It was a thrilling game -- and sure there is rust. My main concern is The Bulls squad was pretty much intact and The Lakers were without Bynum. Given the way the Bulls handled the rock under the basket so much like it was a Pachinko ball, I fear a vastly different outcome. Still, Bulls 1-0.
Bulls stole one...against the Lakers...in LA. All sorts of reasons for concern if you like to project one game to a season. I don't, so I'll just say "Thank you, may I have another."
Fun game. Enjoyed the ending, especially! Rip with two fouls early, and still getting used to the team meant we were going to look a lot like last year's team. But yeah, we're going to look for improvement in the offense as the season wears on. Go Bulls!
I like this paragraph a lot. The easiest thing to do is watch Derrick run around and do his thing, and the dangerous part about it is that it can get you pretty far. But it stalls when playing against the most talented teams that can scheme against it. The team's sixth gear is probably going to come from finding ways to make everyone play better in a scheme that doesn't require Derrick to be superman. Oddly enough, this'll probably require the greatest effort from Derrick more than anyone else. Does Thibs have an offensive coordinator? If not he might want to consider it. I also think we should get over the idea that dumping the ball to Boozer in the low post in a clear out is a good idea. It's not good for him or the team. He needs to be setup on the move. We actually did that in spots last night, and it worked pretty well.
Yeah. Pao was killing it. How much do you want him as a Bull? -- As to your scapegoat comment, I think I'm officially going to become a Boozer hater this season. -- This is a little bit off topic, but the Hubie/Tirico broadcasting pairing is by far the best in the business. I'm continually amazed at how on the ball Hubie is when he's pushing 80. It's a good reminder that you can't make generalizations about age. -- It was nice to see Thibodau out coach an opponent with in-game decisions. If we're being honest, Thibodeau was out coached a numerous times last season with his in-game decisions, although he was always a good coach outside of game time. It's nice to no longer have a rookie coach. -- The rest of the game was a wash to me. There's just not much we can take away yet, until the team gets in better shape.
on the lakers side, kobe's turnovers might be a function of learning a new system. i really think the bulls should have been more aggressive in the trade market. rip hamilton is done.
