The 2006-2007 Chicago Bulls Thread

[YearofDaCubs]

I like the confidence. We'll see how it goes.

[1908]

I'm far more concerned about having dropped to 10th in the draft than I am about the Heat.

The Bulls aren't 10th. There's a three-way tie for 8th. Not as nice as being tied for 6th, but not as bad as being 10th all alone either.

[David]

Bulls -150 against Heat for the series.

 

I was hoping they'd be 'dogs so I could bet them.

 

http://www17.pinnaclesports.com/guestcontestLines.asp?redirected=yes&ContestType=NBA%20Series%20Prices

Edited April 19, 2007 by David

[Soul]

We lost the season last night, boys and girls.

This seems oddly familiar. Didn't you express something similar back in November when the Bulls were 3-9? Or how about back in February when they struggled a bit heading into the All-Star break? Is this some kind of defense mechanism? Expect the worst and be surprised when things work out kind of thing?

 

No one played better basketball down the stretch than the Bulls in the East. They have the best home record in the East. They have home court in their series against the Heat. I don't understand the pessimism.

 

Soul is just pessimistic by nature. He was the same way about the Bears all season. I've learned not to let it annoy me. :)

 

I suppose it is a defense mechanism. You've exposed my inner psychology!! Oh, dear lordy, the horror!!

 

1908: you know when the Bulls do good I'm on here right away complimenting them. What I do is simple: when they do well, I compliment them. When they do bad, I bitch & moan. I guess my pessimisitic commentary comes off as more biting than my compliments. Sorry about that.

[David]

I'm far more concerned about having dropped to 10th in the draft than I am about the Heat.

The Bulls aren't 10th. There's a three-way tie for 8th. Not as nice as being tied for 6th, but not as bad as being 10th all alone either.

 

Oh, ok. Nice. That's actually a slight relief.

 

What are the tie-breakers, though? As in, if none of the teams tied for 8th get a top 3 pick, where do the Knicks end up?

[Exile on Waveland]

I'm far more concerned about having dropped to 10th in the draft than I am about the Heat.

The Bulls aren't 10th. There's a three-way tie for 8th. Not as nice as being tied for 6th, but not as bad as being 10th all alone either.

 

Oh, ok. Nice. That's actually a slight relief.

 

What are the tie-breakers, though? As in, if none of the teams tied for 8th get a top 3 pick, where do the Knicks end up?

 

I could be wrong, but I believe a simple coin-flip is the tiebreaker.

[Garwilly]

I'm far more concerned about having dropped to 10th in the draft than I am about the Heat.

The Bulls aren't 10th. There's a three-way tie for 8th. Not as nice as being tied for 6th, but not as bad as being 10th all alone either.

 

Oh, ok. Nice. That's actually a slight relief.

 

What are the tie-breakers, though? As in, if none of the teams tied for 8th get a top 3 pick, where do the Knicks end up?

 

I could be wrong, but I believe a simple coin-flip is the tiebreaker.

 

Well for the lottery all three teams will have the same number of possible winning combos.

 

If none are chosen, then you're right.

[Soul]

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

I don't think it makes much difference. While I agree it's not on the level of blatantly calling out the Heat, it's still not the smartest thing to do. You don't want to give them ammo.

 

Plus, the Miami crowd will sure be reading those comments. I'll be expecting some additional boos when Hinrich gets the ball, and some overzealous cheers when he creates a turnover, or tosses up an airball. Will it matter? Maybe not, but why not play it like Peyton Manning did before the Super Bowl: "We know the Bears are a great team, we're really going to have to play our best to win it," yada yada yada.

 

That's the smart play.

[CoolHandLuke]

 

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

I bet that it was mostly because a first round rematch is the kind of thing reporters love to ask questions about.

[ChiCubsFan]

 

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

I bet that it was mostly because a first round rematch is the kind of thing reporters love to ask questions about.

 

Exactly. I doubt Hinrich or Noc just openly started talking about it. I'm sure a reporter asked how'd they feel if they lost the game against NJ and were faced with a first-round matchup with the Heat. I don't see anything wrong with answering a question with honesty.

