Bulls are insignificant right now.

[TDubbs]

As a casual observer of the Bulls, it seems pretty obvious that the Vinny Delpino hire is a mistake wrapped inside of a tragedy wrapped inside of a clusterfuck.  The last game they played, the Bulls called a timeout at the end when it was still tied, and Del Negro designed a play which...ended up...being four guys standing around and Rose dribbling until he could offer up the lowest percentage shot from the floor.  It makes me wonder what the hell happened during the timeout.  I mean, how lousy is your coach that when the players break from the huddle, nobody knows what the fuck to do?

Here's what needs to happen for this franchise to have any hope before they rightfully decide to blow it up and start over with Rose: John Paxson needs to do what he should have done last year when he launched Skiles--take over the team his own damn self.  No more of this pansy-ass, hiding behind the mess like some sort of Andy MacFail fucktwit.  I like Paxson, always have.  I liked him when he was an All-American at Notre Dame, surrounded by such genetic underacheivers as Orlando Woolridge and Kelly Tripucka.  I liked him when he was the unsung hero of those Bulls teams during the first three-peat.  I liked him when he was first turning the franchise around as a GM in the wake of Crumbs' disaster.  But this shit has jumped the tracks and there's no justification for keeping Paxson around if he's just gonna eschew responsibility for the players he's collected. 

Uncle Jerry should tell Paxson to go down to the bench and take over the team.  Give him a  year and a half--the rest of this season and next season--and see if he can't get the team steered back in the right direction.  If he can't, start over.  If he can, then hooray.  I would think that some of these fucknuts like Noah and Thomas may be more apt to listen to the guy who holds their contracts, as opposed to Phil Valvano's waterboy, who commands as much respect from these guys as Benny the Bull.

That's a long, sarcastic post.  Didn't think you had it in you.

[Jon]

As a casual observer of the Bulls, it seems pretty obvious that the Vinny Delpino hire is a mistake wrapped inside of a tragedy wrapped inside of a clusterfuck.  The last game they played, the Bulls called a timeout at the end when it was still tied, and Del Negro designed a play which...ended up...being four guys standing around and Rose dribbling until he could offer up the lowest percentage shot from the floor.  It makes me wonder what the hell happened during the timeout.  I mean, how lousy is your coach that when the players break from the huddle, nobody knows what the fuck to do?

Here's what needs to happen for this franchise to have any hope before they rightfully decide to blow it up and start over with Rose: John Paxson needs to do what he should have done last year when he launched Skiles--take over the team his own damn self.  No more of this pansy-ass, hiding behind the mess like some sort of Andy MacFail fucktwit.  I like Paxson, always have.  I liked him when he was an All-American at Notre Dame, surrounded by such genetic underacheivers as Orlando Woolridge and Kelly Tripucka.  I liked him when he was the unsung hero of those Bulls teams during the first three-peat.  I liked him when he was first turning the franchise around as a GM in the wake of Crumbs' disaster.  But this shit has jumped the tracks and there's no justification for keeping Paxson around if he's just gonna eschew responsibility for the players he's collected. 

Uncle Jerry should tell Paxson to go down to the bench and take over the team.  Give him a  year and a half--the rest of this season and next season--and see if he can't get the team steered back in the right direction.  If he can't, start over.  If he can, then hooray.  I would think that some of these fucknuts like Noah and Thomas may be more apt to listen to the guy who holds their contracts, as opposed to Phil Valvano's waterboy, who commands as much respect from these guys as Benny the Bull.

That's a long, sarcastic post.  Didn't think you had it in you.

(slow clapping that gradually grows to raucous applause)

[butthead]

Here's what needs to happen for this franchise to have any hope before they rightfully decide to blow it up and start over with Rose

How do you blow up an NBA team and start over though? It seems like it is near impossible to trade. They were able to get rid of Wallace, but only because they took back Hughes. I assume Pax would love to dump half of these losers but can't find anyone willing to take them.

[Quality Start Machine]

As a casual observer of the Bulls, it seems pretty obvious that the Vinny Delpino hire is a mistake wrapped inside of a tragedy wrapped inside of a clusterfuck.  The last game they played, the Bulls called a timeout at the end when it was still tied, and Del Negro designed a play which...ended up...being four guys standing around and Rose dribbling until he could offer up the lowest percentage shot from the floor.  It makes me wonder what the hell happened during the timeout.  I mean, how lousy is your coach that when the players break from the huddle, nobody knows what the fuck to do?

