Beloiters

They're called

Beloiters

K.C. Johnson is a product of Beloit College and was a Buccaneer.

Joe_sez was a Regent.

Sam A .Smith Sez

He's prolific.

Et Tu E.Rob-us ?

Will Eddie Robinson be bought out prior to the season starting?
If he is, then will he sign a non-guarenteed contract with the Miami Heat as was rumored?
If he does sign, then will he play in a NBA finals game this spring?

I hope not 'cause if so, I'll fix him good.

Spice Boys

I didn't coin the term, but I'll use it.

• Skinny Spice
• Improbable Spice
• Pedigree Spice (aka Duke Spice)
• Too-Short Spice
• Long Spice
• Latin Spice

Who are they?

Cleveland's Drew Gooden

He's off to a good start in the preseason. PF D.Gooden, C.Boozer's replacement, ranks 2nd in rebounding during the NBA preseason. Chandler is 6th.

REBOUNDS
1. Zach Randolph (Portland Trail Blazers) 11.1
2. Drew Gooden (Cleveland Cavaliers) 10.4
3. Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) 8.9
4. Donyell Marshall (Toronto Raptors) 8.3
5. Erick Dampier (Dallas Mavericks) 8.0
6. Tyson Chandler (Chicago Bulls) 7.7
6. Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) 7.7
6. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 7.7
9. Troy Murphy (Golden State Warriors) 7.6

Central Division Preview:InsideHoops

InsideHoops ranks the Central Division.

1. Detroit Pistons
2. Indiana Pacers
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Milwaukee Bucks
   
5. Da Bulls

LeBron hype strikes again. Cleveland loses Boozer and gets better because LeBron James will be the most highlighted player on ESPN. The Bucks are a better team. The Bulls are a better team - honest.

Nov Prediction: 4-7

Nov Date	Days rest	Team	H- Away	W-L	Comments
5	9	NJN	H	W	No J.Kidd, No A.D. & Curry
6	0	IND	A	L	Suspensions still & top team
9	2	PHO	H	W	#10 in WC Great test of team
13	3	LAC	H	W	#15 in WC Should beat these guys at home
16	2	SAC	A	L	Top team
17	0	GSW	A	L	Adv to home team & No rest
19	1	DNV	A	L	Top team
21	1	LAL	A	L	Adv to home team
22	0	PHO	A	L	Adv to home team & no rest
24	1	UTH	A	W	Adv to home team
27	2	CLV	A	W	Hyped, Can Bulls recover from WC road trip?

The bold face indicates a significant game: It's a test of team quality and or character.

NJN is a tough game: Curry and A.Davis are both suspended. NJN do not have a good Center and are a rebuilding team and are without J.Kidd. I think a win against NJN is still possible even with suspensions.

Beating PHO (ranked 10 in Western conference) at home should be possible if I'm right and the the Bulls are really the #6 team in the Eastern Conf.

Also, the Bulls should beat the LA Clippers (#15 in WC) even while on the road and into a long road trip.

If the Bulls finish 4-7 then they are going to have very good year.

Crawford Watch.

NBA.COM

Jamal Crawford, G, New York Knicks For whatever reason, Jamal Crawford never seemed to fit in in Chicago. Was he a point guard? Was he a two? Crawford will try to answer those questions this season with the Knicks, where the talented guard (who averaged 17.3 points per game last season) will share time with Stephon Marbury and Allan Houston. Will Crawford be happy if he doesn't get to start? Whoops. More questions.

Back-up Big men

Renier and Smith were two players I thought would make the team, but I'm surprised at how well they played. With Davis and Curry likely suspended due to fighting, we may see both of them play extensively in the season opener.

What about a starting line up of Harrington, Chandler, Nocioni, Piatkowski, Hinrich?

Here:

Rookie Tommy Smith helped his cause with 10 points in 15 minutes Monday. The 6-foot-10 forward hit the go-ahead basket, a nice half-hook over Washington's Brendan Haywood with 37.4 seconds left.

Backup center Jared Reiner, an undrafted rookie from Iowa, continued to play well. He contributed 6 points and 6 rebounds before suffering a sprained right ankle in the third quarter.

