postdiction wrote:
Fred wrote:
Shakes wrote:
Well up until Noah went out we were on a 21-10 run. That was with Hinrich, Miller and Salmons playing much worse than during that 17-10 run. After the Portland game (and before the news that Noah was gone for 3 weeks) I was confident of finishing with 45+ wins.
I really think we would have won 50+ games this year if:
a) Rose started the year healthy
b) Noah stayed healthy
c) To a lesser extent, if Hinrich/Miller/Salmons at least managed the level of suck they reached the last couple of months, rather than the doesn't even belong in the NBA level of suck they started the year with.
So now we're looking at around 40 wins. It'll be a disappointment, but what are you going to do? Injuries happen. The 21-10 run shows the level the core of Rose/Deng/Noah can reach when healthy, even when surrounded by not very good team mates. Get them some help and this team can be really good. Get them one of the big three and they can be contenders.
Noah went out on February 5th and missed 7 games. At what point before that did we go 21-10? Could you please point out that stretch?
Actually, we went 8-6 in Feb with Noah missing or hobbled for most of the month. You shouldn't go from that to 0-10 (what I predict they'll be after they lose the next 5) just because the schedule gets more difficult, ESPECIALLY with the way Rose is playing. You have to beat Indiana at Indiana, and you have to beat Memphis at home, with or without Noah. And you would like to beat Dallas with a roster of 8 guys (minues Haywood, Dampier, and Jason Terry), and you would have if Deng wasn't outscored 24-6 by Butler.
This injury excuse is ridiculous. We're not making the playoffs because of our pathetic start, despite Noah's superb play from Game 1.
How come you use the injury excuse to rationalize why BG is sucking and why Detroit has a horrible record?
Also, why do you keep ignoring the fact that Deng has been playing poorly or missed an entire game due to injury/sickness. If I remember correctly he had a knee problem for a couple of games, then was sick with a stomach flu and now has calf problem.
Noah and Deng are 2 of our top 3 players, missing them is a huge blow to the Bulls. Before Noah went out I believe we were trending upwards and had the 3rd or 4th best record in the east since mid December(when Rose finally got healthy).
Granted there are teams (Lakers, Magic, Cavs ect....) that can miss some of their top players and still be good due to excellent depth but, they also have huge payrolls and aren't trying to cut money to get under the cap.
The Bulls are in a difficult position. They have to cut enough money/talent to get max cap space and still have enough talent to make the playoffs. Something is going to suffer and that is depth. So yes the Bulls aren't very deep but even then a healthy Bulls team would make playoffs.
#1. Deng has played in 62 of 63 games so far. He was healthy enough to score 24 points 5 days ago. Have injuries really hobbled Luol Deng so far this season, any more so than the average NBA player? Have Deng's injuries hurt the Bulls more than, let's say, Dwayne Wade's injuries have hurt the Heat? Wade has actually missed 4 entire games. True, if Deng's hurt going forward, the playoffs will be a very long shot for us. But AT THIS POINT of the season, our top 2 offensive players have played in 124 out of 125 games...How many teams can say that? Certainly not Milwaukee, Detroit, Miami, Houston, Boston, Portland, the Lakers, the Clippers, the Pacers, San Antonio...and that's just off the top of my head. And yet, we're the #9 seed.
#2. I listen to the Skiles' postgame interviews on Youtube quite a bit. The Bucks post them there. Even before Salmons saved their season, I never heard him use injuries as an excuse. They played pretty well before John showed up, even though they are half as talented as we are. Which team has been hurt more by injuries? Noah has played in 50 games. Michael Redd has played in 18. AS A WHOLE, which injury has hurt their respective teams more?
#3. "How come you use the injury excuse to rationalize why BG is sucking and why Detroit has a horrible record?" How are my critical comments about the TEAM and the Bulls' fans/coach/announcers using the injury excuse relevant to pointing out the detrimental effect an injury has had on BG's performance? I fail to see the connection. I could point out that Yao Ming hasn't helped out the Rockets this year, and then talk about a team with a legitimate injury beef (Portland), but why would that even be relevant.
But since you brought it up, BG is averaging 13.7 PPG in 28 minutes. I'm praying for a shooting guard to approach those numbers. I'll let his coach take it from here:
"It isn't a fair year to look at numbers for him because he has been hurt so much. That's one of the things I look at right now. I just don't think it's a fair question because it's not reflective of what type of player he is. You've got a guy who's a quality person, a quality professional, and all he does is work. He wants to do well. Sometimes, the mind might be right, but the body is saying, 'Hey, you can't do but so much.' That's what's occurred a lot. He started off the season really playing extremely well, and then he had the injuries." – John Kuester. I'm sure someone in the Bulls organization said the same thing about Luol last year.
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