So our 3-year-old went through the surprising Kurt Thomas phase when we’d retreat to the basement to shoot hoops. Then he always had to be Luol Deng. And, yes, he even flirted with a “Bron James” phase who, after all, could’ve been a Bull.
But just today, as we prepared to play, he uttered something seemingly everyone from Michael Jordan to Kevin Durant has figured out: “I wanna be Derrick Rose because he always wins.”
Not always, but enough to be closing in on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the youngest MVP award in NBA history. All this success has you readers giddy with questions.
How would you compare Derrick Rose’s first three seasons in the NBA to Michael Jordan’s first three seasons? Not directly in terms of statistics, but impact, development, growth, excitement and respect? I know how lucky we are to have DRose and though I was born in 1981 and had the privilege to see MJ play, I don’t really remember his transformation from rookie to superstar.
Frank, San Diego
I didn’t cover the Bulls then and it’s always difficult to compare eras, but my take is there’s really no comparison except maybe in terms of growth and respect. Also remember that Jordan played three years of college basketball so he entered the league with more experience than Rose. Both won Rookie of the Year. And while I know you say not to focus strictly on statistics, it’s hard to overlook Jordan’s scoring averages of 28.2 his rookie season and 37.1 in his third season. (Remember that Jordan only played 18 games his second season because of the broken bone in his foot.) Simply put, nobody changed sports marketing more than Jordan at the time he entered the NBA in 1984. And that’s where the different eras come into play. Rose entered a saturated world and while he has plenty of endorsements, nobody made the impact Jordan did in those early years.
Assuming the Spurs end up with the best overall record and they get bounced before the NBA Finals, would the Bulls end up with homecourt advantage through the Finals?
Derrick, Moline
Depends on who advances and what each team’s final regular-season record is. That’s the first tiebreaker. If the Bulls and Lakers advance to the Finals and have the same regular-season record, the Bulls own the tiebreaker so they would have homecourt. The Bulls also own the tiebreaker over the Mavericks and Oklahoma City.
Since Thibodeau is a former Celtics coach and knows all the plays they run, do the Bulls have a strategic advantage over the Celtics or is that a normal situation in the NBA?
Charles Gorodess, Chicago
Every team knows exactly what every other team runs. I remember a general manager once telling me the NBA is the most advance scouted sport in the world. That said, I can’t think it hurts the Bulls for Thibodeau to have such intimate knowledge of the Celtics, but more so for subtle areas like player tendencies or nuance like when they get fatigued, etc. As far as plays, no advantage.
Would Thibodeau’s chance for Coach of the Year be affected by his being a rookie?
Nancy, Waukegan
Not at all. Doc Rivers won the award in his first-ever year of coaching for Orlando in 1999-2000. Scott Brooks won last season’s award in his first full season after taking over Oklahoma City during the previous season. Whereas before I thought Gregg Popovich would win the award, I now think it’s Thibodeau’s to lose.
Shouldn’t Pax and Gar be in talks for Executive of the Year?
Asad, Chicago
That award is voted on by their peers and I’d be surprised if Pat Riley didn’t win. Riley pulled off the coup every other team with salary-cap space was trying to achieve–landing Wade, James and Bosh. That said, the Bulls reacted wonderfully in losing out on the top targets and obviously assembled a solid team that has topped Miami during the regular season. But again: If James and Wade and Bosh had said yes to the Bulls, they would’ve gone that route. Gar and Pax also deserve credit for hiring Thibodeau, who appears to be an excellent coach for a long time.
Seeing that the Bulls will now be drafting in the later stages of Rounds 1 and 2, what will be the strategy going forward?
Scott Subach, Whitewater, Wis.
Hit a home run. That’s the term Gar Forman used the day the trade deadline passed as to why the Bulls didn’t make a move. They didn’t want to hit a double but instead a home run. The Bulls have stockpiled draft picks, young assets like Taj Gibson and Omer Asik and expiring contracts like Keith Bogans and C.J. Watson to be poised to make a big splash. That’s not saying they will be able to pull it off but they will be looking near draft time. If a team wants to unload a big contract in advance of the new collective bargaining agreement, the Bulls could be in position to do so. If they keep the picks, I’d expect one of them to be an international player they can keep overseas and off their books like Asik.
I heard a rumor that Scalabrine and Omer play one-on-one before every game. Tell me this is true.
Jimmy Z., Wilmette
False. But only because it might not be every game. It’s a lot. And it’s competitive and fun to watch. Scal does a lot of drilling of players behind the scenes. People have laughed at me for saying this, but the dude has a ton of value on this team. He’s been to four Finals. He knows what championship basketball is all about. And he’s a very willing and helpful teammate.
Has any other team played as many back-to-backs as the Bulls?
Doug, Nahunta, Ga.
I type this the afternoon of the Celtics game, the day before the Bulls play their 22nd set of back-to-back games with the lovely trip to Cleveland coming tomorrow. Fittingly, they close their season next week with a back-to-back at the Knicks and at home against the Nets. The Bulls are tied with the Bucks for a league-high 23 sets.
Don’t you think Boozer needs to be 20/10 if the Bulls expect to make the Finals?
Chris, Bloomington, Ill.
I don’t know about 20/10 but he needs to produce. And he has in big playoff games. I think way too much is being made of Boozer and Noah co-existing together on the offensive end. I think there are issues on the defensive end, mostly because Noah hasn’t played that well or rebounded well at that end since his injury. But offensively, Boozer may not score as much but he’s drawing defensive attention and making the right play. He’s a very willing passer. He almost had a triple double against the Suns. And Noah finally hit an elbow jumper in that game.
What’s your take on how the Bulls line up against the Celtics after the Perkins trade?
B Miller, Cambridge, Mass.
That’s why I’m most excited about Thursday’s game, to see the new-look Celtics and also see them relatively healthy except for Shaq. They also aren’t finishing a back-to-back, which they’ve struggled with this year. But those don’t exist in the playoffs, so I think they are still a very formidable foe. If it’s Bulls-Celtics in the ECF, that will be a great series. I think the Bulls have the size and depth to compete and likely win that series. But Thibodeau is the first to remind all that the Celtics are the champions until somebody knocks them off.
What happened to Ben Gordon? It looks like he’s not playing very much and not scoring when he does play. As a Bull, for any shortcomings he had, he was a reliable scorer who put a team on his back often in the fourth quarter. What changed? The decline seems startling.
Kurt Kolmos, Burlington, Wash.
It is. And since Ben was one of my favorites, I talk to him about it often when the Bulls play the Pistons. He won’t say much publicly because whatever you want to say about Ben and his faults, he’s a team-first guy who doesn’t rock the boat. But the coach doesn’t trust him and barely has him in the rotation. And Ben is too proud to admit it, but it’s gotta be hard to go from being a viable rotational member of a vibrant franchise and city to not playing for an also-ran. I joked with him just last week that I’m not talking to him again until he’s on parole. Personally, I feel bad for the guy, but it was his choice to turn down the Bulls’ contract offers and sign elsewhere.
Thanks for your questions. Keep ’em coming to
. Talk to you next week,
K.C.
