Very intriguing offseason upcoming for the Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have clearly become the most respected team in the NBA for their ability to continue fighting and never say die attitude, while being shorthanded. Injuries and illness prevented the Bulls from a better seed and perhaps a deeper run in the postseason. In back to back years the Bulls have seen their season end earlier than anticipated for the same reason.

Due to the Derrick Rose injury and uncertain return date, the Bulls front office opted not to sign the majority of the free agents from last year’s team. They also refused to match the insane contract the Rockets gave their backup center Omer Asik. The front office came under a great deal of scrutiny for letting some valuable bench players go, while instead signing a bunch of players nobody believed in, including Nate Robinson.

Tom Thibodeau did everything in his power to keep this team’s head above water.  To his credit, guys like Marco Belinelli, Nate Robinson and anyone else who stepped on the floor for the Bulls in 2012-2013 provided positive contribution, and even pleasantly surprised critics who initially doubted the offseason moves.

The player who emerged above the rest was Jimmy Butler. In the second half of the season when Luol Deng went down with an injury, Butler stepped right in and almost duplicated Deng’s numbers while playing similar stellar defense. Talk about a late first round steal in the 2011 draft. Butler may be the most versatile player on the roster.

So with Jimmy Butler now in the picture and with the fact the Bulls have always shopped Luol Deng; it makes you ponder if the Bulls front office would consider dealing their all-star once again. With Deng being an unresticted free agent in 2014, it would make sense to deal him this offseason.

This may be one of the more intriguing off-season’s for the Bulls in a long time. Do they use their amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer?  Do they acquire a legit 2 guard should they trade Deng?  Should they amnesty Boozer, do they try to acquire another power forward via trade or free agency, or do they believe it’s time to give Taj Gibson the starting job? So many questions that Gar Forman and John Paxson will answer for us.

I think it’s time to say goodbye to Carlos Boozer and I’m sure Tom Thibodeau would agree. While Boozer had a better year, he just doesn’t commit to defensive rotation. Thibodeau threw his hands in the air several times last night after a Heat layup or dunk due to Boozer not moving to help out. You just can’t pay $15M to a player on the decline that happens to be lazy. I will be very disappointed if the Bulls do not use their amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer.

I think now that Jimmy Butler has proven he can play major minutes at the small forward position, I wouldn’t be as opposed to trading Luol Deng as I was in prior years. While Deng is a great defender, he has regressed offensively and always has nagging injuries that forces him to miss games. Deng never embraced the role of being a legit second option. He is way too passive to warrant $13M.

The biggest question is, who do the Bulls trade Luol Deng for? Providing they do amnesty Boozer, they could package him for either a power forward or a shooting guard. I think with the money freed up from Boozer’s contract, they could bring Ben Gordon back to Chicago for a lot cheaper than what he got from the Pistons. Reuniting him with Rose could benefit everyone involved. Then, should they finally believe in Taj Gibson as a starter (no idea their thoughts), they could spend less money on a backup for him. A guy I have in mind is Tyler Hansbrough from the Pacers. He is a restricted free agent, so it can get tricky in regards to how much more the Bulls would think he’s worth than the Pacers do. I think Hansbrough is the perfect player for Thibodeau to coach.

I have read some people writing about the Bulls signing Andre Iguodala. While he plays excellent defense and is extremely athletic, I, and the entire city of Philadelphia, will always question his heart in certain spots. Now I know he was expected to be the guy in Philly, so perhaps being a second or third option in Chicago would help reduce the pressure. I’m not sure. I’m on the fence based on what I’ve seen from him. No question about his defense, I just question everything else about his game. However, he could fit on this team, but NOT for max money.

I think the Bulls should also consider trading Deng to a team with a lottery pick. Now of course that team would need the cap space, so that is always dicey. I don’t think the Bulls need to get a top player back for him, but a top 5 pick would suffice.

David West and Paul Millsap are unrestricted free agents the Bulls may consider in place of Carlos Boozer. Based on Thibodeau being able to maximize most players’ talents, I would take a chance on either guy becoming better players on the Bulls, as long as they give the effort.

