I would definitely rather make the playoffs. I want my team to win and I would never cheer for them to loose just to move a few picks higher in a mediocre draft. I understand that we will most likely not beat the Pistons(ok, we won't) but I would still rather see 4 or 5 more Bulls games and give this young team playoff experience. It will only help them out in the long run...plus it would be good to revive the Bulls-Pistons rivalry...Anyone else remember how cool that rivalry was?

Heck...we could even move into the 7th spot if we really turn it on here in the next 2 weeks...Miami has more talent, but they are vulnerable...

As of now, playoffs.

A week and a half ago, give me the pick.

with a little luck... the 6th seed isn't completely out of the question

A week ago, we had almost the same exact question asked and I said lottery. But now, I'm leaning towards the playoffs.

amazing what a few wins strung together can do for a fan's confidence...

Playoffs. ALWAYS playoffs. For a young team, even a 3 game sweep is priceless experience towards their growth. Experiencing the playoff intensity of a champion really gives them something to focus on in the off-season, and gives them a goal during the regular season.

Playoffs.

I'll go playoffs.

Once you get down past the top 6-7 picks in most drafts, it becomes a matter of your people's skills in evaluating talent anyway. You can strike gold in the teens almost as easily as you would if we lost a bunch of games and got the 8th-9th pick. It's just a matter of finding the right people. After leapfrogging Philly last night, we're now in the 13th draft spot, and tied with Utah in the win column. We're also 3 wins ahead of Houston, who is in the 11th spot, so even if Philly passed us, we'd still only move from about the 13th spot to the 12th spot. And a few more losses by Utah or NOK may push us into 14th too. But is the difference between picking 12th and picking 14th worth not going to the playoffs? Hell no. If we could push ourselves up to 7th, maybe, but we're long past that point.

Playoffs by far.

Being the 9th in the East and 8th in the East won;t change the draft pick very much

Playoffs easily!

and good point WHarris 1, the 8th and 9th seed isn't that big of a dropoff. Heck I think the Bulls could sneak into the 7th seed, maybe even the 6th.

I personally don't see much value in either, so I'm indifferent. Unless they get really lucky in the lottery, that pick will probably be in the 11-13 range instead of 14-16, which is a negligible difference. On the other hand, getting steamrolled by Detroit or Miami IMO doesn't really help a team that already has some playoff experience from last year.

Psst...they made the playoffs last year (and basically choked).

Please tell me how they gained from that because I've seen more regression than I expected. Even though some regression was expected because of a lack of a frontcourt, tyson didn't help the cause by getting worse. Not sure what his focus this past off-season was, but it clearly wasn't to improve any part of his game...And they also have not closed out games they should have this year, something they were better at least year.

How did they choke? They had injuries to Deng and Curry and still managed to win 1 or 2 games.

I think he is saying they choked because we won the first 2 games than lost the rest.... and in game 5 Arenas made the game winner over Tyson's outstretched arm and in game 6 we chocked it away

I would take the playoffs anyday. You never know what could happen. This team is hot right now and if they can continue this trend into the playoffs, most teams would not want to play them. It is not like you can just stop one player, the Bulls have been getting wins from all over the court.

For the extra lottery pick, their position would not change that much unless they made it deep into the playoffs. My biggest hope is that NY continues to lose and the Bulls get the #1 pick.

Choking in the playoffs has nothing to do with this discussion. Most of the regression comes from a young team getting younger, and certian guys being thrown into roles that they weren't cut out for. The "regression" of Tyson has more to do with playing most of the season out of position, and without a complimentary scorer in the middle of the line up to allow him to play the kind of game that he is best at. The only true regression on the team this year individually has been Ben Gordon, who has really disappeared many games, whereas he used to shine. I think Skiles finally figured out that he can control his minutes and match ups better off of the bench, and finally after that move was made, he has started to look much more like the Ben of old.

And finally Rome wasn't built in a day. I don't think many teams as young as the Bulls make the playoffs, lose their leading scorer, and their heart and soul in the off-season, and then more win more games the next year. But if you have some examples, I would love to hear them.

Playoffs baby...playoffs.

And besides, Tyson is leading the NBA in offensive rebounding-per-minute and overall rebounding-per-minute since January 21st. Nobody wants to talk about that, though.

