Stupid Mountain Time game means I don't have time for a full credit post, but I have a few thoughts to record for posterity here:
-While my ideal crunch time 5 is Rose/Deng/Noah/Taj/whoever's playing best out of TBN/Korver/Rip, maybe tonight was one of those times to play Boozer over Taj down the stretch. I know these occasions are few and far between, and probably deservedly so, but Neil Funk made the good observation that Pop put Matt Bonner out to draw Taj away from the basket, which sort of limits his effectiveness. Boozer would have made them pay for that on the other end. Maybe even against Dejuan Blair once he came back in the game late.
-That might have been the best basketball game I've seen all year. After Duncan missed that bank shot with 2:30 left, both teams combined to make their next 6 baskets until Neal missed that 3 (which he clearly traveled on as well. He slides his pivot foot back to get that shot off.)
-If Rip is going 1-8 from the field...maybe he's not ready to come back yet. Just wait. It'll be better for everybody.
-I feel bad that the Spurs have to play Richard Jefferson in crunch time. I know he's taking the minutes Ginobili would have if he was healthy, but however hot they've been, I don't feel good about an extended Spurs playoff run if they're relying on Jefferson at the end of games. (Note: Forgot about Kawhi Leonard, too. I take it back, the Spurs will be fine.)
-The starters had a combined +/- of -4. The Bench Mob was +43. This is a luxury not many teams have. We need them to keep this up going into the playoffs to have any chance.
-I know this is the opposite of a usual problem, but Joakim, I get that you can play when you have a tough matchup like Duncan. Now let's see this effort against bad teams.
-This tumblr is pretty awesome.
-Going to try to have more liveblogs in the near future, now that my coaching season is over. Look for them coming up.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
All-Star Saturday Night Liveblog
Here we go! Remember, give me a minute or two after your first post to allow me to make it so you can comment at will.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Blame Game- Bulls-Nets 2/18
Look, sometimes in the NBA you lose badly to bad teams, like the Bulls did today. And it's not like it happens a lot. The last time we lost to a bad team was against Golden State the 2nd game of the season. It's more about how the Bulls lost that I'm writing a blame game.
CJ Watson- 40%
It's almost unfair to give CJ this much. While he's a better than average backup PG, he's not in the same league as Deron Williams, and it showed. It's OK to get beat by Deron Williams, but it's not ok to just get absolutely torched by him in the first half, and make dumb decisions on the other end. Even when he wasn't matched up with Deron Williams, he looked like the Bulls' fourth best point guard today, which is unacceptable. Especially since we probably aren't going to guarantee Mike James' contract.
TT- 20%
What the hell was going on with the rotations? Things started to look better in the 2nd quarter with the Taj-Asik-Butler-James-Lucas team out there, then they didn't see the floor again. And the small lineup with Deng at the 4 just doesn't work when you're not hitting shots. Taj is then the only one around the basket to rebound, as Neil and Stacey pointed out. And a blind squirrel could have told you the Boozer-at-the-5 lineup wasn't going to work, unless your goal is to see how many offensive rebounds Kris Humphries and Shelden Williams can rack up. This game could have been won if he had just been a little quicker with the hook a couple times. Every bench player ended up with a positive +/-, and every started was double-digit negatives.
Joakim Noah- 15%
I thought we were done with games like this one, Jo. We're too far into the season for you to just blatantly not show for games. If he had come out of the gate even remotely motivated (especially on the offensive end), maybe that game doesn't get away so quickly. Shelden Williams should be the type of matchup where Jo takes advantage of him inside. It's quite possible the game being in striking distance in the end was just a matter of giving Jo a quicker hook.
Luol Deng- 10%
Lu had more blame when I started writing this, but I brought it down a little with his effort at the beginning of the 4th. It's unusual, though to see him play that poorly at the beginning of games (and even the whole first half). Deng needs to be the number one option of offense with Derrick out, and he didn't really do that today.
TBN- 7%
I'll give him credit for his D on Deron Williams in the 2nd half, but he's got to play better offensively. It's probably more Rip's fault than Ronnie's that he's asked to do so much offensively, but that still doesn't excuse your starting shooting guard going 2-5 in 28 minutes (and a brutal missed layup that would've cut the lead to 10 late.