Offense looks sick: The third-quarter brawl and late-game comeback by the Bulls shouldn't obscure the fact that the Bulls looked sick for 2¨ quarters Monday, particularly on offense.

Joe_sez vs. CNNSI

My rankings compare to CNNSI with comments below

Joe Sez	CNNSI
1. Detroit	1. Detroit
2. Indiana	2. Indiana
3. Miami	3. Miami
4. Boston	4. Philadelphia
5. Milwaukee	5. Cleveland
6. Chicago	6. Knicks
7. NewYork	7. Orlando
8. Philadelphia	8. Nets
9. Cleveland	9. Celtics
10. Toronto	10. Wizards
11. Washington	11. Bucks
12. New Jersey	12. Raptors
13. Atlanta	13. Bulls
14. Orlando	14. Hawks
15. Carolina	15. Bobcats

Disagreements
1	Boston	Was #4 last year. Lost coach O'Brien but Doc Rivers is an adequate replacement.
2	Cleveland	Missed playoffs last year. Lost PF Boozer and Gooden is not his equal. Pure LeBron hype.
3	Milwaukee	Playoff team at 500. Small market team plays team basketball without superstars and gets no respect.
4	Chicago	Da Bulls: A competitive team if Ben Gordon and the Baby Bulls contribute.
5	Philadelphia	Missed playoffs last year and CNNSI Mis-understands why 76er's were bad last year - too old - not too many injuries
6	Orlando	Terrible team traded 4 starters - If Grant Hill returns then Orlando is better than NY.
7	New Jersey	Was an elite team last year but they lost far too much - CNNSI is being kind ranking them #8.

CNNSI Rankings: Eastern Surprises - Inflated Rankings

Sports Illustrated ranked NBA teams so let's take a look.

1. Detroit ! yes
2. Indiana ! yes
3. Miami ! yes
4. Philadelphia (huh?)
5. Cleveland (huh? huh?)
6. Knicks (haaa... no way)
7. Orlando (Okay - Looks like Grant Hill returns)
8. Nets (huh? without Martin and Kidd injured and unhappy)
9. Celtics (Way too low)
10. Wizards (Ahead of the Bucks? Please they have 3 former Golden State "Franchise" players - None of whom ever defend worth a damn. )
11. Bucks (unfair - no-name players on a small market team get disrespected)
12. Raptors (okay)
13. Bulls (Joe Sez no lower than #10)
14. Hawks (okay)
15. Bobcats (yes)

Surprise #1
Cleveland ranked 5 !

They are betting on Drew Gooden replacing and improving on C Boozer. No way Jose. Gooden has failed to produce in the past four years. Remember that Mr. Logo, J.West, traded him away so what does that say about his potential. Furthermore, LeBron is a 2nd year teenager who has a lot of growing up to do. This ranking is all about selling Jersey's and Hyping LeBron.

Surprise #2
76er's ranked #4.
76er's new Coach, Jim O'Brien, Boston's successful x-coach, is supposed to take last years injury-riddled team to the playoffs. They were injury riddled because they were old. Now with A.Iverson at PG, Glenn Robinson at SG this team will shoot a low field percentage. My opinion of G.Robinson's character is low, while Iverson is too stubborn, and these 76er's are too old to place #4. This is a ranking based on the past performance, and not even last years' past but the past two-three years ago.

Surprise #3

Knicks ranked #6.
Their poor showing in the last few preseason games shows why I think NY will could miss the playoffs. "Junior" Crawford is picking up where he left Chicago, shooting poorly and shooting often. Houston still has to show he can play on healthy knees. Now there are some questions about the play of both NY Centers. It might get ugly in NY.

Crawford Files

The hot shooting hand of NY KNicks PG/SG J.Crawford has cooled and this is going to cause problems in Knick-land.

The likable former Bull who likes very much to shoot was 1-for-11 in the loss to Minnesota on Saturday. Crawford finished the three games 6-for-32 and 1-for-13 on threes. He rebounded Sunday night, going 9-for-15 for 22 points in a win over Dallas. Wilkens admitted he is talking more to Crawford than anyone.

"A man's got to know his limitations."   Crawford doesn't know when he's hot or cool and he doesn't seem to care to know when he's on the court.  Keeping him in Chicago would have been good for the Bulls but not at the price NY offered. Now he's someone else's problem. 

