I get bothered by the way the Bulls players and coaches keep talking about the need to play with more energy and the need to try hard. I hate when people in the media claim that it is trade talk or worrying about contract extensions. The Bulls aren’t bad because of a lack of energy or off-the-court issues. They did not embark on their annual dead clown tragedy and return 1-5 because Ben Gordon is worrying about whether he will get $70M this summer. It was because the Bulls are heavily invested in four players who are horrible fits for what they do. Tyrus Thomas, Ben Wallace, Joakim Noah, and Thabo Sefolosha are not helping the Bulls. None of them are threats on the perimeter, and in a drive-and-kick offense their inability to spread the defense or be legitimate threats on the perimeter kills the Bulls. Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich are getting collapsed on when they get into the paint, and opponents aren’t leaving Gordon or Duhon. Why would they when at any given time the Bulls have two guys on the floor who are non-threats. This is why I think that there is such a noticeable difference in the quality of play when Joe Smith and Andres Nocioni are on the floor at the same time. Nocioni has range out to the arc, and Smith can step out to 18-20 feet. Duhon, Hinrich, and Deng have more room to operate with when the defense doesn’t have two guys sitting on the blocks or free throw line waiting to help on penetration. This not only affects the ability of the Bulls to get easy layups, but also the quality of passes out to the perimeter. The shooters aren’t catching the passes in good position to get their shots off. While I know that many will argue that these are professionals and should not need perfect passes to make a shot, but it is this subtle difference that makes players love playing alongside the likes of Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, and Steve Nash. They put their teammates in postion to succeed. The Bulls don’t have one of those guys, but when Hinrich, Duhon, or Deng have space with which to work, they are capable distributors. Take a look at the most recent Raptors game. The Bulls started out with Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, and Wallace. The Raptors ran out to an early 10-14 lead. The Bulls then bring in Nocioni for Thomas at the 5:30 minute mark. A couple minutes later they bring in Joe Smith for Ben Wallace. From the time Nocioni entered the game at the PF spot until the end of the quarter, the Bulls proceeded to score on every one of their final eleven possessions of the first quarter jumping out to a 33-26 lead. The Bulls returned with the same lineup for the most part, Sefolosha and Duhon were in for Deng and Gordon, to start the 2nd. The game got a bit closer 35-33 when Wallace and Thomas returned. Those two manned the front court for the rest of the quarter and the Raptors built a 50-44 lead going into the half. It is subtle, because it isn’t Thomas and Wallace missing the shots, but it is a noticeable difference in the spacing or lack thereof leading into the shots that the Bulls scorers are getting.

I might be the only person in the universe to think this, but the Bulls really could use someone like Darius Songaila or Malik Allen right about now. The decision to up the roles of Thomas and Sefolosha while thinking Noah be a part of the rotation was wrong, and is blowing up in the Bulls’ face. Letting PJ, Sweetney, and Allen leave is really exposing the Bulls. The reality is that the Bulls cannot play Nocioni and Smith at the PF and C positions for 30 minutes per night. If the Knicks were able to get 41 of their 85 points from Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry when the Bulls threw Wallace and Smith at them, it would only get uglier when they go even smaller. It would not be fair to ask Nocioni to guard Zach Randolph for extended periods of time. As they are currently constructed, they still need Ben Wallace to play 30 minutes. They have no choice but to play either Thomas or Noah twenty minutes per game. The sad truth is that unless they make a roster move, the Bulls cannot overcome these problems.

For this reason, I’d like to believe that Paxson is scouting the Kings and trying to figure out whether it is possible to acquire Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Brad Miller. Charlie Vilanueva appears to be the odd man out with Yi getting heavy minutes at the PF spot in Milwaukee. Stromile Swift is getting showcased right now in Memphis with Darko down with an injury. I cannot believe that the previously mentioned Songaila would be untouchable. Tim Thomas would… oh wait, sorry about that. I do not think that any of these guys would have a high asking price, and I really feel as if they would make a world of difference for the Bulls. They need at least one more big man, preferably two, who can be threats offensively. The Bulls cannot keep expecting Hinrich, Gordon, and Deng to play three on five on the offensive end. They haven’t been great, but they are having too much asked of them. A move or two needs to be made soon if they want to recover from this year’s awful start, sooner better than later.

