Bulls Lose Game Five of Eastern Conference Finals to Miami

Last night's 83-80 loss to the Miami Heat was probably the worst Bulls loss I have ever witnessed and it was definitely the worst Bulls loss I have ever seen in the playoffs. It was a very disappointing loss and a very disappointing way to end this really good season. The Bulls were up 77-65 with under four minutes to go and somehow they couldn't hold on to the lead. I really thought the Bulls were going to win. They were winning pretty much the whole game. It's so frustrating to see the Bulls play well for three and a half quarters and lose just because Miami played really good for three minutes. It doesn't seem fair. This will be a historic loss. It reminds me a lot of game six of the 2003 National League Championship Series when the Chicago Cubs blew a 3-0 lead against the Florida Marlins after being five outs away from going to the World Series.


I should be happy with this Bulls season but right now I'm not. I didn't think they would win 62 games or make it to the Eastern Conference Finals but that was BEFORE the season started. Once the playoffs started, I was expecting the Bulls to get to the NBA Finals. I would have been happy if Miami proved that they were clearly the better team but they didn't. They played better in games two and three but the Bulls deserved to win games four and five. All Miami proved was that they could handle late-game pressure better than the Bulls. If the Bulls don't have fourth quarter collapses two games in a row, then they are right now one win after from the NBA Finals. So right now this season doesn't feel like a success because it feels like the Bulls could have accomplished more. I hate losing but I hate losing even more when I feel my team should have won. I really wish there could have been a game six in Miami because I really think the Bulls could have won that game and forced a game seven in Chicago. If Miami won game six (or game seven) by ten points, I would feel a little better about how the season ended.

In the past, I may have been really happy with a season like this but not anymore. I don't want to look at this season as a good learning experience for the Bulls. I agree that the Bulls are still a young team and got a lot farther than people expected but it's disappointing to see them fail when they were so close to a NBA Championship. People assume the Bulls will get this far next year but will they? I thought for sure the Cubs would get to the World Series in 2004 after reaching the NLCS in 2003. Since 2003, they haven't won another playoff game. I thought that the 2007 Chicago Bears would win the Super Bowl after the 2006 Bears lost in Super Bowl XLI. The 2007 Bears failed to make the playoffs and have made the playoffs only once since then. Nothing is guaranteed in sports. Next year, the Bulls may not win 60 games again. They may fall to the #3 seed in the East and they may not even make it past the second round.


Maybe the Bulls can do what the Chicago Blackhawks did. The Blackhawks fell just short of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2009 and then they won the Stanley Cup in 2010. I wish the Bulls can do what the Blackhawks did. I hope the Bulls come back even hungrier than they were this year. But I'm not sure if I believe that will happen. I really think this could be the closest the Bulls will get to the NBA Finals for the next five years.


Hopefully I'm wrong but I think five years from now, I will look back at this game and this series and get upset because the Bulls had a chance to win it all and they couldn't do it. Fans can't assume the Bulls will get another chance to reach the NBA Finals in the near future. I would not be surprised at all if it takes at least six years for the Bulls to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls were lucky that none of their starters suffered a season-ending injury. The other teams in the East will get better. Hopefully the Bulls get better too and can stay healthy for a second season in a row. The Bulls need to add one more good player. If they don't do that this off-season, then I'm not sure how the Bulls can get to the NBA Finals. Teams have discovered that the Bulls are for real. They won't be taken lightly next year. If the Bulls come back with the exact same team they had this year, I'm not sure they can get farther in the playoffs. They need to add one or two more players who can take the Bulls to the next level. They will have more experience going into next year no matter what but that is not enough.


At this point, I don't really care who wins the Heat-Mav's match-up in the NBA Finals. Whoever wins, it will mean nothing to me. It won't change the fact that the Bulls aren't gonna win the NBA Championship this year. If I had to pick one team to win, it would be Dallas. I don't really care much about Dallas, but I don't want Miami to win. Or maybe Miami should win. Not to show that the Bulls could have won the title if they faced Dallas because I already knew that but if Miami wins, then they got their championship and may be less motivated to win another one next season. If Miami loses, they will come back even hungrier than the Bulls. LeBron James really wants to win his first championship and to lose now after getting this close would really motivate him for next year. But I think I really do want Miami to lose. If losing motivates Miami more for next year then so be it. Next year, I would rather see the Bulls beat a motivated Miami team than a Miami team that has already won a championship. I hate the Heat and I hate LeBron. There was a time I wanted to LeBron to come to Chicago but instead he took his talents to South Beach. If he can stay there for the rest of his career if he wants. We got Derrick Rose and he's our Superstar.

I hope LeBron never wins a championship and I hope Rose leads the Bulls to a championship at least one time just to show LeBron that he made a big mistake. I hate LeBron and the Heat and I hope nothing but the worse for them. Bulls-Heat could be an epic rivalry for many many years and I want the Bulls to win a championship before the Heat do.


Hopefully the Bulls can get back to the Eastern Conference Finals next year and finish the job. Right now I am officially looking at this season as a step in the right direction but a missed opportunity the Bulls may never get again in the near future.

Derrick Rose is the NBA MVP

Congrats to Derrick Rose! Youngest MVP in history! Thanks for making me proud to be a Bulls fan.

Bulls can beat the Cavs......assuming they don't get beat by the refs

I think the Chicago Bulls match-up with the Cleveland Cavs very nicely. Let's re-visit the four regular season games:

Game #1: Bulls win 86-85

This was an impressive win for the Bulls. It was on the road and both Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James were in the lineup for the Cavs. Yes the Bulls still had John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas but neither had a great game. Salmons scored 14 points but his +/- score was -2 (meaning that the Bulls allowed two more points than they scored when Salmons was on the court). As for Thomas, he scored only six points and had just one rebound and one block in 12 minutes. Also, LeBron had a pretty good game scoring 25 points with seven rebounds and six assists. If the Bulls could be the Cavs on the road with LeBron having a good game, why can't they do it again in the playoffs?

Game #2: Cavs win 101-87

The Cavs won this one but the Cavs were at home so it was an expected win for the Cavs. LeBron scored 23 points with 11 assists. The good thing about this game was that the Bulls trailed by only one point at halftime. The bad thing was that the Cavs outscored the Bulls 29-15 in the 3rd quarter. If the Bulls are going to have a chance in this series, they can't allow the Cavs to have a big quarter especially in the second half. It resulted in a Bulls loss in this game and it will probably result in a loss if it happens in the playoffs. A big concern is can the Bulls score enough. The Bulls scored 86 in game one but were able to somehow hold Cleveland to 85 points. The defense couldn't do it for a second time and Cleveland scored over 100. The Cavs have other scorers besides LeBron so it's important that the Bulls try to keep to Cavs under 100 points if they can.


