I'm Happy!

No matter what happens the rest of this road trip, I'm happy. Before the trip started I wanted a minimum of three wins and last night after a great win against the Spurs the Bulls accomplished this feat! More impressive, the Bulls beat three Western playoff teams: the Suns, Rockets and Spurs. In fact, they swept the Spurs this year. This is one of the only teams that is supposed to challenge the Lakers out West and the BULS SWEPT THEM?! Amazing! Looking forward, the Bulls go to Oklahoma City tomorrow night and then head to New Orleans on Friday to wrap up their longest trip of the season. It's an awful lot to ask for the Bulls to beat either of those teams, but then I didn't think they had any chance against the Spurs with Rose sick and Noah hobbled. So anything is possible. Regardless of the outcome, I am happy with three wins...BUT I'D BE REALLY HAPPY WITH FOUR!

So this doesn't mean the Bulls are going to contend for a title, but it does mean they should easily make the playoffs and even fight for that fifth seed (they are currently 1.5 games back) which means they COULD, not should, but could win a playoff series. This also doesn't mean VDN is the coach of the future. It does mean he will no doubt hold onto his job for the season, but who knows what the off season will hold. This also doesn't mean the Bulls won't make any major moves at the trade deadline. I think anyone not named Rose or Noah is on the block and the goal more than anything else is to get cap space for this off season. One interesting name that would give cap space and be a stud is Amar'e Stoudamire. It sounds like the Suns will take the best offer at the deadline because they know they aren't going to be bringing him back after he opts out of his contract. So if the Bulls make a move for him, it gives the organization an opportunity to resign Amar'e for the Maximum six years (which scares me because of his injury history, but sometimes you just have to go for it) or let him go and go after a bigger fish. No matter what happens at the deadline, I hope they hold onto Deng. He is the perfect compliment to Rose, Noah, and any other scorer they bring in. Deng doesn't need the ball to be effective, he is a great mid range shooter, one of the best defenders at his position, and is a very unselfish player! Championships are won when he is your third or fourth best player, like hopefully next season.

Bulls Notes:

Both Noah and Rose continue to impress every night playing at all-star levels despite being nowhere near 100%. The all-star reserves are announced Thursday and both players deserve it, but if only one makes the team I'll understand, but I will be downright pissed if neither makes it!

I know the Bulls are looking to trade Kirk Hinrich, but I hope they can figure out a way to keep him and still get the necessary money to make a run at a big FA. With Hinrich finally starting to shoot close to his career norms, the Bulls are becoming a very difficult team to match up against. Plus Hinrich just bothers people on defense. No one wants him to guard them and he is capable of guarding three positions. Last night he guarded Tony Parker, George Hill, and Roger Mason. In last years playoffs he guarded Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. How many players in the League can do that?

If the Bulls make a major move it will definitely involve Tyrus Thomas. Which is fine, the organization has already given up on him. But I hope the Bulls include Taj, James Johnson, or John Salmons before they include Deng or Hinrich. Potential is nothing compared to guys that actually produce (unless the Bulls can get Anthony Randolphy, that type of potential is worth a lot)!

Another Big Win!

The Bulls are now 2-2 on this seven game west coast trip after beating Houston WITHOUT Joakim Noah. Just an extraordinary effort from everyone last night. John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich were stellar combining for 24 points and excellent defense. Taj grabbed 14 boards (although he was out of position a lot on defense). Tyrus had 6 blocks in only 23 minutes. And Derrick Rose was his normal all-star self notching 20 points on 14 shots. But the player of the game was Brad Miller who started in the place of Noah. Miller had a season high 25 points and hit shots from everywhere including going 2-2 on threes. He only grabbed 5 boards, but his last one was the biggest of the game. It came off of a missed Taj Gibson free throw with less than a minute to play and allowed Rose to hit the clinching floater. This game proved to me, that maybe Miller isn't done just yet. Maybe he will get his shooting percentage up and show the swagger that he showed in last years playoffs. No matter how you look at it, this was a huge win.