After sputtering through the first couple of weeks, the Bulls got a much needed break in the schedule before the start of the annual Dead Clown Tragedy. To date, one cannot have much good to say about the Bulls. Joe Smith and Chris Duhon have been exactly what one could expect from them, nothing special but solid rotation guys, but everyone else on the roster has been either inconsistent or just consistently bad. With a 1-5 record, staring down a difficult six game road trip could tell the story of the 2007-08 Bulls. If they can find a way to win half the games on this trip, the Bulls would have a good chance of getting themselves healthy by Christmas. Anything worse, and the Bulls are probably going to have a hard time getting to anything better than a 7 or 8 seed this year. The Celtics, Pistons, and Magic appear to be real deals. Dwyane Wade is getting healthy, and once he gets back into rhythm the Heat are going to put together some wins. We are once again witnesses to LeBron carrying an awful team on his back. David Stern has to step in and change who gets to vote for MVP if somehow someone beats Wade, Tim Duncan, or Kobe out again. It’s a four horse race, end of discussion. The Nets are pretty good, and Antoine Wright should be able to help them tread water while Vince Carter is out. While the Bulls have gotten off to 3-9 starts before, the depth of the East is much better and teams no longer look at the Bulls as pesky youngsters who can be looked past. They have heard that “experts” have picked them to win the East, and that Paxson has made Luol Deng of zero career All-Star appearances, untouchable in trade talks for Pau Gasol last February and Kobe Bryant last month. Coaches are playing their stars bigger minutes, except that Toronto debacle and players are not letting the Bulls get to the loose balls like they have in previous regular seasons.

Other teams have made adjustments to the Bulls, now is the time for us to see whether the Bulls can answer back. I want to which changes Skiles makes to the rotation. I want to see whether Ben Wallace can bounce back. If Wallace doesn’t have a pretty good game on Thursday after four days rest, they either have to sit him for a few games until that ankle is healthy. I can’t believe that he has regressed so much that can’t give better production levels. I expected him to take a step back, because he has been on the decline since 2004, but I thought that meant like 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 1-2 blocks, not 3 and 4 per with 7 blocks on the season. The reason I want the Bulls to give Wallace every chance possible is they do not have any other options. Noah can’t start. He’d get massacred and sent to the bench in foul trouble before the opening tip. Gray is not a realistic option. I wanted to see whether Skiles would get him a few minutes against the likes of Yi, Gadzuric, Paul Davis, or Chris Kaman. If he did, then I would assume that Skiles figures that Gray could eventually develop into a legit backup center. He didn’t. While I’m not writing him off completely, I think it says something that Skiles would not trust him against some of the league’s worst backup centers. Once Griffin is healthy enough to play, I would not be surprised if Gray gets sent off to Des Moines with Gardner and Curry to get some minutes in the NBDL. Who else do they have? While Smith might be able to play center for a short stretch, I think it would be a bad idea to try to extend him in that way.

I think that they ought to begin the road trip with Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni, and Wallace in the starting lineup. Smith and Duhon are nice options as 6-7 off the bench, and they can pick their spots with where they use Thomas. Nocioni is noticeably better when he starts. I can’t be the only person who sees this. For what they have invested in him, they can’t try to make him a primary scorer off the bench. While I would even be tempted to put Duhon in for Hinrich or Gordon, I just think that those two need a little more time to get out of their funks. Bench Gordon and you alienate the team’s best scorer in his contract year. I don’t think they can bench Hinrich when he is in the first year of a five year contract. I also don’t like the idea Sam Smith proposed in Monday’s Tribune where he thought the Bulls should start Deng at shooting guard. Deng has problems with athletic small forwards, how is he going even better athletes? If you thought Cuttino Mobley had a big game against Hinrich, would Deng even be in the same gym? Could he possibly guard Kobe? What about Jamal Crawford? No. I don’t like that at all. They experimented with it to see whether he would be able to get on the block and get easy buckets, and it did not work out. The Bulls just don’t have the skilled big men to make it possible to go big. 

