I didn't see the game last night because I was at work, but this tweet from BullBearSock made me laugh.

Haha, he's the best.

Also: what the hell has happened to the Bulls' defense? They're still No. 11 in John Hollinger's defensive efficiency ratings, but they've now given up 100 points or more in the last eight games. And the last two games are especially ugly: Dallas' 122-point effort on Saturday matched the most points the Bulls have allowed all year. Of course, Utah blew that mark out of the water yesterday, hanging 132 at the United Center.

We know Joakim Noah was so crucial to the rebounding - Hinrich led the Bulls with five boards yesterday - but is he equally important to the defense? Did trading Salmons and Tyrus really hurt the D that much? 

From By the Horns:

The Bulls really might as well have put a welcome mat in the paint. That's how easy a time the Jazz had in there. Utah got 21 layups and two dunks, including one in which Deron Williams posterized Derrick Rose. What's more, the Jazz dominated the glass (42-32). That total included a 14-6 edge in offensive rebounds. And did I mention Utah earned 39 free throw attempts? Oh, and they scored 24 points off 16 Chicago turnovers.

So, basically, the Jazz either hit the shot, earned a second chance, got fouled, or got the ball right back. There quite literally was no stopping them last night. And let me tell you, several of those free throw were the result of fouls right at the bucket. There was no keeping the Jazz away from the rim...and collapsing on them was just as bad, considering they went 12-for-20 from beyond the arc, including 6-for-7 by C.J. Miles and 2-for-2 from Wesley Matthews.

The absence of Joakim Noah is killing the Bulls.

The Bulls earn a capitalized UGH as of late. Yeah, that's what sitting in the ninth seed gets you.

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Did John Wall's redic lefty slam against Georgia last night remind you of anything?Right, me neither. But as a co-worker pointed out, Wall's dunk is eerily similar to one Derrick Rose threw down in high school. Observe. I'm talking about...

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It's been a big week for Joe Alexander. On Thursday, the Grizzlies demoted Hasheem Thabeet to the Dakota Wizards, meaning Alexander is no longer the highest draft pick in league history to ever play in the D-League.Yesterday, Alexander logged his...

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I can't shake the feeling that the Bulls handled Joakim Noah's plantar fasciitis about as poorly as possible.By most accounts, it takes about six weeks for the injury to heal, maybe longer. What do the Bulls do? Rush Noah back...

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Yesterday, after the trade dust had settled and the Bulls had made their moves, Matt McHale at Bulls By the Horns wrote this (emphasis mine): (...)All of which means Chicago will have some extra cash to play with next summer.So...yay. I...

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The moves the Bulls made today are good moves. They are moves that had to be made.First, the truly essential one: jettisoning John Salmons and his $5.8 million player option out of town. He'll go to Milwaukee, where the Bulls...

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Simmons called it "the highlight of All-Star Weekend", and now we have the video. Here's Benny the Bull doing the "Single Ladies" dance in front of an unamused Jay-Z and Diddy. The action begins at the :40 mark. And, yes,...

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Since I feel obliged to point this out every time I talk about Bill Simmons, yes, TUP is one of his phrases that I gleefully lifted. That means that I'm pro-Billy Pageviews, a topic more polarizing than you would expect,...

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There are lots of reasons to be marginally pumped up about the Bulls' 118-85 win last night over the Knicks. I will now break them down in numerical form, in no particular order.1) Tuesday's game against the Knicks was the...

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February has been a banner month for t-shirts. First: "Bang Gang", a homage to the unholy trinity of bad, white Bulls centers from the 90's, capped with a perfect and almost certainly nonexistent nickname.Now? The polar opposite. From none of...

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Like a Bulls game, just with 88,000 extra people.The final stat line for our hometown hero on Sunday: eight points, four assists, and three steals in 15 minutes of action. Not the national coming out party I was hoping for,...

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In the same vein that older people in this city will always cherish coaches that yell, non-ironic mustaches, and general blue collar-ness, people around my age who grew up in this area and didn't attend U of I absolutely hate...

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This is officially my "Oh shit, something bad happened" video. It came down to this and a picture of a cat ruining a game of Jenga. Gotta go with Vader in that situation.It happened in the first quarter: Rose split...