Bulls Notes:

I can't believe the Bulls lose when Salmons or Hinrich is out (LAC and GS) but wins when Noah is out against a far superior opponent (HOU). That just doesn't make sense, I guess this team really is only as good as it's Two Guard!

The Bulls offense in the first half was the best it's been all year. They ran when they could, ran plays for Deng in the half court, ran the occasional screen and roll, and moved the ball exceptionally well. Hence the 64 point first half. The second half was a whole other story. It seemed to me, the entire second half was in the half court and every play was a high screen and roll with either Hinrich at the point and Gibson setting the screen, or Rose at the point and either Gibson or MIller setting the screen. EVERY TIME! I mean for GODSAKE, WHAT IS GIBSON GOING TO DO WITH THE BALL 20 FEET FROM THE HOOP!? After about the third time, the Rockets just doubled our Point Guard, forced him to pass it and then he would eventually get it back at the top of the key with 8 seconds left on the shot clock. So basically the Bulls would waste 16 seconds just to get the ball right back where it started. Completely pointless! AND VDN NEVER CHANGED THE PLAY. Thank God Rose is a stud otherwise this would have been another loss we could 'choke' up to a crappy coach!

Other NBA Notes:

The NJ Nets have still only won 3 games and they are on pace to tie the 76ers record of only 9 wins on the season. It looks like the tanking for College Stud John Wall has started early this year!

I have one hope for the Western Conference Playoffs, that the Spurs finish with the four or five seed. Why you ask? Because I want them to have to play the Lakers in the second round. I don't think I can take a Conference Finals where either the Lakers or the Spurs will win. It will just be too sad to watch.

Amar'e Stoudemire said today that his decision to stay or leave Phoenix will be based on whether or not he thinks that team can win in the playoffs. First off, he's lying. Second off, if that's true, he's definitely leaving. The Suns will be lucky to make the playoffs this year and will have no shot at getting out of the first round!

As much as I am not a fan of the style the Blazers usually play, Nate McMillan has to be the favorite for coach of the year right now. The team is the fourth seed in the West and has lost almost every single impact player for at least a couple of games. The latest is All-Star Brandon Roy and yet the team keeps winning. I mean the Bulls can't win when Salmons sits out, imagine if Rose actually missed a game or two! Although, it has been reported that the change of style is due more to Andre Miller begging the Coach to turn him loose than anything else, but still.

There are going to be three teams in the West who end up with a record above .500 and yet still miss the playoffs. The funniest part about this, there are going to be 2 or 3 teams in the East that make into the playoffs with a record below .500.

A Shocking Victory!

Last night my beloved Bulls went into Phoenix and beat the Suns 115 to 104. And even more amazing, everyone was healthy for the Bulls. Apparently that is the key, if anyone is out for the Bulls they suck, if everyone is playing they don't suck. When your team only goes 8 deep and you lose a guy it obviously hurts, I just didn't think losing Hinrich or Salmons for one game would make that huge of difference, but it does. So for the Bulls to make any noise in the East everyone has to play and at least one player not named Rose, Deng, and Noah has to play well. That isn't asking to much most nights, like last night, but when someone is injured it's apparently asking a ton!

So the Bulls play the tough Rockets tonight and a win will put them at 2-2 on this agonizing 7 game road trip, which is right where I want them to be, I just thought they would beat the crappy teams and lose to the good ones!

Some Bulls notes:

Taj Gibson is flat out terrible and should be playing 15 minutes a game max. He may have ended up with 8 boards, but none of them came in traffic and he was constantly out rebounded on both ends of the floor by whoever he was guarding, whether it was Frye, Stoudemire, or Dudley! And that is just inexcusable.

Derrick Rose is pretty much a stud, we all know it, and I really hope he makes his first all-star game. Few players have been better since November and the tear that he is on since December is just crazy good! Moving forward, the Bulls need a consistent two guard because last night Hinrich and Salmons must have blown about 8 assists by missing WIDE open jumpers. And I mean WIDE open!

