Chicago Bulls

Bull Riding

ALL
OUTSIDER

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can forgive him for that. But...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: NBA

Trade Talk

By Christopher Cason | January 5, 2009 | Bull Riding

Blog Presented By: In the Sun-Times fastbreak column, the suggestion of looking to the Western Conference to bring the Bulls some front court help was a great one. The team that they suggested, not so much a great choice. "After signing Nenad Kristic, the Oklahoma City Thunder suddenly has a surplus of big men. The most likely candidates to be used as trade bait are, Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith, all 6-10 power forwards. Collison, 28 was averaging 6.8 points and 5.9 rebounds entering Friday; Wilcox, 26, 9 points and 5.6 rebounds; and Smith, 33, 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. None of the three is worth trading for straight up with Kirk Hinrich or Larry Hughes- the most likely Bulls to be dealt- but perhaps something can be worked out. Wilcox is the best of the bunch, while Smith- who played with the Bulls last season...

Read more | 9 Comments | Tags: Bulls, Chicago Bulls, NBA

Who Will Top The East This Season?

By Eric Sandi | January 5, 2009 | Cavalier Attitude

The race is on for the best record in the Eastern Conference, and subsequent home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. Right now it is a three team race between the Boston Celtics (29-6), the Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6), and the Orlando Magic (26-8). I would like to take a moment to mention to the fans of these teams that losing is inevitable in the NBA. Even the finest teams in NBA history lost occasionally. I make this obvious overstatement because every fan of the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Orlando Magic will be taking each loss for the remainder of this season as if they just belly-caught a cannonball shot at close range and were blown into a vat of used razor blades. Yesterday, all three of these powerhouse teams lost to teams that, on paper at least, they should have beaten; as Boston lost to the...

Read more | 11 Comments | Tags: Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Daniel Gibson, Danny Ferry, Darnell Jackson, Delonte West, Doc Rivers, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Hickson, Jameer Nelson, James Posey, Joe Smith, John Hollinger, Keith Bogans, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Mike Brown, Mo Williams, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Paul Pierce, Portland Trail Blazers, Rajon Rondo, Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen, San Antonio Spurs, Sasha Pavlovic, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Allen, Utah Jazz, Wally Szczerbiak, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Ilgauskas Out For a Month; Cavs Cruise Past Bulls, 117-92

By Amar Panchmatia | January 3, 2009 | Cavalier Attitude

Highlights ll BoxIf the Cavs thought that ending 2008 with a 104-95 loss at Miami was a setback, then they had to brace themselves for the news that awaited them on Friday.No, it wasn't the Chicago Bulls, all 14-18 of them. It was the news that center Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- who is already on pace for an All-Star season -- will miss up to a month of action with a fractured bone in his left ankle. It's the recurrence of the same injury that Z suffered on December 10th at Philadelphia when he accidentally stepped on Cream Puff's foot in a 101-93 Cavs win.An MRI and x-ray confirmed the injury on Friday, and the Cavs have purposely not set a definite timetable for his return (as per Brian Windhorst of the CPD).And now it's time for Anderson Varejao to become unplugged. Varejao stepped in for Z at center, as he...

Read more | 11 Comments | Tags: Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace, Boston Celtics, Brian Windhorst, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Plain Dealer, J.J. Hickson, Larry Hughes, LeBron James, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Top plays of 2008

By Christopher Cason | January 2, 2009 | Bull Riding

Blog Presented By: NBA TV released their Top 10 plays of last year. Here they are; Of course there are no Bulls highlights but with all the amazing plays that have happened this season this list seems a little light. There is also no LeBron James offensive highlight. Yes, I know. A real shocker. What play should have made this list? VOTE DERRICK ROSE FOR ALL-STAR...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Bulls, Chicago Bulls, NBA

CavsCast, Game #32: Cavs vs. Bulls

By Smooth | January 2, 2009 | Cavalier Attitude

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (26-5) VS. CHICAGO BULLS (14-18) WHEN: 7:30 PM ET, JANUARY 2ND, 2009WHERE: QUICKEN LOANS ARENA [CLEVELAND, OHIO]TV/RADIO: FSOHIO / WTAM 1100COACHESMike Brown -HC- Vinny Del NegroPROBABLE LINEUPSMo Williams -PG- Derrick RoseDelonte West - SG- Ben GordonLeBron James - SF- Luol DengBen Wallace -PF- Tyrus ThomasZydrunas Ilgauskas -CT- Aaron Gray CAVS RESERVES Anderson Varejao Boobie GibsonSasha PavlovicWally SzczerbiakJ.J. HicksonTarence KinseyDarnell JacksonBULLS RESERVES Andres NocioniThabo SefoloshaJoakim NoahLarry HughesLindsey HunterCedric SimmonsDrew GoodenINACTIVES/INJURY LISTMichael Ruffin (CHI)Kirk Hinrich (CHI) [Thumb]Eric Snow (CLE) [Knees]Lorenzen Wright (CLE)Jawad Williams (CLE)SMOOTH'S KEYS TO THE GAME Effort and Intensity - yes, these are keys yet again. Until the Cavs play with some urgency, these have to be the #1 priority.Get Z going - as Z goes, so does the offense. Z's production has been down, which has been part of the problem for the Cavs offensively.Offensive movement - the other part of the problem has been lack of...

