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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 27, 2010

Boozer pleased with progress, but eager to play

By K.C. Johnson

OKLAHOMA CITY --- Carlos Boozer said before the Bulls' morning shootaround Wednesday that the plan is for his hard cast and pins in his fractured right hand to be removed next Tuesday. He then will wear a soft cast for "four or five days" before beginning rehabilitation.

"I'm not sure what that will consist of yet," Boozer said. "I'm sure it will have to do with range of motion and getting strength back in my fingers and bone. Hopefully, that won't take long and I can get my jersey back on and take the court."

Boozer said he has a date in mind for his return, but wouldn't reveal it. The original team prognosis estimated a six- to 10-week absence, which would place Boozer's return in late November or early December.

"Everything is right on schedule, perfect," Boozer said. "The bone is healing up nicely, according to the doctors."
Boozer said he planned to travel with the team during his absence.

"It's going to be hard watching tonight," Boozer said of Wednesday's season opener against the Thunder. "I wish I was out there with my teammates. All I can do is be a good teammate, good cheerleader and good coach.

"It's always hard to be on the sideline, but especially on a night like this -- season opener, a new franchise. When I get this cast off, I'm going to work my butt off on my rehab and get back as soon as I can."
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RSS: Blog a Bull · Oct 27, 2010

2010-11 Game Preview #1: Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder

[Thanks to 'Playboy_BullV' for today's game preview (sign up!), the first night in what is the 8th season of Bulls blogging from yours truly. The Bulls are justifiably underdogs in this game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they start out hot tonight, with the Thunder being distracted by the opening night atmosphere. It's like they won the title, but more like a title of 'goody good good team that isn't that great yet but it's apparently necessary to create some kind of antithesis to the Heat'. It's hard to fit that on a trophy.

Game is at 7, localy on WGN and nationally on ESPN for those (like me) who can't fathom why they didn't get around to replacing Funk and King in the offseason. For all your Thunder needs, check out Welcome to Loud City and Daily Thunder -ed.]

Well, this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the start of the 2010-2011 season for the Chicago Bulls. While we were all thoroughly entertained by Boston’s victory of the Heat last night the main event is tonight on ESPN!

Our raging Bulls get to start the season against the league’s darlings, the Oklahoma City Thunder led by MVP-in waiting Kevin Durant. Durant is coming off the FIBA World Championship of Basketball tournament in which he was the best player on the court and looked like he was (IS!) ready to become the new poster child of the NBA.

Quiet as it was kept, All-Star point guard Derrick Rose also played for that USA team. Rose even started but was relegated to a role player and didn’t nearly make as much of an impact (depends on who you ask) as other young PGs such as OKC’s Russell Westbrook, tonight’s opponent. Rose wasn’t expected to dominate the ball as he does for the Bulls so he did seem out of sync as he got used to a role as a distributor rather than a scorer. Expect a grand duel between Rose and Westbrook tonight. Both men are super-athletic and while Rose is regarded as the better player, Westbrook has his supporters as well. It probably helps that the two are friends and work out together in the off-season.

The Bulls have a new coach with Tom Thibodeau taking the reins after Vinny DelNegro was unceremoniously dismissed for being generally inept at his job. In the preseason, Thibs as he is called amazed us with his offensive and defensive schemes. No longer was it just “Derrick ATTACK, ATTACK!” but we got to see Luol Deng show flashes of the player he used to be while free agent signee Kyle Korver did his best Ray Allen impression. Against the better teams in the league such as the Thunder his coaching expertise is a plus and Bulls fans don’t have to worry about whether or not if their coach is overmatched.

Joakim Noah is the team’s heart and emotional leader. While they will live and die with how Rose performs until Boozer returns, the team’s emotional center is the engine that makes this team go. He sat out the last few preseason games with the flu but Noah won’t be afraid to bring it tonight! We’re expecting a Rodman like performance from Noah tonight on the boards (15+) while at least scoring 10 points. Noah should be able to impose his will on the Thunder front court players Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green and help the Bulls control the boards. The last time the team was in OKC, Noah starred to the tune of 13 pts, 11 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. And that was with a bum foot!