 
"Sometimes we come down and it's a false illusion you're open," Wilkens said. "Sometimes he gets anxious. He wants to make something happen right away. I've told him you have to let the game come to you a little bit. You can't be that impulsive all the time. I talk to him every day. I critique his shots. I don't want him taking impulsive-type shots. When you have a rhythm going, it's worth it. If you don't, you have to play smart."

Wilkens will be fired this fall and only after that firing will J.Crawford be held accountable by the GM, the new Coach and the NY Fans.

 

Note-a-Bulls

We can only wait and hope:

 

For the first time since Elton Brand in 1999, a Bulls rookie is a very good NBA player from the first time he stepped on the court - not a bundle of potential or a touted talent adjusting to pro ball.

The same could be said about Argentinean forward Andres Nocioni, but he's 24 and a four-year veteran of the highly regarded Spanish league. The Bulls expected Nocioni to bring more than the average NBA rookie.

....

With Deng and Nocioni playing so well, it's actually possible to envision a successful Bulls future that's not entirely dependent on improvement from Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.

OK, calm down. It's only preseason. When it comes to the Bulls, though, any sign of progress is worth celebrating.

Bulls #6 or Deep Six?

Maybe ranking the Bulls #6 was a mistake.  Blow out losses by 20+ in the preseason are not always a consequent of sitting out the starters and vetting new players to see who makes the team. ItÂ’s also about setting the theme for the year -- is this perennial loser now committed to winning? 

A 20 point loss when Curry and Chandler start and play 30 minutes doesnÂ’t surprise anyone.   Why?  

Curry doesnÂ’t rebound and Chandler doesnÂ’t score. Hinrich, Nocioni, & Deng seem to be on track.  B.Gordon is a disappointment – so far – shooting 3-12 with 5 TOs.  The real problem is the dependence on the baby Bulls.  The Bulls need a rebounding oriented PF who can score when necessary.  Nocioni and Deng are long armed enough to get some rebounds and they both have scored in the preseason.  Hinrich at 6Â’3” is tall enough at PG so maybe these three will compensate for what appears – once again - to be a weak front court when Chandler and Curry are playing.   

IÂ’m most curious about O.Harrington as PF/C and how much offense we can get out of the defensive oriented A.Davis.  These are veterans who will probably play in the final two games to get Chicago on track. Maybe Davis and Harrington can average 8-10 points and 6-8 rebounds in 20-25 minutes.  Between them that could translate into 16-20 points and 12-16 rebounds from the Center position – and both guys know team basketball and can defend.  

Rebounding

Who are going to be the top three Bulls rebounders ?

1. Chandler
2. Davis
3. Nocioni?

Minutes played is a key determinant but rebounding effectiveness will probably determine minutes played.

The Bulls haven't come together as a team - it's hard to tell who will start and what a "big" and "small" line-up will look like. So far, Hinrich, Deng, Nocioni, and Chandler seem to be key players for the small line up with C.Duhon as the PG.

"Big" would be Curry, Chandler, Nocioni, Patikowski and Hinrich.

Signs of Small-ball (aka Nellie-ball)

Dallas' Coach D.Nelson has always favored small-ball, using athletic, small stature players to run the court and shoot the ball. His teams played small-ball when he coached the GSW (it was called Run DMC), the Knicks (oh so briefly, they soon fired him) and with the Dallas Mavericks. There are signs Skiles will, at times, have the Bulls play small-ball although Nelson's teams are not known to defend well whereas Skiles teams will.

"Our best lineup has been the small lineup in every game we played," Skiles said. "Every time we went with one big guy and four smaller players, that's when we've played our best."

15 Bulls for the season opener

The projected Bulls roster. Note: E.Robinson refuses to a compromise buyout and so F.Willaims gets cut in place of E.Robinson's leaving the roster on a buyout.  Any possible E.Robinson buyout will come only after the roster must be trimmed to 15 players. Such spite.  My guess is he'll refuse to be reasonable and will sit on the Bulls IR list most of the season.  He'll possibly be traded in the Feb. since his contract ends in 2006 and would help make salary cap room for some other team.

