Derrick Rose Drafted by Chicago, but Bulls Still Have Questions to Answer

So the Bulls got their guy.

The rebuilding of the Chicago Bulls can officially begin now that the workouts are over, the debate is done, and they ended up with point guard phenom Derrick Rose.

The only question that remains now is, what’s next?

Drafting Rose is a great start to a rebuilding process that hopes to bring the Bulls back to the playoffs. But there is still a lot to be done before the Bulls can start fitting Championship rings. Here are five questions the Bulls must answer before they begin their 2008-09 campaign.

 

What Are the Bulls Going to Do with Their “Other” Guards?

After drafting Rose the Bulls have a logjam at the guard position. Either Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon (or perhaps both) is sure to be moved to make room for Rose.

The Bulls could justify moving either one of them and could get decent value for both as well. Moving Hinrich makes more sense as he’s the team’s incumbent point guard, but moving Gordon would probably be easier in that he’s a restricted free agent.

The ideal situation would be for the Bulls to trade Hinrich for a big man since they passed on Michael Beasley in the draft. The Clippers are shopping Elton Brand because he’ll be an urestricted free agent starting July 1, and it’s possible that the Wizards would do the same with Antawn Jamison.

A sign-and-trade involving one of those two coming to Chicago for Hinrich would be a great fit to fill the Bulls’ low-post scoring woes. Whether a deal could get done or is even on the Bulls’ radar remains to be seen.

How Are the Bulls Going to Address Their Low-Post Scoring Issues?

As stated previously, guys such as Brand or Jamison are a possibility to come to Chicago. If the Bulls don’t make a move before July 1 they can hopefully make a strong push for either one once free agency starts.

Unfortunately there aren’t a ton of other big man options out there in free agency unless they wanted to go cheap and take a shot at Kwame Brown or Josh Childress.

An alternative possibility is for them to stand pat and just add a guy like Primoz Brezec, Jamaal Magloire, or Theo Ratliff for depth. It’s a risk to hope that Tyrus Thomas and/or Joakim Noah can develop into solid big men, but with Rose in the equation it’s not far-fetched to think that one or both of them can turn into a great rebounder and solid scorer.

Just look at what Chris Paul did for the career or Tyson Chandler.

 

One thing’s for sure, the Bulls aren’t done shopping. John Paxson all but said that he’s going to move one of his guards, and what they can get for Hinrich and/or Gordon remains to be seen.

But Bulls fans can bet that the team they see now won’t nearly resemble the one they’ll see come October.

Why I Like Don Imus

Don Imus may be a jerk.

He may be a pompous, arrogant ass. He may be a dimwitted cracker who doesn’t know when to close his mouth. Or he may be an insensitive racist.

But you know what? I sort of like Don Imus.

Imus is unapologetic. He’s not afraid to speak his mind and doesn’t hide from who he is. Too often in the world of journalism do people hide behind a corporate blanket in order to shield themselves from criticism.

But Imus—disagree with him as you may, and most do—is who he is. And there’s nothing more important than that in journalism.

I, among with many other journalists or aspiring journalists, grew up being taught the meaning of integrity in reporting.

Now tell me, isn’t it going against everything you’re taught as a journalist to stray away from your thoughts and feelings because you’re afraid of the public backlash that may result from it? Especially when your job is to be opinionated, as Imus’ is.

Let me make it clear that I am not a racist. I do not think that black women are “nappy-headed hoes.” But if Imus believes this to be true so be it. I don’t think he really believes it, but if he thinks this is so in his mind he has the right, as an opinionated broadcast journalist, to say so on the air.

The network, at the same time, has just as much of a right to fire Imus for saying it, but that’s a risk Imus takes.

Now I’m not ignorant. In no way do I take lightly the amount of suffering African Americans have gone through in history, and I’ll never be able to fully understand it being white. However, Imus making a joke like that (or the joke about Adam Jones) is his opinion, and as I said before he has the right to state it.

If Imus were to have called members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team that derogatory term to their faces, that would have been an entirely different story altogether. But Imus said it on air for a radio station. Those who disagree can state their opinions about him, or choose not to listen. It’s as simple as that.

That is what freedom of speech is all about.

Tim Donaghy Just the Start of NBA’s Referee Problem

Once upon a time, major sports in America had a problem.

It wasn’t more than a year ago that the public was bashing the top three American sports leagues and their commissioners for scandals that rocked Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Football League, respectively.

