Bleacher Report - Articles by Josh Loewenstein

The Loss of Michael Redd: What it Means to The Bucks...and the Rest of the NBA

Josh Loewenstein — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:21:50 -0500

As I'm sure many have heard, Milwaukee Bucks’ shooting guard Michael Redd tore his ACL and MCL last night, and is out for the rest of the year.

The Olympian's injury not only hampers Milwaukee's playoff hopes, but has significant implications on the remainder of the season, as well as the 2009 and 2010 offseasons.

To replace Redd, Skiles may turn to a backcourt combination that pairs the team's top two point guards, Luke Ridnour and Ramon Sessions. In limited playing time, Sessions has shown the ability to score in bunches. While there is no way he can match Redd's offensive explosiveness and consistency, he appears to be the best option.

For this year's Bucks, currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference (22-25), the loss of their leading scorer (21.2 PPG) is a huge blow to their chances of making the playoffs; a disappointing result for both first-year coach Scott Skiles and first-year GM John Hammond. The sweet-shooting lefty was not only knocking down threes, but giving effort on defense, buying into Skiles’ preaching.

(For more on how this affects the Bucks for this year, see Adam Lindemer's article.)

The more significant implications of the Redd injury, at least in terms of an NBA Championship, deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their competitors at the top of the Eastern Conference.

For years now—ever since he almost signed their as a free agent in the 2005 offseason—a Michael Redd-to-Cleveland transaction has been the subject of many trade rumors. Redd, a lights-out shooter from three, would be the perfect complement to Cavs star LeBron James, making teams pay for collapsing on James as he drives to the bucket.

This year, the trade rumors began taking off as soon as Hammond's desire to makeover the Bucks became known. Armed with expiring contracts (such as Wally Szczerbiak's), the Cavs had the ability to give Hammond what he so desperately needed (salary cap flexibility) while giving up almost next-to-nothing to acquire an All-Star guard.

The Redd injury has left the top teams in the NBA ecstatic. By adding Redd, the Cavs would have been moved further past the Celtics and the Magic as the favorites in the Eastern Conference. Now, they are left with questions.

With their top trade target off the table, do the Cavs use their expiring contracts to try and land another player for this year? Or do they save their money, take their chances with this team as it stands, and try to make another move for Redd next offseason?

If the Cavs try and make a move this year, their pickings will be slim.

The Nets' Vince Carter may be available for the right price (probably Szczerbiak, draft picks, and young forward J.J. Hickson), but would he fit in with James? Carter, like James, is a scorer who wants—and demands—to have the ball in his hands.

How he would fare off-the-ball, as a secondary scorer, is unknown. The guess here is, not well.

Another perennial All-Star, Miami's Shawn Marion, could probably be had for a similar price. With his ability to contribute on defense, rebound, and score without dominating the ball, Marion would be a much better fit with James than Carter.

However, Marion, since his trade from Phoenix to Miami, has not fared well outside the Suns' fast-paced offensive system. With his skills seemingly in decline, trading for Marion would be a significant risk.

If the Cavs do not make a trade, and do not win the championship, will they pursue a move for Redd again in the offseason?

While some would emphatically say "yes" to this question, the answer is not as obvious as it seems, given Redd's recent medical history.

Besides this most recent season-ending injury, Redd had already missed 16 games this season due to injury.

In fact, missing significant time due to injury has become a troubling trend for Redd. During the 2006-07 season, Redd only played in 53 games. Last year, Redd played in 71. Combined with this year's total of 31, that gives Redd a three-year average of 52 games played per year.

While this recent struggle with injuries should give Hammond even more incentive to trade Redd during the offseason, are the Cavs willing to make a trade for someone who has, sadly, become an injury risk?

If the Cavs find themselves desperate to win a championship before James hits the free agent market in 2010, the answer is "yes."

But if they think they can keep James in Cleveland by saving cap space and pursuing a 2010 free agent, such as Chris Bosh, to play with James, the answer is "no way."

Illinois-Wisconsin: A Preview of Two Teams Headed in Opposite Directions

Josh Loewenstein — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:39:40 -0500

Although only separated by one game in the Big Ten standings, the 25th ranked
Illinois Fighting Illini (4-2 in conference play) and Wisconsin Badgers (3-3)
couldn't be heading further in opposite directions as they head into Saturday's
showdown in Champaign (4 pm EST, ESPN).

