This pic above, courtesy of cbssports.com (AP Photo/Lance Murphey), as you'll come to find out from this post, was the story of the night.  I don't need to talk about all the Bulls injuries at this point, right?  Top four scorers out/injured blah blah blah.  Bottom line, Vinny sent out a ridiculous lineup of Pargo, Murray, Law, Gibson, and MIller.  To be honest, this was a game the Bulls should not have even been competitive in.  And they weren't for the most part.  They did manage to go up 22-11 in the first quarter, only to be outscored 44-22 to close the half.  The third quarter didn't start out much better.  O.J. Mayo was making it rain.  He went 4-5 from three-point land and finished with 24 points.  Mike Conley also was draining threes and finished with 19 points and 10 assists.  Zach Randolph didn't even have to do much.  I mean he definitely caused Taj Gibson to foul out in 26 minutes with only 2 points on 2 attempts and 3 rebounds, but he really didn't attack that much and didn't have to.  About half-way through the third quarter, the Grizzlies were up by 25.  The Bulls could only send out their scrubs, so Lionel Hollins decided, "Hey, we're up 25, our scrubs can play against their scrubs, so what the hell."

He's right.  Any other coach would have done the same.  No reason to play Zach Randolph, O.J. Mayo, and co. and risk any injuries.  Surely Marcus Williams, Ronnie Brewer, and co. could handle Acie Law and the Bulls practice squad, right?  Right.  Well, barely.  I'll get to that later, but let's talk about...

Acie Law.  The kid can play.  He's always been able to play.  He was a stud in college and the guy is just a skilled basketball player.  He just needs the playing time (see Darren Collison).  I've been sitting and waiting for Del Negro to replace Jannero Pargo with Acie Law in the rotation, but it hasn't happened yet.  There is NO EXCUSE FOR THIS.  You cannot sit here and tell me that Acie Law is not as effective on the basketball court as Jannero Pargo.  Who does Vinny Del Negro take us for?  Is there any chance I was ever going to believe that Jannero Pargo should play more minutes than Acie Law?  No.  I wasn't.  Does Jannero Pargo deserve to play more minutes just because he's been on the Bulls longer and has a history with the team?  NO.  He doesn't.  That's ridiculous.  Plus, it's been a month since the trade deadline.  I think the new acquirees are acclimated just fine.

Enough of this.  I can't take it anymore.  I want to gouge my freakin' eyes out every time I watch Jannero Pargo play.  All I can say is thank goodness that Vinny Del Negro had absolutely no choice to but to play Acie Law in the game tonight.  If he hadn't, Bulls fans would have never gotten to see what Law can do in a real game situation and how much BETTER he is than Jannero Pargo.  To knowledgeable basketball fans, it's obvious.  All you have to do is watch Pargo play...it literally hurts your eyes.  But to your every day Bulls fan, many of them tend to drink the kool-aid the organization serves them on a daily basis.  PROPOGANDA.  The coaching staff and the front office get it in their head that a certain player is an "organization" guy, and it becomes impossible for better players to replace them in the rotation.  But for this to occur with a player as bad as Jannero Pargo and with a player who is clearly better and more effective in Acie Law...there is no excuse.  I mean really...Vinny see these guys in practice every day, does he not?  Does he really need to see it in a real game situation to know who should be in the rotation and have more minutes?  That kind of stubornness and turning a blind eye is cause for firing alone.

Deep breaths, Dave.  Deep breaths.  While I hope Law will now take Pargo's rotation spot permanently, the situation tonight was a little different, and according to VDN, called for both to have to play serious minutes.

In case you didn't watch the game, let me explain the situation a little more.  Acie Law started.  He had a terrific game.  18 points on 6-11 shooting.  He had 5 turnovers, but that's to be expected from a young kid starting in only his 8th game as a pro, especially one who hasn't played serious minutes in what seems like years.  Only reason he started is because James Johnson was being punished for showing up to practice late yesterday.  If that hadn't happened, Acie Law would still be buried on the back of the bench for the rest of the season with Jannero Pargo coming in in late game situations for "offense."  I'm praying that the Jannero Pargo era is now over.  But knowing VDN, I could be wrong.  Bottom line, Law was attacking the basket and taking it to the whole consistently, and also showed he's capable of hitting a three-pointer.  Being out of shape and not used to playing real minutes, he cramped up late in the 4th quarter with about 4 minutes left.  And this led to Jannero Pargo controlling the ball late in the game, which is about the worst thing that can happen to the Bulls in close games.

