Bleacher Report - Articles by Charlie Danoff

Chicago Blackhawks: A Little Hope For The Long-Suffering

Charlie Danoff — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:41:54 -0400

One of the NHL's vanguard Original Six teams, the Chicago Blackhawks, are one of the classiest and most respected franchises in professional sports. The story of their rich tradition begins rooted, as do all good tales, in mystery involving war, money and spelling. Starting with the sexiest angle, the spelling, their name for most of their existence was "Black Hawks."

That was until 1986, when someone - most likely an underpaid, underappreciated intern - was rifling through old documents and discovered the team's original NHL contract. After buying the Portland Rosebuds of the recently defunct Western Hockey League the Harvard educated local coffee baron Major Fredric McLaughlin changed the name for Chicago's new team to the Blackhawks. Somewhere along the way the compound spelling was lost, but the late Bill Wirtz returned the name to its original nature after discovering the error.

So who exactly was the Major trying to honor with the name? Well that's where the plot thickens.

So far, there are three main hypotheses:

1) Black Hawk, American Indian Warrior Legend, who is also the only single person to have an American war named after them: the 1832 Black Hawk War; and then don't forget about those helicopters.

2) Founding Owner, Major Fredric McLaughlin's Army Unit: The 333rd Machine-Gun Battalion of the 85th Division, whose members called themselves Black Hawks, in honor of the fearless Sauk Leader.

3) A early 20th century Chicago restaurant named "The Blackhawk."

Personally, because I think racism is nothing more than sissy liberal hogwash, I really hope the true answer is the restaurant.

Nevertheless, regardless of the team name itself, there is no doubt the team's logo was penned in homage of the man, who in the War of 1812 fought as a British ally against the Americans. Designed by the owner's wife, Irene Castle McLuaghlin, the tomato red, white, black, green, orange, yellow and blue symbol it is the centerpiece of undeniably the best jersey in the history of mankind.

Thirty-three players enshrined forever at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto have had the honor of donning the sacred garment. Since inception, the Hawks have been collecting hardware like carpenters: winning a combined forty Hart, Art Ross, Norris, Calder and Vezina Trophies. Arguably their most legendary stretch came in the four seasons from 1965 to 1968. Each year, the Art Ross and Hart trophies went to Hawk sensations Stan Mikita or Bobby Hull who scored more often than Wilt Chamberlain.

The only blemish on their otherwise perfect history is their lack of Stanley Cups. The franchise owns three carvings onto the silver side of the greatest trophy in sports, but none since 1961.

Enter the newest characters in our little drama: the 2007-2008 Chicago Blackhawks. With dreams of future glory and a return to their rightful position atop the league weighing heavily on the young shoulders of the reincarnated spirits of Mikita and Hull: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Not having appeared in the playoffs in seemingly eons (2001-02), little was expected of this year's squad. Sure, high draft picks are nice, but rookies usually take years before they can consistently contribute to NHL clubs. Recently acquired high priced starts with salaries $6 million or more have largely been busts.

Nikolai Khabibulin's been a shell of his former Stanley Cup winning self (I blame giving up camel killers). Since being acquired for home grown local favorite Mark Bell, Marian Havlat has played well for Chicago, averaging .92 points per game. The problem's been he hasn't suited up too often, missing 26 games last year and making only 35 in the current season, and recently going under the knife.

Yet, despite getting worse returns on their assets than Bear Sterns investors, the Hawks came out sizzling more than a Ruth Chris steak to start the season, winning 14 of their first 24 games. That may not seem like much, but for a depressed sports town and a team that hasn't been even .500 in five years, it was more exciting than if the Rapture came early.

Read the rest at Screaming Sports

Tyrus Thomas: Talent Rich, Production Poor

Charlie Danoff — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:24:58 -0400

Republished, with permission from The Chicago Sports Review

In his first on-court action since his suspension, Tyrus Thomas played just four minutes Sunday night against the Pistons. He didn't do much on the court, save a horrendous bounce pass to no one that went directly out of bounds. It was the type of mental hiccup that has infuriated Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan.

Yet, fans also saw the opposite side of the coin when Tyrus received a pass outside the three point line, just past the 11 minute mark of the second quarter. Facing up against his defender, Thomas did a between-the-legs-crossover, followed by a spin-o-rama before getting fouled as he barely missed a layup.

It was a display of the other-worldly athleticism GM John Paxson saw when he drafted Thomas, and was a play maybe only two or three other power forwards in the entire league could make.

To evaluate the young forward I thought it appropriate to take a look back into days gone by, to see what might appear on the yet unwritten pages of the book on Tyrus' NBA career.

Coming to LSU as an unheralded recruit on nobody's top 100 list, Thomas remained in obscurity his first year at school. A neck injury forced him to be a medical redshirt, and he only appeared in one preseason game. The next year he was a reserve for his first 11 games, but his time on the bench didn't last long.

After grabbing the starting spot at power forward, next to Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Thomas burst onto the national scene with authority. By January he was on NBA scout's radars, and Bulls GM John Paxson flew out to see him play against the Connecticut Huskies team that featured four future NBA first-round picks.

Matched up against a strong Huskies frontcourt of Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone, Tyrus dominated in the nationally televised game. He scored 15 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and got an astounding 7 blocks, etching himself into the memories of college fans nationwide.

Not the least of which was Paxson, who said recalling the game:

"Every scout who left that game in Connecticut saw the same things I did. It's simple: His potential is the highest of any of the players out there."

It was a remarkable year for such an unknown entity, and Tyrus finished the year averaging 12.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG and 3.1 blocks per contest. He was the 2006 SEC Freshman of the Year, the 2006 SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Freshman All-America Team by Collegeinsider.com.

In true warrior form, Thomas played best with the most on the line, leading LSU on a surprising run all the way to their first Final Four since 1986. He was named the 2006 NCAA Atlanta Region Most Outstanding Player after a pair of all-world performances against Duke and Texas.