Illinois (16-3 overall) has been hot as of late. After a near upset of Michigan
State in Lansing, the Illini jumped on Ohio State, going on a 22-9 second-half
run to secure a 67-49 victory.

Much-maligned, yet talented guard, Demetri McCamey played perhaps his most
complete game of the season, scoring 13 while dishing out seven assists. Forward
Dominique Keller provided an early spark off the bench, adding 12 points and six
rebounds.

Most importantly though, the Illini turned in their most impressive defensive
effort of the season, holding the Buckeyes to 41 percent shooting and forcing 20 Ohio
State turnovers. OSU's Evan Turner, the fifth-leading scorer in the Big Ten, was
held to only four points on only 2-7 shooting.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin has followed its 3-0 Big Ten start with three straight
losses, most recently a 73-69 road upset at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It's difficult to pinpoint one factor that has led to the three-game losing streak.
Offensively, in the games against Purdue and Minnesota, the Badgers struggled
to put the ball in the basket, shooting only 38 percent in both games.

Point guard Travon Hughes has also struggled in all three games, committing 14
turnovers, including five against Purdue and six against Minnesota.

Wisconsin's normally stiff defense has also not been as effective, allowing big
games to individuals on all three teams.

Purdue's JaJuan Johnson scored 20, on 8-10 shooting.

Minnesota's Lawrence Westbrook exploded for 29.

And Iowa's David Palmer went for 21, 16 points above his per-game scoring
average.

Against the Badgers, the key for the Illini will be too start out fast. If they jump
on the Badgers, and build a substantial first-half lead, the Badgers may start to
question themselves. If that happens, it could be a long night for coach Bo
Ryan's team.

For Wisconsin, the key will be to control the tempo. Hughes needs to limit his
turnovers and get the ball inside to forward Marcus Landry, whose combination
of agility and strength on the inside could prove a mismatch against Illinois'
skinnier post players Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale.

And the Badgers would serve well in containing McCamey, the one player for
the can easily have the type of big game Johnson, Westbrook and
Palmer had against the Badgers if he gets hot early.

Prediction

It's the easy pick to go with the streaking Illini over the slumping Badgers. I will
take the easy road and do just that.

Not only are the Illini the hotter team, but they are at home and have revenge on
their minds after being beat by the Badgers three time last year, including a loss
in the Big Ten Championship game.

That being said, it will be a close and low scoring defensive struggle. But in the
end, the home crowd, and their balanced offense (5 players average between 11-15 points/per game) will help the Illini slide past the Badgers 56-48.

Be Careful What You Wish For: Why Marquis Will Be Missed By Cubs

Josh Loewenstein — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:06:49 -0500

To say it has been a busy off-season for the Chicago Cubs would be an
understatement.

Cubs' fans have seen their team's owner declare bankruptcy and the club will be
sold before opening day.

They have, once again, sat through rumors of an "imminent" trade for a star
player (Jake Peavy), only to see those talks completely collapse see Roberts,
Brian).

They have said hello to a potential headache, Milton Bradley, and waived
goodbye to fan favorites Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood. And, in a much rejoiced
moved, they said good riddance to much maligned fifth starter Jason Marquis.

In everything that I have read, Cubs fans and baseball experts have all fretted that the loss of DeRosa and Wood will mean the downfall of the 2009. But these two have both been replaced in subsequent moves by Cubs' GM Jim Hendry.

While he won't replace DeRosa's power numbers, Miles is even more versatile than DeRosa, as he can play both shortstop and center field, two positions DeRosa never manned for the Cubs last year. He also can hit for average and is a much better defender than DeRosa at second base, the primary position both men play.

DeRosa's absence will also mean more playing time for the "Pocket Rocket", Mike Fontenot, who should build on his impressive part-time power numbers (9 HR in 243 AB) and give the Cubs an additional presence from the left-side of the plate, something last year's team desperately needed.

As for Wood, the Cubs will be fine in late game situations whether it's Carlos Marmol, who had 114 Ks in 82 IPs last year, or Kevin Gregg, who had 61 saves the last two years with Florida.

Additionally, Wood's injury history, as most Cubs fans know, provides no guarantee that he can replicate last year's success. Remember, despite his performance, Wood missed a large part of the 2008 season's second half with a blister on his finger.

The loss of Marquis, however, could prove the most detrimental of all the off-
season subtractions if no more changes are made.