The MLB was in the middle of a long drawn out battle with steroids. Steroids created a mess so horrid that the United States Congress felt the need to get involved. Records became tainted, credibility questioned, and the players we once loved became enemies.

In the NFL, newly-acquainted commissioner Roger Goodell stepped into his job and within days, found that one of his most popular players, Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick, was a MAJOR contributor in dog fighting.

And, of course, the NBA learned they had been dooped by a straight-out-of-the-movies villain in Tim Donaghy, who was accused of and admitted to fixing countless games as a referee.

Since that time, things have gotten better for some, while for others, things have gotten worse.

Baseball has continued to clean up its years of steroid abuse. Gone are the unlikeable abusers like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens (allegedly).

Team’s wised-up and turned their heads, and their pocketbooks, on the potential circus that would be created by signing one of these former superstars.

Likewise, power numbers are down and the game appears clean again. Testing policies have become stricter (although HGH testing is still an issue), and the league is once again filled with likable, fan-friendly stars such as Chase Utley, David Ortiz, Ryan Howard).

The NFL, meanwhile, was lucky that the Vick case was an isolated incident. Additionally, the “bad boys” who have tainted the league with their felonious acts have also been out of the spotlight.

Goodell was not afraid to completely rid Vick from association with the league, nor was he shy to suspend thugs like Pacman Jones, Odell Thurman, or Chris Henry from the league.

In the NBA, however, things are much worse. And unfortunately for David Stern, a quick fix does not appear to be pertinent.

 Everyone who knows basketball knows about the Donaghy problem. They also know about the latest allegations involving game-rigging, specifically with Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. But the NBA’s problem goes far beyond that.

It is ridiculous that, in this day and age, refereeing can be so ridiculously one-sided.

The media went nuts over how home teams dominated the playoffs this year, but there’s a completely obvious reason as to why that is—referees are downright bad.

It isn’t enough that preferential treatment is given to the superstars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. That’s nothing new. That started with Michael Jordan.

But for a home crowd to sway calls the way it has is completely inexcusable.

In baseball, you don’t see a rowdy crown influence an ”out” call at home plate or a ”strike” call in a full count. In football, you don’t see an interference call be made because a team got in the ref’s head.

But in basketball, you see instances like the Celtics shooting 28 more free throws than the Lakers at home in game two, than the Lakers shooting 12 more than the Celtics at home in game three.

Now I’m not saying that refereeing helped the Celtics win the Championship in ANY WAY. They were clearly the better team and deserved the title by playing swarming defense and containing Kobe Bryant better than any team all season.

It could be a pure coincidence in the one example I gave. One reason for the difference in basketball to baseball or football could be that the crowd is much closer to the action. There’s still no reason why the NBA, a multi-billion dollar business, can’t make sure their referees are making consistent calls night in and night out.

That’s why the NBA is in trouble. The Donaghy case, coupled with horrid refereeing on a regular basis, is destroying their entire reputation. Fans and columnists have grown to expect their teams to get calls at home and not on the road and that’s just wrong. Especially when we, as fans, are shelling out hundreds of dollars to watch.

So take action and do it fast, Commissioner Stern. It’s time to own up to the fact that your league has a problem and fix it.

Disappointments Overshadow a Historic Run By a Forgotten Champion

Every Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox fan remembers the 2003 season.

For the Cubs, it was the season that everything went so perfectly for such a long time. Everything clicked and they were finally going to break through. For the first time in 95 years, they were going to bring a World Series title to Chicago.

The Cubs had all the pieces put in place that season. They had one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball that year, Mark Prior. In only his second full season, he went 18-6 with a 2.45 ERA and 245 strikeouts to only 50 walks.

Four of their five starting pitchers won at least 13 games and threw over 200 innings. Couple that with a diamond-in-the-rough closer they found named Joe Borowski (33 saves) and three competent setup men (Mike Remlinger, Kyle Farnsworth, and Mark Guthrie) and the team had a pitching staff set to go the distance.

Cubs’ management made all the right moves that year as well. They acquired proven veteran assets in Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek and made deadline deals that paid off for the stretch run when they acquired Aramis Ramirez, Randall Simon, and Kenny Lofton.

Yup, the Cubs had it all that year. They won the NL Central with an 88-74 record, and after their pitching shut down the Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series, they seemed primed for a World Series appearance after taking a 3-1 lead against the Florida Marlins.

