10. The ability to win a game when you don't bring your "A" game. The Bulls didn't look sharp or especially inspired against the Grizzlies or Bucks, but still found ways to gut out wins in the heat of a late season race for the top seed.
11. That "other gear". When the Bulls found themselves down by 15 midway through the 3rd quarter at the Bradley Center, they just decided that they were through messing around with these guys. Thibodeau switched Luol Deng onto John Salmons, who had seemingly scored about 90% of Milwaukee's points at that juncture, and put an end to that. (I'll say what I've been saying since a month into the season: Deng deserves All-Defense recognition this year.) And then Derrick Rose went off. Not that he hasn't been growing rapidly into this role all season, but that last 90 seconds or so of the game, there was a ruthless, cold-blooded, throat-slitting, supremely talented closer on display in Milwaukee.
Speaking of other gears, let's switch gears now and for just a moment put down the Kool-Aid and get into something a tad bit troubling:
I'm kind of over Carlos Boozer.
In the latter stages of his career when he was still winning rebounding titles, Dennis Rodman had more or less stopped playing any defense whatsoever and just hung around the basket to go chase rebounds. It takes a lot less work, and a rebound goes on the stat sheet while a defensive stop does not.
Watching Luc Richard Mbah-a-Moute knock down a handful of foul line jumpers while Boozer watched indifferently from the semi-circle made me crazy. A rebound on the stat sheet is absolutely empty if you tracked it down by ignoring your defensive responsibilities. It took me back to the last time the Bulls faced Miami and Mario Chalmers got an uncontested layup with the game in doubt in the closing seconds, while Boozer stood frozen nearby and couldn't be troubled to take the three steps it would have required to defend the rim.
He waves his arms. He yaps. He grimaces and slams the ball in his hands after an opponent's made basket, as if they had just scored despite his heroic efforts. All demonstrations meant to give the illusion that he's interested in defense without actually putting any effort whatsoever into that end of the floor.
Right now, unless Carlos Boozer gives you 15 & 10 on a given night, he's a liability on the floor.
Kyle Korver is bad defensively because, well... he's bad defensively. Carlos Boozer is bad defensively because he doesn't put any real effort into it. He doesn't have to be Larry Nance, but he needs to contest a 15-foot jump shot and defend the rim. He's the only Bull not to have bought into Thibodeau's defensive teaching and strategy.
Were it me, I would move Boozer to the bench and start Taj Gibson. This would serve a few purposes...
1. It would lighten Luol Deng's minutes load by letting Boozer be the scoring anchor for the second team.
2. It would match Boozer up against a power forward less capable of exploiting his defensive deficiencies.
3. Boozer might just get the message. (Or the memo.)
Additionally, I would explore trade options involving Boozer after the season. If you significantly upgrade the scoring at the shooting guard position in the deal, you can afford to lose the 4-5 points you'd sacrifice by going from Boozer at Gibson at power forward. And you make your team even better defensively in the process.
Playing GM for a moment here - as well as giving you another numbered list - here are three trades that would work under the cap that I think would make the Bulls a better basketball team:
1. ... to Portland for Brandon Roy.
This deal is only acceptable if Roy's knees check out between now and July. Portland is woefully short on big men (no pun intended) - literally all they have on the roster is LaMarcus Aldridge and the 103 year-old Marcus Camby. But the Blazers are loaded on the wings with Wesley Matthews, Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez. If Roy is healthy, the deal makes perfect sense for both teams.
2. ... to Charlotte for Boris Diaw and either Shaun Livingston or Gerald Henderson
The Bobcats have no inside scoring whatsoever and can't start both Henderson and Livingston - both of whom are still fairly young and would represent significant upgrades over Keith Bogans. Diaw has one year left at $9 million and would be far more likely to re-up with the Bulls than Bobcats.
3. ... to Orlando - along with Joakim Noah - for Dwight Howard.
A plug-and-play frontcourt with cost certainty for 4 years is by far the best offer the Magic will ever get for Howard, who they will lose anyway when he can opt out in another year. Rose and Howard... minimum eight-peat, my friend!
No comments:
Post a Comment