 

Besides, like I said before, it's not like the Heat were gonna give any less than 100% anyways.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

'Chicago feels like they can beat us,'' said Wade, who sat out Wednesday's finale along with O'Neal and James Posey. ``Kirk Hinrich came out and said it. We'll find out.

 

``It would be a great matchup. They have the opportunity now to be at home. They feel that's the only reason we won last year, because we had home-court advantage. So the only thing you can do is throw the ball up and play.''

 

After his team's shootaround Wednesday, O'Neal offered a similar sentiment.

 

''I don't care who they are or what they say, nobody wants to play us in a seven-game series,'' O'Neal said. ``And if they do, we're coming.''

 

Added Mourning: ``Be careful what you wish for.''

 

We're screwed

 

Wow, Hinrich, you idiot.

 

Why? Because he supposedly said that they can beat the Heat in a 7 game series? Would you rather him say we have no chance?

 

Besides, it's not like the Heat weren't going to give 100% effort in the series, anyways.

 

Hinrich said his quote before last nights game when the Bulls were locked into the 2 seed. It was kinda weird when I read it, almost like the Bulls were aiming to play the Heat. Well now they have their wish.

 

Some of the quotes:

 

Hinrich:

Guard Kirk Hinrich was even more blunt about the prospect of a rematch with team that eliminated the Bulls four games to two in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

 

"I don't think we'd be really disappointed if we have to play Miami in the first round, other than losing home-court advantage in the second round [by not getting the second seed]," Hinrich said. "We're very confident against that team."

 

"Everybody knows that with Shaq and Wade, it'd be tough," Hinrich said. "But we think we could beat Miami.

 

"We feel we should've won last year's series, honestly. We felt we should've won Game 5. So we're confident. It's a team we're familiar with."

 

Nocioni:

"So what?" forward Andres Nocioni said. "We'd need to beat Miami, and that's it. It's the playoffs, man. If you want to get something, you need to win tough games."

 

"We don't need to be scared against the Heat," Nocioni said. "It's really difficult to beat them, but I think this year is different. We are playing much, much better than last year. We are playing with a lot of confidence.

 

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

So you want Hinrich and Noc to just shut up when the reporters ask about the Heat. Heat - Bulls is a much sexier match up than Nets/Wizards/Magic - Bulls.

 

And if Wade or Shaq got trash talking from what Hinrich or Noc said, I don't know how either passed 3 years of college.

[Derwood]

the bulls have a first round rematch from a year ago. I think that's plenty of incentive to play hard

[Soul]

And if Wade or Shaq got trash talking from what Hinrich or Noc said, I don't know how either passed 3 years of college.

 

They're smart enough to know his intent wasn't to trash talk.

 

They're also smart enough to try and draw out whatever value they can from it -- i.e. make it seem more like trash talk than it is. If that's enough to make the crowd a little more intense for their home games? Mission accomplished.

[UMFan83]

'Chicago feels like they can beat us,'' said Wade, who sat out Wednesday's finale along with O'Neal and James Posey. ``Kirk Hinrich came out and said it. We'll find out.

 

``It would be a great matchup. They have the opportunity now to be at home. They feel that's the only reason we won last year, because we had home-court advantage. So the only thing you can do is throw the ball up and play.''

 

After his team's shootaround Wednesday, O'Neal offered a similar sentiment.

 

''I don't care who they are or what they say, nobody wants to play us in a seven-game series,'' O'Neal said. ``And if they do, we're coming.''

 

Added Mourning: ``Be careful what you wish for.''

 

We're screwed

 

Wow, Hinrich, you idiot.

 

Why? Because he supposedly said that they can beat the Heat in a 7 game series? Would you rather him say we have no chance?

 

Besides, it's not like the Heat weren't going to give 100% effort in the series, anyways.

 

Hinrich said his quote before last nights game when the Bulls were locked into the 2 seed. It was kinda weird when I read it, almost like the Bulls were aiming to play the Heat. Well now they have their wish.

 

Some of the quotes:

 

Hinrich:

Guard Kirk Hinrich was even more blunt about the prospect of a rematch with team that eliminated the Bulls four games to two in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

 

"I don't think we'd be really disappointed if we have to play Miami in the first round, other than losing home-court advantage in the second round [by not getting the second seed]," Hinrich said. "We're very confident against that team."