Well, you know the rest. Of course you know the rest! One of the most famous baseball stories in recent history is the Cubs collapse after the infamous “Bartman” incident. Prior imploded, shortstop Alex Gonzalez made a costly error, and the Cubs’ misfortunes continued.

Enter: 2003 Red Sox. The story of the Sox is much the same as the Cubbies.

The Red Sox had a vaunted pitching staff as well, with Pedro Martinez dominating when healthy and Derek Lowe turning from reject closer into perennial ace.

Their lineup was one of the most feared in baseball with six regulars hitting 25 or more home runs. David Ortiz was entering stardom just as Nomar Garciaparra was playing his last injury-free season of his career.

After winning 95 games and barely losing out to the New York Yankees for AL East supremacy yet again, the Red Sox won their Divisional Series against the Oakland Athletics in dramatic fashion, coming back from down 0-2 to win the series in 5, setting up a series to end-all against the hated Yankees.

In a back-and-forth series, Red Sox Nation seemed poised to finally get over the hump and into the World Series when they took a 3-2 lead into Yankee Stadium when, well, you know what happened. Of course you do!

Grady Little’s questionable move, Pedro’s loss, Tim Wakefield, and Aaron “$#%$^*” Boone.

Again, a story most sports fans are all too familiar with.

So, Cubs and Red Sox fans may ask, why would I rekindle such a familiar story? To torment the fan bases, perhaps?

No. The reason for bringing up these historic disappointments, instead, is to point out the forgotten champion from said year, the 2003 Florida Marlins.

The 2003 Florida Marlins could have, and perhaps should have gone down as one of the greatest stories in sports this decade. And the reason they haven’t is because of the monumental collapses by two teams with arguably the largest fan bases in America.

Sure, it’s possible that the horrific ownership the Marlins have suffered with dating all the way back to their 1997 Championship could have a lot to do with the Marlins’ place in history, but the faults of their ownership shouldn’t prevent fans from remembering such a historic team.

Many Cubs fans may forget but the same Derrek Lee who has become the most beloved Cub since Sammy left town is the same guy who ripped a game-changing double during the doomed eighth inning against Prior.

So many great players made up that team, many of whom are still succeeding in the Majors, albeit with other teams. Future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez spent one season in Florida and was a catalyst for the World Series team.

Red Sox World Series heroes Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell were stars born in South Florida, both playing incredible roles in the World Series run.

Other players have succeeded as well, just not on quite as high of a level as the likes of Beckett and Lowell. The likes of Juan Encarnacion (World Series ‘06 with the Cardinals), as well as Brad Penny (Dodgers), Juan Pierre (Cubs, Dodgers), Luis Castillo (Twins), and Braden Looper (Cardinals), were all on that Championship team.

It’s amazing what can happen when a group of unknown role players click like the ‘03 Marlins did.

It seems surreal now that the Florida Marlins could have been the best team in 2003. Everyone remembers that year’s Cubs and Red Sox teams, as well as the Yankees that the Marlins shocked in the World Series.

But nobody seems to remember the ACTUAL champions from that year, and that, perhaps more so than the meltdowns of the Cubs and Red Sox, is the real disappointment.

John Paxson Putting All His Eggs In One Basket By Hiring Vinny Del Negro

John Paxson might be a genius.

John Paxson might be an idiot.

Unfortunately for the Chicago Bulls General Manager, a 52-game coaching search that saw two high-level candidates bolt at the last second has led some pundits to lead to the latter, at least for now, upon Paxson’s hiring of Phoenix Suns’ assistant general manager Vinny Del Negro as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

The reason? Del Negro’s coaching experience. Which includes…uh, a whopping zero days on the bench of an NBA coaching staff. Whether it be as an assistant or otherwise.

But let’s be honest. As much criticism as Paxson or any general manager takes for questionable personnel moves, they know what they’re doing. At least for the most part. And Paxson would have to be completely out of his mind to hire Del Negro unless he was 100 percent certain that Del Negro, for lack of a better term, knew what the hell he was doing.

He would have to, right?

For Paxson’s sake, he better. Because the man that took the Bulls from the post-MJ era apocalypse to the cusp of the NBA Finals is treading hot water after he watched his team sink to the bottom of the weak Eastern Conference.

To make matters worse, he saw the two superstars he couldn’t pull the trigger on acquiring finish 1-2 in MVP voting and lead their teams to the NBA Finals.

Raise your hand if you still think Luol Deng is too much to give up for Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett.

*crickets chirping*

Nevertheless, the future appears bright for the Bulls. With the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Del Negro will have a potential superstar in Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose to tutor as he attempts to lead a resurgence in the Windy City.

