Michael's 50

We all know there's been a lot of fuss about this over the past week, but there's a good reason for it.  Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player to ever live who happened to find glory with the Bulls, is 50 years old today.  When he was born on that Brooklyn day in 1963, parents Deloris and James couldn't have predicted that their new baby would one day change sports forever.  Few came before him and even fewer are expected after.

LeBron James may in fact surpass many of MJ's records, but there's no denying he'll never be as competitive or famous or beloved no matter how long he plays.  The hype just isn't the same.  Nor is the adoration.  Only MJ's hype took on a life of its own.  Before the media became obsessed with creating celebrities out of athletes at early ages, Jordan forced everyone to pay attention to him.  And unlike many promises today's athletes dish out which turn up empty, Jordan always backed his up.  No one can even come close to the same level.

If you read today's papers, you'll read many anecdotes from those who associated with Jordan, those who played against him and those who simply watched him play.  Now, it's my turn.  I direct your attention to this passage from my post recounting the second Bulls game I saw in person.  It was November 5, 1997 and the Bulls were playing the Orlando Magic.  That's when my best first-person account of MJ took place:

It took a couple of minutes for either team to get on the board, but Jordan finally dunked for the first two points.  Because I got to see this great athlete do what he was best known for with my own eyes (well, maybe I saw it on the video board instead), it will forever be my favorite moment of his career.
 
As great as that dunk was, there was one other moment involving His Airness that I know I looked down on.  I think it captured the essence of just how much people loved to watch this man play.  At some point during the game, he stepped to the free throw line.  Whenever he got into his set motion, dozens of flash bulbs behind the glass went off.  It looked so automatic that I thought a camera had been set up in that area to take a bunch of pictures with the push of a button.  Of course, I also knew that couldn't have been the case.  With the future of the Bulls dynasty in doubt, people wanted to savor every moment they could with its centerpiece.  Plus, at 34 years old, nobody knew how much he had left in the tank.  This was history right here.  A once-in-a-lifetime player.  If you got that kind of photo opportunity from those seats and passed it up, you would have kicked yourself for the rest of your life.  Us Bulls fans knew what we had and never took it for granted.

Watching Michael Jordan play and the Bulls win championships with him played a big part in who I am today.  Were it not for them, sports would not have turned into an obsession for me.  It's what I've built my life around, even if I never had an athletic gene in my body.  Once my dreams of being just like him were dashed as a teenager (a dream I hung onto a little longer than I should have), I continued to look for ways to involve sports in my life.  That's just what happened.  I did play-by-play for my college radio station and now, I'm an agate editor for the sports section of the Chicago Tribune.  Wherever I go from here, I can thank Michael for laying the foundation for at least the early part of my life.


Many of us dread age and getting older.  That's why to some, the greatest player to ever set foot on the court turning 50 is a regrettable moment.  As we get old, so do our heroes.  The children of the '80s and '90s who watched him play are all grown themselves.  This event is a reminder that childhood memories constantly get further away from us.  That's why we hold onto them for as long as we can.

Also as time goes on, we are forced to see the imperfections of people like Jordan, whom we admired as kids.  He certainly has his share (the gambling, the divorce, the grudges, the Bobcats ownership), but this generation prefers to look past that.  Those in the media who covered him as a player tend to be more cynical and thus, have no reservations dishing criticism his way when they feel necessary.  For us, unless he goes the O.J. Simpson route, Jordan will always be the high-flying, slick-moving, clutch player who made highlight reels every single night.

So on this day, I raise my horns to Mike.  May he find happiness in all the time that is to come and be reflective of his past, which made him as famous as he has been for years.  Someday, maybe all of us can be like Mike.  Until then, Happy Birthday to the best that ever was and the best that ever will be.

Returning This Year? Not So Fast

We just can't stay away from Derrick Rose news.  For those unaware, I have a rule of avoiding it unless there's a major breakthrough.  Going from one step to the next in practices doesn't count.  However, what we have now is probably as close to major news as we've gotten in some time.

