The Bulls' season has concluded after being eliminated by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Now the Bulls have a lot of decisions to make over the off season. There are many trade rumors surrounding the Bulls, especially Jimmy Butler. As I've said in my previous blogs, it would be a horrible mistake for the Bulls' front office to trade Butler. He is the sole reason they made it into the playoffs and were in the the middle of the eastern conference instead of the bottom. He is an All-Star who has developed so much since his rookie year, so I doubt they could get worthwhile players in a trade for Butler that would make up for his absence.
I could continue to discuss the Bulls' off season plans, but instead I'm going to discuss how the playoffs have become less interesting due to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers since it's a huge controversy in the NBA right now.
I was reading about the NBA playoffs and stumbled upon an article that said that the Cavaliers and Warriors are simply using the first few rounds of the playoffs as a warm up to play each other in the finals. Both teams have easily beaten their opponents in their respective conference semi-finals and are on track to do the same with their conference finals. Honestly, despite how good their opponents are, they don't stand a chance. Both the Cavaliers and Warriors are "super teams" since both team has at least 3 All-Stars on their roster. Of course the great coaching staff and chemistry between the players contributes to being an elite team, but having several of the league's best players on your team pretty much guarantees that you'll be a top team.
The NBA playoffs have been become a little boring as of late, since the Cavs and Warriors sweep their opponents and there is not one competitive, interesting series as a result. Earlier in the playoffs, things were exciting, but towards the end of the second round, the question was "who will be swept by Golden State and Cleveland?" I was really hoping the San Antonio Spurs could beat the Warriors so that Golden State wouldn't make a third-straight finals appearance. Unfortunately, after their star Kawhi Leonard got injured the Spurs' chances seem to have gone down the drain. Hopefully, Leonard can return and give his team a fighting chance.
Also, the Boston Celtics are an incredible team with great three point shooting and offensive plays, but they are no match for the Cavs as they got blown out in Game 1 of their series with them. If people already know who's playing in the finals, how can the playoffs remain exciting?
I'll start discussing the NBA more, instead of just the Bulls, since they are out of the playoffs. However, I will continue to provide updates on their off season moves and trade rumors.
That's all for this week!
Friday, May 19, 2017
Friday, May 12, 2017
Bulls Update - 5/12/17
It's been two weeks since my last blog, and a lot has happened since then. In my last blog, I discussed how the Bulls could pull out a win in Game 6 and push for a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in their first round series. Unfortunately, when having the choice to sink or swim, the Bulls sank. They lost to the Celtics 105-83 leading to the Celtics emerging victorious from the series in Game 6. The Celtics moved on to the second round of the playoffs and are currently in the middle of their series against the Washington Wizards.
In the devastating loss, All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and the Bulls' starting center Robin Lopez contributed 10 points. However, no one else had a large enough contribution to take the weight off of Butler's shoulders, or knee. Butler was dealing with knee soreness towards the end of the series and was limping occasionally. All NBA players became exhausted and worn down at the end of the season and postseason, but Butler was visibly exhausted. Throughout the season and playoffs, he has had to play almost the entire game with only short breaks, since no other player could seem to become consistent and carry their team. Butler just could not carry the team to a win in Game 6 as all of the Celtics starters had huge games. The Celtics coasted to a win behind All-Star Isaiah Thomas' 12 points, Gerald Green's 16 points and the stellar performances of the starters.
The Bulls started off winning the series 2-0 and then ended up being eliminated from the playoffs by losing 4-2. One main reason for this sudden skid is the loss of Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo. He fractured his thumb in Game 2, and sat out the rest of the series. He also had a lingering wrist injury he was playing through as well, so as hard as he fought to return in the series, it was impossible for him to return within a couple weeks. The team clearly missed Rondo's ability to spark their offense with incredible passes, his ability to set up great plays, his leadership on and off the court, and his steady scoring. It's no coincidence that when Rondo got injured, the Bulls lost four straight games.
However, Rondo's absence was not the only reason the Bulls did not look like a playoff team toward the end of the series. The Bulls' young players needed to step up in the playoffs and they weren't able to. Also, Dwyane Wade, a veteran who won multiple championships in the past, did not elevate his performance like he should have in the playoffs. His lackluster performance in those final games could be attributed to the fact that he is 35 years old and doesn't have the energy he used to. Then, the Bulls' head coach, Fred Hoiberg should be fired after his coaching in this series. His fatal flaws, such as his inability to draw up offensives plays, call timeouts at the right times, and figure out rotations that work were evident throughout the regular season but highlighted even more in the postseason.
The Bulls' front office has a lot to consider during the off season, considering how the series ended. There are trade rumors surrounding Butler once again as his future on the Bulls is apparently unknown. Trading their star player would be a huge mistake, so hopefully the front office does not get rid of him. The Bulls must decide if they want to keep Rondo and Nikola Mirotic and what free agents they want to try to acquire. I'll provide more updates on their moves as the off season progresses.
That's all for this week!
In the devastating loss, All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and the Bulls' starting center Robin Lopez contributed 10 points. However, no one else had a large enough contribution to take the weight off of Butler's shoulders, or knee. Butler was dealing with knee soreness towards the end of the series and was limping occasionally. All NBA players became exhausted and worn down at the end of the season and postseason, but Butler was visibly exhausted. Throughout the season and playoffs, he has had to play almost the entire game with only short breaks, since no other player could seem to become consistent and carry their team. Butler just could not carry the team to a win in Game 6 as all of the Celtics starters had huge games. The Celtics coasted to a win behind All-Star Isaiah Thomas' 12 points, Gerald Green's 16 points and the stellar performances of the starters.
The Bulls started off winning the series 2-0 and then ended up being eliminated from the playoffs by losing 4-2. One main reason for this sudden skid is the loss of Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo. He fractured his thumb in Game 2, and sat out the rest of the series. He also had a lingering wrist injury he was playing through as well, so as hard as he fought to return in the series, it was impossible for him to return within a couple weeks. The team clearly missed Rondo's ability to spark their offense with incredible passes, his ability to set up great plays, his leadership on and off the court, and his steady scoring. It's no coincidence that when Rondo got injured, the Bulls lost four straight games.
However, Rondo's absence was not the only reason the Bulls did not look like a playoff team toward the end of the series. The Bulls' young players needed to step up in the playoffs and they weren't able to. Also, Dwyane Wade, a veteran who won multiple championships in the past, did not elevate his performance like he should have in the playoffs. His lackluster performance in those final games could be attributed to the fact that he is 35 years old and doesn't have the energy he used to. Then, the Bulls' head coach, Fred Hoiberg should be fired after his coaching in this series. His fatal flaws, such as his inability to draw up offensives plays, call timeouts at the right times, and figure out rotations that work were evident throughout the regular season but highlighted even more in the postseason.
The Bulls' front office has a lot to consider during the off season, considering how the series ended. There are trade rumors surrounding Butler once again as his future on the Bulls is apparently unknown. Trading their star player would be a huge mistake, so hopefully the front office does not get rid of him. The Bulls must decide if they want to keep Rondo and Nikola Mirotic and what free agents they want to try to acquire. I'll provide more updates on their moves as the off season progresses.
That's all for this week!
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