So many options this offseason for the Bulls. I can’t wait to see what they do. I am very optimistic they will make the right moves. As long as they don’t sign Josh Smith or keep Carlos Boozer, I will be content.

Melky Cabrera receives world series ring, but does he deserve it?

Melky Cabrera received his World Series ring from San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy Tuesday afternoon, prior to the interleague game between the Giants and Blue Jays. Cabrera opted for the two to meet in the tunnel as opposed to on the field.

Now while almost anyone on a championship roster receives a ring, how can one justify Cabrera getting one? And I’m sure if the San Francisco Giants had their druthers, Melky Cabrera would not have been presented with one. Based on the fact he was busted for a banned substance and missed 50 games, I don’t know how he could accept it. Wouldn’t you feel odd about accepting something you do not deserve?  Yes, he did play in 113 games and the Giants were tied for first when he got busted. However, the Giants were only 9 games over .500, and then finished 26 games over. Was he really missed?

Now of course we can go back in recent time and point out anyone who has ever cheated while contributing to a team making a run in the postseason. So you can make a case other offenders are less deserving of their rings. I think the biggest difference is those players were caught years later, whereas Cabrera was busted in-season. Not to mention that the Giants opted to keep him off the postseason roster despite being eligible to return.

Not really a big deal him getting the ring, I just feel he doesn’t deserve it.

Iman Shumpert to undergo MRI on knee; Does Rose look smart if Shumpert damaged knee?

Knicks G/F Iman Shumpert will undergo an MRI to determine if he did in fact do damage to his surgically repaired knee. Shumpert and Derrick Rose tore their ACL on the same day during last year's playoffs. Shumpert returned on January 17th, ahead of schedule, while Rose has yet to see action this season.

Shumpert and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson have been cited as examples of players who returned from ACL tears with no complications. Rose has come under a great deal of scrutiny for continuing to sit out, despite the fact his team is in desperate need of help due to other injuries and illness.

Should Shumpert's MRI show damage, I imagine everyone will change their criticism of Rose and say that perhaps he did make the right decision when it comes to his future.

NBA playoffs take the night off.... WTF?

So I turned to TNT looking for some NBA playoffs, and to my dismay a TV show called Castle was on.  Now I’ve never seen the show so it may be good, but I’d rather watch some playoff hoops. Okay, obviously I’m joking about not knowing there are no games tonight, but in all seriousness--what the hell is the NBA doing?

I know people say it’s about money and TV etc. I just can’t fathom how unless it’s the NBA Finals, there would be zero games on the schedule on a given night in the postseason. Isn’t Thursday a pretty big night in TV? Remember years back, NBC Must see TV with Friends and Seinfeld? Last time I checked TNT broadcasts all their games during the regular season on Thursday.

Does it make any sense whatsoever that the Knicks/Pacers or Oklahoma City/Memphis series would play Tuesday and not play again until Saturday?  Meanwhile, the Heat/Bulls and Spurs/Warriors series played Wednesday and will play their game 3 Friday night prior to the other two series playing their game 3.  Sounds mindless, right? 3 days is a rather long layoff. It could work for or against any team.

Not to mention the NBA taking the day off allows the NHL playoffs to be on the grand stage. Good luck finding their games, but at least they’re on. I doubt they will have a day with zero games on the schedule. Good job NBA!

Is it time for the Bulls to bench Carlos Boozer?

It’s easy to use all the injuries and illness as an excuse for the Bulls. However, they still have one max contract player on the floor, and one would think this is the perfect  time for Carlos Boozer to put the team on his back and play like a max player.

Boozer actually had a respectable season for Chicago; with 16 PPG and just under 10 RPG he was a borderline all-star. Anyone who has read anything I’ve written on this site knows I have a hate-hate relationship with Boozer. Even when he produces it’s hard to love the guy, because of how lazy he plays on defense. While he shows flashes of effort defensively, he’s never reliable when it comes to rotating on help defense.

Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has shown little patience with Boozer late in games and never hesitates at benching him in favor of Taj Gibson. In fact, in game 1 of this current series against the Heat, Boozer sat for the majority of the second half. The result was a Bulls victory. It’s to the point now where Thibodeau should consider benching Boozer as early as possible, especially if he’s giving the team nothing offensively.