John Lucas- 5%
Well...he was better than CJ. But 2 points on 1-4 from the field in 14 minutes clearly wasn't made up for on the defensive end.
Carlos Boozer- 3%
It's very rare that I say Carlos played better than any other starter, but I still have to give him the leftover percentage points for a couple of shoe-polish-headed plays that hurt the Bulls during runs (like standing in the corner with the ball doing nothing while MarShon Brooks comes all the way across the court to strip the ball.
Absolved-
Mike James
I really wish Mike James could stay. I assume with Lucas' contract guaranteed the Bulls aren't going to shell out for a 4th point guard when Derrick comes back, even though James makes better decisions with the ball than either Lucas or CJ lately, and is clearly an upgrade defensively.
Taj Gibson
14 points, 9 boards, and way more contributed defensively. Not that Asik is bad defensively, but in games like this one (where Boozer is making shots but we need better D,) TT shouldn't be afraid to send Taj in for Noah. That could have changed the game early, too (or in the beginning of the 3rd quarter.)
Jimmy Butler
It was great to see Jimmy get some minutes early, and his energy clearly helped change the momentum (which shouldn't be too hard when you're down 22-3, but still.) Then he didn't see the court again. Don't make me relaunch the #freeJimmyButler campaign, TT.
CJ Watson- 40%
It's almost unfair to give CJ this much. While he's a better than average backup PG, he's not in the same league as Deron Williams, and it showed. It's OK to get beat by Deron Williams, but it's not ok to just get absolutely torched by him in the first half, and make dumb decisions on the other end. Even when he wasn't matched up with Deron Williams, he looked like the Bulls' fourth best point guard today, which is unacceptable. Especially since we probably aren't going to guarantee Mike James' contract.
TT- 20%
What the hell was going on with the rotations? Things started to look better in the 2nd quarter with the Taj-Asik-Butler-James-Lucas team out there, then they didn't see the floor again. And the small lineup with Deng at the 4 just doesn't work when you're not hitting shots. Taj is then the only one around the basket to rebound, as Neil and Stacey pointed out. And a blind squirrel could have told you the Boozer-at-the-5 lineup wasn't going to work, unless your goal is to see how many offensive rebounds Kris Humphries and Shelden Williams can rack up. This game could have been won if he had just been a little quicker with the hook a couple times. Every bench player ended up with a positive +/-, and every started was double-digit negatives.
Joakim Noah- 15%
I thought we were done with games like this one, Jo. We're too far into the season for you to just blatantly not show for games. If he had come out of the gate even remotely motivated (especially on the offensive end), maybe that game doesn't get away so quickly. Shelden Williams should be the type of matchup where Jo takes advantage of him inside. It's quite possible the game being in striking distance in the end was just a matter of giving Jo a quicker hook.
Luol Deng- 10%
Lu had more blame when I started writing this, but I brought it down a little with his effort at the beginning of the 4th. It's unusual, though to see him play that poorly at the beginning of games (and even the whole first half). Deng needs to be the number one option of offense with Derrick out, and he didn't really do that today.
TBN- 7%
I'll give him credit for his D on Deron Williams in the 2nd half, but he's got to play better offensively. It's probably more Rip's fault than Ronnie's that he's asked to do so much offensively, but that still doesn't excuse your starting shooting guard going 2-5 in 28 minutes (and a brutal missed layup that would've cut the lead to 10 late.
John Lucas- 5%
Well...he was better than CJ. But 2 points on 1-4 from the field in 14 minutes clearly wasn't made up for on the defensive end.
Carlos Boozer- 3%
It's very rare that I say Carlos played better than any other starter, but I still have to give him the leftover percentage points for a couple of shoe-polish-headed plays that hurt the Bulls during runs (like standing in the corner with the ball doing nothing while MarShon Brooks comes all the way across the court to strip the ball.
Absolved-
Mike James
I really wish Mike James could stay. I assume with Lucas' contract guaranteed the Bulls aren't going to shell out for a 4th point guard when Derrick comes back, even though James makes better decisions with the ball than either Lucas or CJ lately, and is clearly an upgrade defensively.
Taj Gibson
14 points, 9 boards, and way more contributed defensively. Not that Asik is bad defensively, but in games like this one (where Boozer is making shots but we need better D,) TT shouldn't be afraid to send Taj in for Noah. That could have changed the game early, too (or in the beginning of the 3rd quarter.)