Here's what needs to happen for this franchise to have any hope before they rightfully decide to blow it up and start over with Rose: John Paxson needs to do what he should have done last year when he launched Skiles--take over the team his own damn self.  No more of this pansy-ass, hiding behind the mess like some sort of Andy MacFail fucktwit.  I like Paxson, always have.  I liked him when he was an All-American at Notre Dame, surrounded by such genetic underacheivers as Orlando Woolridge and Kelly Tripucka.  I liked him when he was the unsung hero of those Bulls teams during the first three-peat.  I liked him when he was first turning the franchise around as a GM in the wake of Crumbs' disaster.  But this shit has jumped the tracks and there's no justification for keeping Paxson around if he's just gonna eschew responsibility for the players he's collected. 

Uncle Jerry should tell Paxson to go down to the bench and take over the team.  Give him a  year and a half--the rest of this season and next season--and see if he can't get the team steered back in the right direction.  If he can't, start over.  If he can, then hooray.  I would think that some of these fucknuts like Noah and Thomas may be more apt to listen to the guy who holds their contracts, as opposed to Phil Valvano's waterboy, who commands as much respect from these guys as Benny the Bull.

That's a long, sarcastic post.  Didn't think you had it in you.

(slow clapping that gradually grows to raucous applause)

LSA?

[Eli]

How do you blow up an NBA team and start over though? It seems like it is near impossible to trade. They were able to get rid of Wallace, but only because they took back Hughes. I assume Pax would love to dump half of these losers but can't find anyone willing to take them.

That's the problem here.  Teams need to luck into a star player (the Bulls nailed that part), create cap space (not really there) and avoid handing out any damaging contracts that restrict their flexibility (the Hinrich and Deng contracts look questionable now, and the Nocioni contract is one of the worst in the NBA).  A commitment to player development helps as well, but that requires giving your young players consistent minutes, which the Bulls are apparently reluctant to do.  Tyrus is getting 23 minutes a game and Noah is getting 19; there's no reason each shouldn't be getting 30-35 minutes a night so they can work through their mistakes.

It also helps to have a coach that isn't a total retard as well.  Some wonderful Del Negro moments from the last week or so:

Minutes after coach Vinny Del Negro told media to ask his players if they respect him, Ben Gordon was seen by some of the same media confronting Del Negro and shouting expletives toward the coach in a Berto Center hallway

Vinny's response to the argument? 

"I'm Italian, I like to argue. That's how I grew up," Del Negro said. "It doesn't bother me. So whatever helps to get this team going, whatever comments are made, everybody knows where to find me.

And in response to the embarrassing ending to the Timberwolves game that Mike D referenced above:

Rose and Del Negro weren't quite on the same page when it came to what can be done better in last-second shot opportunities.

"Today was really like the first day when we did a lot of situations like that (in practice)," Rose said.

Countered Del Negro: "We work on them all the time, almost every practice. But it was good to scrimmage and go through some things."

He needs to be fired, but I think that would probably also be the final nail in Pax's tenure, so we'll have to sit and suffer through the rest of the season with Del Negro and get a quiet offseason firing.  And then we can sit and watch Pax take another three months to find a coach, before he finally settles on Benoit Benjamin after whiffing on Avery Johnson, Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Hornacek, Jack Haley, Bill Cowher and Rod Blagojevich.

[butthead]

How do you blow up an NBA team and start over though? It seems like it is near impossible to trade. They were able to get rid of Wallace, but only because they took back Hughes. I assume Pax would love to dump half of these losers but can't find anyone willing to take them.

That's the problem here.  Teams need to luck into a star player (the Bulls nailed that part), create cap space (not really there) and avoid handing out any damaging contracts that restrict their flexibility (the Hinrich and Deng contracts look questionable now, and the Nocioni contract is one of the worst in the NBA).  A commitment to player development helps as well, but that requires giving your young players consistent minutes, which the Bulls are apparently reluctant to do.  Tyrus is getting 23 minutes a game and Noah is getting 19; there's no reason each shouldn't be getting 30-35 minutes a night so they can work through their mistakes.

Getting lucky with a star player is huge. Pax built a team of solid role players a few years ago, but without the star it was never going to go anywhere significant. The thing that drives me crazy is the reluctance to play the kids. There is no reason Tyrus can't do with Rose what Chandler and Paul did last year. The team is going nowhere, so let him play and learn. We'd watch about a zillion losses probably, but we'd also get to watch about a zillion alley-oops.

[Eli]

There is no reason Tyrus can't do with Rose what Chandler and Paul did last year. The team is going nowhere, so let him play and learn. We'd watch about a zillion losses probably, but we'd also get to watch about a zillion alley-oops.

Agreed.

Tyrus has been getting a few more minutes as of late, which is a good sign, but he's still not playing enough.  I think people are ready to label him a bust, but I don't think it's time for that yet.  He's only 22, and it's interesting to compare his numbers to other bigs who came into the league at a young age:

Per 36 minutes, age 22:

Tyrus Thomas: 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks
Jermaine O'Neal: 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks
Shawn Kemp: 15.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks
Tyson Chandler: 10.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks

I don't think he's totally comparable to these guys, who were all more traditional big men, but it goes to show that raw players sometimes just take a while to develop.  He needs playing time and good coaching.  He's not getting either right now.