I am pretty confident I don't want Amar'e Stoudemire. I think if you gave Tyrus Thomas 35 minutes a game, the difference between the two would be negligible. YES, Amar'e will always be a better offensive player, but he is completely lost defensively and is an average rebounder at best. Tyrus could easily average 15ppg and 9 boards with 35+ minutes night, plus he would block 3-4 shots and average 2+steals. Those are huge numbers, too bad he's going to get them for someone else next season!

The only true flaw to Noah's game, he commits at least one stupid foul every night. And that sometimes (like last night) is the difference between him being in foul trouble and him playing 35+ minutes. If he cuts out that truly dumb foul he will hardly ever be in foul trouble and have to sit on the bench.

As I said earlier, as Hinrich and Salmons go, so to go the Bulls. Sad but true, if they play well the Bulls win, if they suck they lost to the likes of NJ, GS, and LAC!

A Terrible Team!

There isn't much else to say. So I'm not going to say much until the Bulls at the very least play a decent game! Because that loss against the Clippers was downright PATHETIC!

BIg Night Tonight!

If the Bulls lose to the Clippers tonight, 0-7 is definitely in play for this West Coast road trip. So I will be up late, 1am give or take hoping the Bulls can show some life tonight. A loss would be really heartbreaking and will most likely get serious trade chatter started. There is already major talk of Hinrich, Salmons, and Tyrus being moved, and if the Bulls lose tonight I would be surprised if at least one deal wasn't made by the deadline!

0-7?

Don't count it out! The Bulls could very easily go 0 for the West Coast road trip. They looked disinterested last night against the Warriors and refused to make any changes throughout the game. Last night was the worst team they'll face on this seven game trip so 0-7 is very possible. There is no good news, there is no silver lining, this could be the end of the season!

Longest Trip of the Season...

Is starting on Monday. The Bulls will be away from home for more than two weeks and a total of seven games. Three of them will be on the west coast (GS, LAC, and PHO), two in Texas (HOU & SA), and the last two in the midwest (OKC & NO). As always, the Bulls suck on the road so this could be a very long trip in more ways than one.

The good news, the Bulls are completely healthy, Derrick Rose and Noah look AWESOME, and everyone of these games is winnable. Unlike the first west coast trip, there is no LAL or Denver Nuggets on this list. The Warriors and Clippers are terrible and the Bulls already handily beat the Warriors once this season. The Bulls lead at the half against the Thunder before only scoring 14 points in the third quarter and never recovering. And Houston really isn't good, they just play hard and smart (which is saying something, but come on!) and a team like the Bulls with way more talent should be able to handle them. So that really only leaves the Hornets, Suns and the Spurs. The Hornets are struggling and only go three players deep. If the Bulls can neutralize West and Okafor they should win that game. Because no matter what Paul does, if those guys aren't putting up big numbers, they aren't beating anyone. As for the Suns, it all depends on how the Bulls D plays. If it comes up big they have a shot, if not they'll most likely get blown out. And lastly, the Spurs. The Spurs are beatable and the Bulls have already beaten them once, but let's be honest, unless the Bulls play one of their best games of the year they aren't beating the Spurs on the road.

So breaking this down it would seem the Bulls should easily go 5-2 with wins over LAC, GS, HOU, NO, and possibly OKC and a possible loss to the Suns and a definite loss to the Spurs. This is of course waaaaay to optimistic. No matter what the talent level the Bulls seem to suck on the road and the coach doesn't seem capable of getting the best out his players away from Chicago. What I am really rooting for is 4-3 but I would settle for 3-4. Anything less than three wins on this road trip is a huge HUGE failure! The Bulls should dominate the Warriors and Clippers. They are better at every position and they actually play defense (top ten defense in the league) unlike the Clips and Warriors. The Suns are playing terrible right now so they should have a fifty-fifty shot at that one. The Rockets really are the biggest surprise of the year. Their team is loaded with role players, which is just amazing, seriously how does that team win? And yet they are 22-18. Nonetheless the Bulls are more talented and every bit as good defensively, so I give them another 50-50 shot in that game. The Bulls will most likely get crushed by the Spurs, so let's move on. The Thunder are just a tick better than the Bulls so that's going to be tough, but the Bulls have already dominated the Hornets once. So that adds up to 4-3 or 3-4. I'll take either one, but 4-3 would be proof that the Bulls are trending up and maybe even made the right decision in not firing VDN. Anything less than 3 wins and it's just more proof that Del Negro never should have been hired and definitely should have been fired in early December.

