The Bulls lost…reality sets in.  Kirk Hinrich, after his 38 point extravaganzam, was back to his old mediocre self, scoring 14 points.  Joakim Noah, after a career game, was back to his old mediocre self, with 7 points.  The Bulls, after putting on a clinic against the Pacers, were back to their old selves, scoring a pathetic 77 points and losing to the pathetic Bobcats.  THE BOBCATS!

The End.

Random thought of the day: I got to hang out with Mark Buerhle, Bobby Jenks, Ozzie Guillen, Kenny Williams, Jermaine Dye, and Paul Konerko today.  It pains me to say that they all seemed like good guys.  Sigh, Go Cubs.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

Hello.  I apologize for the long absence on the site.  But I’m back in action and ready for the second half of the NBA season.  In my absence much has gone on with the Bulls.  Most notably, Luol Deng has been sidelined for at least a week with a bad achilles.  This is bad for three reasons.  One, he’s the Bulls best player and without him the Bulls can’t win many games.  Two, his injury has for some unexplainable reason created Ben Gordon to come up gimpy.  So now the Bulls are without Deng and Gordon.  Three, he’s on my fantasy team.  “Neon Noodlez” is now down two players (Jermaine O’Neal is doneski) and struggling to stay at the top of the standings. 

 At this point in the season the Bulls are 17-24 and they face off against Charlotte tomorrow, then Phoenix and Minnesota (all at the United Center).  They are coming off a win against the Pacers last night where Kirk Hinrich scored a career high 38 and Joakim “The Troublemaker” Noah scored a career high 14 points and 15 boards.  Even with their craptastic record, the Bulls are definitely still in the playoff race, thanks to a pathetic Eastern Conference.  But with Deng, Gordon, and Duhon injured, it’s hard to imagine anything positive coming out of the next few weeks.  Deng is expected to miss 1-3 weeks, while Duhon is missing 1-2.  Gordon’s injury is day-to-day.  If we expect Captain Kirk to consisently play like he did last night, we should be slapped.  He’s been very disappointing this season and has become an below average NBA point guard.   Ben Wallace continues to play poorly and GM John Paxson is not looking good in the eyes of Bulls fans.  The Bulls are pretty much a mess right now. 

What can be done?  Hold on, let me get out my TI-86.  If add you a low post scorer before the trade deadline, subtract a big contract, then add a big, physical guard it equals a chance in the playoffs.  Wow, these things really work! I know it’s easy when you use a calculator, but there are guys ripe for the taking this season.  Pau Gasol’s name keeps coming up in trade rumors and he would look really good in a Bulls number 16 jersey.  Along with Gasol there’s a lot of rumors going around with Bulls players.  Here are just a couple:

Andres Nocioni and Thabo Sefolosha for Nets Bostjan Nachbar, Marcus Williams, Antoine Wright, and Jamaal Magloire.

Ben Wallace for the Lakers Vlad Radmanovic and Kwame Brown.

Random thought of the day: Hillary, Barack - Cut it out, you two!

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

The Bulls had a serious gut check last night as they pulled out a victory against the Sacramento Kings.  The Kings, you say?  Aren’t they bad?  Well, yes.  But the Bulls were Dengless last night and squeaked out a win 94-93 at the United Center.  Nocioni stepped it up with 26 points.  Ben Wallace iced the game with a free throw, his only point of the game.  The Bulls are now 4-2 under Coach Boylan and the upcoming schedule should boost the Bulls up to around .500 and into the top 8 in the East. Next for the Bulls are the Knicks, 76ers, Hawks, Magic and the Heat.  The Bulls currently stand at 13-19.  Though not an impressive record, it is just good enough, with a few more wins to get into that coveted 8th spot in the Eastern Conference.   Once the Bulls get into that 8th spot, I’m confident they will stay there.  Hopefully Deng will be back Tuesday vs. the Knicks and he has been playing great.  Gordon also has stepped up his game and it’s showing in the win column.

All I gots to say is keep it up, Chicago. 

Random thought of the day: 59 degrees in Chicago today.  Somewhere in Tennessee Al Gore is starting a “Glo-bal War-ming” chant.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

The Bulls are now 3-1 under the tutelage of Jim Boylan.  Gordon comes off the bench and scores 20+ points three nights in a row.  The Bulls should be 4-0 in the last 4, but the Flying Turk Turkoglu hit a last second shot in OT vs the Magic and Orlando got the W.  The Bulls look much better now than the first 20 or so games.  Granted, they have played teams that could make anyone look good - Milwaukee, New York, and Charlotte.  But these are teams that the Bulls should be beating and that’s exactly what they are doing.  The teams that make the playoffs are the teams that win games they are capable of winning.  In the Eastern Conference, it takes just a .500 record to get in to the playoffs and the Bulls have a nice shot at reaching that goal. 

