2014-15 Bulls "Shit is Getting Real" Thread

[SKO]

But let's not let this distract from the general awesomeness that is this year's team.

Nevermind.

Why were they not the suck but now are the suck I need analsis.

[InternetApex]

But let's not let this distract from the general awesomeness that is this year's team.

Nevermind.

R-E-L-A-X

It's actually a very mature thing for a team to suck ass in January. If they're smart enough to sideline Noah until he's right, they have a chance to begin ramping up in time for the playoffs.

Noah's health is a bit worrisome, I know. But this team should improve as the weather warms up.

[Slaky]

But let's not let this distract from the general awesomeness that is this year's team.

Nevermind.

We were wrong and dumb. What the hell happened.

[Eli]

But let's not let this distract from the general awesomeness that is this year's team.

Nevermind.

R-E-L-A-X

It's actually a very mature thing for a team to suck ass in January. If they're smart enough to sideline Noah until he's right, they have a chance to begin ramping up in time for the playoffs.

Noah's health is a bit worrisome, I know. But this team should improve as the weather warms up.

I don't think they're a terrible team. But the championship dreams seem a bit more distant now. Ah well.

[Slaky]

But let's not let this distract from the general awesomeness that is this year's team.

Nevermind.

R-E-L-A-X

It's actually a very mature thing for a team to suck ass in January. If they're smart enough to sideline Noah until he's right, they have a chance to begin ramping up in time for the playoffs.

Noah's health is a bit worrisome, I know. But this team should improve as the weather warms up.

I don't think they're a terrible team. But the championship dreams seem a bit more distant now. Ah well.

Pex is right. I hope they sit Noah as long as they need to. They're not going to miss the playoffs so just take er easy until he's ready. But you know the Bulls are incapable of handling injuries so we're fucked.

[InternetApex]

But let's not let this distract from the general awesomeness that is this year's team.

Nevermind.

R-E-L-A-X

It's actually a very mature thing for a team to suck ass in January. If they're smart enough to sideline Noah until he's right, they have a chance to begin ramping up in time for the playoffs.

Noah's health is a bit worrisome, I know. But this team should improve as the weather warms up.

I don't think they're a terrible team. But the championship dreams seem a bit more distant now. Ah well.

Pex is right. I hope they sit Noah as long as they need to. They're not going to miss the playoffs so just take er easy until he's ready. But you know the Bulls are incapable of handling injuries so we're fucked.

That's been apparent for awhile. I didn't think this was a championship team before this swoon. I thought Eastern Conference Finals was the ceiling. I think that's still very much in play. That offense is too sporadic and Derrick Rose is not an MVP-caliber lead guard anymore.He'll get you a bucket when you desperately need it from time to time but he doesn't do enough to elevate this team above it's current state. I do want to see them with a healthy Noah though before I write them off completely from a Finals trip. If that's possible, there may be another gear in there that the rest of the East would struggle to match.

[PenFoe]

Seriously, stop shooting.

[InternetApex]

Seriously, stop shooting.

They're not a very athletic bunch, these AlBinulls. The defensive numbers are way down, which when you consider the number of minutes given to Rose, Gasol and Mirotic makes perfect sense. The era of the try-hard, win-ugly Bulls was fine when there was virtually no chance of advancing past the second round of the playoffs. What else did they have going for them other than winning a Sunday showcase against Miami in overtime and shaking their fist at God? This is a different kind of year. The East is open enough that they could conceivably compete for a conference title.

But to do that, they have to get very right offensively. They won't be able to rely on that defense getting much better than league average. And they'll have to score enough points to put themselves in contention against teams like Atlanta, Cleveland and Washington that have explosive offenses and defensive challenges of their own. Can they do that with Rose now a shadow of his former self and with Noah looking less dynamic than he was last year when he carried them for months? Is Thibs the right coach to make this transformation happen in-season? Are they just too old and slow and white and stupid to live?

It was interesting to see Cleveland go from a hapless, underachieving mess with a coach on the hot seat to eleven straight wins and a game back in the Central after getting LeBron back from a short respite - and a couple of expensive roster changes. And yet LeBron tells the world that the team is nowhere near good enough to compete for anything in the playoffs and there remains a ton of work to be done. Will any player on the Bulls say that and mean it? I know Thibs knows it.

Which brings me to another thought about whether it would be better for both the Bulls and Thibs if the coach moved on after this year. I wonder what he could do for a team like Sacramento or even Oklahoma City. Rudderless and top-heavy, could those teams get contributions from their supporting cast and clear instructions for their stars in order to exceed expectations?

I know I ask a lot of questions. It's because I've only been watching the modern NBA for a short time and don't know shit about shit. It's fun though.   

[Yeti]

/shooting

[Eli]

I guess I'll have this avatar forever.

[Eli]

I was starting to accept that we'd probably never see the violently awesome Rose from 2011 again. I figured he may take a year to adapt and then still have a few more good years left (like, maybe he'd still be a top 5 point guard). But even that more modest hope seems unlikely now.

The guy was the youngest player to ever win an MVP and fate has just shit on him ever since.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I guess I'll have this avatar forever.

Up the Roman Numeral to III.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I was starting to accept that we'd probably never see the violently awesome Rose from 2011 again. I figured he may take a year to adapt and then still have a few more good years left (like, maybe he'd still be a top 5 point guard). But even that more modest hope seems unlikely now.

The guy was the youngest player to ever win an MVP and fate has just shit on him ever since.

He makes for a better comparison to Gale Sayers than Kerry Wood did.

[Eli]

I guess I'll have this avatar forever.

Up the Roman Numeral to III.

Oof. Done.

[Slaky]

I will say I think it'll be interesting to see how the next 10 games go without him.