Against the Longhorns he was matched up against the player he was later traded for and to whom he will be eternally compared: LaMarcus Aldrdige. That night Thomas was by far the better player, holding LaMarcus to just 2-14 shooting, and putting up 21 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks himself.

Not too soon afterwards, a player most experts probably never thought would play in the NBA heading into the year was the fourth overall pick of the Draft. Traded immediately to the Bulls, GM John Paxson was effusive in his praise of the young forward:

"When you are drafting No. 2, with a clear shot at far and away the best talent in the Draft, you don't pass on him. Not now and not ever."

His rookie year he didn't put up crazy numbers as he did at LSU, but after a slow start played his way into a spot in the rotation for a playoff team, despite only being 20 years old. His best regular season game came Jan. 31 against Cleveland, scoring 27 points on Steve Kerr-esque 9 for 11 shooting. His dominance was not limited to the offensive end, however; he also snagged three steals and blocked three shots.

In the playoffs, he played in all ten of the Bulls games, and was used as a defensive specialist against the dominating Detroit big men. He finished the year voted as a member of the All-Rookie Second Team.

What will probably be most remembered from his rookie year is something he did off-the-court, though. It didn't involve late night partying, drugs, or abusing women, just speaking a little too honestly with the media. A reporter queried him about being selected to the upcoming Slam Dunk competition in Vegas, and Tyrus bluntly replied:

"I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there."

That comment earned him a $10,000 fine, a public tongue lashing from Paxson and derision and disgust from sportswriters across the nation. Personally, I thought the comment was not only funny, but also had a valuable honesty rarely seen from athletes.

I mean, I guess some guys do participate in the dunk contest exclusively for the love of basketball and treat it as seriously as they would any real game, but most don't. Most also would never be honest with the media, but that's something Tyrus will learn going forward.

Reporters will only use your words to their advantage Tyrus, regardless of what they know you meant or were trying to say.

This cockiness reminds me of another Chicago celebrity, Kanye West. In the last, largely spoken word track of his debut album "College Dropout" Mr. West has some lines which I feel are particularly appropriate to the young man from Baton Rogue,

"Now I could let these dream killers kill my self-esteem
or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams
I use it as my gas, so they say that I'm gassed
But without it I'd be last, so I ought to laugh"

Indeed, for a kid who entered high school as a 5' 10" guard, and got cut from his freshman team, without a certain amount of arrogance he'd of never developed into an NBA lottery pick. Certainly no one was out there telling Tyrus that he had a chance back then.

His early failure is reminiscent of a former Bull, Michael Jordan, who also got cut his freshman year of high school. Also like his Airness, Tyrus got to where he is today thanks to a tireless work ethic. His coach at LSU, John Brady thought as much of the young man, saying:

"He never stopped working... He's young, so his leadership skills aren't there yet, but his personality is so true, so encouraging, that he's definitely the kind of player whose devotion and effort rub off on teammates."

That work continued into this past off-season, where just because he didn't choose to work out at the Berto Center, didn't mean he was just sitting back sipping cocktails every afternoon. At the '07 summer league where he dominated, he told one reporter that he'd been working "seven days a week so far this offseason, often staying in the gym until he makes 700 jump shots a day."

Now clearly, as his college coach said, those leadership skills are not quite there yet, as his whole skipping practice episode proves. But it's been a really frustrating year for him.

After winning a spot in the starting lineup coming out of camp, Tyrus didn't dominate but certainly played well relative to his disappointing teammates in the midst of the their horrendous start. Through the first six games, he averaged 9.3 points, 7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and a steal per game.

Those aren't All-Star numbers by any means, but they are excellent signs of progress for a player so young. Nevertheless, Skiles effectively chose to blame Tyrus for the team's failure, as Thomas was the only starter Skiles benched in a doomed effort to shake things up.

I'm certainly not going to say Tyrus isn't overly sensitive, but he has not been the same since the demotion. He was a ghost for most of the year, until regaining his starting spot against the Nuggets following the trade, and played excellent in the team's best game of the season by far, putting up a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, complemented by 2 steals and 3 blocks.

Yet despite finally once again showing signs of life and proving he was good enough to be an NBA starter, Boylan gave away his starting spot to Drew Gooden. More than that, he effectively pulled Tyrus from the rotation, and only played him eight minutes in the blow out win over the Grizzlies. That was the last game before the incident.

The suspension was fair given Thomas' behavior, but management and the coaches should not use this as an excuse to move Thomas this summer. His best days are unquestionably ahead of him, and there is very little Tyrus can not do on a basketball court.

Defensively he's got the talent to be one of the best at his position, and given his clearly demonstrated work ethic, his offensive production will soon catch up.

Yes, he is immature and far too sensitive, but how many young people aren't? With time and a little faith from the Bulls brass Tyrus will grow out of these character faults and evolve into the player Paxson thought he could become when he drafted him.

Whether it is in a Bulls uniform or not, by the end of his career, no one will think the Bulls lost on that draft day deal.

Then again, he could go down as a draft day flop similar to fellow LSU alum, Stromile Swift. It depends on which Tyrus he chooses to be, the one who skips practices, or the one who worked his way up from nothing to college stardom.

The potential is there, but as Thomas himself said shortly after the draft:

"You have to maximize your skills and ability. Potential is just a smokescreen. You have to prove you're real in order to earn all the praise."

To finish in truly unoriginal fashion, I will end with a cliche. Mr. Thomas, you have shown you can talk the talk... now, can you walk the walk?

Bibliography:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/bulls/2007-02-06-thomas-fine_x.htm

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=orlandosummerleaguesday1

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/fullcourtpress/2008/03/thomas-suspende.html

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/thomas_feature_060907.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thomaty01.html

http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=27829&SPID=2166&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=174844&Q_SEASON=2005

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrus_thomas

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Écrit près Charlie Danoff -- Homepage

The New-Look Chicago Bulls

Charlie Danoff — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:17:54 -0500

Republished, with permission, from the Chicago Sports Review

Thursday's deadline three-way trade by John Paxson may well go down one day as the move that saved his legacy as GM of the Chicago Bulls.

