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.

Week 3: Bears-Cowboys Match-up

Quarterback:

Rex Grossman vs. Tony Romo

Romo has been playing much better than Rex.

EDGE: COWBOYS

Running Back:

Cedric Benson vs. Julius Jones/Marion Barber

The Cowboys have duo running backs and together they'll probably be more productive than Benson.

EDGE: COWBOYS

Wide Receivers:

Moose Muhammad, Bernard Berrian vs. Terrell Owens, Sam Hurd/Patrick Crayton

Of course T.O. is an All-Pro, but the loss of Terry Glenn makes the Cowboys seem like a team with only one WR. The Bears could double team T.O. and force Romo to throw to Hurd and Crayton who aren't as good as Glenn.

EDGE: EVEN

Tight End:

Desmond Clark/Greg Olsen vs. Jason Witten

Witten has a touchdown and that gives him the edge.

EDGE: COWBOYS

Defensive Ends:

Mark Anderson, Adewale Ogunleye vs. Marcus Spears, Chris Canty

No debate here.

EDGE: BEARS

Defensive Tackles:

Tommie Harris, Darwin Walker vs. Jay Ratliff

Um..let me think...

EDGE: BEARS

Linebackers:

Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Hunter Hillenmeyer vs. Anthony Spencer, Bradie James, Akin Ayodele, DeMarcus Ware

Briggs and Urlacher have 35 total tackles and 2 sacks. The Cowboys starting linebackers have 26 total tackles and 1 sack.

EDGE: BEARS

Cornerbacks:

Nathan Vasher, Peanut Tillman vs. Nate Jones/Terence Newman, Anthony Henry

EDGE: BEARS

Safeties:

Danieal Manning, Adam Archuleta vs. Roy Williams, Kem Hamlin

The Cowboys safeties are actually pretty good.

EDGE: EVEN

I'm not longer doing Special Teams because I'm assuming no team has a better Special Teams unit than the Bears.

Keys to Victory:

- Big game for Rex

Rex has to have less interceptions and needs to pass for more yards.

- Throw the deep ball

The Bears should go deep to Berrian on Sunday. It worked last year so why won't it work this year?

- No turnovers

I'll make this prediction: If the Bears make no turnovers, they will win the game.

- Pressure Romo

In this week's Sports Illustrated, Paul Zimmerman said, "If the Cowboys can block the Bears' rush, I see decent numbers for Romo and a Dallas win over the defending NFC champs."

I assume that if the Bears can get to Romo, they should be able to win.

Week 2: Bears vs. Chiefs

Chicago Bears 20
Kansas City Chiefs 10

The Good:

• Bears RB Cedric Benson ran for 101 yards on 24 carries.
• KR/PR Devin Hester returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. Hester had 5 punt returns for a total of 143 yards. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
• LB Lance Briggs had 12 total tackles (11 solo), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and a defected pass. I would say that's a good game.
• MLB Brian Urlacher had 9 total tackles (8 solo) and had his first sack since 2005.
• John St. Clair, a reserve offensive lineman, caught a 2 yard touchdown pass.

The Bad:

• QB Rex Grossman threw two interceptions.
• The O-line allowed three sacks.
• The Bears had three turnovers, but the Chiefs only scored three points off turnovers.
• The offense scored only 13 points and three points were thanks to Hester whose punt return got the Bears to the Chiefs 18 yard line.

Why the Bears won:

Grossman wasn't much better and the Bears had a lot of turnovers. What was the difference? More points. The Bears had three points last week and scored 20 points this week. The key reason was Devin Hester who scored a touchdown and helped set up a field goal.

Player of the Week: Devin Hester- 143 punt return yards, 28.6 PR AVG., 1 TD

You're better than that player of the week: Rex Grossman- 20-34 160 yards 1 TD 2 INT

Week 2: Bears-Chiefs Match-up

Quarterback:

Rex Grossman vs. Damon Huard

Huard passed for only 168 yards last week against the weak Houston Texans. Rex Grossman is going against a defense that was 18th against the pass in 2006 and Huard is going against the Bears defense that made Phillip Rivers look like an ordinary QB, not an AFC pro bowler.

EDGE: BEARS

Running Back:

Cedric Benson vs. Larry Johnson

Even though Cedric Benson could likely end up with more rushing yards on Sunday than Johnson, Johnson is the better RB.

EDGE: CHIEFS

Tight End:

Desmond Clark vs. Tony Gonzalez

If Antonio Gates is the #1 TE in the NFL then it is very possible that Gonzalez is #2 or #1a.

EDGE: CHIEFS

Wide Receivers:

Bernard Berrian, Moose Muhammad vs. Samie Parker, Dwayne Bowe

Bears catch a break with Chiefs starting WR Eddie Kennison not playing on Sunday with an injury. Bowe is a rookie and Parker scored one TD last year.

EDGE: BEARS

Defensive Tackles:

Darwin Walker, Tommie Harris vs. Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards

Haha, this is should be a good match-up for the Bears. Boone is an ex-Bear that the Bears got rid of because guys like Harris and Dusty Dvoracek were better. Edwards had 2.5 sacks last year but still nowhere near as impressive as Harris and Walker.

EDGE: BEARS

Defense Ends:

Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson vs. Tamba Hali, Jimmy Wilkerson

Hali had 8 sacks in '06, but Wilkerson, playing in his 5th season, has 0.5 career sacks. Anderson and Ogunleye already have one sack each.

EDGE: BEARS

Linebackers:

Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Hunter Hillenmeyer vs. Derrick Johnson, Napoleon Harris, Donnie Edwards

The trio of Johnson, Harris, and Edwards is an impressive one that combined for 275 tackles and 9.5 sacks. The Bears trio had only 44 more tackles and 8.5 less sacks. I'll give the Bears the
edge but it's only a slight one.

