Coach Tom Thibodeau still has some work to do. About 19 points per game of work to do. That’s what was lost when Luol Deng was traded to the Cavaliers last January. And after a flurry of offseason moves in the last month, those points still could be missing when training camp starts in *October. “Again, you start with the guys that you do have,’’ Thibodeau said last week in Las Vegas when asked about improving the roster. “Hopefully, we’ll continue to add pieces. The perimeter is something we want to address, and we’ll see what we can do.’’ Pieces were added. Free-agent addition Pau Gasol will take up Carlos Boozer’s spot in the post. Derrick Rose’s return helps, but D.J. Augustin averaged only a point less than Rose did before his right knee injury. But that outside help Thibodeau was looking for hasn’t arrived. Obviously, Bulls management knew it was an issue, and that’s why there was such a strong push for Carmelo Anthony. He would’ve been everything Thibodeau needed offensively, giving him not only an outside threat, but a guy who can create his own shot. In a league in which dominant wing players are almost a necessity, the Bulls have more suspects than options. A look around the NBA has been a reminder of that. The Heat lose LeBron James and add Deng. The Wizards lose Trevor Ariza and add Paul Pierce. The Rockets watch Chandler Parsons go to the Mavericks and grab Ariza. The Mavs lose Vince Carter but sign Parsons. The Bulls? Read more http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2871...t-bulls-more-than-you-think.html#.U8kcMfldWSp
Has to be a Cowley article I'm guessing? I guess he's never heard of McDoug? He's certainly never heard of Mirotic? Obviously not familiar with the actual results on the court after the trade? Actual facts? That team that won the championship, who's there "dominant wing player"? If you believe Manu or Kawhi are dominant, I can give you a real good price on the dam across the street from my house, it's up for sale. And take the bridge next to it, I can do a discount if you buy both. Of course, if Ariza and Deng and Pierce and Vince are "dominant wing players", Gasol must be Wilt? 14-18 with Deng 34-16 w/o Deng If Rose plays 82 games, this team sleepwalks to 50 wins. I guess I'll read the article now, I'm always up for a good laugh.
"none can create his own shot." Really, Joe? Then they'll be perfect replacements for Deng, because we all know how well he created his own shot. "Euro League"?? $50 says Cowley has never seen Mirotic play a full game. Hell, $5 says he's never even bothered watching a YouTube video.
The article was not well written, but the general point is true. The Bulls still might suffer for lack of a second shot creator and if something's going to hold them back this year, it'll probably be that.
Yeah, when the link says "Sun-Times", you would hope the article doesn't read like it was written by an 8th-grader.
I've been a longtime Deng fan, and since I spend time on Bulls message boards, this means I've been a longtime Deng defender. A month or so after Deng was traded, I remember Denny chiding me about if I thought that the team missed him. I had to swallow a little crow, but acknowledged that it didn't seem so. Agree that the article is weak. Cowley is beginning to remind me of negative posters I have known. Bullsville is spot on with his comment about the shell game Cowley's playing when he criticizes Mirotic and McDermott for not being able to create their own shots in an article about the loss of Deng.
Long time Deng defender here as well. Huge. Massive. Lots of defending. It's one thing if your team hangs on and maintains without you. But when your winning percentage goes from .438 to .680 without you, how important could you have been? In fact, the headline of the story I wrote was: Bulls trade Deng for draft picks; I eat crow.
Is this argument for sport? At the time you made the same point Bullsville is now making...that Deng's absence didn't seem to hurt the team.
Not for sport. I think the team was better without him, but I don't attribute all the record difference to his departure. And maybe it would have helped to have him guard one of the guys Hinrich couldn't against the Wizards.
I'd add that watching a team that's last in the league in offense win games by keeping the ball out of opponents' hands isn't particularly sporting nor is it the most fun to watch.
It's not for sport, it's for more page views. More page views equals more PROFIT!!!!!!!! If you can goad someone into an agrument by changing your opinion on a subject, you've created more page views, which creates more PROFIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody attributed all the record difference to Deng's departure, but if a strawman can get you an extra page view, you've done your job. PROFIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I was on the high school team, we played a game against this team that was state champions. We were a really small school with a 6'2" center and maybe our PF was 6'. Their PG was 6'4". Our coach took one look at them and knew we were going to get destroyed. So he had us work on the 4 corners offense in practice. We came out and ran that for the whole first half. When we went into the locker room, the score was something like 8-2. Coach told us to go out and play our game in the second half and we got drubbed by 30 points. The moral of the story is that if you suck compared to them you can keep the game close (8-2 was close!) by slowing the game down to a crawl. That's what the Bulls did last season. Low scoring (8-2 is low scoring), close games (8-2 is close games), slowest PACE in the NBA (as close to 4 corners as is legal in the NBA). The first half wasn't the measure of how good we were compared to them. We weren't anywhere near as good at all things basketball. The second half was.
"Sporting"?? OMFG, like it's not fair to win games by playing defense? "Keeping the ball out of opponents' hands"? LMFAO, you can keep the ball for 24 seconds, then the rules stipulate that you must shoot the ball and hit the rim. Denny would have you believe that he hated the Dynasty Bulls, because they played a style that was a very, very, very slow pace. 1990-91: 19th out of 27 in pace 1991-92: 22nd out of 27 in pace 1992-93: 27th out of 27 in pace 1995-96: 20th out of 29 in pace 1996-97: 18th out of 29 in pace 1997-98: 22nd out of 29 in pace I'm with you Vintage, wins are very entertaining. I don't know where this "last in the league in offense" strawman came from, considering the Bulls offense last season was much, much more efficient after they got rid of Deng. So I wonder where the goalposts will be moving to next?
WIN GAMES. That's the part your little "we kept it close with the four corners" story neglects, you weren't WINNING with the four corners. You moved the goalpost from WINNING by slowing things down to "losing by less points". You are either trolling the fuck out of us for responses, or..... who the fuck am I kidding, you're obviously not that stupid. You know damned well how far you are moving the goalposts. You are just trolling the fuck out of us for responses. But hey, you're getting more PROFITS!!!!!!!!!!!! and I'm getting a good laugh out of it, so everybody wins. Thanks!!! Just don't hurt your back moving those goalposts, those things can be quite heavy.
72 win team wasn't last on offense. They were FIRST. 69 win team was FIRST as well. You and your strawmen. Edit I see you quoted me twice saying, "watching a team that's last in scoring..."
You guys keep telling me about Sham's site. I mouse over things and there are tool tips. I cannot for the life of me find how much the Bulls paid in salaries for 2014.