Jimmy Butler
It was great to see Jimmy get some minutes early, and his energy clearly helped change the momentum (which shouldn't be too hard when you're down 22-3, but still.) Then he didn't see the court again. Don't make me relaunch the #freeJimmyButler campaign, TT.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Rick Reilly Noticed Something's Happening in New York
Sorry we're going through a little dry spell. There have been a lot of blowouts over bad teams not worth writing about and whatnot, plus we have something big in the works that's taking a little effort.
However, as soon as Jeremy Lin came along, it was pretty clear Rick Reilly was going to have thoughts about him, and they were going to be stupid. The entire column is mostly a case of 20-20 hindsight, with Reilly saying to a bunch of college coaches, "I bet ya feel stupid for passing Lin up now, dontcha?" Which, sure, I bet a lot of coaches wish now they'd recruited Lin. And I bet if the Bears could do it over they would've drafted Tom Brady in the first round back in 2000. That's annoying, but it's not the stupid part. Here's the stupid part:
However, as soon as Jeremy Lin came along, it was pretty clear Rick Reilly was going to have thoughts about him, and they were going to be stupid. The entire column is mostly a case of 20-20 hindsight, with Reilly saying to a bunch of college coaches, "I bet ya feel stupid for passing Lin up now, dontcha?" Which, sure, I bet a lot of coaches wish now they'd recruited Lin. And I bet if the Bears could do it over they would've drafted Tom Brady in the first round back in 2000. That's annoying, but it's not the stupid part. Here's the stupid part:
It's bumper-to-bumper on the Jeremy Lin Bypass these days. Every single NBA team and every single Division I college coach who gives hoops scholarships passed on SuperAsian point guard Jeremy Shu-How Lin of the New York Knicks. And now they're paying the toll.
"Don't remind me," UCLA coach Ben Howland says.
UCLA, huh? Howland should've recruited Lin to be their point guard in the late 00s? That makes sense. I wonder who they had to settle for instead?
Oh yeah. Russell Westbrook. I bet Bruins fans are full of regret of what could have been with Lin instead of Russ. Why, I bet they'd have won that Final Four Westbrook and Kevin Love led them to, instead of losing to Derrick's Memphis team.
Of course, there's also the distinct possibility that Reilly has no idea Westbrook and Lin are the same age, or that Westbrook went to UCLA at that time. But he couldn't be that ignorant and lazy, right? (He asked, rhetorically.)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Groundhog Credit: Bulls-Knicks 2/2
Been awhile since a game was really deserving of a credit post. However, it's about bedtime, so I'm going to have to make it quick.
Derrick- 25%
Blah blah blah big shots yadda yadda completely unguardable. However, I have to dock him a little for some of the decisions he made at the end. There are times when you can take it one on three and finish, but it's not a great idea when Tyson Chandler is one of those three. Gotta think about finding an open guy on those drives, even if it's Jimmy Butler.
TT- 20%
As much as I questioned him last night, I feel like he made the right moves tonight, especially in regards to handling Jimmy Butler. He saw Ronnie wasn't getting the job done, and made a bold move. Maybe the stubbornness is dissipating?
Jimmy Butler- 20%
I know the offensive end was a roller-coaster, but we lose that game without Butler playing the whole 4th quarter. Melo was getting whatever he wanted on TBN, and while I usually defend Ronnie's defense, Butler's extra few inches were all the difference.
Joakim- 10%
Nice bounce-back game from Jo. It would be nice to not have to write that so much.
Taj- 10%
Next step for Taj: figuring out how to avoid foul trouble, so we avoid extended periods of Boozer in the 4th quarter.
CJ- 8%
I want more CJ and Derrick time on the court together. Especially if Rip stays injured.
Fredo- 6%
Better defensive effort from Kyle, and some big shots in the first quarter.
TBN- 1%
Twitter was abuzz about how nice the play they ran for Amare was, but I felt like the idea of the play was to have Ronnie switch off of Melo to guard Amare, leaving Melo with a mismatch. While I'm comfortable with the idea of Joakim guarding Melo, I'm also fine with Amare taking an open three in that situation, and I think Ronnie not leaving Melo was the right play. The reason TBN is only getting 1%? He just isn't making open shots lately. (I realize he was 2-3 from the field tonight, which is even worse. We need the Ronnie back that was hitting threes in the first few weeks.)