After telling USA Today Sports he wasn't close to returning, Rose gave some time after last night's Celtics loss to local reporters, some of whom were miffed about being snubbed by the former MVP.  What he told them was enough to make it a "developing story" on SportsCenter.  He reiterated what he had just made public and was quoted as saying "I don't mind missing this year."  Not since "Why can't I be MVP of the league?" has a Rose quote garnered so much media attention and fan reaction.  The press is just doing its job while many fans aren't happy with what they've heard after previous assumptions Rose would be back sometime during the second half.

Almost from the time Rose went down in last year's playoffs, my dad has not backed off on his belief that Rose will not suit up at all this season.  Until now, he's been in a rather small minority.  That got even smaller when Adrian Peterson recently had an MVP season in the NFL mere months after having his own ACL repaired.  Now that we know the feelings of the man himself, many aren't so sure we'll see him in a game before next preseason.  He says he can't dunk, giving an indication that any excitement of seeing him sooner rather than later has been premature.  So, perhaps, was "The Return."  Maybe it's time for Adidas to order a second season.

I won't lie.  It stung me to hear this as much as anyone else.  I'm always an optimist, though I've known from the beginning of the year Rose won't be the same player right away.  We should have expected a first-person progress report soon with the All-Star break looming.  Does that make the news easier to take?  Not a chance.  Any comic book with Superman crippled is difficult to read.  That's why we hate to see the greatest Bull in the lifetime of the youngest fans deliver this punch himself.

We knew this season was a lost cause, even during last year's playoffs.  Rose is the only player on this team who can create his own shot.  While Luol Deng and Joakim Noah earned their All-Star berths, they don't fall under the secondary scoring option category, which everyone knows by now hurts the Bulls.  Quite a few fans have already declared they won't get their hopes up for anything until that problem is fixed.  Rose is out, so you might as well start thinking about next year, they say.

Whenever Rose returns should factor into whether he alone feels he can return (and perhaps Jerry Reinsdorf as well), not so he can make a futile playoff push.  Listening to his fans or his shoe company would only cause problems.  If the towel's already been thrown, the rush isn't there.  The Bulls have already put on a good showing without him, so they can at least look competitive to the rest of the league.  Right now, they would at least like to get past the first round.  Beating Miami in a seven-game series is impossible, but can they at least make them work should they meet?  Those questions will be answered, with or without Rose.

Hang in there, Derrick.  Your fans and this city are praying for your complete recovery.  Don't listen to anybody rushing you.  We'll watch the games.  Just focus on you.  You've earned the right, now use it.

Sloppily Needing a Break

Years from now, people may be questioning whether tonight's game against the Boston Celtics actually existed.  It was that ugly.  Neither team had broken 40 at the midway point of the third quarter, which the Bulls won only 13-8.  In the end, it turned ugly enough for the Bulls that they were sent reeling into the All-Star break with a 71-69 loss.  Those 71 points were the fewest the Bulls have ever surrendered in a loss and it was tough to keep your attention occupied during much of it.

Both offenses finally came alive in the fourth, but as is typically the case in basketball, the team with the fewest turnovers came out on top.  The Celtics had 12, but the Bulls' 22 was the most since Tom Thibodeau took over.  The worst of them came down the stretch, allowing Boston to go on a run that would just be enough to push them over the top.  They also made more clutch shots, many of which came during masterful passing sequences that left the Bulls' defense baffled and scrambling to recover, which mostly went for naught.  Plus, once the home crowd got going, any mental edge the Bulls previously held disappeared.

Brandon Bass led all scorers with, believe it or not, 14 points.  With Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry not far behind on the Celtics with 12, this was an offensive game for them to forget.  Whatever the outcome for either side, nobody was going to leave TD Garden completely satisfied with the persona this game took on.  It's the end result that counts though and the Celtics will make no apologies for that.

Marco Belinelli made the game-winning bucket during the Bulls' last trip to Boston.  This time, he was merely their leading scorer with 12 points.  Jimmy Butler had 11 while Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah had respective double-doubles of 11/11 and 10/16.  The starting backcourt of Nate Robinson and Rip Hamilton hurt as they shot a collective 3-of-13.  Robinson had six assists, which is nice, but I have to imagine Kirk Hinrich would have provided just a little more scoring despite his own shooting being suspect throughout the year.  The Bulls are missing his services right now.  He hasn't suited up at all in February and if he were healthy, things might be looking more up at the moment.