Read more | 9 Comments | Tags: CavsCast, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers

2008 Boxing Year In Review: When Good Isn't Good Enough

By Tim Starks | December 31, 2008 | The Queensberry Rules

If boxing's powers-that-be wanted to tread water in 2008 after a comeback year in 2007, well then, mission accomplished....

Read more | 6 Comments | Tags: Boxing, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Cowboys, Mixed Martial Arts, New England Patriots

A Quick Look at the Cavs' Early Dominance

By nxnn | December 29, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

The Cleveland Cavaliers has surpassed everyone's expectations - except possibly their own - so far this season. With a 26-4 record, the Cavaliers have already won 12 more games than they had at this point last season. This success can be seen in many areas, most of which revolve around the addition of Mo Williams and his successful integration into Mike Brown's rotation. Mike Brown has had great success in his four years with the Cavaliers, notching a 171-105 record at the helm. However, with all of this success, his team has not yet been able to take their game to the next level. One of the biggest flaws with Mike Brown's system as it integrates with the Cavaliers roster was his reliance on a strict rotation. Without great depth at the guard position, the Cavaliers had much difficultly remaining in games with scorers like Z and LeBron on the...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Damon Jones, Dwyane Wade, Eric Snow, Larry Hughes, LeBron James, Miami Heat, Mike Brown, Mo Williams

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

Read more | Discuss | Tags: NBA

NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

By Joe Boikess | December 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Rajon Rondo surveying the floor (Photo via culhanen/flickr.com)

Note: We at MVN Outsider have re-organized our posting schedule in an effort to make our sports coverage more well rounded and timely. For those of you expecting to see the NBA Power Rankings today, that post has been moved to Tuesdays. With these changes, get ready to see more fresh content every day on every major sport. Thanks, and enjoy!Rising:Boston Celtics - Honestly, this team has been on the rise this entire season, piling up wins at a rate that we haven't seen since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. They now have won 18 in a row and have tied the league mark for the best start (26-2) for a team with two losses. Their recent success has been due in large part to the play of point guard Rajon Rondo. When the team needs him to score, he does it (as we saw on Sunday in the C's win...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, NBA, NBA Outsider, New York Knicks

NBA Stock Market: Smith returns to surging Hawks

By Joe Boikess | December 4, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Rajon Rondo dunks as Bill Belichick looks on (flickr.com/Eric Kilby)

Wednesday night was a busy one in the NBA, and here's some teams and players that are on the move...Rising:Atlanta Hawks - Without Josh Smith, the Hawks' most complete player and best defender, the Hawks floundered after starting the season 6-0. He made his return last night against Memphis, and his presence opened up the floor for Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby, who combined to shoot over 65 percent from the field. Smith was active defensively from the start, finishing with a couple steals and a block in addition to 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes. The Hawks are a much better team with Smith in the lineup, and they'll need him as they prepare to tackle the Texas triangle beginning on Saturday in Dallas.Rajon Rondo - In guiding the Celtics to their league-best 18th win of the year on Wednesday, the wiry point guard got...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Rajon Rondo, Utah Jazz

NBA Stock Market: Mavericks getting back on track

By Joe Boikess | November 20, 2008 | MVN Outsider

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,183,276630,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}()Last night was a busy one in the NBA, with two-thirds of the league in uniform and on the court. A number of intriguing matchups took place, including the Cavaliers at Pistons, Mavericks at Rockets, and Bulls at Trail Blazers. Which teams came out on top, and who has been playing well of late? Keep reading to find out who's been looking good, and who might be needing another pep talk from Lou Holtz.Rising:Dallas Mavericks - One of the more intriguing story lines throughout the early part of the season has involved the three Texas teams. Both the Spurs and Mavericks have been struggling, while the Rockets have been trying to figure out how to best integrate Ron Artest into their gameplan. On Wednesday night, the Mavericks got their second chance to show the world that they are still a force to be reckoned with, as...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Outsider

MVN: Most Valuable Network