Other Notes:

MLK day is one of the greatest days of the year. Not just for one of the most influential men ever, but also because the NBA celebrates this day with basketball all day long (including a 4pm eastern Bulls game). It's good fun all day and I love it that the NBA plays a nationally televised game in Memphis. It's good to see the NBA get it right since there is potential to screw these things up.

The Bosh for Bynum Rumor is never going to happen, at least not this season. Bynum is a Base Year Contract player which means his trade value is only half his contract. There is no way Toronto is taking on even more money to trade away their best player. I think it's a good trade for both teams, but it won't happen, at least not until the offseason in a sign and trade.

I'm going to just come out and say it, if the Cavs make it to the Finals, regardless of if they win or lose, LeBron is staying. If the Cavs lose in the second or third round he is going to play in New York, LA, Miami, or the good Lord willing Chicago! By the way, those four cities (the Nets are moving to Brooklyn so they count as New York, it's just a matter of time) plus the players' current team's are the only ones that need apply for the services of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Joe Johnson and Amar'e. And realistically, none of those guys is going to sign with the Clippers, so you can almost take them off of that list.

2 Big Wins in a Row?

I don't believe what I saw last night. The Bulls winning in double OT after beating the Celtics the night before. Yes the C's were playing their fifth game in seven nights and were missing both Rasheed and KG, but I don't care. Those are two quality wins. And last night Derrick Rose was nothing short of spectacular, Deng was his usual excellent self, Noah was a beast all night long and even John Salmons hit two big buckets! Who would have thought? Anyway, the Bulls are about to spend a lot of time on the road, so every win is big at this point. I don't have to much to say about the game, other than I was jumping up and down at every turn!

Other Notes:

Blake Griffin is done for the year! It's sad and in my mind it means there is no chance any major free agents will sign there this off season. Who wants to play for a franchise that is this cursed and who wants to play for Donald Sterling? Not LBJ, Wade or any of the marquee names out there that's for sure.

I don't care what the potential negative long term significance is for the Wizards, if they are smart they will try to nix Arenas' contract. He just plead guilty to a felony gun charge and thereby could be in breach of his contract. The long term ramifications could be serious for the Wizards: Players not wanting to sign with them because of the thought the team doesn't back them, the Wizards losing and then having to find a way to keep Arenas around and integrate him back into the lineup, or the fact that if Arenas is gone and the Wiz trade Butler and Jamison they will literally have no one left on the team. None of this matters though, what matters is the Wizards are hemorrhaging money and they won't make a dime for years if they keep Arenas' contract. If there is even a slim chance of getting it voided they need to go for it. Besides, I don't think the long term effects will be severe regardless of the outcome. Players have proven they don't care where they play as long the check doesn't bounce and if the Wiz lose who cares? They've already made it clear they don't want Gilbert so what's the difference now? They're losing money, so how much worse can it get? Especially if they trade Bulter and Jamison, they won't have anyone on the team anyway, so what is Gilbert going to do? Pout? Who cares, at that point your only talking about 20 wins anyway. My point, try to void the contract at all costs!!! It could actually save your franchise!

Apparently, the Bucks are Better than the Bulls!

I'm just as shocked as everyone else, but it's true. The Bucks have now beaten the Bulls two times in a row and will probably continue to beat them all season long. I'm actually running out of things to say about my beloved Bulls, so I'll sum up.

