| 05 April 2010
The Bulls face the Bucks tomorrow night. But it’s not the Bucks we have become accustomed to the past few months. It’s not the Bucks that have terrorized Eastern and Western Conference opponents alike as of late. And it’s definitely not the Bucks who I predicted would be a playoff sleeper in the Eastern Conference in an earlier Bloguin NBA Roundtable Discussion.
Andrew Bogut took a ridiculously bad fall after a dunk in the Bucks’ last game. He fell on his elbow in the most awkward way possible. He had to be helped off the court and it looks like he’s done for the season. Which means…everything the Bucks have worked so hard for just went down the crapper. This team is nothing without Bogut.
Don’t talk to me about John Salmons. Salmons is nothing. Salmons did nothing for half of the 2009-2010 season. Salmons entire ability to score is based on having a big man in the middle who will often draw a double-team, thus opening up the lane or giving John just enough space to square up and pop a 3. There was no such big man on the Bulls. Bogut is that big man on the Bucks. Bogut is the reason this team is good, not John Salmons. Who’s going to draw that double team now? Dan Gadzuric?
Which brings me to my next point. Who’s going to bang down low with Mr. Hard-Hat/Lunch-Pale tonight? Dan Gadzuric? Ummm, no. And who’s going to bang with the African Viking? Dan Gadzuric? Ummm, no. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, when healthy, are an absolute elite rebounding tandem. Something I haven’t seen on the Bulls ever. Usually it’s been one guy in the past. Charles Oakley. Horace Grant. Dennis Rodman. Elton Brand. Tyson Chandler. Ben Wallace (if you can count him). The Bulls now have two very gifted rebounding big-men in Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Even with Bogut healthy, a healthy Bulls team probably dominates the Bucks on the boards. But tonight, they definitely will.
By the way…Joakim exploded all over Tyrus Thomas…probably one of my favorite moments of the season. Stacy was loving it…see below.
As for the rest of the Bucks…I’m simply not impressed. John Salmons? I know John Salmons. He’s a mental midget. I can see him getting into his own head knowing he’s going up against his old team. If you think John will be putting up 20 points tonight, you’re out of your mind. Not with a resurgent Captain Kirk guarding him. As a matter of fact, Kirk Hinrich has been a nightmare for star players lately. And if he hadn’t gotten injured and forced Jannero Pargo to come in and play olè defense on Steve Nash, then the Bulls would have won their recent game against Phoenix as well. And I absolutely hate to put John Salmons in that category, because he’s certainly no elite player, but in Milwaukee, he’s all they got right now. Kind of makes you chuckle a little bit, doesn’t it? I expect Kirk to shut him down to the tune of roughly 12-15 points and maybe one three point field goal.
As for Brandon Jennings, there’s another mental midget for you. He’s more concerned with flash and what hair style he’s gonna wear rather than playing smart basketball. The second he hit a rut this season, he went from possibly the next Allen Iverson to possibly the next Stephon Marbury. He completely lost focus and never truly regained his swagger. He’s the opposite of a Derrick Rose. More talk and less helping his team win. I expect Derrick to absolutely dominate Brandon tonight, as Derrick has significant height, speed, and strength advantages. Jennings is about to see what he’s going to be up against for the next decade and a half or so…that’s gotta be depressing.
So bottom line, I definitely do not expect John Salmons and Brandon Jennings to be able to carry the Bucks past the Bulls, who are playing as if they are on a mission right now. Meanwhile, the Raptors play the Cavs tomorrow night. If they beat the Cavs tonight, you can call it a day. But I don’t see that happening. Which means the Bulls and Raptors will be tied after tomorrow night in the Eastern Conference standings, with the Raptors holding the tie-breaker. And please keep in mind that the Raptors and Bulls are set to square off in 6 days. Which means anything can happen. This one is going to the wire, and it’s DEFINITELY NOT OVER. GO BULLS.
