If you have been waiting for a Finals post from us here at The Manchise, I personally apologize for the lack of thoughts. I honestly have not been able to gather myself after the first two roller coaster-like games. But now that the Lakers demolished the Celtics in game three, and the nation had to bear witness to another awful night from two of the Big Four, I'm ready. I'm ready to kick this shit into overdrive.
Since 1985 (when the NBA started using the 2-3-2 format), the team that wins game three after a one to one tie, has won the Larry O'Brien Trophy 100% of the time. 100%! The 2010 Finals looks to be transcending towards that same trend. After letting the series slip 2-1 in favor of the Lakers, the Celtics have one of the biggest mountains to climb. They have given a team that consists of two jolly giants, an assassin, a border line psychopath, a point guard that couldn't beat Billy Hoyle one on one, and a Kardashian's man bitch a healthy handful of confidence; and you don't want to give a Kobe Bryant led team more confidence than they already have.
The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were simply out dueled, out done, and out played in the desert Tuesday night. After obtaining a quick 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns at home, Los Angeles has lost that lead as fast as they got it.
The Suns needed a team effort Tuesday night to even the Western Conference Finals at two games a piece. As most NBA fans know, Steve Nash and AmareStoudemire (as great and electrifying as they are) cannot out play Kobe Bryant and PauGasol by themselves. So like the old Beatles song, Nash and Stoudemire got "by with a little help from [their] friends" in route to creating a series out of what looked to be a quick blow out.
The Phoenix Suns bench was the only reason the Suns played themselves into a series tie after a 115-106 victory in game four. Even with Kobe Bryant providing his team with a 38-point, 10-assist performance in Arizona, his big game ultimately ended up as a scratch to Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, and LeandroBarbosa's game altering play.
After tonights overtime loss against the Magic (a game that should have been handily won by the Celtics, might I add), I have three thoughts about the future Eastern Conference Champions. The first being that the Magic don't stand a "fighters" chance to make this a compelling series. If they don't lose this next game in Orlando, I'd be surprised. The Celtics played about as bad as they could in the first half and were only down by four. The Rajon Rondo we are all used to seeing in the playoffs, was still in the locker room having a slam dunk contest with Nate Robinson when the ball went up. As was Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, who came out of the gate flatter than Paris Hilton's chest. No wonder Jameer Nelson finally scored more than four points. I guarantee Rondo will watch that film and see how abscent he was for most of the context. You can be he will correct his inability to take control of the paint faster than you can say "Larry Legend".
The second thought is, when was this team of Zombies fed an antidote that allowed them two more months of super human strength? I mean really? Kevin Garnett had half a knee all season, Doc Rivers looked like a lock to quit after the year ended, and Paul Pierce looked like he played one to many purposeless game.
The third is more of a statement to The Big 3. Your wheel chairs are being pushed, and are going to continue to be pushed, by Rajon Rondo. Period. He is a bigger superstar right now than every single one of you. Winning a title this year wont be based on how well Allen's shooting. It wont be based on Garnett's emotional leadership on the court. It will be on the shoulders of the young kid from Kentucky that everyone had a problem with just two years ago. It is all on how well Rajon Rondo can slice, dice, cut, and butcher the Lakers.
I opened up my beloved website this afternoon to see a delightful post by our NHL writer, Paul Czerwein, who wrote about different sports leagues drafts. He argued that the NHL has the best evaluators of young talent, especially in the past 10 years. His list, which included the top three picks of the past decade was intriguing, star studded, and extremely hard to beat. With names like John Taveres, Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Erik Johnson, Sidney Crosby, and Alexander Ovechkin, how could he not argue this point?
Being the NBA fan I am, I started running through the past 10 years of my life and the leagues drafts. Just going by his question, "Is there any other sport where so much star power is consolidated in the top 3 draft picks from the past 10 years?", I realized I had an answer. YES!
All the recent talk in the sports world (including here at The Manchise) about John Wall being the upcoming #1 pick in this year’s NBA draft made me do some serious thinking about all of the drafts that I can remember. I have to give the NBA scouts credit because the only #1 pick I can question from my lifetime is Kwame Brown. Baseball is hard to question as well because it takes a considerable amount of time for draft picks to mature into Major League caliber players. But look at the NFL: Tim Couch, David Carr, Alex Smith, and JaMarcus Russell. That’s 5 of the 10 or so drafts I can remember that have resulted in absolute busts.