For all his perceived shortcomings, Marquis has actually been an invaluable part
of this team and has played a key role in its two straight division championships.

It's no coincidence that Marquis, a bottom of the rotation starter his entire
career, has never missed the playoffs in his eight full seasons with the Braves,
Cardinals and Cubs.

Yes, those teams have had "aces" such as John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg
Maddux, Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder and Carlos Zambrano carrying their
rotations.

However, the key to being success in the marathon that is the baseball
regular season, is pitching depth.

Having fourth and fifth starters who can log innings and keep their teams in the
games keeps bullpens' healthy and fresh and keeps managers from having to
frequently shuffle relievers.

Jason Marquis has been that type of consistent back of the rotation pitcher
manager Lou Piniella could rely upon. In his two years with the Cubs, Marquis'
innings pitched (358) and wins (23) rank third among Cubs pitchers, trailing
only Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly in both categories.

These numbers do not even do justice to Marquis and his selfless attitude. Just
like DeRosa played any position, Marquis pinch-ran, pinch-hit and did whatever
else was necessary to help the Cubs win.

Pitching-wise, Hendry has yet to compensate for the loss of
Marquis.

While lefty Sean Marshall, who had a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts in 2007, should be
able to fill Marquis' role as fifth starter more than adequately, his movement to
the rotation puts the Cubs at a serious disadvantage for two reasons.

Marshall was a particularly important piece of Lou Pinella's relief corps. Not only
did Marshall fill the long relief role, but he was the most effective lefty in the
pen.

Without him, Piniella will be forced to use Neal Cotts and the newly-acquired
Garrett Olsen in late-inning situations against left-handed batters. Not a pair
that will exactly strike fear into the likes of Lance Berkman (switch hitter), Prince
Fielder, Ryan Howard, or Chase Utley.

Mainly though, Marshall will be missed in the bullpen because of his ability to
effectively make a spot-start when called upon. Having a guy like that is a
necessity for any successful team, especially when its this year's Cubs, who are
relying on oft-injured starter Rich Harden.

Cubs' management has already announced that Harden will be given time off
throughout the season. Who is going to replace him with Marshall already in the
rotation? Angel Guzman? Olsen? Chad Gaudin?

These names don't exactly make me feel confident that the Cubs have a chance to win nearly as much as seeing Marquis on the mound did.

Luckily, as Cubs writers on this site have pointed out, the Cubs, in their trades
of former top-prospect Felix Pie ) for Olsen, and DeRosa, have acquired the
pitching assets necessary to resume talks for Peavy.

Acquiring Peavy would certainly solve this situation and provide a key upgrade over Marquis. However, with such a complicated, and uncertain ownership situation, there are no guarantees Hendry will be be able to resume talks and pull off such a deal.

If the Cubs cannot acquire Peavy, there are still a few free agent options, such as former Cardinal Braden Looper, who can keep the Cubs in games and fill the innings-pitched void left by the departure of Marquis.

Whatever he decides to do, Jim Hendry better act fast, or dumping Marquis may be his biggest mistake yet.

Big Ten Week in Focus: Michigan State Stays Perfect, Purdue Stays Alive

Josh Loewenstein — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:35:28 -0500

Here are a few observations from the week in the Big Ten.

1. Michigan State looks to be the class of the conference.

After early season losses to Maryland and North Carolina, the Spartans have reeled off 11 straight victories and raced to a 5-0 start in Big Ten play.

This week's games showed that the Spartans can maintain their composure in tough situations, something they didn't do in those two non-conference losses.

Against Penn State the Spartans blew a 17-point lead, allowing PSU to get within one with just over a minute remaining. But emerging point guard Kalin Lucas hit 6-8 free throws down the stretch, and Sparty survived 78-73.

The Illinois game was a whole different story, as the Illini were in control most of the game, holding Lucas scoreless in the first half. But a late 12-3 run, and 10 second half points by Lucas, propelled the Spartans to a 63-57 victory.

With four very winnable games ahead on the schedule (Northwestern, @Iowa, @OSU, Penn State) the Spartans have an excellent chance to start 9-0 in the Big Ten and separate themselves in a conference where every other team has suffered at least two losses.

2. Purdue perhaps saved their season (or, at the very least, their hopes of challenging for a Big Ten title) with a comeback win over Northwestern on Thursday.

