Chisoxfn

Awful news for Fowler / Jags.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 8, 2015 -> 09:32 AM) While I don't buy that, let's see if you could be more honest here. If White Sox baserunning was stellar up until this point, who would get the credit? Coleman or Ventura? Trick question....Coleman and Kenny Williams.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 8, 2015 -> 09:29 AM) He was the mastermind behind two of the biggest ESPN innovations in the past few years with Grantland and 30 for 30. Dumb move by ESPN. I presume this is not a move by ESPN, rather Bill Simmons, who probably is tired of having to keep his mouth shut due to potential suspensions. Simmons has made significant money plus I think as part of his deal, he owns portions of Grantland, etc, so curious how this all plays out. He has became an emperor in and of itself and is easily the highest profile figure to leave ESPN (more so than Patrick and Olberman). I won't count Gammons but Simmons is higher profile but Gammons was always a writer as well so wasn't ever fully employed by ESPN (still had his duties with Boston Globe, etc).

I figured something must have been up when he was on Dan Patrick yesterday.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 7, 2015 -> 01:43 PM) I haven't looked through the posts for last night's game, but the thing that stuck in my mind the most was that Pau was being lazy as f*** out there. I don't know if it was the one day of rest or too many minutes in the game or what, but he was not the guy who was going off in Game 1. They punked him for innumerable offensive rebounds where he just wasn't trying to get it Might have also been because he was frustrated from his shooting. It wasn't just him though, no one wanted to box out.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 7, 2015 -> 01:11 PM) He had knee surgery this summer. I know...I was referring to the fact that this wasn't the first time he had to deal with an off-season injury where it really impacted his game throughout the season.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 7, 2015 -> 12:56 PM) Noah's regression has been borderline insane. Here's a guy that could occasionally explode for 20 pts/10 reb/10 ast and no one would blink an eye. Now if he scores 5 points it's a shock. I always remember Noah struggling with his offense when he didn't get to have a normal off-season. I think it was the year he had really bad plantar fascias or something else where he imploded offensively as well (never was able to find his rhythm). I think he is a major confidence player and not having the opportunity to build up his confidence and have full off-seasons impacts him more than most players. I really hope he's able to unwind after winning a title this off-season and comes back as a force. He is way too likable and way too good when he's at his best.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 7, 2015 -> 12:46 PM) I think Thibs has made it pretty clear so far that Niko isn't going to get much burn in this series. I wanted to see some more of Snell and Niko yesterday. I will say, Niko did not play well against the Bucks, but I wondered how much of that was due to his injury and of course that could also be why we aren't seeing him now. It is one thing if we are cleaning up the glass that we don't want Niko in (cause Cleveland has some very good O-Rebounders) but it is another when we are getting whipped on the boards anyway. I've long said I want to see more Taj and I think Taj / Pau and Noah / Miro would be a nice pairing on both sides of things but with all of the Bulls injuries, we never were really able to do a whole lot with rotations. I do hope Noah can get a full off-season and get healthier. I also think a lot of it right now is mental struggles too...he needs to feel confident and he doesn't currently and it is very obvious. I've never seen him so inaccurate and unwilling with his offensive game. Mainly, I've never seen him miss so many of his running hooks / layups, which when he is going well, he does quite a bit and it adds pressure to the defense..but right now defense is sitting back and he isn't doing anything to force them on him and thus it puts more pressure on every other player on the court.

On a sidenote, outside of Sierra Nevada, I really don't like IPA's. I am a stout / lager / brown ale kind of guy....and if it isn't that, scotch or whiskey.

Yeah, whoever decided on that skit was an idiot.

QUOTE (iamshack @ May 6, 2015 -> 06:10 PM) I'm a big fan of brown ales. Almost any brown ale will do. Favorite brewery is Rogue, out of Oregon. Big Sky Brewing out of Montana is also one I enjoy. I echo all of the above.

Great stuff Matt.