No credit-
Boozer- I just...I don't have the energy for you right now, Boozer. The less you play, the happier I am, and the better chance we have to win.
Derrick- 25%
Blah blah blah big shots yadda yadda completely unguardable. However, I have to dock him a little for some of the decisions he made at the end. There are times when you can take it one on three and finish, but it's not a great idea when Tyson Chandler is one of those three. Gotta think about finding an open guy on those drives, even if it's Jimmy Butler.
TT- 20%
As much as I questioned him last night, I feel like he made the right moves tonight, especially in regards to handling Jimmy Butler. He saw Ronnie wasn't getting the job done, and made a bold move. Maybe the stubbornness is dissipating?
Jimmy Butler- 20%
I know the offensive end was a roller-coaster, but we lose that game without Butler playing the whole 4th quarter. Melo was getting whatever he wanted on TBN, and while I usually defend Ronnie's defense, Butler's extra few inches were all the difference.
Joakim- 10%
Nice bounce-back game from Jo. It would be nice to not have to write that so much.
Taj- 10%
Next step for Taj: figuring out how to avoid foul trouble, so we avoid extended periods of Boozer in the 4th quarter.
CJ- 8%
I want more CJ and Derrick time on the court together. Especially if Rip stays injured.
Fredo- 6%
Better defensive effort from Kyle, and some big shots in the first quarter.
TBN- 1%
Twitter was abuzz about how nice the play they ran for Amare was, but I felt like the idea of the play was to have Ronnie switch off of Melo to guard Amare, leaving Melo with a mismatch. While I'm comfortable with the idea of Joakim guarding Melo, I'm also fine with Amare taking an open three in that situation, and I think Ronnie not leaving Melo was the right play. The reason TBN is only getting 1%? He just isn't making open shots lately. (I realize he was 2-3 from the field tonight, which is even worse. We need the Ronnie back that was hitting threes in the first few weeks.)
No credit-
Boozer- I just...I don't have the energy for you right now, Boozer. The less you play, the happier I am, and the better chance we have to win.
Derrick's Death List
I imagine Derrick writing his revenge list, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill style.
5. Chris Paul (I'm starting at point for team USA)
4. John Hollinger (You have me 7th in the league in PER, behind Paul Millsap?)
3. Andre Iguodala (You really needed to showboat on the fast break last night? That was a carry, anyway.)
2. Indiana Pacers (Celebrating like they won a playoff game in the regular season)
1. The Heat (Hollywood. As. Hell.)
Number 4 is obviously fake, since Derrick doesn't care about his own stats. That's just me being annoyed with PER in general.
5. Chris Paul (I'm starting at point for team USA)
4. John Hollinger (You have me 7th in the league in PER, behind Paul Millsap?)
3. Andre Iguodala (You really needed to showboat on the fast break last night? That was a carry, anyway.)
2. Indiana Pacers (Celebrating like they won a playoff game in the regular season)
1. The Heat (Hollywood. As. Hell.)
Number 4 is obviously fake, since Derrick doesn't care about his own stats. That's just me being annoyed with PER in general.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
4 Questions for TT After the Sixers Debacle
Of the six losses this season, this one worries me the most. I know the Sixers are a good team, and like I said about the Heat game, we should take games without Luol Deng with a grain of salt. But there were some troubling aspects to this game, and I'd like some answers to the following questions:
1. What did Turkish D do wrong?
Scalabrine came in for Asik after Asik gave up an and-1 to Lou Williams with 8 minutes left, pushing the lead to 19. I think it was obvious that the starting frontcourt wasn't coming back into the game, due to playing like crap. But I don't feel like Asik deserved to be benched as well. While I love me some White Mamba, and defend him more than most, he gave up 2 baskets down the stretch that Turkish wouldn't have given up (and had one terrible turnover that Asik certainly wouldn't have had,) and it might've cost the Bulls a chance to make a game out of it.
