The consensus among several players and coaches after the first week of training camp is they’ve never seen Deng playing at such a high level, both shooting the ball well and going effortlessly off the dribble in addition to his fine defense.
Obviously, people are going to have to step up with Derrick out. The last time Deng said he would, he couldn't. Is he wise enough and developed enough to be able to do so this year? Maybe he's the most logical candidate, more so than Boozer or Hamilton. And Kirk's presence will probably reinforce Deng's position as the leader of the team while Derrick is out.
Yeah, I'm going to reserve judgment. I didn't love what I saw in the Olympics from him, and I have real concerns over his pain levels in that wrist once he's involved in the day-to-day grind of the league. If true? Great.
Well, somebody's going to have to pick up the scoring slack. Deng can do it. But he expends so much energy on defense, he gets tired and can't come through at the end, typically. We'll see what the year brings.
But I agree, we can't expect major changes in his game at this point.
I'm just saying, from the looks of it, Hinrich is going to be asked to do a lot.... I wouldn't be surprised if he was back to taking 13-14 shots a game like it was 2004-2007.
I doubt that Chicago management goes for a big shake-up, but if Deng is having a good statistical year and the Bulls are floundering, moving him for cap flexibility and/or a high-upside young player or two may be the best long-term strategy. I don't think Deng's ever going to be good enough to be Rose's sidekick, and if you can either get that guy or clear some space to make amnestying Boozer make sense, it'd be something you have to look long and hard at with Rose not 100% until sometime in the 13-14 season.
I continue to believe that Chiacgo made a mistake in not trying to build a package for Dwight Howard around Deng and Noah.
agreed. But I still don't think the expectation is that Kirk will be the leading scorer. Carlos just doesn't look up to it, for whatever reason. Deng might.
I think Bogg is on to something. Let Deng "lead" to an above average record, then trade him for some significant talent more suited to Derrick. Though, to be honest, Deng is really pretty good, and it's hard to see who we might get who might provide what Deng gives...
Well, Bulls96, my guess is that we go 50-30 this year, assuming Derrick makes it back by end of February, perhaps 43 to 45 wins if he doesn't. I'd say you're about right, just a bit better than 500 without Derrick.
The Deng is a wuss mantra doesn't hold weight, however.
The question shouldn't be who is going to lead the Bulls in ppg while Rose is out. The question should be, who is going to score those points in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
We know Boozer can be a good post scorer at times, particularly early in games. Deng can also get hot if he is being aggressive. Nate will be a nice option off the bench to bring in... RIP, Marco, and Kirk also can score at times... But with that said, I have zero confidence in any of these guys to take over a close game in the closing minutes, and that is where Rose will be missed the most.
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That's why I think your phrasing of the question is overstated. You're right, there isn't anyone on the roster who can score as reliably in the final minutes of a close game. So, we're going to lose those close games with greater frequency than when Derrick is playing. No question. And your analysis is ostensibly going to be the biggest reason why.
Nevertheless, I don't foresee us becoming catastrophically bad. In fact, I see us being at least above average (above 500). The question is, who is going to carry the greatest scoring burden on the team that leads them to that kind of performance, and my suggestion is that it will be Deng, for reasons of minutes and reasons of proficiency as a scorer and leader.
could be Boozer, yeah. That would be great, really. He's a much smoother scorer than Deng. My oldest son told me when we saw the Bulls last season, that Rose and Boozer were the only guys who didn't look awkward moving around. It's just not clear to me that he will come through. If he does, then I look for the Bulls to exceed my 50 win prediction for the year.
Rip is another option. he's looking pretty good right now. And he was the leading scorer on a championship team, albeit at 17ppg. But that was then. Not sure if he can hold up. I'm guessing he'll be out there 2/3rds of the time. Not enough to be scoring leader. Again, if he does come through like the rip of old, then up goes the win total.
I say the odds are still with Deng as leading scorer this season for the Bulls on a 50 win team (Derrick back by end of Feb).
Fans get down on Deng because his offense slumps when he is injured. When healthy, Deng is closing in around 18 ppg, 48% shooting, and is pretty automatic from 18 ft and in when open. During injury riddled seasons, he is more in the 15 pgg, 43% shooting, and struggles more with his jumper.
Good Deng is very much a second option, but he is limited in that he relies on others to set him up.
Banged up Deng is probably more a third option.
Lets hope he stays healthy. So far, he has had 4 relatively healthy seasons out of 8.
A guy whose best-case scenario is 18 ppg, but only if he has the right teammates to set him up, isn't a second option. Ensemble casts have gotten it done in the past, but it's typically much harder that way.
Reggie Miller must have been a terrific third option.
There are so many flaws with your assessment, I don't even know where to start.
I expect Deng to average in the 20-22 ppg range and be the Bulls leading scorer while Rose is out. If that's still third or fourth option basketball to you, then no one will ever change your mind.
Night in, night out, Deng is pretty damn consistent. Boozer or Hamilton might have a better night from time to time, but without DRose, you count on Deng and then hope for one or two others to step up.
the big question here is did Sir Paul have any idea who these guys were?
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