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

The post Bulls Zone 88- The Screamin’ Spaniard 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.

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

The post Bulls Zone 80- An All-Star backcourt (Podcast) 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 78- K.C. Johnson 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 77- The Thibs Way (Podcast) 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 72- Steve Aschburner (Podcast) appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

UPDATE (6:15 PST)- Ken Berger of CBS Sports has just tweeted out confirmation that Carmelo Anthony is still giving the Chicago Bulls consideration. With how quickly the news has been coming out within the past 24 hours regarding Anthony’s decision, we could be approaching a final decision in the near future.

The Bulls are still under consideration for Carmelo Anthony, a person familiar with his thinking tells @CBSSports.

— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) July 11, 2014

—-END UPDATE—-

Free agency is perhaps one of the most maddening things in all of sports, particularly when a superstar just can’t seem to make up his mind. Yesterday Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported that Carmelo Anthony had made up his mind to return to the New York Knicks, barring a last second change of heart. In the past 24 hours no reporter was able to confirm that story with most indicating that front offices said they hadn’t been notified of anything. Today’s news indicates that change of heart may have indeed occurred. On a podcast, ESPN’s Stephen A Smith indicated that the Bulls were back in serious contention to land the services of Carmelo Anthony. Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald is now tweeting out confirmation of that report. In addition to confirmation, McGraw is also reporting that Tom Thibodeau is active in trying to recruit Carmelo Anthony.

Hearing the Stephen A. Smith report is accurate. Carmelo may have been leaning elsewhere, but regained interest in #Bulls. — Mike McGraw (@McGrawDHBulls) July 11, 2014

Hearing Tom Thibodeau is playing a major role in keeping Carmelo Anthony interested in Bulls. — Mike McGraw (@McGrawDHBulls) July 10, 2014

It’s a little shocking to see Thibodeau so actively recruiting in free agency. But if Thibodeau really is active in attempting to recruit Melo, a change of heart may not be too surprising. Anthony has been vocal in his admiration of Thibodeau and his desire to go into Thibodeau’s system. In addition to selling himself, Thibodeau is also able to sell Chicago’s ability to contend immediately which is something neither the Los Angeles Lakers nor New York Knicks can offer. These reports that Carmelo Anthony is giving the Bulls consideration again could end up leading nowhere and Isola’s original report that he’s heading back to New York may end up being right. But of course no decision has yet to be made and the story is every changing. We’ll keep you updated as more news and rumors become available.

The post Newer Report- Carmelo Anthony Considering the Bulls Again appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Tim Thibodeau’s 2014 coaching season can be summed up in five words uttered by Ivan Drago in Rocky IV:

“If he dies, he dies.”

Thibodeau’s constant push for more effort, more intensity and more wins from his roster finally reached a kind of breaking point with many fans, though his players never wavered in public.

Team Stats
Record: 48-34 (2nd in Central Division, 4th in Eastern Conference)
Offensive Rating: 102.5 (League Rank: 28th)
Defensive Rating: 100.5 (Lg Rank: 2nd)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 47.1% (Lg Rank: 30th)

The Good
Tom Thibodeau must be credited with redesigning his team’s entire offensive game plan at a moment’s notice when Derrick Rose was lost for the season in mid-November.

After Rose tore his ACL at the end of the 2012 season, Thibodeau had a long summer to craft his offense and ask the front office to find players to help.

This time round, there was no chance to retool with shot-creating players. The Bulls had gone all-in on a core featuring Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.

There were utterly awful offensive nights and yes, the tema ranked right at the bottom of most major statistical categories, but when the focal point of your offense is your center with the weird shooting motion and a few perimeter threats, these results are expected.

Thibodeau also rode out the trade of his on-court manifestation. Luol Deng was traded to Cleveland to save money for a team that, at the time, had not fully recovered from the traumatic loss of Rose once again.

The defense was still it’s stifling, physical best. Thibodeau has quickly become one of the most respected coaches in the league for his ability to junk up any team’s best-laid offensive schemes.

With Joakim Noah taking another leap forward and earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and Taj Gibson developing into one of the top two-way big men in the league, the Bulls frontcourt was a fearsome prospect once more.

The Bad
With the good must come the bad and with Tom Thibodeau the bad largely focuses on his penchant for trying to grind his players into dust.

Jimmy Butler bore the brunt of the minutes-load this season, especially after the Deng trade. Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy also found the bench sparingly, though Dunleavy increasingly became a feast or famine player, appearing for long stretches or riding the pine for long spells.

