Bulls Summer League Game II: The Clippers

I realized today that one of the big reasons that the Bulls didn't land LeBron was that Chicago management told him they wouldn't provide paid positions for all of LeBron's boys. Forget where I read that - New York Times, maybe?

If that's the case, then good riddance and I'm proud of Reinsdorf, Gar, and Pax.

Just some tidbits from tonight's game:

Derrick Rose is in attendance, taking notes on players with Randy Brown, who I believe does player development for the Bulls.

Chris Webber is one of the announcers: Cool!

The squad seems to have found a good lineup with John Lucas III (8pt, 2ast in first quarter), Matt Bouldin, Samardo Samuels, James Johnson, and Trent Plaisted. All of these guys have at least a 25% to make the team. More coming later. They're interviewing Coach Thibodeau now.

Lucas is absolutely on fire, hitting two treys in a row to open the second quarter as the Bulls lead 26-16.



So the interview with Thibodeau wasn't all that exciting. He seems like a pretty laid-back guy, he said at one point that it's important for the best players on his teams to lead, which when you have D-Rose and Noah and Boozer seems like a pretty good idea.

I see this team being hard working and talented - I just hope they can keep an even keel through adversity and maintain some serious fire, which I haven't really seen out of Tibs.

Matt Winer, the other announcer, just noted that Sofoklis Schortsanitis (aka "Greek Shaq") is in the game for the Clippers. All 315lbs of him. Webber: "I'm just goanna call him Summer Shaq, cause I can't pronounce his name."



Morris Almond, for the Bulls, was a late first-rounder in 2007 out of, I wanna say, Rice? He's getting a shot for Chicago. Just converted off a nice feed from James Johnson around Greek Shaq, and the Bulls are comfortably ahead by 14.

Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the Clips' draft class of Aminu (soft, tweener, couldn't win in college), and Bledsoe (too young!). And so far they're proving me right.

James Johnson with a nice block and maybe he's picking it up.

Some halftime stats: Bulls 39 - 22 Clippers

Al-Farouq Aminu was part of the Clipper's early 10-0 lead, scoring eight points to go with a pair of rebounds and a pair of steals.

Eric Bledsoe, in seventeen minutes, has been simply dominated by the Bulls' John Lucas, being held without a score and committing three turnovers.

Other notables on the Clippers: Willie Warren, DeAndre Jordan, Greek Shaq, Nick Caner-Medley.

Lucas, in sixteen minutes, was 4-4 from the three point line and has 14 points, two assists, and a steal.

Matt Bouldin was +23, with Trent Plaisted and Samardo Samuels both +19, and Samuels also notched a game-high seven boards.

Starters Derrick Byars and Chris Richard, on the other hand, haven't fared as well and are losing momentum to the other guys. Should be an interesting second half. Joe Alexander and Jerel McNeal have yet to play in either game, while AJ Ogilvy hasn't gotten into this one.

A nice moment there as current Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro chats up his former protege, D-Rose. I like Vinny. Nice guy. Don't think he can win a title, but a nice guy.

Bulls are going with their original lineup (Lucas, Byars, Biggs, Richard, Johnson) to start. Lucas is really owning Eric Bledsoe every time up and down. Bledsoe can't buy a bucket, and Johnny just made a 3/4 court pass to Tyrell Biggs under the basket. Chris Webber: "Just heard somebody yell out in the stands, that's a good backup for Derrick Rose, and I agree with that guy."

Chris Richard has my beard. More hair, but my beard. He's also the winningest player in Florida history. (Thanks Matt Winer for the stats)

This Bulls roster is a LOT older than the Clippers, who have a ton of rookies and second year guys. Chris Richard and James Johnson and John Lucas, even Almond, are guys that have been around awhile and spent a fair amount of time in school. Bledsoe's nineteen, Aminu's what, 20, DeAndre Jordan is 20 too! Damn. No wonder the Bulls are winning.

AWWWW... Lucas just got a GREAT fast break pass negated by a James Johnson missed dunk. Then Jeremy Richardson (Clippers) traveled and got away with it. 48-23 Bulls. They're doing to LA what Denver did to them yesterday. Chicago is 4-13 at the free throw line. Ouch.