Then I turn to my so called field of expertise, the NHL.
Oh Johnnyyyyy! Oh Johnnyyyyyyy, Johnny, Johnny! Are you thinking you should have stayed at Kentucky for a couple more years yet?
If I were you, I would be. In one quick month, you will be leaving one of the best college coaches and programs, to go to one of the worst NBA teams in the leagues history.
I hope you enjoy Washington and all of the "glory" their franchise has in it's past. I hope you enjoy playing for a team whose last relevant year was 2004-2005, when they posted their best record (45-37) in 26 years. Just as a reference, the top six seeded playoff teams in the Eastern Conference had a better record than this, as well as all eight seeded playoff teams in the Western Conference. Pretty exciting team to be drafted too.
Oh and don't forget that this team was dismantled this past year because of a little gun issue. Do you remember hearing about that? Yeah, I thought so.
I can't sleep. I've been running through the possibilities of what is going to happen this off season for hours now. I can't stop. The speculation and suspense is killing me. I can't run away from it. Every T.V., every headline, every sports radio station are all focusing on LeBron James and what these next four months will bring. I've watched the replay all ready and have thoughts as usual (which I will get too), but what do NBA fans take away from one of the biggest "choke artist" moments in the leagues history (and yes even with a triple-double, LeBron choked. I'll get into that later)? What do fans of the Knicks, Clippers, Bulls, and Cavs take away from this performance? Was LeBron's body language enough evidence to show that he's leaving, or is he hurt beyond anyone's knowledge? Are the conspiracy theories right about LeBron in the sense that his pain medication was making him depressed/tired/lackadaisical/slow/careless? Just more questions I know, but let's break them down.
Starting with the first question: What do NBA fans take away from one of the biggest "choke artist" moments in the leagues history? Based on LeBron's unwillingness to take over that game and inability to demand that the offense goes through him, he's got to be leaving, right? How can you come back to that team? The best team in the regular season, once again ousted early in the playoffs. LeBron and his team choked flat out, end of sentence.
I get LBJ had a triple double and that's fantastic, big ups to LBJ on that, but I guarantee if you watched that game with the volume off, you had no idea he had accomplished that feat. It was the quietest triple double I've ever seen. The other night when Rajon Rondo had his triple double, everyone knew when they were watching. He took over that game, facilitated the offense, and controlled the tempo. He touched the ball for what it seemed, like every time down the court. LBJ did none of that last night. Sure he had 10-assists, but he also had 9-turnovers. He didn't have a dominating performance like so many superstars have done in crucial playoff games. He was absent for minutes at a time during that game, especially in the fourth quarter.
How do I begin a post about LeBron James a day after one of the biggest stinkers in playoff history? How do I write about a guy who is rumored to have "interest" in the Chicago Bulls a day after his team went down 3-2 at home? How do I write about a guy that went 3-14 from the field for 15-points in the embarrassing 32-point loss of an important playoff series? How do I respect an MVP that flopped down on the bench, raised his hands in disgust, took himself out of the game by standing at the three point line, and played awful defense by letting Paul Pierce and Ray Allen waltz around the Q Center's floor like Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke. How does any NBA fan comprehend the giant "poop" (keeping this PG) he took on his coaches, his teammates, his fans, and the league itself?
I guess by asking questions like that and hoping that some of our readers can answer some of them for me.
With every logical question I could think of out of the way, I do want to begin on why LBJ played like a middle aged, fat business man who joined his offices basketball league only to cherry pick and turn the ball over. Are the whispers of the off season getting to loud for him? Is the weight of being Cleveland's god send, to much pressure? Is his elbow much, much worse than he is letting on? Does he finally realize that his team is not good enough, and that nobody on that team can carry him if he has a game or two like this? Is it his coach, who couldn't make the right sub-in move if Phil Jackson handed it to him himself? Is it a mixture of all of this (I guess I had more questions).
What do Phil Jackson, John Calipari, and Vinny Del Negro all have in common? They won’t be the coach of the Chicago Bulls next season.
It has only been one day since Vinny packed up his giant tub of gel, Coaching for Dummies books, and Dwight K. Schrute bobble head and I’m all ready salivating over possible coaches willing to take the helms of the Chicago Bulls. Though I do think Del Negro got the rough end of the stick being Gar Forman and John Paxson’s piñata, most people knew that the former player was never going to truly work out in a city like Chicago.