The team is more talented than all but the top eight or so teams in the league, yet their record is terrible. Their offensive and defensive schemes are just plain awful. They don't rotate well, they don't box out well, they only run one offensive play, and they don't fast break enough. VDN has turned one of the great true point guards in the league into a scorer. No one gets less out of talent than VDN. Tyrus continues to play 20 minutes a night instead of 30. Taj continues to get more minutes than Tyrus. Miller continues to play waaaaay too many minutes in the fourth quarter, and sadly John Salmons still kinda sucks. There are two solutions: Fire the coach (which apparently will never happen) or make major trades (which may happen, but I doubt it). So as a fan, I keep rooting for them, but deep down I know this team is going nowhere this season.

Other NBA notes:

Does anyone have the green light like Monta Ellis does in GS? It's amazing to watch, and fun. But I doubt it will lead to enough wins for them to compete for a playoff spot. Ellis can do whatever he wants during the game and he plays almost the whole game. It's great...He goes one on five, he goes coast to coast, and the entire offense revolves around him. He is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the league right now.

Speaking of Golden State, I could not be more depressed that Anthony Randolph may have broken his ankle. This means he won't get traded, which means he's stuck in GS, which means he won't ever develop into the star he should be. The whole thing is depressing.

What the hell is wrong with Orlando? Yes they're 24-12, which is still pretty good, but they've lost FOUR straight games to really crappy teams (yes I include the Bulls in this list). I'll be honest I haven't watched them during this streak, except against the Bulls, so I'm not sure what's missing. But the top four teams in the East are tough, and home court advantage is going to be huge. So for the Magic to have any real shot in the playoffs they need to turn this thing around quickly!

The only thing I'm going to say about the Gilbert Arenas gun thing is this: I hope the Wizards can void his contract and this serves as a lesson to everyone in the League. Man he's stupid.

I really hope Dallas is for real! I think they are my favorite contending team in the West and probably my third or fourth favorite team in the League behind the Bulls, OKC, and then it's a tie with them and Phoenix. My biggest worry with the Mavs, I still think their season depends on the play of Josh Howard, especially come playoff time. And I'm not sure that is a good thing.

Nothing would make me happier than the Lakers and Spurs having to play each other in the semi finals in the playoffs. I am so tired of seeing these two teams play for a chance to go to the Finals. I am beyond bored of it!

The 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds in the West are going to be decided on the last day of the season. There are really only two or three teams out West that have no shot at the playoffs, which means April should be really exciting! I hope Both OKC and Memphis make the playoffs, and I hope Utah finally misses them.

It's a Disaster, AGAIN!

So the Bulls lost to the lowly Bobcats last night, and they officially suck again, and are officially on Coach Watch. So my buddy sumner came up with a nice list of available coaches to replace VDN or any other crappy coach that should be fired.

"Here are some coaches out there, not only for the bulls but if some other people think their coach should be fired then they have to ask themselves "and replace them with who?"...

Here's some coaches out there for all you fans who are ready to throw yours out the window:

1 - Mike Budenholzer (Popovich's right hand man)

2 - Brian Shaw (Lakers assistant)

3 - John Kuester (Cleveland assistant)

4 - Avery Johnson (former COY)

5 - Sam Mitchell (former COY)

6 - Jeff Van Gundy (former grabber of center's legs)

7 - Eric Mussleman (Kings gave him a shot; strong resume; will get another shot one day)

8 - Reggie Theus (canned by Kings with no talent team)

9 - Lawrence Frank (will get another shot)

10 - Randy Wittman (may be an assistant for life)

11 - Michael Curry (uugghh)

12 - Mark Jackson (who can't string a sentence so well but landed a telecaster job so will probably be a coach someday)

13 - Patrick Ewing (this would be a disaster)

14 - Bill Lambier (I'm very curious to see how he could do)

15 - Isaiah Thomas (hehe - please hold your applause)

16 - Rudy Tomazavich (may be retired due to health issues or due to trying to coach Kobe Bryant)

17 - Kevin McHale

I'm sure there a bunch more former players that are trying to convince someone they can coach with no experience."

