Saw this on a couple of other forums so I thought might as well post it here. I'll probably post later. So what would you guys grade all/some of our players this year. Explanations would be nice.
Kirk Hinrich: Overall Kirk had a very nice season he developed as a leader, and also had an incredible three point shooting percentage during the regular season, and the playoffs. I remember watching one of the Bulls games during the playoffs, and hearing I think Doug Collins, compare Kirk to a young Steve Nash. If he does develop into a Steve Nash type player we will be very lucky. Another thing I liked about Hinrich this season was his ability to make plays down the stretch. Not necessarily make the game winning shot, but set up the play, and find the open man. One of the knocks I had on Hinrich was that at times he seemed to disappear during the course of the game, and would get lost in the flow of it. Which is kind of strange considering he is the point guard, and thus involved in virtually every set play the team runs. Hinrich showed some versatility this season by playing the one, two, and three spots on the court. His defense was one of the best facets of his game all season long he was eleventh in the league in charges drawn, and should probably have been on the all NBA defensive team, but I won?t go there. Grade: A Ben Gordon: Air Gordon blossomed into a superstar during the playoffs, and late in the season. However, in the first months of the year he seemed lost in the offense, and unable to find his shot. He was shooting under 40% for the first couple months of the season, and struggling to be a factor off the bench. Gordon continued to work, and found his way into the starting lineup where he averaged a career high 17 points per game this season. Gordon also proved to be a primary scoring option down the stretch hitting multiple game winners, and buckets to send games to over time this season. Many people considered Gordon nothing more than just a scorer, but Gordon began to disprove that during the Heat series. He showed he was a good passer, and a good playmaker when given the opportunity. If he starts for a full season next year I would not be surprised to see him average over five assists a game. Grade: B+ Luol Deng: Deng really disappointed me in the playoffs. I expected him to have his coming out party, and show why management is so high on him, but he didn?t come close. Deng was a virtual none factor off the bench, and did not even average double digit scoring. As others blossomed and stepped up (Nocioni, Gordon, Hinrich) Deng seemed to regress. Now I can understand that it was his first playoff series, do to being injured last season. However, he has to give a better effort then that. Deng had a solid end to the regular season though. He struggled early to find his shot, after having off season wrist surgery, but he closed out the season on a great scoring run. Not only that, but he developed even further as a rebounder. I still have high hopes for Deng next season . Grade: B Tyson Chandler: I thought going into this season this would be the year where Tyson?s offensive game finally came around, and he averaged around 12 points a game. Boy was I wrong he averaged only five points a game, and struggled to find his place early in the year. He went from starting center at the beginning of the season, to back up center, and one of the most heavily criticized players on the Bulls roster. Although, his offensive game never did come around he showed why the Bulls resigned him to such a big contract as the season progressed with his shot blocking/rebounding ability. I am expecting a break out year from Tyson next year. Hopefully he can live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was drafted. Grade: C Andres Nocioni: What a season for Andres Nocioni. He not only emerged as a big time scorer during the playoffs. He proved how good he can be on the boards, at one point having the longest consecutive double double streak since the Bulls traded Elton Brand. If there is one player who lived up to everything that was expected of him, and then some this season it was Andres Nocioni. At the beginning of the season Nocioni was ranked top five in the league is three point field goal percentage for several months. Although, he tailed off a bit down the stretch of the season it was still a good shooting season for him. Grade: A+ Chris Duhon: Although, he struggled in the playoffs, it was a very successful season for Duhon. Despite having a back injury that hindered his performance during the second half of the season Duhon still averaged career numbers. Duhon also had a triple double as a starter, early in the season for the Bulls. Duhon was eventually moved to the bench in favor of Ben Gordon, but still played his role and never complained. Grade: C+ Mailk Allen: Allen did what was asked of him. He knocked down open shots, and played with a lot of heart. There is nothing bad I can really say about the guy, no one expected him to be a prime time player. He played his role well. Grade: C Michael Sweetney: Strange season for Sweets he went from starter, to out of rotation, to starter again. Yet he worked hard the entire time to prove he could be a big contributor to this team. Sweets was a professional all year, and he was rewarded for it. Grade: C+ Darius Songaila: His season was cut short due to injury, but during the time he was healthy he played well. Nothing that would blow anyone away, but he was a solid role player who you knew what he would give you. Grade: C- (Minus because of the injury) Othella Harrington: Harrington fell out of the rotation for a long time down the stretch of the year. He was really more of a mentor then anything else this year. A bit of a disappointment to me I thought he would play a bigger role with his ability to score, but he was solid when on the floor. He was just not on the floor enough. Grade: D+ Jannero Pargo: Instant offense off the bench. When he did play he played well he just didn?t get enough of an oppurtunity. He is a good guy though I actually hope he doesn?t resign with us, and goes to a team where he can play and show his ability. I am going to give him a low grade, but not based on his ability only because he was inactive for such a large number of games. Grade: D Eddie Basden: A complete waste did nothing more than take up a roster spot. I had high hopes for him when we signed him to a free agent contract, but he never lived up the billing. He played in less than 1/4 of the Bulls regular season games, and was even demoted to the d league for while. Won?t be back next year. Grade: F I didn?t give Luke a grade, because you cannot express through a grade how Godley Luke?s game is.