Doing the impossible and trading what is easily one of the NBA's worst current contracts allows Paxson to finally move on from the most egregious error of his tenure.

As many have said, losing Wallace is addition by subtraction, and so long as the Bulls didn't get Vin Baker back in a trade for him they would instantly become a better team as soon as he left.

What they did actually yield in the deal that also saw Joe Smith and Adrian Griffin leave town was considerably better than Vin Baker: Shannon Brown, Cedric Simmons, Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. Somehow, Paxson managed to find somebody stupid enough to give him more talented, younger and cheaper players in exchange for Wallace.

Thank god the Matt Millen of the NBA, Danny Ferry, does his trading based solely on the whims of LeBron James.

The move is a huge positive for Chicago and a astronomical negative for the Cavs. Some may say, especially after Sunday night where the Cavs were victorious, while the Bulls lost their debut with the new players that Cleveland "won" the deal.

I'll say it now and remember you heard it here first: if the Cleveland faces the Bulls in the playoffs, the Bulls will win the series.

Now that that's established, I'll examine the skills of the new players the Bulls brought in and try to see how they'll fit with the current roster. In his comments Friday, Paxson harped on how the biggest thing about the move was giving more time for the Bulls young big men. If you watched the past two games, you've noticed just how talented the pair of Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah are. They will only get better with more minutes as the Bulls make their playoff run this year and into the future.

More importantly, though, moving Wallace, Smith and Griff means all the Bulls veteran "leaders" are gone. The younger Bulls are more talented than this trio and any success this team has today or tomorrow depends solely on its youthful core. It is time for them to take responsibility for the team's success into their own hands.

Shannon Brown

Contract:
20007/08 - $1,044,120

The Proviso East graduate returns to Chicagoland amid little fanfare. He was included in the deal only essentially to make the salaries equal out, and anything the Bulls get from him will be a bonus. Given the backlog at the guard position, and his expiring contract at the end of this year, doing anything in a Bulls uniform seems unlikely.

Just in case, though here's what the excellent folks at DraftExpress.com were saying about Shannon before the Cavs picked him 25th overall in the 2006 draft,

Strengths:

"Brown is one of the most explosive athletes in this draft, possessing good length, huge hands and excellent strength to make an impact off an NBA bench. His first step is terrific, and he finishes with reckless abandon thanks to his impressive strength, body control, tenacity and outstanding vertical leap. He's worked very hard on his shooting range to the point that he shot 39% from behind the arc as a junior. As a passer, Brown shows good awareness and is very much adept at finding the open man. He puts a lot of pride into his ability to get in right in his matchup's grill and dictate where he wants to lead them. His intangibles are solid as he's been praised for being highly coachable and an outstanding citizen both on and off the court."

Weaknesses:

"At 6-3, Brown is certainly stuck between NBA positions. He has a shooting guard's mentality, but has the size of many NBA point guards. His in-between game is underutilized, as he either explodes past his man on his way to the hoop or pulls up for a 3-pointer, but rarely utilizes the mid-range. He needs to work on creating space to operate offensively beyond just using his outstanding athleticism. Brown has been inconsistent throughout his college career, looking outstanding one night and then silent the next. He lacks the polish on both ends of the floor to truly utilize his excellent physical gifts on a nightly basis."

In a year and a half with Cleveland, Brown's only played 420 minutes in the NBA. So, needless to say he didn't do much to impress coach Mike Brown during his time there.

Just about the last thing the Bulls need is another undersized shooting guard who can't play the point. If there's a rash of injuries he may see some time, but odds are against him doing anything meaningful in a Bulls uniform.

Welcome home buddy!

Cedric Simmons

Contract:
2007/08 - $1,629,120
2008/09 - $1,742,760
2009/10 - $2,671,651 (Team Option)
2010/11 - $3,734,968 (Qualifying Offer)

Like Brown, Simmons hasn't seen too much burn in his first two seasons in the NBA. Big men do usually take longer to develop, however, and he came out as a sophomore after not really playing his freshman year. Given how little he's played and his youth, there's a solid chance he could really improve going forward.

Because I've somehow missed his career 604 minutes of action, I'll turn again to DraftExpress.com to get the lowdown on Cedric. His profile was considerably longer than Brown's so check out the link if you want more details, here I'll quote briefly from his outlook,

"Simmons is in good shape for this draft, as his combination of strengths (height, length, frame, athleticism, tenacity, attitude, budding skills, upside) is extremely rare, while his weaknesses are, for the most part, highly improvable. ... He projects as a power forward, but can certainly steal some minutes at center due to his length and athleticism in today's small-ball infatuated NBA, particularly once he adds weight to his terrific frame."

There is certainly room in the Bulls frontcourt for a cheap, defensive-oriented rebounding big man. If he works hard for the rest of this year and this off-season, there's no reason he couldn't become a regular off the bench for the Bulls going forward.

Of course, he could also not improve and disappear from the NBA quite quickly. Either way, it's always nice when you can get someone like this with high potential and low risk as a throw-in in a trade.

Larry Hughes, aka "Smooth"

Contract:
2007/08 - $12,000,084
2008/09 - $12,827,676
2009/10 - $13,655,268

Since coming to the NBA in 1998 after starring at his hometown college of St. Louis University, where he averaged 20.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 2.1 SPG as a freshman, Hughes has had an up and down career.

He couldn't find a way to mesh with then 76ers star Allen Iverson, and was traded halfway through his second year to the Golden State Warriors. In an interesting piece of career symmetry, that first trade of his career was also a three-team deal featuring the Chicago Bulls. GM at the time Jerry Krause refused to take Hughes back, preferring instead a 2000 first round pick from the Warriors that was used on Jamal Crawford.