Minnesota or Oklahoma City sure, but in Chicago, he never had a prayer.
That's right, after a long time away from the blogging world because of depression (due to the Chicago Bulls early exit from the playoffs and the Chicago White Soxunderachieving) I am finally back with a statement of Tiger Woods proportions. I am here today to announce that I am taking back all previous comments about LeBron James.
Before any of you in the media ask any questions and before some of our readers question me as a person let me explain.
I take back all previous notions of crowning Kobe Bryant the best in the game today. I take back all previous comments about LeBron James being the Lo Bosworth to Kobe Bryant's Lauren Conrad. I take back all the late night arguments in local establishments. I take back all of my fist pumping and jaw jabbing about Kobe. Though I still would take Kobe if there was a few seconds left in the game with my team down by two, I will admit my decision is hard fought.
Behind another glorious and extremely magical outing by Pooh-dini in the last two regular season games, the Chicago Bulls are back in the playoffs as the number eight seed and now three losses away from being eliminated.
Normally the playoffs would have me more pumped than Brock Lesnar after receiving a new shipment of horse steroids from Mexico, but there is one tiny problem. Standing in Joakim Noah's and Rose's way is the behemoth Cleveland Cavaliers and they flexed their giant tattooed muscles this afternoon.
I've been a little rough on the Bulls the past month or two. I've ridiculed the team, the players, the staff, the front office, the towel boys, the Swiffer boys, the cheerleaders, the Luv-a-Bulls, The Matadors, the annoying and the cocaine using Madhouse on Madison spirit squad, and even the bucket boys outside of the UC.
To me they all deserve it, and still do. This team has played so inconsistently that at times it doesn't seem as though they want to play in a playoff series.
They are more hot and cold than Kati Perry, Lindsey Lohan, and Chloe Kardashian combined. Some of the guys are likable, while the others give you the "willy's" when you watch them like Gary Busey. I was attached to these guys, then unattached after the trades, I talked myself into attaching myself once again, then they lost to the Nets, twice. Pick who you want to be Chicago. Please!
I still stick by my thoughts about tanking, and to this point I still wish they listened (I know I'm not the only one). But I'm going to push those thoughts aside. I'm going to man up for one more game (hopefully more). I'm going to attach myself once again, even if it ends in heartbreak (hey that's what being a Chicago Bulls fan means right?). I'm going to become a fan of this team again. I'm going to pretend Vinny doesn't use more hair products than J.J. Reddick. I'm going to pretend I like watching Kirk Hinrich. I'm going to pretend that Luol Deng has played a full season and isn't the Chicago Bulls version of Alfonso Soriano. I'm going to pretend that Joakim Noah doesn't have a foot problem.
Am I setting myself up for failure? Yeah, probably, but that's what happens when you are a Chicago Bulls fan. That's what happens when you love Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. That's what happens when you care so much about this team that it leaves you physically ill when they lose to the Nets (did I mention that happened twice?). That's what happens when Brad Miller sneaks into your heart, builds a home, and gives you complete happiness every time he hits a three, or dunks on someone that is physically light years ahead of him and should be athletically dominate.
I don't forgive the Bulls for yanking at my heart strings like Reggie Bush does to Kimmy Kardashian, but I will put it aside for one last rondevous (for this season at least). But I want to see Derrick "The Poohdini" Rose, "The TajMahal" Gibson and Joakim Noah to succeed in everything they do (Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng can go jump off a bridge for all I care).
Let's just get this win over the Celtics tonight, get into the playoffs, and see what those young guys can do. If you remember correctly, this team plays up to other's potential, especially in the playoffs. Maybe this team can put something together against the Cav's?!
So with that thought, I leave you with something I have not said in a good while: Let's Go Bulls!
I have been fuming for the past 15 hours or so. I feel like I can't breath. I feel like the organization I cherish with my entire heart, handed me a personal razor blade and a salt shaker and enticed me to inflict a wound on my body and pour an endless amount of salt in the bleeding cut. I feel disgraced, not only by the Bulls front office, but by the entire team after last nights performance. I am furious that the Bucks are now tied for the 5th seed in the East, and John Salmons scored 27 points on his ex team.
To think that I've been trying to convince myself that this detached feeling I've had for most of the season was just a phase. To think I told people at the beginning of this season that the Bulls were going to make the second round of the playoffs. To think I cared for so long.
