Link:<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> The United Center faithful is getting restless, booing and chanting for Kobe Bryant at each game. "No athlete wants to play on his home court and be booed," Skiles said. "But the way we have performed, the boos are natural, and fans have a right to voice displeasure. I would hope that we had a reached a level where with bad play or a chant, we could stay on course. But it's possible that's not the case." Skiles is right. "That definitely hurts," Luol Deng said. "As hard as we work, to hear the boos and 'Kobe,' it stings."</p> </div></p> Deng is my favorite Bull, but he needs to grasp that fans aren't sitting there cheering at practice. And while I've heard a couple of Bulls players say they've been playing hard in the games, for the most part it's hard to see.</p> </p>
When I heard those chants, I was thinking "wow:. Even Chuck Swirsky was surprised. I think, that Deng needs to realize that it is part of the game. There have been so many rumours about Kobe, that the fans see a perfomance like this, they want him.</p>
Hard work isn't good enough this year (so far). Maybe it won't be for the whole season. It has to equally hurt to see Boston load up on talent while the Bulls basically signed another aging journyman vet and another good but not great draft pick. Also to see management involved in trade talks through the newspapers, only to come up empty handed.</p> At some point you say to yourself, "all this hard work isn't getting me where I want to be" and the guys we might have traded for look like the easy way out.</p> In spite of the spanking the team took yesterday, there were signs that Nocioni is coming around. Gordon is notorious for slow starts.</p> </p>
I do not think we need Kobe; we just need to play Bulls basketball.</p> I wouldn't mind having Kobe on the team, but then we'd have to give up everything just for him and that's no good.</p>
I have a feeling that in Kobe's not going to be available in any case. They're winning, we're not. And he's made a career out of cherry picking.</p>
Mike, I still think there is a possibility that we have a Dec 15 deal already worked out with the Lakers, and both teams are biding their time.
I dunno... it very much seems to me that the conversation is dead. And if you were the Lakers, even if you agreed in principle, wouldn't you want to re-think things if you were doing well and the Bulls weren't?</p>
The Bulls aren't going to that next level without a post scorer...it's not even about Kobe, unless they want to carbon copy the Cavs and rack up finals appearances. They need to hurry up and grab JO while his value is low, then they're good to go. Keep Deng, Thomasand Hinrich and you're cool.</p>
I dunno about JO. He's really, really expensive. He's making a good $7M more than Wallace, which is pretty expensive. If cost were no issue, fine, but say you trade Wallace and Gordon for him. Well, the odds the Bulls would spend to replace Gordon would be... zero.</p>
I say trade Gordon before anyone elsebecause a perimeter scorer is a dime a dozen. One on his level might be hard to find, but it's a lot easier then trying to look for some post scoring.</p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MikeDC)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> I dunno about JO. He's really, really expensive. He's making a good $7M more than Wallace, which is pretty expensive. If cost were no issue, fine, but say you trade Wallace and Gordon for him. Well, the odds the Bulls would spend to replace Gordon would be... zero.</p> </div></p> Trading Gordon would make no sense when trading for a big man.</p> And anyhow, Larry Bird would probably want Hinrich and Gray to fulfill his white fantasy.</p> </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> Trading Gordon would make no sense when trading for a big man.</p> And anyhow, Larry Bird would probably want Hinrich and Gray to fulfill his white fantasy.</p> </div></p> Why would it not make sense? They would finally get post scoring. All Gordon can do is score, and Noci, Deng, Hinrich and TT can fill in for him.</p> You get a small for a big.</p>