[MichaelOFAZ]

For those of you who recognize my nickname from the other message board (EPSN), this subject is probably a bit "old hat" as I have been making this prediction since draft day.

Although I am not one to put a lot of stock in summer league results, I will admit that they are useful for relative comparison purposes. They are especially useful when you can compare the contributions of two PGs (in this case Jamaal and Jayson). From what I've noticed purely from the box scores for the two games in which Jamaal and Jayson have both played, I am convinced more and more that JC will be the General (i.e. PG) of the Bulls for the 2002-2003. Futhermore, I would expect the season to kick off with the following line up (barring an significant trades or acquisitions).

PG: JC (He's worked hard, he's been patient, he has some NBA experience, and he has the most talent of any Bull PG at this time).

SG: Hassell (Although he's not your prototypical SG, his D is too valuable not to have on the court. Plus he does a lot of things that you don't expect from a SG like pass, rebound, and take the ball strong to the hole.

SF: Rose (No brainer)

PF: Chandler (Although he hasn't played all that well during the Summer League, he's clearly the future for the Bulls and it would be foolish not to start him)

C: Curry (Two words - Bagaric Sucks!)

The second unit is where it gets interesting ....

PG: JWill (What better way to initiate JWill to the NBA then to have him match up against tired starters or weaker reserves. It will be a great opportunity for JWill to shine while he acclimates himself to the NBA game. I know that many fans will be dissappointed that he's not starting, but trust me it'll be for the best. Not only because JC is better at this point in time, but because he will be able to fuel a high-octane 2nd unit.)

SG: Mason Jr (Based on what I seen of Roger at Virginia and everything I've read, he's a pretty well-rounded player. He's definitely capable of scoring from the perimeter and is a solid defender. He may have to share some PT with Hoiberg.

SF: ERob (This will be ERob's chance to shine and to prove to the Bulls that he is worthy of his salary. Like it or not, Eddie is used to coming off the bench and was very effective in that respect when he was a Hornet. Hopefully this will motivate Eddie to improve his D as well.)

PF: Fizer (Marcus is virtually unstoppable in the post. However, he needs to develop other parts of his game, such as passing, rebounding, and D. Marcus will get ample minutes as Chandler and Curry make younster mistakes and get in foul trouble. What should motivate Marcus further is not only is a 20 yr old starting in front of him, but his clone (Lonnie Baxtor) is waiting to fill his shoes. I expect Fizer to take his game to a whole new level this season and I wouldn't be surprised if he was alternating as a starter with Chandler by All-Star break)

C: Willis ( ... or another capable Center. I picked Kevin Willis because he's a workhorse and would be a great role model to Eddy and Tyson. He's strong and specializes in rebounding and interior D, two of the things that the Bulls need most. Although he's old, he's still servicable and would be reliable if the Bulls were in a pinch. Much more than that LOSER Dalibor Bagaric. I'm begging and pleaing for Krause to cut that sorry SOB once and for all. He's sooo nasty it makes me sick. All he's good for is a flagrant foul and we don't those in NBA. )

Reserves: Baxtor and Hoiberg are not bat 11th and 12th men either.

 

[Chops]

Nice post. I agree with everything, except I think E-Rob will be starting provided that his big toe is ok.

 

[MichaelOFAZ]

ERob starting? Over Hassell? Or Rose? If anyone probably Hassell, but I still can't see how we can afford to keep Hassell on the bench seeing that he is clearly the best defensive player on the team. And although ERob can sky, have you seen his D? Well neither has anyone else because he's not a good defender. However, if Jalen really pushes to play SG, then I will agree that ERob is a better fit at SF than Trenton.

Anyway thanks for th props.

 

[ace20004u]

Here it is as I see it:

pg- Jamal Crawford- For the reasons you state and because he is ready to really break out this year. JWill will see a lot of time backing hm up though.

sg- Jalen Rose- He will be moved to the two where he will have an easier time defending smaller sg's. Sure they are fast, but so is Rose, he has had trouble guarding taller stronger sf's. He will be backed up at this spot by Hassell and Crawford a little.

sf- E-Rob. The forgotten man. Everyone thinks that he is a waste of money. He will prove why he isn't when he takes the starting sf role (provided he is healthy). It is possible that Harpring or Miller could beat him out of this position if we land one of them. I expect Rose to see significant minutes backing him up here, leaving Hassell & Crawford a few more minutes at sg.

pf- Tyson Chandler. This kid changes the game defensively, he will only get better with pt. Look for a vet back up such as Skinner, Manning, or someone else to see significant minutes backing him up.

c-Eddy Curry. He will also likely be backed up by the vet that is backing up Chandler.

 

[BamaBull]

Provided he is healthy?

Originally posted by ace20004u
Here it is as I see it:

pg- Jamal Crawford- For the reasons you state and because he is ready to really break out this year. JWill will see a lot of time backing hm up though.

sg- Jalen Rose- He will be moved to the two where he will have an easier time defending smaller sg's. Sure they are fast, but so is Rose, he has had trouble guarding taller stronger sf's. He will be backed up at this spot by Hassell and Crawford a little.

sf- E-Rob. The forgotten man. Everyone thinks that he is a waste of money. He will prove why he isn't when he takes the starting sf role (provided he is healthy). It is possible that Harpring or Miller could beat him out of this position if we land one of them. I expect Rose to see significant minutes backing him up here, leaving Hassell & Crawford a few more minutes at sg.

pf- Tyson Chandler. This kid changes the game defensively, he will only get better with pt. Look for a vet back up such as Skinner, Manning, or someone else to see significant minutes backing him up.

c-Eddy Curry. He will also likely be backed up by the vet that is backing up Chandler.

Nope, EROB, we have to depend on not being dependable. I say, Trade Fizer(unless you could find some fool to take EROB for harpring or Miller) for Mike Miller and you already have baxter to replace fizers position as backup. EROB, to me, IS a disappointment. Both for his big ol' toe and his lack of defensive presence. Unless he proves something that obviously he has not yet this summer, he needs to be either traded, or let him spend another year on the d/l for a birth defective big toe. I for one, am a little disheartened by hearing at game time, EROB cannot go because of his big toe. Hopefully, as far as injuries go, this group of youngsters will have personal trainers to keep them in shape. GO BULLS~~~:grinning:

 

[Chops]

Well, you have to give him a chance to prove something. What is he supposed to prove in the summer? That he can workout a Berto? Lets give him a chance when the season starts, and if he still doesn't cut it, then we can trade him.

 

[DaBullz]

The Bulls are openly shopping Fizer for a defensive minded SF. Harpring and Miller are the two names I see mentioned the most. Rose is going to be the SG, although I suspect he'll play some SF.

The lineup Krause appears to be looking at is:

Chandler, Curry, Harpring/Miller, Rose, Crawford/JWil/Hassel

The Bulls may look at a 3-guard offense with Chandler and Curry supplying the muscle up front. This is interesting because you have 3 guards and twin towers, both causing matchup problems for the opponents.

Bags' bags should be packed.

The Bulls' best 5 players won't be starting - that's my prediction. They just don't play defense (yet!) well enough to compete.