Deng's Comments in the Tribune

[Fred]

He (Deng) even summarized his feelings in what some could read as a shot at Ben Gordon, though Deng insisted it wasn't.

"I think the offense is better now than at the start of last year," Deng said. "We have guys who are not just shooting the ball. We're moving the ball really well and sharing it. We're setting good screens.

"As long as we do that, obviously, you don't have to run a play for me. I'm going to cut, we're going to share the ball, I'll get open looks. It's easy to play the game that way. It's when the ball stays on one side and then after a long period, you try to run something for me and I'm not in the flow of the game that it's not good." - KC Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 10.15.09.

This is great news. When you consider that:

1. Hinrich missed almost half the season last year
2. Salmons and Miller weren't really integrated on the team until March
3. Deng didn't play after Feb. 28th
4. We didn't have T. Gibson and J. Johnson
5. We now have a defensive focus
6. Luol says our offense is better this year
7. Luol is finally healthy
8. Rose is ready to take that next step

....and we still managed to win 41 games...when you consider all that, then we should expect to win at least 60 games. Love it live!

 

[pinkizdead]

The offense loox SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better during the preason. what are we shooting in most of the halfs under 40% ? Yeah. Deng is an offensive beast. he's so amazing. a knock down shooter. a real player.

 

[??? ??????]

It's not hard to beat an offense that was just Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon....and a bunch of crap...which pretty much describes last year's Bulls at the beginning of the season.

 

[mlewinth]

First Fred, Luol Deng is just talking about early last season, not the overall season. Secondly, I agree with him 100%. Last year, we played a ton of 1-on-1 ball, all season. Early in the season that didnt work for us at all, because we only had Rose playing, since Gordon was the third guy off the bench and Hughes can't shoot. Late in the season it started to work for us because Rose improved, Gordon was hot and Salmons could take a guy off the dribble. Either way, that is not the way that you want to win basketball games. It also is a style of play that is detrimental to Luol Deng, because he is not the type of player who takes his guys off the dribble, he works of cuts and screens.

Remember the Skiles years. When this team played well, they played well because they moved around the ball and created shots for eachother. That is something that we have not done at all in about 2 years. This preseason, I have seen us doing that constantly. We are moving the ball, cathching the opposition off guard and creating easy shots for eachother because of it. You can tell that is why Deng is thriving, when he cuts (his jump shot still aint 100% yet, but you can see him cutting like he used too). I like the Bulls offense and I like how good it looks early. You even see us flowing well when the rookies and scrubs are in, because they seem to "Get it".

I am telling you, we look good right now and I am very VERY optimistic about the year!

 

[??? ??????]

We do look good, but it's against some bad teams, and we're barely winning a lot of these games.

Indiana and Milwaukee didn't make the playoffs last year. Utah was the 8th seed in the West, and are overrated because of their record (which is higher because of Western Conference win inflation because they have less elite teams than the East, with 5x more absolutely crappy teams). Minnesota was one of the worst teams in the NBA last year.

I want to wait to see how the Bulls react after getting blown out by the Celtics in the second game of the season before I say that this Bulls team is go, but I think the potential is definitely there for them to win around 45 games if everything clicks and no one gets injured.

 

[houheffna]

I will temper optimism. Any good Deng has looked is with Hinrich in the lineup. I want to see how he coexists with Rose. The ball stopping at one point happened principally because of Gordon, but Salmons is no different in that they both like to dribble and make moves that leaves the offense stagnant. VDN complained even in postseason that the ball was not moving the way he wanted it to. So we will see.

 

[J-Mart]

I don't see it being a shot at Gordon at all. I think people are forgetting how we had Hughes, Noc, and Gooden at the beginning of last season.

 

[TheStig]

??? ?????? wrote:

We do look good, but it's against some bad teams, and we're barely winning a lot of these games.

Indiana and Milwaukee didn't make the playoffs last year. Utah was the 8th seed in the West, and are overrated because of their record (which is higher because of Western Conference win inflation because they have less elite teams than the East, with 5x more absolutely crappy teams). Minnesota was one of the worst teams in the NBA last year.

I want to wait to see how the Bulls react after getting blown out by the Celtics in the second game of the season before I say that this Bulls team is go, but I think the potential is definitely there for them to win around 45 games if everything clicks and no one gets injured.

