Friends of mine on Facebook wrote update status stating they were not doing anything except watching ESPN to see who was going to what team.  Chris Bosh, one of three big names in the free agency market, tweeted he was also watching ESPN to see what moves were going to happen.  Then he tweeted he was going to Chicago to here their pitch,  I got excited.

Anyway, four players were signed during the first day of the open market.  All of them were over paid.  David Stern must have been handing out winning scratch off lottery tickets to these players because they’re not worth the contracts they graciously accepted.

One of these over paid players was in the Bulls Home top ten countdown of free agent options for the Chicago Bulls.  Fortunately,  he was tied for the 10th spot.  Rudy Gay, #10A, resigned with the Memphis Grizzlies for a five year deal worth $80 million.  Gay is extremely athletic and has the potential to be an all-star, but he is not worth this much money.  Memphis paid him as a franchise player,  too bad he isn’t.  He is a great number two or three option, but not the center of a winning team.

Rudy Gay

The other three deals are mind boggling.  Darko Milicic was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves for $20 million throughout four years.  The Toronto Raptors spent $34 million on Amir Johnson for five years and the Milwaukee Bucks gave Drew Gooden a five year deal for $32 million.

These teams locked up role players to say the least.  Johnson has tons of ability, but does this mean give him a big contract on potential? I understand the Raptors will lose Bosh, but Johnson isn’t the answer.  His contract will probably be the worst of the summer.

Drew Gooden

Gooden is the typical NBA journeyman.  He will fit in well with the Bucks because they have nothing in the paint except Andrew Bogut.  Gooden will rebound and play average defense.  But he is not worth $6 million a year.  Plus,  as his career has shown, he will be traded by December.  He has been with eight different teams in eight seasons, not counting his return trips to Orlando and Cleveland.

Milicic is the biggest bust in draft history, well, besides Kwame Brown.  He was selected second in the 2003 draft that included Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  Milicic has been the ultimate let down.  In his seven year career, he averages 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game.

Other deals locked up but not official include John Salmons resigning with the Bucks and Joe Johnson is staying with the Atlanta Hawks for a max contract.

This past year Joakim Noah became a defensive and rebounding machine.  Another perfect reason why the Bulls should get Bosh.  Bosh and Noah are almost the complete opposite.

Bosh is an absolute go to man offensively.  He has a fully developed low post game and can step out and hit a 15 foot jumper.  Bosh plays decent defense, but could get better in a system set up by Tom Thibodeau.

Noah is an a defensive hustler.  He doesn’t stop on a play and knows what he is doing.  When he was healthy this season,  he was easily grabbing 13 boards a game.  Noah can’t step out and hit the 15 jumper but he is a monster on the offensive boards for put backs and easy baskets.

These two are a perfect front court duo.  For the first time since I’ve been a Bulls fan (1990), the Bulls would have size down low with scoring skills.  Elton Brand might count, but he was never on Bosh’s level.

Bosh has become one of the best big men in the NBA while playing for the awful Toronto Raptors, who have had no one on their roster to help him.  They tried with Hedu Turkoglu, but he did not play well at all this season.  Bosh has averaged 20 ppg for his career, but this year finished with a career high 24 ppg.  He set another career high this season by grabbing 11 rebounds a game, his career average is 9.  Other career averages include one block, 80% from the free throw line and 50% from the field.

Bosh has been named to the All-Star team five times in his seven year career. Only seven years?  Yeah,  he is only 26 years old and has plenty of basketball left in his young career.  Like I said with David Lee, the Bulls want to sign a talented young player who will sign for a six to seven year deal.  After getting nowhere in Toronto and seeing the assets the Bulls possess, why wouldn’t he want to come to Chicago?

There would still be a little money left over to pick up a three point shooter.  Not much money, but enough to get a player who will step in a game and knock down a clutch basket.

These are the two areas the Bulls must improve on.  Bosh is the answer.  We need him just as much as he needs to play for a good team in a good market to get some exposure.  Let’s face it,  he doesn’t get much in Toronto.

I say, get Lebron James, Dwyane Wade or anybody else who has been in this countdown only if Bosh refuses to come to Chicago. Bosh all ready listed the Bulls as one of the five places he wants to play for, so there is no way he would refuse, another team would just have to make a better offer.

