A lot of people have been asking me about the playoffs
lately because…well…it’s the playoffs.
I haven’t had much to say because my basketball world has
been corrupted and robbed of one its alpha stars on a championship contender. I
mean, who wants to watch the Lakers if Kobe Bryant couldn’t play?
So, sure, appreciating these playoffs will take time for a
Bulls fan—especially as the Bulls grind their way through a few games.
Aside from that, I’ve absolutely relished the Knicks-Heat
series because it affirms my suppositions and theories about professional
basketball—at least in the playoffs. You
must rebound, must defend, must move the ball in the half court, must continue to
execute the offense even if shots aren’t falling and your star has to play with
the most effort of any on your roster.
That’s why I believed the Heat would sweep the Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony is a wonderful scorer, a star—but a great a player? I continue
to wonder about him.
Is he Tracy McGrady? Bernard King? How good can Carmelo really be to not
win a playoff game in seven chances in consecutive seasons? Haven’t the Knicks
touted how talented they are for months?
I get that he is one of the most gifted scorers we’ve seen
in the past 20 years. Points come easy to him. He as impressive of a scorer as
there is in the game today…but why can’t he lift a team with the Defensive
Player of the Year, a many time all-star in Amar’e Stoudemire and cast of parts
that are better than most around the league.
While LeBron James—undeservingly—draws the ire of fans
around the league (he’s not MICHAEL or KOBE!), I can’t imagine why so people don’t
gloat about Melo’s continual shortcomings at the professional level. How many
rosters can you put around him to suggest that he’s not with the right players?
Frankly, you look LeBron James and it’s fair to conclude he’s
giving his best efforts this season (faux round of applause). He’s really the
hybrid of Magic and Dominique, reminding the world that he is the best player
in the world. With Melo, a player of similar build, incredible athleticism and
skill level, you see someone who doesn’t elevate the level of his team—especially
in the most important stretches of games.
And then, you see Derrick Rose and even Tony Parker and
witness quite the opposite.
The Knicks have been wretched for about 15 years because
they build around one alpha scorer (not a bad idea) and overpay for
past-their-prime players (see Stephen Francis, Alan Houston, Stephon Marbury
and Amar’e Stoudemire) and wonder if they can find lightening in a bottle.
The Knicks haven’t ever built through the draft and here
they are: On the brink of a sweep in consecutive seasons and a shitload of
excuses (if they ONLY HAD LIN!). It is something that makes you feel good about
being a Bulls’ fan these days.
Contact Mike Mitchell
at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.
3 comments:
This is a good question. I do like the comparison to TMac. With the exception of TMac's Rockets teams, led by a healthy Yao Ming, Melo has probably had more talent to work with. Not sure why it's never worked out for him. The fact that Melo won an NCAA championship makes his failures in the NBA all the more inexplicable. It forces us to avoid the narrative of "he's another great player who never learned how to win" because he's actually won something.
I know your recap of the Bulls' loss isn't posted yet, but I wanted to express optimism given the expected elimination of the Bulls after the last three losses. I am hopeful for the following three reasons:
1) The loss of Rose, especially in the playoffs, has exposed the shallowness of the Bulls' talent pool, or that's how I expect the decision-makers to view it. Hopefully this would prompt them to consider radically reconstructing the team in order to close the talent gap between the Bulls and the teams they're chasing.
Not sure how persuasive GarPax will be if they dismiss the Bulls first round elimination due to injuries. While I respect Philly, they clearly have no business being in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
2) Unlike the Bulls-Celtics 2009 playoff series, there is no reason to root for the Bulls to extend their deteriorating season. While both the 2008-09 and 2011-12 (post-Rose) teams were and are not serious contenders, the 2009 playoff series gave us a chance to see the development/maturation of what was then the core of Noah, Gordon and Hinrich (Deng was injured for the series, I think), and most importantly, the individual development of Derrick Rose. It was advantageous to see all of this in the playoffs and for them to go on as long as possible.
The 2011-12 Bulls team needs to be put to bed, and quickly. There is simply no reason for Deng to continue with a mangled wrist for Noah to hypothetically return and aggravate his ankle injury. They need to die quickly, like now. Give up already and start the recovery process.
So for many long-term reasons I think it's really fortunate that the Bulls will be (hopefully) eliminated as quickly as possible following Rose's injury.
I share the same sentiment: This season is best if it ends by the next game. Thibodeau is a talented coach but he's maxed his players out. It's obvious how limited they are offensively since there are no creators.
The CJ Watson optimisim was just dumbfounding.
It also shows how different the playoffs are: you're not outworking everyone when it comes to a series.
The notion, though, of blowing up the roster won't happen. I think they'll see it as we're close but it's difficult to analyze without Rose.
Omer and Taj might leave the team, and I wouldn't rule out the Bulls amnestying Boozer.
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