List the problems we have Options

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

1) Incosistency- when we come out every night, we have no idea who is going to have a hot night. People say Ben Gordon is our go to scorer, well I have a hard time relying on a guy that scores 35 a night and then 4 points the next night. Notice his dramitic improvement as soon as he went to the bench. Gordon oozes potential, not because he is averaging 17 ppg through 8 games but because of his 35 point swaps.

2) 48 minutes- This team to me, is lost in the 4th quarter. Nocioni takes way to many outside shots and alls we do is look for Ben Gordon to score. Where is Captain Kirk when we need him? He should be taking over games in the second half and feed the ball to the hot player while penetrating. We have way too much dribbling going around and that leads to turnovers.

3) Starting Lineup- I dont think this lineup is going to help us. Duhon gives us absolutely nothing. We are basically playing with 4 players because he neither shoots nor drives. He is best off of the bench to spar Hinrich a couple minutes. Also Nocioni, where has he been? Since coming into the starting lineup he is averaging just 7 ppg. I thought I'd let it all ride itself out but I really dont think Nocioni or Chris Duhon should be starting. IMO, the lineup should be...

PG Hinrich/Duhon/Barett
SG Sefolosha/Gordon/Hinrich
SF Deng/Nocioni/Khryapa
PF PJ Brown/Thomas/Allen
C Ben Wallace/Sweetney

4) Inside presence- We just dont have it. PJ Brown is not going to score 15 ppg this season and we need some of that inside for our shooters to have more space. Ben Wallace is a non factor on offense and Pj is best facing the basket around 10-12 feet it just crams up the inside even more and we dont have good spacing. The only reason I have Brown in the lineup is because of his size. We are getting manhandled in rebounds this year and if Brown starts we can minimize that. I really dont know how to fix this problem unless through trade. Lamar Odom could be an option but I highly doubt it. Maybe as Luol Deng gets stronger and he might even grow another inch, he could be our future Power Forward. He is our best inside scorer because he slashes well. He should be taking more than 9 shots per game. He is shooting like 58% this season. He is our best all around player in my opinion, we need to find a way to get him the ball more because I feel he is ready to have a breakout season.

[CryptViLL]

Agreed on all notes.
I really like that lineup you stated.

[Wanne]

I noticed nowhere did you list Thomas. Obviously the biggest problem is an inside scoring presence (see and blame my avatar). PJ brings absolutely nothing to the table IMO. Good lockerroom guy doesn't mean spiff on the court. It is too bad Deng doesn't grow a couple inches and put on about 25 lbs. The guy I'm just really enjoying watching on the court is Thabo.

But besides the inside scoring presence...the thing that's been disappointing so far...for a team that is supposed to be a superior defensive team...it's given up WAAAAAAY too many points so far.

So in hindsight of the draft...was taking Thomas a mistake and passing on Aldridge?

Who out there may be available via trade. Not sure at this point...maybe in a month or so we'll know. No way Indiana will trade ONeal within the division IMO. Not sure who else would be available via trade this year. I swear to God...I still think James Augustine would be a good fit on this team.

[Chi-town23-33]

So in hindsight of the draft...was taking Thomas a mistake and passing on Aldridge?

Well, I don't know if that was really a mistake. It could be depending on the way you think about it.

Tyrus was picked because of his toughness and potential. The pick was not a pick for this year but the future, because Paxson knew he would have another great pick in 07, when the big boys like Oden, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Hasheem Thabeet might be available. That would give the Bulls their future PF and C. In theory, not bad at all. It would give the Bulls someone to anchor the team around offensively and defensively, and Tyrus' defensive skills would be used best when he can come from the weak side.

Aldridge (the player I originally wanted) has size and good skills, but from what I had heard, did not really fit what Skile's was looking for. No matter how good he is, if the coach don't like him, he won't be playing.