Thibodeau’s desire to grind out every last ounce of performance from his team in the regular season is what allows this Bulls squad to garner praise for it’s brand of basketball.

The Bulls landed the Washington Wizards in the playoffs and from the opening tip it was evident the Wizards had stumbled across the right blend of youthful experience, veteran presence and sheer confidence to dispose of the Bulls in five painful games.

Turning the dial up to 11 all season again appeared to leave the Bulls sorely lacking a higher speed in the postseason when other teams ramp up their intensity.

His methods also brought 48 wins to a team lacking in any offensive creators. Do the ends justify the means?

Grade: B+

Future
The future is up in the air until the Bulls and Thibodeau jointly announce a long-term agreement.

It is no secret that the coach and his front office do not see eye-to-eye on some issues and trading Luol Deng can’t have done much to endear them to their former Coach of the Year.

There was speculation Thibodeau would be coaching the New York Knicks next season. The Los Angeles Lakers were also mentioned in some rumor columns. The latest flavor of the month seems to be the Memphis Grizzlies, this despite having hired current head coach Dave Joerger less than twelve months ago.

Ultimately, both his departure and signing a new contract are feasible, expect the whispers and rumors to continue unabated until pen is put to paper.

The post 2013-14 Year in Review: Tom Thibodeau appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

CrazyFast | Flickr

It can easily be argued that the Chicago Bulls are out of the playoffs, having lost their series with the Washington Wizards 4-1, because of Tom Thibodeau’s stubbornness, and his seeming refusal to make any significant adjustments.

I am not here to argue that point, though the Bulls got whooped with their starters on the floor in all five games and Thibs never seemed to even consider starting Taj Gibson. I am here to talk about why he stuck so doggedly with a clearly failing lineup.

The playoffs are, by their very nature, a high-profile exercise in Small Sample Size Theatre. Even a series that goes seven games only provides you with seven games worth of data. Those seven games then have to be weighed against the 82 games of data you’ve accumulated in the regular season. As a result, any adjustment you make runs the risk of being seen as a ridiculous overreaction in hindsight. You’d have to make the conscious decision to let a few games — we’ll say four, in Thibs’ case, though you could say three or two or one and I wouldn’t argue with you — override many games — 52 in Thibs’ case, since we’ll count from the beginning of 2014, when the Bulls turned their season around.

From January 1 through the end of the regular season, the Bulls’ starters (Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah) were 5.2 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. They allowed 92.7 points per 100, a ludicrous number that would’ve led the league by a country mile. That number has 37 games and 610 minutes behind it, so it seems like it should be a reliable indicator of how that lineup would perform in the playoffs.

Instead, in 74 minutes over 5 games, that same lineup allowed 110.9 points per 100, scored 89.2, and finished 21.8 points per 100 WORSE than its opponents. Stretched over a full season, even the Philadelphia 76ers would laugh at the sheer incompetence on display.

So, put yourself in Thibs’ position, though keep in mind that none of us have any idea if Thibs puts any stock whatsoever in lineup data: Going into game five, are you ready to throw out 37 games worth of data in your starters’ favor based on four games worth of data?

Another thing I feel I should point out: Boozer, great teammate though he is, is a human being with feelings and an ego. We don’t know how he might have reacted to seeing Taj Gibson start games for him. Remember how Boozer complained back in February about not playing in the fourth quarter? One of the things Thibs said in the aftermath of that incident was that everyone has to sacrifice. Taj is sacrificing not starting, so Boozer is sacrificing not finishing.

So now, imagine that you’re Thibs, and you have to tell Boozer that not only will he be sitting his ass firmly on the bench down the stretch, he won’t be starting either. And keep in mind that Boozer still thinks of himself as a premier player and that he knows he’ll likely be out on the free agent market this summer via the amnesty. How do you think he would react?

Do either of these arguments mean that Thibs definitely was right? No. And I want the record to show that I was firmly in the “Taj should be starting” camp as early as game three — though really it’s been since 2012 sometime, but that’s not the point — and I think it was a huge mistake to keep throwing Boozer out there over Taj (and Kirk Hinrich over DJ Augustin, to a lesser extent). But coaching is a hard job. Thibs did the best he could, it just didn’t work out. That’s hot it goes, sometimes, and let’s not pretend his players did him any favors.

Anyway, feel free to be upset. That was a terrible series to watch. Just remember that things aren’t always as simple as we’d like them to be.

