<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It has been eight long, Jordan-less years since Chicago so much as won a playoff series, much less competed for an NBA title. Bulls fans have witnessed futility at its highest level: From 1999 to 2002, Chicago won 66 games and sank to the lowest depths of the NBA. Put in perspective, that is three fewer wins in that span than Chicago won in 1997 alone. That said, the Chicago Bulls will win the NBA championship this season.The Bulls have dumped Jerry Krause, Tim Floyd and Bill Cartwright and replaced them with John Paxson and Scott Skiles. The former is a shrewd decision-maker (his fleecing of the Knicks for two first-round picks for Eddy Curry was highway robbery), while the latter has spent the last three years rebuilding the Bulls' confidence while straddling the line between volatile and stabile.Most important, they are no longer "Michael's old team." They have acquired their own identity, one that can be succinctly defined as a team built to win now. This is something that has been building for nearly two years. Under Skiles, Chicago has become a defensive juggernaut (opponents shot a league-low 42.6 percent from the field last season) and will be even more impenetrable with the additions of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace and three-time All-Defensive Team forward P.J. Brown. While the Bulls' offense has been roundly criticized, many scouts felt Chicago was among the most dangerous teams in the league last season thanks to outstanding perimeter shooting. "They can make a 10-point lead disappear in less than a minute," says one Eastern Conference scout. "They can run waves of shooters at you that are dangerous as soon as they cross half-court."Those shooters -- namely Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and Andres Nocioni -- are exactly what the Bulls are banking on. And for the first time since Elton Brand left town in 2001, Chicago knows what it will get from its frontcourt. Wallace will provide double-digit rebounding on a nightly basis, and Brown, close to a 10-5 guy throughout his career, will play solid defense and knock down the occasional baseline jump shot.While opposing shooters tended to hit a lot of iron against the Bulls, they also frequently put back their own misses. Chicago was a very pedestrian 16th in the league in scoring defense, giving up 97.2 points per game. With Wallace and Brown controlling the paint (along with the addition of swingman Adrian Griffin), expect that number to drop significantly.But it is what happens on the wings that will help this team become championship-caliber. Hinrich is a born leader who has had to shoulder far too much responsibility in his young career. The addition of Wallace, a strong locker-room presence, should alleviate much of that pressure and allow the 25-year-old guard to focus on running the Bulls' offense with the efficiency of a Swiss watch. Nocioni is the most physical small forward in the league. His versatility -- he easily can slide to the four position -- makes him a huge asset against a potential playoff opponent like Detroit, which, without Wallace, will occasionally slide Rasheed Wallace to the center position and play Tayshaun Prince at power forward.Perhaps nobody epitomizes Chicago's big-play ability more than the sharp shooting Gordon. A year removed from winning the Sixth Man Award as a rookie in 2005, Gordon, 23, proved even more potent as a starter last season, averaging 18.9 points in 47 starts. Further, Gordon stepped up when the games started to count: in April, Gordon gave the Bulls 21.7 points a night. His maturation process might very well be complete.And there is no reason to believe the rest of Chicago's young talent won't continue to develop. Duhon improved his scoring by nearly four points per game last season and finished seventh in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Luol Deng (14.3 ppg) proved last season to be dangerous from 15-18 feet; a summer spent working on his three-point shooting (he's a career 26.7 percent from behind the line) should make him even more of a weapon. And we still have no idea what the Bulls are going to get from Tyrus Thomas.For nearly a decade Chicago has been haunted by the ghost of Michael's past. No more. This Bulls team is looking toward the future. Come June they'll have a victory party in Grant Park with a bright golden trophy to show off.</div>
This is VERY premature talk. The Chicago Bulls WILL NOT win the NBA Championship this season. Yes, the additions of Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown and Adrian Griffin were excellent, however there are just too many good teams out there in the league, and aside from those three guys the Bulls are still a fairly young team.Yes, the Bulls will improve, and I expect them to finish atleast third in the Central Division and be a top 5 seed in the East, but I don't see them improving enough to beat the likes of Miami, Dallas, SA, Phoenix, hell even Detroit in a seven-game series. Wallace is the only player on their team with that has been past the second round of the playoffs (if memory serves me correctly), and these young guys will go through some learning experiences throughout the season and the playoffs.The Chicago Bulls have definitely improved dramatically personnel wise from last season, but now it just seems people are overhyping them. Sad to say if people actually believe that the Bulls are going to be a top three to five team in the League and win the title, they will have a rude awakening this year.
