News Flash: Rose Sole Positive On Otherwise Terrible Bulls Team

I know this has been said over and over again, but Derrick Rose is really the only thing that the Bulls have going for them. Matt Moore over at Hardwood Paroxysm summed it up perfectly last week:

I hated the Bulls pick of Rose, even though I felt he was the best player in the draft. I thought he would get muddled with the Bulls guards and have to progress too quickly. He’s worlds above every player on that team. The style on offense is flashing and brutal. He’s active and focused on defense, never frantic, never lost. He’s certain with his movement, slick with this adjustments, and there’s not a piece of his game I haven’t seen from him. Hustle, rebounding, touch, power, speed, quickness, anticipation.

I wonder what he’s going to be like when he’s got a real coach.

Well said, though as my friend Ethan said to me today, if the Bulls win games, Del Negro isn't going anywhere. God is he bad.

Identity Crisis: Bulls Don't Know Who They Are

Did you see the Chicago Bulls win the last 3 games? I thought I did, but then I realized that those might not have been the Bulls. What about the team that lost 5 straight just a week ago? This team cannot seem to find it's identity. For weeks at a time, it looks like this team cannot cover anyone, the big men can't defend the paint, Luol Deng can't get in the flow of the offense, and Vinny seems confused at best. Then all of a sudden, nobody can score on them, they block double digit shots in a game, they get easy dunks and layups all over the place, and Vinny seems confused at best. (Maybe Vinny isn't confused, but I sure am confused by how he "coaches").

The problem is twofold. Not only does this team look different every night, but Vinny goes with different lineups and schemes so there is no way to really tell what's working. For instance, he went with Thabo for long stretches against the Suns, and yet Rose was noticeably absent for most of the 4th quarter with a sore foot. Was one of those things why the Bulls played well? It's different rotations and "strategies" every night, so there is no way to tell.

There is no reason to be all negative, though. Some things are clearly clicking. Hinrich is starting to get comfortable on the court after missing much of the first half of the season. Tyrus and Noah are looking much more active on the glass and in transition. I think Noah finally realized if he hustles a little and sprints out on the fast break, Rose will find him for the easy basket. About time he figured that one out.

Most importantly the re-emergence of Luol Deng has been wonderful to watch. He is clearly in a rhythm right now. Ever since coming back from his brief stint on the IR, he has finally found his shots within the flow of the offense. I don't think anyone had completely turned on Deng yet, but I know my frustrations with him were starting to boil up after the 6 year-$71 million deal he signed.

All in all the Bulls have played well so far on this trip (besides that terrible loss to Minnesota). With the next three games @HOU, @NO, and @DAL, they have a tough stretch, and things don't get much easier after that. With this team we are looking for improvement and signs of great things to come, so if they can steal one win in the next three and play good basketball even if they lose, there's a lot of reason to be positive about this Bulls team.

Assuming it's this Bulls team that comes to play. I hope it's not that other, shitty Bulls team. If it's the shitty one, I'm going to bed early.

Today's Links--Illini Take a Huge Step Backwards Edition

• Illinois got SMOKED last night against Minnesota. Smoked.
  
• I know everyone is saying the Bears should draft a safety, but maybe they should think twice before they do.
• Finally Joakim is starting to play a bit better. Don't expect it to last.
  
• The final Thursday Dick Joke Jamboroo. We'll miss you nazi shark.
• Eddy Curry denied that the child who was murdered was his kid. Apparently the paternity test shows otherwise. Isn't he married? Could it get any worse for this guy?
• Looks like the White Sox have asked Obama to throw out the first pitch. I wouldn't feel safe taking my kids to that park, I highly doubt the secret service would allow it.
• Captain Kirk has been abysmal since his return to the Bulls. How abysmal you ask? Well take a look at this, but be prepared to be in a bad mood.
• Del Negro is the most boring coach ever at giving interviews, which is why the Dull-Negro-Meter was created.
• If my girlfriend really loved me, she would make me one of these for the Super Bowl.
  

