We're at the point where youjust have to say we are what we are. We are not a team that can reliably play good defense. We are not a team that reliably defeats lesser opponents. We are not a team that has a go-to lineup when it needs stops or buckets. I'm not in "Camp Thidiot", but all of these things point to the coaching job he's done this season.
He hasn't had his starting 5 healthy for many games, particularly many games in a row. Unlike last season, he's had to make due with a smaller roster. 13 guys, but several on the DL at the same time. Last year, everyone mostly healthy and able to play but Rose. We didn't sign one guy to a 10 day contract when Brooks was playing 38 minutes as a starter. Last year we signed Augustin... A guy like that would have helped this year, too. We may simply overrate how good our players really are. Thibs pretty much played them all in a rational rotation, down to playing Niko big minutes and doing the O/D substitutions at the end. The players didn't have bad games for the most part. We are going into the playoffs healthy. Mission accomplished.
Would anybody here bet on the Bulls in a seven game series? I feel like smart money has to be on the Wizards. That ORL team that the Bulls lost to was awful tonight. I like parts of ORL's roster, but their defense is awful.
I imagine the Bulls will be the favorites to beat the Wizards in a 7 game series. We've been told over and over again that the regular season doesn't matter. The remaining games are to stay healthy and build continuity. I don't really like thinking of the regular season games this way, but that's how it is, and that's seemingly how many people want the regular season to be viewed. This team will go as far as Derrick can take them. The lack of meaningful practice and meaningful playing time between the main guys on the roster is a concern. What most concerns me is * Noah's health / effectiveness * Rose's health / effectiveness * Identity of team. Is it a "win with defense" team lead by Noah and Gibson or a stretch 4 / finesse team led by Gasol and Niko or a scoring PG team led by Rose? Great teams have an identity and I'm at a loss to tell you what the Bulls identity is. One concern with Niko at the stretch 4 being one of our dominant sets. Those teams tend to rely on a very athletic, quick, shot blocking 5 that can hold down the dirty work on his own. That isn't Gasol. Gibson has some of those skills but lacks the size. Noah might not be able to bring it anymore every night. I'm of course also just not feeling very high on Rose. I hope to be shown otherwise by his play. If Noah and Rose are just average to above average, there isn't really a compelling case that this team has the horses to win a title.
We dont rebound, and we dont defend the basket the way we used to, all season long. Too many guards get to the basket too easily. We get out rebounded more often than naught! Some of it is Noah. He is not the Noah of old. His inury has affected his game, no doubt about it! Pau cant be tired. His minutes are the same if, not lower than some of his minutes with LA, that includes a team with Odom, and Bynum. At first I thought he was tired, that cant be true. Mirotic is better at PF. Snell's minutes have been slashed and Thibs plays Hinrich more. Teams slack off of him. With Noah in the game as well, the team becomes easier to double team. I personally think that Snell is more of threat than Hinrich is on both sides of the court at this time!
3-11 is not awesome. That's 8 possessions that yielded zero. Should we bench Taj so Niko can play 56 minutes? When it came to offense/defense substitutions, Niko was pulled for defense. Why is that?