It is also great to see the aforementioned Luol Deng reverting to his 2006-1007 season form. Deng has looked deadly from behind the arc with his newfound 3 point shot. The long two be damned, Deng has upped his level of play as well (at least during the preseason) and that bodes well for the team while they weather Boozer’s absence until early December. Durant won’t have an easy time on defense because Deng will drive and look to draw fouls, something he is good at when he isn’t trying to dribble (more of this Ok Luol plzthanks).

So, what are we expecting out of this game tonight? The Bulls fielded an inferior team to the one they have now yet they dominated the Thunder last season on their home court (96-86) with Rose putting together a 26 point, 7 assist, 3 rebound performance against Kevin Durant’s 28 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. Yeah nice line KD! The Bulls will need Rose to duplicate his performance from last season and even one-up it if they are to survive in what is to be a raucous rocking Ford Center. There will be a playoff type atmosphere for sure and both teams will be looking to prove a point. Let’s go Bulls!

Prediction: Bulls 102 Thunder 100

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RSS: Bulls Official News · Oct 27, 2010

Carlos Boozer to appear at Sprinkles Cupcakes to unveil Bulls cupcake

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All proceeds from the Bulls cupcakes to benefit CharitaBulls

Who:

Carlos Boozer, Bulls forward
Charles Nelson, Sprinkles cupcakes owner
Benny the Bull, Bulls mascot

What:

To celebrate the tip-off of the 2010.11 season, Bulls forward Carlos Boozer will be on hand on Wednesday, November 3 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Sprinkles Cupcakes store to unveil a special Red Velvet Cupcake adorned with the Bulls logo.

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 27, 2010

Bulls name Rose, Noah, Boozer, Deng captains

By K.C. Johnson

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau announced before Wednesday's season opener that Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng will serve as team captains.

"I'm not as concerned about the naming of captains as I am about leadership," Thibodeau said. "To me, those four are our leaders. That's really what I'm looking for."

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 27, 2010

Bulls Game Day: Thunder take 1st quarter lead

By K.C. Johnson

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Closing the first quarter with a 7-0 run, the Thunder led the Bulls 30-25 entering the second in Wednesday's season opener.

Kevin Durant scored 12 points to lead all scorers.

Derrick Rose scored 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting before sitting with two quick fouls.

The Bulls shot 52.2 percent but were hurt by four turnovers that the Thunder converted for seven points.

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RSS: Blog a Bull · Oct 27, 2010

2010-11 Open Game Thread #1: Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder

Overflow thread at 8:45.

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RSS: Blog a Bull · Oct 27, 2010

2010-11 Open Game Thread #1 OVERFLOW: Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder

Recap later.

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RSS: Blog a Bull · Oct 27, 2010

Thunder 106, Bulls 95

Fun game, but Thunder took over in the last 5 minutes. Much more to come.

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 27, 2010

Bulls coach: '4th quarter has to be best quarter'

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RSS: Blog a Bull · Oct 27, 2010

Thunder run with, then take down Bulls: FTs, Rose vs. Westbrook, Thibs debut, and mor

More photos » Sue Ogrocki - AP

Only thing that'd make this prettier is if he kneed Kristic in the groin. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Browse more photos »

PaceEffeFGFT/FGOREB%TOrChicago99.096.044.1%14.030.014.1Oklahoma City107.143.6%48.720.012.1

The challenges this team will face without Carlos Boozer are numerous, and it mostly stems from his ability to be counted on to score. Not just with the starters, but when Rose is out, or when an opposing defense tightens up like the Thunder did in the last quarter tonight. The Bulls were held to 13 points in that quarter and were subjected to an 11-0 run at one point, in a game where their offense was actually vastly outperforming the defense up until that time.

And for those first 3 and a half quarters it was definitely nice to see. For much of the game the Bulls were running with (literally) a pretty good OKC defense, shooting at a high percentage enough to compensate for the vast disparity in free throw attempts. And it was a damned huge disparity, with the Thunder finishing with 47 to the Bulls 22. I honestly don't think it was an undeserved result of referee bias: outside of a couple calls at most, the Thunder just looked better at drawing fouls, and were taking advantage of a Bulls defense that isn't together yet.

The FT story can be told in a microcosm of Rose vs. Russell Westbrook. Derrick Rose was the best player on the floor in the first half, with 20 points on so many sensational finishes that the ESPN telecast stopped mentioning them after a while. And that was with foul trouble that limited him in each half. But part of that foul trouble was due to his counterpart in Westbrook, who finished with 13 attempts to Rose's 4. And so as the second half unfolded, Rose was still good, but ceased being spectacular, and after several missed floaters and pull-up mid-range jumpers, it wound up turning into a typical Rose night in terms of efficiency: 28 points on 31 shots.