EDGE: BEARS

Cornerbacks:

Nathan Vasher, Peanut Tillman vs. Ty Law, Patrick Surtain or Benny Sapp

Surtain is listed as the Chiefs 2nd CB on the depth chart but didn't play last sunday. About 4 years ago, I would have given the edge to KC, but Sustain and Law are now both in their 30's and they won't be as big of an impact as Nate and Peanut.

EDGE: BEARS

Safeties:

Adam Archuleta, Danieal Manning vs. Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard

Bears are better even without Mike Brown. Page and Pollard combined for 45 tackles in '06.
Archuleta alone had 60 tackles last season.

EDGE: BEARS

Punters:

Brad Maynard vs. Dustin Colquitt

Colquitt had a 44.3 punt avg. last season. Maynard's avg. was 44.2.

EDGE: EVEN

Kickers:

Robbie Gould vs. Justin Medlock

Medlock is a rookie. Gould made the pro bowl last season.

EDGE: BEARS

Kick/Punt returners:

Danieal Manning, Devin Hester vs. Jeff Webb, Eddie Drummond
Webb and Drummond are both decent returners but neither of them have the same impact as Hester.

EDGE: BEARS

KEYS TO VICTORY:

- Pass more, run less

The Bears gave Benson his shot and he did ok. The Bears need to throw the deep ball. They'll get more yards and score more points. Grossman should throw to Hester or Berrian. Law and Sustain are not as young as they used to be and might have lost a step. This Chiefs defense should be much easier than the Chargers defense

- Protect the football

Turnovers are the reason why the Bears lost last week and if they do it again this week, they could easily lose the Chiefs. If you don't think so, think back to last year with the 2 games against Miami and Green Bay on New Year's Eve. There are no guaranteed wins. I'm not saying be conservative. The last thing the Bears want is a defensive struggle like last week. Benson has to handle the ball with 2 hands, Berrian has to run his routes, and Grossman has got to make smart decisions. The Bears can be aggressive and still be able to not turn the ball over.

- O-line has to protect Rex

Grossman struggled last week because he was getting pressured. If Grossman has time in the pocket, he'll have a great game.....I guarantee it.

- Force turnovers

Even though the offense should do their job, it would be great if the Bears get a bunch of takeaways. The Bears offense does a lot better starting from the OPP. 45 yard line instead of their own 20 yard line.

- Get Hester involved

The Chiefs secondary seems mediocre at best. The punter won't kick it to Hester, so Grossman has got to find a way to get him the ball on offense.

Week 1: Bears at Chargers

Chargers 14
Bears 3

Good:

• Mike Brown had 2 takeaways: an interception and a fumble recovery.


• Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, and Nathan Vasher had sacks.


• Tommie Harris forced a fumble.


• The Bears Defense held LaDainian Tomlinson to 25 yards rushing.

Bad:

• Four turnovers (Grossman INT, McGowan fumble, Benson fumble, Peterson fumble)


• Cedric Benson had only 42 rushing yards.

Why the Bears lost:

Turnovers is why the Bears lost. The Chargers got all their points of turnovers. If the Bears were to protect the football better then they could of won. The punt that bounced off Brandon McGowan is what really lost the momentum and the game for the Bears.

Preseason Week 4: Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns

Browns 19 Bears 9

The Good:

• Bears QB Chris Leak was impressive. Leak was 11-16 for 88 yards and one touchdown. Too bad there is no room for him on this Bears team.
• Bears RB Garrett Wolfe was outstanding. He only average 1.8 yards per carry rushing the ball, but he caught 6 passes for 53 yards and he made a couple defensive players completely miss him when trying to tackle Wolfe.
• Bears WR Mike Hass made only one catch but it was a great touchdown grab that is being called the Bears' catch of the preseason.
• Bears WR David Ball is unlikely to make the cut but he had a solid game. Ball had 4 catches for 40 yards including an amazing one-handed catch in the end zone, but unfortunately Ball landed out of bounds and the catch was ruled incomplete. Hass scored on the next play.
• After being down 19-3 at halftime, the defense prevented the Browns from scoring any more points.
• Bears rookie CB Trumaine McBride led the Bears with 8 tackles.

The Bad:

• Bears QB Brian Griese was only 1-3 for 12 yards in limited action, but what disappointed me the most was that he had WR Mark Bradley open twice and he overthrew him both times.
• The Bears special teams allowed 9 points. Bears safety and kick returner Danieal Manning fumbled a kick-off out of bounds in the Bears end zone for a safety. Browns' punt returner Josh Cribbs returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown.

Why the Bears lost:

The Browns made fewer mistakes than the Bears and that is one of the big reasons the Browns won. The Bears can't be allowing safeties and punt returns for touchdowns. Plays like that lose games. The Bears also hurt themselves by making 3 mistakes on offense that cost them at least a field goal:

1. Bears QB Kyle Orton had the Bears at the Browns' 44 yard line when he threw an interception on 1st down. 14 more yards and they would have been in Bears kicker Robbie Gould's field goal range.
2. Leak had the Bears at the Browns' 23 yard line and was then sacked for -12 yards. Gould's 53 yard field goal attempt on the next play was no good.
3. Leak had the Bears at the Browns' 36 yard line and it was 1st down. Leak's next pass was intercepted.

What hurt the Bears was special teams mistakes and drive killing plays on offense. Also, Browns punter Dave Zastudil did a great job at punting the ball inside the Bears' 10 yard line making it hard to score.

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.