I Just Can't Write Anymore About How The Bulls Suck, So Take It Away Pax

Apparently John Paxson has given a "State of The Bulls" address recently. He is pretty spot on regarding most of the things he talks about. Here are the highlights (Sorry about how long this is):

John Paxson was matter-of-fact and candid in delivering a midseason state-of-the-Bulls address Wednesday at the Berto Center, admitting the Bulls are "not very good right now" and acknowledging that he had failed to create the team he wants.

Know this about the Bulls' general manager: For all those who criticize him for failing to make a move or perhaps making the wrong one, Paxson already has pummeled himself over it.

On the first day of training camp, Paxson said his top priority was to re-create the selfless, hustling, lunch-bucket teams that made three straight playoff appearances under Scott Skiles from 2005-07.

Asked his assessment of where this season's team stood in that category, Paxson said, "It's not good enough."

Here's Paxson on a variety of topics:

On the Bulls' play: "I'm obviously not happy. I don't think my expectations were such going into the season thinking we were going to be a top-level team. But what I want to see is the team play together. And right now, through 40-plus games, we're not doing that. And that concerns me."

On the coaching staff: "The only person I'll evaluate right now is myself, and I obviously haven't done the job of putting the type of team I want on the floor in terms of competitiveness and effort. That falls on me."

On the possibility of a trade: "What's inhibiting a lot of deals is the luxury tax because you have a ton of teams right up against it. To do a deal, the dollars have to work within a very small amount of money. Paying the tax is a real issue, especially with some of the things going on in the world business-wise. It's just a smart move to be respectful of what that tax means.

"We're looking. And players can't be looking over their shoulder all the time either. They have to accept that they have to play and compete and perform. My job is to field that team. Right now, we're not the type of team that I want."

On the porous defense: "It's two things. The level of personal commitment to that side has to be there. And paying attention to whatever the scheme is you're trying to run. I know [coach Vinny Del Negro] and his staff have tried to simplify a lot of things we're doing defensively to try to get consistent at something. Even though we haven't always been consistent moving the ball offensively, I still think we can score enough. But we're giving up far too many points and far too many easy points. The defensive end has to get better, or we're going to continue like [this]."

On whether the Bulls purposely will clear salary-cap space to wait for the stellar 2010 free-agent class: "I want to try to make our team better today — 2010 is a long way off. There are always avenues you can go down to get off contracts. Teams like a lot of our pieces because they fit alongside an established star. I'm not saying they're offering a lot in return. And that's what we're trying to find, another established player to put alongside [ Derrick] Rose."

On whether Rose is regressing: "I wouldn't say that. I'm not sure what's expected. He's going to have games where he doesn't play as well as he would like. I haven't seen one rookie who doesn't have some ups and downs. He's playing very well."

On Luol Deng since returning from injury: "He has been good, real active. He's running the floor and doing the things he does well. We get mired in quick shots that always hurt you as a team. If they don't go in, you have no floor balance and your transition defense is poor. Then other guys start hunting for their shots because they haven't touched the ball for a while. Lu isn't a quick-shot player. He needs an offensive flow. When he's at his best, we're moving the ball."

On the inability to close out games: "We're not very good right now. We're not playing well enough to win those games. … The turnovers we had throwing the ball away in the backcourt, it's just concentration and focus. I'm not going to say I'm pleased we've been competing better because we want to win. I don't like where we're at. I don't think anybody does."

Seems like he isn't exactly standing behind Vinny very strongly. I wouldn't either. There is no reason to break this down any further, but at least its nice to hear him be somewhat honest and critical. Is a trade imminent? God I hope so. Here's a little illustration I found that may help us better understand what Pax is trying to do here:

Today's Links

• Vinny asked the media to ask his players if they respect him, minutes later Ben Gordon was seen cussing him out for getting fined because he broke some team rule. (***Update: The rule he broke was being late for a team flight). How long do we have to deal with this yahoo?
• The Chicago Bears may have a little "Groupthink" problem. Think about it.
  