The preseason Big Ten favorite, Purdue came into this week 1-2 in Big Ten play, with team leader Chris Kramer and all-Big Ten forward Robbie Hummel both suffering from nagging injuries. Struggling to score the basketball, the Boilers looked to be on the verge of a 1-3 Big Ten start, trailing Northwestern by 11 with just under eight minutes remaining.

That's when Hummel, and forward JaJuan Johnson, came alive, spurring a 15-4 Purdue run that gave the Boilers their first lead with just over a minute to play. Purdue, by virtue of two tiebreaking free throws by Johnson with 2.2 seconds left, went on to win the game 63-61.

The Boilers, now 3-2 thanks to yesterday's win at Iowa, face an insane five-game stretch in which they play road games at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Illinois, with a home game against Michigan sandwiched in between.

Had their confidence been shaken by a loss to bottom-feeder Northwestern, Purdue may have fallen apart completely if they had any struggles during this difficult stretch. Now, with their confidence back, and a few wins under their belt, the Boilers seem primed to tackle five consecutive tough games and start living up to their preseason hype.

3. Minnesota needs to forget a bad half.

The Gophers ended the week with a thud, losing to Northwestern after securing their biggest Big Ten win yet (a road win at Wisconsin) just a few days earlier.

Not only did the Gophers lose to Northwestern, but they also came out unready to play the second half. The Wildcats jumped all over Minnesota, scoring the first 16 points of the half. The Gophers missed 12 of their first 13 second half shots and never recovered.

At 4-2, the Gophers have a legitimate shot at finishing in the top tier of the Big Ten. With two home games (Purdue and Illinois) and a very winnable road game against Indiana upcoming, the Gophers need to put one bad half out of their minds and avoid a hangover from such a disappointing loss.

4. Illinois has a chance to create some separation next week.

After almost pulling out a victory at conference leader Michigan State, the Illini (3-2 in the Big Ten) have a chance to separate themselves from a crowded pack when they take on fellow two-loss teams Ohio State and Wisconsin (both 3-2) this week.

Despite a combined 1-16 shooting performance from guards Demetri McCamey and Trent Meacham, including 1-14 on threes, the Illini held the lead until succumbing to a late Spartan run.

If McCamey (43 percent from three on the season) and Meacham (45 percent from behind the arc) rediscover their season-long shooting touch, the Illini should be able to defend their home court and come away with big victories.

5. Northwestern is dangerous at home.

After leading Purdue for most of the game and knocking off Minnesota, the Wildcats proved that, despite their 1-4 start, no team will get an easy win when they visit Evanston.

Running the Princeton offense, the Wildcats, with their backdoor cuts and ability to slow down the tempo, are difficult for any team to prepare for. It doesn't hurt to have shooters like Craig Moore (22 points, 6-9 from three against Minnesota) who are lights out from three.

While the Cats have almost no NCAA tourney hopes, they will surely pull one or two more big upsets at home before the season is through.

6. Don't count on a Hoosier win anytime soon.

The Hoosiers didn't even come close to a win this week. They were blown out 77-53 at Ohio State on Tuesday and then suffered a 65-55 loss when hosting Penn State Saturday, putting them to 0-5 in the conference.

Looking ahead, the team's only realistic chances for a win are a Feb. 4 home game against Iowa and a Feb. 25 home game against Northwestern. If they don't win either of those, look for the Hoosiers to go winless in the Big Ten and finish the regular season with only five wins, a far fall for the once storied program.

(Sorry, not much original thought there. Just can't pass up an opportunity to take a shot at IU while they are down.)

Maryland Must Move On: It's Time To Fire Gary Williams

Josh Loewenstein — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 09:30:47 -0500

There is no doubt that University of Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams is a Hall of Famer. With 614 wins, Williams is one of only eight active coaches with over 600 wins. His 409 wins at UMD place him third in wins by an ACC coach, only behind Dean Smith and Coach K.

Williams status as a Hall-of-Famer, though, is about more than the numbers. Rather it is about what he has meant to Maryland since taking over as head basketball coach in 1989.

Leaving Ohio State to take over a basketball program marred by NCAA sanctions and still scarred by the 1986 death of star Len Bias from a cocaine overdose, Williams revived Maryland basketball, leading the program to new heights.

During a streak of 11 straight NCAA tournament appearances from 1993-2004, the Terps appeared in seven Sweet 16s and two Final Fours, capping it off with a National Championship in 2002.