It was clear from the opening tip that the Bulls were more into merely staying in the game than taking control.  While they had a nice mini-run in the fourth quarter, you could tell the mental state just wasn't where it needed to be.  That bit them against the Spurs and the effect repeated itself tonight.  With the injury bug rearing its ugly head and the constant push under Thibodeau's helm, this group is gassed. 

Noah and Luol Deng will do their best to represent Chicago in Houston on Sunday.  For the rest however, they need to take their minds off basketball for a little while.  Whatever the reason for this recent slide, showing up under-prepared against quality opponents is not helping.  This loss has knocked them to fifth in the East behind Brooklyn.  If they don't get back to what they've been doing for most of the year, that playoff position could drop further in the second half, when everyone will be watching the conference standings nightly.

The NBA may be taking a few days off from regular competition, but I won't stop writing.  A special post will come Sunday to commemorate Michael Jordan's 50th birthday, followed by a midseason report for the current crop.  The action picks up again Tuesday as the Bulls play the New Orleans Hornets for the final time.  The Pelicans will replace them and there's a chance the Hornets will return to Charlotte.  That's all in the future though.  Get back on track in the present.

Beaten By Spurs of the Moment

While my seats for tonight's game against the San Antonio Spurs were a little further away, I came to expect a win like I experienced this past Election Day.  After all, with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili nursing injuries, how competitive could this team be?  Yeah, they'd won 12 of their previous 13, but what could these second-tier Spurs do?  The answer was a whole lot and they had me, my dad and most of the rest of the United Center crowd leaving disappointed in a 103-89 final.

The remaining regular starters were the biggest offenders to my enjoyment.  Kawhi Leonard had a career-high 26 points and Danny Green put up 18.  Tiago Splitter shared his 16-point total with Gary Neal, who came off the bench.  It was a cruel reminder that the Bulls are not the only team in the NBA that can compete without its regular starters.  More likely though, the Spurs are just that good.

The Bulls' defense was badly exposed throughout much of this and the Spurs found easy layups and open threes.  The latter brought back memories of the Scott Skiles era when it was a common issue in Bulls defeats.  If the defense didn't get beat, the offense they faced went ahead and beat them anyway.  As a showcase of why they're likely to return to the Western Conference finals this year, the Spurs made a lot of tough shots, even with a defender in the shooter's face.

Conversely, San Antonio forced the Bulls into long possessions and shots they would never be comfortable with taking.  The fourth quarter provided plenty such examples.  Then of course, the turnovers piled up:  some by their own fault and others by virtue of a stronger opposing defense.  The Spurs had five steals in the second quarter alone and one turnover compared to the Bulls' 11 at halftime.  The final score in that count was 19-8.  Just take a look at the box score and you can see one of the more glaring reasons why the Bulls lost.

Nate Robinson, continuing to provide more scoring power than Kirk Hinrich has for most of the season, led the Bulls with 20 points.  Rip Hamilton shot pretty well, 8-for-11 from the field, and scored 16 on a night when he had to carry a lot of the offense.  At his age, it shouldn't have to come to that, though the boost in scoring average is nice.  Carlos Boozer scored six of the Bulls' first eight, but cooled off and finished with 14.  Luol Deng had a quiet double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Deng's fellow All-Star, Joakim Noah, grabbed 15 boards, which would have looked bigger if his scoring output was higher than seven.

For all the talk about injuries and fatigue that have surfaced lately, for all the ways the Bulls contributed to their own defeat, the ultimate one was likely the Spurs are as good as that 41-12 record, the best in the NBA, dictates.  The aforementioned injured trio won't be around much longer as time is beginning to catch up with them.  For the rest of that roster, they're thriving under Gregg Popovich.  With a combination of a smart front office and the league's longest tenured coach, there's no reason why they shouldn't have made the playoffs every year since 1998, the longest active such streak.  They might not have enough to get past Oklahoma City this year, but they won't be a cakewalk either.  That veteran leadership, which guides the promising young blood, makes this roster lethal no matter who is sent out there or what building they enter.