• Jay Mariotti lashes out at Ebert and the Sun-Times. How long do we have to deal with this yahoo? (I know, I already asked that question).
• 50 Greatest basketball commercials of all time. MJ is all over the list.
  
• Top Ten Chicago sports championship moments. The Sox only won one championship TTCS, so why do they get 3 spots on the list?
• Are porno freaks and sports nuts on the same level as abominations in the eyes of God? Apparently.
• The Bears have the 18th pick in this draft. Here's a little history of the 18th pick in past drafts. A lot of solid contributors.
• Is Adam Dunn really only going to go for $5 million a year? I really wanted that guy, but that would be crazy.

An Excellent Explanation of Why The Bulls Suck

Ball Don't Lie does a recap of the NBA games every night, and after watching the Bulls get embarrassed by Portland last night Kelly Dwyer had this to say explaining why the Bulls are so bad:

The Bulls just don't have a clue, continually firing up the lowest-yielding shot in basketball, the 20-foot jumper, while leaving guys open all over the place on the other end. Poor effort, no basketball smarts, Tyrus Thomas with three points and two rebounds in over 24 minutes, poor rotations, 21-footers, poor coaching. We told you that a good coach could do something with this team, and there you go. 16-22.

I could not have said it better myself. They just suck. Obviously there are a lot more specific reasons they are bad, but this is a concise way of putting it. And the dig against Vinny at the end? Warranted.

Del Negro Tries To Institute Policy of Professionalism in Locker Room; Fails Miserably

I'm not sure if you have heard about "Foodgate", the recent Bulls tragedy (not counting what's been occurring on the court). I avoided writing about it since I was hoping it would just go away, but the more I think about it, the more it reflects the sense that their is no real logic to the "direction" or "leadership" from the coaches.

Apparently a new team rule was implemented by Vinny that forbid eating food pregame in the locker room. Some of the players broke this rule and were fined. The original players reported to have broken the stupid rule were Larry Hughes, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah. No surprises there. Now there are some reports that up to 5 of the players broke the rules. Either way the rule makes no sense. If you don't treat the players as adults, how can you expect them to act as such. Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald reports that the players are feeling the same way:

"To recap, Vinny Del Negro added a team rule this season about not eating in the locker room pregame. He's trying to preach accountability and professionalism, and that rule is probably meant to emphasize that players should be getting ready for the game when they're at the arena and eat dinner before getting on the bus.
The players I talked to seemed annoyed by the rule and getting fined. Players eating in the locker room before games is a very common sight in the NBA; including the visitors locker room at the United Center. Ninety percent of the time, it's chicken tenders, by the way.
Maybe more players were eating in New Jersey because the quality of hotels available in East Rutherford aren't quite what they're used to in other cities. So while Vinny sees this rule one way, the players wonder why they're not being treated like adults. I'm sure everyone will get over it. I've heard Del Negro tries to go out of his way to communicate with the players and not hold any grudges.
Of course, a sidebar to this story is that this stuff is usually kept private, but someone chose to leak the news. I would imagine the Bulls have a suspect in mind and have already been trying to trade him."

Vinny needs to control his locker room, but at the same time treat his players with some respect. I know this is a minor story and I shouldn't make too much of it, but I think the way he is treating the players off the court reflects how he treats them on the court. They seem just as confused with his "rules" off the court as they do with his "game plans" on it.

On a side note, we all obviously think it was Hughes that leaked the story and he is the one being shopped around. They can't get rid of him soon enough.

At Least Vinny Del Negro Has A Sense of Humor

Thanks to Docksquad for this link. Vinny got a little present for Derrick Rose. Let's just say if he had it a little sooner, he may not have cut himself up:

So Can We Start FireVinnyDelNegro.Com Yet?

He's a rookie, right? I mean a real rookie, not like Derrick Rose is a rookie. Derrick Rose has an advantage over VDN: He has actually played basketball before. Vinny has not coached ever at any level. He is a rookie of rookies.