I question whether or not Boozer wants to even be on the floor in this series. He appears timid and his body language screams don’t give me the ball. He scored 6 points in game 1 and 8 points in game 2. Nothing comes easy against the Heat defense; they are all ball hawks. I’ve noticed Boozer rushing his shots in fear of someone blocking it. The problem is his release is so slow, but perhaps he should go with some head fakes, or drive the ball strong to the hoop. Another big issue for Boozer is not having Kirk Hinrich feeding him the ball in proper position. Nate Robinson and Boozer seldom get on the same page. Boozer needs to be a focal point of this offense, but just isn’t.

While I kill Boozer for his lack of effort on defensive rotation, he is just as lazy on offense. Boozer is 6’9”, and we all know how active the Heat are defensively. At his height he should never be going up with soft layups around the rim. DUNK THE BALL WITH TWO HANDS!!!!!!  I’m not going to get into the refs allowing the Heat to get away with fouls around the rim, but I feel if you go up strong and get your hands on the rim, you’re more likely to draw fouls against them. Likely.

The Heat recorded an insane 56 points in the paint in game 2, after only scoring 32 in game 1. I’m not going to lay all the blame on Boozer, because the Bulls do bring a lot of help when LeBron makes his move. It isn’t easy to be constantly rotating. With that said, I don’t know how Thibodeau doesn’t strangle Boozer with all the times he literally doesn’t move and just watches people dunk the ball. The best is when the camera shows Boozer yelling about defense after a made basket. It makes you sick to watch because he when needed he just watches.

I do want Boozer to succeed; the Bulls do need his production to compete with Miami. I just feel if he isn’t producing offensively, then what is the point of him being on the floor at all?  Tom Thibodeau—your move!

Bulls shock just about anyone breathing with game 1 win in Miami

While some people may credit the Chicago Bulls for their stunning game 1 win in Miami, most will say the Heat lost the game due to their week plus layoff.

Now while the Heat did come out ice cold from the floor, their defense still created turnovers that kept them in the game. And despite shooting under 35% in the first half, the Heat were tied at the half. One would think the shorthanded Bulls would eventually fall victim to the machine known as the Miami Heat. Perhaps the Heat thought the same thing. However, in the second half, the Bulls wouldn't go away.

The Heat picked it up on offense in the second half, but the Bulls offense that ranks towards the bottom of the league, blitzed the Heat defense for 56 second half points. Rather remarkable considering all the missing bodies. The Bulls even withstood a LeBron James barrage in the second half. James, who played the role of facilitator in the first half, only scored 2 points by the break. James came to life in the second half, scoring 22 points.

The Heat built a 7 point lead midway through the fourth quarter. I'm sure most people watching at that point had to be thinking the Heat would run the Bulls out of the building and cruise to a game 1 win. But the Bulls refused to go away and battled back to tie the game.

Every time the Heat went ahead, the Bulls had a response. And then something happened. The Bulls didn't get the memo that they were supposed to stop making shots, and that the Heat would squeak out a tough game 1 win. I'm not sure which was more amazing: Guys like Nate Robinson, Jimmy Butler and Marco Belinelli made huge 4th quarter shots, or guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh failed to answer those clutch shots.

What more can be said about Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau that hasn't already been said? Despite being shorthanded he still benched struggling Carlos Boozer for the majority of the second half. Taj Gibson, who was battling the flu, rose to the occasion by contributing on both sides of the floor. Gibson drained a 19 foot jumper in LeBron's face to give the Bulls a one point lead.

Even after Nate Robinson left the game late 2nd quarter due to a cut on his lip that required 10 stitches, 4th string point guard Marquis Teague kept the Bulls in the game prior to the half. It just doesn't seem to matter; put on a uniform and you will maximize your talents under coach Thibodeau. Well, unless your name is Carlos Boozer, who was awful and appeared to want nothing to do with this game. No surprise.

By this point in the season, who hasn't become a fan of Jimmy Butler aka Jimmy Buckets? The second year player from Marquette has now played all 48 minutes in three consecutive games. And to think he had the unenviable task of guarding the 4-time NBA MVP for as long as James was on the floor. Butler showed no fear, as he got right up on James and forced him into difficult shots, and made him pass perhaps more than he wanted to in certain situations.

