With Harrington in Indiana, What does that mean for the Bulls Options

[Chisoxfn]

The Pacers are a very good team. They've had to battle injuries to players like Jermaine O'Neal as well as suspensions and the off the court antics of Ron Artest. However, that appears to be in the past and they have a lineup with one of the best bigs in the league (O'Neal) and have just acquired a pretty good scoring in Harrington who will join Stephen Jackson and others.

Here's the Pacers lineup:
C: JO, Foster, Harrison
PF: Harrinton, JO, Williams
SF: Jackson, Granger, Harrington
SG: Daniels, Jasikevicius, Green
PG: Tinsley, Armstrong, Green

If you ask me they have a pretty nice looking team there. The problem is Tinsley is always hurt and defensively they won't be as strong as Chicago, but they've definately turned themselves back into contenders in the East, especially if they are able to stay healthy.

I just wanted to see if other people felt the same way I do. I know one thing, they are much stronger in the low post than we are. However, I'm hoping we will be able to get by depsite a second straight year where we lack low post offense and than after getting the Knicks pick we will be able to draft or trade for the final piece of the puzzle.

[ZoomSlowik]

Getting Daniels was a real coup for them. I like that guy a lot, he just got buried in Dallas. I think it'll take them some time to gel, since Daniels and Harrington are both new. Plus Tinsley's injury history is definitely an issue. If Granger takes the next step, they could be a threat.

[Chisoxfn]

Getting Daniels was a real coup for them. I like that guy a lot, he just got buried in Dallas. I think it'll take them some time to gel, since Daniels and Harrington are both new. Plus Tinsley's injury history is definitely an issue. If Granger takes the next step, they could be a threat.

Marques is a very good athlete. I think a lot of people were surprised when the Pacers were able to get him for so little. The guy obviously didn't have a real spot in Dallas but he had shown success and is still realtively young.

The one area where I think they've lost a few steps is on the defensive side of the ball. Harrington is not known for his defense and without Artest they obviously lose a ton of defense there. They aren't the premiere defensive team they were a couple years ago, but they are still a well coach team that could pose as a thorn in the Bulls side.

[TeaLeafReaderII]

what was there deal at the end of last year? even with Jermain oneal healthy and putting up 40 pt games... they still couldn't make the playoffs...

[greasywheels121]

what was there deal at the end of last year? even with Jermain oneal healthy and putting up 40 pt games... they still couldn't make the playoffs...

We made the playoffs.

And I'm very happy with the the Harrington deal, now that it's official and done. Without Harrington, we looked like we would have been a team outside of the playoffs and the tail end of the lottery. However, we're looking more like a solid playoff threat now.

[Balta1701-B]

They're at the top of the league if O'Neal gives them a full season. They're in the bottom of the playoff pack otherwise.

The one thing the Bulls do have over them is that our lineup doesn't have nearly the injury history the guys on the Pacers have. That, plust the Bulls are a bit deeper than them.

I'll say it again...if the Bulls can gel together on defense, really get to play together and exploit each of their strengths, it's going to be one hell of a good season at the UC, no matter what other teams do.

[Bullies4Life]

Not a bad looking team at all.. There are still some concerns tho.... So i dont think they are at the level where teams such as Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, and maybe even the Bulls(still have to prove that they can have a good season and get pass the first round) are at...

This team is good enough to beat any team any given night tho...

[hammerhead johns...]

That team kicks ass. Really, the only guy that I dislike is Stephen Jackson, but he can provide you with some clutch shooting.

IMO, the key is Granger. If he becomes a Top 10 perimiter defender like I think he will, look out.

Marquis Daniels can fill up statsheets when he gets minutes. He is a very good passer, he hustles after rebounds, and he plays a respectable brand of opportunistic defense. As others have already stated, he got lost in the shuffle when he was a member of the Mavericks, what with Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Adrian Griffin, etc. Christie was even stealing minutes from him for a while. I kind of got the feeling that he was on Avery Johnson's spiff list last year, but he seems like a good character guy, so I dunno.

When Tinsley is healthy, he is a top 3 on-the-ball defensive PG in the NBA. Really, the guy is a defensive monster.

So i dont think they are at the level where teams such as Cleveland...

Cleveland ain't spiff, though. Their idea of building a contender revolves around giving nice-sized contracts to basketball retards like Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. That ain't never gonna work. They have the best player in the game, a great coach, and pretty good depth, but if they even make in into the second round next year, I'll be shocked.

The Pacers absolutely blow them away IMO.

[Chisoxfn]

That team kicks ass. Really, the only guy that I dislike is Stephen Jackson, but he can provide you with some clutch shooting.

IMO, the key is Granger. If he becomes a Top 10 perimiter defender like I think he will, look out.

Marquis Daniels can fill up statsheets when he gets minutes. He is a very good passer, he hustles after rebounds, and he plays a respectable brand of opportunistic defense. As others have already stated, he got lost in the shuffle when he was a member of the Mavericks, what with Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Adrian Griffin, etc. Christie was even stealing minutes from him for a while. I kind of got the feeling that he was on Avery Johnson's spiff list last year, but he seems like a good character guy, so I dunno.

When Tinsley is healthy, he is a top 3 on-the-ball defensive PG in the NBA. Really, the guy is a defensive monster.
Cleveland ain't spiff, though. Their idea of building a contender revolves around giving nice-sized contracts to basketball retards like Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. That ain't never gonna work. They have the best player in the game, a great coach, and pretty good depth, but if they even make in into the second round next year, I'll be shocked.

The Pacers absolutely blow them away IMO.

