Tag: D.Rose

See Red Into A New Era: Chicago Bulls

Basketball, Chicago, Media, NBA, Sports

A new beginning is upon us in the Windy City. The Bulls organization has made some significant changes over the summer that have transformed the shape of the team. The Bulls officially traded away their franchise (and my favorite) player, Derrick Rose, to the New York Knicks for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon (thankfully we cut him), and Jerian Grant (Former Chicago Bull Horace Grant’s nephew). In free agency, we elected not to bring back Pau Gasol (signed with San Antonio) or fan favorite Joakim Noah (signed with New York to play with D.Rose).

The Bulls front office, at the time, said they wanted to get “younger and more athletic”. We eventually drafted Denzel Valentine out of Michigan State. However, things got interesting when the Bulls decided to sign free agent point guard Rajon Rondo. The biggest and most unexpected news was the signing of free agent shooting guard, and Chicago native Dywane Wade. The Bulls pursued Wade in the summer of 2010. There were actual signs that Dywane Wade was going to sign with Chicago, but that changed at the 11th hour when Lebron James decided to take his talents to South Beach.

With that being said, the initial plan of rebuilding has turned into a retooling phase. Recently, the Bulls traded Tony Snell to the Milwaukee Bucks, for former rookie of the year winner Michael Carter-Williams. With all the changes, Chicago has one of the more interesting teams in the league. They lack 3 point shooting, but have better defense and can attack the basket. We did get somewhat younger but added veteran leaders and championship experience. We’re not quite a championship contender and not good enough to beat Cleveland. However, if we make the playoffs, we won’t be an easy out either.

It’s definitely a different vibe with the team because this is a new era with the Bulls. Last season was the beginning of the transition when they fired Tom Thibodeau and hired Fred Hoiberg. This year, we enter a grey area in which we don’t really know the outcome. We can finish as low as probably the 11th or 12th best in the Eastern Conference, or we have the ability to challenge for a home court advantage in the first round. One thing is for sure, I’m going to be here for the ride. I’ll have my Dywane Wade shirt ready for when we start our season against Boston. Let’s see what happens!

JGOOD

A Rose With Thorns

Basketball, Chicago, Media, NBA, New York, Sports

When Michael Jordan retired, Tracy McGrady became my favorite player in the NBA. He was unguardable. When you’re 6’8 with a long wingspan, that can shoot, attack, post-up, rebound, and create for others, you can’t be stopped. The only that did stop him was injuries. Besides the fact he was never the same player, he never played for my favorite team.

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When Derrick Rose was drafted to the Chicago Bulls in 2008, I instantly became a fan. Once I saw his energy and heart, him and McGrady shared being my favorites in the NBA. 

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Rose became the engine of the organization. He gave hope to a franchise that has been in the cellar since the Jordan era. I mean, yes we had the “Baby Bulls” but we weren’t a title contender then. D.Rose elevated the expectations in the city. We, as Chicago fans, “Bullieved” that we can return to the glory days. Nobody was more important and had a bigger impact for a team than Rose was during his MVP season in 2011.

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Rose has had his number of injuries including a torn ACL and a torn meniscus. Even then, Rose showed his efforts of fighting through rigorous rehabilitation to try to get back to MVP form. This past season, he looked like his explosiveness was back to elite status more times than not.

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It’s sad that he has carried the weight of his city on his back for so many years (he didn’t have any help for multiple seasons) that when he finally has help, his career is derailed by injuries. Also, a lot of fans have turned on him because he’s not the Derrick Rose that they are used to seeing (even though he’s been in the top 5 in jersey sales since his MVP season).

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The fact that my favorite player, who happens to play on my favorite team (also born and raised in Chicago), is traded away, it takes something out of you. My Bulls didn’t play well last year and that probably won’t change this year (pending something drastic). With Rose gone, that extra nudge… that determination, dedication, motivation… that initial spark that generated hope for the city just died.

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And what a lot of people don’t know is that not only he was humble on the court, he was humble off the court as well. Rose was active in the community. He paid for a funeral for a kid that was murdered. He spoke up for the teachers of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) who went on strike. D.Rose also donated money to help bring up the community.

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Now that he belongs to the New York Knicks, I’m torn. I will always be a Bulls fan, but I will buy a Derrick Rose Knicks jersey and/or shirt. He will continue to be my favorite player. Also, I hope he has career nights against the Bulls just to show management that they made a mistake. He has too much heart to give up and too much motivation to fail.

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JGOOD

Chicago Bulls: Sink Or Swim

Basketball, Chicago, Media, NBA, Sports

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My beloved Chicago Bulls has had an interesting season thus far. Many would say it’s disappointing so far. I’ll admit their record and positioning within the Eastern Conference is lower than I expected, but what did you really expect when Harvey Dent (Fred Hoiberg) is implementing a new system (he looks like Harvey Dent from “The Dark Knight” to me).