Shots were falling, second chances were not wasted, the veterans played like everyone expected, Tyrus Thomas played like a #2 pick should, and they scratched out a win. I was pleased that Tyrus Thomas, although he was manhandled by Rasheed Wallace on the defensive end, was able to give enough in the way of rebounds, put backs, and attacking the rim to almost match him. If the strategy was to let Rasheed beat them by staying extended on the shooters, I guess it worked. They were one shot that didn’t want to stay down away from overtime, but at 0-4 they were due for a lucky bounce. Joe Smith continues as he continued to the Bulls most consistent player. While his shots were not falling, Hinrich had a bounce back game. Defensively, he was much better against Billups and Hamilton than he was against Cuttino Mobley, and actually did an admirable job of running the offense like a true point guard. Deng and Gordon, while their numbers weren’t mind-blowing, provided solid performances. I like the Bulls rotation much more when, in a close game, Duhon plays 25 minutes rather than having those minutes split with Sefolosha. I think eventually Nocioni will come around and get enough minutes to squeeze out Noah. Noah wasn’t bad, he gave what one can expect from him. He provided energy and activity, but he does not have the body or skills to be one of the first men off the bench for a playoff team.

Thursday was a good start, but the schedule does not get easier. The Raptors come to town led by a manchild in Chris Bosh. While his knee has been bothersome and has slowed him a bit in the first couple weeks, the Bulls do not have anyone who can stop him. If he gets going, and TJ Ford continues to grow into one of the better point guards in basketball and gets solid shooters like Kapono, Parker, and Delfino the ball on the perimeter, the Raptors can compete and beat anyone. I hope that this is a game where Nocioni will be given more minutes and gets on track. Toronto is at its best when they go small, and getting Noce some minutes at the 4 might give them the best chance to win.

I was not sure what to expect tonight. Having beaten the Sonics and Warriors in their first two games, I was not sure whether the Clippers were a run-and-gun team or even a good team. Same with the Bulls, I wasn’t convinced that their first week was indicative of who they are. I’m still not sure, and definitely more confused. I thought that Hinrich shooting better and Deng having a solid all-around game would make a greater difference. I would have though this was one of the nights where the Bulls could have gone small, but Andres Nocioni played half the minutes of Tyrus and Noah. While Tim Thomas is a good player, he isn’t an overpowering post player that Nocioni or Deng couldn’t handle. Furthermore, I don’t understand why Thabo Sefolosha is playing so much. It does not make a lot of sense to me what he brings on the floor that Duhon doesn’t. His length does not change the fact that he hasn’t proven that he can be more than a second quarter spell the starter guy. The Clippers were completely willing to Sefolosha shoot from the perimeter whenever they wanted. If he is going to be on the floor, I understand that Sefolosha has to take that shot. He has to be a threat to score, but being 2-13 at this point in the season is unacceptable. It is one thing for the opponent to dare Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas, or Joakim Noah to take a shot, I’m not saying it is a good thing or should be acceptable, but Sefolosha is a shooting guard! It is part of the job title to shoot better than 15% from the floor.

I guess the theme here is that the Bulls decision to get younger by letting Brown, Allen, and even Sweetney go, and having Adrian Griffin slowed with a back injury has left the Bulls thin off the bench. Not to say that any of them are great, but they are capable of giving some decent minutes off the bench. Even Sweetney had 20-10 games in his Bulls career. Whereas last year anything the Bulls got from Thomas or Sefolosha last year was gravy, they are important parts to the success this team will have. When a guy like Wallace is hurt, they have a significant drop off going to Noah or Gray. If they don’t like Nocioni in a given matchup, they are going with Thomas or Noah instead of Brown or Allen. I’m pleased with the play of Joe Smith so far, but I wonder how long it will be before they are forced to lean on him for 30-35 minutes a night, instead of the 20-25 he gets now. I don’t know whether he can handle that kind of workload with the miles and injuries he has amassed.

The question I have now is when will they turn it around? Detroit, Toronto, and then the Circus trip with Phoenix, the Clippers again, Lakers, Denver, New York, and Toronto. I don’t think they’ll go 0-12, but another 3-9 start might be thinking optimistically. They have a history of starting slow, and I don’t want to overreact to four games, but the bottom of the East is significantly better than it has been the past few years. If they fall ten games under .500 like they did in 2006 or 9-17 in 2005, they will have a very hard time getting to that 8 spot. The Pistons haven’t gone anywhere, and the Celtics looked as good in their first two games as they do on paper. Cleveland finally got Varejao and Pavlovic signed. Randolph and Curry look hard to stop on the block. Orlando is improved, Wade is getting healthy and close to a return, Toronto has firepower all over, and teams like Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Charlotte are not going to be pushovers. 

