they are crapping down their pant leg....

This is embrassing to watch.

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Nothing clever or witty to put here.....

Really bummed by this game....

What a shame.

But, they really did deserve to lose this one.

They were never able to recover from their 1 for 12 shooting to start the game. They couldn't shut down Shaq either, and they played scared.

Let's hope their balls grow a little in the offseason.

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Nothing clever or witty to put here.....

I'm embarassed I couldn't spell EMBARASSING.

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Nothing clever or witty to put here.....

Don't worry. I'd say only the Dukies can spell it on the Bulls.

Slightly unrelated, but I'm glad Silvy & Carmen have a show or two left. If I had to listen to Sean Salisbury explain to me why the Bulls lost, I might have to smash my radio with a sledgehammer...

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

By the way, the Heat have definitely made the list of douchebag teams. I used to hate the Nets more than any team in the league, but outside of Shaq & Wade, just about every guy on that Miami squad is a fucking punk ass bitch. I would have liked to see Skiles kick Antoine Walker's ass when he started talking shit to our bench. Gary Payton, too. All of these punk motherfuckers are just piggy-backing on Shaq and Wade. Miami would be the Trailblazers without them...

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Apparently, you still can't.

What would the Bulls have to do to get Jermaine O'Neal---and would it be worth it?

Jermaine is signed through 2010, for about 20 mil per year. You'd have to give up quite a bit. I wouldn't do it. This team will be exponentially better next season. They're going to add a big man like LaMarcus Aldridge in the draft. They should be able to add a perimeter defender to cover Gordon's ass with their other pick. They have money to spend in free agency. It's disappointing tonight, but things are really looking up. I wouldn't do anything drastic with the roster.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

The only thing worse than the Bulls losing is listening to Zzzzzaidman (aka the Ginger-Haired Jackass) "analyze" it on the air

How would the balls have to fall for us to get Aldridge?

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

I'd say the Bulls need to be the #1 pick to get him. I know there are plenty of times when bad camps, or workouts move people around, but as far as North American players he has the most potential and the most talent now.

The problem with this draft is that there is not much diversity at the top. The top five will likely consist of 2 wing players and 3 post players, none of which is a true NBA center. It would be helpful if there were a top-notch point guard and a massive center among the elite prospects. That would really open things up and create a scenario in which 3 or 4 players could realistically go #1 depending on who won the lottery.

First of all, know that the teams you should be most worried about are: Portland, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Toronto. Out of those 4, Atlanta is the team we do not want to see picking ahead of us. I can make a legitimate case for Portland, Charlotte, and Toronto drafting someone other than Aldridge. The only case I can make for Atlanta is a serious reach, and that being they prefer the international prospect, Andrea Bargnani, over the agile big man from Texas.

The lottery is May 23rd, so we'll have a much better idea of where we stand in about two weeks. For now, here is an early look at what I consider to be the best prospects (based on everything I've seen/read/heard):

1. FC LaMarcus Aldridge (Texas)
2. PF Tyrus Thomas (LSU)
3. PF Andrea Bargnani (Italy)
4. SF Adam Morrison (Gonzaga)
5. GF Rudy Gay (Connecticut)
6. G Randy Foye (Villanova)
7. SG Brandon Roy (Washington)
8. GF Rodney Carney (Memphis)
9. GF Ronnie Brewer (Arkansas)
10. PG Marcus Williams (Connecticut)
11. FC Sheldon Williams (Duke)
12. SG JJ Redick (Duke)
13. G Mardy Collins (Temple)
14. C Patrick O'Bryant (Bradley)
15. PF Cedric Simmons (NC State)
16. PG Kyle Lowry (Villanova)
17. C Hilton Armstrong (Connecticut)
18. PF Tiago Splitter (Brazil)
19. PF Oleksiy Pecherov (Ukraine)
20. SG Richard Roby (Colorado)
21. SG Quincy Douby (Rutgers)
22. GF Shawne Williams (Memphis)
23. PG Jordan Farmar (UCLA)
24. PG Rajon Rondo (Kentucky)
25. FC Josh Boone (Connecticut)

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

I would love to see the Bulls double up in this draft on big men. A combination of Aldridge and Hilton Anderson would make me very happy.