Sports illustrated has really lost all credibility with me. This was pretty much the icing on the cake. Year after year I recieve the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL preview issues where they predict who is going to win the championship. I essentially read the magazine and skip over the preview section. This is a magazine that said the Detroit Tigers would finish 4th in the division, the Pirates were going to be better than the Reds and the White Sox were going to win the World Series. Now the Miami Dolphins are going to win the Super Bowl and the Bulls are going to win the NBA Championship. Not saying that it is impossible, just saying its highly unlikely.
No way. SI is so dumb. I think they get their predictions from monkeys point at numbers which correspond to certain teams.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ Sep 22 2006, 01:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This is VERY premature talk. The Chicago Bulls WILL NOT win the NBA Championship this season. Yes, the additions of Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown and Adrian Griffin were excellent, however there are just too many good teams out there in the league, and aside from those three guys the Bulls are still a fairly young team.Yes, the Bulls will improve, and I expect them to finish atleast third in the Central Division and be a top 5 seed in the East, but I don't see them improving enough to beat the likes of Miami, Dallas, SA, Phoenix, hell even Detroit in a seven-game series. Wallace is the only player on their team with that has been past the second round of the playoffs (if memory serves me correctly), and these young guys will go through some learning experiences throughout the season and the playoffs.The Chicago Bulls have definitely improved dramatically personnel wise from last season, but now it just seems people are overhyping them. Sad to say if people actually believe that the Bulls are going to be a top three to five team in the League and win the title, they will have a rude awakening this year.</div>Doesn't get much righter than that. Good one bigmo. I must say it was a very well written article though IMO. I found my self going "wow the Bulls are going to dominate next year" Then I realised that they were talking about the Chicago Bulls, the team full of young talent and potential, a team who are a few years from doing anything. Well written article, and great poat by Bigmo!
a team few years from doing anything?? theyve made the playoffs two years in a row, how can you say they have done anything yet
I know the Bulls got Big Ben and had a good draft and withe but comon Big Ben is not going to take this team all the way he is one great player and will play good with the Bulls but let's not get ahead of our selfs.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Larry Hughes @ Sep 21 2006, 06:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I know the Bulls got Big Ben and had a good draft and withe but comon Big Ben is not going to take this team all the way he is one great player and will play good with the Bulls but let's not get ahead of our selfs.</div>He's not even that. He's one great defensive off the ball player. That's it. Overrated to the twelfth degree. Bulls are still young, give em a few years for Ty Thomas to rip it up, then we'll talk.
Overrated?I don't think so he can play GREAT D-# and his can score if u feed him down low but he can't hit foul shots Big Ben is not a MVP player at all only a D-# man but still a GREAT pick up.
I don't think we make the final either, but to say they are a few years away still is quite wrong. The team is a 'team', and will go as far as their desire allows. However, this does not include the NBA finals......yet.
I think Wallace buys them time to develop Thomas. He gives them a more than respectable squad that can make it to the second round or so. But I think the Bulls will not make the Finals until Ben is sitting on the bench as a role player when he has lost his hops due to age. I think the best part about Ben is that he can teach Thomas. Well, on everything except how to put the ball in the hole. He can play great D, HOWEVER, Larry Hughes (dont mean to call you out but I forgot to quote before I started this reply) he CAN NOT score. He can catch wide open ally-oops and every once in a while make a lay-up, but only when nobody is within 5 feet of him. Great pickup. Kind of like a Kenny Rogers to the Tigers. Only has a few years left but can teach a good core of young players how the game is supposed to be played. Ive digressed into a whole other point. Bulls to the second round.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SerbBojo @ Sep 22 2006, 09:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>a team few years from doing anything?? theyve made the playoffs two years in a row, how can you say they have done anything yet</div>Half the league make the playoffs every year. I mean when they make the conferance finals or the finals. That is it doing something.
Yeah but the bulls had to really dig deep last season 2 get the 8th seed... they was like 11 games out with 20 to go.... Some thing like that. I even thought bulls wasnt gonna make it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BuLLzDoMaIn @ Sep 22 2006, 03:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah but the bulls had to really dig deep last season 2 get the 8th seed... they was like 11 games out with 20 to go.... Some thing like that. I even thought bulls wasnt gonna make it.</div>Good point. Next time in english please.
Alrite let me speak englishYeah but the bulls had too really dig deep last season to even get the 8th seed.... The bulls were around 11 games out with 20 games left in the season. Me as a bulls fan even thought they were not going to make it into the playoffs...Does that help