We need a big man who is a top scoring option, can play defense and is a complimentary player to Noah.  This is why, Bosh is the best option for the Bulls to climb out of the rut they have been in for the last four years and gain eastern conference elite status.

I love it even more that the Bulls made it into the post season.  They got the eighth seed, but hey,  they’re in and the Toronto Raptors are sitting in Toronto doing nothing with their lives.

The Bulls play the best team in the east, the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Lebron James is title hungry and finaly has a supporting cast.  Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison are all-star caliber players.  Shaq might be way past his prime, but he is still one of the biggest bodies in the NBA.  They have shooters, point guards who can penetrate and dish and big guys who throw their bodies everywhere, aka Anderson Varejao. 

The Bulls have a struggle ahead of them,  no doubt.  I don’t think they will win the series.  Even though, It would be great to see the Bulls, who have went through very rough stretches this year, pull a remarkable upset. 

I have faith in the Bulls, but not that much. 

Kirk Hinrich defending Mo Williams is in favor of the Bulls.  Hinrich is a top ten perimeter defender, maybe, top fifteen. Taj Gibson on Jamison should work.  Gibson is lengthy and does play defense.  Noah’s energy and style of Defense will hopefully throw Shaq off of his game, if he still has one. 

I think Shaq’s return is good for the Bulls because it slows the Cavs down.  James, Williams and Delonte West running a fast break is one of the best shows in the NBA. 

Chicago will have to run and gun if Shaq plays.  The Cavs have players with long wingspans.  West and Williams will put a body on the Bulls, making sure they stay in front of them. 

Derrick Rose has to be on his “A” game every game of the series.  He has playing amazing basketball and has to continue if the Bulls have any chance of winning. 

The problem is Lebron.  He is the problem of every team in the league.  Luol Deng is a good defender, but he can’t hang with Lebron.  The Bulls shouldn’t double him though, because he is great at finding the open man.  He is sixth in the NBA with 8.6 assists a game.  When he drives to the lane, Noah has to step in and get the charge.  Noah can take the punishment and has the mentality to take Lebron crashing into his chest.

The defense has to help, not double, but help.  When Shaq or Jamison gets the ball down low, a guard needs to come down and put a hand up.  A gurard, whether it be Rose or Hinrich has to come over and get the wing who will be stading in the corner waiting for his open shot. 

The Bulls have talent and they are finally healthy.  Noah will have to be the physical and emotional leader.  He plays with excitement and it usually carries to his teammates.

My prediction is,  the Bulls will win one for sure.  At tops,  they will win two games.  There is no way they will get swept.  I think this series is a test run for Chicago’s young nucleus of Noah, Gibson and Rose.  Plus,  this gives them and Hinrich and Deng, playoff experience as a team.  Without a trade, these five will be playing together for at least two more years.

Final prediction  4-1 Cleveland wins the series. 

Enjoy today’s  NBA initial playoff games.  Get the nachos, chili and Subway sandwichs ready.  At halftime play NBA 2k10 and let the good times roll.

If the Bulls defeat the seventh seed Charlotte Bobcats tonight, they will be the eighth seed in the eastern conference.  If they don’t win and the Toronto Raptors beat the New York Knicks tonight,  then the Bulls stay in Chicago while the Raptors continue to play.

The Bulls have won two games against the Bobcats, including a game a week and a half ago.  If the Bulls play with the same tenacity and poise they did against the Celtics, then they will be in the playoffs.  Lets make it happen, D-Rose and company.

This is great.  the bad part is, the Bulls now have to rely on the Raptors to lose their last two games against the bad Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.  The Raptors are not a good team, but it is going to be hard for them to lose both of these games even if their star, Chris Bosh, isn’t in the lineup.

Chicago has two tough opponents in the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats.  Both teams have clenched a playoff spot.  We beat Charlotte a week ago, so it is possible. Boston is always in consideration to win the championship.  The Celtics are old, so, Head Coach Doc Rivers may sit Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.  If they do play, hopefully it will limited minutes, this would give Chicago a win,  I think.