Only time will tell if this all works out, because next year I either want Oden (but haven't seen him play in College yet) or Durant. I'm just going to say it right now: Kevin Durant is for real. And it is almost guaranteed he is out next year. If the Bulls got him, they could trade for a big man.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

I noticed nowhere did you list Thomas. Obviously the biggest problem is an inside scoring presence (see and blame my avatar). PJ brings absolutely nothing to the table IMO. Good lockerroom guy doesn't mean spiff on the court. It is too bad Deng doesn't grow a couple inches and put on about 25 lbs. The guy I'm just really enjoying watching on the court is Thabo.

But besides the inside scoring presence...the thing that's been disappointing so far...for a team that is supposed to be a superior defensive team...it's given up WAAAAAAY too many points so far.

So in hindsight of the draft...was taking Thomas a mistake and passing on Aldridge?

Who out there may be available via trade. Not sure at this point...maybe in a month or so we'll know. No way Indiana will trade ONeal within the division IMO. Not sure who else would be available via trade this year. I swear to God...I still think James Augustine would be a good fit on this team.

I forgot to add him.

[DrunkBomber]

I think the biggest problem by far is the low post presence followed by inconsistency.

[Bullseye]

Well, I don't know if that was really a mistake. It could be depending on the way you think about it.

Tyrus was picked because of his toughness and potential. The pick was not a pick for this year but the future, because Paxson knew he would have another great pick in 07, when the big boys like Oden, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Hasheem Thabeet might be available. That would give the Bulls their future PF and C. In theory, not bad at all. It would give the Bulls someone to anchor the team around offensively and defensively, and Tyrus' defensive skills would be used best when he can come from the weak side.

Aldridge (the player I originally wanted) has size and good skills, but from what I had heard, did not really fit what Skile's was looking for. No matter how good he is, if the coach don't like him, he won't be playing.

Only time will tell if this all works out, because next year I either want Oden (but haven't seen him play in College yet) or Durant. I'm just going to say it right now: Kevin Durant is for real. And it is almost guaranteed he is out next year. If the Bulls got him, they could trade for a big man.

Isn't Durant a SF? why would the Bulls want him?

[spencer958]

What about defense? We have given up a 100 or more 5 times and opponents are shooting 47%.
Plus free throw shooting, Bulls-69% Opp.-82%.

[Bullseye]

Spencer Hawes
Hasheem Thabeet
Brandan Wright

Either of these 3 guys I would love to have on the team next year. Thank you Isiah Thomas!

[SoxFan1]

IMO, it's far too early to put Thabo in the starting line-up. He's played phenomenally, but it's too much to put on a rookie coming in from overseas.

The only real problem the Bulls have is inconsistency, which comes from their lack of chemistry. We've seen this team have those quarters where nothing is in sync and a shot won't go down for the life of them. All of that will come with time, and with time, the team will develop a greater chemistry.

Ultimately, I'd love a starting line-up of Kirk, Thabo, Luol, PJ, and Ben but it's far too early. Once the team develops a rotation in which everyone know's their roles, then we will go on a tear.

It's simply foolish for us to expect great things from the team right off the bat. With 6 or 7 new faces, it's almost impossible. But, part of the blame needs to go on the shoulders of Scott Skiles. He's made some bonehead decisions. The one that still bothers me was giving Duhon the ball for the last shot against the Kings.

But like I said, when we have the rotation of 8 or 9 guys playing every night, with the same lineup for multiple games in a row, we'll be a much better team.

With that said, I still think that everyone on the team can improve a little. Kirk needs to stay out of foul trouble, Ben G needs to drive to the lane more and get to the foul line. If he relies on that jumper all night, he's not going to be successful. Start of with some easy buckets to build confidence.