I was thinking last night though, is Aldridge going to come in and give you more than Curry's 16 and 6 next year? Wouldn't we be absolutely thrilled if a rookie gave you that kind of production? I know Eddy was soft but are the alternatives any better?

Also there has been some mention of Bosh being available. Is he a free agent this year. If so, I would give him a boatload and forget about the Garnett talk.

Bosh is under contract for one more year in Toronto and they will do everything they can to keep him. Even if he wants to leave, it won’t be this offseason.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Am I crazy to suggest that, barring no trades to shake up the team, they draft Brandon Roye with their 1st pick, take the best available big man for the 16th pick, and then add another PF/C in free agency ?

I don't like the big men in this draft...I think Roye could end up being the best player in this draft.

IF the Bulls make a decision that need to move Gordon (either to the bench as a 6th man or as part of a trade package), why not take a Roye as our future SG ?

Yes, you are crazy. I, too, like Brandon Roy, but he is not the 2nd pick in the draft. If Pax agrees with you and doesn’t like the bigs either, it would be much better to trade down and get Roy at 5, 6, or 7. Taking him at 2 would be bad business.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

5. GF Rudy Burrito (Connecticut)


lol

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"OOOOOOOOOOOO"

The problem is I don't think Roy is going to be a "star", which is what everyone seems to think this team is missing. To me, Roy looks a lot like Hinrich, not literally of course, but his game. Like Kirk, Roy is a guy that does everything well but does nothing spectacular. Don't get me wrong, I'd take a team full of Hinrichs & Roys, but if the argument is "this team needs a superstar", don't throw all of your eggs into the Brandon Roy basket.

I'm still on the LaMarcus Aldridge bandwagon. I realize he's not the #1 pick of other years like Lebron, Duncan, Shaq, etc. Either way, that's a move I would support. He's more of a Jerry Angelo floor vs ceiling type of pick, but he's a guy you could plug right in to contribute down low immediately. Drafting Tyrus Thomas doesn't excite me, but if that's the direction Pax goes, then I'll swallow my basketball information and go with it. I trust Pax and he obviously gets a much closer look at these prospects than we do.

In my opinion, the best thing Pax could do is stay put with the first pick and trade their future '08 selection with the 16th pick to move up (I'd hold out on the '07 Knicks pick since there's a good chance they'll suck it up again. Although, you could always trade the '07 pick -lottery protected- and defer to the '08 selection if necessary -unprotected-). This would allow you to get your hands on one of the top post players and still land a legitimate 2-guard as well. I realize Roy is the flavor of the month right now, but I would be no less excited if they added Carney from Memphis or Brewer from Arkansas. Roy will likely be gone somewhere between 5 & 8, but moving up into the top 12 should all but guarantee a chance to land a good perimeter player.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

This would be my opening night projected starting line-up:
G-Kirk
G-Deng
SF- Nocioni
PF- Tyrus Thomas
C- Ben Wallace
Bench Gordon, Duhon, Chandler and other first rounder
Deng can play the 2 guard and he's big, Wallace is a free agent and the Bulls have money and with any luck the Bulls get the 1st pick and the next Shawn Marion.

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"Do work, son" -Big Black

I hope you're stoned, dude. B-Wal is not leaving Detroit. Loul is not quick enough to play the 2. And Tyrus Thomas would have to learn to dribble, pass, and shoot before he comes anywhere near Shawn Marion status. Love his rebounding and shot blocking, but he is not a complete player.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

B-Wal will leave Detroit for the right amount of money especially if they do not win a title. You must remember the right amount of money can make things work. Loul can play the two, he's a great athlete and plus he's 6'8 a big guard. With Thomas I said he will be the next marion he can develop those skills but as of now the Bulls can still play him.