If we remember back to the summer, the Bulls logic for hiring him seemed sound enough. They claimed he was young but had always wanted to coach. He had been around basketball his whole life and understood the game. Working in Phoenix he had absorbed some of the D'Antoni philosophy of run and gun, but still believed in defensive principles. He was well-respected throughout the league and that would translate to respect from his players. Pax would also surround him with experienced assistants like Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff who would give a veteran coaching presence.

It didn't quite turn out like that. This latest fiasco in the Cleveland game proves that he has completely lost control of his players. When Nocioni started screaming at Noah in front of all the fans and TV cameras, it finally became clear. But the real question is why did this happen and can there be redemption, or is Vinny just overmatched?

Ok I will give you my answer. He is overmatched. The players, while they are at fault for sucking in terms of talent, brains, and even heart, a person needs to be inspired to play. They need to believe in the system they are playing in. You don't hear guys on the Celtics saying they want to speed the game up. They believe in what they are doing, because it is successful. If I was on the Bulls right now, I wouldn't believe in Vinny's system at all, and as a result I might get frustrated. I'm not saying I would quit on the Coach, nor do I think any of the players have...yet.

Offensively we don't have a system. The offense is basically to have Gordon, Rose, or..gulp..Hughes bring the ball up, dribble around and take a shot. A few screens here and there, but no real plan. One could argue that the Bulls haven't developed a cohesive halfcourt offense but they are relying on getting fast break baskets. Well then why does Vinny have good running players on the bench? Aaron Gray and Joakim Noah are not going to get us fast break points. Don't even get me started on Vinny's defensive philosophy which I have yet to figure out. As of now it looks something like "don't play hard or rotate on time" or better yet "you don't have to know how to rotate, just make sure you get your shots on the other end". His rotations and lineups make the least sense. It is unclear to players what they need to do to earn minutes. Beyond Rose, no one knows their role on the team. A person can't be effective in that kind of environment.

I mean Vinny is very green and this may be unfair. Like a rookie in any environment, you have to know there is going to be a learning curve. I think Bulls fans and players were hoping to at least see some signs that he could coach by now though. He has shown nothing and the players are clearly losing faith in him. The fans will be next.

Will Vinny save himself? I don't know, but I think the domain name for firevinnydelnegro.com is still available. I'm just saying.

A Great Example Of What An NBA Locker Room Should NOT Look Like

With the Bears season over, the only thing left for us Chicago sports fans to watch until March is the Chicago Bulls (unless you can figure out what the hell that game is with ice and a little puck no one can see). Well I have bad bad news for you guys. The Bulls season is unraveling right before our eyes. The Bulls have lost 7 straight on the road and cannot seem to find any sort of defensive identity. Not only that, but in the locker room there seems to be some differing philosophies about how the team should be run and what the problems truly are. Let's hear what our good friend Noce has to say about the matter:

"It's personal, you know?" Nocioni said, barely hiding his disgust. "Everybody needs to take the challenge. If we don't play 'D,' we will be out of the playoffs for sure. Today was terrible, terrible defense."
"We need to stop the ball one-on-one," Nocioni said. "Then nobody helps or crowds guys or takes a charge. So everybody can drive the basket or get offensive rebounds. It's energy. It's attitude. And that's it."

Hmmm...so based on Noce's assessment, the Bulls aren't playing with any energy or fire, right? Well Vinny seems to think otherwise:

"It's definitely not the effort," coach Vinny Del Negro said of the defensive woes. "Guys are playing hard and giving me what they can. Right now, one of our better big guys ( Drew Gooden) is out. Lu (Deng) is out. Kirk (Hinrich) has been out all year. Defensively, if you don't control the paint in penetration, it's hard to win.
"We changed defenses. When you don't have the length or size or power up front, you have to scramble."

Ok ok, so who cares what Noce thinks, right? I mean he doesn't play any real defense anyways. He can barely stay in front of his man. Unless putting a hard foul on a guy when you get beat (which is very often) means good defense, Noce is not the authority. Still there is something wrong with this disconnect in the locker room.

