Jackson left the Bulls more than 10 years ago, but I’ll always remember him as the Bulls coach, not the Lakers.  At 64, Jackson has had medical issues.  Lets face it,  it will happen to all of us.  No one is immortal.  The problem is,  with him out of the picture,  who will be the main dominant coach in the NBA?

Jackson has won 11 championships.  Many say it is because of his star players, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.  It makes a difference, but Jackson was the glue that made the role players just as important as his superstars.  He devises a game plan and coaches his players to stick to it.  He has been the best coach in my generation and quite possibly, the best in NBA history.

If you retire, I give you my farewell friend.   

In every position of every sport, we like to pick out the best.  Who will be the best active coach when Jackson leaves?  There is only a handful of guys who have been tenure 10-to-15 years. 

My pick would have to be Greg Popovich.  He created a dynasty with the San Antonio Spurs and even though their roster is old and waring down, they still intimidate the opposition.  He won four championships in nine years, with virtually the same squad.  Role players left or retired, but San Antonio kept replacing them with similar players.  “Pop” fit them into his game plan and continued the Spurs winning ways.

Either way,  the Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau has been hired by the Chicago Bulls to replace Vinny Del Negro.

Thibodeau is well respected as a defensive master mind, helped the Boston Celtics become one of the best defending teams in the league.  Boston would never have beaten the Lakers in 2008 for the NBA Championship, if their team defense didn’t rotate and communicate like Thibodeau taught them.  It also helps that Kevin Garnett, one of the biggest mouths in the NBA, is on the Celtics.

In his 21 year coaching career, he has traveled the NBA ranks.  He began as an assistant to the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989.  In 1991, he was a scout for the Seattle SuperSonics.  He has been an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and until this years post season is over, the Boston Celtics.

Thibodeau has aided his teams to finish in the top ten in team defense for 15 seasons.  This is impressive.

The Bulls were a solid defensive team last year.  Thibodeau will help them become great.  Joakim Noah wants to play defense and showed signs of defensive brilliance this season.  Kirk Hinrich is a good perimeter defender.  Derrick Rose is quick, giving him the ability to get in front of any match up and Luol Deng has great length and hoops to block shots from the corner.

They have the skills, now Thibodeau will give them techniques.

The question I have is, how does this help Chicago’s scoring?  The Bulls scoring was a huge problem this season.  The offensive sets resulted in Ros running around and trying to drive, or they were stagnant.  Three players roamed on the perimeter while Noah and Taj Gibson got faced until they needed to get a rebound.

Maybe Thibodeau has more than one trick up his sleeve, plus,  he will have assistants and hopefully an elite talent after free agency begins.

The hire could draw big names.  Thibodeau is well known and respected.  Basketball players need to know their coach can or wants to win before they believe in the system.  Thibodeau helped win a championship in 2008 and was a part of the Knicks trip to the finals in 199 with Jeff Van Gundy, Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston.

Thibodeau should be a good coach.  Some assistants who are supposed to do well, stumble and fall.  Others coach a team to two three-peat championship run, aka Phil Jackson.  He will not reach Jackson’s level, but he could be the coach to get Chicago further in the playoffs than first round.  This would mean a better record, so they’re not the eighth seed.

On a faith level, I have 85% faith that he will help the Bulls get to the next level.  The doubts I have are on offense.  If the defense can get points off of its hard work than that doubt would be quieted.  The other doubt, is if Thibodeau is a coach the big named free agents want to play for.

Lebron James might want to be on the same team with Thibodeau instead of receiving the wrath of his zone defensive schemes.

Chicago has six players on the books for next season: Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich and James Johnson.  They are allowed to have 15, so there is room for nine more players.

The NBA projects next year’s salary cap to be $56.1 million.  Chicago only has $33.6 million spent, meaning they have $22.5 mill to go shopping with.

Fortunately for the Bulls, they have plenty of money to replace at least one of these empty roster spots with an elite NBA athlete and add a few strong counter parts to the young and talented nucleus all ready on the team.

Let’s start by getting rid of the free agents that have no chance of coming to Chicago.