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If you're like me, you spend roughly 30 percent of your day thinking about the Bulls' free agent options this summer. We know 2010 will produce the greatest free agent crop in league history. We know the Bulls, and lots...

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You may remember plantar fasciitis as the injury that derailed Carlos Quentin's 2009. You may know it because seemingly half of the NBA has been diagnosed with the foot injury this season, including Bulls bigs Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.Taj...

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Let's get one thing straight: Tyrus Thomas was never coming back to the Bulls next year. The Bulls weren't going to pick up his $6.2 million option after the season before Saturday's team-imposed suspension, and, of course, nothing he does...

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I've watched this video ten times already, and still can't come up with anything more intelligent to add than "sick as fuck!" or "that shit was dope". Derrick Rose has that affect on me.Also: if this game was broadcast locally,...

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This is a real shirt. Perhaps even more impressively: it appears this shirt was once mass produced. It was probably sold at Montgomery Ward, maybe even Venture. There was probably a time when you could walk into the currently defunct...

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You've seen President Obama taunt Magic Johnson with it at the White House, now watch LeBron pull off His Airness' classic layup in a game last night against the Grizzles.Not nearly as graceful or aesthetically pleasing as Jordan's original. Final...

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While the title of this post seems chalk full of snark, there's something I want to reinforce: let's enjoy this Bulls win streak while we've still got it. As you've probably heard by now, the Bulls just made history. They're...

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Isn't Photoshop great? I don't know how we lived without it. A week ago in R-B, I put the Bulls chances of getting LeBron this offseason at a cool zero percent. Stompy went with two percent. So, you know,...

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Bulls Day here at TUP? Maybe! We'll see what happens... The reserves for the NBA All-Star Game will be announced later today. You already know that no Bulls player has been an All-Star since MJ in 1998. You already know...

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Yet another reason why I don't gamble on sports: I would have bet anything the Bulls were going to lose last night to the Spurs. Rose had flu symptoms, Noah was battling the dreaded plantar fasciitis, and after two consecutive...

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Did you know "posterization" is actually a word? It is! This has been a banner year for dunks in the NBA. D-Wade on Varejao. Corey Brewer on Derek Fisher. 'Melo on Paul Milsap. On Saturday, our man D-Rose got in...

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FYI: This came in at No. 6 on SportsCenter's Top Ten. Six! H/T: Docksquad...

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"How good is Derrick Rose, how good will Derrick Rose be?" has been a popular question this year. Matt McHale wondered if Rose has what it takes to become an alpha dog. In the comments on a post here last...

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With apologies to "Pants on the Ground" (ha!) and the Massachusetts senate race (boo), the biggest - and therefore - most blogworthy story goin' on right now is the NBC late night wars. And yes, war metaphors are even more...

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And no, this won't interrupt your precious 'Lost' premier, either.  I feel like Matt's Bulls opinions are often polarizing - mad love for Gordon and Tyrus, extreme hate for VDN, Taj, and especially the higher ups - but it's hard...

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While I'm sure Kevin Love's outlet passes are real nice, I think Rubio made the correct call by staying in Spain. Minnesota ain't shit. ...

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I think the 90's top my Decade Power Rankings (out soon!). Lots of people got rich, there were no wars, and our president played the saxophone. Throw in the explosion of alternative rock music and an overwhelming collection of kid-power...

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(The Beatles) were so prolific. They had so many hit songs. "Paperback Writer", "Ticket to Run", "Wipe Out", "Don't Stop Believing", "Parents Just Don't Understand".Yes, this is why the Internet exists. H/T: Pippen Ain't Easy. ...

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Though he's mostly toiling away in obscurity now at ESPN Chicago - does anyone read that site? Should I start? - I've always enjoyed laughing at the South Side's hottest poet, Scoop Jackson. SB Nation's Andrew Sharp took it a...

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We easily get more trade rumors in the NBA than any other sport, right? It's part of what makes the league so interesting to follow. In the last few years, the Bulls have appeared to be in serious contention for...

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I'm was going to give Dubs top billing for the day - Christmas spirit, y'know? - but the ed. note I dropped on his stuff proved to be slightly too monstrous. As such, this gets a separate post. Ricky giveith,...

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Following in the footsteps of Jay Cutler, Carlos Quentin, Matt Forte, Alfonso Soriano, and seemingly every other star athlete in this town, Derrick Rose is going through a bit of an underwhelming season. Most everyone expected him to take a...