Anyway, Thanks Gray. On this list I love Sam Mitchell, Avery Johnson, Lawrence Frank, and just for fun Bill Lambier. How great would it be to see Billy coaching the Bulls. The comedy would be off the charts!

14 Points!

That's how many the Bulls scored in the third quarter tonight. Let me tell you something, when you only score 14 points in a quarter, you aren't going to win too many games. So why did the Bulls score so poorly? A couple of reasons. 1. The refs didn't do them any favors by letting them play. There were four or five obvious fouls in that quarter that should have led to free throws, but unfortunately weren't called. If they, it would have been a whole different ball game. 2. The Bulls missed WIDE OPEN SHOTS! And I mean wide open! And when the Bulls are missing open jumpers they are pretty terrible. 3. A bad string of turnovers and stupid decisions in the middle of the quarter that the team never recovered from. This is all the players, there is no excuse for stupid play, I'd like to blame VDN for this, but watching the game, I can't. This falls on the players...At least tonight.

So the Bulls lost, nothing new. If they bounce back tomorrow and beat the Bobcats then I'll continue to have faith in them being a playoff team. If they lose tomorrow then I'll go back into panic mode.

One note about the game, Tyrus Thomas (again I love him and wish they would keep him and develop him) looked terrible in his 20 minutes tonight. Yes, he should always get at least 30 minutes no matter what he is doing, but he looked particularly bad tonight. I don't mind him taking open jumpers, as long as they're inside 15 feet. Anything outside of that is too far and should be considered out of his range. Tonight, especially in the third quarter, he was settling for 18-20 footers and it definitely got him benched in the first half. To me, this is a coaching issue. Tell Tyrus to move closer and you will play 30 minutes. The problem of course is then VDN has to back it up, which we know he won't do. This whole Thomas thing has made me sad, unfortunately for my own sanity I wish they would trade him. I just can't stand seeing him sit on the bench.

Bulls Trade Talk

Apparently the Bulls are in early talks with the Wizards about Caron Butler. The early proposed trade is Butler and Mike James expiring deal for Hinrich and Jerome James expiring deal.

As a Bulls fan I would do this in a heart beat! I love Hinrich, but Butler solves our problem long term at the two or at least for the next few years. Butler can score, defend, and is unselfish. He's really just a better and taller version of Kirk. The only downside of course, is that Hinrich is the backup PG as well as the starting SG. But I think VDN can find someone to play point for 12 minutes a game. Give Pargo a chance he's dying to get into the game.

Anyway I hope the Bulls do something, and this would be a big something. In this scenario the Bulls still have FA money for the summer, but I wouldn't mind if they then tried to get a guy like David West or some other PF if one comes available at the deadline. A team with Rose, Butler, Deng, PF? and Noah would be pretty tough this year, and really tough in a year or two!

Derrick Rose is Officially Back!

Last night Rose dominated the Orlando Magic from the word Go! He was the fastest guy on the court, he controlled the tempo of the game, and he went wherever he wanted. The Bulls pulled off a big upset by beating the Magic 101-93, but in reality the game wasn't even that close because of Rose. Whenever it looked like the Magic might make a little run Derrick got into the paint or created a wide open jumper for himself or one of his teammates. Maybe we shouldn't be all that surprised the Bulls won? Maybe the reason the Bulls struggled earlier was because Rose wasn't healthy? Maybe this isn't all VDN's fault? OK, that last one was a little joke. It has never been ALL VDN's fault, but as coach he gets the most blame for losses (it goes with the job) and of course he is the worst coach in the league.

With Rose running rampant all over the league right now, the Bulls are looking like the team I thought they'd be. The ball is moving, the Defense is tough, and they are getting out and running. There is no reason this team shouldn't score 100 points every night, NONE!