 

"Everybody knows that with Shaq and Wade, it'd be tough," Hinrich said. "But we think we could beat Miami.

 

"We feel we should've won last year's series, honestly. We felt we should've won Game 5. So we're confident. It's a team we're familiar with."

 

Nocioni:

"So what?" forward Andres Nocioni said. "We'd need to beat Miami, and that's it. It's the playoffs, man. If you want to get something, you need to win tough games."

 

"We don't need to be scared against the Heat," Nocioni said. "It's really difficult to beat them, but I think this year is different. We are playing much, much better than last year. We are playing with a lot of confidence.

 

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

So you want Hinrich and Noc to just shut up when the reporters ask about the Heat. Heat - Bulls is a much sexier match up than Nets/Wizards/Magic - Bulls.

 

And if Wade or Shaq got trash talking from what Hinrich or Noc said, I don't know how either passed 3 years of college.

 

Well no, obviously they asked them direct questions about the Heat. I'd prefer an answer that shows focus and determination like "We are only worried about beating New Jersey and clinching the 2 seed. We will worry about the Heat if we match up against them"

[David]

Anyone think the Bulls will be doing whatever possible (in a non-cheap way) to make Wade worry about that shoulder? Force him to drive the opposite way and expose it on offense, force him to run into a lot of picks on defense, etc.

[Flames24Rulz]

Anyone think the Bulls will be doing whatever possible (in a non-cheap way) to make Wade worry about that shoulder? Force him to drive the opposite way and expose it on offense, force him to run into a lot of picks on defense, etc.

 

I hope that's what we do. When we foul him, we better foul him hard.

[jmajew]

'Chicago feels like they can beat us,'' said Wade, who sat out Wednesday's finale along with O'Neal and James Posey. ``Kirk Hinrich came out and said it. We'll find out.

 

``It would be a great matchup. They have the opportunity now to be at home. They feel that's the only reason we won last year, because we had home-court advantage. So the only thing you can do is throw the ball up and play.''

 

After his team's shootaround Wednesday, O'Neal offered a similar sentiment.

 

''I don't care who they are or what they say, nobody wants to play us in a seven-game series,'' O'Neal said. ``And if they do, we're coming.''

 

Added Mourning: ``Be careful what you wish for.''

 

We're screwed

 

Wow, Hinrich, you idiot.

 

Why? Because he supposedly said that they can beat the Heat in a 7 game series? Would you rather him say we have no chance?

 

Besides, it's not like the Heat weren't going to give 100% effort in the series, anyways.

 

Hinrich said his quote before last nights game when the Bulls were locked into the 2 seed. It was kinda weird when I read it, almost like the Bulls were aiming to play the Heat. Well now they have their wish.

 

Some of the quotes:

 

Hinrich:

Guard Kirk Hinrich was even more blunt about the prospect of a rematch with team that eliminated the Bulls four games to two in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

 

"I don't think we'd be really disappointed if we have to play Miami in the first round, other than losing home-court advantage in the second round [by not getting the second seed]," Hinrich said. "We're very confident against that team."

 

"Everybody knows that with Shaq and Wade, it'd be tough," Hinrich said. "But we think we could beat Miami.

 

"We feel we should've won last year's series, honestly. We felt we should've won Game 5. So we're confident. It's a team we're familiar with."

 

Nocioni:

"So what?" forward Andres Nocioni said. "We'd need to beat Miami, and that's it. It's the playoffs, man. If you want to get something, you need to win tough games."

 

"We don't need to be scared against the Heat," Nocioni said. "It's really difficult to beat them, but I think this year is different. We are playing much, much better than last year. We are playing with a lot of confidence.

 

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

So you want Hinrich and Noc to just shut up when the reporters ask about the Heat. Heat - Bulls is a much sexier match up than Nets/Wizards/Magic - Bulls.

 

And if Wade or Shaq got trash talking from what Hinrich or Noc said, I don't know how either passed 3 years of college.