I’ll be honest, I don’t think it is a big deal. I thought that the Bulls would be 2-1 right now. To expect the Bulls to win in New Jersey is probably asking for too much, but losing to Philadelphia and Milwaukee was a bit surprising. Philadelphia was a hustling, scrapping, attacking team. The out-Bulled the Bulls. I tip my cap to them. The Bucks game was just awful to watch. It was just an ugly game all-around, and regardless of the outcome really just not where amazing happens. The Bucks don’t play enough defense to hold the Bulls to 27-77 shooting, it just goes to show that when the Bulls are missing their jump shots anyone can beat them. They don’t have anyone who can get them easy buckets on the block or get to the line at will. It’s the Bulls inherent weakness, everyone knows this.
 

Going into the Clipper game, I don’t think my feeling about the Bulls chances have changed one bit. They are still going to steal games throughout the season when opponents slack off. Those games are probably going to be fewer and farther between now that they have a bit of a target on their back, but they’ll start coming once teams get into the bulk of their schedule. Luol Deng is going to be much better than he has showed. Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni are not going to shoot 35 percent from the field forever. Ben Wallace can’t be that washed up. He might be a far cry from the 2004 Defensive Player-of-the-Year, rebounding warrior Big Ben, but he isn’t a 4 and 4 player yet. The players the Bulls need to produce in order to compete eventually will. Right before the season so many media people and Bulls fans were so adamant that the team was on the right course and could not be broken up that they forgot that they are still very much an imperfect team. They are not a juggernaut who will breeze to 50 wins and past the 1^st round. They are a likeable squad with potential to be pretty good, but because they don’t a star or a post presence are going to have games where they lose games they shouldn’t.
  
Now that I got that out of the way, I just have to write that I don’t like Tyrus Thomas in the starting lineup. He is a high-flying energy guy. I know that he can bring down the rim when he gets a lob or a tip back, but Joe Smith and Andres Nocioni are simply superior players at this stage in their careers. I don’t want the inconsistency that comes with Thomas. I feel so much more confident about the team when Noc and Smith are on the floor with the starters. Once the team starts playing teams with real front courts, like Detroit and Toronto, Thomas is going to be a problem. His reaction time isn’t there defensively, his limitations on offense outweigh the benefits he brings with his freakish leaping ability, and it is clear that Smith and Nocioni are better fits in the half court offense. I think it is just a matter of time before Thomas returns to the bench where both he and the team will probably be better off.
 

Dallas Mavericks
2006-07 record: 67-15 1^st in the Southwest
Added: Nick Fazekas, Trenton Hassell, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones
Lost: Greg Buckner, Austin Croshere, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Kevin Willis
PG: Jason Terry, Devin Harris, Jose Juan Barea
SG: Jerry Stackhouse, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager
SF: Josh Howard, Eddie Jones
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Brandon Bass, Juwan Howard, Nick Fazekas
C: DeSagana Diop, Erick Dampier (inj.)
 

Versus Bulls
2006-07
Away Tue. November 14, L 99-111
Home Thurs. January 25, W 96-85
2007-08
Home Mon. December 3, 7:30PM
Away Mon. February 25, 7:30PM
Overview:
How can a team win 67 games and have the returning MVP of the league and have so many doubters? Oh yeah, they lost to the Warriors in the 1^st round. Have you heard anyone mention that? Has ESPN branded an asterisks on Dirk’s MVP trophy? Am I crazy for thinking that writing off Dirk as being soft and the Mavericks as being overrated is insane? This is a team that played 88 games last year and lost only 12 to any team not coached by Don Nelson. Is that so terrible? Am I the only person alive that thinks if the Lakers lose their season finale to Sacramento and the Warriors end up on the other end of the bracket that Mavericks are either in the Finals or at least the Western Conference Finals? I must be crazy because I think that if any team in the West is going to knock off the champs, it is going to be the Mavs.
While many “experts” thought that Dallas needed to completely overhaul its roster, I liked what they did. They won 67 games, they did not need an overhaul. They needed a tweak, and they tweaked. Eddie Jones is still can hit a jumper and defend a shooting guard. Trenton Hassell is a gritty player who is a clear upgrade over Greg Buckner. Juwan Howard and Brandon Bass offer far more stability and upside than Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Austin Croshere. Now it is just a matter of getting through the regular season intact mentally and physically. An 82-game schedule can beat up any team physically, and six months is a long time to have to hear questions about losing to the Warriors.
What they mean for the Bulls?
With the three Texas teams among the elite in the NBA, they really make for killer stretches for their opponents. The Bulls fared reasonably well with this year’s schedule. They do not have to head into the Texas triangle on their infamous Circus trip. For year’s that has been a death march. This year, they do have to play Houston and Dallas back-to-back in February, and it is in the middle of a six game, five city, nine day stretch. It isn’t however as daunting as going from Dallas to Houston to San Antonio as has been the case so many times. I think that after the Circus trip, the February 22-29 stretch will be the most difficult stretch of the year. Every team they play went to the playoffs last year, and combined with across the country travel schedule that could really signal doom for the Bulls.
 

