A copy of Chris Broussard’s ESPN.com column was placed on Scott Skiles’ desk. A member of the Bulls’ public relations staff felt the coach may want to read it since Skiles and his style were the topic. via Chicago Sun-Times
Scott Skiles is a disciplinarian, a stickler for fundamentals, a straight shooter who holds his players accountable, a good strategist. via State Journal-Register
“We ask him to sprint the floor”
Anyone who’s had the misfortune of witnessing the Bulls’ sputtering 2-8 start knows there are far bigger problems on this team than how fast Tyrus Thomas runs up and down the court. via Daily Herald
“I’m 6-6, 6-7. It was tough sitting on the sideline watching my teammates get beat up. We needed stops down the stretch. If I can’t go out and help this team get stops down the stretch, why am I here? Why don’t we just go on? Pack it up!”
In Thursday’s 112-102 loss at Phoenix, Chicago Bulls PF Ben Wallace once again sat out the fourth quarter, in which the Bulls came back from 15 behind to lead by two with eight minutes left. via The Orlando Sentinel
“I don’t think I’m in any position to talk about anybody’s team. We just want to get our own house in order.”
Let me tell you what the Chicago Bulls have. They have the lovely LuvaBulls cheerleaders, the flabby Matadors cheerleaders, the IncrediBulls crowd-pleasers, the Bulls Brothers entertainers, the Bucket Boys … via Chicago Tribune
Eddy Curry scored 21 points and Zach Randolph added 20, as the New York Knicks snapped an eight-game losing streak with an 85-78 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. via TheIndyChannel.com
Lakers spokesman John Black said an MRI on Monday revealed the extent of the injury. via NBA.com
“Both. I think it’s a combination.”
Much was made of the notion that Kobe’s two favorite teams were in the building tonight, but if Sunday’s 106-75 Lakers romp over Chicago is any indication, 24 is better off staying local. via Los Angeles Times
“We really do rely a lot on each other”
The best news for the Bulls right now, besides the fact that they’re starting to play better, is how the Eastern Conference resurgence that had been forecast for this season has not materialized. via Daily Herald
There are so many to choose from. Ben Wallace? The only defense for him is the Bulls should have seen this coming from a guy declining rapidly. via Chicago Sun-Times
“I didn’t expect this to be an easy game”
The Bulls have to be giving thanks this 1-3 Western Conference swing is over.
The way they have played lately, like turkeys, they are lucky someone doesn’t want to put them out of their misery and stuff them.
‘We look like a different team,’ said a stunned Andres Nocioni after a second consecutive blowout loss, 112-91 to the Denver Nuggets. ‘I don’t know why. We need to play defense. I understand sometimes you struggle with your shot, but I do not understand not playing defense. We need to react fast. The Eastern Conference is different, more competitive teams. We need to react now. This is no time to play like this.’ Read more
“And now it’s a little bit of organized chaos.”
Phil Jackson’s team improved to 6-3 by posting its most lopsided victory ever over struggling Chicago, supposedly Kobe Bryant’s preferred trade destination. via Orange County Register
“We’re having fun playing together, and I think that’s the important part”
The Lakers packed their bags again, bringing along their momentum from a modest three-game winning streak and the knowledge that their substitutes might be better than anyone else’s backups in the NBA. via LA Daily News
“The back-to-back is not the cause for us playing poorly”
Back before ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Sopranos,’ mobsters were portrayed as funny guys. Jimmy Breslin, the New York newspaper columnist, wrote a novel about the exploits of the wise guys called ‘The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.’
Sounds like an apt title for my next book on the Bulls.
Here’s Kirk Hinrich, Mr. 17.9 Percent on Three-Pointers, saying: ‘My shot feels good. I feel like I’m taking good shots.’
Coach, they all felt good leaving my hand.
As the Bulls drop in here Tuesday night to play the Nuggets on the way back home for the Thanksgiving holiday break, there’s no talk of issuing helmets to courtside fans when the Bulls have the ball. Read more
“Came out and played well in the first half, I thought. In the second half, we just didn’t have the same energy and intensity. I think that was pretty much the key to the game.”