[JD]

He needs to be fired, but I think that would probably also be the final nail in Pax's tenure, so we'll have to sit and suffer through the rest of the season with Del Negro and get a quiet offseason firing.  And then we can sit and watch Pax take another three months to find a coach, before he finally settles on Benoit Benjamin after whiffing on Avery Johnson, Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Hornacek, Jack Haley, Bill Cowher and Rod Blagojevich.

Iavaroni's available.  You guys would have fun watching Rose look over at the bench for a play every single time down the court. 

[RV]

Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa for Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha and a draft pick?

Would you do it?

Uh, yes. Yes I would, Sam.

http://blogs.bulls.com/chicago_bulls_blog/2009/01/is-amare-stoudemire-now-available.html

[Eli]

For a few stretches last night, Vinny had Nocioni at center, guarding Yao Ming.  Predictably, Yao scored 28 points on 12 shots.

[Eli]

DPD.

Always nice to see James Posey get faced.



15 and 10 for Tyrus last night, along with 3 blocks.

[Eli]

TPD.  I know I'm just talking to myself in here, but whatever.

The Suns reportedly have made Amare Stoudemire available.

Here's what Marc Stein had to say:

Chicago is growing increasingly reluctant to part with its best youngsters after some promising play since team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's recent blast that the Bulls' first half was "a disaster."

Presumably, this includes Tyrus and Noah.  I like both of them a lot, but if they have to be given up to get Stoudemire, I will drive them to Phoenix myself.  And that's with full acknowledgment that Amare doesn't play any defense.

This is probably all a waste of time, since the Suns may hang onto him.  And if they do put him out there, Pax will almost certainly just sit on his hands and someone else will get him.

[RV]

TPD.  I know I'm just talking to myself in here, but whatever.

The Suns reportedly have made Amare Stoudemire available.

Here's what Marc Stein had to say:

Chicago is growing increasingly reluctant to part with its best youngsters after some promising play since team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's recent blast that the Bulls' first half was "a disaster."

Presumably, this includes Tyrus and Noah.  I like both of them a lot, but if they have to be given up to get Stoudemire, I will drive them to Phoenix myself.  And that's with full acknowledgment that Amare doesn't play any defense.

This is probably all a waste of time, since the Suns may hang onto him.  And if they do put him out there, Pax will almost certainly just sit on his hands and someone else will get him.

You're not talking to yourself. I definitely nod my head while reading your Bulls posts, unfortunately I usually don't have anything worthwhile to add. But I generally try to avoid posting a reply just for the sake of posting something.

[TDubbs]

TPD.  I know I'm just talking to myself in here, but whatever.

The Suns reportedly have made Amare Stoudemire available.

Here's what Marc Stein had to say:

Chicago is growing increasingly reluctant to part with its best youngsters after some promising play since team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's recent blast that the Bulls' first half was "a disaster."

Presumably, this includes Tyrus and Noah.  I like both of them a lot, but if they have to be given up to get Stoudemire, I will drive them to Phoenix myself.  And that's with full acknowledgment that Amare doesn't play any defense.

This is probably all a waste of time, since the Suns may hang onto him.  And if they do put him out there, Pax will almost certainly just sit on his hands and someone else will get him.

You're not talking to yourself. I definitely nod my head while reading your Bulls posts, unfortunately I usually don't have anything worthwhile to add. But I generally try to avoid posting a reply just for the sake of posting something.

There is talk of Bosh being available too.  I'd much rather have him.  I would like to see them try to hang on to Tyrus.  If they traded Noah & Hughes for a new pack of ankle tape, I'd say take it and don't look back.

[Philberto]

TPD.  I know I'm just talking to myself in here, but whatever.

The Suns reportedly have made Amare Stoudemire available.

Here's what Marc Stein had to say:

Chicago is growing increasingly reluctant to part with its best youngsters after some promising play since team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's recent blast that the Bulls' first half was "a disaster."

Presumably, this includes Tyrus and Noah.  I like both of them a lot, but if they have to be given up to get Stoudemire, I will drive them to Phoenix myself.  And that's with full acknowledgment that Amare doesn't play any defense.

This is probably all a waste of time, since the Suns may hang onto him.  And if they do put him out there, Pax will almost certainly just sit on his hands and someone else will get him.

You're not talking to yourself. I definitely nod my head while reading your Bulls posts, unfortunately I usually don't have anything worthwhile to add. But I generally try to avoid posting a reply just for the sake of posting something.

ok