In two and a half years with Golden State Hughes did nothing particularly noteworthy, though he played point guard relatively competently for a period. Being able to at least fill in at the point is a real nice aspect to have for a 6-5 scoring two guard. It speaks to Larry's all-around game.

He signed with Washington in the 2002 off-season, and his third year there was the best of his career. His PER was 21.6, which is at an All-Star level. His jack-of-all-trades game was on full display, as he averaged 22 PPG, 4.7 APG, 6.3 RPG and lead the league with 2.9 SPG. He even made the NBA All-Defensive first team.

It was that performance which caused the idiot Danny Ferry to vastly overpay for him. He didn't mesh with LeBron during his Cleveland tenure, and his numbers never equaled those he put up as a 26-year-old for the Wizards. Though, again starting as a point guard, he was good enough to support LeBron on their over-hyped run to the NBA Finals.

This year in particular was a rough one for Hughes, as many of his numbers are the lowest of his career. He's never been noted as a particularly good shooter, but this year's field goal percentage of .377 shows he's been especially bad. He was injured early on, a chronic problem for him, and he's only played a full 82 games once.

It should be noted, though, after finally returning to full strength he had been playing well his last ten games with the Cavs. His averages were 4.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG and 19.9 PPG. His field goal percentage also got more in line with the rest of the career and returned to a respectable .431.

How he fits in with the Bulls this season and going forward remains to be seen. While he will unquestionably be overpaid for his tenure, I think he will be a solid addition that will fit in well with what the Bulls want to accomplish.

In Sunday night's ESPN telecast, sideline reporter Lisa Saunders revealed a surprisingly valuable insight (for a sideline reporter, who're almost always useless) she gained in an interview with Smooth. He complained that he never fit in with the role Cleveland coach Mike Brown asked of him: to be a spot-up shooter. He said he's more of a scorer who moves without the ball and within a flowing offensive system.

That's exactly the kind of offense the Bulls try to run. His defensive skills will also be much appreciated, as the Bulls have been looking for a big defensive guard since they've returned to the playoffs. Of course, they found the answer to that problem in January with Thabo Sefolosha, but there's still room for Hughes.

Many pundits have been commenting on how his arrival means the definite end of Ben Gordon's tenure. Paxson shot down that idea Friday, and I don't think he was lying. Given Larry's defensive talent and ability to play point for stretches, he actually could play with Ben. Against the Rockets, Jim Boylan put the two on the floor together for stretches and they played well off each other.

Gordon is a better scorer than Larry, while Hughes does everything else better. Actually, if Larry's arrival spells the end for any Bulls guard it's more likely to be Thabo, whose game is similar to Hughes', but not quite at his level - yet.

Player movement aside, the Bulls guard who will suffer most from the move will be Chris Duhon. He got a DNP-CD Sunday night and that figures to be the norm. If I had my druthers I'd start Du, as he remains the best pure point guard the Bulls have and the only guy who can really run an NBA offense. With him as the general, the Bulls always score better.

At the end of the day, given his contract Paxson would probably prefer to move Hughes this off-season if he could. For the rest of this campaign, I think Larry will fit in real well with the Bulls and be a big part of them returning to the postseason.

Drew Gooden, aka The Truth (*he claims this was his before Pierce), The Big Drizzle

Contract:
2007/08 - $6,400,000
2008/09 - $7,100,000

Gooden played his college ball at the University of Kansas with Kirk Hinrich. His third and final year with the Jayhawks he averaged a double-double, with 19.8 PPG and 11.4 RPG.

That was good enough to get him drafted by the best GM of all time, "The Logo," Jerry West. For one reason or another Gooden failed to live up to West's expectations, and he was traded from Memphis to Orlando midway through his rookie year.

So far in his career, that's really been the truth about "The Truth," - not living up to his potential. Whether it was in Memphis, Orlando, or eventually Cleveland, his career averages of 12.0 PPG and 7.9 RPG are not the kind of numbers expected from a #4 overall pick.

Aside from that, the player Drew Gooden is today, especially at his overly reasonable salary, is exactly what the Bulls have been looking for all season. He's a proven scorer with his back to the basket, which nobody else on the roster is, save Aaron Gray. Unlike Gray, however, Gooden's overall game is good enough to warrant extended minutes.

As he gets more comfortable with his teammates, the entire scope of the Bulls offense will change. The flashes of a dynamic inside-outside game we've seen with Gray will become the norm. No longer will the Bulls jump shooters have to work especially hard to get good looks.

If defenses play too hard on them, they can dish it inside for an easy score by the Big Drizzle. Once defenders start collapsing on Drew, he's a good enough passer to hit Hinirch, Gordon or Deng for open jumpers. And, even if they were still all shooting as bad as they were at the beginning of the year (they aren't, thank God) they would make more shots if they were open, as opposed to having a man in their face. For some reason, opposing defenses didn't really feel it was necessary to guard Ben Wallace.

Also keep in mind, that even if Gooden never lives up to his draft number, another bust - a #1 overall bust, in fact - Joe Smith, was pretty solid for Chicago this year before he got traded.

I don't know if Gooden will start or not. If he does, I hope it's at the center position, as Tyrus deserves to start and is much better as a starter. Either way, Gooden is a gigantic upgrade over both Smith and Wallace and will help the Bulls on both ends of the floor.

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Écrit près Charlie Danoff -- Homepage

Hoosiers- Wildcats: Northwestern, Give Me Just One Big Ten Win?

Charlie Danoff — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:13:07 -0500

Republished, with permission from ChicagoSporting - Sports News Source

“You haven’t been playing that well [this season] let’s see what you can do.” - Northwestern coach Bill Carmody to forward Kevin Coble

Coming off their closest-to-a-Big-Ten-win against Iowa, it was going to be interesting to see how Northwestern responded against the 14th ranked team in the country Saturday night. Many questioned if the Cats would be able to respond to such a challenge, or if they would give in, following a game where their best was still not good enough.