Couldn't have said it better. I am glad Deng is getting an easy step back into live games but we won't be facing the two of the worst teams in the league 3 out 4 games. I will let my optimism stay in check till we finish our brutal first month. If we are anywhere near .500, this team will be fine.

I also hope that Deng realizes our offense was so bad because of him. He was supposed to be the best player on the team that year, not the off the bench BG or rookie Rose. Deng was the franchise and he folded like a chair at the slightest adversity. Had he come out like 06-07 deng, our offense would have been fine. Our front court would have still sucked, but we would have been much better with a legit third option, instead of someone whining they can't get their type of shot.

 

[JimmyBulls]

At the beginning of last season, there was way too much competition for shots, and the result was a awful brand of basketball to watch. There is nothing wrong with what Deng's comments.

 

[TheStig]

JimmyBulls wrote:

At the beginning of last season, there was way too much competition for shots, and the result was a awful brand of basketball to watch. There is nothing wrong with what Deng's comments.

BS, Deng's horrible year was the main reason we sucked in the beginning of the year. 70 Million dollar players don't go around whining to the press that they can't get their shots but still jack up junk. He was paid to be the best or 2nd best player on this team. You knew a front court of Noah, TT and Gooden wasn't going to be that good but all of them put together made about as much as deng. There is a reason he is considered one of the worst deals in the league.

 

[houheffna]

I think Jimmy is on to something. Hughes was not going to defer to Gordon, ask Hughes who the better player is between the two them...go ahead ask him...Deng was seen as the young star and probably had a lot of pressure he put on himself to perform at peak level. Gooden chucked up shots, Tyrus...a lot of gunning, yet they didn't play that bad...

 

[TheStig]

houheffna wrote:

I think Jimmy is on to something. Hughes was not going to defer to Gordon, ask Hughes who the better player is between the two them...go ahead ask him...Deng was seen as the young star and probably had a lot of pressure he put on himself to perform at peak level. Gooden chucked up shots, Tyrus...a lot of gunning, yet they didn't play that bad...

Excuse him all you like but Deng's assists were also at a career low. Thats awfully hypocritical. I don't like people who go whining to the media when they aren't producing themselves.

 

[JimmyBulls]

TheStig wrote:

JimmyBulls wrote:

At the beginning of last season, there was way too much competition for shots, and the result was a awful brand of basketball to watch. There is nothing wrong with what Deng's comments.

BS, Deng's horrible year was the main reason we sucked in the beginning of the year. 70 Million dollar players don't go around whining to the press that they can't get their shots but still jack up junk. He was paid to be the best or 2nd best player on this team. You knew a front court of Noah, TT and Gooden wasn't going to be that good but all of them put together made about as much as deng. There is a reason he is considered one of the worst deals in the league.

You shouldn't expect Deng to be your second (or third) best player when the team plays away from his strengths. I agree, he didn't shoot the ball well, but that doesn't excuse Vinny from having Deng stand around on offense.

I think if his comments was directed at anybody, it had to be towards Vinny, and his offensive system. If VDN allows Deng to get lost in the creativity of Rose and Salmons, he's going to have another down year. The Bulls need ball movement, and maybe flirt with using Deng in the two man game with Rose.

 

[TheStig]

JimmyBulls wrote:

TheStig wrote:

JimmyBulls wrote:

At the beginning of last season, there was way too much competition for shots, and the result was a awful brand of basketball to watch. There is nothing wrong with what Deng's comments.

BS, Deng's horrible year was the main reason we sucked in the beginning of the year. 70 Million dollar players don't go around whining to the press that they can't get their shots but still jack up junk. He was paid to be the best or 2nd best player on this team. You knew a front court of Noah, TT and Gooden wasn't going to be that good but all of them put together made about as much as deng. There is a reason he is considered one of the worst deals in the league.

You shouldn't expect Deng to be your second (or third) best player when the team plays away from his strengths. I agree, he didn't shoot the ball well, but that doesn't excuse Vinny from having Deng stand around on offense.

I think if his comments was directed at anybody, it had to be towards Vinny, and his offensive system. If VDN allows Deng to get lost in the creativity of Rose and Salmons, he's going to have another down year. The Bulls need ball movement, and maybe flirt with using Deng in the two man game with Rose.