After their 79-74 loss last night, the Bulls seemed to have lost all chance of sniffing the playoffs. But it isn't the idea of missing the playoffs that is creating an anger that only Bruce Willis is capable of dealing with. It is the fact that the Bulls, with so much riding on last nights game, played the way they did.
The Bulls are taking on the Suns tonight in a pivotal game with playoff implications and at the same time they are battling with Chris Bosh and the Raptors for the eighth spot in the East. The Bulls are now only a half game behind Toronto and trying to prove that their 23.2 percent chance of making the playoffs (as given by John Hollinger in his Playoff Odds article) is a farce (for those that care the Raptors have a 78.1 percent chance, not good for Chicago).
Now I realize I just wrote that I want this team to tank, and hard; but since that post came out the Bulls are 2-0 (can anyone say reverse jinx?).
The only problem is, I didn't want it to be a reverse jinx! With every win, tanking to seal a Lottery Pick turns into a distant mirage that will never be reached. Under Rose the Bulls are 3-0 against the Suns and they are going to have to keep that streak alive tonight if they want to continue to play past mid April.
Which is something D-Rose wants to have happen.
Derrick Rose told ESPNChicago.com after this morning's shootaround that, "We're still going to make it. You can't think about stuff like [not making the playoffs]. In my mind, we'll be making the eighth spot. We'll be playing LeBron [James] -- playing Cleveland. The closer we get, the [more] I'm going to think that."
Whoa there young fella. I know you are being a leader, but lets take a look at a few things before we go making promises.
The Raptors have a much easier schedule coming up. They are playing the Clippers, 76ers, Warriors, Pistons and Knicks (as well as playing the Bulls, Celtics, Cav's and Hawks).
The Bulls are playing the Suns tonight, the wicked hot Bobcats (twice), Salmons and the rejuvenated Bucks, the Cav's, Raptors, and the Celtics.
Listen I want the Bulls to do good just as much as the next fella, but again what is this playoff birth going to bring to this team?
For those of you that argue experience, you might want to leave this site.
None of these players are going to gain experience from getting their asses kicked by Cleveland. The Bulls are 2-5 against LeBron James and company under Vinny Del Negro, giving up 100.1 points per game and 29 points to LeBron. Add in the fact that a lot of the guys on the team have some sort of nagging injury that would be better off without an extra four games.
Listen, I love Rose's enthusiasm. I love his determination. Hell I love the kid to death. I have ever since I went down to Peoria to watch him as a senior at Simeon High School. But D, you'd be better off working on that jump shot with some coaches instead of watching LeBron James dunk on Kirk and the rest of your team for four straight games.
I've been obsessed with the Chicago Bulls ever since I can remember. In my 21 years on this planet, some of my most fondest memories consist of watching Jordan, Pippen, Cartwright, Harper, Rodman, Kerr, and Longley in the wonderful 90's.
But that was a long time ago during a much happier time. Nowadays I simply get sick thinking about how fast this franchise fell and I'm down right sick and tired of being sick and tired. The Bulls have been awful this season and everyone from Vinny to Acie Law are ready for this season to be euthanized.
In the month of March, the Bulls have two wins. That's right, only TWO! They were 0-5 without Derrick Rose, who sprained his left wrist against the Magic on March 11th. They lost ten straight from Feburary 27th to March 19th while Joakim Noah rested his foot that has given him problems all year long due to plantar fasciitis. During this time they are averaging 96.7 points per game while giving up 110.3. They only team they held under 100 points during this stretch was Cleveland (but let it be known that they still allowed LeBron to score 29 points).
So going into tonight against the Heat, I had a little hope considering the Bulls were on a two game winning streak. Plus the game was on national television (TNT) so I thought the guys would get up for this game with playoff implications. But in fine fashion, the Bulls decided it would be a good time to fold like Javier Vazquez in a big game, losing 103-74.
March is a time where you see the best teams play their best basketball. Cleveland lost one game in March. I know they are arguably the best team in the NBA so using them do not support my argument very well, so how about this. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost only two games in March, as did the Magic. The Heat have lost three while the Atlanta Hawks only lost four.
If that isn't good enough, the New Jersey Nets had as many wins in March as the Bulls with two.
Vinny we have a problem.
With this loss, the Bulls are now 2 1/2 games behind Toronto for the last playoff spot in the East with only 11 games left to play. So there is a decision that needs to be made, do the Bulls try and fight for that last playoff spot and get crushed by the Cav's in the first round? Or do they pull a page out of the Doc Rivers handbook and shut it down?