That was freaking awful. Pathetic. Vintage Bulls - Bucks series their. Turn the ball over a million times and worse yet, don't box anyone out. Only reason I feel good is that all of that was the Bulls own damn doing (other than Cleveland taking advantage by shooting a ridiculous 3 point percentage) but still...pathetic. This is Bulls - Cavs...I could excuse it against the Bucks but not against a team like Cleveland and this far. Pathetic. Better wake the hell up Chicago...you can't advance deep into the playoffs or win this thing if you are going to take games off like that and play with such poor fundementals. Awful. I also agree with everyone, we need to see Taj start. I also wanted to at some point see Niko out their. When we are getting crushed on the glass and in the game, might as well bring Niko in to see if he can bring some energy / do something different.

Alright boys...lets play some damn good basketball and win game 2!!! In tribute to a historic poster, lets NUKECLEVELAND!!!

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 6, 2015 -> 10:44 AM) I would argue that Pau doesn't love Thibodeau. Probably likes playing here but love is a little strong. Pau has been on championship teams in which every regular season game wasn't taken as seriously as it is here. I don't doubt for one second that there have been times throughout the season in which Gasol disagrees with the way certain things take place. Pau in one year isn't going to love Thibs. Doesn't mean he dislikes him either and it is very clear that Thibs thinks extremely highly of Pau and respects his opinion. Thibs has made changes to practice schedules based upon feedback Pau has provided. Pau has been an extremely calming force on the locker but you can't discredit the fact that Taj / Noah / Butler / Hinrich (and if you believe Woj...Rose as well) would go to war for Thibs.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 6, 2015 -> 10:33 AM) As I said yesterday, the biggest issue I see right now is Thibs bringing back up the issue at the worst possible time. They won the biggest game for the franchise in the last 4 years, momentum looks great right now, and Thibs sits down with Woj and produces this interview that brings everything up to the forefront. If I'm a player, or obviously a front office staff member, I'd be PISSED, and they have a right to be. Again, I'm not saying both sides aren't at fault, but Thibs needs to STFU right now and focus on coaching, not talking to his boy and playing the PR game. I completely agree with you. He should be 100% focused on the task at hand.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 6, 2015 -> 10:30 AM) That's not entirely true. Okay...you must be referring to McBuckets. I suppose maybe Snell but Snell should also be grateful because he's taken major strides forward. Thibs is a developmental kind of guy and that is evidenced by the significant number of players who have improved while working with him (young or old). You could also say Hamilton or others but basically if you don't get on the Thibs wagon you are going to be gone and to be frank, I can commend that given the success and fact that the bulk of players like working / playing for him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 6, 2015 -> 09:08 AM) Sanchez did get 100 ABs at the major league level to prove himself last year. Micah Johnson has actually put up better offensive numbers in his ABs this year, vs what Sanchez did in the majors this year. Johnson has a higher OPS and OPS+, and he has less k/BB and more BB/PA. Last I knew he was also leading the team in pitches seen per AB, which the White Sox are very sorely lacking in. Reality is, no one should have reached any significant conclusions over the 100 AB's that either of them have gotten to date. Conclusions that have been reached should have been by top scouts (or people following the skillsets) saying, they either have or don't have the tools ready to succeed. If you think they have the tools, than you can't reach a conclusion (good or bad) over the course of 100 at bats. I've long said I like Johnson more than Sanchez because he has a tool that makes him more unique. All that said, I wouldn't say Sanchez couldn't be a league average 2B based upon what we know about him. I've long thought Johnson had more upside and what I can't envision would be Sanchez being a well above average 2B.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 6, 2015 -> 08:50 AM) Also, Rose LOVES Thibs. The players on the roster LOVE Thibs. That's something they have to consider, regardless of what they would prefer/want. That has always been the biggest factor as to why Thibs stays, imo. Not just Rose, literally almost the entire roster LOVES Thibs!

