Before I say anything else... James Brown, R.I.P.
Now, as a Jew I'm unclear on day-after-Xmas protocol (I think it's called Boxing Day... maybe?) but I'm fairly certain that posting on a Bulls blog is kosher - so to speak. So I make my triumphant return, mid-holiday break and I hope we never go so long without speaking again. I've been truant, and I'm sorry.
The Bulls, on the other hand, finally showed up. In my last real basketball post I told you that the former Basketball Babblers and the current Chicago Bulls were both in the process of turning over a new leaf, and I seem to have been on to something.
48 Good Minutes is off and running at
360thePitch and our beloved basketballers are on a 13-2 hot streak heading into tonight's tilt in Minneapolis.
The Bulls are as close to one-third of the way through the season as they'll ever be, so I've put together this
1/3-Season Report
for your reference...
The Roster Report
StartersSkiles seems to have settled on a starting squad of Hinrich, Duhon, Nocioni, Deng and Wallace. Hinrich, Deng and Wallace are must-starts, I'm not so sure about the other two. Nocioni is a starter by quality, but I would argue he's a starting three - and Deng is already in that position. As far as Duhon, he's really just not at that level. He is a great backup point, and a decent sixth man even (though obviously not on a team that features Ben Gordon), but a starting backcourt of Duhon and Hinrich just doesn't scream Championship Caliber.
Nobody on this team is averaging 20 points per game or more, and no starter exceed's Luol Deng's 17.7. I think that's okay. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Lu break the big 2-0, or even Ben Gordon figure out how to score when he starts - but with the team averaging just over 100, they should be fine. What they need is a legitimate 2-guard to start with Kirk and a real power forward to score in the paint next to Big Ben.
Both things may very well be on their roster. I don't expect to see it any time really soon, but I believe Thabo Sefolosha can start at the 2 for the Bulls. Saturday, when given some good clock in a
blowout win over Charlotte, he put up 14 pts, 9 rebs, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block - impressive and indicative of his multiple talents. I believe he
can score with consistency if given the chance, but more importantly he plays the kind of high-energy, defensive-minded basketball the Bulls love.
I know Chris Duhon is a favorite of Coach Skiles, and for good reason - he is a similarly defense-focused hustle player. But he's not a shooting guard, and Hinrich is the team's beast point. Plus, Duhon continues to make rookie mistakes (passing up open shots, taking bad ones and turning the ball over) - though I won't deny that he's had success in clutch situations. Sefolosha is already nearly as good a defender (the five-inch height advantage sure helps) and can provide some offense if needed - I believe he should be a starter right now.
At power forward, Nocioni is clearly playing out of position. Not that he isn't capable; in fact he's downright impressive defending some of these guys and he's been awful tough down low. Earlier in the year, PJ Brown got some starts there too. But the only offensive paint presence on the Bulls is a fat man with the nickname "Sweets." He's slow, he seems to be out of shape, but he's got a real knack for putting the ball in the hole from down low.
Go ahead and call me crazy - you probably already did when I suggested starting two players averaging a combined 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game - but I'm stuck on this idea of a low post scorer. I don't think Sweetney needs 35 minutes (I think he'd collapse and die if he did that once, much less averaged it) but couldn't he play 20 or 25 and start so the team could establish some sort of inside game?
Ben Wallace has done an impressive job offensively for this team - that's something I never thought I'd say - and his defense and rebounding have climbed back to the heights they reached in Detroit; but he shouldn't have so much offensive responsibility. I'd much rather have Mike Sweetney operating with his back to the basket than Ben Wallace. If Big Ben posted up once each game instead of about ten times, I think it would be a good thing.
Regardless of my criticism, the Bulls have been hot lately and I'm not one to question a coach who's having success. That's just my unadulterated analysis of the starting five...
BenchAny bench with Ben Gordon is a good bench. He's the leading scorer at 19.1 per game, and he's handing out 3 assists which isn't great for a 6-footer but he's not really playing point guard. Playing from the bench he's averaging nearly 21 points per game - which is great, except that he averages 12.8 as a starter. If somebody could figure out how to get Ben Gordon the Sixth Man to show up when he starts, I wouldn't have to suggest that Thabo Sefolosha start for this team.
On the other hand, the rookies have both been real contributors at times off the bench. Neither has garnered consistent playing time (particularly not Thomas, who has struggled with a nose injury, foul trouble and subsequently his minutes) but both have shown flashes of great play, especially on the defensive end. Thabo is a long defender who gets in the passing lanes and disrupts the dribble of guards and wing players, while Thomas is even longer and has already victimized the new basketball with thunderous blocks on a number of occasions.
The rest of the bench is filled with "nice" role players, which is perfect for this kind of team - an ensemble of young talent at the core, with a lot of good quality mortar to fill in the spaces. Malik Allen, Adrian Griffin, PJ Brown, Sweetney and even Viktor Khryapa have all contributed for the Bulls this year (though certainly some more than others) and I believe all of them - and maybe even the diminutive Andre Barrett - have something to offer to this playoff-bound Bulls squad.
The Good
HotnessIn the words of Paris Hilton - who am I kidding, I can't bear to quote her. Basically, the Bulls are on fire. Outside of an
embarassing blip in New York (it was so easy the first two times, maybe they got complacent) the team has been firing on all cylinders since the end of November.
The Bulls' success basically coincides with a home-heavy schedule. Though their ability to play on the road is still somewhat in question (their only road wins in December are a 111-108 triumph over New Orleans and a 2-pt overtime thriller at Atlanta) they failed to appropriately defend the United Center floor last year and a 12-2 home record is definitely something to smile about.