Deng and Thabo have impressed me most this season, though. They are playing fantastically, and Deng's defense and mid range jumper have impressed me in particular. PJ, well, PJ is PJ. I almost feel sorry for Big Ben because he has no real PF to team up with. He's still a force defensively and I am happy with the job he's done so far. Once he gets in sync with Noc or PJ (whoever plays more minutes at the 4), we're golden.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

IMO, it's far too early to put Thabo in the starting line-up. He's played phenomenally, but it's too much to put on a rookie coming in from overseas.

The only real problem the Bulls have is inconsistency, which comes from their lack of chemistry. We've seen this team have those quarters where nothing is in sync and a shot won't go down for the life of them. All of that will come with time, and with time, the team will develop a greater chemistry.

Ultimately, I'd love a starting line-up of Kirk, Thabo, Luol, PJ, and Ben but it's far too early. Once the team develops a rotation in which everyone know's their roles, then we will go on a tear.

It's simply foolish for us to expect great things from the team right off the bat. With 6 or 7 new faces, it's almost impossible. But, part of the blame needs to go on the shoulders of Scott Skiles. He's made some bonehead decisions. The one that still bothers me was giving Duhon the ball for the last shot against the Kings.

But like I said, when we have the rotation of 8 or 9 guys playing every night, with the same lineup for multiple games in a row, we'll be a much better team.

With that said, I still think that everyone on the team can improve a little. Kirk needs to stay out of foul trouble, Ben G needs to drive to the lane more and get to the foul line. If he relies on that jumper all night, he's not going to be successful. Start of with some easy buckets to build confidence.

Deng and Thabo have impressed me most this season, though. They are playing fantastically, and Deng's defense and mid range jumper have impressed me in particular. PJ, well, PJ is PJ. I almost feel sorry for Big Ben because he has no real PF to team up with. He's still a force defensively and I am happy with the job he's done so far. Once he gets in sync with Noc or PJ (whoever plays more minutes at the 4), we're golden.

Well said, still though I would rather see Thabo start and ride out his mistakes. Its different in the NBA where guys get on hot and cold streaks unlike the NFL where you can either play or you cant.... Atleast I know he is a rookie instead of Ben Gordon who will turn the ball over or go out of control and contort his body for a lucky layup or a charging foul.

[Chi-town23-33]

Isn't Durant a SF? why would the Bulls want him?

Yeah, he is a small forward, but the kid has got just so much talent and has the possibility to be that go to scorer. His ball handling is great for a guy he size as well, crossing over guys much closer to the ground than he is. But I was saying in a stacked draft like that, if this guy is available, take him. We've got so much talent, we could make a trade for a big guy or another draft pick to use on a big guy. Actually, having this much talent is a problem (but there are many benefits as well) cause not everyone is getting playing time.

[ZoomSlowik]

Yeah, he is a small forward, but the kid has got just so much talent and has the possibility to be that go to scorer. His ball handling is great for a guy he size as well, crossing over guys much closer to the ground than he is. But I was saying in a stacked draft like that, if this guy is available, take him. We've got so much talent, we could make a trade for a big guy or another draft pick to use on a big guy. Actually, having this much talent is a problem (but there are many benefits as well) cause not everyone is getting playing time.

Just for fun, Kevin Durant's numbers so far this year:

22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.3 steals, 3.3 blocks, 46.9 FG%, 44 3PT%.

That's just sick.

I would agree, he's too talented not to take him. He's really good, he has the ability to turn into something like Kevin Garnett with more perimeter skills, which is just a scary thought. He's got incredible length and athleticism. He's still really thin (somewhere around 210), but he could cause some serious matchup problems. He could definitely fill a Shawn Marion type role once he hits his prime. I would honestly have no problem dealing some of our other guys to make room for Durant...

[The Dude Abides]

-No low post scoring(this needed to be addressed for 3 years running)
-Duhon should not start, but neither should Gordon.
-Living and dying by jump shots.
-Guys are hot one night, off the next...no consistency.
-they have gotten off to a slow start every year under Skiles, circus trip is part of it.

[WHarris1]

Sure would be nice to have Aldridge right about now.