I wrote about this topic back in December right after the Bulls went on a 1-9 stretch and I stick with my original thought. They need to shut it down.
Chicago has a giant summer ahead of them and I don't see anything beneficial out of getting their asses kicked in the playoffs. So why not tank? TANKAPALOOZA 2010! Lose the last 11 games, it's what the NBA is known for, isn't it? Why not have a summer that consists of signing a major free agent, possibly nab a lottery pick, and let Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, and whoever else heal?
They got lucky before, why not again?
Missing the playoffs makes so much sense for the Bulls. Joakim Noah needs to get his plantar fasciitis under control. After watching Carlos Quentin push it and continuously get hurt last year for the White Sox, I don't want the same for Noah (I love him too much for that to happen to him). He is way to important for the Bulls future for him to possibly create a bigger problem trying to play more minutes in the playoffs.
Derrick Rose has played a ton of minutes this season, and I just don't see what a four and out exit in the playoffs would do for either his or Noah's development.
But if the rest argument isn't enough, take a look at this years draft (I would tell Vinny to look, but he should probably spend his time looking for vacant jobs). The NBA lottery has been good to Chicago in the recent past (1.7% chance anyone?). Not only can we sign a Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carlos Boozer, or David Lee, but we could draft an Evan Turner, John Wall, Derek Favors, DeMarcus Cousins (would need the right coach for this pick to work), Ed Davis, Greg Monroe, Pat Patterson, Jan Vesely, or EkpeUdoh. That is a loaded draft, full of guys that could come into Chicago and make an instant impact.
I know the Bucks can switch picks with the Bulls if we land an 11th pick or higher. But I'm thinking if we tank the last 11 games, the Bulls should be able to get a top ten pick. Call me crazy but I'd rather role the dice on this and maybe nab an elite college player than push for a playoff spot.
I realize any sane minded NBA fan would call me a moron, but you need to understand my train of thought. I'm sick of watching a mediocre Bulls team. I want Chicago to mean something again. I want to see the Bulls get back to the Eastern Conference Finals. I want to matter again!
I was all for cutting contracts for a prime time player, so why not try to add another rookie stud? That's all I'm saying.
Listen I'm just as competitive as the next guy, but I know this season is going nowhere fast. The Bulls are five games under .500, and to me this scenario makes so much sense for the future of this Bulls team. Sure it's risky and dangerous and no sane GM would do it because the media would rip him a new asshole faster than they did Sarah Palin. But if this were an option this move would make Chicago so much more attractive to this summer's free agents.
I would love to see a GM show giant cantaloupe balls and go along with this. I would actually respect that decision because it shows me he wants to go after it. It would show me that he doesn't just want some guy that one day could possibly become a savvy role player at best, but that he wants one of the top guys.
Don't lose respect for me, I'm just a fan that has an outlet to write. I'm a fan that was given a heavy dosage of a drug that I became hooked on instantly. After 12 years of being sober, I'm ready to relapse, I'm ready to celebrate once again-
I was watching the Bulls the other night (mainly because D-Rose was finally back) and I got to thinking about a few "What If's" such as: What if Joakim Noah didn't have this foot problem? What if we kept John Salmons and played him at the small forward position he was accustomed to, instead of moving him to the shooting guard spot? What if Luol Deng actually could finish a season?
Suddenly a commercial played promoting the upcoming Chicago Cub season. Cub fans should know the one I'm talking about (if you've watched CSN at all recently). It's the one where Len Kasper calls the Walk Off Grand Slam by Alfonso Soriano.
Now as you all know (and for new readers that have yet to stumble upon this site) I am a die hard White Sox fan. But as a hopeful sports writer, I want it to be known that I'm not your typical Sox fan.
I'm not arrogant about the 2005 World Series win. I do not bring it up to the many Cub fans that walks past me on the streets of Iowa City. I do not call Cub fans derogatory names because of the gay scene around the stadium. I do think there are true baseball fans that fill up Wrigley field, not just drunken idiots that want the opportunity to "Boo" Soriano, or yell "JUICER" when Albert Pujols comes to the dish.
I like to consider myself unique.
But back to my original thoughts. After seeing this commercial the Bulls game came back on and the camera flashed to the injured Luol Deng. Luol, who is nursing a strained right calf, may be back with five games left in the season, but I'm not counting on it.