Tyson Chandler C-F
Eddy Curry F-C
Antonio Davis F-C
Othella Harrington F-C

Jared Reiner C
Tommy Smith F
Andres Nocioni F
Eddie Robinson F
Luol Deng G-F
Adrian Griffin G-F
Eric Piatkowski G-F
Kirk Hinrich G
Chris Duhon G
Jannero Pargo G
Ben Gordon G
Frank Williams G
Cezary Trybanski C
Mike Wilks G
Gary Trent F

It's Another Guard

PG C.Duhon (6'1") was singled out by Coach S.Skiles as out performing both PG's M.Wilks and F.Willams. Let's assume the Bulls keep C.Duhon.

If 6'3" F.Williams does not impress Skiles then the Bulls may not have a compelling reason to buyout E.Robinson sooner-than-later and make room for Williams on the Bulls' roster.

Once they cut Center C.Trybanski, the Bulls will only have 5 players who can play PF/C. T.Smith 6'10" is too thin to play long minutes at PF - When counting him, the Bulls have 6 players. Given they also have small guards, the Bulls might want to swap with Dallas and have Don Nelson coach them.

It's a Guard

The Bulls are going to keep J.Pargo. They are going to cut or buyout Eddie Robinson and Trent is gone. Of the rest, I think they'll keep Williams - he is the taller of the backup PG guards. A strike against him - he did not come to camp in good enough shape. The Chi.Tribune quotes Skiles as saying Chris Duhon is going well. That leaves the Center Trybanski and PG Wilks as the odd men out.
I grouped starters at the top but there is no rank order execpt the bottom two are already gone or will be and the next two at the bootm are #16 and #17 on a 15 man roster.
Here is the roster:

Tyson Chandler	C-F
Eddy Curry	F-C
Antonio Davis	F-C
Luol Deng	G-F
Ben Gordon	G
Kirk Hinrich	G
Andres Nocioni	F
Eric Piatkowski	G-F
Othella Harrington	F-C
Jannero Pargo	G
Adrian Griffin	G-F
Jared Reiner	C
Tommy Smith	F
Chris Duhon	G
Frank Williams	G
Cezary Trybanski	C
Mike Wilks	G
Eddie Robinson	F
Gary Trent	F

J.Crawford Watch: Entry 1, Preseason

I dogged former Bull J.Crawford and thought the Knicks made two mistakes - 1) overpaying him and 2) he would shoot poorly and often enough to drag the team down. Well,I was right - he is shooting often:
See:

In just 25 minutes, Crawford made 10-of-12 shots, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range. He scored 16 points in the first half, helping New York (2-0) grab a 51-44 lead.

But Crawford is making his shots.

We'll continue to watch his shooting percentage.

Why Rank the Bulls at #6?

1. Overall weakness in the Eastern Conference: Only four teams were over .500 last year and the fourth was only 42-40. Fifth ranked New Orleans moved to the Western Conference and expansion Charolett entered the East.
2. Lack of a standout draft pick to move a team upwards: Noone in the 2004 draft will carry their team to a new level like Shaq O'Neal or Dave Robinson did in their rookie year. yes, there will be some rookie surprises but no one will carry their team to the "next level."
3. Off season trades didn't significantly improve any teams with the exception of Miami. Miami was the only team to get significantly better with a trade.
4. Several teams took a step back: Cleveland lost PF C.Boozer without compensation. NJ Nets lost PF K.Martin without compensation. Toronto's Vince Carter is unhappy & wants out and so does NJ's J.Kidd.
   
5. Many teams are hard figure out:
   
1. Philadelphia loses PG Snow and so they move A.Iverson to PG - will A.I. wear out over the season playing PG?
   
2. Washington may have to many shooters and too few defenders: A.Jamison can score but never was a good defender - same for Hughes, Arenas whoa re also former GSWarriors.
   
3. Boston - W.T.F. is Ainge doing with Boston?
   
4. NY is expecting too much out of J.Crawford - He, Marbury and Houston all in the same backcourt and all like to shoot the ball. Expect pouting in NY.
   
5. Milwaukee was unexpectedly competitive last year - can they continue to play great team basketball?
   

Of these teams, Boston and Milwaukee have the best potential to stay as good as they were or get better. Pierce for Boston has Payton to help with scoring and Milwaukee resigned Kukoc and there is no reason Milwaukee's team chemistry should change this year.

