That game was awful. Just terrible. It is obvious we are not the team that Detroit is.
"From my seat, when they want to do something out there, they do it," coach Scott Skiles said. "When they want to penetrate, they penetrate. When they want to shoot threes, they shoot threes. Even when we're guarding them, they've been able to make shots."You got that right, Scott. As Prince was killing us, I thought, "No wonder they didn't draft Carmelo. This guy's the best small forward in the league." I couldn't be more impressed with Detroit.
I have thoughts about the Bulls flaws. They have a few. They are small. I've got some ideas about what they need. Size, size, and more size. But I don't think they need to blow it up.
Plus, there is another game to be played. How a team plays, at home, when facing elimination is important.
Has football season started yet?
2 comments:
Prince is hardly the best small forward in the league, but he is a really good small forward on a team full of great role players. He is never double teamed (like other small forwards Lebron and Melo), and he doesn't have to do everything for his team to win (nor could he). That team runs on the engine of Billups, and Rip Hamilton, and when Rasheed is stroking three point bombs it makes all the difference in the world. Put Prince on the Cavs in place of Lebron and they don't even make the playoffs this year.
The Bulls are very good, and they are seriously loaded for the future. They certainly don't need size unless Oden ends up on a contender in the East, and even then they have a few years before they can develop a team around him. Don't forget what Ben Wallace did to Shaq in the first round. With zone defenses allowed in the NBA there isn't much place for seven footers unless they can spread the floor and run the break (which is only a few seven footers in the league right now). With a few exceptions (IE: teams with dominant big men like Duncan of which the Bulls would need a miracle to lure) the trend in the NBA is leaning more towards faster players and big men that can shoot.
Had the Bulls not collapsed (in epic fashion) in the third quarter of game 3 this series would be tied. Yes, Detroit is a better team, but they have alot of creaky knees on that roster. Their time is right NOW, and maybe next year at best. For the Bulls to be as close as they are and as young as they are speaks volumes towards what they will be in the future. Don't forget that two of their starting five (Gordon and Deng) are still in their rookie contracts, and captain Kirk just signed a long term deal of his own. Once Thabo (another rookie) figures out the philosophy of Skiles and gets some more PT he will shut down guys Prince on a regular basis. Tyrus Thomas could have been a sophomore at LSU this year. How ridiculous is that? I'm convinced the guy has had at least ten blocked shots this year that were called goal tending because NBA refs have never seen anyone block shots as high as he has.
Prince is a good player, but Luol Deng will be twice as good in a few years. He's probably better right now.
Thanks Anon, I needed that, and the Bulls win yesterday.
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