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"Do work, son" -Big Black

Detroit can make the exact same offer as the Bulls, why would he leave? Plus he's fired his agent and will be representing himself, which is a dead giveaway that he's staying put. I disagree on Loul, he is a good athlete but he's long and lean. He runs well out in the open, but I don't think he's explosive enough to stay with the league's premier 2-guards. Tyrus Thomas? We'll see. Right now there is no way to prove which one of us is right. I'm predicting that he will be a glorified Tyson Chandler. He is a badass in the post defensively and has some offensive ability around the basket, but the day he steps out and becomes dangerous on the perimeter I'll have to buy you a beer and admit I was wrong. He showed a lot of heart/balls during the tourney, but in a good draft class he would not be taken in the top 5.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

I would prefer landing a "star" that is a 2.

Obviously, most of the Bulls' roster is too young to be writing anything or anyone off, but I'm not sold on the Luol as a 2 scheme. Nas, am I alone in worrying that he doesn't have the makeup of a scoring guard? Maybe his perimeter game will develop to that point, but I'm struggling to envision the day when I see Luol going iso and schooling people off the dribble. Over time, I expect his outside shot and his ballhandling to improve, and maybe if the Bulls had a dominant post scorer it wouldn't be such an issue, but I'm not certain that's the best fit for Deng.

I think he's got a better chance at guarding the 2 than playing the 2, and I'm not convinced that's a good idea either. The biggest problem I see with this is Luol's lack of quickness in tight spaces. Sure he's athletic for his size, but I think guards like Kobe, Vince, Wade, Richardson, etc, would break his fucking ankles if he were one-on-one with them. Why do you think Skiles puts Hinrich on those guys? Luol is definitely a better athlete than Kirk, but Hinrich has a quicker first step.

Who knows, most of these guys are still kids. Things could look dramatically different by 2008. Shit, things could look dramatically different after this offseason. Speaking of that, you mentioned Odom. It will be interesting to see if they break up that team this summer. Frankly, I'm not sure how they're going to do it with that horrific contract of Brian Grant on the books (Kwame is making serious $$ as well). As currently composed, the Lakers are still more than $15 mil over the cap next year. Odom is signed through 2009 ($12.5 in '07, $13.5 in '08, $14.5 in '09). That's a lot of cash, so much in fact it might pose a problem for them to resign their current youngsters if the Bulls took on his contract. And who would you offer? Based on your post, I'm assuming Gordon. Would the Lakers take Ben straight up for Lamar? Hard to say. I'd be willing to throw in Sweetney if that helps.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

I would say Nocioni improved more than anyone on the Bulls-the NBA for that matter. But your point on Deng is correct. He's the only Bull on the team that has a chance to be a super star.

I have always agreed that he has the most upside of the young Bulls and I would trade Gordon long before I'd consider moving Deng. That said, I still don't see it the way you do.

Don't get me wrong. I love Luol (and Brian Piccolo), but as his body matures I don't see him covering the quicker 2-guards in the league. I'm not saying he sucks either, let's be clear about this. I'm only talking about where his ability is maximized. Of course he can guard the 2. He can guard the 2 through the 4. He's a very versatile player. But I think where he will ultimately contribute the most will be the 3.

The fact is, if Gordon weren't such a hack on defense, this wouldn't be that big of an issue. Either way, it's my preference to leave Deng where he is and bring in a 2 like Brewer or Carney via the draft to cover Gordon's ass defensively.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

And the opposite is true as well. Would Luol be able to match their footspeed? Do you really think Luol could hang with Wade off the dribble?

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

If Deng were to become a 2 guard he would have to improve his ball handling skills. He's not great on dribble drives either. Maybe a summer without a hand injury will help him sharpen those skills.