Last hopes for season may be slipping away as the Bulls can’t even handle the Knicks anymore

A few observations from the Bulls-Knicks game:

Chicago Bulls 100 – New York Knicks 105

Terrible Officiating – The Bulls should never have allowed this game to be close, but the Knicks were helped out by some horrible officiating. It’s harder to notice bad calls that go for your team, but I saw a lot of bad calls against the Bulls. I was actually at this game and sitting in the 7th row. Thus I had a better vantage point than usual. I saw live missed calls and phantom calls throughout the game and then watched them in replay on the jumbo screen. Call me a homer, but far more of these calls went against the Bulls than for them. I can say without exaggerating that it was bad enough that I wondered if Donaghy was in attendance somewhere.

Rotation Situation – Jim Boylan has to come up with some sort of regular rotation. There are two things NBA players want (not including $58 million over 5 years); minutes and a steady rotation. You’ll read in player interviews time and again that they just want to know whether or not they’ll be playing and how much. Every player tries to be ready all the time, but it’s hard for them to play 20 minutes one game, not get in for the next two and then be effective when they’re called upon in the third. I’d like to think if I made the kind of money they’re making I’d be ready, but unfortunately I’m not that good at basketball. I understand that Boylan is trying to find an effective new rotation as a new head coach, but it’s not like he doesn’t know his players.

Funny somewhat related observation – During timeouts at the Bulls-Knicks game Viktor Khryapa, though dressed and on the active list, would watch the jumbo-tron coverage of the timeout entertainment almost exclusively as opposed to paying attention to the coaches. I can’t say that I blame him since they’re not about to let him in the game, but that also doesn’t strike me as the best way to make a good impression. Luol Deng, inactive due to injury, did the same thing.

Where’s the D? – The Bulls let a team that was averaging less than 94 ppg and 43% form the field score 105 points and shoot over 50%. The worst part is that most of that damage was done in the fourth quarter. Late in the game the Bulls interior defenders – Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas – disappeared and allowed several uncontested layups or dunks by David Lee, Eddy Curry and even Zach Randolph. These guys are supposed to be defensive specialists but they disappeared at the end of a close game against a bad team. It looks like the extra hustle and motivation brought about by the coaching change has burned off.

All remaining hope for this season is slipping away. I haven’t dared to write yet, not to mention consider, that the Bulls could end up in the lottery. After losing the season series to a terrible Knicks team for the first time since the 2000-2001 season it may be time to start considering that possibility. At least it would be one more trading chip for Paxson not to trade.

Would the Lakers trade Kobe for Joakim Noah?

Luol Deng is now a British
citizen so he can play on the
2012 UK Olympic team.

Bulls news is as slow as ever. I found this article today about Luol Deng and the 2012 British basketball team. It’s a little hard to get excited for a team that will exist 5 years from now, though if you’re a basketball fan in the UK I guess you take what you can get. I love Lu and have every confidence that he’ll be an all-star very soon, but this description is a bit optimistic in terms of his potential even if you are a Bulls fan:

But the 22-year-old hopes it will be the first step on the road
to the 2012 Olympic Games, and the start of a revolution in British
basketball.

When the London Games come around, the Sudan-born player
will be 27, and on the basis of his current form, would
walk into any Olympic team in the world.

Last season he was the National Basketball Association's
Sportsman of the Year, and is poised to sign a new four-year
contract, which would put him above Premier League stars
such as Wayne Rooney and John Terry in terms of earnings.

But for £70 a day, Deng has chosen to play for Britain, a
country which, in its one previous Olympic basketball
tournament - also in London, in 1948 - lost all three games.

The burning question is - why?

Manute Bol and Luol Deng are both from
the Dinka tribe in The Sudan. Manute
taught Luol how to paly basketball.
Fortunately Deng is a bit taller than Mugsy.

Somebody needs to tell them across the pond that the NBA’s Sportsman of the Year has nothing to do with the winner’s basketball abilities. If Deng were an American it looks like he’d have a shot at the 2012 Team USA. But walk on to any team in the world? Hopefully, but it certainly doesn’t look like a given yet.

Luol Deng is to British basketball as Luol Deng is to
these two guys next to him.

Let’s talk about a Kobe to the Bulls trade since there’s nothing else to focus on and Kobe hasn’t backed off his trade demand despite multiple opportunities. Remember, Bryant has a no trade clause and has made it clear several times that Chicago is his #1 option.