The Bulls have a day to forget this before they wrap up the season's first half Wednesday in Boston against the Celtics.  That team's been hot since Rajon Rondo's season ended, but you still want to try and build some momentum going into the break.  Things don't seem so great right now.  A solid final game before Deng and Noah head to Houston will make things better.  They just gotta bring everything they've got.

Power Forward Swap?

Less than 24 hours ago, the latest in the endless carousel of NBA trade rumors struck, this one involving the Bulls and Raptors.  There have reportedly been discussions involving Carlos Boozer heading north in exchange for former top pick Andrea Bargnani.  As expected, several fans have become giddy at the prospect.  You get rid of Boozer and maybe finally have that second scoring option to compliment Derrick Rose, especially from outside.

Of course, the rumor is nothing more than, well, a rumor.  The Raptors just took on Rudy Gay's large contract and Boozer's isn't exactly peanuts.  They're a franchise desperately looking for a spark, as they haven't had many since entering the league.  To have two big salaries on the books could be something they can ill afford at the moment.  Bargnani is said to be looking for a change of scenery, as is his team's fan base.  Without money considerations, this would be a perfect match on paper.  That's not how the NBA works though.

From the Bulls' standpoint, you have to remember John Paxson's past hesitance to sign off on deals that would swap his previous acquisitions for bigger names.  Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are two names that immediately come to mind.  He would also rather not disrupt chemistry, which has been surprisingly remarkable without Derrick Rose.  Boozer is finally playing up to that contract, at least close to it.  Many may jump on this front office for not taking big chances once in awhile.  That's just how it is though. 

Swapping big contracts is often risky business.  This particular situation is iffy.  Bargnani is struggling after an elbow injury forced him to miss 26 games.  We don't know how Boozer will finish the season or what he'll do over the final two years of his deal.  It would be nice if both could live up to their billing at the same time.  Otherwise, we might not be talking about this.  But in this time when many want to amnesty Boozer and the top pick of the 2006 draft isn't welcome where his career began anymore, it adds up to this discussion.

After giving up the most points in the Tom Thibodeau era against the Nuggets last night, the road trip wraps up tonight against the Utah Jazz.  All trade talks will subside for the time being while the Bulls try to snap their two-game losing streak.  You want to come home with a bit of momentum, especially when the Spurs will be waiting for you Monday.  Maybe the roster will be slightly different by then, though I'm not putting money on it.

Don't Take It Easy, Thibs

A common complaint I heard, and to an extent have about 670 The Score is that there's not enough Bulls coverage, particularly when football is in season.  Now that the Super Bowl has passed, attention has slowly returned to the pro basketball team in town and already, skepticism not related to whether this team can beat Miami in the playoffs has made its rounds on the station.  I'm particularly looking at Dan Bernstein, one of its most notable personalities who has no gripes about what others think of his opinions.  All I've heard from him this week is how Tom Thibodeau should take it easy on the veterans' playing time.  He recognizes the recent injury bug, but feels he should take more from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in giving his veterans more rest.

It's a good argument and I can see why people would agree with him.  But I think it speaks volumes about the direction sports has gone in these days.  Way back when, coaches didn't care how hard they rode their players and neither did the public.  Thibodeau seems to fit that mold, at least the first part.  He steps on the gas every single day of his job and nothing suggests that's about to change.  Thanks to skeptics like Bernstein, Thibodeau is painted to be the right coach in the wrong time period.  We're so concerned about what's going to happen to players in the future that it''s easy to forget about the need for their talents in the present.  How a coach chooses to push Luol Deng and Rip Hamilton nightly is completely up to him. 

The only reason to put players on a time limit is if they're coming off an injury.   Derrick Rose will be facing that soon and no one will complain.  Thibodeau's mantra is if you can play and bring something, you'll play.  Since he was hired, I haven't heard one player make even the slightest stink over playing too much.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I just can't recall such a comment.

The NBA has a need to protect its players, but it also works to protect the integrity of the game.  That means coaches using their game rosters to put forth every possible effort to win.  None of this was made more clear than two months ago when the Spurs were docked a quarter of a million dollars for sending Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green home before a nationally televised road game against the Heat.  Yep, the same team coached by the supposed modern-day prototype of his position. 

