Chicago Bulls Gone Fishin'

Before I blog about teams that have gone fishin' for the summer J.R. Smith just pulled off an incredible dunk in the 4th quarter which is probably on YouTube about now. Now...the Bulls, Heat, Bobcats have all started their summer vacations with Chicago and Miami losing in five games while the Bobcats got swept by the Orlando Magic.

Last night The Chicago Bulls lost by 2 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-84 which was probably the last game for Vinny Del Negro. If Jerry Reinsdorf paid attention he would clean house by firing John Paxon, Gar Foreman, and Vinny Del Negro. But since coaches are always the first to go Del Negro will probably be relieved of his duties by the weekend. Jokim Noah & Derrick Rose displayed that they're the new blood in the NBA with Derrick Rose potentially being the best point guard east of Steve Nash. When the real season begins July 1st, I hope Mark Jackson or Byron Scott is the Bulls coach and my team lands Wade, Stoudamire, Bosh, or Boozer. The future is bright for the madhouse on Madison.

The Cavaliers move on into the next round to face the Black Irish aka Boston Celtics. With Kevin Garnett healthy again, expect this series to go the distance but this time the Cavs moving on the Eastern Conference Finals. The winner between the Hawks or Bucks series will most likely get swept by the Magic in that round (Young Money aka Brandon Jennings in my Rookie of the Year). Side Note: Before the Hawks/Bucks game tonight Jamal Crawford receive his well deserved 6th man of the year trophy.

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Chicago Bulls Defeat Cleveland Cavs

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight 108-106 thanks to Anthony Parker's missed shot as time expired. The Bulls were up by as much as 21 points and then LeBron decided to remind the world that he's LeBron. The highlight of the game was Deng going behind the back vintage Kenny Anderson against LeBron for the score. That play got all the oooh & ahhhs at the United Center. LeBron will average his 30 plus for the series but once again Derrick Rose is making a case that he's the best point guard in the NBA.

Derrick Rose has yet to have a bad game this series and and long as Mo Williams is guarding him, he'll continue to have a great game. Mike Davis decided to have King James guard Rose which did not do any good as Inglewood's Finest displayed a clinic for the home crowd. No matter what happens, I still want Avery Johnson or Mark Jackson as the Bulls next head coach.

Game 4 this Saturday at the United Center...let's hope the Bulls tie the series!!!!!!!

Side-note: Not drafting Jimmy Clausen in the 1st round was a huge mistake!!!!!!!

Bulls Down 2-0

MVP...MVP...MVP...MVP

The Chicago Bulls are down two games to none in the best of seven series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 1 was a game to forget as the Cavs just toyed with the Bulls. In game one, the Bulls cut the lead to six with 6 minuets to go after being down by as much as 22. From that point LeBron proved that he is the king to secure the Cavs the victory.

Tonight Derrick Rose and the Bulls played tough and even took the lead in the 4th quarter. Pooh proved once he develops a jump shot that he'll become the best point guard in the League over CP3, Westbrook, DWILL, and Young Money. J. Noah was the leading scorer tonight with 23 but if he's the Bulls leading scorer.....that's a problem!!!!! Game 3 is Thursday at the United Center and the Bulls will bring the same fire they did tonight at Quicken Loans but this time secure the victory.

Playoffs or NBA Lottery

With two games left to go in the season I have a dilemma with my Chicago Bulls about tanking the last two games and heading into the lottery or landing the final playoff spot only to face LeBron James in the opening round. Let's view both sides:

Missing the playoffs: If the Bulls miss the playoffs, they end up with a lottery pick and we all know what happened the last time Chicago was in the lottery. ESPN 100 Radio here in Chicago believe the draft that year was rigged because Derrick Rose declared that year and this year local product and potential #1 pick Evan Turner declared this past Tuesday. The potential of having a Turner & Rose back-court would drive ticket sales at the United Center though the roof and they would really compliment each other since they both have excellent handles, great athleticism, and a Chicago swagger that no other city can handle. Not only would this city have the best back-court in the NBA for years to come, we still have plenty of money to offer Chris Bosh or Amaire Stoudamire this summer. Most importantly, they avoid getting swept by LeBron James in round one.

Making the playoffs: Their playoff experience should be better and more matured after last season's seven game series against Boston. Last year Boston didn't have KG but face the Cavs, the Bulls will face Shaq, LeBron, and Antawn Jamison. Those are three miss matches that will pound the undersized Bulls. Derrick Rose will have his way with Sebastian Telfair and Mo Williams but that's pretty much where the Bulls win. Which Chicago Bulls team will show up...the team that lost the the New Jersey Nets twice this season or the one who overachieves on the court at times.

My Verdict: Miss the playoffs even if we don't end up with the top two pick we still end up with a lottery pick with plenty of money to spend come July 1st. 

Underclassmen Declare for 2010 NBA Draft

Now that college basketball is done for this year, the coaching carousel is taking place along with underclassmen declaring for the NBA Draft even if they're not ready. This week several notable underclassmen declared for the Draft with the obvious Evan Turner and John Wall headlining this year's class. John Calapari has the toughest assignment as his entire starting lineup declared and will most likely be drafted in the 1st round. Here is my take on the underclassmen that has declared so far:

•  Evan Turner - Unless the Jazz or Hornets, or Bulls land the top pick, he's a lock for #2
• John Wall -  A lock for #1 unless Utah, Chicago, New Orleans draft 1st.
• DeMarcus Cousins - Elton Brand clone is a lock for a top 5 pick.
• Lance Stephenson - Born Ready needs another year in school but will be selected in round one.
• Kole Aldrich - Big body, great rebounder = top 10 pick
• Willie Warren - Undersized shooting guard will get drafted in the late 1st round or early 2nd round
• Eric Bledsoe - Had a great tournament and has moved into a top ten slot
• Daniel Orton - A star on another ball club but took a backseat to Cousins. Late 1st round pick
• Patrick Patterson - Has gotten better each year and is a lock for a late 1st round pick
• Avery Bradley - NOT READY....NEED TO STAY IN SCHOOL
• Xavier Henry - NBA ready....1st round pick but a lock for 2011 top 5 pick had he returned to Lawrence

Duke-Butler Championship Game Recap

This morning on Sportscenter & Mike & Mike, Coach K mentioned that if this game were to go into overtime his Blue Devils loose. After viewing the brackets for the tournament again it's clear to say that Duke had the easiest path to the championship. The committee made sure that Kansas State, Michigan State or any other powerhouse were not placed in their bracket. Other than West Virginia, Duke had a layup all the way to the Final 4.

Butler will be back next season as a top 5 team that's loaded with underclassmen and with Kyle Irving playing the point in Durham, NC Duke will be a top 25 team but I don't expect a repeat. My early top 5 predictions for next season are Butler, North Carolina, Michigan State, Washington, Purdue.

Butler-Duke

The hometown Butler Bulldogs will face the Duke Blue Devil in the NCAA Division 1 title game tomorrow. If Kyle Stringler and John Schyer want to elevate their draft status they should be the ones making the clutch shots tomorrow. My early prediction of tomorrow's game in Indianapolis is that Butler will play hard for 30 minuets but Coach K will cut down the nets by 10:30 CT Monday Night.