Basketball 180!! » Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls http://basketball180.com blogging b-ball all day ! Fri, 18 Mar 2011 04:39:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Kobe vs. Jordan? “Not Even a Contest” says Jordan http://basketball180.com/92/ http://basketball180.com/92/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:04:26 +0000 kit http://basketball180.com/92/ By Sean Connolly

If you forgot how great Michael Jordan is, just watch this video please. He’s at a basketball camp and a kid asks Jordan who would win in a one-on-one game between him and Kobe Bryant. Jordan responds, “in my prime, not even a contest.” It’s Jordan being Jordan.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlBUj9bFC4&feature=related]

How amazing is that. I know he’s not up against NBA players but it’s obvious that he still has it. You know after that he was thinking…hmmm, maybe my Bobcats need a guard.

I just love how confident he is when he’s playing, there’s no doubt in his mind that he’s going to miss, even with his eyes closed. Earlier this season when Kobe was on a tear, I began to wonder…maybe he is good as Jordan. I’ll tell you this right now, Jordan at 45 years old is better than Kobe is now or will ever be.

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]]> http://basketball180.com/92/feed/ 0 Was Signing Luol Deng A Good Move For The Bulls? http://basketball180.com/was-signing-luol-deng-a-good-move-for-the-bulls/ http://basketball180.com/was-signing-luol-deng-a-good-move-for-the-bulls/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:03:42 +0000 kit http://basketball180.com/?p=87 By Sean Connolly

Today the Bulls signed Luol Deng to a six year deal worth up to $80 million. Now is $80 million worth it for a guy who put up 17 points a game with 6 rebounds and 2 assists? I don’t think so.

Looking at those numbers, the best you can say about them is that they’re good, not great, not worth $80 million. I understand that the Bulls have made it clear that they want Deng to be the corner stone of the franchise, but shouldn’t your cornerstone put up better numbers and play more than 63 games?

Deng has only been in the league three years and although he has shown a good deal of talent, he had injury problems all of last year and has yet to prove that he can make a significant enough impact in which the team can depend on him in crunch time. He isn’t a player that’s going to take over the game, he’s a guy who will give you points somewhere in the high teens and put up a solid shooting percentage. But, if the Bulls want to improve with the amazing amount of talent they have in Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and more they should have traded Deng for someone more talented.

I just think the Bulls could have got two players with equal amount of talent for the price of Deng. There were talks of a trade of Deng to the Utah Jazz, but I guess the Bulls were to adamant about signing Deng to a long term deal. Since Michael Jordan retired and left the Bulls, the Bulls have had ten years of outstanding young talent that could never develop. They have the same dilemma this year and I think it’s their last shot before they run out of chances to become the dynasty they once were.

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]]> http://basketball180.com/was-signing-luol-deng-a-good-move-for-the-bulls/feed/ 0 Beasley Wins Round One Against Rose http://basketball180.com/beasley-wins-round-one-against-rose/ http://basketball180.com/beasley-wins-round-one-against-rose/#comments Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:40:07 +0000 kit http://basketball180.com/?p=82 By Sean Connolly

It’s the beginning of a rivalry. The Bulls played the Heat yesterday in a summer league game in which the two first picks in this year’s NBA draft matched up. Beasley made a statement with his play yesterday that he, not Derrick Rose should have been the first pick.

Beasley shone yesterday putting up 28 points on 9-21 shooting leading his Heat to a convincing 94-70 victory over the awful looking Bulls. Playing with a fractured sternum, Beasley made an impact immediately as he scored 9 points in his first 8 minutes. He dominated throughout showing what NBA prospects talked about pre-draft with tremendous range, an outside and inside game.

As for Derrick Rose, he didn’t do much. He did have 10 points but on 3-8 shooting and 5 turnovers. Now obviously you can’t look at this game and say that Rose was the wrong choice, but what it does show is how Rose can easily get lost in a game. He can fade at times and not be the main guy on the team. Whereas Beasley can be the go to guy throughout a game and continually draw a double team even if he’s not playing well.

Before the draft I strongly believed that the Bulls should choose Beasley. They did not. I just have a feeling that Rose won’t be the top caliber kind of player that Beasley will be. I think in today’s game Beasley’s attributes a much more important to a team in order to create a championship team. As of late, point guards don’t win championships, big men, and good shooting guards do. Just look at Nash, Kidd, Marbury, Francis, and I’ll even go far back as Stockton. I just think that Rose will fall into that category of being a great regular season player but not good enough for a championship, if he’s lucky.

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]]> http://basketball180.com/beasley-wins-round-one-against-rose/feed/ 0 Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? My 2008 NBA Mock Draft http://basketball180.com/derrick-rose-or-michael-beasley-my-2008-nba-mock-draft/ http://basketball180.com/derrick-rose-or-michael-beasley-my-2008-nba-mock-draft/#comments Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:18:45 +0000 kit http://basketball180.com/?p=79 By Sean Connolly

With a 1.7% chance of winning the first selection, the Bulls won the first pick in one of the most talented drafts in a while. The discussion has been, should they take Derrick Rose who is the better player, or Michael Beasley who is the better fit? Rose is destined to be a star while Beasley has all the tools to become as dominant as say Amare Stoudemire. But, which college standout will they choose? Let’s see.

