Tyrus Thomas continues to amaze at an alarming rate

April 3rd, 2007 | Posted by PostmanR

Via The Basketball Jones, a site we’ve already snagged a video from this week, comes Tyrus Thomas straight clownin’ Josh Smith over the weekend. I admit, I was a bit skeptical when the Bulls traded for him in this summer’s draft, but the man has made a believer out of me.

And don’t forget what he did against the Cavs on Saturday. Observe:

Take that, Zydrunas Ilgauskas!

(Also seen at: NBA FanHouse)

Case of the Mondays: Arriving, finally, at four

March 26th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

Continuing its direct departure from last year’s tournament, the Final Four this year is everyone’s guess: two No. 1 seeds and the two No. 2’s most people saw as potential Final Four teams. Whodathunkit?

Fortunately, the lack of surprise in the outcomes hasn’t held back the level of play, which (and this is a completely subjective appraisal, I know) has been much better than last year. Last year’s UConn-George Mason heartwarmer aside, this year’s Elite Eight was far better, including yesterday’s Georgetown-UNC game, a battle right up until Ty Lawson decided to stop penetrating and the Tar Heels decided to stop crashing the offensive glass.

Florida took care of business rather easily, but Oregon showed they belonged at that level, which is a victory in and of itself. No moral victories, sure, but considering this Florida team they ran into, they can be happy with that showing. (On that note, our Hoosiers’ loss to UCLA is starting to look all the more relevant. If UCLA takes this thing home, who’ll remember their near loss? I will, that’s who.)

So, it’s Florida, UCLA, Georgetown and OSU. And as much as I’d like to revise my picks and take Georgetown to win the whole thing, I’ll stick with OSU. But if there’s anyone that can negate the influence of Greg Oden, it’s Roy Hibbert. We’ll see.

(Oh, and by the way, let’s not forget Georgetown shouldn’t even be here. In case you still agree with Billy Packer [commenter law, I’m looking at you], here’s the link.)

NBA: Kobe got close to his fifth in a row, but didn’t quite get there, scoring 43 in a 115-113 win over the Warriors. Hyperbole aside, if Kobe can translate this points = wins formula into one or maybe even two playoff series victories this postseason, I will be ready to throw him into the top ten scorers of all time. I’d say that’s fair, huh?

In other NBA news, Denver pulled away from Cleveland late (a thoroughly entertaining game, by the way), and our boy Ben Gordon took it home at the last minute over the Pacers.

Golf: Tiger took home yet another tournament yesterday, but made it interesting at the end. If you didn’t see it, Tiger laid up twice - even hitting the shortest drive of the tournament on 18 by about 30 yards - before hitting a brilliant putt from the same spot that been destroying people all day. It won’t make the all-time Tiger Woods highlight reel, but it was a small bit of genius that showcases just how good the dude is day in, day out.

Case of the Mondays: Dwight Howard ends games with one handed dunks. He can eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast to the chest. To Dwight Howard!

February 12th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

So football’s gone. Football? What’s football? As if we needed another reason to fully cast our glare on basketball, both professional and collegiate, Dwight Howard comes along and does something utterly … well, ridiculous doesn’t even begin to describe it.

You’ve likely seen the highlight a couple times by now (though my roommates hadn’t as of early Sunday); here’s the video anyway.

Ugh. Nasty. Play of the year, not just in the NBA, but across all of sport. It’s that good.

In other NBA news, our Bulls played considerably better than they have on their entire West road trip (they were 1-6 coming into Sunday night’s game) en route to a 116-103 win over the Suns last night. That core of the future - Kirk Heinrich, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng - scored 29, 27, and 29 respectively. These guys are untouchable in any Gasol trade, if you ask me. Of course, John Paxson doesn’t.

Also, Kobe strong-armed LeBron and Co. last night for 36, but the Cavs came away with the 99-90 win. Oh, and D-Wade buried the Spurs in the 4th quarter. How’s that for leadership, Mr. Cuban? (I totally should have asked Cuban about this whole leadership thing when I had the chance.)

Oh, and Gil? I love you and all, but if you’re going to make ridiculous guarantees, at least get a fifth of the point total you promised. Yeesh.

A great deal of college basketball was played over the weekend as well, lest we forget. Let’s see if I can sum this up as concisely as possible: Duke sucks, Kentucky’s not enough, IU-Illinois is officially a rivalry, and Georgia Tech stays alive. That was actually kinda easy.