It wasn't all good news last night, Noah was foul trouble (which isn't surprising playing against Dwight Howard) and for some unknown reason only played the last minute in the fourth quarter despite having only 4 fouls. How many times does Brad Miller have to prove he can't play a whole quarter? he is good in 6 minute bursts and then he is clearly gassed (which was evident as he missed a wide open jumper so badly in the 4th it banked off the backboard and never hit the rim). Taj Gibson played 30+ minutes (quality minutes might I add, but still) while Tyrus only played 14! Seriously FOURTEEN MINUTES! It's classic VDN all over again. Especially because in the first half Tyrus was awesome! Taking the ball to the hoop, grabbing tough rebounds, and being a general nuisance for the Magic. But apparently one mistake in the third quarter is enough to get you benched for a rookie! Let me repeat, VDN NEEDS TO BE FIRED NOW! It's for the good of the franchise.

Anyway, it was a great win and if Rose keeps up the pace good things are always going to happen. The next game is at home vs. OKC and Kevin Durant. That's a very winnable game because Deng will be able to guard Durant as well as anyone. And even Tyrus may get some minutes on him which should be fun (although VDN may screw this up).

Other notes:

Will teams stop letting Kobe Bryant get the ball at the end of games? For God sake just double team him and make anyone else beat you with a jumper. You know why you will win if you double Kobe? Because he isn't passing in that situation...EVER! He'd rather turn the ball over, then give it up to an open teammate with 2 seconds to play!!!

Looking Good!

The Bulls are looking good for the first time in, oh I don't know, a month. Last night they beat the Detroit Pistons handily and where even up 20 in the third quarter. Of course with VDN as the coach that 20 point lead quickly went to 9, but the Pistons never seriously threatened the Bulls in the second half. The next question is when will Del Negro put Tyrus back in the starting lineup? After three games, three wins by the way, it should be clear to everyone (even VDN) that Tyrus is a far better player than Taj Gibson.

So where do the Bulls go now? They've won three in a row, sadly they've just finished one of the two weakest parts of the schedule (the other is the month of April where they only play two teams with records above .500), and they are clearly keeping the coach for the rest of the season. In my mind, I still think they end up at .500 for the year, but my prediction of 45 wins seems pretty lofty at this point. But, the team is finally healthy and even John Salmons is contributing now that he's been moved to the bench so anything is possible. The team should have at least one all-star in Noah. He is without question the second best center in the East behind Dwight Howard. Brook Lopez is solid and better offensively, but the defense, rebounding, and just overall swagger of Noah makes him the back center in my book. I also think Derrick Rose has an outside shot at making it as a back up point guard IF the Bulls continue to win and he dominates in January the same way he's been dominating in the last few weeks. He still has a lot of buzz about him and a big January could put him contention with Mo Williams, Devin Harris etc...

Other NBA Notes...

*I was obviously wrong about T-Mac, but I was right they didn't want him anywhere near the team. T-Mac was "showcased" in 7 minute increments and has now taken a leave from the team because Rick Adelman (one of my favorite coaches) refuses to increase his minutes. I've been tired of McGrady and watching him settle for jump shots for years, so I'm really excited about this. As I said earlier in the year, he'll either be traded or bought out right after the trade deadline. He has a 20 million dollar expiring deal, so there should be plenty of teams interested (Pick up the phone Houston, it's the Hornets) and it might be possible to pick up a pretty talented player for that type of savings.

*I am not as high on the Lakers as I used to be, because Kobe is in serious JACKER mode this year. He's averaging almost 3 shots more per game than he did last season. Kobe fans will see that as a plus, me, not so much. I think this could doom them come playoff and Finals time. The two weaknesses of the Lakers, Derek Fisher sucks (even though he gets away with murder. Like in the x-mas day game where Fisher jumped in front of LeBron who was jogging up the court and FISHER got the foul call! Who gets that? If Fisher is getting calls AGAINST LeBron, clearly he can do whatever he wants.) and when Kobe starts missing in jacker mode, he just keeps shooting. That's why the Celtics beat them two years ago and why a defensive team like the Celtics, Cavs and Spurs could all beat the Lakers.