After yet again another disappointing loss in Cleveland against Lebron and the Cavalier, the Bulls travel back to the United Center to face off against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix is off to a great start with a record of 4 - 1 and remains to be one of the elite offensive teams in the league despite the loss of former head coach Mike D Antoni. The Bulls will have to expect for Phoenix to come in and score: something the Bulls continue to struggle. The Bulls at a record of 2 - 3 have lost for two primary reasons: lack of offensive strategy (figuring out how to score and who to pass to) and lack of defensive hustle (not helping each other out and forcing other teams to miss enough baskets). If the Bulls are to win they will stop Nash, Amare and a thus far improving Shaq Diesel O'neal. The only way to that is to play solid defense all over the court: in the lane, perimeter etc...all of our players will need to step up and show what they are made of (especially Ben Gordon (assuming that he will start tonight) for his call out statement)...We need to plan to shoot atleast 50 percent from the field as Phoenix will more than likely score like crazy. Banking on Phoenix to have a poor offensive night would be very stupid. I expect Phoenix to win tonight because of the Bulls offensive problems. I'd LOVE to be wrong though. Key Players to that need to step up: Ben Gordon Kirk Hinrich Drew Gooden Luol Deng Derrick Rose (same key people that needed to step up against the Cavs) Tune in on League Pass broadband or perhaps a link live stream will be posted here.
The Bulls are actually playing great basketball: sharing the ball, hitting opened shots, playing good defense, slowing Phoenix down....looks like I MIGHT be wrong about Phoenix winning tonight...though anything is possible with the Bulls...Keep up the good work Chicago!
I really like this split point guard thing between Rose/Gordon. Both are great scorers and very good playmakers. Gordon gives you more of a Gilbert Arenas look, while Rose gives you a Dwyane Wade/early Steve Francis look from the spot. By the end of the game, Rose was looking for Gordon everytime he drove. He knows who is going to pad his assist stats.
Good games pretty much all around. Did Kirk get hurt? Glad to see Tyrus play well despite his benching. I was pretty concerned that he'd use that as an excuse to fall apart mentally. Gotta love the game planning on the Bulls part. Start Aaron Gray to, I guess, counter Shaq, who isn't even playing. Maybe he was just afraid of having to match up with Gray?
I haven't seen a lot of Rose, but every time I see him with the ball, he looks under control and like he's not rushing the play. Very good sign from a Rookie PG. Could he be up there with Chris Paul and Derron Williams in a few years? It's too early to tell for sure, but it certainly seems like he could be the 3rd best PG in the league in a couple of years. I thought at the draft that the Bulls should have taken Beasley, but it looks right now like they've made the right call. Not that Beasley looks bad, but Rose looks very solid and very capable of running a team.
Yeah, Rose is going to be right there at the top unless he gets really badly hurt. His speed and fearlessness are really something to behold. If the Bulls can put the sort of team around him the Jazz and Hornets have been able to build around those other young PGs, we'll make a Finals or two.
Rose will be an elite NBA player. Easily the most talented guy we've had around here since the MJ/PIP era. He plays at a speed that I have not seen at the United Center in a very long time. I want to say a young AI? This guy is just at another level speed wise than the rest of the league. His mid-range J is pretty solid and his decision making is OK for a rookie. That dunk last night and the play where he split the two defenders and scored a layup were electrifying. He's worth the price of admission alone. Gordon and Rose with a scrappy Hinrich will be tough for other teams to tangle with. Our fourth guard can be a 6'6" defense only guy and we could be set at that position. Now if only Deng would wake the hell up.