2. If you leave your starters in when up 20, presumably because the game isn't over, why not try when you're down 14?
AKA, why not bring Derrick back into the game? I get that we give you crap when Derrick is in late when we're on the other end of a blowout, but I assume you just want to be sure of the win. So why doesn't it work the other way? The Bulls were down 13 with 6 minutes left. That's not insurmountable by any means. I get that CJ was playing well, but that would have been the perfect time to slide CJ to the 2 and play them together. Or at least put Asik back in for Mamba.
3. Why is the defense getting worse?
I was looking forward to this game because it was supposed to be a matchup of two great defenses. We got half of that. It's not just Boozer anymore, either, there was a lot of late rotations and lazy movement, which is why we gave up 98 to a not-very-good offensive team. On the pregame show Bill Wennington was talking about how while his Bulls teams had a lot of elite individual defenders like Mike, Scottie, Rodman, and Harper, this Bulls team has a great defensive system. If that's the case, the defense shouldn't fall apart with Luol Deng out for a little while. Instead, we're just average without him.
4. What are you going to do about Boozer?
He's been beyond bad in the last few games. Not just with his stupid fadeaway (I'm not even going to post his shot chart, just imagine 2 circles around the basket and a bunch of x's from the elbow.) His defense has been like the Bulls are playing 5-on-4 lately. I haven't been this annoyed with a Bulls help defender since Nocioni. It's like the Bulls' starters have to be perfect on offense to make up for Boozer's defense, which isn't easy. Even tonight, I think this game might not have gotten out of hand if TT had pulled Boozer for Taj a little quicker.
This is all crap I shouldn't have to write about the Bulls' highest fucking paid player. He is getting 13.5 mil to be a detriment to this team. I know nothing is going to happen during the season, but if this keeps up, I will be at the front of the pack howling for GarPax to amnesty Boozer in the offseason.
So what's it going to be, TT. Give Boozer a wake-up call? Or just stop playing him entirely. Honestly? I'm starting to root for the latter.
1. What did Turkish D do wrong?
Scalabrine came in for Asik after Asik gave up an and-1 to Lou Williams with 8 minutes left, pushing the lead to 19. I think it was obvious that the starting frontcourt wasn't coming back into the game, due to playing like crap. But I don't feel like Asik deserved to be benched as well. While I love me some White Mamba, and defend him more than most, he gave up 2 baskets down the stretch that Turkish wouldn't have given up (and had one terrible turnover that Asik certainly wouldn't have had,) and it might've cost the Bulls a chance to make a game out of it.
2. If you leave your starters in when up 20, presumably because the game isn't over, why not try when you're down 14?
AKA, why not bring Derrick back into the game? I get that we give you crap when Derrick is in late when we're on the other end of a blowout, but I assume you just want to be sure of the win. So why doesn't it work the other way? The Bulls were down 13 with 6 minutes left. That's not insurmountable by any means. I get that CJ was playing well, but that would have been the perfect time to slide CJ to the 2 and play them together. Or at least put Asik back in for Mamba.
3. Why is the defense getting worse?
I was looking forward to this game because it was supposed to be a matchup of two great defenses. We got half of that. It's not just Boozer anymore, either, there was a lot of late rotations and lazy movement, which is why we gave up 98 to a not-very-good offensive team. On the pregame show Bill Wennington was talking about how while his Bulls teams had a lot of elite individual defenders like Mike, Scottie, Rodman, and Harper, this Bulls team has a great defensive system. If that's the case, the defense shouldn't fall apart with Luol Deng out for a little while. Instead, we're just average without him.
4. What are you going to do about Boozer?
He's been beyond bad in the last few games. Not just with his stupid fadeaway (I'm not even going to post his shot chart, just imagine 2 circles around the basket and a bunch of x's from the elbow.) His defense has been like the Bulls are playing 5-on-4 lately. I haven't been this annoyed with a Bulls help defender since Nocioni. It's like the Bulls' starters have to be perfect on offense to make up for Boozer's defense, which isn't easy. Even tonight, I think this game might not have gotten out of hand if TT had pulled Boozer for Taj a little quicker.
This is all crap I shouldn't have to write about the Bulls' highest fucking paid player. He is getting 13.5 mil to be a detriment to this team. I know nothing is going to happen during the season, but if this keeps up, I will be at the front of the pack howling for GarPax to amnesty Boozer in the offseason.
So what's it going to be, TT. Give Boozer a wake-up call? Or just stop playing him entirely. Honestly? I'm starting to root for the latter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)