Detroit Pistons
2006-07 record: 53-29 1^st in the Central
Added: Jarvis Hayes, Cheick Samb, Rodney Stuckey
Lost: Will Blalock, Dale Davis, Carlos Delfino, Chris Webber
PG: Chauncey Billups, Lindsey Hunter, Rodney Stuckey (inj.)
SG: Richard Hamilton, Arron Afflalo, Jarvis Hayes, Ronald Murray
SF: Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson, Ronald Dupree
PF: Antonio McDyess, Jason Maxiell,
C: Rasheed Wallace, Nazr Mohammed, Cheick Samb
 

Versus Bulls
2006-07
Home Sat. January 6, W 106-89
Away Sun. February 25 L 93-95
Home Thurs. March 29, W 83-81
Away Wed. April 4, W 106-88
Away Sat. May 5, L 69-95 (playoffs)
Away Mon. May 7, L 87-108 (playoffs)
Home Thurs. May 10, L 81-74 (playoffs)
Home Sun. May 13, W 102-89 (playoffs)
Away Tue. May 15, W 108-92 (playoffs)
Home Thurs. May 17, L 85-95 (playoffs)
2007-08
Home Thurs. November 8, 7PM
Away Fri. December 7, 6PM
Home Sat. January 19, 7:30PM
Away Sun. March 9, 7PM
Overview:
Much like the Spurs in the West, the Pistons, despite being the most consistent team in the East for the most of the decade, always seem to fly under the radar. Despite running into LeBron on a mission last spring, they are still the team to beat in the East. They have four All-Stars in their starting lineup. Jason Kidd might be the only point guard in the East better than Chauncey Billups. Richard Hamilton has the same game as Ben Gordon, but is 6’7 not 6’1. Tayshaun Prince is a great defender and steady contributor on offense. People tend to focus so much on the technical fouls they forget that Rasheed Wallace is a beast on both ends of the court. I wonder if there is a team with a better 5^th option in their starting lineup than Antonio McDyess. They are solid all over, and thanks to Joe Dumars drafting well in previous few years might be the deepest team in addition to the best starters. Rodney Stuckey is regarded by many to be a great prospect. Amir Johnson appears set for a breakthrough season if he could only pry minutes away from Wallace and McDyess. Jason Maxiell is an athletic freak who could probably double as a tight end for the Lions in his free time. To call him a scrappy player really doesn’t do him justice, he could have a much larger role on a lesser team. Jarvis Hayes and Flip Murray provide insurance on the wings. Top to bottom, they are as impressive as they come, and Chris Webber still might come back.
What they mean for the Bulls?
Amid the hysteria of winning 49 games and knocking off the defending champs, I think some Bulls fans have forgotten that before they can talk title, they have to wonder if they can beat the Pistons. Six game series or not, the Pistons crushed them the first three games of the series, and when the Bulls had a chance to take control of the series after a good first half in Game 6 were thoroughly dominated in the second. Do the Bulls have a better chance if the Pistons do not back Webber sometime this season? Yes, but with the deepest roster in the league I am not sure it makes the Bulls the favorites.

Phoenix Suns
2006-07 record: 61-21 1^st in the Pacific
Added: Grant Hill, Brian Skinner, D.J. Strawberry, Alando Tucker
Lost:  Pat Burke, Jumaine Jones, Jalen Rose, Kurt Thomas
PG: Steve Nash, Marcus Banks,
SG: Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa, D.J. Strawberry
SF: Grant Hill, Boris Diaw, Eric Piatkowski, Alando Tucker
PF: Shawn Marion, Brian Skinner
C: Amare Stoudamire, Sean Marks