And how about Nate "ice water" Robinson? 22 second half points with the stitches in his lip. Nate played under control and made the two clutch shots that delivered the game 1 win. Still shocked that Spoelstra allowed Ray Allen to be on the floor in that situation. Nate treated Allen like he wasn't even in front of him. Great job taking advantage of that mismatch.

And now everyone will talk about how angry James and the Heat will be in game 2. Well, they should be after that effort. I just question whether or not this Tom Thibodeau led team will back down at all. The Bulls do not fear the Heat whatsoever. Conversely, did you see the Heat's body language and facial expressions during the game? Almost looked like they were saying "Damn, we have to play this team?"

As I've said previously, even should the Heat win this series, they will know they were in a war and may be susceptible going forward after such a battle. Keep in mind, albeit being a five game series, the Bulls gave the Heat all they could handle in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago. And then the Heat lost to the Mavs in the finals. Last year due to the Rose injury, the Heat avoided the Bulls in the postseason. Not so lucky this year.

Noah makes good on guarantee and leads the Bulls to game 7 victory in Brooklyn

After their game 6 loss, even the most optimistic Bulls fan or spectator had to be skeptical of them winning a game 7. With all the injuries and now illness, how could the Bulls overcome all of this and advance to the next round? Joakim Noah still believed in the team and the system, and told the world that the Bulls would win game 7. Noah, unlike so many before him to guarantee victory, actually delivered as the Bulls went into Brooklyn and eliminated the Nets 99-93.

Noah, playing through his plantar fasciitis, produced 24 points and 14 rebounds and 6 blocks. He looked like a man possessed; as if he was destined to win this game. He displayed moves that I don't think he knew he had in his repertoire. With the exception of one beautiful driving emphatic dunk, most of what he did wasn't pretty, and was rather surprising when it went in the basket. He shot an astounding 12-17 from the floor.

Despite his offensive shortcomings, Noah outperformed counterpart Brook Lopez in every facet of the game. Noah showed why he is unequivocally the heart and soul of the Chicago Bulls. I've often been critical of Noah's inability to finish around the rim. Well, in game 7, Noah made so many difficult layups that he silenced at least one critic. It really was a remarkable display of passion and will. He would not be denied his opportunity to play in the conference semifinals against the Miami Heat.

If his performance wasn't just a first round game 7, it could be discussed as one of the more gritty playoff performances of all-time, when you consider the injury. And the same can be said for the entire Bulls team.

What more can be said about head coach Tom Thibodeau? He just gets results, regardless of who is on the floor. There was a point in the second quarter where the Bulls had Nazr Mohammed, Marquis Teague and Daequan Cook on the floor. Here's the best part--they actually extended their lead.

The Bulls never trailed in the game and led by 17 at the half. The Nets went on a run to start the third quarter and cut the lead to 4. But the Bulls responded with sheer determination and sticktoitiveness. The Nets never got closer than 4 the rest of the game.

Everyone who stepped foot on the court for the Bulls in game 7 made a positive contribution. Marco Belinelli provided so many big fourth quarter baskets and clutch free throws. Jimmy Butler, Nate Robinson and Carlos Boozer all had big moments in a deciding game 7.

For the most part the TNT halftime and postgame show is a battle of who thinks they are funniest. It becomes frustrating to watch sometimes. However, when Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley get serious, they deliver some profound comments. After the game, Barkley talked about Joakim Noah's passion for the game, and said there's so much talent in the league but very little passion. He said he saw no passion in the Nets players.

I couldn't agree more with his overall assessment of today's players. It does appear when you watch a great deal of players today that they don't care. Their body language is awful and the facial expressions makes you believe they would rather be elsewhere doing something that requires less effort. I'm happy Barkley said that. The only negative is it's unlikely to change.

I digress.

Now the Bulls are playing with the proverbial house money in the next series. Who knows if anyone will return from injury or illness. They may be get swept or lose in 5. The only thing I know is when the series is over, the Heat will know they just battled a team who will not give up regardless of the circumstances.

Very proud night to be a Chicago Bulls fan!!!!!!