Oh and just in case you were curious what Larry Hughes thought about the situation?

"I'm not a spot-minute guy. I don't play well in that situation. If you want me to produce, I have to be out there. I can make a difference at both ends if I play."

Sorry about that, I'm sure you weren't curious about Hughes' opinion. I know I wasn't.

What is Del Negro doing over there? He doesn't coach the guys on the floor, since there is no apparent cohesive defensive or offensive philosophy. It doesn't appear that he is a player's coach, since there are a lot of unhappy voices in the Bulls locker room. What is he doing? The Bulls need to come out and play with some intensity tonight against the Nets and get something going.

Tyrus Thomas Gets Concussion From Banging Head Against Wall in Frustration

Tyrus Thomas left last night's game with a concussion, though according to the Tribune, it had nothing to do with anything that happened in that game:

The victory might come at a cost after Tyrus Thomas sat out the final 31 minutes 22 seconds with what the team called a concussion. The injury dated to knocks to the head in each of the last two games and nothing that occurred against the Clippers, but Thomas won't travel to Friday's game in Boston.

"He started running and was blacking out," coach Vinny Del Negro said.

Personally I think that when Thomas is banging his head against things during games, that's a good thing. It means he's playing with some energy. On the other hand, maybe he's just banging his head against a wall trying to figure out why he only gets limited minutes, why he's so inconsistent when he does, why Vinny insists on going with a lineup down the stretch that cannot get a defensive rebound, or any other number of reasons.

Coach Vinny Del Negro Can't Seem to Defend Quentin Richardson From Long Range

With about 4 seconds left in the 4th quarter against the Knicks, Vinny tried a new, unconventional strategy to defend the Knicks dangerous 3-point threat. He screamed in Q's ear from the bench in an effort to distract him.



Bush league move? Perhaps. BDL suggests Vinny may have just been trying to help Richardson cure his hiccups. There may be some issue in terms of assessing Vinny a technical, but hell, if players can do it (and they do...all the time), why can't coaches. Besides the whole part about it being unprofessional, I think its a great strategy.

Mama Always Said "Don't Eat In Bed"

Vinny Del Negro: "It was just a typical morning for me, you know..."

Post-Circus Bulls Report

The pre-circus and circus trip part of the Bulls schedule is finally over. What have we learned during this time period about a Bulls team that had almost as many question marks as guards to start the season? The answers are not simple or clear-cut, but some things have become apparent:

The Schedule:

According to John Hollinger's power rankings which are based on some advanced metrics, the Bulls are only 18th in the league. What is interesting to note about that is the Bulls have the toughest strength of schedule by a significant margin. Entering Sunday, their opponents had a .606 winning percentage and the team with the next highest strength of schedule has opponents with a winning percentage of .576. The Bulls should be very happy at 8-9 against some very tough opponents.

Also the Bulls upcoming schedule is against a bunch of really crappy teams: Phi, @Mil, Was, NYK, @Mem, NJ, @Cha, LAC. The only team with a winning record in that bunch is the Nets, and they don't exactly scare anyone this year. The Bulls should be able to generate some momentum against these bad teams.

Coach Vinny:

It still remains unclear what offense he is running exactly. I understand that he is utilizing a high screen roll with Gordon and Rose most of the time. The other players not involved in those screen rolls seem lost, however. Also, his rotations are still inconsistent. While we have to be fair and allow him to learn his team before he settles on regular minutes, he has to understand that guys need to know their roles. On the other hand, the players seem to really respect and like him so far and his philosophy of pushing the ball has had some very positive results. The jury is still out on the coach, however, and only time will tell if he has some sort of cohesive offensive plan that can be effective.

Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon Starting:

It's working. Offensively these two are both scoring in bunches. Defensively, they are bad. Not as bad as everyone seems to think, but still bad. They are undersized and do not stay in front of their men. Rose will improve defensively and Gordon has always been underrated as a defender (for instance on a scale of 1 to 10, everyone thinks he's a 2 when he's really a 4; still not great but manageable). This lineup is worth trotting out every time. They are the most effective backcourt the Bulls have, even accounting for the defensive deficiencies.

That all being said, they are not playing as efficiently as they could be. If you have been watching the games lately (you're probably pretty tired considering they start at 9:30 pm), you will notice that Gordon and Rose don't play off each other. When Rose has the ball, he makes a move and tries to get guys open and find them in good positions to score or he takes it to the hole himself. When Gordon has the ball, he dribbles around and then takes a bad shot. Gordon needs to run off screens more off the ball and give up the rock when Rose is on the court with him. What he doesn't understand is his numbers will get better rather than worse if he gives the ball to Rose. Rose can get him the ball when he has open shots. When Gordon dribbles around and shoots, they are usually off balance and ill-conceived. Play off the ball Ben!

What's The Deal With Larry Hughes:


Here are the stats prior to Sunday night's game, do with them what you will. This season he is averaging 14.2 points and shooting 43 percent as a starter while averaging 7.7 points and shooting 33 percent coming off the bench. He shoots 45 percent when the Bulls win and 35 percent when they lose. He averages 14.8 per game when the Bulls win and 8.8 when they lose. Hughes is eight for 12 on threes in Bulls wins and one for 15 on threes in Bulls losses.

So what does this mean? Is Hughes critical to winning games, or are his poor performances the thing that is making us lose them? Hughes would argue the team benefits when he gets more minutes. I'm not sure how to feel about any of this, since I hated him so much before. So long as he continues to take the ball to the hoop and play solid defense, he can have minutes. What my hope is is that playing Hughes was a directive from above, since Pax wants to deal Hughes and is trying to pump up his value. Even if Harry Lughes is here to stay, he is still 32, expensive and taking minutes from younger guys.

Luol Deng, Where Art Thou:

I don't know, where the hell is he? Just kidding. I guess I have to post some theories about what happened to his game. Here is the list of possibilities for things that might be causing him to be a non-factor so far this season:

1) The pressure of a new contract.

2) He doesn't know where his shots come from in Vinny's "offense".

3) He has fallen in love with his jumper.

4) His bad back and other assorted injuries are catching up to him.

5) Instead of working on his game this summer, he played in Europe.

6) He has been seeing time at the 4, as well as getting irregular minutes since the emergence of Harry Lughes, causing him to lose his rhythm.

Ok there are your options. It may be one or several of those reasons, or perhaps even one I can't think of. Either way, Lu needs to get it going for this team to have any real success this season.

The Bulls Frontcourt; Young and Possibly Retarded:

What happened here? Tyrus Thomas was supposed to finally take a step forward this year with Skiles not yelling at him all the time. His fragile ego was going to remain intact under Vinny and allow him to emerge as the true star that his athleticism and potential would let him be. Oops. We all got fooled. He sucks. I mean he is really bad. The worst part is the random decent game he has that keeps idiots like me hanging on to the hope that he can be good. He is terrible, and whenever he gets into a rut like he is in now, he can't get himself out because he is an idiot. There is no point continuing to discuss him because he sucks and it looks like he will be a non-factor going forward.

Joakim Noah has been a disappointment as well. I don't think anyone was pegging him as an all-star, but the thought was he could line up next to Gooden or Thomas and be a high energy guy that plays good defense and rebounds. Nope. He has been pretty much ineffective at center. I'm not sure he warrants getting only 6 minutes a game, but it's hard for me to argue with Vinny when Noah shows no life out there.

Gooden is Gooden. He is a great role player. He can score on the block and rebounds very well. Unfortunately he is playing out of position at the center spot (thanks to Noah's digression and Gray being Gray). His defensive lapses notwithstanding, he has been a key component to the Bulls early success.