That's right.  This was a close game.  How the Bulls managed to claw their way back from a 25 point defecit in the 3rd quarter...I don't know.  I think it was a combination of the Grizzlies relaxing and Lionel Hollins leaving his scrubs out there for way too long.  Eventually, Zach Randolph had to come back in, without his headband (he had already gotten rid of it because he thought he was done for the night), and help save the day.

Here's what I do know. It was 90-94 with 3:04 left and the Bulls had the ball.  This is when Jannero Pargo convinces himself that he is as good as Derrick Rose, so it's Jannero Pargo time.  In reality, all they have in common is that they are both from Chicago.  With 2 and a half minutes left and the score still at 90-94, Pargo is dribbling way too much and tries to drive the lane only to get stripped and turn the ball over.  Why, you ask?  Well, because he's small, slow, and weak.  A non-NBA level player playing against real NBA players.  He's a joke.  This turnover leads to a easy layup from Randolph on the other end.  96-90.  Next possession, Pargo dribbling the ball into oblivion again.  He again tries to take it to the hole, only to have the ball stolen by Zach Randolph.  Randolph gets an easy layup on the other end off of a fast break.  How and why did Pargo lose the ball again?  For the exact same reason as the previous possession.  The guy has 0 ability to learn.  It reminds me of Tyrus Thomas.  You can try to explain game situations to a guy like that and hope he'll do the right thing.  But it's like ramming your head into the wall repeatedly...you think you'll eventually break through, but you won't.

It get's worse.

The score is now 90-100, and Pargo decides to jack up a 3 with a minute left.  Fair enough.  He pump fakes and gets Conley in the air, tries to draw contact, and fires.  He bricks completely.  Conley makes absolutely no contact.  Pargo gets miraculously bailed out.  There was no foul folks.  The NBA refs, being NBA refs, saw a guy bite on a pump fake and automatically called a foul before any contact was ever made.  No contact was made.  For once, the Bulls had gotten a call in their favor.  YES.  Pargo made all three free-throws.  They even went on to get a stop, and got 2 more free throws from Hakim Warrick on the other end.  Score is now 95-100.  They get another stop.  With about 45 seconds left, the Bulls have a serious chance at making this a one-possession game.  Jannero Pargo dribbles past the half-way mark.  No way he'll turn the ball over again.  He has to be more conscious of what he's doing with the ball at this point after the two incredibly costly turnovers from before.  He has to be. Right?  RIGHT?  RIIIIGHT?  With 36 seconds left...a pass to Marcus Williams.  Marcus Williams on the Grizzlies.  A direct pass to Marcus Williams.  No Bull in sight.  No Bull near the basketball.  No Bull even had a chance of getting to that ball.  Ball game.

Jannero Pargo's final stat-line: 4-15 from the field for 12 points, 0-4 from three, 8 assists, and 5 turnovers, in 36 minutes.  If you're the coach of the Bulls, how do you let Jannero Pargo control the ball so much?  How do you not let Flip Murray run the offense?  Where does the confidence in Jannero Pargo come from?  Are you telling me that Devin Brown couldn't put up better numbers than that in 36 minutes of play?  He would DEFINITELY have less turnovers, because he doesn't try to do more than he can.  The worst kind of players are the ones who think they are capable of more than they are actually capable of.  That is the definition of Jannero Pargo.  The guy thinks he's a shooter, but you can build a Chicago high-rise out of all the bricks he puts up every game.  The Bulls brought him in for offense, and let him believe he's a shooter... a scorer if you will.  It's as much their fault as his.  A career 39% shooter from the field.  Do you realize how bad that is?  He's shooting 35% from the field on the season.  35 freakin' percent.  And he's putting up 15 shots and controlling the offense in a late-game situation in a tight ball game.  I know...Acie Law was injured.  Fine.  But if Flip Murray was controlling the ball late in the game like he should have been, the game may have turned out differently.  I much prefer Devin Brown, who won't hurt you with ridiculous turnovers and is aware of his capabilities, rather than a chucker like Pargo who doesn't know what's what.  And the worst part...he's a "veteran."  Yet, he plays like a rookie.  Give the minutes to a guy who won't hurt you...it's a simple game, Vinny.  You just can't see what's what.