Unfortunately, he also has a roster full of guys who have seemingly turned from rising stars to whiny underachievers overnight. Couple that with the freakishly athletic but completely unpredictable Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, and Del Negro will have a lot of questions to answer about his team this fall.

A few of the problems he, along with Paxson, are stuck with. Kirk Hinrich is stuck with a contract far higher than his value that peak in the base years and, as a result, is nearly impossible to move.

But one thing is for sure, the roster Del Negro has inherited will likely look much different come training camp. And all of it, including Del Negro, will be on the hands of Paxson.

If Del Negro can show that he’s improved the team substantially and perhaps make a playoff run (not impossible in the East), than Paxson survives at least for another year.

But if the team is still plagued by unenthusiastic, error-filled basketball, Del Negro’s stint as an NBA head coach may be short-lived.

And the clock will begin ticking on Paxson’s as the Bulls’ general manager.

Paxson at least has the support of his owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf himself was among the Bulls executives who sat in on the second interview with Del Negro. And whatever was said was obviously impressive, even to Reinsdorf, who wouldn’t have signed off on the deal otherwise.

The fact that Paxson gambled with this hiring is no secret, and the criticism the Bulls have received in doing so is well-deserved given their history.

But whether or not it’s a winning gamble or not, only time will answer.

Ozzie Guillen’s Tirades Brings Hypocrisy Out of Media

Since taking over as manager of the Chicago White Sox in 2004, Ozzie Guillen has been nothing less than controversial.

And since he was thrust into the spotlight after winning the 2005 World Series, Guillen has drawn more criticism than praise from the media for his choice of words in multiple interviews—specifically for calling out his team, staff, or management when the White Sox are playing poorly.

Critics of Guillen usually dismiss what he says as moronic, crazy, unnecessary, and often offensive. But here’s where the hypocrisy comes in.

How are the things Ozzie says any different from that of Jim Leyland? Or Charlie Manuel? Or even the beloved manager from only a few miles away, Lou Piniella?

In today’s day and age, it’s not uncommon for a fed-up manager to go on an obscenity-laced tirade when their team isn’t playing up to par.

Leyland seems to do it almost monthly, Piniella has done it in Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and now Chicago. Even little-known Seattle Mariners’ manager John McLaren got into the act after a recent loss.

Unfortunately for Ozzie, these managers get a break. When Leyland or Piniella go off, they’re doing what they do. They’re “firing up their teams” and “inspiring them to play up to their potential.”  But when Ozzie does it—he’s crazy.

 

It’s an unexplainable hypocrisy.

Some critics say the reason for this double-standard is that Leyland and Piniella have been doing their job much longer than Ozzie. It’s a “respect factor” of sorts.

Well what exactly can a manager do to earn this respect? Win a World Series?

Ozzie’s done that. Something no manager in the city of Chicago can say since 1917. So that can’t be it.

Maybe it’s earning players’ respect. But that can’t be it either.

Ozzie has had a fun-loving relationship with a majority of his players since joining the team. Even befriending the ever-angry Frank Thomas during his latter years with the squad.

The Spanish-speaking players who have come to Chicago (Jose Contreras, Orlando Hernandez, Juan Uribe, Octavio Dotel, just to name a few) have looked at him as a brother and a friend.  And the long-time White Sox who have played under him (Mark Buehrle, Paul Konerko, Joe Crede) have said nothing but the most positive things about him as a person and as a manager.

The only possible explanation for the double-standard would be regarding the one time Ozzie truly crossed the line. When, in 2006, he called Chicago-Sun Times columnist Jay Marriotti a homosexual slur.

The criticism Ozzie was warranted for that was that it was completely unnecessary and disrespectful for him to use that language. However, for that one moment to define his whole career is just not fair.

Billy Martin’s career as New York Yankees’ manager was defined by his fight with Reggie Jackson. Enough so that a poorly-made ESPN mini-series was made about it. 

Nevermind that he won two World Series titles, a third pennant, and had a .553 career winning percentage. To critics, Martin was a hot-headed jerk, not a great manager. And unfortunately for Ozzie, that’s the road he’s headed for.

But just remember, the next time you hear Leyland call out his underachieving Tigers’ squad or Piniella storm out of a dugout and kick dirt on an umpire, and if they’re doing so to inspire their team, that’s no different than what Ozzie does each and every time he makes news for being, well, Ozzie.