Oh, I forgot: Johnson and Aminu probably know each other from Wake Forest, huh?



Dude, the main downside to watching these games on The Ocho is the NONSTOP WNBA commercials. "Can't Be Tamed" by Miley Cyrus, at least 30 seconds of it, just jammed into my head. If they really want to make an impression, send a WNBA team out to Summer League and see how they do.

"Chicago is on a 32-9 run since the start of the second quarter." - Winer

Matt Bouldin has a great looking three point shot. Lucas has 18 points. Could they both sneak onto the roster somehow?

Chris Webber loves Pete Carrill (he keeps calling him "Coachie"). He's been telling some great stories about their time together (in Sacramento). Webber on Sofoklis: "Was that a Greek god?" Winer: "I know Socrates was, but Sofoklis..."

Wait a second. Lucas just hit his fifth trey of the day. And Chris Richard is doing some solid hard work on Summer Shaq down in the post. Once he finally goes out late in the 3rd, Sofoklis scores a couple nice layups in a row.

Willie Warren forces a shot-clock violation on John Lucas with four seconds to go, and the third quarter ends 58-32. We'll see if anything exciting happens in the fourth, eh? Commercial time! You know what that means!



uuuuuuuuuugggggghhhh. Ooh, a Del Negro interview! Let's see.

James Johnson just missed what would have been a total POSTERIZATION of Summer Shaq.

Del Negro seems really comfortable talking about teaching younger NBA players. What strikes him about his roster? "Well, we're young. I was happy to lock up Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, Brian Cook, some veteran guys..." Gomes! Foye! Kaman! It's your 2010 Clippers!

Four quarter update: Bouldin, McClinton, Samuels, Biggs, Plaisted out there for Chicago. Samuels is no match for Baby Shaq. McClinton isn't playing badly, but it's just not showing in the stat sheet. Also, this female referee is calling every foul super tight in the fourth: WHY? It's not even close! She's auditioning too, I guess.

The Clippers, so far, have shot 26% tonight. Wow. 5 minutes left. How much am I getting paid for this?

I like Trent Plaisted. Apparently he dunked lefty on Summer Shaq earlier - he's played pretty solid in both games. So has Mo Almond. Here's how I'd rate the summer guys' shot to make the Bulls going forward, keeping in mind we have the following spots:

PG: Rose, _____
SG: Korver, Redick (?)
G: ____, _____
SF: Deng, _____
PF: Boozer, Gibson, (James Johnson?)
PF/C: _____
C: Noah, Omer Asik

Basically it looks like we have a home for at least one point and one shooting guard, maybe even one more, and probably just one big man beyond James Johnson if that. Numbers are where they stand in the pecking order after two games.

John Lucas (1) and Matt Bouldin (3), along with Morris Almond (4), probably have the best chance at those guard spots, with McClinton on the outside looking in.

At forward/center, you've got James Johnson (2), Chris Richard (6) (the favorites going in) but then Samardo Samuels (7) and Trent Plaisted (5) have both made good cases at times. Plaisted has 13 and 9 tonight and is 6-foot-11. So he's gotta be on the rise. Let's learn a little bit about the former BYU Cougar to close things out, eh?



Bulls win, 79-50! Good game, fellas.

Bulls Summer League Game One: Nuggets

How sad am I that the World Cup is over/desperate for real sports to start up again?

Well, the Chicago Bulls have their very first Las Vegas Summer League match (starting NOW on ESPN3: The Ocho) and I'm goanna watch it and report back for everybody! They're playing the Nuggets, who star Ty Lawson from UNC (28pts, 7ast in their last game) as well as J.R. Smith (what is he still doing playing Summer League?).

First off, let's take a look at the Bulls' roster. A couple of guys have NBA experience. James Johnson should probably be the standout on the team. He's the only guy I expect to contribute for Chicago this season, and if he doesn't play well in Summer League, Gar and Pax better be looking for a replacement.

Other "veterans" on the squad include Joe Alexander, who came from the Bucks in the Salmons trade, Chris Richard, who signed a series of 10-day contracts with the Bulls and played fairly well, and others.