Game #3: Cavs win 92-87


Even though they lost, this game was also impressive by the Bulls. Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah all did not play and yet the Bulls lost by only seven points. LeBron had another good game. This time he scored 29 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Bulls were actually winning 78-76 with 6:11 left in the game. It doesn't matter that LeBron was on the bench for most of the fourth quarter....the Bulls were missing three of their best players! The Bulls are at full strength now and I think they might have won this game if no one was injured.

Game #4: Bulls win 109-108

LeBron James did not play for the Cavs. Bulls led by 12 in the third quarter but Cavs took a four point lead with less than five minutes left in the game. The Bulls retook the lead and held the Cavs scoreless in the last 1:31 of the game and won by one point. Rose scored 24 points. Noah scored 17 with 15 rebounds. The Bulls won this game but barely and LeBron was out the entire game. Not good. It's safe to say the Bulls would probably lose this game if LeBron was playing. Mo Williams had a great game scoring 35 points with six three-pointers. Antawn Jamison scored 23 points. It was a reminder that the Cavs have other players besides LeBron that the Bulls need to worry about.

The Bulls played tough with the Cavs during the four games. You can argue the Cavs would have won the series if LeBron played in the fourth game. I think the Bulls could have won the third game if Rose, Deng, and Noah were playing. The Bulls played the Cavs well during the regular season. The "experts" predicting a sweep are ignorant. This will not be a sweep. This will be an interesting #1 vs. #8 playoff series. This is really a #1 vs. a #5 because the Bulls are better than a #8 seed. If they did not get injuries to Noah, Rose, and Deng, the Bulls would not be facing the Cavs right now. If the Cavs treat the Bulls like a #8 seed, they will regret it. The Cavs need to stay focused. The worst thing they can do is worry about who they'll be facing in the second round. If they don't worry about the Bulls, there won't be a second round for them. I think this series could go at least six games. I really think LeBron is carrying the Cavs. If the Bulls can shutdown LeBron, the Bulls could do well. However, it is a concern that the Bulls nearly lost against Cleveland without LeBron and in the case of Cleveland, the loss of one player does make a huge difference. The Bulls are even capable of winning this series if Rose plays great, Noah plays great, and the Bulls shoot the ball very well.

My biggest fear may not be LeBron James at this point. I'm worried about the referees. I really think the refs are somewhat biased. James will get foul calls where there is no contact. Bulls players will get mugged under the basket and no fouls will be called. We might even see the Cleveland players flop on some plays resulting in the Bulls getting called for an offensive foul. I'm sure there will several moments in which the refs make questionable calls against the Bulls and in favor of the Cavs. My fear is that the Bulls will lose to the Cavs not because the Cavs played better but because the Cavs got the better calls by the refs. The player to watch is Derrick Rose. Last year Rose got no foul calls because he was a rookie. Now he's an all-star so he should get those calls now. However, there has been times during the regular season in which Rose got fouled and the refs didn't call it. Bulls TV announcer Stacy King has often said, "Rose is an all-star and no longer a rookie....he should be getting those calls now." Will the refs call it both ways? If they don't, it could play a huge role in the Cavs series victory.

I'm gonna say Cavs in six but I think the Bulls are definitely capable of making this series look like the Boston-Chicago series from last year only this year, the Bulls might actually finish the job.

Kelly Dwyer loves dissing the Bulls

Yahoo! Sport's Kelly Dwyer is a Bulls fan but you would never realize it from what he writes in his posts. First, he said that the mid-season projection that the Bulls would finish the season with a 37-45 record was "probably" right and that the projected 37 wins "might be a little optimistic." The Bulls suffered a ten game losing streak since then and yet currently have 39 wins with a chance to finish with 41 wins....four more than the projected total Dwyer said the Bulls would probably get.

After that, you'd think Dwyer would stop bashing the Bulls but recently he was at it again. Dwyer wrote two pieces: one on the Bulls' chances of making the playoffs and the second one on the Raptors' chances of making the playoffs. In the Bulls post, Dwyer has harsh words but for the most part he's right. Dwyer says, "Chicago is at its worst offensively. It doesn't have a low post presence, and the team's best offensive options rely on the worst shot in basketball to make their hay -- the contested long two-pointer." That sounds mostly accurate. However, Dwyer never says if the Bulls are going to make the playoffs or not. He just says that it is "too tough to gauge."

In the Raptors post, he pretty much reveals he thinks the Raptors will make it. Dwyer points out all the problems that the Raptors have been having and then writes, "But they're up against the Bulls, who might be at full strength, but it's the saddest 'full strength' you've ever seen." Dwyer is just getting started. He later writes, "It shouldn't be a surprise if the Bulls actually drop all four of their games between now and the end of the season, the talent just isn't there, and there is sound justification for all four of Chicago's opponents (New Jersey, Toronto, Boston, Charlotte) to want to win whilst going with the full rotation." And he doesn't stop there. He mentions that the Raptors will be at home versus the Bulls and "even with Bosh out and the Raptors handing Chicago open shots, will the Bulls score enough to keep it close? I'd pencil this one in for Toronto." Dwyer wraps his post up writing, "Toronto has the easier schedule, and even without their best player, their strengths still seem to fly higher than Chicago's strengths. Whatever Chicago's strengths are."

Dwyer wrote his latest post this morning after his Bulls beat the Raptors 104-88 despite Dwyer's prediction that the Raptors would win. The Bulls are finally going to get praise from Dwyer now right? Well....sort of. Dwyer writes, "Let's give credit where credit is due. Chicago took this." That's a nice comment to make about the Bulls other than the fact Dwyer built it up as if he didn't want to admit his favorite team played well last night. Prior to the comment about the Bulls taking it, Dwyer wrote, "I was ready to go off on the Raptors, I really was. For having no heart. For failing to show up for the biggest game of the season, played in the wheelhouse (a home Sunday contest in the daylight hours) that has served them so well all season. For losing to a pretty bad Bulls team. By a lot." Sounds like he wanted to make it sound more like the Raptors lost and less like the Bulls won. However, Dwyer then wrote, "But a day later, I'm not sure that's the right take. Sure, the Raptors slept through this, but what were we expecting from these guys? Is this in any way out of character for the Raps? Haven't we seen this all season? Why are we supposed to get haughty when the Raptors went all Raptor on us?" So far so good. Dwyer is actually ripping the Raptors and actually said a nice thing about the Bulls. Dwyer wrote more nice things about the Bulls...so much that posting them all would take up too much space. Stuff about how the Bulls played with great energy on the road, how they were quicker than the Raptors, and how their defense really stepped up. And just when you think Dwyer has finally stopped hating on the Bulls, he writes, "Chicago is Chicago, so Toronto's not out of this yet."