But things have changed. Following a 2004 run to the ACC tournament championship, the Terps have settled for the NIT in three of the past four seasons. While I wish that I could say Williams has the ability to bring the Terps back again, key factors prevent that from happening.

Inconsistency

Inconsistent play in the seasons directly preceding the 2002 championship was blamed mostly on the players, including highly touted recruits such as Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison, and Mike Jones, who never quite lived up to expectations.

Those players were a big part of the core for an extremely inconsistent 2005 team which swept Duke, but lost all three games to the ACC bottom-feeder Clemson, preventing the Terps from being included in the Field of 64.

Many predicted that once these players were gone from Maryland, the inconsistency would disappear. But that has simply not been the case.

Last year's team upset No. 1 North Carolina on their home court, while also falling at home to "powerhouses" such as Ohio University and American. It also blew a double- digit second-half lead to Virginia Tech, and collapsed against Clemson, surrendering a 20-point lead in the final 10 minutes of a game in which a win would have almost certainly locked up an NCAA berth.

But the Terps' maddening inconsistency reached a new low-point last week, as the team blew late-game double-digit leads to both Morgan State and Miami.

Inconsistent play can only be placed on the players for so long. As the players have moved in, the blown leads and the shocking losses have remained, leaving only one person to blame for them, the coach. Gary Williams.

Gary Williams cannot, or will not, recruit

Since his highly ranked, yet disappointing 2002 and 2003 recruiting classes, Williams has failed to bring in any top-notch recruits. Despite being at a school located in Prince George's County, an area ripe with basketball talent, (Prince George's County), Williams has failed to bring in the areas top prospects (Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, Austin Freeman and Ty Lawson just to name a few).

While Williams has often had a knack for finding "hidden gems" and developing them into ACC-caliber players, programs relying on finding under-the-radar recruits no longer be successful.

In an era marked by AAU, multiple recruiting services and the recruiting of "prospects" as early as seventh grade, no longer are there any real "hidden gems." Anyone who is going to be an ACC-caliber player will almost certainly be discovered well before they graduate high school.

Whether he is too stubborn to adapt to the new-age of recruiting, or whether he is just not capable of doing so, it seems obvious that Gary Williams cannot improve his recruiting.

It will take a new coach to change the philosophy so that Maryland can once again reap the benefits of a fertile recruiting base.

The Program has become "Irrelevant"

Sadly, the disappearance of the program from the national scene altogether has even been acknowledged by reporters such as CNNsi's Seth Davis.

"As a Maryland native, it pains me to say that, yes, irrelevant is a pretty good word to describe Maryland these days," Davis wrote in his Jan. 14 mailbag. "Nor do I see a significant influx of talent on its way to College Park, either. So I'm sorry to say, Eddie, Maryland looks like it's going to be irrelevant for the foreseeable future."

While the Terps could certainly recover from Wednesday night's debacle in Miami and make the NCAA tournament, just making it to the Big Dance every few years is not enough.

Gary Williams, and his years of success, raised the expectations at Maryland to the point where tournament bids, Sweet 16s, and ACC contention should be the norm in College Park. Sadly, it does not appear that Williams, who once restored his Alma mater to glory, can once again meet the standards he set so high.

Vinny Del Negro Benches Larry Hughes (and Other Reasons For Bulls Optimism)

Josh Loewenstein — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:09:04 -0500

Normally, I reserve judgement on my favorite teams based on a small stretch of games.

However, in a season marked by inconsistency and home losses to NBA bottom-feeders like the Timberwolves and Bobcats, don't blame me for trying to take a little bit of hope away from the Bulls latest two-game winning streak that featured victories against the Raptors and Cavs.

Here are three reasons for optimism for the rest of the season, and for the future.

1. First-year Coach Vinny Del Negro has finally shown some testicular fortitude in his decision to give Bulls' malcontent Larry Hughes the "Starbury treatment."

Even though the Bulls have played close to .500 basketball during the first 40 games of his coaching career (at any position or level), Del Negro has not given Bulls' fans many reasons to think he will turn into a successful NBA coach.

So far, he has been unable to keep his team from making mental mistakes, convince them to play defense, and worst of all, motivate them to even show up to play (see a New Years Eve Day home loss to Orlando in which the Bulls were down 33-17 after the 1st quarter and 65-38 at half time).