Let me start off by making it clear that I don’t think this trade will ever happen. If the Lakers demand anything over Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas I don’t think Paxson would go for it. Paxson has put several years and a lot of effort into composing a team of his type of players. High character guys from winning backgrounds who won’t rock the boat. He believes in his plan and his team. He’s shown in the past two seasons that he won’t deal his players even when he has a great opportunity. I’m not saying that he should or shouldn’t trade for Kobe, just that he won’t.

If I’m running the Bulls I engage in serious trade talks with the Lakers, even if I’m going in thinking there’s a 1% chance anything is going to get done. Ben Gordon is definitely on the table because Kobe would replace everything BG7 brings to the team and more. I love Little Ben, but Kobe is Kobe. I could give up either Tyrus or Noah, but not both. The team needs one quality big man for the future, at least. I could include Ben Wallace but they wouldn’t want him. Duhon would have to be a part of the trade because he only has 1 year left on his contract and would add PG depth to a Lakers team that desperately needs it. I don’t think Nocioni could be included because his contract is brand new, but if he could be I would make him part of the deal. I’d have to include a lot of spare pieces because Kobe makes so much and his contract would have to be offset.

Basically I’d offer everything except the below players and throw in every first round pick for the next 5 years. Considering how strong the team would be and the youth it would still have, I’d have no use for the draft anyway.

Ben Wallace – The Lakers wouldn’t want him and he’d help a lot in what would be the first of several inevitable Finals runs.

Kirk Hinrich - As the Celtics will find out this season, you can’t win a championship without a quality point guard. Duhon is good but I don’t want him in charge of a championship team.

Tyrus Thomas OR Joakim Noah - Since the Bulls don’t have any superstars, exciting young players are what the Lakers would demand in return for Kobe. Tyrus is as exciting as they come and Noah was a huge college star. Both would be appealing to LA. The Bulls have to keep one in order to secure a well-rounded team 5 years from now.

Luol Deng - Because he’s still only 22 and clearly getting better by the day I wouldn’t involve him in any trade. Sure, Kobe is better than Deng probably ever will be. Nevertheless, if I’m running the Bulls, Deng is not in this trade.

Thabo Sefolosha - I would only throw Sefolosha in at the last second if he was a deal breaker. As Kobe gets older and doesn’t have enough energy to play 100% at both ends of the floor this team would need a defensive stopper like Sefolosha. Also, it’s looking like Thabo could spell Hinrich at the point, which would be important if Duhon was included in the trade. Sefolosha could also play the two and the three making him an ideal 6th man. He would bring very necessary depth to the team.

We’d be looking at a team that not even Tim Donaghy could touch. It would line up like this:

C – Ben Wallace
PF – Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah
SF – Luol Deng
SG – Kobe Bryant
PG – Kirk Hinrich

6th Man – Thabo Sefolosha
Bench – Anything left after the trade. The Bulls are one of the deepest teams in the NBA right now and a couple of quality players would be left after a trade, even with the boatload of spare change they’d have to give up.

That’s what I’d present to the Lakers organization. That’s probably similar to what Kobe is imagining when he pictures himself in a Bulls uniform. However, Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak would turn it down and I’d go into the season perfectly happy with what I have.

Paxson won’t even go that far. I’m sure of it, not mad about it, just sure of it. Kobe might imagine the Bulls giving up that package + Deng and still think he brings enough that he could make up for what the team is losing. As great as he is, that Bulls team seems too similar to his current Lakers team.

So what you see right now when you look at the Bulls roster is what you’ll see on opening night and very likely what you’ll see the day after the trade deadline. Personally, I’m happy with what I see.

Garnett to Boston makes sense but . . .

Just give Joakim Noah a couple of years in
the NBA and he’ll look pretty like this too. 

Things are still slow out there in the world of NBA news.  At least there’s a new rumor today that doesn’t have anything to do with Tim Donaghy.  Kevin Garnett might be traded to the Celtics!!!  Essentially it’s the same trade that was on the verge of happening prior to the draft but with a couple more players thrown in to replace the pick. 

The details vary based on the report but Minny would definitely be getting Ratliff’s expiring contract and Al Jefferson.  Beyond that, reports are all over the board.  The Boston Globe’s reports seem very optimistic for the Celtics.  One even has Al Jefferson not included in the deal, being replaced by a #1 pick.  Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Rajon Rondo and Gerald Green are the other names floating around. 