I'm afraid to see what Dwyer will write next about the Bulls. He seems to rip them whenever he gets the chance and whenever they do something good, he gives them compliments that sound backhanded. I know because of his role as an NBA blogger he doesn't want to sound biased towards the Bulls but he has ripped the Bulls so much that it makes it seem like he is biased AGAINST the Bulls. I'm going to say this right now even though I'm afraid I might be wrong....the Bulls are going to make the playoffs. There I said it. I think they got it. I'm not saying that because I'm a biased Bulls fan....I'm saying it because the Bulls are the better team right now. Right now people are wondering if the Bulls can beat the Celtics and the Bobcats. But, can the Raptors win two games in a row? I believe the Raptors will lose at least one of their remaining two games and the Bulls will win at least one of their remaining two games. If that happens, the Bulls are in the playoffs. The Bulls could clinch as early as tomorrow night. I could be wrong but I want to give Dwyer the chance to rip me. I've been ripping on his predictions but I'm not giving him a chance to rip any of my predictions. So I'm officially predicting the Bulls will make the playoffs despite the fact their chances are seem to be barely better than 50-50 right now in my opinion. And what if the Bulls do make the playoffs? What will Dwyer say then? Surely he'll point out the fact the Raptors were missing Chris Bosh and ignore the fact the Bulls lost ten games in a row without Joakim Noah. He'll say that all the Bulls really won was the opportunity to get swept by Cleveland in the first round. The Bulls' season may continue but the Dwyer hating will not stop. If the Bulls do make the playoffs, I hope they do well enough against Cleveland to finally shut him up and make him admit the Bulls are not as bad as he says they are.

Bulls playoff chances/Could the Bulls get Chris Bosh?

I regret to say I watched most of the 4th quarter and both overtimes of the Bulls-Nets game last night. I feel like I wasted one hour of my weekend for nothing. The Bulls should have won their game against the Nets (Nets won 127-116 in double overtime) even though it was the Nets who blew a double-digit 4th quarter lead. I can write a lot about what went wrong but I'll make it brief: missed free throws by the Bulls prevented them from winning in regulation and the refs screwed the Bulls in the first overtime. As for the second overtime, the Raptors dominated but there shouldn't have been a second overtime. The game should have ended in the first overtime. Derrick Rose got fouled causing him to lose the ball with 25 seconds left in the first overtime with the Bulls up two. He hits two free throws to put the Bulls up by four and the Bulls hold on for the win right? Wrong. There were no free throws because the idiot refs ruled that Rose lost the ball on his own and they gave the ball to the Nets after the ball went out of bounds. What the replays showed was a Nets player pulling on Rose's left arm and then the ball immediately coming out of Rose's hands. The Nets then tie the game with two free throws and the games goes to double overtime after Rose misses a potential game winning shot.

I could say more but nothing I say can change the loss to a win so the only thing left is to look forward to Sunday's important game versus the Toronto Raptors who are tied with the Bulls for the eight and final playoff seed and hold the tiebreaker. Can the Bulls make the playoffs? First of all, I expect the Bulls to beat the Raptors. They have been mediocre without star forward Chris Bosh and the Bulls should be able to take advantage of that like they did against Cleveland who was missing LeBron James. The problem is that the next two games after that (home vs. Boston, at Charlotte) are pretty much must-win games. However, I think the Raptors may lose one of their remaining games after the Bulls game. They are on the road against Detroit and home against New York but I think both of those teams will look to play spoiler. Detroit picked up a win against Miami which leads me to think they have a pretty good shot at stealing a win against Toronto on Monday especially considering Toronto will be playing the second game of a back-to-back against Detroit. But the Bulls need to stop hoping for the Raptors to lose and worry about winning their own games. Had the Bulls won last night, I would be very confident that the Bulls would make the playoffs heading into the Toronto game. With the loss, I still think they can do it but it's going to be harder now and the game against the Raptors is definitely a must win game for them. At this point, I can't predict if the Bulls will make it or not. I want to say they will make the playoffs but I'm not sure. They need to beat Toronto tomorrow and if that happens, I would have to say the Bulls would be the favorite to make the playoffs at that point.

Now, I also want to talk about Chris Bosh possibly going to the Bulls. In my opinion, the Bulls MUST make it to the playoffs. Not just to give them more playoff experience or for the rest of the nation to get a good look at Derrick Rose and see that the Bulls are just one star player away from being really good, but also because if the Bulls make the playoffs, that means Chris Bosh and the Raptors will not. As you might know, Bosh is a free agent after this season. I don't see why he would want to stay in Toronto and if the Raptors miss the playoffs, I think it's a lock that he leaves. And I think the team he might join is the Bulls. Think about it......Bosh was carrying the Raptors and now he is seeing what kind of team the Raptors are with Bosh out of the lineup. If the Bulls can make the playoffs without a player like Bosh, imagine how far they can go WITH a player like Bosh. This doesn't mean I'm completely confident Bosh would go to the Bulls but I think Bosh knows he has a better chance at winning a championship with the Bulls than he does with the Raptors so I think the Bulls have a good chance at getting him. But the Bulls MUST beat out the Raptors for that final spot or else Bosh might think the Bulls AREN'T a better situation for him than the Raptors and he might start looking for other teams that might be better for him. Or worst case scenario....not only do the Raptors make the playoffs but they actually do well against the Cleveland Cavs in the first round. If the Raptors were to be competitive with the Cavs, then Bosh might think the Raptors are just one key player away from being a contender and he might stay in Toronto. The point is that the Bulls making the playoffs makes them more likely to get Bosh and missing the playoffs makes them less likely to get Bosh.

Dwyer prediction update

Not too long ago, Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports predicted the Bulls would finish the year at 37-45. Right now, the Bulls are 30-27 meaning they would have to go 7-18 or worse for Dwyer to be right. In his defense, he made his prediction right before the Bulls won five straight games on the road. So to make it fair, I said the Bulls would finish closer to 47 wins than 37 wins. So for me to be right, the Bulls need to finish with 43 wins or more. For Dwyer to be right, the Bulls need to finish with 41 wins or less. If the Bulls finish at 42-40, it's a tie between me and Dwyer.