In their favor was Friday’s shattering news of the resignation of Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson. The game was to be played within only 36 hours of the news. Several Indiana players skipped Friday’s practice after hearing the man who recruited them would no longer be their leader.

Their new coach, Dan Dakich, said after Saturday’s game, he was not surprised that many of the players skipped practice. He pointed out, they are only 18 to 22-year-old kids, and dealing with this type of situation would be nearly impossible, even for adults.

He credited the strength of the program in how it responded, especially the team managers. Apparently, for Friday night’s shoot around, which all the players did attend, the managers simulated Northwestern’s offense to help prepare the team for the game.

To honor their fallen coach, the Indiana players wrote “KS” on their shoes for the game.

I was late in arriving for the sold-out contest, as I was covering the Chicago State game earlier that day. When I finally did arrive with a few minutes left in the first half, I nearly defecated in my pants when I saw the score.

Up against probably the best team in the Big Ten, Northwestern was not only in the game, they were winning by seven as the half was drawing to a close.

I got there in time to see a brutal three-point shot by supposed star freshman Eric Gordon, where he missed the rim by slightly under a hundred feet. Chants of “air ball” reigned down from the Northwestern students on young Eric every time he shot a free throw for the game’s duration. A pair of threes by Jordan Crawford brought Indiana within two as the first half came to an end.

The second period started with a layup by freshman center Ivan Peljusic. Peljusic has been playing great over the past few games since coach Carmody inserted him into the starting lineup; he's their only big man who can get to the hoop and create his own shot. Though he ended up fouling out later in the half, he showed he can pass as well, finishing with seven assists in only 22 minutes of play.

Having a center who can pass is critical for Carmody’s Princeton offense to be run effectively. Against the Hoosiers, the offense run wasthe best I’ve seen all season. The screens, fake screens, one-touch passes, and not just single, but double backdoor cuts were all buzzing like a well-oiled machine.

If the Indiana players were distraught by losing coach Sampson, it was not showing up in their play. They absolutely killed the ‘Cats from long range, especially in the second period where they made five of their eight attempts from distance.

Yet, unlike almost every other game in this struggling Northwestern campaign, Saturday night the ‘Cats had an answer for every Indiana knockout punch. Back and forth the game went, with Kevin Coble leading the way. He was doing everything on the offensive end: getting to the hole for easy layups, making mid-range jumpers, and killing it from distance, shooting 5-6 on threes. He finished with 37 points, a new career high.

As the minutes kept ticking off the clock, I kept waiting for Indiana to make a 10-0 run or something, and put the ‘Cats out of their misery … but, it never came. The game went down to the wire, and as Eric Gordon went to the line with 1:46 left after a Nikola Baron foul, the Wildcats were somehow up by one.

With the packed stadium as loud as it’s ever been, Gordon showed while he may not be quite as good as he thinks he is, he’s still no chump, and sunk both free throws. For the night, he was 13-16 from the charity stripe.

Down by one needing an answer, the ‘Cats gave the ball to their star Kevin Coble, only to see him turn it over. My heart fell into my stomach as I saw the game slipping away, when Craig Moore blocked an Armon Bassett layup. My hopes were dashed once again as Indiana got back the rebound and called a timeout.

If they scored again, odds were Northwestern would not have the firepower to answer with only 1:05 left. Thankfully, sophomore Jeremey Nash, who’s been one of the real unsung heroes of this squad, tipped an awkward inbound pass jumping a mile into the sky and got the ball back, for a 4 on 2 Wildcat fast break.

They misplayed the spacing, so they were unable to get an easy layup before all the Indiana players got back on defense. Nevertheless, Coble had been scoring all over their best defensive efforts all night, and the confidence seen in this ‘Cats squad was eerily calming, despite the stakes.

Drawing the defenders to him, Coble handed off to Craig Moore, who took one step, then smoothly, as he’s done thousands of time this year, raised up with no hesitation for a three. This was the first game I’d seen where Moore struggled on the offensive end, and while it was a good shot, it clanked off the rim.

Moore was not scared of the shot, however; and that’s what’s most important. MJ missed a lot more last second shots than he made, but he was never afraid and that’s why he was the best of all time. Moore won’t play in the NBA, but next time he has a three like that at the end of a game, he’ll make it. Indiana made two more foul shots next trip down the floor to go up by three, 81-78, with just 34 seconds left.

Following a thirty second timeout, somehow Nikola Baron took a three to try and tie it, but barely missed. Making his biggest play of the season, diminutive senior guard Jason Okreszki battled for the rebound and managed to get a jump ball. The possession arrow was pointed purple, and following the inbound pass, Kevin Coble got fouled.

He made his two free throws, and in turn, Eric Gordon made two more to respond. Down by three, coach Carmody called for Juice Thompson to take the ball to the hole, and he did, making a layup to bring the ‘Cats within one with just 14 seconds left.

Showing he still has a long way to go, Gordon inexplicably walked following the Hoosier inbound pass, and the ‘Cats had the ball back.Hope lives!

Trusting the freshman once again, Carmody put the ball in Thompson’s hands and told him to go back to the rim. Beating his man, Thompson put up a good shot with DJ White in his face, but missed the layup. Two more Indiana free throws, and the game was over.

Some criticized Juice for not passing to Coble, but I felt it was a good play by him; The shot, unfortunately, just didn’t fall. He has come so far since his scoreless performance against MSU earlier this year. He has the makings of a true general from the point guard spot, and brighter days are indeed ahead for the ‘Cats.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them squarely at 0-14 for the year in the Big Ten. Coming close is nice, but winning is all that matters. As coach Dakich and Gordon noted afterwards, NU is much improved since their game in Bloomington, but they still are not where they need to be.