Basically the deal is all of the Celtics young talent and maybe a future #1 pick or two for Kevin Garnett.  It’s a high price for the Celtics to pay.  Garnett is one of the premier players in the game and with someone to carry the scoring load he’d be even more valuable.  As sad as it will be for Minnesota fans to see a loyal, hard-working fan favorite go, this is an opportunity that Kevin McHale has to jump at. 

If McHale can get back 3-4 quality young players, an expiring contract and maybe a pick or two he will have gone a long ways (well, maybe just a ways) towards making up for all the terrible, terrible general managing he’s done in Minneapolis.  Sure, nobody wants to lose KG but McHale has put the team in such a bad spot that he could never surround him with half of what the Wolves will have if they make this trade. 

The situation is a bit more complicated for Boston.  They’d be giving up every asset they have for the future (beyond the next 2 years) and possibly any ability to rebuild if draft picks are included.  If they make this trade they are taking a one year shot at an NBA title.  The team they’d have will only be worse in ‘08-’09 than they will be in ‘07-’08 and they’d continue to decline from that point while other strong young teams in the East (Bulls) improve.  Because of the bleak future beyond the next season or maybe two it seems like it would be a bad idea for the Celtics to make this trade.  However, Danny Ainge already jumped on board the bad idea bus when he traded for Ray Allen and as long as he’s already stuck he may as well take KG along for the ride. 

Ainge gave up on building a team around the wealth of young talent he had when he traded the #5 pick and Delonte West for Ray Allen.  Ainge had been trying to keep veteran Paul Pierce around while slowly building a young contending team.  Pierce finally had enough of it and made his feelings known this past season.  At that point Ainge should have traded Pierce and continued with his youth movement.  Instead he decided to make the team older and picked up Allen.  

Once he made the Ray Allen trade there was no turning back.  He had to try and win it all with Pierce and Allen in the next year or two.  He probably figured because of his poor track record he’d be fired before his young team came around anyway.  Once you know you’re on the edge of losing your job why think about the future?  Therefore if Ainge gives up everything on his team that will have any significant value in 5 years he’ll have a one year window and a decent shot to win the Eastern Conference.  There’s no turning back, he needs to make this trade desperately.  The team as it currently stands won’t beat the East’s best.  The price he faces for Garnett is high – especially if they don’t work out a contract extension prior to completing a trade – but it’s Ainge’s last and only shot at success. 

 As we’ve said, McHale has to make this trade.  However, letting Garnett slip away from Timberwolves fans will go down as his biggest failure.  Garnett is the ultimate team player and the wounds this trade would leave on Wolves fans can not and should not heal quickly.  What we want to know is, if Ray Allen was available prior to the draft why didn’t McHale go after him?  Sure, his pick was two lower than Boston’s (#7 vs. #5), but he could have sweetened the deal with other pieces.  Allen and Garnett would have been a better duo than Sprewell and Garnett ever were.  Most importantly Minnesota could keep Garnett while giving him some help.  Ultimately rebuilding with what youth they have combined with what they get from Boston will probably be best for the Wolves.  Nevertheless, you have to believe that there was something that could have been done to keep KG in ‘Sota with his faithful.

With the trade Minnesota will join Portland and Seattle as teams in the West that are extremely young but have very bright futures.  Those three teams should be able to peak right around the time the current powers in the West start to go downhill. 

 Assuming Boston is able to hold on to a halfway decent point guard they should be a very fun team to watch as well.  Allen, Pierce, Garnett at the 2, 3, 4/5 will be hard to stop.  They’ll need to jell soon however because the East is getting better.  See any other entry on this blog for the current improving state of the Bulls.  The composition of the Knicks is flawed but they’ll have enough firepower to cost some good teams regular season wins this year.  Atlanta may finally have enough pieces to make something out of their tremendous depth of talent.  The Pistons look to have one more good year in them.  We have to assume the LeBron will only be better this year than he was when he single-handedly carried the Cavs to the Finals last year.  Orlando might be better than last season, with an improved Dwight Howard and added help from Lewis.  The Wizards remain intact and if Arenas can fully recover from his injury they should regain the strong form they showed the first half of last season.  Toronto is bound to be a top tier team for the next several years along with the Bulls.  The Heat and Nets are on their way down, but other than those two the East is getting stronger.   The Celtics better win now if Ainge’s master plan has any chance.

