The Bulls finished the first half of the season on a high note with an impressive 128-124 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bulls led by as many as 19 in this one and were in control throughout until some shaky play down the stretch. But a win’s a win which the Bulls needed. Some observations from this game….
- The Bulls offense was humming once again and it started even before the reserves came in. They got off to an 8-0 start and LaVine and Coby combined for 61 points, going 8/15 from 3, 13/13 FT, and 20/35 from the field overall. This was the duo’s second big performance against the Pels who don’t exactly lock down on defense.
- It was great to see Patrick Williams come out aggressive on offense (7 points in the first few minutes). He made some great cuts to the basket, and didn’t hesitate on his first 3 point shot. I also love his arsenal of push shots and flips around 8-10 feet from the basket. He uses the glass well and seems to be a good sign for his offensive development. When Pat is aggressive, good things happen. Patrick finished with only 13 points (6/7 from the field) but foul trouble played a part. Donovan needs to continue to find ways to scheme into the flow of the offense. Also it was just fun to watch Pat vs Zion…
- Zion Williamson is an absolute beast. What an impossible guard for the Bulls and the NBA in general. The Pels have finally started to give him the ball above the break and let him get a head of steam. When he barrels to the basket, its terrifying. I don’t even think Kyle Lowry would take a charge on him. After dominating the first quarter the Pels got away from Zion who only scored 4 points in the second and 3rd quarters.
- I don’t think I noticed Eric Bledsoe or Steven Adams the entire game. Bledsoe doesn’t even look to shoot and Adams is a terrible fit next to Zion. No spacing whatsoever on this team outside of Reddick. There is a ton of talent on this team but David Griffin has yet to properly piece a cohesive roster together. Luckily they have lots of assets from the Jrue Holiday trade, but feels like some big misses early on in building around Zion.
- The Pelicans court is horrid. Ugly as hell. Just bad.
- Daniel Gafford who has been relegated to the bench lately finally got some run and made the most of it. With Luke Kornet being sidelined for filming the second season of Succession, Gafford was incredibly active on both ends. Gafford is best when he’s a disruptor and volley ball spiking things around the rim. In 5 first half minutes, he had 3 points, 5 rebounds, and a block. Might not seem like much but he desperately needed a good rotation.
- I hate Denzel Valentine so much. In what was a very on brand performance, Denzel got off 10 shots in 14 minutes with a dizzying array of slow footed spin moves and pointless standstill dribbling exhibitions. He’s the last remaining Bull who leaves me physically feeling ill after watching him (shout out Portis, Jabari, Cam Payne, Jerian Grant)
- Did anybody else notice Stacy King creaming his britches when a promo for Cafe Du Monde came up? It was uncomfortable. Man likes his beignets.
- I really like Lonzo Ball despite his rather quiet performance. If his 3 point shot is for real, he feels like an absolute perfect player to target for Arturas and the Bulls. Defense, passing, vision are all needed right now as the Bulls struggle to operate at times without a true PG on the roster. I’d make some calls on the RFA.
- Tomas Satoransky needs to play more. His impact reminds me of Mike Dunleavy a lot. He’s a true connector and always helps with hockey assists and just making the right play (on both ends) I need him to play more than 20 minutes a night.
- Thaddeus Young’s skill set was on full display as the Bulls closed the second quarter on a 20-6 run. Thad and LaVine had a beautiful two way game going with Thad going perfect from the field for 12 of his 15 points and some great passes for easy buckets. He’s been the Bulls 2nd best player all year. Trade rumors are going to keep swirling on Thad over the break.
- Brandon Ingram always always always looks high as hell. And I kinda dig his vibe. He’s a fascinating player that I’ve never been able to figure out. The talent is obvious but he disappeared for large chunks of the game.
- Stacey King out of Context: “Give me my oreos back!” (after Coby White hit a 3)
- Adam Amin out of context: “TJ McConnell has turned into a special player.”
- Adam Amin has been such a breath of fresh air from the Mucinex spokesman, Neil Funk. My only complaint is that Amin caters to Stacey too much as if he’s Walter Cronkite or Mark Suppelsa. Regardless, the chemistry and energy between King and Amin has been excellent. But no more fucking golden pipes please. I just can’t anymore.
- I wish Zach LaVine would do the dunk contest just once more….
- It was nice to see the Bulls respond after Ingram and Pels came out on a 7-0 run to start the third. The Bulls took the punch and responded with some nice play by Patrick Williams and LaVine.
- Little used Jaxon Hayes had some big energy highlights inthe 4th for the Pels as they got the game to one possession late. He reminds me sooooo much of Tyrus Thomas (both good and bad). He has elite athleticism with very little instinct, feel, or awareness. He’s fun until he’s not. I personally think he’s out of the NBA in 3-4 years (hot take!)
- Josh Hart is a player though. Similar to Sato, he’s just a winning player to me and a contender could absolutely use him. A team like the Bucks or Clippers or Jazz would be an incredible fit. But I don’t think the Pels will move him. I never watched him and wrongly assumed his skill and impact. Big fan now.
- Wendell Carter Jr has primarily been absent from end of game situations and it was great to see him play down the stretch. He got some big rebounds and a put back and was nice to see. I absolutely trust Thad at the 5 over him in crunch time, but he needed to show Billy he can be trusted late….and he did. He even hit a corner 3!
- Speaking of Wendell……the twitter talk about him moving to 4 is batshit crazy to me. Wendell will not be in the NBA if he’s a 4 and postgame he even stated that “I’m a center”
- He’s an incredible bench rah rah guy, but I’m done with American Psycho Ryan Arcidiacano. I’m very interested to see if Devon Dotson can play. He just finished up his stint in the G-league bubble and I believe he has a shot to earn a spot on this roster moving forward.
- Otto Quarter Pounder Jr. was spotted siphoning velveeta from the tap at the nacho stand during timeouts. I cannot wait until he finally leaves. That guy is really good at signing checks.
- The Bulls turn the ball over an egregious amount in close games. I cringe anytime Zach dribbles for more than 3 seconds. They need a PG!
- The Bulls have played 34 games. 23 of them have been clutch games, 5 points or less with 5 minutes remaining. That’s wild. Theyre in most games, learning how to close.
The Bulls finish the first half at 16-18 and the next 3 weeks leading up to the deadline should be very interesting! Go Bulls!
All Bulls, Minimal Bullshit 
Leave a Reply