It's because he has regressed. Yeah, let's talk spiff first and foremost about this monster in the making. Why not? Who needs defense and rebounding. The Spurs and Pistons suck, correct?

And of course you want to make the playoffs, even if you do get hammered in the first round. We talked about this already, you flip-floppin' motherfuckers.

When was the last time he scored in double digits in back-to-back games? Oh, and since when does the season start on January 21st?

The only season that matters starts in about 3 or 4 weeks...

Question: How many rebounds did Chris Duhon get last game?

Answer: It doesn't matter. Its not his job to do that. The entire world knows that Tyson is a great defender, athlete, and rebounder... and not a scorer. I don't hear spiff talked about Ben Wallace because he doesn't score, and Tyson fits into the same category of players. That is also why it is imperitive to get a big man who can score next year, so that we don't have two scoring liabilities on the floor at all times, maybe more depending no whoelse is playing at that time.

Hey, Mr. Admin , you of all people should know that January 21st was a turning point, of sorts.

It's just like splits in baseball or whatever. Think about it like that. There are a lot of factors here: youth, inexperience, dickhead coach who likes to play mind games, aggressiveness that needs to be harnessed, the fact that NOBODY is down in the paint with Tyson (constantly overlooked), the fact that he's playing C when he's a freaking PF through and through, etc. I feel like I can go on forever.

All along I have maintained this: POTENTIAL. You never criticize a guy with such scary defensive upside. Never. Unless you want me to secretly think that you're a fool.

The difference between Tyson Chandler and Ben Wallace is consistency. Tyson is no where near the level of Ben Wallace.

Yet.

Oh, and in regards to his scoring potential?

You don't want Rodman or Ben Wallace scoring for you, correct? Tyson is like Baby Rodman or Baby Ben right now. He's not baby Duncan.

Remember, Rodman is the winningest non-Celtic player in the history of the NBA. A true championship link. He was also one of the most hideous offensive players in NBA history. Guys have roles, and defense rules all. We're building around Tyson here, whether people realize it or not. You surround him with scoring options. He has the makings of a defensive legend. Just sit back and enjoy. He's gonna be here for a looooong time.

Exactly. Ben is a true veteran, and Tyson is still a baby in NBA terms. But he's not regressing. This is just a bad situation for him. So, like I've been saying, give me Aldridge or give me death. Get him a partner down there. No slackers like Curry, of course.

Dennis Rodman once averaged 11.6 ppg in a season.

I don't buy that excuse. Good players find ways to excel, no matter what position they are in. Plenty of guys play out of position, and the good ones take advantage of their playing time and do very well. Look at Diaw playing C for the Suns...

When you're getting minutes, you're expected to produce. tyson earned his spot back on the bench. Even when starting at PF, it was the same ol' tyson. He can't even produce as an efficient starter yet (which completely nullifies the worthless stats per minute argument).

One of my points was that you stated that going to the playoffs would give a team something to work for during the off-season, yet tyson looks like he didn't work at all. Name me one thing he can do better this year as opposed to the past. You can't, but I can name you a few things he still does wrong, can't do, or does worse than before.



If you would have read my post more closely, I clearly state that some regression was expected because of the loss of the frontcourt. But, like I said before, it doesn't explain why we've had trouble closing out games this year, something that was done better last year. You can make the argument that the league has figured out Ben more, but that still doesn't explain it completely. It just saddens me that when the 4th quarter comes around, noone can shoot anymore.

Again, I ask, how did making the playoffs last year benefit this team?? Personally, I'm not a believer that getting swept in the first round makes all that much of a difference, which is why I would have preferred a higher 2nd pick. However, advancing a round or 2 is a whole 'nother story...

Why do you think Kirk Hinrich said he's the Team MVP?

And Tyson has been putting up those rebounding averages in close to 30 minutes per game since January. And as always, he's altering shots left and right (constantly overlooked).

That sounds like Tyson's ceiling too. I think he'll be able to average 10 PPG when he gets 35 MPG.

But there's no denying that Rodman was the ultimate worst offensive PF during his era.

Then why did he get benched?

And don't use your hating Skiles as an excuse...

Led the league in FG% that year too...

because he wanted to used Sweets as a low post option early in games... a la Curry?

Which is exactly why I said in the same category as Wallace, and not as good as Wallace. No doubt that Tyson has some growing to do. If he wanted to do one thing that would thrill me to no end, he could spend all damned summer shooting some freethrows and get up into the 65-70% range instead of 50ish.

