasol (4-10, 15 points, 9 rebounds), Nikola Mirotic (3-11, 15 points), and Aaron Brooks (5-11, 13 points) paced the Bulls, who now fall to fourth in the East by virtue of losing a tiebreaker with Toronto.

For the Magic, Victor Oladipo (8-14, 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nikola Vucevic (9-16, 22 points, 7 rebounds) led the way, with contributions from Elfrid Payton (6-14, 17 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists), and Evan Fournier (3-7, 11 points) to lead them to their 2nd victory in three tries against Chicago, and their 24th win overall.

The Bulls play again tomorrow night in Miami.

Player(s) of the Game: Jimmy Butler.

The post Game Recap #78: Orlando Magic 105, Chicago Bulls 103 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

So that Derrick Rose guy returns tonight, after several not entirely subtle hints over the last few days. With five games left in the regular season (including tonight) it seems as though he should have enough time to get back into a groove of sorts before the playoffs begin. As the Bulls are pretty much locked into their current playoff trajectory, it’ll be nice to have something worth watching. With how he runs, knee injuries are always going to be a danger for Derrick, but it seems this particular injury (right meniscus) is a thing of the past, given how generally impossible it is to tear a meniscus that no longer exists. It’ll undoubtedly come back to hurt him later in his career (ask Dwyane Wade), it’s a positive for the short term, both in shutting up the sort who would accuse Rose of not trying his hardest to play (those sorts generally shouldn’t be paid any heed regardless), and in his prognosis for the impending playoff run and the next few seasons. Knee injuries are just as much a mental hurdle as a physical one, and having his third knee injury NOT be his third season ending knee injury has to at least bolster his confidence a bit.

Now we just have to hope he’s still good. It’s been a mixed bag this season, of course, and while he’ll be on a minutes restriction, tonight is the first step to seeing what this team really has in store for the likes of Cleveland and Atlanta.

Key Matchup(s): Derrick Rose vs Elfrid Payton

Payton is as tenacious as they come and a virtual lock for First Team All-Rookie. He’ll pressure the ball as well as any guard Rose is likely to face the rest of the season, and should present a great challenge for our Returning Savior (TM 2011-2013).

The post Game Preview #78. Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic: For a Muse of Fire appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Here are some facts about Nikola Mirotic:

Fact: Nikola Mirotic has done wonders for the Chicago Bulls’ offense this season.

Fact: Nikola Mirotic has not shot well at all this season (41% from the field, 30.6% from three), despite his reputation as a shooter.

Conclusion: Shooting is not the only important quality in a successful stretch four, as Niko’s quickness and ballhandling ability make him a significant threat regardless.

Still with me? Good. Let’s try another.

Fact: Doug McDermott has struggled this season while playing strictly as a wing.

Fact: Doug McDermott has not shot well at all this season (40% from the field, 31.7% from three), despite his reputation as a shooter.

Fact: Doug McDermott checks many of the same boxes Mirotic does on the stretch four checklist: Size, quickness, intelligence, ballhandling and shooting.

Conclusion: Doug McDermott should be emulating Nikola Mirotic more than Mike Dunleavy.

This screenshot, taken from a game in February, just before Derrick Rose had surgery, shows exactly how powerful Mirotic’s floor-spacing is:

Tony Snell has just entered the ball into the post and made a cut down the middle of the floor. Nikola is spotted up on the opposite wing with Dunleavy in the opposite corner. In that precise moment, Jared Dudley, helping on Snell’s cut in the lane, realizes he left Mirotic open in much the same way you suddenly realize that you left the oven on. Both he and OJ Mayo (Dunleavy’s man) start scrambling toward Mirotic, leaving Snell wide open under the basket for a layup. Here’s an overhead view:

Here’s the thing: teams respect McDermott’s shooting, even as he’s hoisted up bricks all year, just as they respect Mirotic’s shooting, even as he hoists up bricks. But Doug isn’t really quick enough to beat wings off the dribble and his defense on wings isn’t great either. Put him against bigs, however, and the equation changes. He can absolutely beat big men off the dribble from the perimeter, especially if they’re already running at him to contest a shot. And we know that pulling a big man out to the perimeter is much more valuable than pulling a wing out there, even if nothing else about the situation changes. Witness the difference between Niko playing alongside two other bigs and Niko playing with just one.

So. We pretty much know that expecting Doug McDermott to contribute meaningfully this year is a lost cause. But the Bulls are pretty well committed to him down the road, and with Joakim Noah’s contract expring after next season, Pau Gasol getting older, and Taj Gibson’s long-term Bulls future uncertain for a variety of reasons, the Bulls would be well-served to train Doug as Mirotic Lite for the future.

Imagine it: 48 minutes with a stretch four always on the floor. What a world that would be.

The post Let’s talk about Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

For more on The Bulls Zone check them out at ChiBullsZone or follow them on Twitter at @TheBullsZone

The post Bulls Zone 93- Fred and Big Dave (Podcast) appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The Bulls may have won 104-95 in Philadelphia to end a 3-game losing streak and win their 40th game of the season, but this was one of the worst performances of the Bulls’ season. And that despite the goodwill earned by playing without Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson – a quartet that would make a pretty great core for any team.

We’ll skip to the third quarter since nothing of note happened in the opening 24 minutes of a game that felt a lot like a preseason contest – a weak crowd, two poor rosters and an overall lack of urgency.

The game was tied 51-51 going into the third quarter and 7:50 later the Sixers scored their first points of the third quarter. The Bulls scored just nine points in that period.

Yes, these two teams combined for 9 points in almost eight minutes of basketball. It was awful.

The Bulls led by 14 in the 14th quarter on the back of a typical Pau Gasol double-double night and some hot shooting from Aaron Brooks. Then it all fell apart.