Luol Deng is playing like an All Star.  He is by far our best player.  It seems like Boylan knows this and is running plays for him.  Even Joakim Noah looked nice tonight.  Deng had 21,13 and 5 tonight.  Great numbers for a great player.  What’s next for the Bulls?  First it’s the red hot Portland Blazers, then the Kings and Knicks.  The Portland game will be tough, but the Bulls should easily dispose of Sacramento and New York.  Hey, if the Bulls can win 2 of 3 from now on, we’re in good shape. 

Random thought of the day: My friend told me about mlbtraderumors.com.  You like baseball?  You like this site. 

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports [at] gmail [dot] com. 

Jim Boylan’s first try at head coaching this year was a success.  After the Bulls were crushed by the Spurs, Boylan stepped in and got a W vs. the Bucks.  Coach Boylan mixed it up a bit.  Starting Chris Duhon over Ben Gordon was a nice touch.  Gordon played about 35 minutes off the bench and scored 31 points as the Bulls kept it close and finished off Milwaukee 103-99.  For seemingly the first time this season, the Bulls scored more than 30 points in the 4th quarter.  Luol Deng had a double double and Hinrich was one assist shy of that feat as well. 

Boylan only played Tyrus Thomas 4 minutes last night.  You have to wonder why.  Aaron Gray has been getting time in the post, and the Bulls organization is having fans believe that Gray is the answer over Thomas.  Yes, Gray seems fundamentally solid - he’s big, he’s puts his hands up on defense and grabs a few offensive boards.  But Tyrus Thomas brings something to the table that Gray will never have - excitement.  Thomas can be streaky, but when your team needs a pick-me-up, Thomas is the guy.  How can Tyrus get better if he’s on the bench all night?  I’d also like to see more of Joakim Noah, the rookie first round draft choice.  Noah didn’t play at all last night.  That is as mixed up as the Bilwaukee Mucks. 

The Bulls play the pathetic, let me repeat, pathetic Knicks next.  Boylan seems to have a strategy.  We’ll see if it works. 

Random thought of the day: Go see the movie “Juno.”  It’s excellent.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

Scott Skiles has been fired.  GM John Paxson decided enough was enough and canned Skiles after a 9-16 start.  To be honest, I was shocked, though I suppose I shouldn’t be.  The 9-16 start was the worst since Skiles took over from Bill Cartwright 4 years ago.  So now the Bulls have players who have no or little confidence, a GM in some deep doo-doo, and no coach.  I’m assuming Jim Boylan will take over for now, unless Pete Myers beats him up.  Both Boylan and Myers are/were assistant coaches.  Boylan seems like the best option.  The Pacers were looking at him this past offseason, but passed.  Pete Myers is a guy who played on the Bulls with Jordan and Co., and kind of a fan favorite.  So now we really have to look into the future.  Who is available to coach the Bulls?

Here are just a few possible choices.  Note:  Not all of these coaches are viable possibilities…sometimes it’s best to play make-believe.

1) Jim Boylan - He seems to have all the tools, has been around the game and the Bulls for a long time.

2) Jeff Van Gundy - The former Rockets coach is a highly regarded basketball guy, lots of experience.

3) Billy Donovan - He turned down the Magic job, sort of, to coach his University of Florida Gators.  He obviously has an itch to coach in the NBA.

4) Scottie Pippen - He has said that he wants to coach.  He’s hardly qualified.

5) Larry Brown - Unemployed and used to bad teams.  We’d love to have you.

6) Simba from the Lion King - He has clearly learned his lesson and has leadership qualities that need just a bit more polishing.  He’s a sleeper.

7) Kobe Bryant-  Maybe a coaching spot will bring him to Chicago.  Bill Russell was a player/coach…it can work!

8  ) Borat - NOT.

9) Jessica Simpson - She’s shown that she can be a distraction.  Just put her on the sidelines.

10) John Madden - You know, if the whole broadcasting thing doesnt work out.

Random thought of the day:  Happy Holidays.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

After the Bulls lost their last two to Boston and Houston, it’s time to start looking ahead.  The next two games are against San Antonio and Milwaukee.  The San Antonio game (on the road) will not be easy.  The Spurs are the best team in the NBA, yes, even better than the Celtics.  Milwaukee is not very good and the Bulls should be able to win that.  If the next two games result in a loss and win, as I’m predicting, the Bulls will have won 1 of their last 4.  Not very good.  The Bulls, needless to say, are in a heap of trouble.  That’s it for tonight.  I’m watching The 40-Year-Old Virgin and I am distracted.

Random thought of the day:  BEARS WIN! BEARS WIN!