Game on! Chris Richard wins the tip. After a Derrick Byars made three-pointer, Johnson blocks a shot with a foul.

I'll be back with some analysis after the first quarter.

Bulls starters: John Lucas (OK State), Byars (Vandy), Johnson (Wake), Richard (Florida), some other guy I can't spot.

FIRST QUARTER: The announcers note that Jeff Van Gundy is very high on John Lucas III, who has bounced around between D-League, overseas, etcetera. He's only 5-foot-10 but obviously has the NBA pedigree with his dad being John Lucas. Backup PG?

Johnson has played okay but did get an offensive and a defensive foul. The announcers are definitely trashing him in comparison to Taj Gibson, as well they should be, but he has now scored four in a row for the Bulls, and has eight total points early in the first.

Ty Lawson is the only one so far looking like a man among boys (eleven points without a miss midway through the first), though Coby Karl and Lucas have also played well.

Matt Bouldin from Gonzaga takes over running the point for Chicago. Bouldin makes a beautiful inside pass to Samardo Samuels, another rookie from Louisville for the Bulls. Commercial break!

Lucas: not a great shooter.

Announcers on Bouldin: He's a legit NBA prospect. "kind of a tweener 1/2" He has a nice assist and a nice pop-up 3 so far.

SECOND QUARTER: (bulls down 30-21)

Jack McClinton, the gunner from Miami (the U, not the Heat), is in for the Bulls now. Also Bouldin, Samuels. Pete Myers is coaching Da Bulls.

Lawrence Ekparrigan just owned Chris Richard on a drive to the hole. Who?

"You can tell this is game one for the Bulls and game four for the Nuggets." 37-21 Nuggs.

More on McClinton: He was originally drafted by the Spurs. An undersized two, he's basically a gunner. Which means, maybe, the Bulls could use him! "He's utterly fearless" say the announcers. He's also only 6-foot-1. By the way, it's David Aldrich commentating on this game, and some other guy.

Lucas likes the sideways-fading jumper. I've seen him one for two on 'em. Richard is ordering guys around like he knows he's making the team. Chicago is down 45-25 with 3:38 to go in the quarter. Apparently, Tyrell Biggs (from Pittsburgh, no?) was the guy the Bulls added to their roster late.

Derrick Byars, who is 6-foot-7, 220, really likes to shoot the three. But he's only hit his first two, and missed at least three more since then. His teammate, Ogilvy, has yet to get in for Chicago.

It's almost halftime, I promise after the game I'll distill this ramble into some coherent conclusions for everybody, but so far no one on the Bulls has much impressed.

Halftime stats:
James Johnson 17 min, 8pt, 1reb, 3TO, 3fouls. Grade: D+
Derrick Byars has the least lousy plus/minus, at -6. He has two threes and two turnovers. We'll give him a B.
Bulls overall: D-

Ty Lawson: 13pt, 3ast, 0 to, hasn't missed a shot. Grade: A
Coby Karl has a +16 in twelve minutes of very solid play. Grade: A
Nuggets overall: A- They're shooting 21-30. The Bulls? 12-25.

Lotta love for George Karl, who's trying to come back from cancer.

THIRD QUARTER: 54-30, Nuggets.

Lucas hits a big pull-up three. Maybe I need to revise my thoughts on his shooting skills. Lawson continues to play well. He's clearly the best player on the court. Meanwhile, Pete Myers is laying it on James Johnson about his lazy defense. They're talking about LeBron dunking on JJ in the playoffs.. let's see if I can do somethin' about it:



Oh right, that is nasty.

AJ Ogilvy is finally in for the Bulls. But JR Smith and the Nuggets continue to pour it on, they're up 64-33 now, with 6:44 to go in the 3rd. McClinton just got embarrassed by Ty Lawson. These two know each other from the ACC, by the way.

Bulls have another big, goofy white guy in. Let's see, who is this? Aha, Trent Plaisted, who just got a block! Only down 71-35. Ouch. You ready for something awesome? Here's Ty Lawson dunking on DJ Mbenga:



Meanwhile, McClinton is starting to pick it up in garbage time, with a couple of nice drives. He's got eight points now.