That it's still his 'typical' game is not exactly a worry (the awful 3pt attempts were a bit...), but it does put a pause on any 'break-out' talk, at least for one night. Though if he plays more like he did in that first half I could be easily swayed. And again, without Boozer, and having to take 31 shots in the first place, he's in a tough situation.

If it looks like a struggle to get points with having to count on Rose, it's downright worrisome when he's out of the game. As we all know by now, Luol Deng cannot be counted on to carry the offense. But tonight, when Rose was off the floor they actually did keep pace with the Thunder, and the Bulls had their finishing unit (Rose/Korver/Deng/Taj/Noah) in the game with 5 minutes left and a tie score.

But with the Thunder defense picking up, and featuring their own closer in Kevin Durant on their end of the floor, the Bulls have to rely on Rose to be spectacular, instead of it being a nice luxury as he begins his 3rd season. The Bulls got the guy help, but a majority of it was in a suit.

On to the bullets:

I thought Joakim Noah started out a bit slow, but he had a huge 2nd half and finished with a great line, 18 and 19 in nearly 39 minutes. Seeing Noah turn a block into a fastbreak by himself was one of those great 'ah yes, Bulls basketball is back' moments of the night.

Luol Deng did not carry over his fine preseason, with 13 pts and only 2 rebounds in 37 minutes, though he had the tough task of guarding Durant and did an admirable job with that. Though the 3-pt shooting wasn't there (and not from the team as a whole), you could tell in this year's offense that Deng's at least setting up out there. But this had some stereotypical bad Deng moments: getting stripped when trying to dribble inside, not being able to post up against smaller defenders, and going up to finish soft in transition. Not a good night, but I won't bail on the improvements I saw in the preseason just yet.

I thought Taj was great, and took it to the overrated Jeff Green (though I'm not sure he's even rated that highly, decent game tonight considered: people kindof know he's a ninny who doesn't shoot all that well). He had a good night on the boards, and is definitely someone who always tries to finish strong. Hard hat and lunch pail and all that.

The Thunder went small often, so that probably had something to do with it, but we'll have to postpone the great unveiling of Omer Asik. Only played a couple minutes and that was after Kurt Thomas entered the game first. Thomas rotated slowly and committed fouls, and Omer Asik can do that with hopefully bringing something positive as well, so here's to hoping he gets his chance going forward.

Scalabrine played more than 0 minutes, which will always be a concern. When he enters the game it's as if the Bulls are announcing to the audience that they don't value rebounds, and his stint to end the first half was terrible. And if one is so 'heady', or whatever, then don't commit dumb fouls.

Speaking of dumb bad fouls, Kyle Korver surprisingly didn't play much in the first 3 quarters, but then had a terrible stretch in the 4th where he committed several fouls, one so completely late and unnecessary that you'd think he was still being coached by Jerry Sloan. It'll be an ongoing story to see if he eventually takes the starting job from Keith Bogans who was predictably ineffectual on offense and allowed Durant to take a load off on D, while Thabo Sefolosha guarded Deng.

CJ Watson had a couple crippling turnovers in the 4th quarter, but he was able to score when Rose was on the bench, and that's valuable. Forced to play a bit more than necessary, and it underscores the problem with his role: he's likely better suited as an actually-decent Jannero Pargo, but as the primary backup PG it's shows his limitations in running a team. But I did like that he was looking to create plays, the bench needs that.

Ronnie Brewer still does not look healthy.

Thibs got some guff from the ESPN telecast for losing his voice so early, but his interview and mic'ed up segments were way better than any time with VDN. I'm sure he's not happy with how the defense was beat on transition, or when they were spread out so easily by the Thunder's small-ball, but it's something that will take time: a new scheme and many new players. There was also a late-game play out of a timeout that the Bulls looked downright confused in, and ended in Korver dribbling into a 24 second violation.

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 28, 2010

Loose balls: Looking back at Bulls' loss to Thunder

By K.C. Johnson

You didn't need to watch the fourth quarter of the Bulls' season-opening 106-95 loss Wednesday to the Thunder to know why things unraveled so badly at the end.