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Let it be known that on December 9 - with just 19 games played and only 23 percent of the regular season complete - the word "tanking" appears on TUP for the first time regarding the 2009-2010 Chicago Bulls. Yes,...

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My biggest beef with NBA 2K10? No historical teams. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Playing as the 90's Bulls against the 60's Celtics would be awesome. But no, I have to be stuck rolling with the Atlanta Hawks. All I want is some Jordan. Disappointing,...

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Check it out over at the Sun-Times' Full Court Press blog. ...

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Check it out, over at the Sun-Times' FCP blog. ...

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Read my post on last night's Bulls game over at the Sun-Times' Full Court Press blog. Please and thank you. ...

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It's hard to take much satisfaction in a too-close-for-comfort victory over a Michael Redd-less Bucks team, but you still have to win and on Tuesday night, the Bulls were able to do just that. As Vin Diesel once put it:...

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I realize that it has become a TUP staple to write about the Bears every Friday during the NFL season. I'm not doing that today. The reasons for this are twofold.a) That game in Cincinnati was downright depressing. Demoralizing. But...

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Have you noticed that Bill Simmons hasn't used his patented "as one of only 13 NBA fans..." line for a while now? It's because he can't. The time when the NBA couldn't exist without MJ seems like so long ago....

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Send tips to rickhouse@blogsbyfans.com. And don't forget about my Jay Cutler post below.Via Pick and Roll.The Sports Section: Will Leitch interviews Bill Simmons. Free Darko: Shoals on God, Michael Jordan, and marketing. Midwest Sports Fans: The Clippers are so cursed.MOUTHPIECE:...

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I don't know why, but the Bulls are probably my favorite team to write about, particularly on Full Court Press. That's what I did today, because, you know, I can't actually write about the Bears every day. Read it here....

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Do. not. forget. about Rickhouse's Bears preview two posts below.Rough, rough day for Chicago. We've got the Olympic Fail, and now this...Fanhouse (emphasis mine):A Chicago-area man accused of taking surreptitious nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews in a hotel...

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This comes to us via Eli Kaberon, a friend and former Top Ten'er. He admits it's sappy, but if anyone deserves a sappy tribute, it's probably MJ. I'm a bit under the weather, so forgive me if I can't churn...

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I haven't broken it down by the numbers, but I'd guess it's something like 5 percent of the time I write about the Bulls at the Sun-Times, I start a race war. Luckily that won't happen today because my post...

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Bashing Jay Mariotti may be a fruitless exercise at this point. He's been destroyed mercilessly, here and elsewhere, ad nauseam. He makes a fool of himself on television five times a week. You won't find an intelligent sports fan, sports...

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If you were anything like me as a little tyke, one of the world's greatest mysteries was the absence of Michael Jordan in video games. NBA Live '98? Off the chain, but it would have been so much better if...

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Despite the fact that these Carlos Boozer to the Bulls rumors have been questioned by two reputable sources - Sam Smith's Bulls.com blog and BobbyStompy's brand new Twitter account (follow that) - I do think it's going to happen. Eventually....

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Is there another Chicago athlete in recent memory that elicited more passionate opinions both for and against him than Ben Gordon? To prove my point, look no further than...the Internet! (Why go anywhere else?) Hit up the Bulls blogs...

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Watch as I try to convince blue collar, hard-nosed Chicagoans that you can win with offense, too. I'm sure this will go over well. It's all at the Sun-Times' Full Court Press blog.  And it all comes back to Jay...

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Just kidding, actually. There was a time when I had strong opinions on things like this, but I think that time passed when I forgot what day the NFL Draft was on. The only reaction I can really muster up...

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Anytime a player enters the NBA drawing to comparisons to Pistol Pete and looking like he should be in the Arctic Monkeys, I get excited. So excited, in fact, that I'm easily more pumped to see where Ricky Rubio lands...

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Part I.. I sort of wish the Bulls didn't have the 26th pick. I want Thabo back. He had some good games in Oklahoma City last season, and I just feel like he'd fit this rotation well right now.It's too...

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BobbyStompy loves him some Kobe.Since our tagline ends with "along with the future stars of professional sports", it's probably about time there's some NBA draft coverage here. Others on the BlogsByFans Network have been all over it for months, led...