On a lighter note...Flip Murray and Hakim Warrick were bright spots (and Acie Law of course).  Murray shot well, going 9-19 from the field.  He put up 11 threes.  Good lord.  At least he made 4 of them, and some were huge.  Flip finished with a game high 25 points.  Warrick also had himself a nice ball game off the bench, with 22 points going 7-12 from the field.  Here's another guy who should probably be starting over "organizational guy" Taj Gibson, whose been struggling lately.  I still love the trades at the deadline, because these two can do some work.  Hakim also had a NAAASTY dunk late in the game that I will find video of and post soon, hopefully.

The Bulls have now lost 8 in a row and have let up 100 points in 11 straight games.  That's the longest 100 point streak since '86, folks.  Two more games and it will all be over.  That's when the schedule gets easier, and that's when players will start getting healthy, mark my words.  The Bulls are a game and a half back of Toronto, and since Charlotte and Miami both lost tonight, they remain 3 games back of both those teams.  I expect them to be only a game back of Toronto due to Toronto's current losing streak and schedule after Saturday when the losing streak will be at 10 after our loss to Cleveland.  With the return of Hinrich and the rise of Acie Law, I expect to see Pargo exiled and/or banished to the end of the bench permanently.  Anything else would be an insult to our intelligence as basketball fans.

UPDATE (6:54pm):  KC Johnson just tweeted that James Johnson is being disciplined for arriving late to yesterday's practice.  I don't have any major issues with this.  Just because he's coming off a 20 point game and career high doesn't give him any extra leeway to screw up.  He's still a rookie and in my opinion, could easily be sent down to the D-League to get his game right.  Unfortunately, and this is sad, but the Bulls need him tonight to play significant minutes, especially if he can contribute the way he did last game.  So as long as Vinny doesn't keep him out for too long, the fact that he's not starting doesn't really make a difference.  Not that it really matters either way, since like I said before...the Bulls are doomed tonight no matter what.  But hey, at least we know there's a reasonable explanation and Vinny just hasn't lost his mind, and also JJ's confidence won't be shot since he knows definitively that he's being held out for disciplinary reasons and not for his play.  Hit the jump for my previous thoughts on this from earlier today.

I found this very up to date montage on Youtube of Derrick Rose highlights from this season with one of my favorite songs as the theme.  So I had to put it up.  Perhaps some of you non-Bulls fans who don't see what this kid does every day will get a glimpse into what we are missing every time he gets knocked to the ground by Dwight Howard.  After all, Derrick Rose does put on for his city.

The Bulls face the Memphis Grizzlies tonight on the road.  They actually faced this team earlier in the losing streak when things didn't look this bleak.  In that game, the Bulls had all their starters in tact, minus of course Joakim Noah.  Rose and Deng both scored over 20 points and had very productive games.  Even Kirk Hinrich had a solid game adding 13 points of his own.  The Bulls led by 4 after 3 quarters and were pretending as if they were actually going to win that game.  Sure enough, Zach Randolph came alive in the 4th quarter and the Bulls' offense (I use the word loosely) imploded.  The Bulls got outscored 29-16 in the 4th quarter to squander the lead completely only to go down double-digits and eventually lose by 9.  It was annoying, and very much expected.

Tonight, we face the same Grizzlies team.  But the Grizzlies will not be facing the same Bulls team.  Deng...injured.  Hinrich...suspended.  Rose...probably injured.  And we all know Joakim Noah is still injured.  So here comes the Bulls C-team.  Your starting lineup:  Jannero Pargo, Flip Murray, James Johnson, Taj Gibson, and Brad Miller.  That leaves Hakim Warrick as the sixth man.  Acie Law will be the backup point guard tonight.  Chris Richard will play the role of backup center.  And Joe Alexander is destined to play at least 12 minutes tonight.  And that's all we got.  Those are the 9 players that are dressing, unless the Bulls management and coaching decides to get reckless and tell Derrick Rose to dress.  That's a starting lineup consisting of 2 D-leaguers, a D-leaguer at backup center, and a D-leaguer at backup 3/4.

