Raining on the Bulls' Parade
After the Chicago Bulls lost their fourth straight game to start the season (their first since 2004-05), disgruntled fans at the United Center were chanting, "Kobe. Kobe." Not the thing that GM John Paxson, coach Scott Skiles, or the players want to hear because if this continues the season might turn ugly. Unless Ben Wallace does another headband gate.
Said rookie Joakim Noah, "We might not have played well, but we played hard as a team. And for some of the fans to go and talk about Kobe, like screaming Kobe, I mean, we practice hard every day for this team. To me, that was kind of different because they wouldn't do that in college. But I realize that this is the pros. We're all we have, and at the same time, we have to stick together and play hard and show the fans that we're putting it on the line. Because I feel like we can play harder and play better."
Sorry, but like I wrote before, the Bulls can no longer claim to be a team on the rise. Their time is now. If the season gets tougher, their window for an NBA title will be closed. Yes, I know it's still early. But watching them can get on your nerves. There's no focus. But we should see what this team is all about after their first 20 games.
A Downer of A Homecoming
So much for a homecoming, Steve Francis. Eight years out of Maryland and he's no longer the prime deadly player he once was. A bunch of DNP-CDs (Did Not Play-Coach's Decision) isn't going to help. That means that Rick Adelman has no place for him in the rotation.And even worse, the Houston Rockets are winning (4-1 as of this writing) without him.
The crowd at the Toyota Center has been calling out to Adelman (who I never liked as a player and as a coach) to give Francis minutes.
"It was unbelievable," Francis said. "The fans always embraced me, even when I wasn't a member of the Houston Rockets. It meant a lot to me. The thing that is scary is what if I come in and miss my first two shots? I definitely love the support, but that should not make a difference to the coach's decisions. I not going to say that it should, but do I want to play? Hell, yes."
A Magical Start
The Orlando Magic are 3-1 under new coach Stan Van Gundy. The early season good vibes that was evident in their trip to Macau has carried over this November. But you could see Van Gundy tinkering around with the line-up trying to find a combination that really works for them. So far they beat the Milwaukee Bucks, the Washington Wizards, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their lone blot on their record was a loss at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. They'll be up against the 3-1 Toronto Raptors. Then we'll see how good this team really is.
After the Chicago Bulls lost their fourth straight game to start the season (their first since 2004-05), disgruntled fans at the United Center were chanting, "Kobe. Kobe." Not the thing that GM John Paxson, coach Scott Skiles, or the players want to hear because if this continues the season might turn ugly. Unless Ben Wallace does another headband gate.
Said rookie Joakim Noah, "We might not have played well, but we played hard as a team. And for some of the fans to go and talk about Kobe, like screaming Kobe, I mean, we practice hard every day for this team. To me, that was kind of different because they wouldn't do that in college. But I realize that this is the pros. We're all we have, and at the same time, we have to stick together and play hard and show the fans that we're putting it on the line. Because I feel like we can play harder and play better."
Sorry, but like I wrote before, the Bulls can no longer claim to be a team on the rise. Their time is now. If the season gets tougher, their window for an NBA title will be closed. Yes, I know it's still early. But watching them can get on your nerves. There's no focus. But we should see what this team is all about after their first 20 games.
A Downer of A Homecoming
So much for a homecoming, Steve Francis. Eight years out of Maryland and he's no longer the prime deadly player he once was. A bunch of DNP-CDs (Did Not Play-Coach's Decision) isn't going to help. That means that Rick Adelman has no place for him in the rotation.And even worse, the Houston Rockets are winning (4-1 as of this writing) without him.
The crowd at the Toyota Center has been calling out to Adelman (who I never liked as a player and as a coach) to give Francis minutes.
"It was unbelievable," Francis said. "The fans always embraced me, even when I wasn't a member of the Houston Rockets. It meant a lot to me. The thing that is scary is what if I come in and miss my first two shots? I definitely love the support, but that should not make a difference to the coach's decisions. I not going to say that it should, but do I want to play? Hell, yes."
A Magical Start
The Orlando Magic are 3-1 under new coach Stan Van Gundy. The early season good vibes that was evident in their trip to Macau has carried over this November. But you could see Van Gundy tinkering around with the line-up trying to find a combination that really works for them. So far they beat the Milwaukee Bucks, the Washington Wizards, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their lone blot on their record was a loss at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. They'll be up against the 3-1 Toronto Raptors. Then we'll see how good this team really is.
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