 

Well no, obviously they asked them direct questions about the Heat. I'd prefer an answer that shows focus and determination like "We are only worried about beating New Jersey and clinching the 2 seed. We will worry about the Heat if we match up against them"

 

This is a lot like the Mark Prior "I"m just an employee" debate. Pretty useless and lets not read too much into this. This isn't the Bulls year to win it all. Next year will be when Tyrus has another year of experience and we have Roy Hibbert helping out in the middle.

[Flames24Rulz]

'Chicago feels like they can beat us,'' said Wade, who sat out Wednesday's finale along with O'Neal and James Posey. ``Kirk Hinrich came out and said it. We'll find out.

 

``It would be a great matchup. They have the opportunity now to be at home. They feel that's the only reason we won last year, because we had home-court advantage. So the only thing you can do is throw the ball up and play.''

 

After his team's shootaround Wednesday, O'Neal offered a similar sentiment.

 

''I don't care who they are or what they say, nobody wants to play us in a seven-game series,'' O'Neal said. ``And if they do, we're coming.''

 

Added Mourning: ``Be careful what you wish for.''

 

We're screwed

 

Wow, Hinrich, you idiot.

 

Why? Because he supposedly said that they can beat the Heat in a 7 game series? Would you rather him say we have no chance?

 

Besides, it's not like the Heat weren't going to give 100% effort in the series, anyways.

 

Hinrich said his quote before last nights game when the Bulls were locked into the 2 seed. It was kinda weird when I read it, almost like the Bulls were aiming to play the Heat. Well now they have their wish.

 

Some of the quotes:

 

Hinrich:

Guard Kirk Hinrich was even more blunt about the prospect of a rematch with team that eliminated the Bulls four games to two in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

 

"I don't think we'd be really disappointed if we have to play Miami in the first round, other than losing home-court advantage in the second round [by not getting the second seed]," Hinrich said. "We're very confident against that team."

 

"Everybody knows that with Shaq and Wade, it'd be tough," Hinrich said. "But we think we could beat Miami.

 

"We feel we should've won last year's series, honestly. We felt we should've won Game 5. So we're confident. It's a team we're familiar with."

 

Nocioni:

"So what?" forward Andres Nocioni said. "We'd need to beat Miami, and that's it. It's the playoffs, man. If you want to get something, you need to win tough games."

 

"We don't need to be scared against the Heat," Nocioni said. "It's really difficult to beat them, but I think this year is different. We are playing much, much better than last year. We are playing with a lot of confidence.

 

Remember, these quotes were made before the NJ game.

 

So you want Hinrich and Noc to just shut up when the reporters ask about the Heat. Heat - Bulls is a much sexier match up than Nets/Wizards/Magic - Bulls.

 

And if Wade or Shaq got trash talking from what Hinrich or Noc said, I don't know how either passed 3 years of college.

 

Well no, obviously they asked them direct questions about the Heat. I'd prefer an answer that shows focus and determination like "We are only worried about beating New Jersey and clinching the 2 seed. We will worry about the Heat if we match up against them"

 

This is a lot like the Mark Prior "I"m just an employee" debate. Pretty useless and lets not read too much into this. This isn't the Bulls year to win it all. Next year will be when Tyrus has another year of experience and we have Roy Hibbert helping out in the middle.

 

We said the same thing last year about this year was "the year we'll go far in the playoffs."

 

We have to win a series this year in the playoffs. If we don't, Skiles should be on thin ice.

[Soul]

Anyone think the Bulls will be doing whatever possible (in a non-cheap way) to make Wade worry about that shoulder? Force him to drive the opposite way and expose it on offense, force him to run into a lot of picks on defense, etc.

 

I hope that's what we do. When we foul him, we better foul him hard.

 

I think it likely that the refs will be on the lookout for that. Wade's a superstar -- the league's not going to tolerate any attempt to harm him.

 

That's one of the problems with playing the Heat in this situation. As long as Wade can still play his game -- and it appears he can -- you aren't even going to be able to touch the guy. He's going to get the Gretzky treatment.

[jmajew]

If I recall correctly everyone said we had no chance of going deep in the playoffs without an inside threat. We still do not have an inside threat so how can people now assume we will go deep in the playoffs. My ideal situation would be to work out a deal that would get us Jermaine Oneal in the offseason. Maybe we could give up Duhon, the 10th pick, and do a sign a trade with Nocioni.