The Bell TollsBig Ben Wallace has been simply dominant on the boards and the defensive end. He says his headband nonsense was a motivating tool, and it seems to have worked out that way (though I don't buy his story). Either way he's had some very impressive performances - 10 pts, 27 rebs, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals against Milwaukee being perhaps the most so - and has made his presence felt on a more consistent basis.
I mentioned his offense earlier, and I continue to be impressed by his abilities on that end. He's no scorer, but he has actually shown remarkable passing ability from the post and he's not without one or two offensive moves. As he gets more comfortable handling the basketball - he probably hasn't done it that much since high school or college - I think he'll improve even more. He'll never be the post presence we need, but he can contribute and it's certainly helpful.
Good Lookin' RooksIt's hard to get excited about two players that barely play double-digit minutes and don't even combine for double-digit scoring. Nevertheless, I've accomplished this feat. I love what both players - Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha - bring to the team and I expect their minutes to increase dramatically as the year goes on. I would hope Skiles can incorporate them into the regular rotation.
Don't tell me there aren't enough minutes; Malik Allen averages 10.4 minutes per game - I just found 8.4 minutes for Thomas. Adrian Griffin gets 8.8, so there's five for Sefolosha. The way I see it, it's going to be important for the rookies to be ready down the stretch - as presently constructed, the Bulls' depth with have to carry them a long way and I think Sefolosha and Thomas are capable of providing considerably more than Allen and Griffin (or PJ Brown and Chris Duhon for that matter).
The Bad
Travellin' BluesThe Bulls' have a 4-9 road record, and they'll eventually have to go on the road to win a championship - against the West if not Detroit, Cleveland or Miami - so they'll want to shore that up. On the other hand, only one Eastern Conference team has a winning record on the road (Celtics, 6-5) so there's no reason to panic about it.
Vanishing ViktorAfter looking so impressive in the preseason and early in the year, Viktor Khryapa hasn't been able to find the floor all season. He hasn't played once since December 13 against Seattle, and he's played a total of 12 minutes since logging 21 against the Spurs on November 17.
It's somewhat puzzling what the reasoning would be to deliberately bench him (barring terrible practice habits, which we haven't heard about) so I have to assume there just aren't enough minutes. If John Paxson doesn't make some sort of roster move - and it's hard to see one that would result in more clock for Khryapa - I'm afraid Viktor is probably going to have to get used to his chair at the corner of the UC gym floor.
Picky PJJust when things seemed to be going a well as possible, supposed positive veteran presence PJ Brown complained to the media about his role, his relationship with Coach Skiles and his family's experience in Chicago. Thanks but no thanks, PJ; if he wants out, Pax should go ahead and give it to him. There's nothing that annoys me more than a player who's supposed to be helping team chemistry pulling a stunt like this.
It's not as though he's been blowing our socks off when he's played - 5 pts, 4 rebs in 16 minutes - and he looks his age. Oh wait, he's only 37? He looks my father's age. [Ed. Note: To give you an approximate idea, Kolsky is 25 and his father was never a teen parent] In short, he's an overpaid hack who has no right to speak out about his 'diminished' role, particularly when he's on the shelf with an injury to his brittle old bones.
The Future
All in all, things are pretty good. The Bulls have climbed all the way up to second in the Eastern Conference (also known as the Sucky Conference) trailing only Detroit and by only two games. They have the biggest point differential in the conference, outscoring their opponents 100.3-95.1. They are arguably the hottest team in basketball with the Suns losing their last two, and certainly as good as anybody in the East.
All this and there are still a lot of kinks to work out, so thank goodness the schedule stays full of home games until February. Things will get a little tougher coming up - tonight at Minnesota; tomorrow home vs. Miami; Cleveland, Phoenix and Detroit in the near future - but January 31st is the day I worry about. That's the beginning of a seven-game West Coast road trip against the Clippers, and starts a stretch where they'll play 17 of 26 games on the road.
Keep an eye on Luol Deng - he's starting to get the ball in big situations, and I think he may start to assert himself a little more. He's a couple points behind now, but he could end up the Bulls' leading scorer.
Also to watch: the rookies' minutes; the PJ Brown situation - maybe he gets moved; Michael Sweetney - he's still our best post scorer, and I'm hoping he can log some good minutes; Kirk Hinrich - after starting well he's faded fast, and he'd better get it together if the Bulls want to win in the playoffs; Viiktor Khryapa - he's got some skills, but there may not be enough minutes to go around.
And that, my dear reader, is your third-of-a-season report!
As if that wasn't long enough, I have some quick items of business I need to share with you...
My podcast partner - Nick Saper - is going to be given the valet key to this blog, as it were. I'm setting him up as we speak and I hope he'll choose to write to you, though I can't make any promises. Please tune into our podcast either way:
48 Good Minutes!!! The site that hosts us,
360thePitch, has a ton of other good sports podcasts too.
I also want to give a quick pump to The Morning Break, a sports talk show in Chicago (10 AM - 12 Noon, Monday through Friday, 1240AM) where I appear a couple times each week as an assistant producer and fill-in host. Mostly I'm in on Mondays and Fridays, but go ahead and tune in every day just to be safe.
I have a feeling there was something else - but I can't for the life of me figure out what. I'll get back to you. There will be a new podcast up tomorrow - a tweener podcast if you will - stuffed between a back-to-back on the basketball court. Talk to you soon, reader...