Versus Bulls
2006-07
Home Tue. January 2, L 96-97
Away Sun. February 11, W 116-103
2007-08
Away Thurs. November 15, 9:30PM
Home Sun. January 27, 12PM
Overview:
Tick tock, tick, tock. Everyone knows that the window for the Suns to win a title isn’t going to stay open for too much longer. The Suns have mortgaged their future by selling off draft picks, thanks for Luol Deng by the way, in order to have the money to keep their core in tact. Shawn Marion can opt out after this year, Nash is 33 years old, they have a number of bad contracts with Marcus Banks and Boris Diaw leading the way, and for all their praise have yet to win a slugfest against the Western Conference heavyweights from San Antonio. I don’t buy into the school of though that Phoenix was robbed last spring. Even if one ignores the result of Game 5, the Suns still lost Game 6. The Spurs are champions, they are perfectly capable of winning Game 5 or 7 on the road against a fully loaded Suns squad, as Game 1 of that series showed. If they can’t get to the Finals this year, they are going to need to rework the roster to have any hope of staying among the elite in the West in 2009. Marion is going to leave, their financial limitations will keep them from finding an equal to replace him. Even if the 1^st round pick they will receive from the Hawks is Top 10, I’m not sure they can parlay that into a ready-made reinforcement.
I fully expect that the Suns will play this season thinking that this is their last chance. That isn’t to say they will play every game at a playoff-type intensity for all 82, almost the opposite. I think Mike D’Antoni to manage minutes and make sure the veterans like Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Grant Hill to pace themselves. Nash especially, because he has had a tendency to slow down as the seasons go on. Once a player has back problems, they don’t go away. The Suns do not need to win 60 games in the regular season to win a title. As thin as they are on the bench, they need their stars to be peaking in May, not February. I think that the Suns will likely win the Pacific, but probably end up being the 3^rd or 4^th seed. It really doesn’t matter. They can win on the road, they know that they can beat anyone that appears on their schedule, now they just have to do it.
What they mean for the Bulls?
I often hear and read that Tyrus Thomas can be the next Amare and Luol Deng will be the next Shawn Marion. Everytime I see the Suns, however, I don’t see it. Amare has simply a vastly superior basketball skill set to Thomas and Deng isn’t as athletic as Marion. I do however, love the way the Bulls and Suns matchup. Nash and Hinrich, Barbosa and Gordon, Marion and Deng… they make for enjoyable games. They Bulls might be on the short end of the stick as far as overall talent is concerned, but as anyone who has followed the Bulls knows when they are hitting their shots they can beat anyone.

San Antonio Spurs

2006-07 record: 58-24 2^nd in the Southwest

Added: Ian Mahimmi, Ime Udoka, Darius Washington

Lost: Jackie Butler, Beno Udrih, James White, Eric Williams

PG: Tony Parker, Jacque Vaughn, Darius Washington

SG: Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley

SF: Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry, Ime Udoka

PF: Tim Duncan, Robert Horry, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi

C: Fabricio Oberto, Francisco Elson

Versus Bulls

2006-07

Away Fri. November 17, L 83-100

Home Mon. January, W 99-87

2007-08

Away Wed. December 26, 7:30PM

Home Thurs. March 20, 7PM

Overview:

What’s left to be said about the Spurs that has not been a million times. They are the best run organization in the league. They are incredibly deep, yet have no bad contracts. They have one of the five best players in the league and have surrounded him with talented, willing, and able support. In the draft, it is a stunner when they do not get a contributor late in the 1^st round. Over the course of an 82 game season, they’ll have maybe one or two stinkers. They are absolute proof that continued greatness requires is not about just one guy but an entire organization’s effort.

I think that it really is amazing how the Spurs can get so many talented players sign for reasonable salaries and accept lesser roles. Bruce Bowen is now 36, maybe he will start to slow down, but they behind him they have Brent Barry, Michael Finley, and Ime Udoka who started 75 games last year. The team needed to cut salary so they trade Jackie Butler and the rights to Luis Scola and didn’t need to ask for anything in return. Not only that, but they fearlessly dealt Scola in the division. They dumped Beno Udrih’s salary on Minnesota and replaced him with the non-drafted Darius Washington, who if the preseason and first week is any indication, is an upgrade.