This ‘Cat team has more talent than people realize, and given their youth could be pretty good next season. First though, they need to win at least ONE Big Ten game to get some momentum and put a positive spin on what has been a really tough year, to say the least.

In the postgame press conference, Coble said he told coach Carmody, “it’s not that hard, just come up to me and talk.”

If he can keep improving on his Saturday performance, that win will take care of itself.

GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

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Écrit près: Charlie Danoff - Homepage

Can the NBA Bulls Learn from LaSalle St.'s Bulls?

Charlie Danoff — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:12:18 -0500

Republished with permission from The Chicago Sports Review

I feel the craziness going on in the financial markets is an excellent metaphor for what is happening with the Bulls. This sub-prime mess was caused by lenders not accurately understanding the true value of the loans they were giving out. The lenders thought the thousands they loaned out today would be millions in a few years. Turned out those thousands they loaned yesterday are probably worth zero in a lot of cases today.

Similarly, while GM John Paxson heads into the year he thought he had a team that could contend for the Eastern crown, turns out his team will probably miss the playoffs.

I got the inspiration for this column reading an article about one of the best GMs in sports: Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics. What separates Beane from the pack is his ability to get the most wins out of a limited payroll. Over most of this millennium he has competed with the Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox of the world, while spending millions less than they do.

"I got off the plane from the winter meetings, I said to David, `Who are we kidding?" Beane said. "We can't let hope be our strategy here. That's what we're doing...We can't waste another year. If this needs to be done, it needs to be done…

"Our status quo as we stood going into the season was mediocrity at best. That's my opinion. If anything we're taking a step back with the idea we have a chance to build something very good for a long time...The cost of indecision for us probably would be a bigger mistake."

The Bulls are in the same place as Beane's A's. They just do not have a roster capable of competing for a title in the current NBA. It is time to give up and rebuild. Trying to salvage a few years of making the playoffs would be a "bigger mistake."

To understand why I think it is time for the Bulls to give up on the majority of their current roster and start over, I will take a completely subjective look at the assets of all the teams in the NBA relative to the Bulls. The time frame will be from today through the next two NBA seasons. That is to say, I will divide the NBA's teams into three categories: better assets, same assets, and lesser assets. All of those categories will be relative to the Bulls. For example, the Boston Celtics are in the first category: better assets than the Bulls. That means I think the Boston Celtics have better assets today and they will continue to have better assets until the 2010-11 season.

Any teams in the 'better assets' category have a superior chance of winning the NBA title than the Bulls for the defined time period. Teams with lesser assets have less of a chance for the title than Chicago.

OK, that probably made no sense, but here I go:

Better Assets than Chicago:

ATLANTIC
Boston - KG, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo will be a top five point guard within two years
Toronto - Bosh and Bargnani are both better than any Bulls players.

CENTRAL
Detroit - Will probably win the East this year…something the Bulls were supposed to do.
Cleveland - LeBron James

SOUTHEAST
Orlando - Dwight Howard
Atlanta - Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford form a better nucleus and are already winning more.
Miami - Dwayne Wade

NORTHWEST
Portland - They are already better than the Bulls WITHOUT the 2007 #1 overall pick.
Denver - Carmelo Anthony
Utah - Nearly won the West last year.
Seattle - Kevan Durant.

PACIFIC
Phoenix - Could win it all this year.
LA Lakers - Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum = ironic Shaq and Kobe of years past.
Golden State - Playing better today, and that's without a mature Andris Biedrins or Brandin Wright.

SOUTHWEST
Dallas - 67 wins last year.
San Antonio - You know why.
New Orleans - Chris Paul
Houston - Yao
Memphis - There's a reason the Bulls are rumored to be giving up a lot of their roster for Pau Gasol, and they also have Rudy Gay and Mike Conley.

Same Level of Assets:

ATLANTIC
Philadelphia

CENTRAL
Indiana
Milwaukee

SOUTHEAST
Washington
Charlotte

PACIFIC
Sacramento
LA Clippers

Lesser Assets

ATLANTIC
New Jersey
New York

NORTHWEST
Minnesota

I acknowledge that my prior categorization was highly subjective, extremely difficult to prove, and very easy to argue. Nevertheless, I feel the categories are fair overall and at the end of the day most fans would have to agree the Bulls rank at BEST in the middle of the pack.

There are enough better teams in the East by any standard, and I would almost trade the Bulls roster for any Western team, save Minnesota. That may be going a little too far, but not far too far.

For a slightly less subjective method of comparing what assets the Bulls possess, I borrowed a financial statistic used to evaluate stocks: ROA. Return on Assets measures "how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earnings." The math is:

ROA = (Net Income) / (Total Assets)

This number essentially tells you what money a company generates from their company. For the purposes of the NBA, I have slightly altered the stat. The acronym will remain the same, but the math is slightly different:

ROA = (Wins) / (Payroll)

This number will tell fans how many wins a team gets for the money they invest in their players. While no one statistic is good enough to explain anything completely, I feel this number is a quick and dirty way to get a good idea of what NBA teams get for the money they pay. Below is a list of every team in the NBA's ROA.

As a quick note, the NBA's luxury tax this season is set at: 67.85 million.

Team	Wins	Payroll (in millions)	ROA*	Rank
Detroit	27	65	42%	1
Orlando	23	58	40%	2
Boston	29	74	39%	3
New Orleans	23	63	37%	4
Phoenix	25	71	35%	5
Utah	20	59	34%	6
LA Lakers	23	68	34%	7
San Antonio	23	69	33%	8
Golden St.	20	65	31%	9
Portland	22	73	30%	10
Atlanta	16	54	30%	11
Toronto	18	62	29%	12
Denver	21	79	27%	13
New Jersey	18	68	26%	14
Houston	19	73	26%	15
Dallas	24	93	26%	16
Washington	17	67	25%	17
Charlotte	13	52	25%	18
Indiana	16	66	24%	19
Milwaukee	15	62	24%	20
Cleveland	18	76	24%	21
Sacramento	14	63	22%	22
Chicago	13	63	21%	23
Philadelphia	14	71	20%	24
Memphis	10	55	18%	25
LA Clippers	10	64	16%	26
Seattle	9	63	14%	27
Miami	8	72	11%	28
New York	9	88	10%	29
Minnesota	5	68	7%	30

Even if you do feel the Bulls have underachieved this season (which I do, certainly) this is still an extremely discouraging stat. Despite having a payroll only $4 million away from the luxury tax, the Bulls have the 23^rd-worst ROA.