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I expected the new changes to take time and I’m fine with that. What I didn’t expect was for my Bulls to have a lack of effort for long stretches, especially on the defensive end. The gritty, pressuring, “tough-as-nails” defensive identity is gone. It may come back but not anytime soon. The injuries during the year doesn’t help, especially when one of your all-star players is out for over a month.

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On the flip side, the most positive thing that I have noticed is the REAL return of Derrick Rose. He struggled out the gate and people were seriously questioning if he would ever be a shell of himself. Now, his numbers are almost identical to his prime years and his incomparable explosiveness, agility, and speed looks back to his younger days.

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The 7 games that Rose has played in since the All-star break, he’s averaged 21.4 ppg while shooting over 50% from the field. The chemistry him and Jimmy Butler has hit a new plateau. The role players like E’Twuan Moore, Doug McDermott, Mike Dunleavey, and Taj Gibson has played a lot since the beginning of the year. Things are finally start to click.

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The Bulls are sitting at the 8th seed with 20 games to go. Jimmy Buckets will back soon, Derrick Rose has looked great, and the team itself is playing better. The future is unknown after this season with players like Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah hitting the free agency. It’s sink or swim for my Bulls. Hopefully they have life jackets at the very least.

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The People’s Champ

Basketball, NBA, Sports

Not to be confused with former WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (even though that was my favorite wrestler growing up)
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Who would’ve ever thought we would see a player like Stephen Curry in our generation? Think about it… the players in the NBA today compared to when I was a kid growing up are more athletic, but not as fundamentally sound, or have the overall IQ. Anthony Davis is a freak of nature but you don’t see the post game foot work like Kevin Garnett or banking in 15 footers like Tim Duncan (yet). James Harden took Manu Ginobili’s Euro Step to another level but the man can’t defend a parked car with a boot attached to the front left rim. LeBron James and Kevin Durant are once in a lifetime type of players. There’s no one with LeBron’s size and strength combination. There’s no one with Durant’s height, wingspan, and to be a pure shooter. Russell Westbrook’s athleticism attributes are not even comparable to any one (Derrick Rose before the injuries). Usually NBA Superstars have something or multiple abilities about them that you just can’t teach… that basically the average person doesn’t possess. Curry, on the other hand, is different.
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Steph Curry doesn’t have the power and speed combination of LeBron. He doesn’t have the athletic makeup of Westbrook. He doesn’t have the height and wingspan of Durant. He’s not the fastest or strongest player at his position and definitely not the most explosive. What separates him is the fact that he’s a perfectionist with a legendary work ethic. His ability to exceed expectations and raise his game to new heights are due to the long hours of commitment that he has produced. I watched him at Davidson and became a fan during his junior year when his school made some noise in the middle of March Madness. Davidson ousted Gonzaga, dropped Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, and the rest of Georgetown, stomped Wisconsin, and was 2 points shy of reaching the Final Four after a loss to a deep Kansas team featuring Mario Chalmers. The man used to be double and triple teamed on a regular and was still scoring at will. He’s been doing this at every level. Scouts were saying that his game wouldn’t translate to the next level. They also said he wasn’t a true point guard. The fact that he’s doing whatever he wants in the NBA is beyond remarkable.
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Another crucial point that needs to be made is that anybody can be just like him. The average person doesn’t have to jump the highest or run the fastest or become the strongest to have the same skill set of Stephen Curry. You’ve seen an abundance of kids practicing their ball handling or shooting all over social media because of what Curry can do. Mark Jackson said that Curry’s style of play is hurting the game… and I would have to disagree. Yes, Curry shoots a lot of 3’s in transitions but, those are good shots for him. And of course they teach you the opposite during basketball practice. The thing is when you’re that good of a shooter and you’re in rhythm, those are good shots. Also, the fact that he can freeze the defense and space the floor in transition is a bonus. Even with his high volume shots behind the arc, kids looking up to him are starting to become more fundamental, and watching the Golden State Warriors team in general are exposing them to selfless basketball (along with San Antonio).
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The scary thing that I didn’t even mention yet is that Steph is getting better. Initially, ankle injuries delayed his growth in his first couple of seasons. However, once he was finally healthy, you started to see the birth of a superstar. He shattered the record for most 3 pointers in a season 3 years ago and has beaten his own record every year (currently on pace to beat it again). The Carolina protégé is on pace to have a higher scoring efficiency than Wilt Chamberlain and is scoring more points in the paint than Blake Griffin and LeBron James… Let that sink in… ESPN has ranked him the 4th best point guard of all time behind Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and John Stockton. Initially I thought it was too early to have him in the conversation but when you’re constantly watch him perform, it’s hard to overlook his greatness. I still don’t know how I feel about him ranked higher than Isaiah Thomas, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd (all 3 of them are above extraordinary), but all I can do is sit back and appreciate the baby face assassin take over the league. LeBron used to lead the league in all star votes, effortlessly, for the past decade. Now, Stephen Curry is trumping him and the separation between LeBron and whoever’s next isn’t wide. Eventually, you would have seen the transition of dethroning the king because of father time… and if it was to be this soon, nobody expected it to be the current reigning MVP… except the MVP himself.
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Steph Curry is a special player and you shouldn’t take what we are witnessing for granted. A couple of years ago, he was just known for being a great shooter. Since then, he has won an MVP and a NBA Title, and is currently on pace to winning back to back MVPs (like Jordan 96,97) with the leagues best record. He has become a hero to the Bay Area and now is becoming a global icon. There’s not too many people who doesn’t discredits any of his accomplishments. The sky is truly the limit for him. Personally, I can’t wait to see what’s next from number 30… He still has a long career ahead of him, but in the present, he is the people’s champ.
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JGOOD

