Comments on: Dance party in Cleveland: Cavaliers 101, Bulls 87

By: live nba

live nba — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:32:29 +0000

“Once you’ve done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into the action and put your heart on the line. That means not only being brave, but being compassionate towards yourself, your teammates and your opponents.”

By: nba fan

nba fan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:10:37 +0000

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball. ~Phil Jackson

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:23:51 +0000

Go Noah! Its good to see somebody play with some fire. Somebody has to step up and be this teams leader. I know Rose is only a sophmore mut he has to take control. He is the quarterback of this team. He is not showing sign of being a superstar or even an allstar. 16 points and six assist a game is about average for PGs. Last year I thought we had drafted our star to build around. Right now he looks like just another supporting cast member of a team with no leader

By: Complete embarrassment: Raptors 110, Bulls 78 » By The Horns

Complete embarrassment: Raptors 110, Bulls 78 » By The Horns — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:34:50 +0000

[…] blown out on the road by the Cleveland Cavalierswas understandable, maybe even expected. After all, the Cavs have the reigning MVP, the reigning […]

By: Ray

Ray — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:34:30 +0000

I just gained more respect for Joakim Noah. #23 on his shirt doesn’t fit him at all, commentator: “i don’t know what noah is yelling about” come on, are you serious! Let see if he leads the cavs to six championships like MJ, it will never happen. I would love to see him dancing like that in some game in the south side, so they could wipe that smile off his face! hahahah It would be pretty funny though to see tiger woods put on a show like that on the golf course!

By: AK Dave

AK Dave — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:53:28 +0000

LeBron is acting like a 14 year old. Refusing to shake hands, dancing when he wins, moping and complaining about refs, implying that Shaq is messing up their chemistry, whining when he loses… I did that shit when I was in high school (except for the whole “blaming Shaq” part) and my brother and I played ping pong or whatever.

This is the GD NBA, “dawg”. Pull your shit together and act like a man, not a spoiled brat. That’s why Nike pays you a bazillion dollars a year (give or take a few zillion). Not so you can jump around like a Kansas City F(*&)()(* (/Blazing Saddles reference).

By: Mahmoud

Mahmoud — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:42:05 +0000

I think we’re being a bit harsh on the guys…I mean, they’ve played so far probably the hardest schedule in the NBA. This happens every year, it’s gosh, we’re terrible, we don’t stand a chance, we have so many problems early on. But then later in the year when we start playing the crappy teams and we’re lighting them up, it’s all smiles. The Bulls aren’t as good as the Lakers, Cav’s, etc, and they’re just not going to win those games.

By: Danny Sammet

Danny Sammet — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:39:42 +0000

My biggest problem with Lebron last night was not the first couple of times that he was dancing, but when he did his little jig when he was actually in the game. If you are having fun on the sidelines with your teammates its one thing. But when you bring it onto the court it is totally different. It just became clear last night that Lebron can do pretty much anything he wants and the national media won’t call him out on it. I really wish I could have heard Stacy and Neil’s comments after they saw lebron as opposed to Hubie Brown’s. And Lebron’s post game comments about Jo seemed like something a little kid would say. “I think he [Noah] was more frustrated about the way he played as an individual. He didn’t help his team win.” That said, if the bulls would just start playing better Lebron wouldn’t have been on the bench and none of this would have happened.

By: Matt McHale

Matt McHale — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:04:25 +0000

Great points, Mike. If not Harrington, I’d love to see the Bulls acquire SOMEBODY who can hit threes at a higher percentage.

Also, the Bulls simply are not as talented as other teams. You’re right that they got outhustled, and the only way this team can win consistently and compete against better teams is to kill themselves on every play…like they did in the early years of the Scott Skiles era.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:32:08 +0000

1. Rose is our only athletic guy. He’d bust out on several fast breaks, attempting to push the tempo, only to pull up at the arc and set up the O, as his teammates lumbered down the court. Or worse, another bull gets the steal, tries to push a fast break, then gets the ball stolen for a counter-attack four point swing. I saw this happen twice, and it killed the bulls. Ty helps this — he runs the floor, which means that in a typical 2 on 1 or 2 on 2, the defender(s) can’t key in on rose exclusively. I feel like this would create an additional 3-5 fg attempts in transition between them, while also generating FTAs.

2. Our offensive sets seem slow. Not the pace of the offense, per se, but the decisions. Passing and ball movement is decent, but it feels like it’s taking about a half-second too long. On the apple-scale, it’s somewhere between mushy and crisp.

3. We have no one who can get calls in the paint. Also, every time someone goes into the paint, there are 2-3 defenders collapsing. This is the biggest problem with the offensive system. Rose and Salmons are both penetrating slashers, but since we don’t have anyone to spread the floor, the shots that both players are getting in the paint are low-percentage. Derrick’s most reliable shot is the one where he bursts through the lane, leaps and tosses the floater. He’s good at it, but here’s my issue: it’s not a “downhill” attack. He’s slashing across the lane at more of an angle, rather than directly at the basket. It’s a less-aggressive move that fundamentally avoids contact, rather than seeking it. This shot and the 18-footer feel like they make up about 75% of derrick’s shots. If he’s going to thrive, those shots shouldn’t top 50%, with the other half coming on “downhill” drives all the way to the basket for lay-ups/ fouls, and back-cuts for lay-ups and dunks.

4. Because opposing defenses are able to collapse the painted area (© Hubie Brown), they are able to prevent crisp interior passing, which is exactly what this Bulls team needs to score efficiently.

5. Our Fatal Flaw: the Bulls got KILLED on hustle plays against the Cavs. This is the #1 reason why they lost. On one play in the second quarter, the cavs missed a shot, and then released down the floor. The bulls had 3 players around the basket, yet daniel gibson (the only player who didn’t release) flashed in, grabbed the ball and put it back. It felt back-breaking. The Bulls lacked a hunger for the ball, whether off the glass or loose. JJ Hickson grabbed a rebound even though he was sandwiched between Noah and Deng. Even Shaq out-hustled the Bulls for a loose ball. Nitty-gritty, hustle plays, intangibles, whatever you want to call them–the Bulls got out-worked. I really love Jo No’s energy (even if it feels like he’s more into tipping the ball than grabbing it), but he’s not their intensity guy yet. If my life depended on the bulls’ getting an offensive rebound or a charge, no one stands out as the person to get them.

It feels like an attitude thing. But it’s something I’m not sure you can coach, at least at the professional level.

Outside of that, the bulls need two things:
1. At least one more guy with some athleticism, who can run with Rose. Might be Tyrus, might be someone else.
2. A guy who can spread the floor to open up the middle. Al Harrington fits the profile here.