Half way through the NBA season, we can be pretty sure that the Chicago Bulls are a slightly below average team. They sit in the 9th spot of the weak Eastern Conference and are getting outscored by 4.7 points per game, which is 4th worst in basketball. The offense has been the weak point this season, averaging 92.7 points per game, only better than the 91.6 of the injury plagued Detroit Pistons.
Lets quickly figure out the source of the scoring differential between the Bulls and their opponents. In simplest terms, the offense tries to score points and the defense tries to prevent them. Hence the point differential. I recently described that there are only 3 ways to score in the NBA, so which of these 3 is the source of the Bulls struggles.
1) Take more shots than your opponents, or shoot a higher percentage to make more shots. The Bulls are being out-shot by less than 1 attempt per game, which is minimal, and are shooting 1% less from the field than their opponents, which only equates to 1 extra shot made per 100 attempts. Neither of these are significant enough to make up a 4.7 point differential.
2) Make more 3 point shots as they are worth 50% more than a regular field goal. The difference in the 3-pt field goal percentage is 0.1% between the Bulls and their opponents. Thats 1 extra made every thousand chances. Completely irrelevant. However, the opponents have made 251 out of 750 attempts, while the Bulls have made just 129 out of 386 attempts. Thats 122 more trifectas over the course of 35 games. Thats appoximately 3.5 more 3-pointers per game, equaling an extra 3.5 points for the opposition. Obviously, the Bulls miss those 2.1 3-pointers Ben Gordon averaged last year. Also, they shot and unrealistically high 38% from the arc last year, which has regressed back to a respectable 33% this year. Their lack of a 3-point shooter may be the difference between getting into the playoffs and not.
3) Take more free throw attempts per game, which will lead to more "free points". The Bulls have been out-shot by only 21 free throws this season, just over half a free throw per game. This figure is insignificant in the big picture.
Hopefully it is now clear that the main macroscopic issue of the Bulls offense this season is the 3-point shot. I would recommend that instead of that stupid 20 footer Loul Deng loves to take, he should take a step back and throw up some 3's. Same risk, 50% more reward.
Showing posts with label Ben Gordon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Gordon. Show all posts
ESPN has a "who gives a F%*@ department"
I just learned, from the bottom line on ESPN, that Ben Gordon scored the 10 millionth point in NBA history.
1) What are the odds that is actually accurate? None
2) How is this number relevant to anything? It's not
3) Will this information ever be to useful to anyone under any circumstance? Nope
4) Who at ESPN thought this was something that needed to be reported? Tim Kurkjian maybe
5) 10 million? Thats still 48 million less than Ben Gordon is making on his contract. Report that shit
Ben Gordon walks
NBA free agency started July 1st 2009. Ben Gordon left the Chicago Bulls for the Detroit Pistons. The Bulls kept saying they wanted to bring Ben Gordon back and were trying to resign him. Considering he agreed with the Pistons the first day he could, the Bulls never seemed in the running. I don’t know they said they wanted him back if they had no intention of actually bringing him back. The Bulls will either start John Salmons at shooting guard or start Kirk Hinrich. If Hinrich started then he would still be the primary back up point guard to Rose and Salmons would back up shooting guard and small forward. If Salmons started he would give us a bigger backcourt and then Hinrich would back up both guard spots. This is all a result of letting the former number three pick, Ben Gordon leave via free agency. Ben Gordon was a great shooter and an important part of the Bulls going as far as they did to 7 games against the Celtics in the playoffs this past season. The other players like Deng, Hinrich, Rose, Salmons and Tryus Thomas will have to step up their game for the offense were losing. The Bulls will not target any big names this offseason because they have less than 2 million dollars before they hit the luxury tax.
Preview for Bulls on NBA draft
Tomorrow is the 2009 NBA draft. The Chicago Bulls have two picks in the draft; both are in the first round. The Chicago Bulls currently have the 16th and 26th pick. The 16th pick was the Bulls original pick. They acquired the number 26 pick when they traded Thabo Sefolosha to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the first-round pick on February 19th. This 26th pick originally belonged to the Denver Nuggets.
This years draft is pretty thin. That is why many people including myself wonder if the Bulls will try to trade up for a better pick. There are a handful of players the Bulls are supposedly eyeing, many whom they may not be able to get with their 16th and 24th pick. It is hard to speculate who the Bulls may draft, because there are still many decisions the Bulls need to make this off season. Will they pick the best available player in their opinion or will they go after a need? They obviously have an idea on what direction they want to go this offseason, we the public just don’t know.
Here are a few of the players the Bulls are looking at:
Jeff Teague- He just finished his sophomore year at Wake Forest averaging 18.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He is a good scorer who still is trying to establish himself as a point guard.
Eric Maynor-He averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game and is another point guard.
James Johnson- He averaged 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year. He is a swing man who should be able to play the two and three.