The Kevin Garnett trade probably will happen because it makes sense and will help two teams in desperate situations.  With Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge running the show, however, you never know if the move that makes sense is the move that will happen.

Upside to the Donaghy Scandal

Will the Donaghy scandal ultimately help the NBA more than it hurts?  In David Stern’s opinion probably not.  He feels that the quality of the officiating up to this point has be very strong.  We, however, very much disagree. 

Many have pointed out that one of the big downsides to this whole scandal is that it will make the jobs of the remaining NBA referees even harder because they will be under such intense scrutiny and pressure.  To us that scrutiny is a good thing.  

NBA officials work within the parameters of a star system.  Michael Jordan wasn’t supposed to foul out of the game.  35,000 fans who paid to come see Jordan play would not be happy if he sat down for good early in the 4th quarter with his 5th foul.   David Stern knows that the lifeblood of the NBA is the fans and the refs probably know that also.  The refs don’t call too many fouls on star players and Stern doesn’t complain.  In Jordan’s day the fans left happy after most of his games because they watched his phenomenal cross-overs, dunks and fadeaways for 40+ minutes, including the game’s final few. 

The Donaghy scandal may positively impact the NBA by forcing the officials to call the game as they see it.  The casual fan who only came to see LeBron James may not like it when he fouls out, but the true basketball fans will enjoy a game where every player is competing on a level playing field.  When rookie Joakim Noah is hacked by Dwayne Wade this coming season the ref will have to call the foul, and, call it on Wade instead of nearby Dorell Wright.  Instead of giving the superstar a no-call at the expense of a rookie as refs are known to do, or instead of calling the foul but putting it on the next closest non-star instead of Wade as they are also known to do, the ref will feel obligated to make the right call.  Last season he or she would have known that they wouldn’t be scrutinized for protecting Wade because that’s how the NBA works.  However, that ability will be, or at least should be, taken away from them this season because everyone will wonder, “Is he protecting Wade or protecting a point spread?”

This scandal may leave an embarrassing smudge on David Stern’s legacy but hopefully it will lead to better product on the court, at least as far as us true basketball fans are concerned.

Would Donaghy trade Kobe if he ran the Lakers?

If you follow the basketball/sports media closely like we do you have to be tired of all the Donaghy coverage by now too.  90% of what’s out there is talk about how much trouble the NBA is in, how many fans they’re going to lose and what could happen if this or that group is implicated along with Donaghy. 

Enough already.  Things may get worse for the NBA.  They’ll eventually get better.  Regardless, unless you’re David Stern or somebody who works for him things aren’t any worse for you than they were before.  If your team was screwed by Donaghy they didn’t get screwed any worse when news came out about his so far still alleged illegal actions.  Your team still lost and it’s not going to change. 

What’s worse is that the media forgot anything else happens in the NBA besides gambling scandals.  Should the basketball media be covering the Donaghy story?  Absolutely.  But shouldn’t they continue to cover other basketball news?  I know it’s the offseason so there’s not much going on but still, throw us a bone.  What happened to the Kobe and KG speculation?  We’d even settle for a fantasy basketball outlook at this point and we’re not fantasy players.  Give us something other than Donaghy to think about for 5 minutes!

In this desperate time Marc Stein at least took a less somber/comical approach to the issue and gave us a much needed change of pace: 

How do you say Donaghy?

Admit it: If you were watching David Stern's news conference Tuesday, you
thought that he was mispronouncing Tim Donaghy's last name on purpose. 

You figured that was Stern's shrewd way to spite the allegedly crooked
referee he can now only pray was operating as a "rogue, isolated
criminal."

I can certainly admit it.

The true story, sadly, isn't that sinister. Turns out that the way Stern
kept saying it -- DAHN-AH-GEE, with a hard G -- is the correct
pronunciation of Donaghy's last name.

All of us who have been using DAHN-AH-HE for days have had it wrong.

 Let’s get back to talking about basketball and basketball teams instead of gambling.  This is David Stern’s problem, not ours.  If you only watch the NBA because you believe Stern when he says his league has the best refs in the world of sports then you’re not a basketball fan.  If Stern wants to trade jobs (and more importantly salaries) we’ll take on the scandal.  Otherwise can somebody tell us where Paxson is at in extension talks with Deng and Gordon?  Is Joakim Noah’s shoulder healed yet?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller . . . Bueller . . .