So let's break it down:

I need the Bulls to go 13-12 or better.
Dwyer needs the Bulls to go 7-18 or worse.

Check back at the end of the season to see who is right.

UPDATE: Kelly Dwyer emailed me saying that the 37-45 record was a projection not a prediction. While that is correct, he did ask in the blog post, "Does that sound about right?" His response to his own question was, "Probably....The Bulls have quite a few road games left this year, so it's possible that the mathematic course toward 37 might be a little optimistic."

Tyrus Thomas traded to Charlotte Bobcats

Tyrus Thomas is now on the Charlotte Bobcats and is now teammates with ex-Bull Tyson Chandler. The reason that is significant is because like Thomas, Chandler was someone the Bulls acquired in a draft day trade and had high expectations for. For a second, it seemed the Bulls were going to regret trading Chandler. In his full season away from the Bulls, Chandler averaged a career-high 9.5 points per game (PPG) and a career-high 12.4 rebounds per game (RPG) for the New Orleans Hornets during the 2006-07 season. The next year he averaged 11.8 PPG and 11.8 RPG and appeared to be the player the Bulls were hoping he would be. However, he has battled injuries in the last two seasons and is currently averaging 6.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG in only 28 games this season for the Bobcats.

So far, it seems like the Bulls have no big regrets about trading Chandler but it is unclear if the same can be said about Thomas. Thomas was the 4th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and was considered one of the top players in the draft because of his athleticism. The Bulls saw flashes of promise from Thomas starting last year when he averaged 10.9 PPG and 6.4 RPG in the 2008-09 season. However this season, Thomas has seen a drop in scoring (8.8 PPG) and a slight drop in rebounding (6.3 RPG). His attitude problems and the fact that rookie forward Taj Gibson has been just as good as Thomas this season led to a decision by the Bulls to trade Thomas yesterday.

Thomas has amazing talent and he's still very young. The biggest problems he had on the Bulls were inconsistency and the fact he tried to do too much at times. Thomas now joins a team that is coached by veteran Larry Brown who is a very respected head coach. Maybe Brown can get the most of out Thomas's abilities which are blocking shots, grabbing rebounds, and finishing strong underneath the hoop. Thomas may never be a superstar but I see him being a valuable player for any team especially the Bobcats who seem to be a lock to reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.


I wish Thomas luck and I hope he does well. However, I also hope the Bulls don't regret trading Thomas. I think the Bulls were right to trade him because it was unlikely that they would have re-signed him after the season. I just hope someday the future the Bulls won't find themselves watching a great Tyrus Thomas highlight on ESPN and say, "I wish we had him right now."

Dywer predicts 37-45 season for Bulls

Kelly Dwyer, a blogger for the Yahoo! Sports blog Ball Don't Lie, recently wrote in a blog entry that the Chicago Bulls will finish 37-45.

Dwyer writes,

"Does that sound about right? Probably. The team at once under and overachieves, the coaching can run from something that absolutely destroys the team's chances, to something that the team is able to overcome, and the result (as it was last year) is a record near or at .500. The Bulls have quite a few road games left this year, so it's possible that the mathematic course toward 37 might be a little optimistic."

In his defense, he wrote this on January 22nd which was one day after the Bulls lost their second straight road game and one day before they started their current five-game road winning streak. However, this was also after the Bulls won 8 of their last 13 games which was 8 wins in 11 games before the seven game road trip started with two straight losses. The Bulls were four games under .500 (18-22) when he wrote this so that means despite winning 8 of the last 13 games, Dwyer envisioned this Bulls team going 19-23 for the rest of the season. Is that a fair thing to say? No....not at all. The Bulls were a mediocre 7-8 in December but that is at least close to a .500 record. Even with the recent two and three-game losing streaks, the Bulls were 5-5 after 10 games in January. So since the end of November, the Bulls had been 12-13. They were slowly improving each month thanks to the fact Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich are now both healthy. Also, Derrick Rose is at 100% after being hurt to start the season. The Bulls appeared to be on their way up so why did Dwyer assume they'd go 19-23 for the rest of the season (42 games)? Maybe he failed to do much research about the Bulls and just assumed the Bulls would choke at the end of the season like always. There's just one problem with that.....the Bulls went 27-23 in their last 50 games last season. That's a longer stretch and a much better record. However, Dywer would argue the Bulls had Ben Gordon last year and this year they do not. That doesn't matter because the Bulls were 23-30 at the all-star break last year. It isn't the all-star break yet this year and the Bulls are already 23-22.

Ok...maybe it is unfair that I'm writing this now after the Bulls have won five games in a row. I wish I had written this earlier but oh well. What I'm trying to say is that Dwyer's 37-45 prediction is not gonna happen. Not because he was too optimistic by saying the Bulls would win 37 games but because the Bulls are probably going to win closer to 47 games. The Bulls have 23 wins right now with 37 games to go. According to Dwyer, the Bulls are going to win only 14 more games giving them a 13-24 record in the final 37 games. My prediction is that the Bulls will win 24 games giving them a 24-13 record in the final 37 games. Let's see who is closer.

Worst Bulls loss I've ever witnessed

February 27, 2009.

I'm going to remember this day as the day I couldn't be more embarrassed to be a Bulls fan. Let me explain why this is the worst Bulls loss I've ever witnessed. It is not just the game but other things as well. The Bulls faced the NBA's worst team with President Obama in attendance on the day after Chicago icons Norm Van Lier and Johnny "Red" Kerr died. And despite all this, the Bulls lose by a large margin. Makes me sick.

Goodbye to Norm Van Lier and Johnny "Red" Kerr

It was a sad day for me yesterday when I found out Norm Van Lier had died. I felt just as sad this morning when I learned that Johnny "Red" Kerr had died as well. May they rest in peace and God bless their friends and family.

Hey The Bulls Have a Postseason Win!

Chicago Bulls fans are partying like it's 1999.