NBA Preview Part 3: Central Division

Basketball, NBA, Sports

Central Division

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Chicago Bulls
Key Additions: Bobby Portis
Key Subtractions: N/A
Outlook: There have always been two things that really has kept Chicago from reaching their full potential in the past: Their lack of offense and staying healthy. Well the health is still out on trial but the offense has a chance to be resurrected with the uptempo system that new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has installed. It’s going to be a work-in-progress, but it’s only a matter of time before the team starts rolling. Everybody returned with the addition of the rookie Bobby Portis. The championship window is shrinking. We’re going to see if they can get past their divisional rival to make it back to the big stage for the first time since 1998. “See Red”.

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Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Additions: Mo Williams
Key Subtractions: N/A
Outlook: Injuries, injuries, injuries… that was the story of last year’s Cleveland Cavaliers team. Anderson Varejao, Iman Shumpert, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving were the key players affected at some point during the season and playoffs. The championship window is closing and who knows how much longer LeBron James can play at this ridiculous level. They have the same roster with the addition of adding former Cavalier Mo Williams. This team is the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. The question remains will this team stay healthy or will the burden fall on LeBron’s shoulders again as he tries to make it to the NBA Finals for a 6th straight time?

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Detroit Pistons
Key Additions: Ersan Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson, Aron Baynes, Steve Blake, Danny Granger, Reggie Bullock
Key Subtractions: Greg Monroe, Tayshaun Prince
Outlook: I feel like Detroit needs to make a “power move”. What I mean by that is that they need to either make a blockbuster trade and get a franchise player OR just blow up the operation as it stands. Having Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings, who are both heavily paid to the play the same position, is a log jam. You could play Jennings at shooting guard, but the outcome wouldn’t suffice defensively. They brought in a few veterans, but losing Greg Monroe to Milwaukee was a huge blow. Now they are stuck with Andre Drummond, who’s another DeAndre Jordan in the making. The Pistons are not making the postseason so they should really think about that “power move”.

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Indiana Pacers
Key Additions: Monte Ellis, Myles Turner, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Rakeem Christmas, Joseph Young
Key Subtractions: David West, Roy Hibbert, C.J. Waston, Luis Scola, Damjan Rudez
Outlook: Welcome back Paul George! The Indiana Pacers are a completely different team since the last time PG13 put on a Pacers jersey. The only returning start is George Hill. Forming chemistry with Monte Ellis may be challenging at first but that duo has the potential to get Indiana back into the playoffs. Their front court has become questionable these days so we’ll see how that pans out. I believe Paul George is good enough to get them into the postseason (BARELY!!), but the longer this cast can stay healthy and plays together in sync, they may give some team problems down the road.

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Milwaukee Bucks
Key Additions: Greg Monroe, Greivis Vasquez, Chris Copeland, Rashad Vaughn
Key Subtractions: Jared Dudley, Zaza Pachulia
Outlook: Jason Kidd has turned this team from a joke to mismatch nightmare for opponents. What 6-11 ft small forward you know that has skill set and IQ to run point guard if needed? Giannis Antetokounmpo is that person for the Milwaukee Bucks. When you place him with Michael Carter-Williams (former rookie of the year), young stud Jabari Parker, solid and young big man Greg Monroe, and a $70 million shooter Khris Middleton (I’m still scratching my head on that one), you have a dangerous nucleus with a crazy amount of potential. Defensively, they are legit. Once they establish some consistent offense and add more shooters, this team will have the ability to cause ANY team problems. “Fear The Dear”.