<>

Eastern Conference: Merged rankings

Merged rankings for Eastern Conference
Bold Italics=Definitely in playoffs
Italics = Possibly in playoffs
Plain = No way

1. Detroit
2. Indiana
3. Miami
4. Boston
5. Milwaukee
6. Chicago
7. NewYork
8. Philadelphia
9. Cleveland
10. Toronto
11. Washington
12. New Jersey
13. Atlanta
14. Orlando
15. Carolina
    

Eastern Conference: Central division

Revisiting the Eastern standings by division. This is the toughest Division in the East. Indiana and Detroit at sure to make the playoffs. Milwaukee is a probably playoff team.
Estimated rank, (last year) - (negative) comments + (positive) comments

1. Detroit - Everyone plays hard against the champs. + R.Wallace for a full season. Promising PF Darko is one year older.
2. Indiana - Artest is nuts and they are thinner at SF. R.Miller gets one year older and Pollard wasn't a B.Miller replacement. + Strong team with a good C/PF combination in Foster & O'Neal. Well coached.
3. Milwaukee - No surprises this year - teams are ready for them. Lost TJ Ford for 1/2 season. + Well coached & play team basketball. Van Horn, Redd & Kukoc.
4. Chicago - Very young and haven't gelled as a team last year. + Tougher team that is in shape. Baby bulls are in shape and both in a contract year. Coach forces players to develop good work habits and has GM behind him.
5. Cleveland - Lost PF C.Boozer and took a step back. SG L.James is young. PF Gooden is unproven + L.James is mature for his age. Added PG E.Snow. Coach has the team's full attention.
6. Toronto - Carter and Rose both have bad attitudes. Drafted un-athletic Center. + Talented combination with D.Marshell at either PF/SF.
7. Atlanta - Rebuilding without any long term vision.

Eastern Conference: Atlantic Divison

Revisiting the Eastern standings by division. None are sure bets.

Estimated rank, (last year) - comments

1. (2) Miami - Loss of Butler and Odom non-trivial. + Added Shaq & kept Wade.
2. (4) Boston - Bizzare GM. + C & PF positions strong. Payton's scoring helps Pierce.
   
3. (3) New York - Mix'n'match players. Crawford FG &<40%. + Deep team good at PF.
   
4. (5) Philadelphia - Older team, no Snow & Iverson at PG. + Iverson at PG has the ball
   
5. (6) Washington - Jamison, Arenas and Hughes Do not defend. Good scoring
   
6. (1) New Jersey - Problems with Kidd. Loss of KMartin huge. + Jefferson and Kidd
   
7. (7) Orlando - Too young and rebuilding. +Francis replaces unmotivated T.Mac.

The first game: Bulls

Ugly loss - 30 points - 104 to 74.

Chicago shot 36 percent (25-of-69) from the field and committed 27 turnovers. Rookie Tommy Smith scored 13 points off the bench, while Eddy Curry added 10.

Tommy Smith isn't listed on the Bulls roster. He was selected in the second round (53rd overall) by the Chicago Bulls in 2003.

Strengths: Has enormous potential due to outstanding athleticism and leaping ability. His best basketball is ahead of him if he works hard to gain weight and get stronger.

The first game

GSW played SAC tonight in SAC. A win.

Overall a good effort: PF/C Murphy scored 15 (5-10) and blocked 4 shots. He is expected to be a leading scorer because C/Foyle and C/Davis are not scorers. The teenage rookie (PF) played well and should be a top 10 rookie. The GSW are solid at the PG poisition with Claxton and Fisher.

Point guards:
Fisher 18 min, 12 pts, 3 ast & 0 tovr.
Claxton 27 min, 12 pts, 6 ast & 4 tovr.
24 pts and 9 rbs with only 4 tovr.

Keyplayer:
Murphy 15 pts, 6 rbs, 4 blks & 1 stl.

Teenage rookie:
Biedrins 14 min, 4 pts (2-2), 3 rbs, 1 ast, 1 to.

Biedrins may not get enough minutes to be a rookie of the year contender but all indications are he's not at all lost on the court.