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Let's get this out of the way before the game starts...News of morning or fraud? Sam Smith says Ben Gordon has a promise from the Pistons that would pay him $11 million annually. Some are calling BS on this -...

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So yesterday was pretty crazy, huh? How am I not famous right now!?The obvious comparison here is to the 7th Floor Crew thing from a couple years ago, but you'd have to multiply that times 1,000. G-reg and Co....

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It's easy to forget just how young Derrick Rose is. After seeing him juke Andre Miller out of his shoes, dunk all over Leandro Barbosa, and stuff the living hell - from behind! - out of Brian Scalabrine, all as...

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Blaming the officiating for playoff loses is kind of lame, especially a week after the series ended. But in a series between two teams as even as the Bulls and Celtics, I still can't help but think the Bulls got...

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I watched Game 7 in perhaps the best possible setting. I was in Champaigne, hanging out with about 20 close friends, drinking. This had all the makings of an epic night. I was ready for lots of group cheering, booing,...

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You've got Bulls thoughts!10 of them.I watched this one as close as I could, but I was at work so it didn't have my full attention. Summer needs to be here. Like right now.Also, in case you need motivation to...

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I'd first like to thank David Stern for not allowing NBA teams to foul when they're up three with under 10 seconds to go. That was the only thing I was worried about at the end of regulation to be...

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Meaningful links:- Simmons- Blog-a-BullThe first two games of this series have been awesome in every way basketball can be awesome. Can this series actually keep up this frantic pace? I can't wait to find out.Here's the thing that sucks, though.As...

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Let's talk about Lollapalooza!But first, here's a Bulls-Celtics Game 3 preview podcast I recorded with Eli yesterday. Just click to stream, or you can download it. Bulls talk, Game 3.mp3As for that Hawks game, I figured they'd have a tough...

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Bulls!We'll get to Rose in a second, but I don't want his "welcome to superstardom" performance to cover up the fact that the Bulls' Game 1 win over the Celtics was a true team effort. We hear so many debates...

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I like fitted hats.I like the way they shape my head, protect my eyes from the sun and make me look mildly urban and hip (like Turtle from Entourage, not Ricky during in the mid-90s).  So with a little free...

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One thing I have never believed in is jinxing. That's why I have no second thoughts saying that, with seven games left, it looks like another patented late season surge will put the Bulls back in the playoffs after a...

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John Paxson catches a lot of flack around here, but at least he agreed with us and didn't take Option B. I suppose the Bulls could have worse GMs."Beasley!!"...

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The Bulls have little meaningful history from the pre-MJ days, but the two guys that stand out to me are Johnny Red Kerr and Norm Van Lier. We saw Kerr get honored in a fabulous ceremony earlier this season; I'm...

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I'm very tired and extremely busy with school things the rest of tonight (what's left of it) and tomorrow, but I just wanted to get a few things out of the way:- Here's my top ten list on athletes who...

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Those who have been longtime readers of this site have probably noticed the running pseudo-feud between Jack Cobra, the former editor of BBF sister site CobraBrigade, and I. I won't say it's a real feud because he doesn't seem like...

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I only caught the last six minutes of tonight's game due to night class (which is always fun), but it's nice to see Kirk leading the way for old time's sake, particularly since he could be on his way out...

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So says Marc Stein:After the Suns spent several days taking and making phone calls on potential trades for Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that Phoenix -- having received a series of underwhelming proposals for Stoudemire...

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Before we get to all things Amare, lets quickly touch on the end of last night's game against the Heat. I went from night class to work so I didn't see any of it (my Thursdays are fucking atrocious) but...

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Stein says Lu is safe, but as for a blockbuster involving Amare Stoudemire...(via BaB)And let's face it: Chicago just isn't a trigger-pulling team, whether that's because of general manager John Paxson's reluctance or Reinsdorf's. Or both.Trade scenarios involving Deng, Ben...

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I couldn't catch the Bulls game yesterday because of good ole' night class, so someone help me out here: is there anything we can take away from a win over a Hornets' team without Chris Paul, Mo Pete, and Tyson...

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I didn't catch the Bulls game yesterday due to wooooooork, but from the looks of things, Yao had a field day, which could have been reasonably inferred. I guess T-Mac had a sick slam over Tyrus too, but I'd rather...