Philadelphia mounted a comeback as the Bulls decided to take their foot off the gas and coast the rest of the way, allowing the Sixers to rally and take the lead 80-79 with 6:12 left in the game.

From there, the teams traded baskets until Tony Snell missed a running layup with 43 seconds remaining.

The Sixers would hit a pair of free-throws on the next possession before Brooks somehow connected on a wild fadeaway three to tie the game at 92 and send the game nobody wanted to watch into overtime. Free basketball never felt so unwanted.

Overtime served as the wakeup the Bulls needed as they outscored Philadelphia 13-3 in the period for the final margin, Gasol scoring for the first time since late in the third quarter and Brooks racking up points until he finished with 31, a season high.

This was utterly dreadful, uninspired March basketball. Classic Bulls basketball, really.

The post Bulls beat Sixers 104-95 in an awful game appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

For more on The Bulls Zone check them out at ChiBullsZone or follow them on Twitter at @TheBullsZone

The post Bulls Zone 90- Derrick Rose Speaks appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

In a game that was both closer and more of a blowout than the scoreboard might indicate, the Bulls fell at home against Memphis. After a rough first three quarters, including a 32 point third for Memphis, the Bulls fought their way back in, mainly on the strength of Nikola Mirotic (6-13, 18 points, 12 rebounds) and Tony Snell (7-13, 21 points), both of whom started hitting basically everything they threw up for a few minutes, eventually tying the game at 88. Memphis called a timeout and calmly, methodically ran the Bulls into the ground to close it out. Curiously, Thibs took Snell out and started running the offense through Pau Gasol (6-14, 13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists), who didn’t have his best game, counting stats aside.

On the Memphis side of things, Marc Gasol (10-16, 23 points), Jeff Green (7-11, 19 points, 7 rebounds), Zach Randolph (7-12, 16 points, 9 rebounds), and Tony Allen (5-8, 11 points, 3 steals) led the way for the #2 squad in the Western Conference, who now stand at a sneaky 43-18.

The Bulls were paced by Mirotic and Snell, but several others had solid performances. Notably, Kirk Hinrich (3-5, 7 points) looked lively for the first time since Derrick Rose went out. E’Twuan Moore (3-6, 7 points) also chipped in. While I wouldn’t say it’s time for alarm, it’s at least time for concern. The Bulls are 3-6 without Derrick Rose, and while his plan is to return, if he doesn’t bring the version of himself we saw before the All-Star break, this might be just as short a playoff run as the last couple years. Fighting valiantly and losing is all well and good, but it’s still losing.

The Bulls (39-26) next play Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Player(s) of the Game: Nikola Mirotic and Tony Snell

The post The Bulls Fall at Home to Memphis 101-91 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Without Derrick Rose (knee), Jimmy Butler (shoulder) and Taj Gibson (ankle) against the Wizards the Bulls should have been in for a battle. The battle they did get was a physical, slow-paced, intense and oftentimes angry game of basketball that saw multiple players in foul trouble and Nene ejected after picking up his 6th foul, though he should have been out much earlier for a blatant hatchet job on a Joakim Noah shot attempt.

Nikola Mirotic led all scorers with 23 points, another stellar effort coming on just 13 shot attempts as he showcased his growing arsenal of moves – he scored in transition, in the post, on cuts and from behind the three-point line – while being active on defense and first to a loose ball that should have sealed the victory.

Speaking of Noah, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been on the upswing since early January and had one of his best all-round performances of the season with 14 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. His overall presence defensively forced the Wizards to miss a ton of shots and he reverted back to the offensive pivot he was last season when Rose was on the shelf.

Rose’s current replacement, Aaron Brooks (22 points, 8-23 FGS), proved yet again the Bulls front office and Tom Thibodeau can compliment each other well as he provided some huge offensive spark, utterly detonating the Wizards flimsy pick and roll defense play after play, at times enjoying 10 feet of space in the half-court coming off a screen. He did throw up some badly judged shots late in the fourth while the game was still close but it’s forgivable given his overall input.

The Bulls led most of the way in this one, fluctuating from double-digit leads to allowing the Wizards to make runs and close the gap. Each time though, Chicago would call timeout, regroup and tighten up the defense. This marked one of the better defensive efforts all year, though the Wizards play into the Bulls wheelhouse with their reliance on the mid-range game.

A quick word on Nene — the Brazilian forward struggled all night after getting into early foul trouble, was enraged by being outplayed by Joakim Noah and decided to make it known. He unleashed a vicious right-handed chop on a Noah layup attempt that barely avoided earning him an outright ejection. A few minutes later he executed a hip-toss on Noah to earn his sixth foul and ensure his night would end scoreless, 0-4 from the field in 21 minutes.

Aside from that, the game was a typical grind-em-out Bulls game where the offense actually looked decent. Funny how that always seems to happen when Kirk Hinrich plays limited minutes?

The Bulls improve to 38-23, a half-game behind Toronto for the second seed and a half-game ahead of the Cavaliers in fourth.

—- Other notes —-

— Doug McDermott played. Call off the search party. That said, he looked overawed by the situation, made some sloppy mistakes and looked overmatched athletically which should be the Bulls biggest concern. Hopefully a full off-season and no more injuries will let the Bulls take stock of what they have in McBuckets.

— This was the first time Nene had fouled out scoreless in 787 career games (including the playoffs)

— The Wizards are now 34-27 after starting 31-15, losing 12 of their last 15 games.

The post Bulls earn tough 97-92 win over Washington appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

For more on The Bulls Zone check them out at ChiBullsZone or follow them on Twitter at @TheBullsZone

The post Bulls Zone 87- K.C. Johnson and the Deadline appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.