Paul Pierce has the early termination option in his contract.  The Boston Celtics are a serious threat to win the championship this year.  He has been in Boston his entire career and is loved there.  They looked old all season, but now, look like they’re in their early 20′s come playoff time. Rajon Rondo is a superstar and will be the new face of the Celtics, but Pierce is going to stay to pass the torch.  Plus, Doc Rivers doesn’t want to disband the big three: Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Manu Ginobili already signed an extension with the San Antonio Spurs.  There was no reason for him to leave.  San Antonio is his city and he proved he can still play and lead them to victory when healthy.

Tracy McGrady is washed up.  He had his spot as an NBA superstar taken away by injuries.  In 13 seasons, he has only played in 70 or more games five times.  He can’t stay healthy and he can’t play at the elite level he thinks he can.

Shaquille O’Neal is at the end of his career.  He is still a legitimate 12 points and 7 rebounds a game kind of guy.  This isn’t bad for a center in the NBA these days.  Shaq’s size is also a positive for a low post presence on offense and defense.  He is just too slow and will not fit in with the Bull’s offense.  Chicago likes to push the ball.

Jermaine O’Neal is at the end of his career as well.  He didn’t do anything to help Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in the playoffs, he would be a waste of money.

Yao Ming has health injuries just as bad as his ex-teammate McGrady.  Ming is a scoring and defensive presence, but his ankles, feet and knees can’t hold up.

Josh Howard is too much baggage.  He can play, but he is inconsistent and has let off the court situations interfere with his NBA career.

Michael Redd would be a great piece to add because of his shooting.  He is one of the best pure shooters in the league but he can’t stay on the court.  In the last two seasons he has only played 51 games.  I would like to add him to the “get” list, but I don’t know how he’s going to bounce back from his injuries.

Tyson Chandler is all ready on the Bulls, Joakim Noah.  They play a similar style, except, Noah is younger, plays with more energy and can score further from the basket than Chandler.  If the Bulls get a big man, they need a scorer, not defense and rebounding.

Anybody not mentioned is up for grabs in the next 10 posts, come back tomorrow to find out who number ten is.

EAST

Cleveland Cavaliers VS Chicago Bulls- Cavs in 5

I would love for the Bulls to win more than one game or even take the series, but it will not happen.  Lebron James is just too much for the Bulls to handle.  The Bulls played a great game, but still lost game 2.  Enough said,  I’m going to pout in silence…..

Boston Celtics VS Miami Heat (three old men VS a young superstar)- Boston Celtics (old men) 4-3

This is going to be a great series.  Dwayne Wade is a superstar and will win one or two games by himself.  If he gets any help at all they will win one more and could possibly take the series.  Kevin Garnett is not the same KG we know and love, plus he is out for game two because of his elbow.  The Boston Celtics have a champion swagger.  Paul Pierce will not give up for anybody and Rajon Rondo has become a great basketball player.  I think the Celtics have too much for Wade to win the series.

Atlanta Hawks VS Milwaukee Bucks- Hawks sweep

Atlanta has a balanced scoring attack.  They have perimeter shooters in Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford.  They have physical players who will take it inside Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.  Plus,  they have the most underrated player in the NBA, Joe Johnson.  He can shoot, defend, rebound and is a good teammate.  Andrew Bogut is out for the Bucks.  With him in the lineup the Bucks could have won a few games, but not without him.  John Salmons and Brandon Jennings won’t give the team enough to get them past the Hawks.

Orlando Magic VS Charlotte Bobcats- Magic sweep

Dwight Howard is a beast.  Charlotte’s Tyson Chandler is not going to contain Howard.  The Magic are the best three point shooting team in the history of the NBA. Enough said.

WEST

LA Lakers VS Oklahoma City Thunder- Lakers in 6

Kobe or Ron Artest against Kevin Durant is the best one-on-one match-up in the first round.  Kobe is a solid defender and Artest is one of the best in the game.  Durant is the best scorer in the game.  This should be fun to watch.  The Lakers are just too good.  They have a great veteran team who are going to teach the young Thunder lessons.  The Thunder are a good team and will find enough scoring to get a couple games, but Kobe and company will win the series.