The post On Tom Thibodeau’s playoff adjustments, or lack thereof appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Be honest, you didn’t even know Thibs COULD smile.

If there is one thing Tom Thibodeau knows, it’s defense. He’s very good at coaching it, and the Chicago Bulls are very good at executing his system. But I think it’s time someone went over the fine points of his preferred pick and roll defense, in an effort to clear up some misconceptions.

To be honest, this is fueled almost entirely by Stacey King. Despite having watched the team night in and night out for three and a half seasons now, Stacey still doesn’t seem to understand how the Bulls play defense. Pretty much any time the Bulls face a point guard who can shoot a little bit, Stacey complains about how the Bulls don’t get up in his face and prevent him from shooting a pull-up 18-footer. This drives me nuts.

Here is a fairly standard pick and roll from the Atlanta Hawks last night.

Note, if you would, that Kirk Hinrich has gone over the screen, and that Joakim Noah is waiting back by the foul line. Gustavo Ayon, there in the middle with his back to the camera, didn’t actually make contact with Kirk because he’s headed over to set a screen for Paul Millsap at the other elbow, but if he had, Jeff Teague would be able to pull up for a jumper if he wanted to. That is not a mistake on the Bulls’ part, it’s intentional. This is what Stacey doesn’t understand.

Thibs has made the decision that it is significantly more beneficial for his team to concede a lightly contested mid-range jumper — whether from the ball handler or the roll man on a pick and pop — than it is to either allow the ball handler to get into the lane or pull up from three. And the numbers, as well as basic common sense, back him up. The Bulls want to force either the ball handler or the roll man to beat them, and they are uncommonly good at preventing either one from doing so.

Zach Lowe wrote about Thibs’ scheme right about a year ago, so I apologize if I’m repeating anything he’s already covered. But I’m mostly here to talk about one thing: Stretch fours.

The stretch four, though far from a new concept, is now very much en vogue in the NBA. The Hawks have a pair of them, in Paul Millsap and Mike Scott, and this is what annoyed me in particular about Stacey King’s commentary last night. Leaving aside the part where he basically guffawed every time Millsap hoisted a three but got upset when the Bulls drifted away from Mike Scott despite Millsap shooting 36.8 percent from deep to Scott’s 34.2, Stacey got very agitated when Scott hit a straight-on three in a pick and pop situation in the fourth quarter. Part of it was that said three cut the Bulls’ lead to 8, to be sure, but he seemed confused as to why the Bulls left Scott open. “You’ve got to know where he is!” he said.

Well, Mr. King, the Bulls knew very well where he was. They just didn’t really care. Observe.

That is the Bulls playing defense on the aforementioned three by Scott. It looks fairly similar to the one from earlier, really. Taj Gibson is waiting down by the foul line, and Jimmy Butler, guarding the ball handler, has fought over the screen and is trailing the play. Notice all that open space around the top of the key? That’s pretty much always there, because that’s the reality of the Bulls scheme. Usually, the roll man would pop into that 18-20 foot area and launch a long jumper, something the Bulls are all too happy to facilitate. But Scott pops to the three-point line, and neither Taj nor Jimmy is in any particular position to do anything about him.

Again, this is a reality of the way the defense is set up. The Bulls would have to specifically alter their scheme to take that away, and they’re not going to specifically alter their scheme for Mike Scott.

Which is not to say they wouldn’t alter it at all, of course. Here’s what happens when Dirk Nowitzki is the roll man:

It’s a little hard to tell, but Noah is playing a lot closer to Dirk than he normally would. It’s clearer here:

Noah basically concedes the lane to Jose Calderon so he can stay in position to close out on Dirk.

Here’s another example, this time with Ryan Anderson:

“But Caleb,” you say, because you’re a strawman I invented purely for the sake of this argument, “that looks just like their regular pick and roll defense!” You’re right, it does! Here’s where it changes:

See? Now it’s different. Rather than concede the jumper to Anderson, Noah switches onto Eric Gordon, while Luol Deng — sigh — picks up Anderson.

My point in showing this is that the Bulls only deviate from their usual scheme for very, very good players. They do not deviate from their usual scheme to stop Mike Scott.

So, Stacey, the next time you’re calling a game, please remember what I’ve said: if the Bulls are allowing teams to shoot long jumpers out of the pick and roll, it’s probably intentional.

The post Stacey King is wrong: A primer on the Chicago Bulls pick and roll defense appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.