Credibility???

Everybody is talking about how the NBA’s credibility has taken such a huge hit because of this Donaghy scandal.  All I have to say is, what credibility?

Look, you’re not going to find a bigger NBA fan around.  I don’t even like college basketball beyond watching it for NBA prospects.  But who in the world was watching the NBA on a regular basis and thinking,

“These referees really are doing a good job.  I have faith that the team that best combined effort and ability on a given night won every night I watched.  I don’t remember watching a game where the refs influenced which team won by doing more or less than officiating the game exactly as it was played.”

Honestly, I can’t remember watching a game where I didn’t feel the referees intentionally ignored a foul that happened or called a phantom foul on purpose at least once.  People who love watching the NBA watch it in spite of the officiating, not because they have faith in the refs.  Basketball is the most entertaining sport in the world to watch and the NBA has the best basketball players and many of the best athletes in the world.  That’s why I’ve watched the NBA my entire life.  That’s why I’ll watch on opening night of the ‘07-’08 season and for the foreseeable future.  Will I begin to have faith in the referees?  Something drastic would have to change (something I can’t even imagine happening) for me to believe they’re calling the game like they see it.  Will I trust them any less after this Donaghy scandal?  No.  I never trusted them to begin with so why would I trust them any less now?

Donaghy influenced Bulls vs. Warriors

The New York Times reported:

As F.B.I. officials, the news media and fans pore over video footage of
games refereed by Tim Donaghy, looking for curious foul calls and other
such behavior, several seconds of a game between the Chicago Bulls and
the Golden State Warriors in February could attract attention.

Donaghy, who resigned recently after completing his 13th season with the
N.B.A., is under federal investigation for suspected betting on games in
which he officiated and for an association with organized crime.

The Bulls-Warriors game of Feb. 9, played at Golden State and broadcast
on ESPN, was tied, 112-112, with 23 seconds remaining. While a Bulls
guard dribbled between midcourt and the 3-point shot line — clearly
working the clock down for an attempt at a final shot — Warriors center
Andris Biedrens stood in the lane without guarding anyone for about
seven seconds, which is grounds for a defensive three-seconds violation.

Donaghy, stationed behind Biedrens on the baseline, clearly stepped
forward and tapped Biedrens on the waist with 16 seconds left. Biedrens,
by then at the edge of the lane, then immediately moved clear of the
paint, and play continued.

The penalty for defensive three seconds is the assessment of a technical
foul and retention of the ball. Golden State could have faced a 3- or
4-point deficit before getting the ball back.

Instead, the Bulls had a shot blocked with six seconds left, and Golden
State missed a half-court heave to leave the score tied as regulation
time ran out. The Warriors won in overtime, 123-121. According to several
gambling Web sites, the odds opened with the Warriors favored by a point
and a half.

A veteran official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because speaking
with the news media violates the referees’ collective-bargaining
agreement with the N.B.A., said that in such a situation he would not
have blown the whistle because the violation was too trivial in a crucial
moment. “I would let the players determine the game,” he said.

The official added that touching a player or providing any sort of a
warning that a whistle is imminent — from either that referee or another
on the floor — is forbidden.

“I would never touch him — it would show up on tape,” the official said.
“We used to be able to say something like ‘Get out! Get out!’ But they
said that was cheating. We considered it game management.”

Fans of every team that have reason to think Donaghy may have caused their team to lose a game it had a legitimate chance of winning have a right to be upset.  However, as Bulls fans we have more right than most given that the Bulls finished the season just one game behind the Cavs and owned the tiebreaker between the two teams.  Had the Bulls won just one more game, such as this game against the Warriors, they would have had the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and at least have been in the Eastern Conf. finals.  The Bulls fell to the Pistons and still would have had to play them in this scenario.  However, they would have faced the aging Pistons one round later and thus maybe caught them a with less energy.  A trip to the Finals wouldn’t have been out of the question and the Bulls match up much better with the Spurs than the Cavs do.  We’re not saying what would and wouldn’t have happened with this one win, we’re just saying . . .

 However, Suns fans may have to most to be upset about.

Donaghy and Hinrich

There are only two big NBA stories out there right now.  Tim Donaghy and Team USA.  If we approach these stories from a Bulls point of view we have the “Headbandgate” game and Kirk Hinrich.  Let’s look at Headbandgate first.