Denver Nuggets VS Utah Jazz- Nuggets in 6

The Jazz are banged up.  The Nuggets have something to prove.  They were at one time the number two seed in the west but fell to fourth after a bad stretch of loses.  Kenyon Martin is back to add physical inside play.  The Nuggets will miss George Karl but they will find a way to win the series in six games.

Phoenix Suns VS Portland Trailblazers- Suns in 6

I wanted to give the series to Portland, but, I can’t do it with Brandon Roy on the IR.  Roy is the difference maker.  Portland has a good team, but I think Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash will take care of business.

Dallas Mavericks VS San Antonio Spurs- Dallas in 5

The boring Spurs are done.  They can’t stay healthy and Tim Duncan is not even a shell of his former self.  Dallas is rolling.  Dirk is playing at an MVP level and Jason Kidd is playing like he is 24 instead of 37.  Kidd is still the best passer in the game and can add 15-to-20 points any given night.  Plus, Caron Butler and Brendan Hayword have come from Washington and added key pieces the Mavericks were missing.

The biggest event is the Boston Celtic’s Kevin Garnett getting banned from game two in his team’s series against the Miami Heat.  In game one, teammate Paul Pierce fell to the court and laid in pain.  Miami Heat’s Quentin Richardson stood over him and said some words.  With 40 seconds left in the game, Garnett came to protect Pierce, elbowing Richardson in the face.  KG is not allowed to enter the arena for game two and Richardson has to pay a $25,000 fine.

I like Garnett supporting his wounded teammate.  I like the NBA being the authority they wish to be and give the suspension and the fine.  What was Q doing?  If you knock down somebody and feel proud of it, cool, but it was wrong of him to further humiliate Pierce.  Richardson is a good player but why did he have to be ignorant?  Guess it was his 15 seconds of fame in his first playoff game since 2004 when he was with the Phoenix Suns.

Ron Artest VS Kevin Durant is the must see one-on-one match up in the first round.  Artest is arguably the best man defender in the league.  He is pesky and very seldom leaves his man; seldom as in never.  Durant is the best scorer in the league,  well at least to the points per game stat.  He became the youngest player in NBA history to win the scoring crown by scoring 30 ppg this season.

In game 1, Durant was held way below his averages.  Instead of 30 points, he was held to 24.  Six points isn’t much but he didn’t get those 24 from his scoring ability.  Nine of those points came from his 9-of-11 from the free throw line.  Durant averaged 47% from the field but was 7-of-24 in game one.  Artest and Kobe Bryant blanketed him.  Durant couldn’t even get rebounds, his eight a game, fell to two.  Without Durant, the Thunder are destined to be swept.  Lakers won game one, 87-79.

This is the biggest surprise.  The Portland Trailblazers beat the Suns without Brandon Roy.  With Roy in the lineup, the Blazers have the young talent possessing the ability to beat the Suns.  The Trailblazers should not beat the Suns without him.  Roy brings 22 pppg and 5 rebounds and assists to the box score every game.  The Blazers did not let the loss of their leader effect them.

Andre Miller, not know for his scoring, dropped 31 points and eight assists.  LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and Marcus Camby gradded 17 rebounds.  If they continue to play like this,  the Suns may find themselves booted in the first round.  Once Roy was put on the Injured Reserve list,  the Suns were the huge favorite.  They better come to play because Portland is hungry for a playoff series win.

The Orlando Magic beat the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89, not a big surprise.  The thing for me, was Stephen Jackson.  Jackson is known as a pure scorer who lacks dedication.  He hyper extended his knee against the Magic in game one.  Instead of giving up or saying, man, I can’t play.  He said, “No Chance in Hell, I’m not going to play in game two.”

This is awesome for the Bobcats.  He is one of their main leaders.  He has a reputation.  A statement like this, might change the outcome of a few games in the series.  The Magic will still win, but Jackson’s approach could make the series interesting.

Milwaukee Bucks rookie point guard Brandon Jennings is amazing.  In game one against the Atlanta Hawks he dropped 34 points.  The problem is, he didn’t have much help against the balanced attack of the Hawks.  Joe Johnson scored 22, Mike Bibby 19, Jamal Crawford 17, Al Horford 15, and both Josh Smith and Marvin Williams had 12.  John Salmons will have to score more than 16 without Andrew Bogut in the lineup.

