@ http://www.nba.com/bulls/gameday/141120_CHISAC CHICAGO BULLS (8-3) @ SACRAMENTO KINGS (6-5) Game 12, Road Game 7 Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014 – 9:30 PM CT Sleep Train Arena WGN-TV/TNT / ESPN 1000 AM BULLS/KINGS STREAKS BULLS CURRENT STREAK ....... 1 Win BULLS HOME STREAK ............ 5 Wins BULLS ROAD STREAK .......... 2 Losses BULLS VS. KINGS THIS SEASON Nov. 20 @ Sacramento – Feb. 10 @ Chicago – All-Time-Record Overall - 77-74 Home - 45-29 Road - 27-42 Neutral 5-3 Game Notes Chicago Bulls (8-3) Home 2-3 Road 6-0 Bulls Season Averages: PPG: 102.5 (Opp: 97.1) RPG: 42.5 (Opp: 44.3) APG: 23.0 (Opp: 21.0) SPG: 5.91 (Opp: 7.09) BPG: 6.36 (Opp: 4.64) TO: 13.7 (Opp: 12.2) FG%: .469 (Opp: .429) FT%: .376 (Opp: .332) 3p%: .747 (Opp: .731) Probable Bulls starters Kirk Hinrich - PG - Jimmy Butler - SG - Mike Dunleavy - SF - Taj Gibson - PF - Joakim Noah - C - Bulls Stats Leaders Points: Butler 21.3, Gasol 18.6 Rebounds: Gasol 10.6, Noah 10.2 Assists: Rose 5.4, Noah 4.6 Steals: Butler 1.44, Hinrich 1.27 Blocks: Gasol 2.50, Noah 1.33 FG%: Gibson .569, Butler .508 FT%: Rose .833, Butler .806 3FG%: Brooks .469, Dunleavy .404 Injury report Pau Gasol -Left calf strain -Out Derrick Rose -Left hamstring strain -Out For a full report and the latest on Bulls' injuries, check out the AthletiCo Injury Report. Sacramento Kings (6-5) Home 3-2 Road 3-3 Probable Kings starters Darren Collison - PG Ben McLemore - SG Rudy Gay - SF Jason Thompson - PF DeMarcus Cousins - C Injury report Rudy Gay (right Achilles tendinitis)- QUESTIONABLE DeMarcus Cousins (left hip flexor tightness)- PROBABLE Jason Thompson (left quadriceps tendinitis)- PROBABLE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are Gasol and Rose officially out? This is a tricky game to call. We're undefeated on the road but shorthanded. The Kings are fading after their hot start and Gay might not play. They stomped us the last time we came here. Not sure what to call on this one.
I heard early this afternoon that Gasol and Rose were declared out. Just as against the Clippers, the rest of the Bulls are going to have to bring their A games. Bring it on! Sent from my Venue 8 Pro 5830 using Tapatalk
Had to DVR the game. Just got done watching it. Though the officiating was a bit uneven IMO, the Kings clearly outplayed the Bulls. Though Butler was the game's high scorer, Cousins was the best player in the building. He still behaves and plays like a knucklehead at time, but what a beast...and he's less of a knucklehead than the "Boogie" I've seen in the past. Rudy Gay played the best game I've ever seen him play. No selfishness, no forcing his offense. He even behaved like a veteran team leader on the court. I've always kinda felt sorry for the Kings, what with being stuck in Kansas City, Omaha and now Sacramento, but it looks like they've finally caught a break...they're getting the self-actualized version of Rudy Gay. Frankly, Cousins and Gay look like they just may be a couple nice cornerstone players. I never thought I'd say this. Butler continued his stellar play. Unfortunately, he was the only Bull who brought his offensive game. When Noah is tied for the second-most FGAs, it's seldom a good thing. The guy Noah was tied with for FGAs was Dunleavy who made 4 of 13. Hinrich had one of his crooked shooting nights. Hinrich hurt his chest in the game, but sorry Denny, X-rays were negative. Mirotic flashed some offensive brilliance in the first half before a combination of his slow feet and the refs quick whistles forced Mirotic from the game with 4 fouls. Unfortunately, by the time Mirotic re-entered the game (4:30 left in Q3), he had cooled off and did pretty much nothing. Here's one from the boxscore - Doug McDermott played 12:03, scored 1 point, grabbed one rebound and had 1 turnover. That's not the impressive part. He had an ORtg of 38. In other words, if instead of playing only 12 minutes McDermott and the teammates he played with last night had played for 100 possessions against the same Kings against whom McDermott played last night, McDermott's Bulls would have scored only 38 points. To put his in context, the Bulls generally only get about 93 possessions per 48 minutes. Yikes! Most important, there a Cameron Bairstow sighting in last night's game and it was in the first half!