The Tribune’s K.C. Johnson informs us that Donaghy worked three Bulls games last season.  Of those three the Headbandgate game clearly stands out.  For anybody who doesn’t remember the game that came to be known as Headbandgate (it’s an annoying name, we know) was a Bulls vs. Knicks game on November 25.  Ben Wallace had apparently become upset with both Skiles and Paxson in the preceding days.  He knew the Bulls had a rule against wearing headbands (a terrible rule by the way.  there’s no way to explain it other than they don’t want their players to look like thugs).  Wallace brought a headband to the game and put it on.  Skiles pulled him and told him he had to remove it.  He removed it but was benched again soon.  The Bulls new $60 million man played under 30 minutes that game and wasn’t happy about it.  When he did make it back into the game he put the headband back on in a direct defiance of Skiles’ orders.  Skiles soon pulled him and he didn’t see the floor again.  Interestingly this game served as a turning point for the Bulls season and Wallace’s relationship with the team.  He became much more involved after that game and the Bulls turned around from their awful start to the season.  Wallace made a statement to team management that he was a veteran and 4 time Defensive Player of the Year.  He would not be treated like a rookie.  The Bulls listened and shortly after the incident Wallace was saying he knew it would help the team.

Lost in all the headband hype was the fact that the refs made some quirky calls during the game.  The Bulls were up by 22 at halftime, but the Knicks attempted 16 free throws in the first 5 and half minutes of the third quarter while the Bulls attempted only two.  Skiles was called for two techs in that span and thus ejected by Donaghy’s crew.  Donaghy’s crews called more technical fouls last season than any other crew.  Without seeing the footage we can’t tell which ref called Skiles for the techs, but we do know that Skiles thought one was fishy. 

That night he said, “The ejection, I deserved. I deserved the second technical. I didn’t care for the first one that much. He was joking with me, I joked with him and he gave me a technical. Technically, you’re not allowed to comment.”

Was Donaghy trying to bring the scores closer together to cover a point spread?  Who really knows, but that game could very well go into a handful of games that will be used as evidence against him. 

NBullsA was upset to find out that an NBA ref was involved in a gambling scandal, however not surprised to find that a ref may have been intentionally influencing the outcome of games for personal or private reasons.  The biggest problem in the NBA is the inconsistency of how the games are called.  The inconsistency is so glaring that we have no doubt that it’s not random.  We never thought of gambling interests before.  Instead we assumed NBA league office mandates that playoff series should be extended whenever possible and stars SHOULD NOT foul out of games.  Also, we were pretty sure that certain refs had issues with certain players and let their whistles settle the score.  Whether it’s personal vendettas, league mandates or mob influence the NBA needs to fix the officiating problem. 

On to Team USA.  Kirk Hinrich started in the Blue vs. White game for the Blue team.  He had one nice alley oop pass, but that was about all he did.  He played the second fewest minutes of anyone on the team (two more than JJ Redick), shot 2-7 with 3 turnovers to his one assist.  However, both Hinrich and Chris Paul played very well and had outstanding assist-to-turnover ratios in last summer’s competitions.  With a team featuring so many other explosive scorers you figure they’d need a passing point guard who is a great defender. 

However, this year’s team features Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups and Deron Williams, all of whom are bigger than Hinrich and Paul while providing similar skill sets.  Paul is unavailable this summer, but you still have to figure that the eventual 12-man roster won’t feature 4 point guards.  Will Hinrich make the team over the bigger names, perhaps receiving credit for participating last year as well as this year?  At least if he doesn’t make the cut he’ll have more time to recuperate for the upcoming Bulls season. 

Another new addition to this summer’s team is former Bull Tyson Chandler.  Many have speculated that Team USA needed a player like Chandler because they didn’t have a true shot blocker last season.  Chandler did have 2 blocks and led all rebounders with 13 in the exhibition, but Dwight Howard had 2 blocks as well.  We think Tyson is a great player and defender.  He could help the team a lot but he’s a bit overrated as a shot blocker.  He’s never averaged over 1.8 blocks per game despite being a defensive specialist who is over 7 feet tall.  Last season he averaged a career high 35 minutes per game but was unable to top his blocks average from ’04-’05 when he played 27 minutes per game.  We feel Team USA should keep him on the roster because they’ll have plenty of scoring and his defense would be key.  However, with player like Amare Stoudemire, Howard and Chris Bosh all looking like locks it’s very possible Chandler will be cut.