Wayne Ellington- He is another swing man who is supposedly one of the best pure shooters in the draft.
Gerald Henderson- He was a first team All-ACC and ACC All-Tournament team who can also play the two and three.
These are just a few players the Bulls seem to be targeting. It appears they are looking closely at point guards to back up Rose and shooters to back up the two and three. The Bulls should start Salmons with Deng next year so they also seem to be targeting a shooter to give them a break. Gerald Henderson seems so be high on the Bulls list. If he is there I expect them to take him.
This years draft is pretty thin. That is why many people including myself wonder if the Bulls will try to trade up for a better pick. There are a handful of players the Bulls are supposedly eyeing, many whom they may not be able to get with their 16th and 24th pick. It is hard to speculate who the Bulls may draft, because there are still many decisions the Bulls need to make this off season. Will they pick the best available player in their opinion or will they go after a need? They obviously have an idea on what direction they want to go this offseason, we the public just don’t know.
Here are a few of the players the Bulls are looking at:
Jeff Teague- He just finished his sophomore year at Wake Forest averaging 18.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He is a good scorer who still is trying to establish himself as a point guard.
Eric Maynor-He averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game and is another point guard.
James Johnson- He averaged 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year. He is a swing man who should be able to play the two and three.
Wayne Ellington- He is another swing man who is supposedly one of the best pure shooters in the draft.
Gerald Henderson- He was a first team All-ACC and ACC All-Tournament team who can also play the two and three.
These are just a few players the Bulls seem to be targeting. It appears they are looking closely at point guards to back up Rose and shooters to back up the two and three. The Bulls should start Salmons with Deng next year so they also seem to be targeting a shooter to give them a break. Gerald Henderson seems so be high on the Bulls list. If he is there I expect them to take him.
Looking at the Bulls this Off-Season
The Chicago Bulls had a decent regular season and made the playoffs. There season was flat lining until John Paxson (former Gm) made a few moves in acquiring Brad Miller and John Salmons. These moves sparked the club to a strong finish. As we learned in the playoffs, the team needs more help.
The first issue the Bulls have is Ben Gordon being a free agent. I think Ben Gordon will be walking as a free agent. He hasn’t seemed happy as a Bull the past two years, and he will probably get the same or better offer from other teams where he won’t have to worry about playing time in a packed back court. The other question is will the Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich and his 10 million a year contract for another player at a position they need more, like front court help.
I am assuming Ben Gordon will leave as a free agent. This is how the Bulls roster appears to look next year at this time. The starting line up should be: Derrick Rose and John Salmons in the back court with Luol Deng at small forward with Tryus Thomas and Joakim Noah in the front court. Then we have Brad Miller and Kirk Hinrich (if he is not traded) coming off the bench. Thus, the Bulls will lack depth and need the players they acquire in the draft to be an impact player of the bench and start developing. I don’t think the Bulls should sign anyone to a multi year deal this offseason in order for them to save for the free agent class of 2010. The free agent class of 2010 will be much better than this year’s free agent class. With Ben Gordon is leaving they will have money to spend with a few players coming off the books.
The Bulls can go after a few different players to help the team kin the draft. If they keep both picks they may be able to acquire two decent role players. Next year should be a developing year for the Bulls and their young nucleus of Rose, Deng (not that young, but under contract for a few more years), Thomas, Noah, and the two young draft picks. If the Bulls trade Hinrich they could draft a back up point guard and a swing man for the two and three spots or they could draft a back up guard and a front court player.
The first issue the Bulls have is Ben Gordon being a free agent. I think Ben Gordon will be walking as a free agent. He hasn’t seemed happy as a Bull the past two years, and he will probably get the same or better offer from other teams where he won’t have to worry about playing time in a packed back court. The other question is will the Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich and his 10 million a year contract for another player at a position they need more, like front court help.
I am assuming Ben Gordon will leave as a free agent. This is how the Bulls roster appears to look next year at this time. The starting line up should be: Derrick Rose and John Salmons in the back court with Luol Deng at small forward with Tryus Thomas and Joakim Noah in the front court. Then we have Brad Miller and Kirk Hinrich (if he is not traded) coming off the bench. Thus, the Bulls will lack depth and need the players they acquire in the draft to be an impact player of the bench and start developing. I don’t think the Bulls should sign anyone to a multi year deal this offseason in order for them to save for the free agent class of 2010. The free agent class of 2010 will be much better than this year’s free agent class. With Ben Gordon is leaving they will have money to spend with a few players coming off the books.
The Bulls can go after a few different players to help the team kin the draft. If they keep both picks they may be able to acquire two decent role players. Next year should be a developing year for the Bulls and their young nucleus of Rose, Deng (not that young, but under contract for a few more years), Thomas, Noah, and the two young draft picks. If the Bulls trade Hinrich they could draft a back up point guard and a swing man for the two and three spots or they could draft a back up guard and a front court player.
