Tag Archives: Taj Gibson

Bulls STUN “White Hot” Heat 93-86 in Game 1 | SportsDivas Inc.

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After a two week series with the Brooklyn Nets, a battered roster, and countless injuries, many expected the Bulls to be too tired to get past the Heat’s “big three” in Monday night’s series opener in Miami.  But the Bulls stunned us all and continued their incredi-BULL post season run with a 93-86 Game 1 road win against the reigning NBA Champs.

The Roseless, Kirkless, Dengless Chicago Bulls defied the odds and pulled off a huge upset in South Beach Monday night in front of the White Out crowd proving once again just how tough they can play the Heat. Like Coach Thibs always says, as long as the Bulls have five guys on the court, “they have enough to win.”

If you had anticipated a Miami sweep in this Eastern Conference Semifinal series, you can put down your hater-ade and buckle up because the Bulls aren’t going anywhere without a fight.

Read the entire recap at SportsDivasInc.com!

via Bulls STUN “White Hot” Heat 93-86 in Game 1 | SportsDivas Inc..

Deng Serving up Thanksgiving Dinner this Holiday Season

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We just love seeing professional athletes giving their all on and off the court.  As November officially kicks off the start of the NBA season and the holiday season, a genuine act of kindness was on display from one of our favorite Bulls, Luol Deng.

Check out all the details on SportsDivasInc.com!

Deng Serving up Thanksgiving Dinner this Holiday Season | SportsDivas Inc..

Bulls Start the Season with a Gritty 93-87 Win Over the Kings

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Here we go ladies and gents! The 2012-2013 Bulls season is officially in session! It was a  packed house at the United Center Wednesday night as the Bulls kicked off their season by defeating the Sacramento Kings 93-87. It wasn’t pretty, some of it was downright ugly, but the Bulls toughed it out and started the season 1-0.

Fans are going to have to adapt to this new type of play since a particular super-star talent has been sidelined. Chicago will be focused on their chemistry as one solid unit – remember there is no “I” in team. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the home opener.

Check out the rest of my recap at SportsDivas Inc!

Bulls Start the Season with a Gritty 93-87 Win Over the Kings | SportsDivas Inc..

2012-13 Chicago Bulls Preview: Must Know Players and Positions

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With the official start of the Bulls 2012-2013 season tonight, it’s time for a last minute Bulls-brush-up. You may think you know your Chicago Bulls inside and out, but after saying goodbye to key members of the “Bench Mob” this off-season they’ve got a completely new supporting cast in the reserves this year. Here are the names you’ll need to know in 2012:

Check out my whole player preview on SportsDivas Inc today! 

Peace Love and Basketball

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Some of our favorite local NBA players took a stance against gang violence by attending the Peace Tournament hosted by Father Michael Pfleger at his church’s gymnasium this past Saturday. Yes, you read that correctly, there was a tournament where rivaled gang members dunked it out on a basketball court. The ultimate goal was to have the gang members battle it out on the court and not the streets. The idea is rather genius – change the teens perspectives by putting them in a place where they can see common ground and a basketball court is the perfect environment.

 

A Bulls trio of Derrick Rose (DRose), Joakim Noah (messy-bun swagger) and Taj Gibson (dunk machine) volunteered to support the cause as well as NBA hall-of-famer Isaiah Thomas. Rose, who was born and raised in Chicago,  experienced this violence first hand in schools or on the streets and knows just how important it is to believe in yourself and the difference you can make with hard work and perseverance. You’d be silly not to consider taking advice from an NBA MVP!

The Bulls players and other athletes attended the tournament not to seek attention, but rather to make an impact on the city streets of Chicago. ”It’s not about sending a message, it’s about listening to what they have to say,” Noah said. These gang members had the opportunity to see that people care and that there are other ways to live life than through violence.

Saturday was just the start according to Father Pfleger and definitely a step in the right direction for the city. His church is helping individuals get there GEDs and some of the sponsors offered others jobs. He also hopes to make this game an annual event, but they’re going to need a bigger gym!

 

BULLS BUZZ: Off-Season Bench-Cleaning Re-Cap | SportsDivas Inc.

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It may only be August, but it’s never too early to amp up your Bulls knowledge, particularly after a turbulent off-season like this. The theme of this year’s off-season has definitely been “out with the old, in with the new” – bench that is. After the Bulls brass changed up the roster quite a bit through a series of trades during NBA Free Agency, we’re going to have some new names and faces to get to know. Old faces like Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are still around to provide us with some dunks, but the Bulls’ beloved bench mob is essentially gone. Check out who’s in and who’s out!

BULLS BUZZ: Off-Season Bench-Cleaning Re-Cap | SportsDivas Inc..

 

Bench Mob Puts a Hurt on Heat

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Yea that’s something to celebrate! If you missed it, PLEASE indulge as C.J. Watson sinks a game tying three point shot and sends the Bulls into their overtime win against the Miami Heat, 96-86.

