bball

[Valandil]

We're halfway through another regular season.

REALLY happy with the Bulls here in Chicago. Didn't get one of those supposedly prime, star-power free agents (James, Wade, Bosh - all in Miami), but:
* We DID acquire Carlos Boozer. I had not seem him play a whole lot before, but I am really impressed with him. He's a good player, and he works hard. He missed the start of the season, and once he came in - he fit right in.
* Joaquim (SP?) Noah is really turning into a heckuva player! He's a rebounding machine, and although he's not as muscular as some of the classic centers, he can do things those guys cannot do - like run the floor, take a rebound coast-to-coast, etc. He had a great start this year - is presently out for a couple months due to midseason surgery, but is due back in mid- to late-February. We expect the Bulls to really rock once he's back. If you don't know - he's the son of former French tennis star, Jannick Noah.
* Because they cleared so much room, hoping to make the major free agent acquisition, there's been a lot of changover. The new guys fit in quite well - including Kyle Korver, who has been hitting some nice 3's for us lately.
* Continued development of Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and... Derrick Rose! Rose is becoming a fantastic player. Just watch this guy!

Within the past several weeks, the Bulls have beaten the Lakers, the Celtics and the Heat. All at home - but we've been without Noah for all those games (the Heat were also without Lebron James). We also lost a few within the past week to teams we should beat - so they need to learn to take care of business against those kinds of teams and not let them take games from you. But... they'll learn that. One of the best records in the East right now, although for all but a few games, we had either Boozer or Noah out of action. Both were out yesterday, and the Bulls won, with D Rose getting his first ever triple-double... not bad for a guard!

These guys are young and we're thinking this team could be very good for years to come.