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

Jeez Louise! The Bulls lost to the Celtics last night by 25 points.  Kirk Hinrich (my best friend, read “Twice the Hinrich”) had all of 2 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound.  And yes, I typed that correctly.  Deng scored 8.  Nocioni scored 8.  The second leading scorer for the Bulls was a guy nobody had heard of until last Tuesday - Aaron Gray, who had 14.  Gordon lead the squad with 19.  The Celtics are a good team, nay, a great team.  But if the Bulls are seriously thinking playoffs this season they have to at least put up a struggle vs. the Celts.  At this rate if the Bulls play the Celtics in the postseason, they will lose the series by a combined 1,542 points.  OK, so I’m not much of a math person, but you get the point.  The Bulls gave up 12 three pointers.  Six Celtics were in double figures.  Obviously the Bulls thought that defense doesn’t count. 

Tonight the Bulls have the Rockets at home.  Tracy McGrady is questionable for Houston, but honestly, I don’t think the Rockets need him.  The Bulls don’t have anyone that can guard a big man and the Rockets have the biggest man of all: Yao Ming.  Yao is to big what Jello Jigglers are to delicious.  All I can say is, good luck Aaron Gray. 

Random thought of the day: I called into the Bulls post-game show on ESPN Radio 1000 on Tuesday night and got through.  It was pretty cool.  I love being famous.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

The Bulls are the most consistenly inconsistent team in America.  They looked horrible against the Lakers tuesday and came out last night vs the Wizards and looked great.  What is going on?  I don’t know what to think.  Should I be confident that the Bulls will make the playoffs? Or should I take the rhythm of the season so far and figure that they’ll fail miserable come the fourth quarter of the season?  Gordon scored a commendable 22 last night, something rare of late.  Ben Wallace is the most disappointing player in the NBA.  Even Coach Skiles thinks so.  Aaron Gray has taken over the center spot the past 2 games and he hasn’t looked terrible.  He had a double double last night.  Ten points and ten rebounds along with five assists.  Career highs, I believe in all three categories.  Who is Aaron Gray?  That’s not a bad question.  Because as of Tuesday afternoon, nobody had heard of him.   He’s a rookie out of Pittsburgh. The Bulls took him with their second pick in this year’s draft.  He is a big white guy.  There you go. 

Anyway, the Bulls won!  It’s exciting!  They beat a red hot DC team.  Antwan Jamison has been awesome this year and continued that trend last night, scoring 24 with 12 rebounds.  Caron Butler had a triple double.  And the Bulls won.  Amazing.  Deng scored 20.  It was the bench, the role guys that allowed the Bulls to win.  Nocioni, Thomas, Gray, and Duhon all contributed.  Well done, Bulls, you now have a few hours to soak it in because you play the Celtics tonight.  The Celtics lost last night, making them 20-3.  They are pissed and the Bulls are in for some serious trouble tonight.  Serious.

Random thought of the day: Curt Schilling needs to shut his mouth.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com

Last night I went to the Bulls game. They lost. Surprise Surprise. Today I’m not writing about the Bulls’ play. They were horrible. You know it, I know it. I’m here to preach about the United Center. It’s been a while since I had been there. The stadium itself is very nice and full of history (already). Jordan played there, Pippen played there, championships were won. It’s what happens inside the United Center that gets me.

Exhibit A:

The entire row behind where my friend Ellis and I were sitting was occupied by high school kids. These kids, aged between 16-18, are still in the phase of their lives where saying the F word and yelling the word “b*tch” over and over and over and over again is cool, so they think. Now I’m one to use swear words, I’ll admit. But yelling just to make sure that everyone in section 313 can hear you is something else. It was very annoying.

Exhibit B:

The starting lineups for the Bulls used to be somewhat magical. Ray Clay, the former Bulls PA guy, is a legend. The new guy, Sucky McSuck Suck, sucks. The starting lineups have no feeling. It has no soul. What happened to the days of “From North Carolina….” During the MJ days, the United Center was so raucous during the lineups you couldn’t hear yourself think. It was amazing. The reaction to yesterday’s starting lineup resembled what my kindergarten teacher referred as to “12-inch voices,” that is to say, that nobody cared. Is it because this team plays poorly? Maybe. Is it because fans these days don’t care as much? Yes.

Exhibit C:

The halftime show was something called “Quick Change,”  a two person magic-type act where a man and a woman change clothes rapidly.  Sounds awesome, right?  I’d rather have seen nothing.  I’d rather have total blackness and silence than have to watch Quick Change again.

Exhibit D:

There was a drumline on the court during one of the timeouts.  It was pretty cool.  But a drumline should stay far far away from the listeners, at least not right next to them.  During the second half the drumline came up into the stands, specifically right next to where we were sitting.  They would start playing their massive drums.  It went like this - budda bah budda buh  budda buh “Let’s go Bulls!” repeat. and rinse.  It was a circus.  I went to the Bulls game and saw horrible basketball and a circus.

Maybe I’m just fed up with the way the Bulls are playing.  I’m feeling very cynical about the Bulls today, as you can tell.  At least I’m entertaining…..right?

Random thought of the day: I just acquired Dwight Howard in my fantasy NBA league, I’m pretty excited about that.

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Remember, you can contact me at GCWritesSports@gmail.com