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Joakim Noah played 22 minutes yesterday, and 23 minutes in the previous contest. However, he’s just not truly himself. Noah is active, but the he’s the Noah we know and love who was first team All-NBA and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Joakim Noah has entirely missed 12 of 46 games this season, and the Chicago Bulls miss him. Like the deserts miss the rain. (credit the late ’90s Saturday Night Live re-occurring character “Mango” who made that song popular)
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Maybe it is indeed time for fans of the Chicago Bulls to push the panic button. I still maintain that they’re going to be fine in the end and that all the negativity we’ve heard lately is an overreaction. The main producer for ESPN’s NBA programming agrees with what I said a few days ago that the Chicago Bulls should be alright when it counts.
However, I also understand the causes for concern. There are plenty of issues to be worried about.
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The sky is falling with the Chicago Bulls. At least that’s what both the local and national media would have you believe. They’re all wrong. There have been plenty of “this Chicago Bulls team has quit on Tom Thibodeau” hot takes.
The Bulls armageddonists all point to the Derrick Rose soundbite, which OMG had an f-bomb!!! That means the end times are coming!
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It’s been reported that the Chicago Bulls will give Jimmy Butler a max contract this offseason. The way he’s played, probably one of the three best two guards in the league, give that man a max contract! Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol need to be the Chicago Bulls All-Star selections this year; not Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
That’s probably been storyline number one this Chicago Bulls season- who the real stars have been.
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Chicago Bulls Forward Nikola Mirotic has as great a chance as anyone of winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2015. When #2 overall pick Jabari Parker went down for the season with an injury, the ROY race became completely wide open. Naturally, the #1 overall pick, Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves, becomes a top candidate.
Mirotic, however, has been outperforming him. Nikola Mirotic has a much better offensive efficiency, and better shooting percentages than Wiggins. He also earns his minutes much more than Wiggins as he’s part of the one of the best front lines in the NBA. Here’s why we think Wiggins is undeserving of the award though.
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Cassidy Hubbarth anchors NBA Tonight on ESPN, and also appears regularly on SportsCenter and NBA Coast to Coast. As the Chicago Bulls prepare to take on the Washington Wizards tomorrow night (7 ET, 6 central tip-off on ESPN) she graciously took the time to preview the game with us.
Like myself, she is an admitted Chicago Bulls fan and hails from the Chicago area. Hubbarth is originally from Evanston, and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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Here is The Sports Bank’s extremely early 2016 NBA Mock Draft. By the way, The Sports Bank had the most accurate NBA Mock Draft in both 2011 and 2012 along with the second most accurate mock in 2013.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF OUR 2015 NBA MOCK DRAFT.
Be sure to check out our 2015 NFL mock draft as well.
And our 2016 NFL mock draft.
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Here is The Sports Bank’s 2015 NBA Mock Draft where team needs and outstanding trades have been taken into account. By the way, The Sports Bank had the most accurate NBA Mock Draft in both 2011 and 2012 along with the second most accurate mock in 2013.
Be sure to check out our 2015 NFL mock draft as well.
And our 2016 NFL mock draft.
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Here is the second round of The Sports Bank’s 2015 NBA Mock Draft where team needs and outstanding trades have NOT been taken into account. By the way, The Sports Bank had the most accurate NBA Mock Draft in both 2011 and 2012 along with the second most accurate mock in 2013. [Read more…]
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Merry Christmas Chicago Bulls and Nikola Mirotic fans! You’ll notice the United Center Christmas tree picture below. The Bulls host the L.A. Lakers in a matter of hours and it’s a special reunion as both Carlos Boozer and Pau Gasol will face their former teams.
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Michael Jordan is still the biggest athlete of all all time. For both the Chicago Bulls and the North Carolina Tar Heels, he is and always will be the most iconic player.
“It’s The House that Michael Built,” UNC Coach Roy Williams said of Chicago’s United Center ahead of the Heels visit there to beat Ohio State this past Saturday.
“I’m sure we’ll stop outside by the statue and have some pictures made as long as it’s warm enough,” Williams said of the Michael Jordan statue outside the U.C.
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Merry Christmas Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose fans! You’ll notice the United Center Christmas tree picture above. Rose and company face the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day at the UC.
ESPN NBA analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown discussed key NBA on Christmas Day storylines on a media conference call. I asked Brown:
Do you think Derrick Rose so far has looked like the Derrick Rose of old? How close do you think he is to being himself?
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