Welcome To The Circus

In honor of the Bulls circus trip out west and how bad it always goes, it made me think of what a circus the actual Bulls really are. In honor of that, here is what the Chicago Bulls would look like if they truly were a circus troop:

Vinny Del Negro--The Ringmaster

He's kind of like a ringmaster that has no coherent offense and doesn't make clear to the members of his troop what their roles are.


Derrick Rose--The Acrobat


I'm not sure, but I think he might be able to actually fly.


Drew Gooden--The Bearded Lady


What's funny is that both pictures are gross and scary.


Joakim Noah--The Clown
No explanation necessary.


Larry Hughes--The Giant Pile of Elephant Shit

I think a real pile of elephant shit could shoot for a higher percentage than Hughes.


Ben Gordon--The Fire Eater
Is this a reference to his ability to catch fire on the offensive end or the way he gets burned on the defensive end? You decide.


Tyrus Thomas--Tightrope Walker

Because he's only exciting when he is high up in the air.

Larry Hughes Unitard Gives Him Special Powers

Not only does Hughes look like an idiot in this unitard thing, but it appears I forgot to include "The Fonz" as one of Vinny's look-a-likes. He's got the thumbs up and everything! All he needs to say is "Eyyyyy".

He's Injured, We're Doomed

I don't know how I missed this, but Sam Smith is reporting the God Derrick Rose was injured last night:

Rose was brilliant, getting 26 points to match his young career high with a career high 10 rebounds and six assists. This all after he pulled a muscle in his back in the first quarter, refused to leave the game and ended up playing 42 minutes and 29 seconds.

"I'm fine," Rose said as he left the United Center late Tuesday night with friends and family.

But he clearly wasn't, and it seems unlikely he'll practice Wednesday as he gets treatment. I assume seeing him so far he'll play Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. But you don't want to mess with back injuries and Rose admitted to being stiff coming into the game and was getting treatment.

Teammates said Rose, who was one of four Bulls along with Gordon, Deng and Andres Nocioni announced for the All Star ballot Tuesday, appeared to be in considerable pain during the game. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Rose was unable to sit in a chair during timeouts.

I like the fact that he's a badass, but there is some cause for concern here. Updates to follow.

Vinny's Offensive Scheme Is Putting A Lot Of Pressure On Rose

Basketball Prospectus has done an interesting analysis of the Rose's early effectiveness this season. What they point out is not necessarily that Rose could be the next Paul/Deron, but that perhaps the system that Vinny has the Bulls running is what is allowing Rose to be so effective. At the same time that system may be stunting his growth as a point guard:

The Bulls' style is open, with at least good spacing, and it is designed as a penetrate-and-pitch scheme, which again favors the skills that Rose brings to the table. Similar in scope to the offense used by John Calipari at the University of Memphis (dribble-drive motion), the Bulls are still discovering the actions that will yield real results. This gives Rose a lot of the responsibility as the Bulls figure out what will work best. With willing (and sometimes capable) perimeter shooters like Kirk Hinrich (when healthy), Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and others, there is not a lot of help on dribble attacks from Rose. Instead, the defense forces him to finish, and since that is one of his true strengths, he is more than happy to oblige.

The biggest question early this season is whether this type of play truly helps Rose in the long term. Right now, he is called upon to attack and score and he is more than capable of doing that. However, can he both score as he has been and make his teammates better at the same time? Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets typifies the best kind of answer to this question. A gifted scorer, Paul can dominate one game without scoring a point, then score 45 the next night. Will Rose be able to approach that kind of production on behalf of his team? Only time will tell. He should not change his style--rather, he must continue to aggressively seek out and take what the defense gives him. Right now, it is giving him scoring opportunities.

As teams gameplan for Rose and his teammates and scheme, expect defenders to slough off of him and force him to make perimeter shots rather than expose themselves to his ability to drive. In addition, teams will start to run doubles at him as he penetrates further toward the basket. By doing so, they may expose the occasional poor decision-making that is sometimes covered up, right now, by his freakish athleticism.