God it feels good to beat the Heat (like I played in the game). Most importantly, the stars of the game were not the Bulls starting five, but rather the reserves. Our ever popularBench Mobreally gave it to Miami last night. Between Watson stepping in for a struggling Derrick Rose (if you can believe it, Rose had 2 points), Kyle Korver sinking 3-point bombs, Taj Gibson attacking all over the court, Omer Asik man-handling the boards, and we can’t forget about Luol Deng (yes, I know he’s a starter, but Coach Thibs showed his finesse and reworked the players quite nicely last night), the Bulls showed their depth alright.

So here’s the deal, the Bulls worked their magic last night, but we’re going to need superstar performances from our reigning MVP come playoff time. He has seven games left in the regular season to get his groove back. The next three games are against the Pistons, the Wizards and the Bobcats. To say it nicely, they’re not going anywhere this season, so this is the perfect opportunity for Rose to find his explosiveness. After those three games, if he’s still struggling, then I’m going to get worried.

Da Na Na Hey! Go Bulls!

True or False – Dwight Howard is open to being a Bull?

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True! The NBA trade rumor mill is spinnin. Once again Dwight Howard was asked where he might end up this season, and this time he mentioned he’s open to landing in Chicago with the Bulls and reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose. Prior to last Friday, Howard had mentioned locations including Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Dallas yada yada yada.

I mean why wouldn’t he want to play alongside Rose? A Rose-Howard dynamic duo (“double d” – Derrick and Dwight) could be, potentially, the best point guard-center combination in NBA history. It’s just what Chicago needs to wipe the floors with their Eastern Conference rival the Miami Heat, whose greatest weaknesses are at point guard and center. Hit them where it hurts. With the combination of Rose’s explosiveness and Howard’s strength and rebounding skills, I can barely keep my pants on. They’d be unstoppable.

“If I could play with Derrick right now and God wanted that to happen, it will happen,” Howard told the Chicago Tribune. “It has nothing to do with me not wanting to play with Derrick Rose. I love him. That’s my brother.”

Rumors had spread saying that marketer Adidas would not want two signature players being signed to the same team. I say forget Adidas, bring on the big man. More people live in Chicago than Orlando, which equals more feet to wear shoes, which results in their stupid shoe sales being fine.

Now, for the real question, is this franchise changing trade necessary for the Bulls success?

The Orlando Magic are most likely going to demand that Hedo Turkoglu’s bloated contract be taken on by the team getting Howard. This would force the Bulls to negotiate a player of Luol Deng’s caliber. We would also need to give up Joakim Noah (2nd best center in the east) and probably either Omer Asik or Taj Gibson. So many of my favorites…Noah’s messy bun alone holds a special place in my Bulls-fan heart.

We must remember the Bulls won 62 of 82 games last season. They also addressed their biggest positional weakness by adding Richard Hamilton at shooting guard. We have Rose the MVP at point, Deng and Noah who should be All-Stars. Chicago’s depth is impressive with Gibson and Asik backing up Carlos Boozer, Noah in the frontcourt and Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson and Kyle Korver coming off the bench as guards.

Would this trade be too much? Would such an alteration in the Bulls structure strip them of their identity? It isn’t likely as Howard would more than makeup for any lost rebounding as a three-time defensive player of the year. Would this type of trade be the only way Chicago would be considered the Miami Heat’s equal as a title contender?

This is all extremely hypothetical as both sides would have to really jump on it to make the trade deadline (for those of you who don’t know, it’s March 15th).

Ronnie Brewer is Lookin’ Good

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Looks like Ronnie Brewer did his homework this off season. Six (seven depending what time you read this) games into his second year with the Chicago Bulls, it is apparent Brewer has developed a little more than just a consistent jump shot during the NBA lock-out. The man has some serious confidence so far this season.

The Bulls bench or “bench mob” is solid, with back ups like Taj Gibson and C.J. Watson (pre-elbow injury), but Brewer has stood out from the rest of the second unit.  Unlike last year, Brewer is healthy and in shape – able to maximize on his shooting game. In Sunday night’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Brewer had 17 points while starting in place of an injured Richard Hamilton. Never considered a strong offensive player, mostly due to his strange shooting form, Brewer has always been a long-armed solid rock to the Bulls’ defense with excellent court vision, able to create turnovers and guard any opponents.

After the Bulls acquired Hamilton as a starting two guard, one can only imagine it was a bit of a shot to Ronnie’s ego, as he wasn’t going to be the Bulls starter. However, I think he used this situation as motivation. Yes it’s early in the season, and he hasn’t done anything miraculous, but I think we can expect much more out of Brewer offensively this season. He is taking the lead as the boss of the “bench mob” and in a season with a crazy number of back-to-back games, his strength/consistency will be key to the team’s success. And now with early season injuries to Hamilton and Watson, I expect his minutes to increase resulting in more shot attempts and ultimately making more baskets, which will only boost his confidence more.

Brewer told ESPN, “Playing with D-Rose and the level of defense [coach Tom Thibodeau] preaches, it kind of takes a little getting used to. This year was a little different. I came in in a lot better shape. Healthy, working on my shot and just been playing with a lot of confidence so far.” Get after it Ronnie B, Chicago is loving the new you.