For each million the Bulls spend on payroll, 22 NBA teams get more wins out of the same one million spent.

Given that they are not going to have much money to spend on free agents—especially if Paxson intends to keep the current core intact by resigning Gordon and Deng—bringing in a top-level star with a new contract simply will not happen. Furthermore, since the Bulls are just good enough to stay in the playoff hunt and maybe get the 6-8 seed or finish a few games out, they will not get a game-changing draft pick in the foreseeable future.

Basically, unless trades are made, the roster you see today is the roster you will see in the future.

While it pains me to say this…I'm sorry Mr. Reinsdorf, but that simply will not cut it.

Trades need to be made, and NOW. The longer the Bulls' current parts stay together, the worse it will get. Jim Boylan is not the answer. A puppet coach controlled by GM John Paxson is not the answer. It is beyond the time when fans can acceptably sit back and wait for Hinrich and Wallace to "get better."

So, what to do? Trade everyone, save: Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah. Aaron Gray and Duhon can stay, because they barely make anything and are worth more than their salaries. Gordon could stay, though he is less of a priority than the first three.

Everyone else? Dump 'em. Move them right now. Maybe a Ben Wallace trade to the LA Lakers for Kwame Brown's expiring contract? How about Hinrich to the Heat for Jason Williams and Ricky Davis? Both of their deals come off the cap next year.

I realize it will be difficult to move players into whom Paxson has put so much faith and effort. The hardest thing for anyone to do is admit they have made the wrong choices in the past, realize it is time to cut their losses, and move in a different direction.

The only thing harder is continuing down that wrong path.

The Bulls still have the quality to get a lot of high draft picks and talent back in trades. Combine that with the cap room they could acquire to use wisely on free agents, and within two or three years the Bulls could have a young championship contender in the works.

Ultimately, I think the best thing you can do when building a team is wait to start spending money until you have that one star: the Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan-type player. Once you have that, building the rest of the team is not so hard.

Luol Deng is not and never will be that guy. He could one day become a Scottie Pippen or Dennis Rodman type—the second- or third-best player on a championship team. But becoming a Finals-winning MVP is just not in the cards for Luol.

Until you get a player like that, however, it's important to stay flexible enough that acquisition of such a player is possible. That means having high draft picks and lots of cap room. The Bulls needed to be moving that direction yesterday.

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Écrit près Charlie Danoff

Chicago Bulls: Is Ben Gordon Really Mr. Fourth Quarter?

Charlie Danoff — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:29:18 -0500

Republished with permission from The Chicago Sports Review

Following Jim Boylan's coaching debut and Ben Gordon's superhuman fourth-quarter effort to secure the victory, Michael Redd summed up the performance .

"Mr. Fourth Quarter did a great job tonight making plays."

Last Thursday I attended the Bulls vs. Blazers game and got a chance to watch "Mr. Fourth Quarter" in action as the Bulls battled the Blazers into double OT. Big shot after big shot fell for Gordon—until his final attempt.

Guarded by Brandon Roy, Gordon made a quick move then went up for the shot. Roy put his arms up for the block, but did not touch the ball. Some sort of strange magic was afoot, as the ball drifted out of Gordon's hands just as he elevated. Next thing I knew, Gordon had fouled Jarret Jack on the opposing end and the Bulls had lost.

The detective in me got his interest piqued following the debacle, and I decided to do a thorough investigation of Gordon's career to see if he deserved the noble title Mr. Redd had given him. Starting with 2004-05, when he was the first-ever rookie to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award, I sorted through the details to uncover the truth.

Despite being the third overall pick in the draft, Gordon started only three games as a rookie, coming off the bench behind fellow rookie (pick No. 37) Chris Duhon and Kirk Hinrich. Many rookie lottery picks would sulk if they lost their starting spot to a second rounder—Gordon, on the other hand, took the high road, apparently understanding that the decision was made to give the Bulls the best chance to win.

Overall, his first year numbers were nothing earth-shattering: 15.1 PPG, 2 APG and 2.7 RPG. What was special was his uncanny ability to have victory-saving fourth quarters.

To prove my claim, I turned, as usual, to mathematics' least-refined and most-exploited school: statistics. I began by looking for splits by quarter, to see how Gordon's numbers compared across each 15-minute segment. For some cruel reason, stats by quarter are not regularly kept.

The best proxy I could find was on 82games.com, in their Clutch Statistics section. Clutch is defined as, "in the 4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points." These precious moments are when the game's result is still dangerously undefined. Players that find a way to excel in these moments end up immortalized in the minds of fans.

There is no live NBA spectator experience more brag-worthy than watching a ball fly through the air as the clock expires, not even touching the netting as it floats back to earth, with the shooter's team winning by one.

If you don't believe me, ask anyone who saw a last-second Jordan shot. Pay attention as a fire lights up in their pupils and they become exceedingly animated, most likely personally reenacting the shot as they tell their tale.

Since Elvis left the United Center, the Bulls have been hard pressed to find guys to fill the role of preeminent, ballsy late game performer. Elton Brand? For whatever reason, big men rarely are the ones to score game winning baskets (see Tim Duncan & Shaq). Ron Mercer? Uh, next. Jalen Rose? Maybe, MAYBE, at Michigan… Unfortunately, Chris Webber somewhat denied him the chance to really prove himself. As a pro all he proved to be was an overpaid prima donna, not someone to make a big basket.