Its the same Blah Blah Blah on why I couldn't get it done from Mr. 70 Million. First the coach was a meanie and then he had me stand around and didn't run plays for me. You sound like a whiny little leaguer's parent. When you get paid the big bucks, you gotta make things happen. It wasn't just shooting poorly, he had career lows in assists and rebounds per minute too.

 

[jsain360]

J-Mart wrote:

I don't see it being a shot at Gordon at all. I think people are forgetting how we had Hughes, Noc, and Gooden at the beginning of last season.

Hughes = GUN
Noc = GUN
Gooden = GUN/BLACK HOLE

You can't win basketball games with those kind of guns on your team

 

[TheStig]

jsain360 wrote:

J-Mart wrote:

I don't see it being a shot at Gordon at all. I think people are forgetting how we had Hughes, Noc, and Gooden at the beginning of last season.

Hughes = GUN
Noc = GUN
Gooden = GUN/BLACK HOLE

You can't win basketball games with those kind of guns on your team

They had all of those guys at the end of the previous year and he had no complaints. Only after his terrible year does he go back to them.

Not to mention, looking back at it, we horrible mismanaged that Ben Wallace situation. He hasn't caused any problems anywhere else playing a smaller role. I Wonder why we were so frightened to cut his minutes?

 

[Fred]

Larry Hughes didn't start playing last year until mid-November. He missed the first couple of weeks of the season due to an injury. Although I completely agree that he sucks, he had arguably the best shooting period of his life during that first month that he played. I think he was +40% from the 3-point line until mid December. It was a good period of play. He turned into his usual pile of crap around mid-December.

Our slow start was primarily due to the Deng's CBA-like performance. He shouldn't blame it on anyone else but himself. I recall him shooting many horrible, contested shots in those first 2 months.

 

[??? ??????]

Fred wrote:

Larry Hughes didn't start playing last year until mid-November. He missed the first couple of weeks of the season due to an injury. Although I completely agree that he sucks, he had arguably the best shooting period of his life during that first month that he played. I think he was +40% from the 3-point line until mid December. It was a good period of play. He turned into his usual pile of crap around mid-December.

Our slow start was primarily due to the Deng's CBA-like performance. He shouldn't blame it on anyone else but himself. I recall him shooting many horrible, contested shots in those first 2 months.

Luol Deng's play at the beginning of last season:

Step 1: Catch ball.
Step 2: Drive towards the center of the court, within the three point line.
Step 3: Stop just above the elbow.
Step 4: Pump fake.
Step 5: Pump fake again.
Step 6: Pump fake again.
Step 7: Pump fake again.
Step 8: Pump fake one more time because the defender hasn't fallen for the pump fake yet.
Step 9: Throw up a contested shot.

 

[Fred]

houheffna wrote:

I will temper optimism. Any good Deng has looked is with Hinrich in the lineup. I want to see how he coexists with Rose. The ball stopping at one point happened principally because of Gordon, but Salmons is no different in that they both like to dribble and make moves that leaves the offense stagnant. VDN complained even in postseason that the ball was not moving the way he wanted it to. So we will see.

Great point. We really haven't seen that yet, and when we did last year, for the most part..it wasn't pretty for Luol. He better figure it out with Derrick, because he's our future, not Deng.

 

[TheStig]

??? ?????? wrote:

Fred wrote:

Larry Hughes didn't start playing last year until mid-November. He missed the first couple of weeks of the season due to an injury. Although I completely agree that he sucks, he had arguably the best shooting period of his life during that first month that he played. I think he was +40% from the 3-point line until mid December. It was a good period of play. He turned into his usual pile of crap around mid-December.

Our slow start was primarily due to the Deng's CBA-like performance. He shouldn't blame it on anyone else but himself. I recall him shooting many horrible, contested shots in those first 2 months.

Luol Deng's play at the beginning of last season:

Step 1: Catch ball.
Step 2: Drive towards the center of the court, within the three point line.
Step 3: Stop just above the elbow.
Step 4: Pump fake.
Step 5: Pump fake again.
Step 6: Pump fake again.
Step 7: Pump fake again.
Step 8: Pump fake one more time because the defender hasn't fallen for the pump fake yet.
Step 9: Throw up a contested shot.

Oh, its all coming back to me now, the bad memories of the begining of the year. I completly blocked that out.