One more thing.  The Dallas Mavericks are going to be awfully tough to beat.  Jason Kidd, Caron Butler and Dirk Nowitzki are rolling.  They beat the Spurs only by six, 100-94, but the aging Spurs had no defensive answers for the three stars scoring.

I figured the 32 year old Ginobili would stay in Texas, it didn’t make any sense for him to leave.  The Spurs are on of those franchises everyone wants to work for.  They are always trying to progress, management treats the players well and there is the important factor of having a winning mentality.

Ginobili wouldn’t have fit on the Bulls anyway.  I classify him as a great player but I don’t think he is on the elite status the Bulls are going to pursue.  This season he is averaging 16 points and five assists a game, average to say the least.  The Bulls could use a two guard, but Ginobili’s style of play is similar to Rose.  We don’t want to become the New York Knicks of two years ago when all their players played the same kind of game.   It equaled a horrible season.

Plus,  he probably only has two to three years left.  The amount of time he misses with nagging injuries will catch up to him sooner than later.  He will probably finish his career in San Antonio where all the older players seem to finish their career.

They have suffered bad loses to bad teams.  Which includes the Sacramento Kings winning after being down 35 points.  Yeah, the Bulls gave away the win to the second largest comeback in NBA history.

They have also had some good wins against good teams in this stretch.  They left arenas victorious against San Antonio, Orlando and took two games from New Orleans with Chris Paul.

Yesterday’s game seemed like a sealed .500 victory.  The Indiana Pacers are the sixth worst team in the NBA.  Danny Granger,  their best player,  has been hurt for most of the season.  When he has played,  there are signs of lingering pain.

The Bulls did not come to play.  The board grabbing presence of Joakim Noah was exposed.  They looked bored to say the least and were lucky to come away with the 109-101 win to become even with a 25-25 record.

Noah is needed.  He will be greeted with open arms by everyone when he returns after the All Star break.

Fortunately, the team bounced back and have been playing solid team ball.   The shocking thing is most of this turn around has been on the road. Last night, the 21-22  Bulls beat the aging champions of the 25-18  San Antonio Spurs to be one win away from a .500 record.  The win was the 3rd consecutive road win in the middle of a 7 game trip to the west coast.

They have bounced back by playing fundamental basketball. The shots with two or three defenders flying towards the ball was last month.  Ball movement, crisp passing and wide open shots is now and hopefully the future.

Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich continued to penetrate to the basket with a pass first mentality.  When the ball was in the front court and a double team came, the big men dished instead of trying to throw up a blind hook shot.

These passes and team ball constructed good shots and better percentages then the Spurs.  The Bull’s field goal percentage was 54% while the Spurs shot 42%.  Chicago only made 5 three-pointers but they shot at a 46% rate while the struggling Spurs shot 21%.

Youthfulness seemed to be a problem after the first week of regular season play.  Now, it looks like a key element of Chicago becoming as high as a 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff tree.  The first opponent standing in the way of an even record is another young and athletic team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder have a stud in Kevin Durant.  He can score, dish and defend.  He is surrounded by other young talent who are becoming well known around the NBA and to fans, who do not get to see them on television.  If the Bulls can run with Thunder and continue to play like they have been, they have a chance.

The only question is, can they continue to play to their current standards?

Chicago jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back. At times it looked like the Rockets were going to refuel and take the lead, but they didn’t have enough fire power.

Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich were the attacking guards they had been for most of the season. Both were penetrating the paint looking for an open post player or taking an uncontested layup. The players never let the ball stop moving from teammate to teammate with inside to outside ball movement.

The entire team played like they had drank 5 or 6 Red Bulls before they came to the court. Tyrus Thomas came off the bench to swat away 6 shots. As a unit they had 12 blocks with all five starters, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson and Brad Miller, collecting 1. Midway through the second quarter, the Rockets began pump faking or committing bad passes because they were scared of the Bulls interior defense.

Tenacity on both sides of the ball quickly took the Houston fans out of the game. The stands were either in utter shock or embarrassment as the Bulls were running fluid fast break transitions for easy baskets. This caused the fans to check other scores on their I Phones and Blackberries.

