Bulls-Bucks: Chicago Prevails in "Defensive" Affair

Glad to see that the Bulls' offense was in high gear the other night against another hapless team, the Milwaukee Schmucks.

The Bulls scored 151 points. And the game didn't even go five overtimes, either. Of course, the Bucks rang up 135 on the Bulls' pathetic "D". Wasn't much defense played in this one, I can see.

There were numerous uncontested layups and shots. In your face, ball-hawking defense was definitely not the norm in this NBA fiasco.

Chris Duhon, a Bulls' guard, scored 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting. When Duhon shoots like that, you know that defense was nearly non-existent.

Or maybe several Milwaukee players were on the take.

Duhon, he of rich Duke hoops royalty, is the individual who came late to a Sunday shoot-around prior to tip-off. He missed a flight because his "alarm didn't go off." That previous Saturday, Duhon had attended a Duke basketball game. Television crews showed Duhon's face in the Duke crowd several times.

If I were Bulls general manager John Paxson, I would have done one of two things to Duhon. Paxson should have either launched Duhon for good, or at least suspended him for the remainder of the season.

With or without the former Blue Devil, the Bulls were not going to make the playoffs. But Duhon did dish out 15 assists against that tenacious Milwaukee defense.

Speaking of assists, Bucks guard Ramone Sessions had 24 assists in the same game. I rest my case.

In short, that Bulls-Bucks game, if you want to call it that, was a complete farce. The Bulls did shoot 67.7 percent against the Bucks, making 63-of-93 shots. More than half of those buckets were probably easy layups or breakouts with few defenders rushing back past the midcourt line.

The Bulls' season, which in the preseason began with much promise, thankfully concludes tonight when the Windy City Underachievers host the Toronto Raptors. A clutch victory would give the Bulls a 33-49 record.

I honestly believed at the season's outset that the Bulls had a legitimate shot at making the Eastern Conference finals. And dare I say now, that I even thought the NBA Finals against the likes of the Lakers or Spurs was a possibility.

Like most everyone else, I guess I overestimated at how good these Bulls would truly be. In reality, they turned out to be awfully lousy. A collective group of mopes.

Some excellent college players like Kansas State's Michael Beasley and Memphis' Derrick Rose have declared for the NBA draft. So has UCLA center Kevin Love, who unfortunately is no Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) or Bill Walton.

The Bulls are in the lottery again. Say your prayers.