Last Tuesday, the Bulls won the NBA Draft Lottery and has the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft for the 1st time since 1999 when they drafted Elton Brand. If the Bulls keep the pick, they will either draft Derrick Rose, a 6-3 point guard from Memphis University, or Michael Beasley, a 6-9 power forward out of Kansas State University. Who should the Bulls pick? It's a no-brainer for me: Rose. It has little to do with the fact he's a Chicago kid. The Bulls are lacking a true point guard. I can't even remember the last time we had a real point guard. Even in the Jordan era, Ron Harper was really a shooting guard but had to play point. You look at successful teams like San Antonio (Tony Parker), Detroit (Chauncey Billups), New Orleans (Chris Paul), Utah (Deron Williams), Phoenix (Steve Nash), and you realize that point guards are important in the NBA like quarterbacks are important in the NFL. Rose has leadership qualities, can play defense, and can even be a solid scoring option. Most importantly, he knows how to be unselfish and make great passes to his teammates. He's being referred to as a combination of Paul and Williams. I really believe this kid has a chance to break the Bulls long streak without an all-star. In fact, he could become a superstar someday.

Rose is the player we need. Just look at our projected starting lineup with Rose:
pg. Rose
sg. kirk hinrich
sf. luol deng
pf. drew gooden
c. jokiam noah

That's a solid starting lineup right there and the Bulls will finally have a playmaker who can get open looks for guys like Deng, Kirk, and Gordon as well as dish down low to Drew and Noah. He'll make us so much better offensively. Think about it: the Bulls were trying to trade for Kobe Bryant who is a playmaker with leadership qualities and can help the team when the game is on the line. Rose can be that player and the Bulls don't have to trade any of their "core" players. Rose is the leader and star the Bulls desperately need. Guys like Michael Beasley are in the draft every year. A guy like Rose isn't always available. Add Derrick Rose and the Bulls will become instant contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Why I want Kobe Bryant in a Bulls Jersey

Maybe you agree with me, maybe not. Yes Kobe would be the go-to scorer the Bulls need and might be the player the Bulls need to take that next step, but here is why I really want Kobe:

In the 9 years since Michael Jordan played his last game with the Bulls, the closest player the Bulls came to having a superstar was Jalen Rose. The Bulls don't get respect because no one knows any of the players. Ben Wallace might be a recognizable name but he is more well-known for his afro or his fight with Ron Artest. I wonder how many ordinary fans know about Wallace's defensive ability. Kobe Bryant is well-known for all the right reasons. He is one of the best scorers in the NBA and he has 3 championships. He is the only active player to score 81 points in a game. Michael Jordan never scored 81 points in a game! Bryant is so famous that his 4 letter first name, Kobe, is recognizable. You tell someone that Kobe scored 34 points, everyone knows which Kobe you are talking about. Sure the Bulls have players that can be identified by their first name. They got players whose names are Thabo, Tryus, Jokiam, and Luol. The problem is, Bulls fans are the only fans who know the last name of those players. You think Luol Deng is a superstar? How many times is his name mentioned on ESPN? Why do fans want their team to win championships? It's because they want the nation to pay more attention to their city. The L.A. Galaxy got David Beckham this year. Did they think he'd be a good contributer? Maybe, but they'd be lying if they didn't think Beckham to draw attention to their team. I'm sure many people had not even heard of the L.A. Galaxy before Beckham joined the team.

Will Kobe get the Bulls a championship? I don't know. But the Bulls have a chance to get the best player in the NBA. We as fans will have the opportunity to see a NBA superstar 3-4 times a week. ESPN and other media outlets will be talking about what happened in Chicago not what is going on in LA or New York. I have been to about 2 Bulls games but I never saw Michael Jordan play in person. I am going to a Bulls game in December. This could be my only opportunity to witness a live performance by a future NBA hall of famer. The Bulls have to make this trade. I'm tired of the Chicago Bulls not getting the attention they deserve, less than a decade after they were the greatest team in the world. The Bulls no longer have Jordan and the Cubs no longer have Sammy Sosa. It's time for Chicago to have a superstar. I don't care what it costs. I want Kobe Bryant on the Bulls more than an Eastern conference title, which is the farthest this Bulls team will go in the playoffs.

Kobe to the Bulls?

Many News sites have said that L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is demanding a trade and the Chicago Bulls are a possible destination.

Excerpt from Msnbc.com's article about Kobe:

Just weeks after announcing on a sports radio show of being "frustrated" and expressing a desire to be traded from the Lakers only to later back off after talking to coach Phil Jackson, Bryant met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Friday in Barcelona and reiterated his trade demand, the Los Angeles Times and Press Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) reported.

Bryant is the only NBA player with a no-trade clause in his contract. He had said he would waive that clause. But he could make a trade more difficult because he has a three-team wish list, the Press Enterprise reported Friday. Two of the teams are the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

One report had the Lakers hoping to acquire Bulls center Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chicago's No. 1 draft pick (9) for Bryant.

But the sources said every team, including the Bulls, knows the Lakers will try to "gut" a team in order to get as much value as possible for Bryant.

Bryant could also veto a trade if he thinks the team has to give up too many players, which, the sources said, could also make a trade more difficult.

For a team to acquire Bryant, it cannot swap one or more players exceeding 125 percent of his $19,490,625 million salary he'll earn this season.

What will the Bulls' seed be when the playoffs start?

The Bulls are currently the 5th seed, but I think they could be higher than that once the playoffs start. I decided to predict the records of the teams who the Bulls are either going to have to pass or have to stay in front of.

NOTE: I have not included the Toronto Raptors, who are currently the #4 seed. After looking at their remaining schedule, I don't think they will win as many games as the Bulls so it would be meaningless to try to predict their record. The reason the Raptors are #4 even though the Bulls are better is because they are leading their division and the Bulls are not. Division leaders are guaranteed a top 4 seed. I think the Raptors will win their division, so if the Bulls can not finish better than the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers the Bulls will have a lower seed than the Raptors.

