Comments on: There’s no place like road: Bulls 98, Spurs 93

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:12:32 +0000

Boarding the Kirk Express one more time… Does anyone really notice the intangibles that Kirk has done lately. I noticed he took 2-3 charges and drew 2-3 offensive fouls (drawing attention to moving screens) on the Spurs including his normal line of work. These “small” things make him that invaluble player that we do not want to part with.

By: thirdsaint

thirdsaint — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:26:15 +0000

I can agree with that Bam!. A lot of our players do play with grit and heart. One thing I’ve noticed on this road swing, a lot of teams have a ton of floppers like Scola and Ginobili. I lose respect for players like that who know they are beat and flop to get a call, then complain on the other end when a call doesn’t go there way. That’s not to say the Bulls haven’t flopped before but it’s a lot less common. You won’t see Noah flopping around like a fish a la Varejao or Scola.

By: Bam!

Bam! — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:11:57 +0000

I agree wih david g in that I don’t really want Cap’n Kirk to leave. I think he is an above average ball player, but he has an outstanding basketball IQ. He knows how to outdo younger, faster, more athletic, more talented players in the league in matchups between them. He has also become much more vocal on the floor, and the team does well with increased communication. Especially when a lot of the communication is coming from Kirk. He will definately be missed.

I also would miss Deng or Thomas because of their gritty toughness. The Bulls need to be a team that can defend like crazy and stop anyone who tries to score. Deng is an example of that. He’s not able to stop anyone who tries to score, but he’s incredibly tough, and his passion and effort far surpasses his talent. I think he’d be even better if he was even tougher than he is now.

Noah is another gritty, passionate tough player. When you put him in the game and he’s healthy, you know he’s going to put everything he’s got into that game. He’s going to throw in every last drop and do whatever is necessary to help the team do well. He does his best every time. Even when he’s not healthy. When he’s hurt, he still puts everything he’s got out on the court. He’s the kinda guy who would run down from one end of the court to the other through a gasoline fire if that was what it took to bring his team to a victory.

Rose is the same (I’m not going to go over him; we’re all Chicago fans here, we all have the love of the Rose). Miller, too. I don’t want a FA who can hit shots and score a lot of points, but is a wimp. I want a FA who’s tough as nails and puts it all out 100%, all game, every game. (in addition to him being athletic and can score)

By: david g

david g — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:18:10 +0000

i felt like we got a little lucky. our jump shots were fallin and the spurs never really looked like they cared. but i do agree with your comments about rose. bona fide superstar instead of the reluctant one of the past. it seemed like he felt bad for taking too many shots, and now he understands that as our leader that that’s his job.

p.s – i will really miss kirk if he gets shipped off. he’s such an important piece to our team

By: Mad Skills

Mad Skills — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:54:56 +0000

As someone who has watched them all year this doesn’t surprise me. Rose was hurt for the first 2+ months, Hinrich was injured and lost a couple of weeks. Because of short bench we probably lost 6-8 games because we didn’t have supporting players(Hunter 39, Pargo, Thomas & Gray injured). Well, Hinrich & Salmons were sick for the first 2 games of the trip, but now everyone is back. Hinrich and Rose are combo guards, but primarily pg so it is really tough for other teams to stop. Bulls should win 45 plus and scare alot of teams. They have road wins over Cleveland, Boston, Hawks, Charlotte, Miami and San Antonio.

By: thirdsaint

thirdsaint — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:22:47 +0000

These Bulls have kidnapped the old Bulls I think. After dropping those first two it’s hard to believe they’ve won 3 in a row on the road against teams above 500. They are as streaky as can be but they beat the best teams on the road somehow all the same.

Kirk did another great job and we’re really seeing Rose come into his own. If I were Wade I’d be saying “Hey, that team doesn’t have me on it and they are only a game and a half behind my team right now.” Well, at least that’s what I hope he and other star FA’s see this summer, haha.

By: Varese

Varese — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:12:56 +0000

Wow, a break for the coach – I thought Vinny adjusted during his rookie year, and coached a trial-by-fire playoff very well. This year, he’s had to adjust again, losing his leading scorer, his best player hurt, Salmons stinking up the joint like his ass was on fire, little depth on the bench, no post play, nobody making 3s … not to mention every time TT or JJ come in the game, they immediately turn the ball over. But then, as you said, he made some adjustments, and the team is even helping out a little: shooting better, D-Rose is healthy, etc (not to mention, every time TT screws up twice in a row — which is every game — there’s no conversation, Vinny just pulls him; noticed this?) … And things look up.

I believe Vinny has been a student of the experience and will continue to improve – I don’t see any reason why he can’t become one of the better coaches in the league (not saying much, but still).

By: brandon1

brandon1 — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:59:19 +0000

Has any player benefited more from the pump fake than Brad Miller? 2 dribbles, 5 steps down the lane and defenders watch as the lummox hurdles past them to the hoop. Brad Miller gives hope to every thirty/forty year old playing Saturday league at the YMCA.