 

With no inside threat our steaky shooting will be the death of us. Permieter oriented teams never win. Unless they have someone on the inside who can score when the guards are cold.

[Derwood]

If I recall correctly everyone said we had no chance of going deep in the playoffs without an inside threat. We still do not have an inside threat so how can people now assume we will go deep in the playoffs. My ideal situation would be to work out a deal that would get us Jermaine Oneal in the offseason. Maybe we could give up Duhon, the 10th pick, and do a sign a trade with Nocioni.

 

With no inside threat our steaky shooting will be the death of us. Permieter oriented teams never win. Unless they have someone on the inside who can score when the guards are cold.

 

who was the inside threat in the last bulls dynasty?

[Exile on Waveland]

If I recall correctly everyone said we had no chance of going deep in the playoffs without an inside threat. We still do not have an inside threat so how can people now assume we will go deep in the playoffs. My ideal situation would be to work out a deal that would get us Jermaine Oneal in the offseason. Maybe we could give up Duhon, the 10th pick, and do a sign a trade with Nocioni.

 

With no inside threat our steaky shooting will be the death of us. Permieter oriented teams never win. Unless they have someone on the inside who can score when the guards are cold.

 

Not that the Pacers have made great deals recently, but the Bulls would either have to a) give up more or b) take on Tinsley or another bad contract along with O'Neal for the Pacers to accept that deal. That said, as a Pacer fan, I'd be very interested in some incarnation of O'Neal to the Bulls for young players/draft picks.

Edited April 19, 2007 by Exile on Waveland

[Exile on Waveland]

If I recall correctly everyone said we had no chance of going deep in the playoffs without an inside threat. We still do not have an inside threat so how can people now assume we will go deep in the playoffs. My ideal situation would be to work out a deal that would get us Jermaine Oneal in the offseason. Maybe we could give up Duhon, the 10th pick, and do a sign a trade with Nocioni.

 

With no inside threat our steaky shooting will be the death of us. Permieter oriented teams never win. Unless they have someone on the inside who can score when the guards are cold.

 

who was the inside threat in the last bulls dynasty?

 

That team had Michael Jordan. Jordan, and the 90's Bulls, are the exception that proves the rule. C'mon, this Bulls team is very close to contending for the NBA Championship but there isn't a Jordan on the roster.

[jmajew]

If I recall correctly everyone said we had no chance of going deep in the playoffs without an inside threat. We still do not have an inside threat so how can people now assume we will go deep in the playoffs. My ideal situation would be to work out a deal that would get us Jermaine Oneal in the offseason. Maybe we could give up Duhon, the 10th pick, and do a sign a trade with Nocioni.

 

With no inside threat our steaky shooting will be the death of us. Permieter oriented teams never win. Unless they have someone on the inside who can score when the guards are cold.

 

who was the inside threat in the last bulls dynasty?

 

Both Jordan and Pippen were able to post up. Thus taking higher pecentage shots. No one one this current team can post up.

 

Therefore, both Jordan and Pippen were inside threats. Just like at the deadline there was talk of the bulls trading for Bonzi Wells because he was a guard who could post up and could provide a consistent inside threat.

 

How often do you see anyone on this team back someone down like Jordan and Pippen did?

[UMFan83]

If I recall correctly everyone said we had no chance of going deep in the playoffs without an inside threat. We still do not have an inside threat so how can people now assume we will go deep in the playoffs. My ideal situation would be to work out a deal that would get us Jermaine Oneal in the offseason. Maybe we could give up Duhon, the 10th pick, and do a sign a trade with Nocioni.

 

With no inside threat our steaky shooting will be the death of us. Permieter oriented teams never win. Unless they have someone on the inside who can score when the guards are cold.

 

Not the Pacers have made great deals recently, but the Bulls would either have to a) give up more or b) take on Tinsley or another bad contract along with O'Neal for the Pacers to accept that deal. That said, as a Pacer fan, I'd be very interested in some incarnation of O'Neal to the Bulls for young players/draft picks.

 

Tyrus, Duhon, 10th pick for JO?