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:27 PM) I honestly don't know who is more at fault, and quite frankly it doesn't matter, it shouldn't be happening, especially when it seems like they really are playing against each other in the media and each using their allies in print and digital against each other. It's just all so petty, and I really don't even know where it all comes from. Completely agree. Too childish.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ May 5, 2015 -> 12:53 PM) Ehh Lebron's teams were clearly more talented than the Bulls in those 2 series. This time around, Bulls have a bit more talent than Cavs without Love. We have neutralized their HCA, now it will come down to who can make the right adjustments the rest of the series, something Thibs has gotten a lot of grieves about over the years. Well...lets see...LBJ starts to defend Rose, all of a sudden we are going to have more struggles or at least have to adjust back. My presumption is that is the change we see and than we will need to see Pau / Butler step up with Rose pulling James out of the interior.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 5, 2015 -> 11:58 AM) Jas, I think that's a little naive to be honest. The Bulls had a HUGE win on the road against the Cavs. Things are going great. Thibs is a smart enough guy to know what he is doing. He's 100% sending a message. He knew what the tone of that article would be, and Thibs had no problem giving Woj a 1 on 1 after the game. He knew what he was doing. And again, I'm not trying to say Thibs is a bad guy/bad coach. All I'm saying is both sides are acting like children. I am not saying Thibs hasn't said other things, I just don't think he was sending that message after game 1. Too much other s*** that is more important / more pressing. I do take everything Van Gundy says about the relationship as gospel though as I presume it comes straight from Thibs. On a sidenote, good for Thibs if he is...this issue is more about the front office than Tom, imo.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 5, 2015 -> 11:25 AM) Most of us knew, and you obviously mentioned it, defense was going to be a problem. I think most of us bought the Vince Coleman kool aid and figured the baserunning would be better, but it's been a bad decision after another bad decision, by baserunners and 3rd base coaches. Hopefully, it is because they were struggling and it was an ill-fated attempt to make things happen, and when things get more normalized and 2 runs a game isn't standard, they can relax a bit and make better decisions. There is no question this team is wound tight, and people can put that on Robin, but there is only so much you can do. They know the record. They see their stats on the board at games. Adam Eaton seems to try to hit the ball 600 feet at times. Hopefully a couple of decent games in a row can end all of that. I agree they are playing tight and the losses definitely compound the problem. I can't blame Robin for our defense because like I've said numerous times, I think we have too many players who are lousy defenders. Can't coach a Fiat to be a Ferarri. Just can't. Baserunning though, that is something that is just inexcuseable but agree part of it might be "tight" aggression given other issues. Pitching staff is due to have a nice run which should help (and hopefully times up with the offense picking things up).

On sidenote, poster on another Bulls board (Tyrus something another) mentioned that the presumption is if Bulls make it past Cleveland, they'd try it another year (and he is considered an "insider" their). Also pointed out how players have always stuck with Thibs. I honestly think if Thibs goes, players will lose it, specifically Noah, Taj and Butler, but it is also clear how much Rose likes him (at least according to Woj). If you are a front office or Reinsdorf, how could you be so stupid. Are we turning into the Niners?

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 5, 2015 -> 11:22 AM) I found it very interesting to see to Woj article this morning. Woj does NOT have a good relationship with the Bulls front office, it's been known for a while. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tom-thibodeau...-072125079.html Similar to Jeff Van Gundy, it seems as if Thibs used that story in this long running game the front office and Thibs have been playing all year. It seems all along that if the Bulls didn't reach the Finals, Thibs wasn't coming back, and will probably be traded this offseason. I honestly would be pretty surprised if Thibs was leaking anything at this point in time. Given his work ethic and desire for victory, i'm fairly certain if it doesn't help the Bulls win a title, he doesn't care and doesn't want to be bothered by it. Maybe his agent or someone else leaked something but my guess is this is a lot of "secondary" and "tertiary" leaks vs. stuff straight from Tom.