The only problem with this analysis is that it gives too much credit to Vinny's system. While Rose is free to do what he pleases, the rest of the team is very unclear as to their roles. Luol Deng, though amassing a healthy 19 and 10 last night, looked completely lost in the halfcourt. Anyways, the article goes on to explain how Rose is unlike a traditional point guard in terms of his skill set. It compares him to a different kind of player:

While the object of this article is to consider how Rose has been so successful despite the history of rookie point guard trials and tribulations, Rose simply does not fit into the traditional point guard designation all too well. The best player to use in comparison with Rose's unique combination of size, speed, approach, skills and talent for his position is a small forward: one named LeBron James.

Like James, Rose is a more than capable scorer, particularly as a finisher in the lane. His dribble his high but forceful, he is continuously moving in straight attack lines, pushing the ball in transition after a rebound, and using his strength and body control to absorb contact and covert baskets despite the foul. LeBron is so unique--a point guard in a power forward's body with a small forward's athleticism--that it may be hard to see the resemblance between the ways he and Rose approach the game. However, if you watch long enough, you begin to see the similarity in cadence, in the way they play the game.

A very interesting point. I'm not going to get ahead of myself here and crown him the next Lebron, but he does have that unique skill set that Lebron has, although in a somewhat smaller body. It will remain to be seen how he develops personally and how Vinny's system does or doesn't work for him.

Vinny Del Negro Finds 3-Guard Game Plan in Skiles Old Desk

Let's set the scene: The Bulls are struggling against a superior opponent. Luol Deng seems to have disappeared offensively, Tyrus and Joakim have been relegated to the bench for what seems like no reason. The Bulls trail by double digits (let's say 17). The Bulls coach, in desperation, goes to the 3-guard lineup to try to shake things up. Somehow, miraculously, the Bulls mount a comeback with this lineup that falls just short. Sound familiar? Yeah it happened the other night in Orlando, but it was also the modus operandi of the Bulls under Skiles the last few seasons as well. Though the Bulls got some positive results from that lineup, the coach thinks (or in Skiles case insists) that the smallball lineup is effective.

The only reason those lineups worked was because there was a specific matchup that favored it (against Orlando, Howard is the only true big man, Rashard and Hedo are perimeter guys), or if the Bulls were down by 20 playing against the other team's scrubs. Otherwise the 3-guard lineup does not work. It makes the Bulls, already a rebounding-challenged team, even more susceptible to getting outboarded.

What Vinny has yet to understand is that players need to know their roles and play in the position that allows them the most success. He needs to stop mixing up the lineups and experimenting. Thabo is not a pg or sg, he is only there for his defense. Nocioni should be coming off the bench as a spark in certain situations. Hinrich should not be at the 2 (though this is being proven wrong, Rose is somehow able to raise Kirk's effectiveness at the 2). Deng and Nocioni should not be playing power forward ever. Tyrus should never be at the small forward. All of those things put players out of their comfort zone.

Regardless of his opinion of the 3-guard lineup, he needs to let people know their roles and put them in the best position to win. The jury is still out on Vinny, but for now, his biggest job should be to set a rotation and stick with it.

One last slightly unrelated note: If there is a possession with the potential to win or tie the game at the end (down 1, 2, or 3 with less than 30 seconds), the ball needs to be in Rose's hands. Ben Gordon needs to understand his role on this team. It will benefit him as well, since he will likely get better looks than he would have, since Rose creates good shots for everyone around him. That shot he took at the end of the Magic game was ugggggggly.

Today's Links

• New president elected last night. Alexi Giannoulias talks about the pick up game he played with Obama yesterday.
• Hawks rookie Kris Versteeg sings a little song. Hilarious.
• Tremendous Upside Potential thinks the White Sox won the election. It just goes to show if you meet a Sox fan, assume their IQ is about 20 points lower than the average.
• Some Bears news and notes. Is this Grossman different?
• Vinny brings in Lou Holtz to inspire the team. I'm not sure how I feel about that...oh wait yeah I do, Lou Holtz sucks.