With Eight Games Left, the Bulls Are a 1/2 Game Out of the Playoffs

by Ricky O'Donnell on March 29 at 11:58AM

The Bulls did what every team does this weekend - they defeat the Nets and Pistons, teams without lottery-induced inspiration since December. But hey, look where it has them: with Miami eeking out a win against the Raps last night, the Bulls are only a 1/2 game behind Toronto for the eighth and final playoff seed.

Winner gets to be pulverized by LeBron. How exciting!

Back to the games: the Bulls did it this weekend behind some strong individual performances.

On Saturday, Taj Gibson turned in his finest effort of the season against New Jersey. Taj went off for a career high 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, hit 8-of-10 free throws, and grabbed 13 boards - including four offensive. Eat that DeJuan Blair lovers!

But for real: I made fun of Taj a lot when the Bulls drafted him. I mean, he's older than Darko, more than a year older than Tyrus. His upside seemed less than tremendous.

But there was something I didn't consider: maybe in part because of his age, he's actually a pretty good player right now. Nine points and seven boards won't ever light the world on fire, but it's hard to describe him as anything other than 'dependable'. Not bad for the 26th pick in the draft, right?

During a year when the Bulls have just had a ton of injuries, I honestly don't know where they'd be without Taj. The fact that he's been solidering through plantar fasciitis for most of the second half makes it even more impressive.

Yesterday against the Pistons, this happened.

And so did this (via BytheHorns):

Derrick Rose had the kind of game that made me wonder whether he'd been reading the reports that he's overrated. Rose scored 21 points on only 13 shots, got to the line eight times and dished out a game-high 9 assists (his second straight 9-assist game). That's pretty much how he's supposed to play, right?

OK then.

MOUTHPIECE has the breakdown on the Bulls remaining schedule.

The Bulls have the Suns tomorrow night -- no easy win. But their remaining eight games aren't too bad. Here's the slate: at Washington, vs. Charlotte, vs. Milwaukee, vs. Cleveland, at New Jersey, at Toronto, vs. Boston and at Charlotte.
Washington and New Jersey present winnable games, as these are both non-playoff teams. But with both being on the road, it presents a little bit more of a challenge.
Cleveland and Boston could be playing starters less minutes the last few games of the season. (Well, Boston might still be battling for the No. 3 seed, so that's no sure bet.) Charlotte is only 11-26 on the road this season, so the Bulls could be in line to split their remaining slate against the Bobcats.
The Bucks have been white hot since they traded for John Salmons, and he might have some extra incentive against the Bulls.

Finally: my buddy Mike and I were discussing this over the weekend. Do you even want the Bulls to make the playoffs? I said, duh, yes; he went with the always elusive 'no'. Mike's reasoning behind wanting the Bulls to miss playoffs is a) they literally do not have a prayer against LeBron and Co, and b) maybe if they make the playoffs, they won't fire Vinny.

I countered by saying making the playoffs makes the team look more desirable to free agents, and that they'll probably fire Vinny anyways, even though a) he's not terrible, and b) with all the injuries they've had this season, there is probably little more he could have done. Mike countered by saying that even if the Bulls don't make the playoffs, Wade/Bosh/ect. will look at the Bulls' season, see all the injuries they had, and still think Chicago is a desirable destination.

Thoughts?

5 Comments | Leave a comment

Phil B. | March 29, 2010 12:57 PM | Reply

Missing the playoffs will look better than getting destroyed in four-straight games against Lebron. And I am not just saying this because of the draft pick, because obviously, they aren't bad enough to keep it protected.

Bosh/Wade will look at the injuries and realize that that is why they didn't succeed. Wade knows first-hand how devastating injuries to star players can be. He missed a lot of the 2007-08 season and they finished with the worst record in the league.

Playing poorly down the stretch isn't going to keep these guys from coming. They've probably already got their minds set as to what they want to do.

BobbyStompy | March 29, 2010 1:10 PM | Reply

Playoffs, baby.

Villano | March 29, 2010 1:39 PM | Reply

The NBA isn't like Major League Baseball, where just about any team that squeaks into the playoffs has a somewhat legit shot at the crown. The Bulls, as currently comprised and coached, have ZERO chance of winning all the marbles.

Noah's foot doesn't need anymore "playoff seasoning" given the utter hopelessness of the situation.

And Vinny's gone anyway, so why bother dragging it out?

Eli K. | March 29, 2010 1:46 PM | Reply

Wouldn't be shocked if a) the Bulls beat the Suns tomorrow night and b) if the Bulls took a game or two versus the Cavs if they made the playoffs. For some reason, Phoenix and Cleveland are two teams the Bulls play well against. I don't have numbers in front of me, but those always seem to be competitive games.

Condor | March 29, 2010 5:21 PM | Reply

I always root for the playoffs. It will only help DRose and the young guys improve in the long run, whereas he won't learn anything sitting at home watching. I want to see him in a big time situation again even though they might get swept.

He could even go off like he did in the first game of last year's playoffs and steal a couple games from the Cavs. Who doesn't want to see that?

With Eight Games Left, the Bulls Are a 1/2 Game Out of the Playoffs

5 Comments | Leave a comment

Leave a comment

Search

Follow Me

Blogs In The Network

Network Partners

Recent Comments

Latest Posts

From The Network

Monthly Archives

Test Your Potential