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It it just me, or is this 2008-2009 season a major down year for regular season college basketball?Though most people probably just say "college basketball has a regular season?!" since 2004-05, I've followed college basketball's non-March Madness portion pretty closely,...

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So the Bulls lost to the Thunder by double digits AT HOME while I was gone? That really happened? People need to inform me of these things sooner.I'm super busy now that I have school, work, and a million other...

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A moment of silence, please, for the end of the last Winter Break of my life.The main course of the day is my weekend wrap-up column over at Slow Breaker, which includes at least one absolutely awesome joke. Swear. It...

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A few quick notes from yesterday's Bulls win, though I didn't even really watch it cause I was working.1) Ben Gordon is just playing out of his mind right now. My distaste for him is well documented, but I don't...

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Most of you probably already saw Simmons' take on Derrick Rose a few days ago, but I really feel like it was dead on. I particularly liked this section:I can't think of another sports example to match this one: Bulls...

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Every Sunday, I help run live Bears blogs at the Sun-Times. I basically just approve comments, maybe post a few poll questions. It's usually not too much work; I generally have no problem paying attention to the game while handling...

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Stompy already did a pretty good job tying up last night's festivities, but I actually watched the game so there are few things I need to get off my chest as well...- Though the Bulls only lost by seven, I...

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So maybe I'm not the most qualified person to fix the Bulls at this point. Because of work and night classes, I haven't actually watched a full game yet this season. I've caught bits and pieces, as well as kept...

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I've gone back and fourth on whether or not I think it's important that Rose starts opening night. I originally thought it was no big deal; the Bulls have lots of quality guards and if Del Negro didn't want to...

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Since everyone else is doing it, I guess I should, too.In the East: (link) (posting links has kind of been screwed up lately, not sure why)1. Celtics            5. Magic 2. 76'ers             6. Wiz3. Pistons           7. Heat4. Cavs               8. BullsIn the...

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Saturday posts are rare here, but I had half this post written yesterday and couldn't find time to finish it. Consider it the replacement for the Bears column. Larry Hughes, surrounded by two strippers, wearing a shirt that says "I...

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Team Name: Chicago BullsLast Years Record: 33-49Key Losses: Chris Duhon (so none)Key Additions: Derrick Rose1. What significant moves were made in the offseason?This offseason had two parts: before May 20, and after May 20.The Bulls before May 20 were a...

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- It’s cool to see Sox fans basking in the positive vibes so quickly after elimination. I’m proud of the way my people have handled this. This team wasn’t supposed to capture its division, or rack up 89 wins. Remember,...

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If you read this site, you probably think I hate Ben Gordon. That’s actually not completely true. As a Bulls fan, I love him. He’s carried the Bulls offensively for entire games, and has hit tons of clutch shots. I’ve...

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Team USA faces off against Greece at 7:05 a.m. (central) on Thursday in what should be its stiffest test in the Olympics so far. After romping it up against China, it was much the same for Kobe and Co. this...

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I wonder if John Paxson shopped Luol Deng around the league at all. There is no question that Deng’s stock was higher both within the organization and league-wide following last season, but my dreams of putting together a package of...

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You know how Simmons always makes that joke about how he’s one of 26 people that still enjoys the NBA? Is that true? Cause I love the NBA- not just the Bulls- and it seems a lot of my friends/acquaintances...

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So two months ago, Derrick Rose got a speeding ticket for going 105 MPH on a local highway. Today, Jay Williams jokes will be made far and wide, but not on this site because those jokes are unoriginal and lame....

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Since I really have nothing else beyond “yippee” to add, here are some miscellaneous draft day observations.Oh wait, I do have something to add! The Bulls totally need to change their jerseys and logo. The current threads still remind everyone...

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If you’ve been reading this site the last couple days, you know that I was a little nervous about this pick. Rose just seems like such an obvious, easy selection, that I wondered why the Bulls played their cards so...

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Phil Barnes of TTCS on what his reaction would be if the Bulls took BeasleyBY PHIL BARNES I cannot believe this. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the Bulls organization decides to throw the city and just...

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And…another day with nothing from Pax and the Bulls on who they're drafting. Maybe I’m making too big of a deal out of this, and I just want the pick to be Rose so badly that I’m getting nervous for...

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