He has also been unable to get an even semi-consistent effort from young big men Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, the latter of which Del Negro unsuccessfully attempted to motivate by publicly calling him out for not being in shape.

More than anyone though, Larry Hughes has tested Del Negro's patience constantly, with his consistent complaints for more playing time all season and even his public displays of disrespect (he broke team rules by eating in the locker room).

After a game in which Hughes, in an effort to reinforce the "selfish" label he has earned throughout his career, twice failed to pass the basketball (and subsequently turned it over) while leading a 2-on-1 fast break with the Bulls' best finisher, rookie PG Derrick Rose, to his right, Del Negro finally stood up for himself and removed Hughes from the rotation, not playing him a single minute in the victories over the Raptors and Cavs.

Whether it's a matter of removing a trigger-happy Hughes from the lineup, or whether its a respect for, and a fear of, a coach who will do something (bench you) when you aren't playing to his expectations, the Bulls finlly started the kind of unselfish team basketball Del Negro has been preaching, assisting on 33 of 49 baskets against the Raptors and 22 of 45 baskets against the Cavs.

Moreover, they made late-game defensive stops, including Tyrus Thomas' block on LeBron James near the end of regulation that allowed the Bulls to eventually tie the game and send it to overtime.

Now the question remains, will Del Negro keep Hughes on the bench, or will he give in to outside pressures to play Hughes, particularly of his GM John Paxson, who may ask Del Negro to showcase Hughes for a potential trade?

If Del Negro stands his ground, and keeps Hughes off the court, it will go a long way to Del Negro finally earning the respect of his players and this team developing some much-needed chemistry.

2. Kirk Hinrich is back from injury.

The Bulls co-captain, who has sat out the majority of the season due to thumb injury, finally rejoined the Bulls last week, and his presence has been key in igniting the Bulls current winning streak.

Although he is not very vocal, Hinrich is the Bulls' best leader, a guy who will lead by example on the defensive end.

Forced to chase around big shooting guards for the majority of his career because of Ben Gordon's lack of height and defensive ability, Hinrich was at it again last night, working hard on defense and coming up with two steals. For a team that doesn't play much defense, this is welcome to see.

Hinrich's return will also take the pressure off of rookie point guard Derrick Rose. With Hinrich out, Del Negro was forced to play Rose at least 40 minutes a night, out of the utter fear of using his backup point guard options, which, for some time, were the quick-triggered Hughes and the dribbling-deficient Gordon.

Although Rose has been better than expected, he has struggled of late, possibly due to the fatigue of playing 40 minutes a night. Having Hinrich back will give Rose a blow, and allow him to even play off the ball, allowing him to focus on scoring, and give the Bulls an offensive punch they desperately need.

It's a shame that the Rose-Hinrich backcourt combo has looked so good, as Hinrich is the best asset the Bulls have to use in any potential trade for a low-post scorer.

Maybe Paxson will keep Hinrich, let go of Ben Gordon, and find a way to add a low-post scorer through a trade of Hughes, Thomas or Noah. There is no sense in trading a player who is the best leader your team, devoid of guys who consistently play hard.

3. Derrick Rose showed the ability to be "clutch".

While Rose has shown flashes of greatness, he has shown an unwillingness to take over games, passively deferring to Hughes and Gordon in late-game situations.

Not so in the Toronto game though.

Rose, attacking the basket at will as he has shown the ability countless times to do, led the Bulls to a close victory, scoring 17 of his 25, and 17 of his team's 34 points in the 4th quarter.

Most importantly though, Rose showed the ability to shake off frustration and make free throws down the stretch. As most people know, late-game free throws have been a problem for Rose (see: Kansas-Memphis 2008 National Championship game).

Last night, it looked like Bulls fans were in for more of the same, as Rose, with the Bulls trailing the Cavs by 2 with 1:32 to go, not only missed two free throws, but looked uncomfortable at the line, seemingly yelling at himself after the first miss.

However, with the score the same, and Rose back to the line for two more with only 17 seconds left, it looked like another Bulls loss. But Rose, forgetting his previous failure, stepped to the line and calmly knocked down two free throws.

If Rose, a player with a world of potential, can withstand his passive nature, take over games and have a short memory of late game mistakes, the Bulls could potentially have their first All-Star, and a guy to lead them back to relevance, and contention, for the first time since Jordan.