Coby Karl just had a great pass to Othello Hunter. Bulls are playing terrible. Well, except for Morris Almond, who has gone 3-block-2 in the last 30 seconds to end the third quarter. Nice little series for him.

FOURTH QUARTER is coming.

Yeah, this is basically garbage time. They're talking about (drumroll) the Heat.

Samardo Samuels is one guy who might have a chance with the Bulls. I guess John Lucas III is another. James Johnson didn't play well, nor did Chris Richard, who didn't do much wrong, but also not much right. I'm wondering why Marquette's Jerel McNeal didn't play at all?

Bouldin looked pretty legit, too.

Cavs Owner Dan Gillbert Address his Fans

Letter found Here
Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....



Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Top Chef Power Rankings (07/07/10)

This episodes challenge was crazy intense. A three round elimination tournament with two Chefs being sent home. The last three teams each had a member that was ranked 2, 3, or 4 so a huge upset was coming. Arnold and Lynne were sent packing in a night full of surprises.


Top Shelf


1. Angelo Sosa



Angelo retains his spot on top. He finished in the top of the quickfire and moved on after the lunch round. I thought his breakfast plate was kind of weak, an egg and toasted bread and that's it? Come on. Atleast he advance on that meal. His rivalry with Kenny looks to be heating up next week.


Best of the Rest


2. Kelly Liken



It was a tough call where to put Kelly. She had to cook until the final round, but somehow won the competition (I don't know how that worked). So that is the reason she didn't make the top shelf category. She now has two elimination challenge wins which is leading the competition. If she has another strong show she will reach top shelf level and could potentialy dethrown Angelo


3. Kenny Gilbert



HOW CAN KENNY BE THIS HIGH! He has now been on the chopping block twice, he has only been in the top of an elimination challenge once! Two reasons. 1. He's been on the top of every quickfire including 1 win. 2. His rivalry with Angelo is going to keep him around for a long time. Also, both of his bottom finishes were group challenges. I don't know what that really means. Just something to think about. Lastly, who do think should jump in front of him?


4. Amanda Baumgarten



Amanda was part of the team that moved on after the breakfast round. She helped cellar dweller Stephen avoid another bottom finish. This strong performance follows a top four finish last week. I think she's too scatter brained to do well, but her past two performances disagree.


5. Tiffany Derry



I was actually tempted to move Tiffany to four, but she did exactly what Amanda did, move on after the breakfast round and helped cellar dweller Tim avoid another bottom finish. I couldn't justify having her jump Amanda based on that. I was very impressed from her performance and continue to expect good things from her.


Middle of the Pack


6. Alex Reznik



Alex stays at 6 for the second straight week. Him and Ed did not work well as a team, but still were able to move on after the lunch service. Their breakfast took too long to plate and they missed a couple of pieces. Alex blamed Ed for the screw up, and Ed blamed Alex. They were able to recover but I don't see these two getting along much going forward.


7. Ed Cotton



See Alex's Comments




8. Andrea Curto



Again, I don't know how to judge this past episodes performance. She had to cook all the way until dinner service, but did end up with the elimination challenge win. Because she had to cook until dinner, I couldn't justify jumping her over Alex and Ed. She did cook better last night, but I still don't see her lasting long in the competition.


9. Tamesha Warren



I was tempted to have Tamesha be a big mover after her quickfire win and her solid elimination challenge performance. I however kept her down here because I don't think she's had as strong as of an overall competition as the three above her. I think she is poised for a move and may be making her way toward the top, but isn't quite ready yet.


10. Kevin Sbraga



Back to back bottom finishes is a way to drop fast. This is exactly what happened to Kevin. Kevin once again seemed please with all his dishes, but the judges, once again, didn't agree. If he can't make food the judges like, then he won't last long. He did complain about Kenny putting in the horseradish, but all the judges agreed, more horseradish was needed and would have made the dish more complete.