The Bulls had more energy. The different levels were extremely noticeable when rebounding or trying to get loose balls. The Red jerseys were throwing their bodies around while the white and orange were halfheartedly touching the ball with one hand.

Leg energy was also on display as the Bulls shot 58% from the 3 point line going 7-of-12 while the Rockets went 8-for-22.

Miller started the game for the injured Joakim Noah, who sat the game out for the first time this season due to pain in his left ankle. The replacement made the best out his extra minutes scoring 25 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Miller had help in the front court from Gibson. The rookie proved why he deserves a starting spot as he performed his 5th double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He was at the right place at the right time and stood his ground against the Rockets big men Luis Scola and Carl Landry.

In the back court, Rose scored 20 points while Hinrich added 12 points and 7 assists.

The Bulls have 3 more games left in their Western Conference road trip. They have won 6 of their last 8 games and their 20-22 record means they are only 2 wins away from a .500 record. To do this in the next 2 games they would need to beat the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey and Head Coach Rick Adelman have agreed letting McGrady leave the roster is best for the team.

According to ESPN, Morey and Adelman are working with McGrady’s agent, Arn Tellem, to work out a trade by the February 18th NBA trade deadline.

McGrady has been on the injured reserve for most of the season ailing a surgery operated knee. The surgery cut McGrady’s season short last year, only playing 35 games.

The once proclaimed superstar is averaging 7.7 minutes in the six games he has played in this season. McGrady, who has consistently played 35 minutes a game, asked for increased minutes to quicken his comeback.  Adelman didn’t think it was a good idea so he didn’t allow him the desired playing time.  McGrady remained a 7th or 8th man off the bench.

In an interview from ESPN, Adelman said the Rockets are a team, not a one man show.

“He’s been hurt for over a year.” Adelman said. “The thing that people want to write about is who he was two years ago, and he isn’t that right now.  We have a whole team here and it’s not just about what he wants or what he was going to want, or what was going to happen.  It was about what can he do to help us win, and that was the bottom line to me.”

McGrady has been causing a scene and was very clear he wanted out of Houston.  Now he gets his wish.  The Rockets supposedly have refused to buy out the rest of his 22.5 million contract.  At the end of this year, he will be a free agent, but both sides want this ordeal done with ASAP.  

T-Mac is only 30.  He has been through a lot of injuries.  A banged up elbow, the previous mentioned knee surgery and a few ankle stingers.  Could T-Mac be the next Grant Hill. 

Hill was once called the next Michael Jordan after he won two NCAA Championships with Duke.  He came to the league and blossomed right away just like McGrady did.  Then his ankles became injury prone and he lost 4 years of his career trying to rebuild just like what seems to be happening to McGrady.

Hill has bounced back.  Since his return, he was a starter on the All-Star team a few years ago and has been the starting forward for the up-tempo Phoenix Suns for the past 3 seasons. 

McGrady is an extremely talented athlete and is young enough to be the player he was for at least a couple more years.

 The Rockets and the McGrady camp are working on a deal, but who will be the third party to get involved?   Where will the ex-superstar attempt to re-amp his career?

 Lets take out the big dogs.  The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic have their go to guys who need the ball.  McGrady would still be a number one option when healthy. 

The San Antonio Spurs run a half court set which might match McGrady’s game.  Richard Jefferson has failed to deliver what they were looking for.  Tim Duncan has been carrying the team since Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker have been dinged up.  McGrady would add a tall lanky player who would draw the defenders who are usually in Duncan’s face.  Plus, the Spurs have not had a true inside/outside scoring threat like T-Mac.

McGrady’s injuries may have taken his career, so this might not be a good idea, but what about the Bulls.  McGrady would attract those fans who remember him from 2 seasons ago.  Could he still play at a high level?  If McGrady came to Chicago, he would sit John Salmons or Luol Deng on the bench.  Derrick Rose is a up and coming point guard who needs the ball to effectively help his team win.  In the past, McGrady has dominated the ball as well.  Could McGrady and Rose co-exist to help the floundering team and T-Mac’s disappointing career?