The box score showing a 24-13 Thunder edge in the fourth, not to mention 47 free-throw attempts to the Bulls' 22, told the story.

Still, for those who did watch, the lack of execution was a tad alarming. Even to the players.

"We kept blowing sets," Derrick Rose said. "That just comes with playing together. The play calls, making sure the timing is right and everybody is in the right spot. We have to cut harder and execute better."

Photo: Derrick Rose goes to the basket against the Thunder. (Larry W. Smith / Getty Images)
Here are some other observations from the Bulls' loss:

The Thunder scored 23 fast-break points and 38 free throws:

That means 61 of the Thunder's 106 points came with little resistance. Teams won't win many games like that.

"We can't gift them points," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We bailed them out reaching. We can do better. And we will."

Thirty-one shots is too many, even for Rose:

"If he's open, he has to shoot," Thibodeau said. "Pick-and-roll situations, he's the first option. Same in transition. Some of his shots were at the end of the clock and he had to take them. The first three quarters, we did a good job of attacking their switching. In the fourth quarter, I thought we held on to it and were standing too much.

"They went to more switching. After the switch, we stood and waited for Derrick to break them down. I'd rather have us come into more pick-and-rolls so we can continue our movement and attack that way."

Kyle Korver needs to play more:

The sharpshooter had logged just 7:04 before playing the final 8:33 and scored four points overall on 2-for-5 shooting.

Taj Gibson came up big:

After a lackluster preseason, Gibson posted 16 points and 11 rebounds and looked active while doing so. This is no small detail for a team without Carlos Boozer for the first month of the season.

"Taj played his (butt) off," Joakim Noah said.

Rose needs to avoid foul trouble:

It's rare for Rose to sit for two prolonged stretches. But that's what happened when he picked up two first-quarter fouls and two more early in the third.

Rose played only 31 minutes:

"I haven't been in foul trouble like that since my rookie year against Andre Miller," Rose said. "I never want to get in that trouble again where I have to sit for a long period of time and watch my teammates ball. I trust in them and have confidence in them. But that hurt."

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RSS: Bulls Official News · Oct 28, 2010

Chicago Bulls name Sidney Green Team Ambassador

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October 28, 2010 – The Chicago Bulls announced today that they have named former Bull Sidney Green as a Team Ambassador. Green joins former Bulls great Scottie Pippen as a Team Ambassador.

Green will make the transition to his new role after serving as a scout and Player Development Assistant for the Bulls’ Basketball Operations Department.

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RSS: Bulls Official News · Oct 28, 2010

Pippen believes 50 wins within Bulls' reach

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Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen talks about Derrick Rose’s rise to stardom, the addition of Carlos Boozer and why Tom Thibodeau was the right choice as the team’s new coach in his latest column.

"The thing that I love about Derrick is that he has high expectations for himself," writes Pippen of Rose. "From time to time, he talks about being the MVP of the league eventually. That says a lot for him as a young player and it shows that he’s never going to be satisfied or complacent." The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls.

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 29, 2010

Derrick Rose to appear on 'The Good Wife'

By Luis Arroyave

The Bulls' Derrick Rose will make a special appearance on a future episode of the CBS political drama, "The Good Wife," according to a source close to the situation. The episode will likely air some time next year.

"The Good Wife," which stars Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth, takes place in Chicago but is filmed in New York. Other notable names who have made an appearance on the show include Michael J. Fox, 'iCarly" star Miranda Cosgrove and former Clinton adviser Vernon Jordan.

Get the full story on Luis' About Last Night

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 29, 2010

Thibodeau not taking Pistons lightly

By K.C. Johnson

The Pistons haven't defeated the Bulls at the United Center since Feb. 24, 2006.

But like any self-respecting coach, Tom Thibodeau talked up the Bulls' opponents for Saturday's home opener like they're the Showtime Lakers.

"They're a tough team," Thibodeau said. "(Richard) Hamilton poses a lot of problems with his catch-and-shoot ability. (Ben) Gordon coming off the bench is very explosive and can get going very quickly. (Tayshaun) Prince is a terrific player, very versatile. Then they can play small. And of course, (Ben) Wallace presents a lot of problems rebounding-wise. And (Rodney) Stuckey has emerged as a terrific young player.