I don't wish for Kirk getting hurt. I wish for us having a better option to start in Rose's absence and to backup when he's not absent. McDermott is looking like McBust. He's not making the shots he takes and he's not showing ability to get shots even with a number of screens set to free him. Mitotic looks like he has a pulse at least. Barstow played because we're missing Gasol and we were in foul trouble.
Who would you rather see play more at PG when Rose is out, Hinrich or Brooks? Corollary question: Why is Brooks not a better option to start in Rose's absence? I have a rule that I won't give up on a rookie in his rookie season. Comes in handy sometimes, but I hate when it does. I'm concerned with Mirotic's feet...they're not very nifty, though he's shown me why Euro scouts have poo-pooed the idea of Mirotic defending NBA SFs. And yes, Bairstow only played because Mirotic picked up 4 fouls in 8 minutes.
Boogie is a total beast. Easily the best player on the floor last night. Mirotic's weaknesses were on display, IMO. Slow lateral speed, needs to lay off the tickey tack fouls. Its a process and he looked solid to start the game and showed some real tenacity, IMO, on the glass.. Dougie McBuckets looks useless out there. Gar has made pretty much solid picks during his tenure, but this one looks foul early on. I'll wait until the last month of the regular season to really judge him.
I know this is a "glass half empty" kinda thing, but my lingering takeaway from last night's game is how slow-footed Mirotic looked on defense. I had noticed it earlier, but written it off to not knowing where to be (and it still may be that). I've never understood why "Bulls' fans" are in such a hurry to declare their favorite team's picks to be busts. I'm inclined to give these guys at least this season to bloom.
If we're having trouble scoring 80 and they're scoring 100, why not play Brooks? That's pretty much a rhetorical question and it answers your corollary. As well, Rose gives you driving and scoring and assists, so does Brooks. On the other hand, Thibs' strategy seems to be "play like a talented team" when Rose can play and "play like the only way you can win is slow down the clock and keep the ball out of superior opponents' hands" when not. I'd like to see the former tried even without Rose.
BTW, the choice isn't binary. I might rather see Ramon Sessions at PG with Rose out. He was linked to the Bulls in the offseason. He's one name that comes to mind, given the Scrooge nature of our gamut of options.
Why do they hype them up so much to begin with? The 11th pick in the draft is far from a lock to be an above average NBA player, much less one that has immediate impact.
I didn't see the footspeed issue with Mirtoic. I saw him trying (and failing) to avoid picking up additional fouls after he picked up his second. I also think he's really struggling at learning personnel. Like, the way he approached Derrick Williams . . . it was like he was completely unaware of what he was up against. Absolutely agree with your second point about writing off players too early. I got that feeling watching Jimmy Butler play against Sac Town. I've argued we need to wait 20 games before beginning to evaluate rookies, K4E said 70, but here Butler is in his forth season and he's only now really starting to learn how to dominate. It's something to remember with Doug McDermott and Mirotic. We can admire their skills, but in terms of being able to predict career production, there's no hard and fast rule that we could follow and not look like fools. As to the game, I get such a kick out of watching Boogie Cousins. I really wish they're be some way to match him up with Thibodeau long term. I feel like Thibodeau could help him become one of the all time greats.
The hype about McDermott revolves around the fact that he has a gorgeous release. I think that's legit. It's okay to be excited about the skills a player flashes. I think the mistake, if there is any, is expecting early production.
Man, you're tough on the rooks. I really don't feel like I've seen anything from McDermott that would impair his ability to be a stellar pro. McDermott is struggling with his shooting. That's a temporary issue that will improve as he makes the adjustment.
[video=youtube;xjtsu0tHXJc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjtsu0tHXJc#t=102[/video] Check out the rookies' defense.
^^See my slow-footed comment earlier in the thread. And yet SST may well be right that Mirotic is not actually slow-footed, because I sure didn't notice this when reviewing the Mirotic-Real Madrid videos. One of the worst things an athlete can do while playing is to think. I believe that McDermott has the same problem.