Chopping Block


10. Timothy Dean



Tim has no confidence left, which is not a good thing in the competition. Yes he moved on after only the breakfast round, but he was nothing more then a glorified assistant to Tiffany. The crab cakes did look delicious, but I don't think he was doing anymore then hanging on for the ride.


11. Stephen Hopcraft



Maybe it was because we saw so little of Stephen yesterday that I kept him down here, but he didn't do anything that justified him moving out of this spot. Yes he was on one of the two teams to move on after breakfast, but I think like Tim, he was riding the coattails of his partner. I still think he is the best bet to be sent home packing next week.


One last thought. I am not sure if it's still early in the season or if this season is a little more up in the air, but it seems there is a lot of jumping around in the power rankings. Last season we knew who the top 4 were pretty early on and everyone stayed pretty similar. This season seems like there is a lot more movement.

Carlos Boozer > Chris Bosh

Well, tonight is the night. And we still don't know where LeBron is going. Hell, I kind of think that LeBron doesn't know where LeBron is going.

Amidst reports that the Miami scenario is a "done deal," I got to thinking, and here's what I came up with after some film study; Carlos Boozer is better than Chris Bosh.

Let's go to the video, shall we?



God, the Fugees are awesome. I had to search for a few minutes to find a video without some crappy metal in the background. Now let's see some video of Bosh...



Here's my point. Did you see Bosh in that highlight, at all? Wasn't he supposed to be his team's star last year? Maybe his girlfriend should have been heckling him instead of LeBron.

Stats. Boozer averaged 19.7 and over 13 rebounds a game in the playoffs this year. Bosh didn't make the playoffs. You can compare them at NBA.com. Chris averaged a double-double in Toronto on a bad team (24 and 10), but watching video it just seems like he disappears in the post. Definitely not a strong presence.

I think that with Boozer and Noah in the post, Chicago is freaking scary. Add Taj Gibson to the mix and the Bulls are, perhaps, the best rebounding team in the league.

Bill Simmons today notes that Bosh has only played in ONE big game in his entire career as a basketball player. That would be the 2008 Olympics. Let's see...



Yep. Bosh is invisible again. Except when he fails to get over on defense. Then you notice. Like at 5:20. By the way, Simmons also really seems to be warming up to the Bulls, as noted in the Free Agency Summit from last week. I always think of him as a Chicago hater, so this is interesting.

"What should LeBron do? Pick Chicago. That's where the rings are. The fact that he didn't say to Bosh, "Come to Chicago with me, we'll play with Rose and Noah and win six titles together" was the single most disappointing outcome of the summer. That team would have been a true juggernaut with pieces that actually complemented each other, unlike this pickup-basketball situation that's brewing in Miami.

Even with Boozer there in Bosh's place -- and I think he's a great fit for them, with or without LeBron -- it could still translate to multiple titles, because Rose could have been the best second banana since Kobe in 2001. "

Nice. What do y'all think? Here, by the way, is one more of Boozer, just for education. Check out the post defense and fast break skills, and passing.



How lucky is Boozer to have played with Deron Williams, Jay Williams at Duke, and now Derrick Rose? That's one hell of a point guard list. By the way, let's not forget, Boozer won a title in college, and, as Simmons notes, Bosh never even made the Sweet Sixteen.



Yep. I'm happy with Boozer.

Vote for Pauliewood

The Captain of the White Sox is sitting third behind Youkils and Swisher (suprise suprise the Red Sox and Yankees players).

click here to vote for Paulie

Wade and Bosh to Miami

Well, it appears that D'wyane Wade and Chris Bosh will sign with the Heat. So, where does that leave the Bulls? It no longer looks promising if you ask me. Chris Bosh and Lebron were seemingly linked together, yet LeBron wanted Bosh to come to Cleveland. Bosh refused. So, doesn't that mean LeBron has decided to stay in Cleveland? Otherwise, wouldn't he be joining James in Chicago? I'm starting to see now that the Bulls are not going to get jack shit. Whose excited for Carlos Boozer and JJ Reddick? This sucks. Oh well, I guess, we'll know for sure tomorrow at 8 pm when LeBron announces on ESPN. Let's hope that I am wrong.