"(Tracy) McGrady is a talented guy. If he's healthy, he can hurt you. His passing and vision are terrific. It's a really good team we're facing."

With the Bulls facing all difficult road games this month, starting the home schedule on a positive note is critical.

"They've got a lot of good guards," Derrick Rose said of the Pistons. "And they've got some bigs who can shoot it. We have to be ready."

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RSS: Bulls Official News · Oct 29, 2010

Ask Sam | Sam Smith opens his mailbag | 10.29.10

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Sam Smith Mailbag

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Sam Smith opens his mailbag to respond to the latest round of e-mails from his readers.

Posted by Sam Smith | asksam@Bulls.com | 10.29.10 | 9:50 a.m. CT

One question triggered actually by Mark Jackson's and JVG's comments - the Noah-Melo thing again. I'm not speculating whether it's going to happen or not, but the thing is, and I quote and agree with Jackson here, "you don't find unstoppable scorers like Melo, though you can find another great rebounder and emotional leader like Noah a lil' easier". I mean, don't you agree with that just a little? I feel the Bulls, as good as they currently look, and they'll improve when Booz' comes back, might be making a mistake, the same we did in not giving up Deng for KG or Gasol when we had the shot.

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 29, 2010

Rockets sign center Erick Dampier

Tribune News Services

HOUSTON -- A person familiar with the negotiations says Erick Dampier has agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Rockets.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement has been made. The agreement first was reported by The Houston Chronicle and KRIV-TV.

The Bulls briefly expressed interest in the free-agent bigman and met with him in Dallas earlier this month.

The 6-foot-11 Dampier, who will enter his 15th season, played the last six years with Dallas. The Mavericks traded the 35-year-old Dampier to Charlotte in July, and the Bobcats voided his contract for the upcoming season, making him a free agent.

The Rockets are carefully limiting Yao's minutes to no more than 24 per game as he comes back from foot surgery that sidelined him all of last season.

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 29, 2010

Rose will only give out tickets to Bulls fans

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RSS: Chicago Breaking Sports · Oct 29, 2010

Thibodeau: 'We want to be a 48-minute team'

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RSS: Blog a Bull · Oct 30, 2010

Game #2 Preview: Pistons at Bulls

Thanks to me for tonight's preview, since the guy or gal who signed up shamefully hasn't posted anything yet. Boo! If you'd like to sign up to do a game preview and actually do it, go here.

Anywho, at 7:00pm Chicago time the Bulls open up the United Center against the visiting Pistons, who started out 0-2, losing at the Nets and then losing their home opener against the Thunder last night. Basically ,the circumstances are in our favor.

Not only are the Pistons unlikely to be as fresh as us, they aren't very good. Former Bulls but still Bens Gordon and Wallace look to be healthy to start the season, along with Tayshaun Prince, so perhaps they shouldn't be underestimated, but with Rodney Stuckey and Austin Daye filling out the starting lineup, they don't seem to be setting the world on fire.

Probable Bulls Starters | Roster and Statistics

Guard 1 Derrick Rose 6-3 | 190
Guard 6 Keith Bogans 6-5 | 215
Forward 9 Luol Deng 6-9 | 220
Forward 22 Taj Gibson 6-9 | 225
Center 13 Joakim Noah 6-11 | 232

Probable Pistons Starters | Roster and Statistics

Guard 3 Rodney Stuckey 6-5 | 205
Guard 32 Richard Hamilton 6-7 | 197
Forward 22 Tayshaun Prince 6-9 | 215
Forward 5 Austin Daye 6-11 | 205
Center 6 Ben Wallace 6-9 | 240

With lotto-rookie Ed Davis injured and yet to set foot on court, and backups Jonas Jerebko and Chris Wilcox hurt, this looks like the perfect opportunity for Thibs to implement the look inside strategy he recently talked about with ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell. My thinking is that if there's ever a time for Noah and Taj to shine offensively, it ought to be against these guys.

Also worth watching tonight:

* In the Friedell article, Thibs said Korver won't play much more till his defense is better, and Brewer won't play much till he seems healthier. Let's hope for those things, and a convincing outing from CJ Watson, because Keith Bogans is definitely not who I want to watch very much.

* Will summer-time Wannabe Bull Tracy McGrady have a visible fork sticking out of his back as he hobbles up and down the court? In the Pistons' first two games, he's played 20 minutes and has yet to score.

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