Let me explain.  Jannero Pargo:  not an NBA player.  He just isn't.  I don't care how many times he can dribble through his legs or how many fadeaway 18 footers he makes in a row.  Jannero Pargo has no regard for teammates and when he's out on the floor, his main goal is to fill up a box score.  And at 5'11", he will be eaten alive by anyone over 6 feet.  The man simply is not an NBA player, in spite of how much the Bulls want him to be.

James Johnson?  He definitely can use a stint in the D-league.  Sure, he's been thrust into the starter's role with Deng's injury, and he's played alright.  He even went off for 20 points in the Bulls'  last loss to the Heat.  He's playing with more confidence, sure.  But let's face it, most of the time he plays out of control and just doesn't know what to do when he's out on the court.  He clearly isn't quite ready for the NBA game.  Maybe he will be next year, but for now, I see him as a D-leaguer.

And there's Chris Richard and Joe Alexander.  Chris Richard is absolutely and totally worthless.  The guy is incapable of doing ANYTHING productive on the basketball court.  He played 18 minutes last game matching up against a washed up Jermaine O'Neal and a smaller and much older Udonis Haslem.  Final stat-line: 0 points on 0-2 from the field, 1 rebound, 3 turnovers, and he fouled out.  He has absolutely no business being on this roster, and the fact that the Bulls are trying to pass him off as an NBA center is kind of insulting to the fans.  Are you telling me there isn't a single bigger or better option in the D-League right now than Chris Richard?  If so, the D-league should be immediately dismantled, because sending up guys like this bum is just a waste of time and money.  In terms of Joe Alexander, no need to really explain.

So there you go.  We got 4 guys I consider actual pros that are going to play for the Bulls tonight.  The rookie Taj Gibson, Brad Miller, Flip Murray, and Hakim Warrick.  I'm sure the Grizzlies are shaking in their little boots. Meanwhile, they're sending out a lineup of Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol.  Every one of those guys is averaging in double figures in scoring.  Randolph and Gasol are rebounding machines.  The Bulls can't rebound for squat without Joakim Noah. Gibson might be able to contain Randolph, but only for so long.  I'm confident that both Gibson and Miller will get into foul trouble early, thereby allowing Chris Richard to come in and foul out real quick and eat up some minutes.

The matchup to really watch is Rudy Gay vs. James Johnson.  It'll be interesting to see how James Johnson responds after just having the best game of his young career.  He's also bigger and stronger than Gay, so it'd be nice if he could limit Gay's production on the offensive end while taking advantage of his strength on offense.  But the thing is, even with Gay's limited production, the Grizzlies have so many weapons on offense that it wouldn't matter if Gay scored 0 points tonight, since the Grizzlies outmatch the Bulls so drastically at every other position to the point where they should still easily score 100 points.

So the Bulls will lose their 8th in a row.  But amazingly, while the Bulls have been on a 7-game losing streak, the Raptors have simultaneously fallen into a 5-game skid.  You know what that makes the Bulls?  Lucky.  What are the odds that one of the teams that the Bulls were chasing for a playoff spot ends up having nearly just as severe a losing streak as the Bulls, and could even match the Bulls' own losing streak?  I would say not great.  But it's happening.  As a result, the Bulls are only 1 game back of the 8th playoff spot after losing 7 in a row.  Hard to fathom.  In the next three games, the Bulls face the Grizz, Mavs, and Cleveland at home.  The Raptors face the Hawks, Thunder, and Nets.  Best case scenario for the Bulls?  Maybe they steal one of the upcoming 3 games miraculously and go 1-2.  If they win any game, it'll be tonight.  Best case scenario for the Raptors?  They can go 2-1.  They won't beat the Hawks and the Thunder, but they might win one of those games.  They will almost certainly beat the Nets, so if their losing streak is still in tact when that game comes around, that's where it ends.  However, it is very likely that both the Bulls and Raptors end up 1-2 in the next three games, and the Bulls remain 1 game back at the point where their schedule gets MUCH easier.  If they can even steal one tonight, that would be HUGE.  So don't lose hope Bulls fans.  As they say, it's always darkest before dawn.