After so much rumor and speculation, Kobe Bryant and Bulls uniforms finally appeared together on the same court Sunday night at the Staples Center. via Daily Herald
Lakers center Kwame Brown was helped off the court Sunday night after injuring his left leg in the first quarter of a game against the Chicago Bulls. via Journal-Gazette
The Los Angeles Lakers shoot for their third straight win this evening against the Chicago Bulls at the Staples Center. via Sports Network
Ben Gordon scored 25 points and Andres Nocioni shrugged off a couple of flagrant fouls to score 21, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 92-73 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Chris Kaman had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers, whose injury run continued with the absence of Corey Maggette (right hamstring strain) and No. 1 draft pick Al Thornton (sprained right ankle).
After Ruben Patterson’s fast-break dunk cut Chicago’s lead to nine with 10 minutes remaining, the Bulls responded with a 9-0 run to build a commanding 81-63 lead with 6:39 left. Read more
By chgobr Posted on Sat Nov 17, 2007 at 09:10:36 AM EDT [Thanks to chgobr for today’s game thread -Matt] This game ignites hope or adds to our misery generating more speculation about changes. via Blog a Bull
“If I had just played my first pro game”
Real Lakers fans like Bulls, too With Lakers fans rooting for the Bulls, who could all become Lakers if they don’t start winning, Chicago’s 1-5 start had fans in two cities paralyzed with fear. via Los Angeles Times
“There’s no sense in pointing fingers at anybody. Point them at me. I’m the one who put the group together.”
John Paxson has a big problem. The Bulls’ general manager has joined the list of Chicago sports general managers with a visible blind spot. via Daily Herald
“It was hard enough missing two games”
Jerry Brown , Tribune Like the Knicks before them, the Chicago Bulls will come to Phoenix with an ugly record and an even uglier disposition. via East Valley Tribune
“What’s happening to us is because nobody is really making shots out there, the collapsing is getting worse and worse”
Scott Skiles typically makes like an NFL coach discussing injuries when talking about his starting lineup, especially if changes are imminent.
But after Tuesday’s nearly three-hour practice at the Berto Center, the Bulls coach all but said Andres Nocioni would start Thursday night when the club begins a six-game trip against the Phoenix Suns.
Either that, or Skiles is practicing subterfuge that might make Bears coach Lovie Smith proud.
‘One of our main offensive concerns is our spacing,’ Skiles said. ‘We feel like we have to open up the floor a little bit until our guys start making some shots. Hopefully, that will cause them to have a little more space and improve our ballhandling and passing and shot-making. Read more
“At some point, you get tired of being smacked in the mouth and losing. How you react is part of being a team.”
After a 3-hour-10-minute practice, Adrian Griffin called for a players-only meeting that lasted close to an hour Monday afternoon at the Berto Center.
Griffin hasn’t played a second this season, but that didn’t stop him from showing his veteran ways.
‘We talked about being a team,’ center Ben Wallace said. ‘Instead of going out there and playing like a group of individuals, we need to play as a team.’
The Bulls rallied from a 3-9 start last season to advance to the second round of the playoffs. That’s why Wallace, among others, is confident they can extract themselves from this early-season hole. Read more
“They had me do a psychology test and I asked Coach Skiles if that affected his coaching. He laughed and said, `No way.’”
By wjb1492 Posted on Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 01:41:03 PM EDT [Thanks to wjb1492 for today’s game thread. via Blog a Bull
“We thought we could use his defense against this team”
The Bulls’ dismal start has T.J. Ford confused. Carlos Delfino scored 16 points and Chris Bosh added 14 points and six rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors beat the listless Chicago Bulls 101-71 on Saturday … via The Daily Gazette
Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com’s NBA analyst and author of 13 books about hoops, the current one being “The pivotal season - How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA.” See all articles> Chicago was due to … via Fox Sports
Rasheed Wallace was more than willing to assess the Bulls’ frontcourt after the Detroit Pistons big man scored 36 points in a losing effort Thursday. via Beacon News
“He’s sort of like Shaquille O’Neal that way. When he’s matched up against a guy like (Bulls guard Kirk) Hinrich, there’s going to be contact on just about every play.”
It seems since the middle of last season Richard Hamilton has been fighting two opponents on a nightly basis — the opponent and the referees’ whistle. via Detroit News
“We’re not in any sort of panic mode or anything”
It’s all anybody’s talking about here these days. The Bulls are 0-4 heading into Thursday night’s game against the Pistons, and a growing chorus of fans and media is clamoring for the Lakers’ superstar. via SI.com