Bwahahahaha...

You crack me up with your tyson-slobbering...

Is it me, or are you guys trying to make a case for Rodman as an offensive option?

Because he wasn't. Oh man, was he brutal. He got his points off of put-backs, just like Tyson. But Chandler's natural shooting form>>>>>>Rodman's. He'll be a much better offensive player than Dennis when all is said and done, and believe me, that ain't saying much.

Tells you something when he's gotta bring a guy outta the doghouse and start him over tyson...

I don't know. You'd have to ask our dickhead coach.

It was just an interesting Rodman fact.

All I ask is that tyson go up strong.

Are you implying it wasn't a thing of beauty to see the entire crowd get on its feet every time Rodman would jack up a 3. All while Phil Jackson just had a disgusted look on his face.

God I used to laugh every time Rodman would jack up his outside shot. And at the line I am convinced he tried to miss free throws so he could sneak in and get the rebound.

It tells me that Skiles doesn't know his basketball too well outside of backcourt tactics or whatever the fish. I hate all of these SGs and PGs that think they can run or coach teams. Look around the league. Every last one of them is sleeping on defensive upside. Paxson and Skiles are interested in the types of players that they themselves were. Of course Tyson is going to get overlooked, especially by a complete dickhead like Scott Skiles.

I should say that Dumars is one of the only exceptions. That guy is awesome. He shouldn't have traded Darko, though. But that's a good thing for the Bulls.

No doubt Tyson didn't work hard enough this summer, but who can you honestly point at this year and say is improved? To be honest, Noc is the only guy that has made big strides IMO.

-Deng, Duhon, and Hinrich are still bad shooters from the outside.
-Ben Gordon is still horribly inconsistant, and not much improved on the D end.
-Tyson should be working on staying in shape and his free throws.
-This team as a whole is worse than most college teams from the free throw line.

To mention the benching of just Tyson is also humorous to me, because at various points in the year, I think every player except maybe Kirk has been "benched" at one point or another this year as Skiles alternates line ups, like I alternate underwear. Does that mean 14 of the 15 players on this team have regressed? Not a chance.

The whole 4th quarter thing is a testicular team epidemic for the most part. Outside of Gordon, this whole team loses its balls when the 4th quarter rolls around. It is completely maddening. They turn into a standstill jumpshooting team who refuses to take the ball to the basket. Good passing can only get you so far, you need penetration to really make the defenders move and committ to the wrong match ups, and you need guys who aren't afraid to take advantage of that. Part of the problem is the complete lack of skilled veterans on this team. The other part is just guys who haven't grown into their roles yet, and Skiles to his credit has pounded these guys trying to get them to step up. They seem to have responded to the last round, but we will see if it lasts.

As for the playoffs, how would staying home for a couple of more ping pong balls at the bottom of the lottery help anymore than having the first hand experience of matching up with potential world champions and seeing what they do in the playoffs to win? You need that experience to eventually move forward. Heck, how many playoff series did MJ lose before those Bulls teams finally move on? And those teams were way more talented and experienced than these ones are. These kids need to experience winning and playing against winners as much as possible. Playing golf in April doesn't help one bit.

For all of you idiots who chose lottery picks your not diehard bulls fans, yes were gonna get destroyed by the pistons IF we make the playoffs but gettin there two years in a row is a good accomplishment and we would still have a decent pick anyways if we make it.

dont you dare callout people for not being true Bulls fans if they rather have the lottery pick. Right now im thinking we might as well since even if we dont it wont make a big difference just 2-3 spots max. But a week or 2 ago there was a chance to get to top 10 picks and id rather of had that than being swept. But dont dare question a fan of being a bandwagon or whatevr when we are at this point in the season and obviously not going anywhere in the playoffs.

i kinda of wanted them to not make the playoffs at first whan they could of had two top ten picks but a playoffs experiance is priceless and now that i think that it will olny be 2-3 more spots back it will not make that much differance.

I gotta say....Saturdays game proved to me they don't deserve to be in the playoffs.

It was an utter disgrace out there. When they can't shoot from the outside...they can't score and are pathetic...gimme 2 lottery picks so we can get a big man that can score and a big 2 guard then can penetrate and get to the line.