Oh, and thanks to those of you who either e-mailed or left a comment (I’m nodding in your direction, brosallman) about my LSAT Saturday morning. I feel pretty good about it. And after all, the test is mostly just logical reasoning, and I learned from the best:

I ain’t been rhymin like Common since
When your sense got that much in common
And you been hustlin since
Your inception
Fuck perception
Go with what makes sense

See? It’s easy!

Opening Association night

November 1st, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

Hey, since we’ve pretty much been all about self-indulgence this week, let’s stay with that theme, shall we?

Bulls wallop Heat of Miami. In cases such as this, we rejoice. It won’t be like this every night, but hey, we’ll take it. It felt as if we were watching the Bears on the hardwood.

Turn to the fabulous Blog-A-Bull for some happy words about last night’s game. You’ll find some sulking around these parts.

A Kobe-less (YouTube Chapelle on Kobe link) Los Angeles I’m Yours Lakers defeated the Suns last evening. Laker fans converse about their team in these parts. Suns fans get down girl, go head get down right huuur.

The start of a new day

October 31st, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

The post directly below this is a nice segue here; we can jaunt quickly from the anxiety and depression of the morning to the optimism and, dare I say, joy of the late afternoon. Joy? Yes, joy: the NBA is back.

In honor of the return of the Chicago Bulls tonight, I dreamt a post about Michael Jordan, the unabated hero of my youth, complete with a brief description and a Youtube video of the man destroying all things in his path.

But R already hit you with some vintage goodies, so I’ll opt instead for a forward-thinking model. Here’s a brief clip of the most recent Bulls introduction I could find, complete with decade-old arena scoreboard presentation and classic theme song. I don’t care you who are: if you don’t get goosebumps watching this, you either hate the Bulls, have no love for the NBA, or don’t own a soul. Or, more likely, all three.

Actually, you know what? Why not have an old-school video? Past-meets-present - here’s hoping that’s a theme of the 2006-07 Chicago Bulls.

Come on…excited yet?

Worth its unusual nature

October 22nd, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

Tyrus Thomas. Yep, he’s on our Baby Bulls. Well worth me bellying up to the keyboard as I prepare for Game 2. Enjoy.

How the East was won?

July 5th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

Big Ben Wallace moved his services from the Detroit Pistons to our Chicago Bulls on Monday. Happy, we were indeed.

Many have been quick to hail the Bulls as ‘instant contenders’ now that Wallace’s ‘fro will be patrolling the paint inside the United Center. On SportsCenter last night, Greg Anthony listed the Bulls as his No. 2 team in the East behind the Heat.

Maybe it’s my eternal pessimism for every team I root for (that’s actually exactly what it is), but I’m just not sold on Ben Wallace essentially making the Bulls THE team in the East. I know it’s a much weaker conference than the West. I know the Nets aren’t what they used to be and I know the Cavs would be nothing without LeBron. And I know the Bulls added a top-notch defender to an already above-average defense. But let’s not forgot that minus a torrid run at the end of the regular season last year, the Bulls wouldn’t have even made the playoffs.

Also, I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that the Bulls still don’t have any real inside scoring presence. The dude (Wallace) only averaged 7.3 points a game last season. Tyrus Thomas, the supposed best athlete in the draft, only averaged 12 points a game in college last year. (Although, he’s not expected to start so that’s negligible.)

Now, the Bulls are still expected to make some moves to garner a big man who can score. (P.J. Brown’s name has been thrown into the mix in a trade to get rid of an underachieving Tyson Chandler. And if they some how grab KG from Minnesota, they’ll be the best team in the East.)

So yeah, right now on paper, the Bulls look pretty good. (Minus a big man who can score.) If they make a move and get a quality big man who can put the ball in the hole, I’ll start to change my tune and hop on the board.

But hey, I’m pessimistic by nature. Bulls, please prove me wrong.

(Update: The Bulls have dealt Tyson Chandler for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. This G.M. John Paxson, he’s good.)

You spin me right round, baby right round…

June 29th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

The NBA Draft. The hope for your team’s future. The first step in a long process of franchise-building (Bobcats) or the final step in a run at the top of the league (Bulls?). Drafts are an inherently exciting device, chock with intensity and intrigue and surprise.