1. CHICAGO BULLS- MICHAEL BEASLEY- Between the better player and the better fit, you have to go with the better fit if you’re the Bulls. The Bulls were lucky enough to get the first pick and they already have a playoff team if not for the mess of a season they had last year. They are short on big men and have been for a while. Beasley will complete this team making the Bulls a legit threat in the East.

2. MIAMI HEAT- DERRICK ROSE- Now there’s no way two teams are going to pass a player this talented up in a row. The Heat will gladly take Derrick Rose in the second pick which will, like the bulls, complete a playoff team. With Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marrion already on the team, one more all-star won’t hurt. If Wade can stay healthy, Rose will work well with him and possibly create a great one-two punch that teams will find hard to deal with. A great pick up for the Heat and I expect a rivalry to develop between the Heat and the Bulls with their picks. This debate of who should go first in the draft will live on throughout both Beasley and Rose’s careers.

3. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES- O.J. MAYO- With all the controversy surrounding O.J. Mayo he was destined to fall further down in the draft but it looks as if the Timberwolves have their man. Mayo is truly talented at 6’5 and has the figure to go inside and shoot the outside shot. The only worry about Mayo is his off-court problems that could hurt the way he plays on the court. Let’s just hope we get to see this kid play basketball without any distractions.

4. SEATTLE SUPERSONICS- JERRYD BAYLESS- To compliment the sensational play of Kevin Durant, expect the Sonics to choose Jerryd Bayless at point guard. Coming from Arizona he should turn out to be a solid NBA player and playing along side Durant won’t hurt a bit. Durant showed last year that he can put up over 20 points a game with no one around him, so expect his numbers to rise significantly along side Bayless.

5. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES- KEVIN LOVE- After trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers last season, the Grizzlies are down on athletic size. Kevin Love fills that void extremely well. He is capable of wearing down defenses and creating an atmosphere that Memphis will love (pun definitely intended). The sad thing though is that the rest of the Grizzlies are not good enough to make him any better. Give Love a couple of seasons before his talent begins to show, either that or another team.

6. NEW YORK KNICKS- BROOK LOPEZ- Oh, the New York Knicks. They have the highest payroll, one of the best coaches in Mike D’Antoni, and the sixth pick in the draft. How could they possibly mess up next season? I’m not sure how they’ll do it this season but a way to prevent it is drafting a big man in Brook Lopez who can actually do something with the basketball other than cry. He is a little undersized at center (7’0 245 lbs.) which could create a problem for the Knicks. But, they’ve needed a big man ever since Patrick Ewing left and maybe Lopez could develop into a player of half of Ewing’s talent and get this team back in the playoffs.

7. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS- RUSSELL WESTBROOK- The Clippers will hopefully have a 100% healthy Elton Brand next season which leaves them wondering, who else do we have? No body really, in order to compete in the West. Russel Westbrook can pass and score and has the tools that NBA teams want. There is a desire in the league now to have a point guard who can score and pass (Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash just to name a few), and Westbrook is what the Clippers need in order to keep up with the competetive West. Either that or they can try and move to the Eastern Conference, where they would probably be a 4th or 5th seed in the playoffs.

8. MILWAUKEE BUCKS- JOE ALEXANDER- You haven’t heard much from the Milwaukee Bucks in the past decade and I don’t think you’ll hear more in the the next. Joe Alexander fills a void in the small forward position but even in the East the Bucks don’t have enough talent to make it. Alexander is a solid player who may find himself lost in this league on the Bucks. Only players with extraordinary talent like Ray Allen can make a name for themselves on the Bucks, and even Allen had to leave in order to be truly appreciated by the rest of the league.

9. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS- ERIC GORDON- I see a lot of upside in these Bobcats. Since forming in 2004 the Bobcats have slowly evolved into a fairly good team. They have significant talent in Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison, and Jason Richardson. Not only that they are now being coached by one of the greatest coaches in recent years in Larry Brown. If the Bobcats can steal Eric Gordon at number nine, the Bobcats have even more to work with.

10. NEW JERSEY NETS- DANILO GALLINARI- After a disapointing season which included the departure of one of the franchise’s best players Jason Kidd, the Nets have some rebuilding to do. They have a banged up Richard Jefferson, who at times looks like one of the best players in the league, but cannot overcome the injury bug. Vince Carter should be one of the league’s elite, but fails to match the potential he showed in his Toronto Raptor years. Danilo Gallinari will be the first pick from overseas, coming from Italy, and will be expected to come off the bench for Jefferson, and soon replace Jefferson. He is one of the best players in Italy and could possibly translate to the NBA. In a couple of years this could be considered the steal of the draft. Personally though, I think the Nets will need to make a significant trade that will get rid of Jefferson and bring in one or two brand name players in order to fix this once dominant franchise.

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