Detriot Pistons: Currently 41-22

Mar 16 at Phoenix- L
Mar 18 vs Dallas- L
Mar 20 vs Philadelphia- W (42)
Mar 22 at Houston- L
Mar 23 at San Antonio- L
Mar 25 at Milwaukee- W (43)
Mar 26 vs Denver- W (44)
Mar 29 at Chicago- L
Mar 30 vs New Jersey- W (45)
Apr 1 vs Miami- W (46)
Apr 3 at Indiana- W (47)
Apr 4 vs Chicago- L
Apr 8 vs Cleveland- W (48)
Apr 9 at New York- W (49)
Apr 11 vs Orlando- W (50)
Apr 13 at Toronto- W (51)
Apr 15 vs Philadelphia- W (52)
Apr 17 vs Toronto- W (53)
Apr 18 at Boston- W (54)

Predicted Record: 54-28

Cleveland Cavaliers: Currently 40-25

Mar 17 vs Utah- L
Mar 20 at Charlotte- W (41)
Mar 21 vs Dallas- L
Mar 23 vs New York- W (42)
Mar 25 vs Denver- W (43)
Mar 27 at Indiana- W (44)
Mar 28 at New York- W (45)
Mar 31 at Chicago- L
Apr 1 at Boston- W (46)
Apr 3 at Minnesota- W (47)
Apr 5 vs Miami- W (48)
Apr 6 at Washington- L
Apr 8 at Detroit- L
Apr 12 vs New Jersey- W (49)
Apr 14 vs Atlanta- W (50)
Apr 17 at Philadelphia- W (51)
Apr 18 vs Milwaukee- W (52)

Predicted Record: 52-30

Washington Wizards: Currently 35-28

Mar 17 vs New Orl/OKC- W (36)
Mar 20 at Portland- W (37)
Mar 21 at Seattle- W (38)
Mar 23 at Golden State- W (39)
Mar 24 at LA Clippers- W (40)
Mar 26 at Utah- L
Mar 28 vs Philadelphia- W (41)
Mar 30 vs Toronto- L
Apr 1 at Milwaukee- W (42)
Apr 3 at Charlotte- W (43)
Apr 4 vs Charlotte- W (44)
Apr 6 vs Cleveland- W (45)
Apr 7 at New Jersey- W (46)
Apr 10 vs New Jersey- W (47)
Apr 11 at Miami- L
Apr 13 at Atlanta- W (48)
Apr 15 vs Chicago- W (49)
Apr 17 vs Orlando- W (50)
Apr 18 at Indiana- W (51)

Predicted Record: 51-31

Chicago Bulls: Currently 39-28

Mar 17 at Memphis- W (40)
Mar 20 vs LA Clippers- W (41)
Mar 22 vs Denver- W (42)
Mar 25 at Indiana- W (43)
Mar 26 vs Portland- W (44)
Mar 29 vs Detroit- W (45)
Mar 31 vs Cleveland- W (46)
Apr 1 at Atlanta- W (47)
Apr 4 at Detroit- W (48)
Apr 6 vs New Jersey- W (49)
Apr 8 at Toronto- W (50)
Apr 10 vs New York- W (51)
Apr 13 vs Charlotte- W (52)
Apr 15 at Washington- L
Apr 18 at New Jersey- W (53)

Predicted Record: 53-29

Miami Heat: Currently 34-29

Mar 15 at New Jersey- W (35)
Mar 16 vs Sacramento- W (36)
Mar 18 vs Orlando- W (37)
Mar 21 at Atlanta- W (38)
Mar 23 at Indiana- W (39)
Mar 24 vs Philadelphia- W (40)
Mar 26 vs Atlanta- W (41)
Mar 28 at Toronto- L
Mar 30 at Minnesota- W (42)
Apr 1 at Detroit- L
Apr 3 vs Toronto- W (43)
Apr 5 at Cleveland- L
Apr 6 at Boston- W (44)
Apr 8 vs Charlotte- W (45)
Apr 10 at Charlotte- W (46)
Apr 11 vs Washington- W (47)
Apr 13 vs Indiana- W (48)
Apr 16 vs Boston- W (49)
Apr 18 at Orlando- W (50)

Predicted Record: 50-32

Here is my predicted playoff seeding:

1. Pistons 54-28
2. Bulls 53-27
3. Wizards 51-31
4. Raptors
5. Cavaliers 52-30
6. Heat 50-32

I have the Bulls getting the 2nd seed in the playoffs. I offer no guaranttees. It is very likely that each team will have 1-2 less wins than my predictions. There are many games each team could very easily lose, but I have picked the wins based on games they should win. For example, it can be argued that the Cleveland Cavaliers could beat the Washington Wizards on April 6. However, because the game is in Washington, I said that the Wizards would win. Now, you may notice that I have the Bulls beating the Pistons in Detroit. I picked the Bulls to win because the Bulls beat the Pistons by 17 points in their 1st meeting and then lost by 2 in Detroit after leading by as many as 16 points. I think the Bulls should beat the Pistons, because I don't think Detroit is better than the Bulls and I don't see any reason for me to believe that the Bulls will lose. I hate making predictions because I'm not always right. We'll see how close (or far away) I was at the end of the season.

Is 50 wins still realistic for the Bulls?

A while ago, I made my predictions on how many more games the Bulls would win. The Bulls have 39 wins, so they are still 11 wins short of 50 wins.

Here is how I did so far with my prediction (actual result in parentheses):

Feb 20 vs Atlanta- W (W)
Feb 22 at Cleveland- L (W)
Feb 23 vs Washington- W (W)
Feb 25 at Detroit- L (L)
Feb 26 vs Orlando- W (L)
Feb 28 vs Golden State- W (W)
Mar 2 vs New Orl/OKC- W (W)
Mar 4 at Milwaukee- W (W)
Mar 7 at Miami- L (L)
Mar 8 at Orlando- W (W)
Mar 11 at Boston- W (W)
Mar 13 vs Boston- W (W)
Mar 14 at Philadelphia- W (W)
Mar 17 at Memphis- W (?) (40)
Mar 20 vs LA Clippers- W (?) (41)
Mar 22 vs Denver- L (?)
Mar 25 at Indiana- W (?) (42)
Mar 26 vs Portland- W (?) (43)
Mar 29 vs Detroit- W (?) (44)
Mar 31 vs Cleveland- W (?) (45)
Apr 1 at Atlanta- W (?) (46)
Apr 4 at Detroit- L (?)
Apr 6 vs New Jersey- W (?) (47)
Apr 8 at Toronto- L (?)
Apr 10 vs New York- W (?) (48)
Apr 13 vs Charlotte- W (?) (49)
Apr 15 at Washington- L (?)
Apr 18 at New Jersey- W (?)(50)

I still have the Bulls winning 50 games. I want to make changes to my current predictions. I have decided to change my predicted losses to Denver, Detroit away, and Toronto away into wins. That would have the Bulls finishing the season with 53 wins.

Bulls may trade for Abdur-Rahim, Wells

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls are unlikely to acquire Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol, but might trade for Sacramento Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Houston Rockets guard Bonzi Wells.

Here is an excerpt from today's article in the Tribune titled "Bulls have eyes for Abdur-Rahim, Wells":

Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the most prominently mentioned possibility in the latter scenario, though a late rumor Wednesday had the Bulls trying to pry Bonzi Wells from the Rockets.