Last night did not dissapoint. While the Raptors did what Chad Ford said they would do since the lottery came out and selected Andrea Bargnani at the top spot, the Bulls got a little tricky with their two No. 1 picks. John Paxson and company drafted LaMarcus Aldridge only to trade him for the player they wanted anyway, Tyrus Thomas, and Victor Khyrapa. Thanks Portland! Later, they traded to get a guy, who, according to our immediate video-based impression, looks amazing. Jay Bilas agreed, which is always fun.

Those were only two of the trades, though. Commissar Stern - did I say commissar? I meant commissioner - was forced to rattle off deal after deal in the first round, usually with a distinguishable look of bemusement on his face. (Also hilarious was Stern and Dan Patrick’s little exchange in the early part of the first round; Stern was nice enough, I guess, for a guy who knows he could have Patrick killed with a snap of the fingers.)

I could go on and on about all the wheeling and dealing, but most interesting to R and I were the absences of Kevin Pittsnogle and our hometown guy, Marco Killingsworth, anywhere in the draft. We didn’t expect ol’ Marco to get drafted; he’s 24 and peaked during the Duke game in December. We did expect Pittsnogle to get the nod, though, considering his size, versatility and consistent success in college. Lack of athleticism probably killed him, but man…that dude was good, despite his ridiculous tattoos. Unfortunate.

But alas, the draft is over, and Screamin’ A. Smith has finally ceded our eardrums. HOWEVA, it’s back to work today, just another fun day at the Postm -

(On phone) Hello? Oh - hey R. Huh? Alright, I guess. Yeah. I know. It’s not personal, it’s business. These things happen. OK. Talk to you later man.

(Hangs up.) OK - sorry. I’ve gotta go. R just traded me for the rights to Bassie Telfair and cash consideration.

NBA Draft 2006 - Feel the rush

June 27th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

The NBA Draft. It’s usually - usually - not the greatest test of how your team does the next year. But this year’s different, right? No high school players, right?

Well, that might actually weaken this draft, believe it or not. NBADraft.net has that European guy, Bargnani, going 1st overall and Tyrus Thomas going 2nd to the Bulls (C’mon Bulls). Um, remember Greg Oden? Yeah, he’d definitely get drafted over both of those guys.

Either way, I’m still really excited for this thing, moreso than in recent years, and I probably shouldn’t be, given the shallow talent pool.

Without sounding too much like some sort of circus clown, let me just say - this draft could get craaaazy! Will the Bulls get a guy to push them over the hump, or just another young player on a too-young roster? Will the Raptors completely eff up this draft, as with most things concerning their franchise? Is Bargnani the new Dirk or the new Darko? Will J.J. Redick get drafted in the top 10, free to urinate on NBA groupies for years to come? Does Adam Morrison have his seizure problems under control?

Here’s a couple more draft boards to check out. NBA Draft 2006. Can you feel it?

(Apparently, there’s already a 2007 NBA Mock Draft. Will Marco Killingsworth at least be in that one?)

(Quick little amusing update. Apparently, some crazy shit is going down in Andy Katz and Chad Ford’s world over on ESPN. Rudy Gay is pictured. It just read as such: As Wednesday’s draft hurtles toward the NBA planet, the latest rumors are out of this world. Raptors fans, pay attention. If you’re a Raptors fan, and you weren’t already paying attention, you’re not a Raptors fan. Also, if your team drafts Rudy Gay, you should stop being a Raptors fan. Also - I would bet my apartment this means absolutely nothing. But we’ll see.)

Bye-bye Bullies

May 5th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

Last night, our beloved Bulls were dropped by the Heat 113-96, ending their season in the first round of the playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal (remember this guy?) showed he could still dominate a game by scoring 30 points and grabbing 20 boards in the contest.

Really, we aren’t too disappointed. The Bulls weren’t a playoff team until they put on a late season surge and sealed up a seven seed. The Heat are a far superior team talent-wise and we think the hard-nosed play of the Bulls gave them a run for their money. This team just needs one star player to push them from a mediocre club to having a chance at making a deep run in the playoffs.

And thanks to the Knicks being downright terrible this season and the Bulls getting their pick in the draft this year, we’re hoping they can score a star in the draft (even though there isn’t quite a jaw-dropping player coming out of college.) Maybe they should trade the pick to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett?

Either way, we have faith in John Paxson and Scott Skiles.