If he doesn't come back, this would mark the second straight season Luol has rode the bench through the end of the year. Not a good sign for a guy that signed a six year extension in 2008 for $71 million.
With the trade deadline now over, many GM's helped their team get better for a run at the playoffs this year, and some become financially stable for this summers largest free agent class ever.
First I want to apologize for the lack of posting here at The Manchise. We have another site being launched and we had to get that together. Second I want to congratulate the Cleveland Cavaliers for winning this years NBA Finals. Third I want to commend John Paxson and the Chicago Bulls on their ability for the past two seasons to rid themselves of bad contracts in hopes of becoming big money players this off season. But as always I have thoughts on the NBA Trade Deadline.
All Star Weekend is now in the books, and it was a mixture of pure athletic prowess and excruciating boredom and as always I have some thoughts (go figure).
Thought #1: Make the Skills Competition a little bit harder. I very much fancy this challenge. I love watching point guards carry the ball around plastic statues of Jerry West. I admire Steve Nash and the Canadian breeze he created all weekend, especially when he won this particular contest (it just might be the only trophy Canada holds up in the next three weeks, HEYOH). But I just feel as though it needs to be a little more "challenging". For instance, I would enjoy watching these point guards throw a behind the back pass, on the run, into one of those circular targets. I would love watching these guys have to do some sort of ankle breaking, And 1 Mixtape Tour dribbling move, that will be judged and added to the final score. It would be pretty amazing (and the NBA IS where amazing happens) if they put two giant plastic Jerry West statues in the paint, and the point guards had to throw up a running floater over them. How wouldn't these little add on's not spark more interest and talk during this event?
Oh good ol’ Patrick Ewing is making news today, and it is pretty big news. The Magic assistant has decided that he wants to move on to bigger and better endeavors. Ewing has reportedly hired agent Lonnie Cooper (who represents a lot of coaches in the NBA) to help open the door for Ewing to become a head coach. Ewing knows a lot of people in the league, and it could be very possible that he lands a job because of the relationships he has with GMs, coaches, and players. But we are talking about a guy that is notorious for not being able to perform in big games, and well, choking. I just don’t see him as an NBA head coach, but since this is a possibility I thought it would be fun to hire the rest of his staff for the team I think Ewing would coach, the Detroit Pistons (of course this is all make believe).
The Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is now an NBA All-Star. Rose joins the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Zach Randolph (who is having one hell of a season), Rajon Rondo, and Chris Bosh as All-Star reserves (tell me how Allen Iverson is starting for the East, and Nowitzki, Durant, and Bosh barely get on?). Rose is the first player on the Bulls to be an All-Star since Jordan was the All-Star MVP in 1998, a long drought for Chicago fans. He is also the youngest Chicago Bulls player to get an invite, beating Jordan by 226 days. Rose, in typical fashion made this humble statement, "I want to thank the Eastern Conference head coaches for selecting me to represent the East. It's an honor to represent my hometown Bulls in the All-Star Game, and I couldn't have done it without my teammates. Basketball is a team game, and without them I would not be headed to Dallas."
Rose and his teammates know how much her deserves this honor, especially as of late. Rose has lead a team that seemed down and out (and I wanted them to tank for a chance at the John Wall sweepstakes) back to .500 and within a game of the 5th seed in the East. In the last five games, Rose is averaging 25.6 points per game, alot of those coming during pivotal moments in the fourth quarter. The Chicago native is absolutely compelling to watch, and he has truly grown right in front of our eyes. He has progressed and learned on the fly, and at this very moment could be playing the best basketball of his young career (something that makes me extremely happy because he is nowhere near his prime yet).
Not to rain on Rose's parade but I would still argue that Joakim Noah deserves a spot on the All-Star team as well. He is second behind Dwight Howard in rebounding with 12.1 a game, 11.3 point per game, and almost 2-blocks. Noah is averaging a double-double for god sakes, and is the true emotional leader for the Bulls. He is shooting almost 50% from the field, and is leaps and bounds better at the charity stripe (76.9%). If he doesn't get Most Improved Player of the Year, I will go ballistic.
But, hey, finally getting a player on the All-Star team is enough for now, and I expect the voters to start giving Rose the respect he deserves. He is stud, a shining star, a kid that is humble and plays the game right. Hopefully Rose gets some good time, plays well, which will get NBA fans focused on the Bulls and the other guys such as Noah and Deng (who is finally looking like a true ten million dollar man). Here's to you D-Rose, congratulations!