I’m also the guy who said Chicago had a give me win against the New Jersey Nets.  We all saw what happened, awful.

The win against Toronto is definitely a momentum boost the Bulls need.  They looked like a playoff team instead of terrible that they tend to do.  They didn’t settle for tough shots and they had good ball movement.  This style of basketball is the only chance the Bulls have of beating Boston and Charlotte.

Derrick Rose had 26 points and 7 assists.  Joakim Noah recorded another double-double with 18 points and 19 rebounds.  Hakim Warrick and Ronald Murray came off the bench to score 10 points a piece.

This win is huge for the Bulls. They need all the momentum they could get, a win against a Cavs team without Lebron is a great place to start. LBJ sat out for playoff precautionary reasons. This worked out great for the Bulls.

Luol Deng and Derrick Rose both recorded double-doubles. Deng had 22 points and 10 rebounds while Rose scored 24 points and had 10 assists. Kirk Hinrich added 23.

Mo Williams had a double-double of his own with 35 points and 10 assists and Antwan Jamison had 23 points.

Tonight they face the awful New Jersey Nets while the Raptors play the eastern conference third seeded Atlanta Hawks. Oh, this could be a big deal, Bosh is out with a facial fracture. The Bulls could move into the playoff bracket with the win. All they have to do is show up like literally, step out of the airplane and they could get the victory.

He suffered a facial fracture. The team doctor said he could miss weeks with this injury.

The Raptors are not very good with Bosh, so without them is a very good possibility to lose games. This is great for the Bulls.

At this point. the Bulls need every advantage they can get. Hope Bosh recovers fast, just not fast enough to help his team get to the playoffs.

The Bulls are currently half a game back. The Bulls are in a must win situation for each of their last five games.

Chicago was in the lead for 95% of the game.  They started the game firing on all cylinders leading 10-4 within the first four minutes.  They did not let up.

The Bobcats went on a 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter.  The attempt was soon canceled out by Derrick Rose’s continual attack to the basket.  They took the lead with 8:55 left in the game.  The Bulls got it back with three minutes remaining in the game on a 25 foot jumper from Kirk Hinrich.  They then built the lead up to eight points to get the victory.

Tyrus Thomas didn’t get any attention at all from the fans until he entered the game late in the first quarter and scored five quick points.  Then the Chicago fans booed him.  I’ve already said this, but he deserved it.  Late in the fourth quarter the United Center went nuts when Joakim Noah drove in the lane and dunked on Thomas.  He was definitely the wrong guy on the poster,  it was awesome.

The back court of Rose and Hinrich,  went off. Rose scored 26 and Hinrich added 24.  The rebounding skills of Taj Gibson and Noah were in full documentation against the Bobcats.  Noah had 16 rebounds with 11 points and Gibson grabbed 15 rebounds to complement his 14 points.  31 rebounds between two guys will help anyone win.  The Bulls out rebounded Charlotte 56-33.

Chicago’s chances of getting into the playoffs are looking slim.  Toronto also got a W tonight by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers.  Chris Bosh and company have to lose for the Bulls to catch up.  At least, Rose and his company are doing the part of the situation they can control, winning games.

Deng’s come back is definitely needed for the Bulls.  He is a big part of the team’s success and when he doesn’t play it’s easy to notice the team is hurting without him on the court.

They’re two games behind the Toronto Raptors for the last playoff spot but there is only 7 games left on the schedule.  To make it worse,  the Bulls schedule is more difficult compared to the Raptors.  Including two games against the seventh seeded Charlotte Bobcats and a game against the fifth seeded Milwaukee Bucks who are arguably the hottest team in the NBA.

Both teams have a game against Cleveland and Boston.

Chicago needs everyone to play every one of these last seven games.  Then they have to hope Toronto continues to play bad basketball, otherwise the season is over with.

On the other side, Phoenix Suns will clinch a playoff birth with a victory.

Both teams have something on the line, it should be a great game.

The Bulls are Deng-less, but otherwise healthy. Warrick and Murray have to continue their strong play.

Plus, Amare Stoudemire, in a contract year, has come on strong since the All-Star break; the Bulls will need to D him up if they plan to win.