A Bulls team source said Paxson wasn't optimistic but had to wait until Thursday to see if Grizzlies general manager Jerry West would lower his asking price for Gasol. That chance has been rejected categorically in public comments from West and Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley.

Paxson is active, though, and said to want a deal with his team underachieving in the winnable Eastern Conference.

P.J. Brown's expiring $8.6 million salary has drawn considerable interest, but the Bulls are keeping him in case the Gasol talks change direction Thursday. Neither team expects that to happen.

The Bulls also have the expiring deals of Michael Sweetney and Malik Allen, which could be used in a deal with the Kings. Abdur-Rahim has three years and $18.6 million left on his deal.

Wells is a post-up guard about whom coach Scott Skiles has talked favorably in the past. Off the court, Wells has been cited for criminal trespass while with the Trail Blazers and had several run-ins with coaches, including being deactivated earlier this season by Jeff Van Gundy for a lack of conditioning.

Those character issues would seem to run counter to the philosophy of an organization that has sent Tim Thomas home and J.R. Smith to the Nuggets for lesser transgressions.

Wells' $2.1 million salary is a matchable trade with Sweetney's $2.7 million deal.

Skiles met with Paxson on Wednesday morning before the team departed for Cleveland.

"As coaches, even though I know more than the average person, I still have to operate under the assumption that this is the team we're going to [have] the rest of the season," Skiles said. "If you don't do that, you're making a mistake."

Sam Smith wrote what he thinks Bulls chances are of getting either Abdur-Rahim or Wells in his column today:

The talk is that the Kings want to come out of the deal with a young player, a draft pick and salary-cap relief. They don't have all those assets, which could open the way for the Bulls to end up with Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Wells is a post-up guard who is on the outs with the Rockets and again exhibiting unreliable behavior. His contract status, though, is favorable. He has an opt-out after this season he says he will use, and he had a great finish for the Kings last season.

Wells inexplicably rejected an offer of about $30 million to re-sign, and Wells was left to take just $2 million from the Rockets. There's a good chance he would be motivated for two months to get a new contract and could be a weapon for a team like the Bulls if they don't make a major deal. Still, the Bulls have a history of avoiding potentially difficult players such as Wells.

For two months, the Bulls probably could put up with a character. Perhaps Houston would accept salary-cap relief and a second-round pick.

I don't really want either trade to happen. Most likely the Bulls might have to trade one of their young stars: Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, Luol Deng, or Andres Nocioni. Unless the Bulls can get a trade done without including those five players, I say let the trade deadline pass and stick with the players the Bulls have now. The Bulls are already a good team and my fear is that a trade could make them worse, not better.

Can the Bulls Win 50 Games?

In today's Chicago Tribune, there is a short article titled "Bulls' 50-win goal seems like a stretch".

Here is an excerpt from that article:

Players are giving more voice to a quietly formed goal of 50 victories, even as it appears to be slipping away.

The Bulls must go 21-7 over their final games—14 at home, 14 on the road—to meet this goal, which seemed a foregone conclusion in the giddiness after signing Ben Wallace. The way the Bulls limped into the break, with five losses in six games, suggests the task will be tall.

Poor decision-making on offense, a recent lack of focus and intensity on defense and an injury to Andres Nocioni, whose participation Monday is questionable, has left more reasons for pessimism than optimism recently.

Still, hope exists.

"This is the time of year where we've started playing really well the last two years," coach Scott Skiles said. "We're close in a lot of games to playing really well. We've had our inconsistencies. We need to come out of the gate and play well after the break and try to build some momentum."

Indeed, the Bulls have closed the last two seasons by going 21-12 after the break in 2004-05 and 18-12 last season. But improvement is needed, especially in terms of consistency. Indeed, the Bulls seem to have one prolonged stretch of inconsistency and bad play each game, from which they don't recover.

K.C. Johnson, the author of the article, said that the Bulls must improve on bench play, the transition game, and energy levels.

I have listed the Bulls remaining games. The Tribune article said the Bulls must go 21-7 to reach 50 wins (they are currently 29-25). I am going to predict the outcome of each game and see what are the Bulls chances of winning 50 games.

Feb 20 vs Atlanta- W (30)
Feb 22 at Cleveland- L
Feb 23 vs Washington- W (31)
Feb 25 at Detroit- L
Feb 26 vs Orlando- W (32)
Feb 28 vs Golden State- W (33)
Mar 2 vs New Orl/OKC- W (34)
Mar 4 at Milwaukee- W (35)
Mar 7 at Miami- L
Mar 8 at Orlando- W (36)
Mar 11 at Boston- W (37)
Mar 13 vs Boston- W (38)
Mar 14 at Philadelphia- W (39)
Mar 17 at Memphis- W (40)
Mar 20 vs LA Clippers- W (41)
Mar 22 vs Denver- L
Mar 25 at Indiana- W (42)
Mar 26 vs Portland- W (43)
Mar 29 vs Detroit- W (44)
Mar 31 vs Cleveland- W (45)
Apr 1 at Atlanta- W (46)
Apr 4 at Detroit- L
Apr 6 vs New Jersey- W (47)
Apr 8 at Toronto- L
Apr 10 vs New York- W (48)
Apr 13 vs Charlotte- W (49)
Apr 15 at Washington- L
Apr 18 at New Jersey- W (50)

Surprisingly, I have the Bulls winning 50 games and finishing at a record of 50-32. The games I think the Bulls will win are games the Bulls will probably be the favorite to win. There is a good chance the Bulls will lose some of the games I have marked down as wins, but they could also win some of the games I have marked down as losses. I am not an NBA expert, so I can not guarantee that the Bulls will win 50 games. You are just going to have to watch the remaining games and find out.

Chicago Loses to Detriot in Shooting Stars Challenge

The Chicago team, represented by Chicago Bulls' Ben Gordon, Chicago Sky's Candice Dupree and ex-Bull Scottie Pippen, lost tonight in the finals to the Detriot team during the Shooting Stars challenge. The Shooting Stars Contest was part of the All-Star festivities tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here is a brief summary of the contest from http://aol.nba.com/allstar2007/shooting_stars/:

Team Detroit won the 2007 Haier Shooting Stars challenge by default as team Chicago took its shots out of order in the final round on Saturday. The team of Bill Laimbeer, Chauncey Billups and Swin Cash had the second-best first-round time by finishing the six-shot course in 1:06 and then needed just 50.5 seconds to complete its final-round run. Chicago had the best first-round time (48.9 seconds), followed by Detroit, defending champion San Antonio (1:32) and Los Angeles (2:00).