Gordon changed all that. The main reason he won the Sixth Man award was his consistent virtuoso, late-game performances. In the table below, you can see Gordon's per-40 minute numbers over four quarters of play and in the clutch. Comparing based on his per-40 numbers, as opposed to averages, allows for a better understanding of whether Gordon played differently with the game on the line. To say he averaged 20 PPG and 2.0 in the last five minutes is not quite as helpful.

Year	Category	FGM	FGA	FG%	eFG%	Ast'd	Blk'd	FTM	Pts
2004-05	4 Quarters	8.7	21.1	41%	48%	48%	5%	4.6	24.8
2004-05	Clutch	10.7	22.5	48%	58%	48%	5%	9.7	35.6
2005-06	4 Quarters	7.9	18.6	42%	49%	48%	6%	3.5	21.8
2005-06	Clutch	12.2	25.7	48%	55%	41%	4%	6.5	34.8
2006-07	4 Quarters	9.0	19.8	46%	51%	45%	4%	5.6	25.9
2006-07	Clutch	10.3	28.1	36%	40%	31%	9%	14.7	37.0
2007-08	4 Quarters	7.7	18.8	41%	46%	54%	5%	4.0	21.1
2007-08	Clutch	8.8	20.9	42%	52%	50%	8%	17.4	39.3
Average	4 Quarters	8.3	19.6	42%	49%	49%	5%	4.4	23.4
Average	Clutch	10.5	24.3	43%	51%	43%	7%	12.1	36.7
(Clutch)— (4 Quarters)	Difference	2.2	4.7	1%	3%	-6%	2%	7.7	13.3

Over the course of his rookie season, Gordon shot a very respectable 48 percent—but in the Clutch moments, he had a Reggie Miller-esque 58 percent eFG%. Even if you just wanted to look at his regular FG% of 48 percent, it is crazy to think that, with the game on the line and the entire opposing team keying on him, this diminutive rookie shooting guard made nearly 50 percent of his attempts.

In addition to shooting better, Gordon also shot more often in the clutch, scored roughly 10 more points per 40 minutes, and made about twice as many free throws. For his first year, anyway, I think it is safe to say Gordon was about as cool as a cucumber when the pressure was at its highest.

The following season, Gordon's average minutes (24 to 31), points (15 to 17) and assists (2 to 3) all rose as he moved primarily into a starting role. In addition, Gordon also took on additional responsibilities his sophomore season. He was required to put in more effort on defense—though he was still weak—and spell Hinrich at point guard from time to time.

Though becoming a more complete player must have drained his energy, Gordon saved enough to still be markedly better in the clutch. His per-40 numbers in the last five minutes were still ten-plus points greater than his four-quarter scoring. Compared to the year before, his clutch shooting percentages and free throws made dipped slightly; but he still managed to score more, because he took more shots.

The next season, Gordon's four-quarter numbers continued to steadily climb. For the first time, his eFG% over the course of a game was above 50 percent. He also shot more, and thanks to the increase in his percentage of makes, his scoring numbers went up as well. While his overall numbers were better, the last five minutes of a close game were a different story.

The 2006-07 clutch was the first time in his career that Gordon performed markedly worse than he did over the rest of the game. Whether it was the case of a year-late sophomore slump, defenses catching up to him, or overall fatigue trying to live up to his increased expectations, Gordon's eFG% in the clutch was more than 10 percent worse than regular. He made a paltry 36 percent of his attempts.

Hard to say he was Mr. Fourth Quarter in his third season.

Even with all the bricks he was throwing up, Gordon's scoring in the clutch still went up relative to the year before. Part of the increase can be attributed to shooting more, but the biggest reason was a significant increase in the number of free throws he made—from 6.5 to 14.7.

This is an aspect of the game where Gordon is strangely deficient. It is not that he has problems making the free throws he takes—an 85 percent career free throw percentage is actually quite impressive. The problem Gordon has is actually getting to the line in the first place.

Free throws are (or should be) the easiest way to score points in basketball. I mean, they are called free throws for a reason. For big-time scorers, in times where your shot is not falling, aggressively taking the ball to the hoop to draw fouls is a surefire way to make sure you still get your points.

Gordon, however, seems to ignore this—he takes almost all of his shots from the perimeter. In other words, Gordon scores a lot, but does it in the most difficult way possible. Is it easier to make a 3-foot bank shot, or a fade away three-pointer over a taller defender, as he recently did against Orlando?

At least Gordon seems to have recognized that he needed to improve this aspect of his game. Once again in 07-08, his clutch numbers have seen an increase in FTM; and, consequently, his overall points. His clutch eFG% has also returned to his previous level, at 52 percent.

Anyone who has been watching the Bulls over the past couple of weeks would definitely have to say Gordon's fourth quarter magic has returned since he returned to his sixth man role. For the year, he is scoring nearly twice as many points in the clutch (per-40) as he does in regulation.

When he needs to score with the game on the line, he gets to the line. But over the rest of the contest, he chooses to make life difficult for himself. Over four quarters, he only makes about four free throws per game! This year it is particularly annoying, as he is shooting over 92 percent from the line.

Maybe he just doesn't like the rough play that follows from attacking the hoop looking to draw a foul. Maybe he cannot stand the smell of NBA big men. Whatever it is, compared to the NBA's best short 2-guard, Allen Iverson, who makes almost eight free throws per game (twice as many as Ben), Gordon has a lot of work to do.

So, then—is Gordon deserving of the nickname or not? Certainly it seemed appropriate in his first two seasons, but not as much in his third. So far this season he has largely lived up to the lofty title, especially since he has resumed his—dare I say—proper role of sixth man. If the Bulls are to have any hope of making this year's postseason dance, Gordon will have to find a way to continue to elevate his clutch performance.

A good start would be getting more of those points they give away for "free."

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Écrit près Charlie Danoff