Derrick Rose says he's pretty much ready to go for tomorrow's game, although the wrist is still sore.  The decision will be made tomorrow at walk-through.  Vinny was asked earlier today whether Derrick will play, and he said "probably not."  Take that for what it's worth. Video via chicagobreakingsports.com and WGN News.

Here's a video from Mouthpiece Sports of Vinny talking about the injury woes facing the Bulls as well as Kirk Hinrich's suspension.  Kirk also talks about the suspension and seems pretty confused as to why he got in trouble with the league office.  I don't really blame him.  From what it looks like, the squad looks pretty upbeat from being in the midst of a 7-game losing streak...and that's what I like to see.

The Bloguin NBA bloggers got together to vote for the NBA MVP and ROY thus far this season.  You can see the results and rankings now at NBA Base Line.  When you go there, you get a glimpse into some of my own personal rankings, but if you want the complete list...here it is.  It's a little different from the Network-wide results, but I don't have any major issues with how the rest of the network voted.  Check it out:

Blog:  Da Bulls' Eye
Name:  Dave P.

MVP:
1. LeBron James.  When you ride a player to the point where you have the luxury to actually sit him by choice because of how far he's taken you in the season, and then promptly lose the 1st game he sits...I think we have a winner.  The best team in the league is nothing without arguably the best player in the league.
2. Kobe Bryant.  Best player of the last decade, and his surreal clutch shooting this season garners him at least a couple MVP votes.  One of the greatest clutch players of all time, and definitely the best player in the clutch all season.
3.  Carmelo Anthony.  Third in the league in scoring and leading the Denver Nuggets to a championship caliber regular season.  They sit only 3 games back of the mighty Lakers and a Lakers-Nuggets conference finals seems like it is meant to be.  This is where Carmelo will be able to prove he is an MVP type player going up against a past MVP and one of the all time greats.
4.  Dwight Howard.  Single-handedly turns a solid offensive team into a defensive powerhouse.  Makes this team a title contender and can give you a 20-20 game any given night...and would if they had a better coach.
5.  Kevin Durant.  2nd in the league in scoring and only .2 points per game behind King James.  Plus, leading a re-energized OKC to their first playoff appearance in how many years?  Plus he's also averaging nearly 8 rebounds a game.  And imagine this guy on a big market team.  He would already be a mega-star.  I'm actually starting to convince myself that he should be higher, but he's a young man and his time will come.
6.  Dirk Nowitzki.  I dislike him as a player, and think he's incredibly soft, but you have to recognize his incredibly consistent elite production level and the fact that this team would be absolutely no where without him.  Although I do chalk up a lot of their recent improvement to the addition of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood.  Recent winning streak almost put him in the top 5, but not quite.
7.  Joe Johnson.  The Hawks look legit and they have a clutch player and a true go-to guy in Joe Johnson.  He manages to put them on his back in late game situations and they have come out on top more often than not this season.  The Hawks have their first chance in years to make some serious noise in the playoffs, and it's mostly due to their best player, Joe.
8.  Deron Williams.  Third in the league in assists and a prolific scorer with unbelievable athletic ability.  Sees the court like few can, and in my opinion, he's the best point guard in the league right now.  His combination of size, quickness, and strength essentially makes him unstoppable and he's a nightmare when he's guarding you.  And that's the reason the Jazz currently sit in the 4-seed on 2 games back of the 3-seed.
9.  Zach Randolph.  Single-handedly turned this team into a playoff contender.  They currently are on the outside looking in, but without him, they would be a doormat even with all the young talent on that team.
10.  Dwyane Wade.  Virtually no real talent surrounding him, unless you consider a severely washed up Jermaine O'Neal and not-so-high-on-life Michael Beasley talent.  Yet, he always manages to put this team on his back and make them a perennial playoff contender.  And let's not forget he's 5th in the league in scoring, and a very good defender and a great passer.  One of the top 5 players in the league.  This garners him a top 10 consideration. 