The nice thing about Cleveland is that they are pretty capped out between the money they've given Hughes, Gooden, Ilkgauska's and than Donyell Marshall. Whats even better is that none of those guys are at all considered good defensive players. Lebron is amazing, but I really think it will be hard for him to take the next step when your team lacks defensive presence.

I also realize some will say Hughes is a very good defender, but I'd prefer to call him a guy that does an excellent job getting steals via the passing lanes, but who is an average on the ball defender at best.

[hammerhead johns...]

The nice thing about Cleveland is that they are pretty capped out between the money they've given Hughes, Gooden, Ilkgauska's and than Donyell Marshall. Whats even better is that none of those guys are at all considered good defensive players. Lebron is amazing, but I really think it will be hard for him to take the next step when your team lacks defensive presence.

I also realize some will say Hughes is a very good defender, but I'd prefer to call him a guy that does an excellent job getting steals via the passing lanes, but who is an average on the ball defender at best.

Hughes is a defensive legend in fantasy leagues, but in real life, he is a defensive liability IMO because of his thought process. He is 100% dedicated to sniping in the passing lanes, so when he gets burnt, he puts a spiffload of pressure on Ilgauskus and whoever else they have down in the paint. Oh wow, does Cleveland have terrible footspeed down in the paint....

And it was the same deal in Washington. Hughes would be taking risks on defense every single time, which would put WAY too much pressure on the turtle-like Brendan Haywood and the rest of his front-line mates.

Extremely slow-footed big men + a compulsive gambler like Larry Hughes = recipe for disaster.

Lebron James can't play effective man defense either, but he's supposed to be your horse on offense, and you're supposed to surround him with defensive-minded players who actually possess foot speed and don't feel the need to gamble compulsively! That would be one hell of a concept. I'm not saying that quality defenders grow on trees, but you can find them if you are actually looking for them. You don't spend 13 million per year on Larry Hughes if you expect to build a contender in this league.

[Bullies4Life]

Cleveland ain't spiff, though. Their idea of building a contender revolves around giving nice-sized contracts to basketball retards like Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. That ain't never gonna work. They have the best player in the game, a great coach, and pretty good depth, but if they even make in into the second round next year, I'll be shocked.

The Pacers absolutely blow them away IMO.

I dunno... i still think this team is a team that should be watched out for... Afterall, this team did get 50 wins last season... Thats pretty darn good.

A few points why this team is pretty good...

-Another year for Lebron... Who knows how much he will improve... One this is for sure, i dont see why his stats wont go up from last year, to this year. The guy is still young, and i think that every1 will agree that this guy still hasnt entered his prime...

-DAmon Jones- the guy got paid a lot of money, and he didnt step up till late into the season... This was suppose to be the guy that was suppose to be their 3 point threat... I expect him to be ready to go this year...

-Another year for all these players playing together... This usually means better chemistry both offensively, and devensively...

-Larry Hughes Healthy-?- This is a pretty good player/threat when he's healthy... I remember seeing this guy playing in the playoffs, and wow, the guy look awful. But at the same time, he had some stuff going on w/ his family, and just came back from an injury.

-Once again, they have Lebron James... The guy that can win games byhimself now and get calls from refs like DWade got in the playoffs... Do the Bulls have a guy like that right now?? or are the Bulls just relying on their defense to win games, and maybe/hopfully Ben Gordon make a cluth shot down the stretch?

I know some people will say that its another year for marshall, and for Big Z... but the truth is that those guys are already slow, and dont relly too much on speed. they are both good spot up shooters, and can still be very dangerous....

the one thing that i agree is them playing Defense... thats the one area they need to step up in as a team if they want to be great and get to NBA Finals... But at the same time, it wouldnt shock me at all if they got to the Eastern Conference Finals, or Maybe even the Finals... Because of Lebron... the guy is amazin and who knows how he will shock us this year... Im not saying they will make it that far, but i wouldnt be surprised at all...

[Chisoxfn]

I'll give Lebron some major credit. He almost carried them into the the conference finals over the Pistons and he was doing it all on his own. For him to get that far by himself makes you think and realize that if he gets any help from his teammates and his team could be scary good.

Not only can Lebron score, but he can also make his mates so much better with his unbelievable passing ability and court vision.

[ZoomSlowik]

To me, Cleveland looks like the pre-Scottie Bulls. They'll be a moderate threat because Lebron has the ability to beat all but the elite teams single-handedly, but they're not really a threat to win it all because he doesn't have enough help. He doesn't really have a solid secondary player on that roster. None of the other guys can consistently create good shots (good being the key term in Hughes' case). Hughes, Gooden, and Ilgauskas are really only medicore.

I like Marshall and Varejao as role players, and for a gunner off the bench Jones is okay. But they need to find a dependable second scorer that can at least average in the high teens without monopolizing the ball to take pressure off the Lebron. Against the Pistons, Lebron was the only one doing anything except for Marshall hitting a few jumpers. Ilgauskas and Hughes were very minor factors in the playoffs. They're not going to go deep in the playoffs that way.

[Balta1701-B]

Cleveland also has problems in that they don't have anything near what the Bulls could throw on the floor defensively. The Bulls of the 90's could score yeah, but they could kick people's asses defensively. Everyone pours over Lebron because he puts up scoring numbers like Jordan, but when Jordan was put on someone defensively, that guy was basically out of the game. Pippen too, Rodman/Grant too, and so on.

Cleveland needs to improve significantly on defense before they're going to be a real threat. If the Bulls defense comes together like it has the potential to do with Big Ben, Kirk, Noc, Deng, this season...then Cleveland will be several steps below us

[Guest_Great Jacklyn_*]

why didn't you just call them about it?