The only question is how long do they have left. As a whole, the Spurs are starting to get older with the average age of 30. Outside the point guard spot where Tony Parker is 25 and Darius Washington is 21, Matt Bonner and rookie Ian Mahinmi are the only players on the roster under 30. Tim Duncan is still in his prime, and his recent extension will have him under contract with the Spurs until 2011-12, and at that time he will be 36. It is likely that outside their big three of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, the Spurs will likely have a very different look in 2009 or 2010 than they do now. The amazing thing is this doesn’t signal an end of the era. The Spurs have stockpiled talent oversees in recent drafts. They have 22 year old PF Tiago Splitter, 21 year old wing Viktor Sanikidze, and 25 year old C Sergei Karaulov, and they may end up playing a part in the San Antonio reloading process.
What they mean for the Bulls?
I’ve seen previews that have the Bulls playing the Spurs in the NBA Finals. A lot of basketball has to take place before that takes place, but I don’t think any Bulls fan would oppose. I would hope that the Bulls learn from how the Spurs have handled personnel and handling their cap once they establish what they believe will be their core. Right now, they Bulls have role players like Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, and Joe Smith making more than $25M this year. With Deng and Gordon still playing on their rookie contracts, they can get away with it, but overpaying role players can devastate a team’s run for a title. The Spurs are the model for how not to do so.

Cleveland Cavaliers

2006-07 record: 50-32 2^nd in the Central

Added: Devin Brown, Demetris Nichols, Cedric Simmons, Anthony Tolliver

Lost: Scot Pollard, David Wesley

PG: Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, Eric Snow

SG: Larry Hughes, Devin Brown, Shannon Brown,

SF: LeBron James, Sasha Pavlovic, Demetris Nichols

PF: Drew Gooden, Donyell Marshall, Cedric Simmons, Anderson Varejao (unsigned)

C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Dwayne Jones, Anthony Tolliver

Versus Bulls

2006-07

Away Thurs. November 9, L 94-113

Home Sat. December 30, W 103-96

Away Thurs. February 22, L 78-84

Home Sat. March 31, L 108-112 OT

2007-08

Away Sun. March 2, 12PM

Home Thurs. March 6, 6PM

Away Thurs. April 3, 7PM

Home Fri. April 11, 6PM

Overview:How good is LeBron James? Dumb question, right? I know how good he is, I was a witness to what he did to the Nets and Pistons. The reason I ask is because he led a mediocre supporting cast through the East to the Finals last year, and now has to try again with even less help. Don’t get me wrong, I think Devin Brown can give them some offense. Once upon a time, I thought Cedric Simmons had potential to eventually be an NBA player when he was at NC State. As far as I’m concerned, Demetris Nichols was better than a 2^nd round pick, and certainly good enough to make the Knicks. They aren’t difference makers. While I completely understand the Cavaliers reluctance to give Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao huge long term contracts when they aren’t that good, it isn’t as if they have the depth to where they can let them go. Eventually Pavlovic relented, and he’ll probably be back to normal by December. My guess is Varejao will soon as well, but that is not a guarantee. They might have to go an extended period of time without him. And if LeBron has to repeat last year’s effort minus Anderson Varejao, still without a true point guard, and an aging Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and succeeds, then the East just has to tip their hat and LeBron their daddy and concede the next three years to him. Maybe he’ll give the East a chance again by opting out and heading west.

I’m not sure, however, if the Cavaliers can repeat last year’s performance. I don’t think that they have the overall talent and depth to get to 50 wins again. It is highly unlikely that a team will be so injury-ravaged to where Cleveland will get a 1^st round bye again. I think that there are six or seven improved teams in the East, and only time will tell how many of them passed by Cleveland. Right now, it is possible that the Pistons, Bulls, Celtics, Nets and Magic are better than them with the Heat, Raptors, Knicks, and Wizards either right there with them or just on their heels. It isn’t out of the question that should Cleveland lose Gibson, Hughes, or Gooden for some period of the season that they completely fall out of the playoffs. That can’t happen, right? We all know how incredible LeBron James is… right?

What they mean for the Bulls?

With all the turmoil they had with getting Pavlovic into camp, and Varejao still yet to sign, the Cavaliers will probably get off to a slow start. Eventually they will come around. Unfortunately for the Bulls, they don’t see the Cavs on the schedule until March. Even if Varejao sits out the whole year, Cleveland will figure out how to replace him by March, so the turmoil does not figure to benefit the Bulls any. Also interesting is that every one of the games this year is going to be on national television. While anyone who saw some of the gems last year would understand why the networks picked up this year’s  games, I can’t recall the last time every game between divisional opponents was broadcast nationally. I guess it speaks to the drawing power of LeBron and the Bulls.