ROY:
1. Tyreke Evans.  Been consistent all year, leads all rookies in scoring with over 20 a game, and can play both point guard and 2-guard.  He's got it locked.
2.  Stephen Curry.  Prolific scorer and made a late run, but Evans has been on all year.  Regardless, Curry is a beast.
3.  Brandon Jennings.  Running the show in Scott Skiles's offense ain't easy.  But he's helping this team to what's going to be their first playoff appearance in a little while, and they look dangerous.  He hasn't been on the way he was early in the season, but he's shown enough flashes throughout the year (see 55 point performance, averaging 15 points per game) to earn a few votes.
4.  Taj Gibson.  He's been incredibly consistent all year in the starting PF role.  Leads all rookies in rebounds and double-doubles.  Knows how to play weak-side defense and is wise beyond his years when it comes to rotating when help is needed.  He's also underrated in the post.  A big reason why the Bulls were the hottest team in the league right before the All-Star break and why they surged into the 6-seed at that point.
5.  Omri Casspi.  Very good shooter and versatile big man.  He's also been pretty consistent all season and a nice surprise for the Kings.  His production has fallen of late due to him wearing down and not being used to the length of the NBA season.  But he's one of the best contributors among rookies on the offensive end of the floor, and he's done it for most of the year, unlike some of the other rookies who are just starting to come on late.

That's all I got.

What transpired tonight in Miami was a traveshamockery.  The Bulls sent out a lineup of Jannero Pargo, Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson, James Johnson, and Brad Miller.  It wasn't going to take much to beat this Bulls team. But the Bulls stuck with the Heat for a good portion of the game and kept it RELATIVELY (meaning...not a blow out) close for most of the game.  I partially chalk this up to Dwyane Wade not really trying at all, since he knew he didn't really have to tonight.  But anyway, the recap is unnecessary.  There's no point in recapping how a professional team beat a team you might see at your local YMCA.  This is now the 10th game in a row the Bulls have given up 100 points, and haven't given up less since all the way back on February 20th.  Horrible.  Astounding.  I know.

But what I can show you is the incredible league bias against the Chicago Bulls.

Before you watch this first video, keep something in mind.  You are watching the clip of the Heat broadcasters calling the game.  There is yet to be footage put up of the Bulls call of this incident.  I watched the Stacey King and Neil Funk react to this incident.  Let me just say that it was the exact opposite of what you hear in this video.  These commentators are defending the refs because their team is benefitting.  And that's to be expected.  And the same can be said about Stacey and Neil.  But if you actually think this was a flagrant foul...well then...let my argument speak for itself and you'll see why I'm right and not just biased.

Tonight's incident aka EXHIBIT 1:

Last year, Game 5, Bulls-Celtics Series...Rondo's Non-Flagrant, EXHIBIT 2:

I honestly can't wait to put up Stacey and Neil's call on that so-called Wade flagrant.  It's just night and day between the Miami and Chicago announcers.  I will put it up as soon as I can find it so that you can watch them side by side.  Above the shoulders my a**.  I would also love to hear Barkley and Kevin McHale's take on this foul, because I'm fairly certain they would want the refs to stop calling WNBA fouls.  You're going to sit here and tell me that what happened to Brad Miller wasn't a flagrant (the league even reviewed it after and said it wasn't), but Brad Miller's SEMI-HARD foul on Dwyane Wade was?  If that's the case, Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller had every right to be upset.  Kirk obviously shouldn't have taken it as far as he did, but are we seriously calling fouls such as this flagrants now?  Hinrich just snapped.  He couldn't take it.  It was years upon years of ref bias against him and the bias against the Bulls in general just piling up and finally busting out.  He made a little contact with the refs, and that's bad for business.  He'll likely be suspended...don't know for how long yet.

Our next game is Tuesday against the Grizzlies.  Don't know who'll be healthy by then, but let's just assume all the injured players are going to need at least one more day off.  That means the Bulls will be sending out a lineup of Jannero Pargo, Flip Murray, James Johnson, Taj Gibson, and Brad Miller, and that's assuming Taj doesn't have to miss a game as he's day-to-day as well.  It will inevitably be 8 losses in a row and the Bulls will essentially be eliminated from the playoffs because there's no coming back from hitting rock bottom this late in the season.

Here's Brad Miller's thoughts on what happened tonight.  Clearly, he's not pleased, and rightfully so.  It's bad enough the Bulls have to compete with a severely depleted lineup against nothing but playoff teams this point forward, but now they also have to compete against the refs?  Is this rock bottom yet?