FROM MY LIVING ROOM--OK, a bit of hyperbole, but color me impressed by the steady
play of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik.
It’s sort of what we envisioned when this roster was mashed
together two summers ago. They’re consistently beating teams on the boards and
closing off the lane from squirrelly point guards. While, the Bulls wait for
the return of their back court, their front court is doing work.
While Carlos Boozer doesn’t exactly give you anything in
meaningful games or against the Miami Heat because of the team speed and
aggression, he has helped the Bulls maintain the top seed in this race as the
season nears its end. Think about it: If I told you that Derrick Rose would be
out for a quarter of the season and they still would coast to the best record in
the NBA—on this team, not the Knicks or Atlanta Hawks, but on a roster that has
one guy who can create his own shot—you would say... “you soooo craz—aaaay.”
Omer Asik and Taj Gibson have looked like the guys we saw
last year—even if the defense hasn’t. But the Bulls are outworking team in this
shortened season. They’re opportunists. They see a team with half its heart
into the game and beat them up for easy putbacks and kickouts.
Joakim Noah, who hasn’t had the best two weeks, has been the
energy spaz we so value and endear.
It hasn’t been fun watching these games without Derrick Rose
because we’ve lost a feel for this team’s trajectory. They’ve maintained their
standing and might lock up home field advantage for the playoffs, which does
matter despite naysayers (home teams have a 65 percent advantage). They’ve
also endeared themselves to the national media—where a lot of stupid is
produced—because of their…OK, I’ll write it: “grindiness.”
In the middle of the Bulls admirable run without Rose, has
been John Lucas III, a career D-Leaguer and Euro journeyman. He’s 5’10 and runs
the point like he knows he’ll have to sit for the next 30 minutes at the Y
after his team hits 15, but he’s been more than capable as a microwave off the
bench.
It’s really intriguing and uplifting to see him make the
most of his opportunity in this run (and if you don’t think race matters in
this country, why the hell is he getting no pub. while Jeremy Lin set the NBA ablaze with Tebowisms). He’s a
chucker and the shots have been falling. One thing I’m reminded about his
improved play is that any guard can improve their jumper—except Rajon Rondo.
Lucas, in his very brief cameos, was never this good of a shooter and he does
have some quickness, but I don’t think he’ll matter much when the playoffs
begin. He’s sort of like the creaky catcher looking for a shot at a title and
is willing to part-time as a coach just to stay on the roster (don’t the Bulls have
one of those guys?).
My guess is that the hyper-condensed season has left more
teams vulnerable, but if you’re a Bulls fan, you can’t complain. Chicago,
Oklahoma City and Miami have the best records in the NBA and almost assuredly
one of those three will be in the Finals. The Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets
have the worst records in the NBA.
It’s been an odd run, but the results make sense. Now, it’s
a matter of seeing if Rose will get back into playing shape by the playoffs and
Rip Hamilton won’t spontaneously explode.
Contact Mike Mitchell
at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.
2 comments:
My vote for Bulls MVP is Coach Thibs. Hands down.
Well said. I suppose there is no better illustration of good coaching than the Bulls' insistence on maintaining their stronghold of the top seed.
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