Taking it easy enough on your players one night isn't as big an offense, but in a way, it's still cheating the high-paying customers who walk through the turnstiles night after night and the millions more watching on television and the Internet.  Fans should expect nothing less than a 100 percent effort whenever they watch their teams play.  It's their hard-earned money going toward an organization worth millions of dollars, so why settle for less?

You don't have to agree with my opinions.  I'm just in the camp that says Thibodeau is doing nothing wrong.  Many have pointed this out as the one flaw in an otherwise ideal NBA coach.  I understand that injuries happen and there's a need to look after those who are banged up.  That doesn't mean you should sacrifice healthy minutes from what you can get out of your players. 

This isn't baseball, where you're constantly monitoring your pitchers who have to throw in an unnatural motion every fifth day.  Nor is it football, which forces its players into violent collisions and is under increasing scrutiny for head injuries.  Basketball allows you to move your body normally most of the time and requires minimal physical protection.  Fatigue plays a part, but again, if no one on the Bulls has had anything to say about Thibodeau's playing time philosophy, why are some of the fans and media?  They're in a better position without Rose than previously anticipated and another All-Star has bloomed in the form of Joakim Noah (who is having foot problems, but that's for another post).  I guess it's just in our nature to be skeptical.  The older we get, the more experience we have in watching sports and thus, compare now to past successes.

We'll try to forget this supposed issue when the Bulls face the Nuggets in Denver tonight.  There are only two games left on this road trip and they occur on back-to-back nights.  The Bulls have split the first four of their Disney on Ice trip.  Find some mojo tonight and then keep it tomorrow against Utah.

Run Out

I actually forgot that tonight's game against the Indiana Pacers was the one rescheduled from the earlier postponement.  That said, I hoped for a high-quality game, which is what I got.  Too bad the Bulls were the team bit by the injury bug and facing a club tied for the best home record in the East in their building.  With Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich on the floor, perhaps I wouldn't be discussing a 111-101 loss.  By the way, this ends the Bulls' winning streak in games in which they scored 100.

Momentum went back and forth for almost 48 minutes, resulting in run after run that gave each team the lead.  Finally, the Pacers showed why they were picked to win the Central in the preseason and also why they're superior to the Nets, who barely beat an even-less-healthy Bulls squad on Friday.  They're tall, athletic and can shoot from anywhere as long as they create their own shots, which happens often.

David West led the parade with 29 points, showing why he should have been an All-Star.  The Pacer that earned the honor, Paul George, had 21 of his own.  Not to be outdone, George Hill scored 22.  Rounded out by Lance Stephenson's 15, the usually poor-shooting Pacers (.428, 27th in the league) were 53 percent from the floor.  Though they average 92 points (29th), it mattered little on this night.  Even teams that rely primarily on defense have breakout games on the other end.  The Bulls, unfortunately, happened to be the recipient here.

The already shorthanded Bulls nearly became more so when Marco Belinelli knocked down a three on a foul, but landed awkwardly on his foot.  After a swollen ankle was taped up, Belinelli went on to have his biggest game of the year, scoring a season-high 24.  The ankle will probably hurt like hell in the morning, but he'll tell you it was worth it to keep his team in it.  All five starters were in double figures, led by 19 from Nate Robinson, just named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.  If Luol Deng had scored more than 13 and the remaining three went higher than 10 each, a different outcome might have happened.

The Bulls can step up at anytime regardless of opponent or player availability.  Eventually though, missing key players will catch up.  The Nets and Hawks are decent teams, but not more than second-best in their respective divisions.  In the Central, there's a more squeezed battle to the top.  Though the Pacers are now tied for the lead in the division, they hold the tiebreaker, so that makes them the de facto first-place team.  That's currently the difference between the third and fourth seed in the East, so before you say divisional standings don't matter, yes, they do.

The road trip continues Thursday when the Bulls head to the mountains to face the Denver Nuggets.  It's unusual for an East team to draw the second game on TNT, so grab a nap before staying up late for some basketball.  Of course, if you stay up late anyway, just go about your business until tipoff.  Me?  I'll be working.  No choice but to watch there.  Gotta love your job sometimes.