Like the summary said, Detriot had a time of 50.5 seconds in the finals. Chicago was doing good and then Gordon shot when Dupree was supposed to shoot. Chicago finished with a better time, but after the officials looked at the replays, it was announced that Chicago was disqualified and Detriot was named the winner. I'll forgive Gordon since it was only an All-Star contest, but Pippen, who made what would have been the winning shot, and Dupree are probably mad at him for costing them a chance at winning the $15,000 prize to the winner that goes to each player.

Pippen Wants to Play for Heat

Today's Chicago Tribune reported that the Miami Heat are the team Scottie Pippen would like to play for.

Here is an excerpt from Sam Smith's article in today's Tribune:

Pippen, never shy about stating his opinions and intentions, made it clear he'd love to play for the Miami Heat.

"I'm looking at teams like Miami, Cleveland, Dallas, San Antonio. I feel there are a few teams I could help," Pippen said.

Sitting at a nearby table later on, Kobe Bryant said he'd call Pippen and ask him to consider the Lakers.

"I'd like an opportunity to help a team contend for a championship," Pippen said. "I'd like to go play with Shaq. That would be the ideal place. He's probably the best in the game, he and Dwyane Wade. Teams in the East still are bunched up, but [the Pistons and the Heat] will be fighting it out in the Eastern finals."

Though O'Neal said he hadn't heard about any Pippen interest in Miami, Wade was excited.

"I'm already playing with [Gary] Payton and Shaq; Scottie and Michael are two guys I used to play with on video games," Wade said. "To add Scottie to the mix, that would be crazy. It would be a dream."

It seems like the Chicago Bulls are not one of the teams Pippen is looking at. He wants to play for a team that is a title contender and not a team that could be a first round exit in the playoffs. Pippen said, "I don't see anyone really a threat to them." The "them" is his quote was probably the Miami Heat. Pippen said, "the Bulls still are lacking that inside presence." The Heat, unlike the Bulls, do have an inside presence: Shaquille O'Neal. Although the Heat are currently the eight seed in the Eastern conference, Pippen probably thinks they are one key player away from being a serious contender and he is hoping he is that key player. However, just because he wants to play for the teams he mentioned doesn't mean they will sign him. The Bulls are probably still a possible destination for Pippen, but it is unlikely that the Bulls will be able to sign him if Miami, Cleveland, Dallas, or San Antonio offers him a contract. The Bulls and the rest of the NBA will get a good look at Pippen tonight when he participates in the "Shooting Stars" contest during the All-Star weekend festivities.

NBA was probably right for not picking Thomas, Sefolosha

I was disappointed when I saw that Chicago Bulls rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha were not picked to be on the rookie team for tonight's Rookie Challenge All-Star game. I was even more upset for Tyrus because he was the fourth pick overall in last year's draft. Only nine players were selected to play for the rookie team, but I thought Thabo and Tyrus were good enough to be one of those nine players. I was wrong. Thabo and Tyrus were left off for a good reason. I checked the stats of the rookies playing in tonight's game and I compared them to Thabo and Tyrus's stats. Because they play on a playoff team, Thabo and Tyrus's minutes per game are lower than anyone on the rookie team. Therefore their stats aren't as good as the players selected to be on the rookie team. So, I decided to research everyone's stats per 48 minutes. Looking at their stats per 48 minutes would tell me how they would do had they played the entire 48 minutes of a basketball game. The problem with stats per game is that if a person scores four points in four minutes in a game, he would have only four points per game. However, he would have 48 points per 48 minutes. It is unfair to call someone better if he scored 23 points in 35 minutes and the other person scored 20 points in 20 minutes. The person with 20 points played 15 less minutes than the person with 23 points. So, by adjusting the stats to stats per 48 minutes, everyone had an equal opportunity.

Tryus is a forward so I compared him to the other rookie forwards and Thabo is a guard so I compared him to the other rookie guards.

NOTE: The following stats are all stats per 48 minutes. For example, points is points per 48 minutes, rebounds is rebounds per 48 minutes, etc. (* means on rookie team)

Forwards:
*Andrea Bargnani 21.5 points 7.0 rebounds 1.6 assists
*Paul Millsap 18.6 points 13.6 rebounds 1.9 assists
*Adam Morrison 19.2 points 4.8 rebounds 3.3 assists
*Jorge Garbajosa 14.3 points 8.6 rebounds 3.4 assists
Tyrus Thomas 16.2 points 12.9 rebounds 1.9 assists

I noticed that everyone had an edge on Tyrus except for Jorge Garbajosa. Therefore, at first I thought that Tryus should have been named to the team instead of Garbajosa. Also, Tyrus was the 4th pick overall in the draft and fans might have wanted to see him. The only reason I can think of why Tryus wasn't selected was because of the slam dunk contest. Tryus is scheduled to be in the Slam Dunk contest tommorow night. The NBA might have been worried about Tryus getting hurt in the Rookie Challenge and that he would not be able to play in the Slam Dunk contest. If Tryus did get hurt, it would be very difficult for the NBA to get a good replacement in time so the contest would remain competitive. I would rather see Tyrus play in the Slam Dunk contest so I think the NBA made the right decision in not selecting Tryus to play on the rookie team.

Guards:
*Jordan Farmer 15.4 points 4.8 rebounds 6.1 assists
*Randy Foye 20.4 points 6.1 rebounds 5.6 assists
*Rudy Gay 19.6 points 7.9 rebounds 2.1 assists
*Brandon Roy 21.8 points 5.9 rebounds 4.9 assists
*Marcus Williams 20.6 points 5.9 rebounds 8.7 assists

Thabo Sefolosha 13.5 points 8.0 rebounds 3.4 assists

This comparison was not as close as I thought it would be. Thabo may be the best rebounder of the bunch, but he is not as strong in the other categories. The five guards selected are statistically better than Thabo, so I agree with the NBA on not selecting Thabo to play on the rookie team.

One more thing to mention: Tyrus and Thabo are both among the top defensive rookies in the NBA this season. However, the Rookie Challenge is more of an entertainment game than a competitive game. The defense is usually weak on both teams. Despite the game being 40 minutes instead of 48 minutes, the Sophomores beat the Rookies by a score of 142-118 in the 2004 Rookie Challenge. The last time neither team reached 100 points was in 2000 when the Rookies won 92-81 in overtime.