Sorry Balta, time to switch it up. I'm tired of hearing about the damn kids. PLAY TO WIN!

Because that strategy has worked so well this season...

Bulls got outscored 33-14 in the second quarter, down 60-39 in the 3rd at the moment.

Can't say we didn't see that coming.

i missed the beginning of the game, where's kirk?

And thankfully...the only kid on the court is Thabo right now. Oh, and we're pulling the small, Gooden at center and Deng @ PF BS again. Because the small veteran filled lineup = wins!

Like we were beating the Spurs anyways.

Bottom line is that whoever we put out there, we suck, it's not like we were setting the league on fire before the Wallace trade that started that particular lineup. Putting another average at best post player out there instead of a guy with more offensive ability isn't going to fix their problems, and a few more minutes for those guys this year doesn't mean they'll automatically be better next year. That and Noah's already averaging 27 minutes a game on the month, which is pretty good for a rookie.

And Tyrus's minutes have dropped by 35% this month (21.2 to 13.4) compared to Feb.

Maybe if he didn't suck he'd see the floor more.

Maybe if he saw the floor more and had a chance to work on his game, he wouldn't suck as much.

There's this thing called practice, maybe you've heard of it. There's a awful lot more of that in your NBA career than game time, and another 30 minutes on the floor a week can't have anywhere near the impact of a few more hours in the gym a week, especially since you can do that year round. Playing time and development aren't anywhere near proportional. Throwing a guy out there for 30 minutes a game that isn't productive isn't going to help anyone, if it were that easy the level of play in the league would be a lot higher. Sending Tyrus out there to miss some more jumpers and miss assignments isn't going to develop his game, spending the off-season in the gym adding muscle and working on post moves probably would. I don't have a problem with what they're doing right now, he's getting a pretty consistent 15 and if he's playing well (which happens pretty rarely of late) he gets a bit more time.

Practice is overrated anyways. You can only do so much on the practice floor. The point is, we are going no where as things are right now so it wouldn't hurt just to throw him out there as much as possible even if he goes 0-40 from the field. What exactly are we fighting for right now? Besides, if it means losing more games just cuz were playing the rook and a few young kids, then I'm all for it because it will pay off come June

Pete Miller coached much better game against the Spurs on the road without Gooden. In only his first game as a head coach.

see Jermaine O'Neal... maybe that collasal screw up had something to do with why Portland was so willing to let there kids get so many minutes last season.

or maybe he just didn't practice until he went to Indiana?

He was straight out of high school and rail thin, he needed a lot of time to develop. Those 4 years in the league had a lot to do with it, it's not like he magically went from scrub to potential All-Star overnight. He bulked up to 260 pounds and developed a reliable jumpshot in the paint. If it were really that simple, what are the excuses for the large number of guys like Darius Miles or Stromile Swift? Guys develop at different rates, and Tyrus clearly hasn't made that big leap yet.

Heavy minutes just aren't THAT important to serious leaps forward, development can happen regardless, especially with young players. With a lot of guys the minutes come after they've already made a solid improvement. O'Neal averaged a "whopping" 12.9 MPG before his big leap forward on the move to Indiana. Al Jefferson averaged 18 a game the year before his breakout with only 59 games played. Eddy Curry averaged 19 a game the year before his first productive season. Andrew Bynum averaged 22 MPG last year and played a bit less after the All-Star game. Even Aldridge only averaged 22 a game last year, and he missed roughly the last month (that total was also dragged up a bit with his last month of play when he was averaging about 15 and 8 in 30 minutes). Which seems more logical: the 5 minutes or so more a game than Tyrus is currently playing (or even less in several of those cases) are the difference between being an All-Star and struggling for another year, or that those guys simply developed at a different rate from working hard on their game? I would hope the latter is the obvious answer...

Practice is where you build up all of your core skills, it's not like you suddenly develop a jumpshot out of nowhere. All of the great players have to work on it to develop their skills, it's not like Kobe Bryant was born with a developed mid-range game, it's not like Tim Ducan woke up one day with a refined post-up game. A few extra opportunities in game situations just isn't going to make all that big a difference. Theoretically he could improve his shot selection and decision making, but that can/can't happen whether he's playing or not, that's an adjustment thing. Besides, it's not like he NEVER plays, he just doesn't get starter-level minutes.

Tanking just isn't that useful in the Bulls' situation, they've already won far more games than most of the bottom feeders. They're going to have to get extremely lucky regardless, it's not like the Clippers are going to make up 6 games on the Bulls. Another 10 minutes a game or so just isn't all that big a deal, and playing the "veterans" (I used the quotes because outside of Larry Hughes and Nocioni they're all 26 or under) gives you an idea of how your team might look next year, who you want to keep at what price, what guys have to go at all costs, ect. Unless Tyrus somehow comes in and averages 16 and 10 over the last month of the season it's not really going to change their plans at all.