Bucks 91, Bulls 110: Derrick Rose Takes A Backseat To Joakim Noah's Triple-Double
by Steve von Horn on Feb 22, 2012 9:54 PM CST
in Recaps
Email
Print
The Chicago Bulls are preparing for the Finals. Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals were terms loaded into the lexicon of the team from the opening tip of the opening game. With the second best record in the conference they could have rested banged up all-stars Derrick Rose and Luol Deng heading into the break, but that's not how the operation works in Chicago. Everything is done hard. Head coach Tom Thibodeau believes effort and energy are renewable resources that can't be saved up for later; players should exert maximum effort every night, or else it is wasted. Rose, Deng and everyone else understand the team goal and trust the unrelenting approach of their coach. It's a beautiful thing.
The Milwaukee Bucks are preparing the all-star break. Injuries and .500 basketball were terms loaded into the lexicon of the team from the opening tip of the opening game. With the tenth best record in the conference they happily rested Stephen Jackson heading into the break, because he doesn't think the operation works in Milwaukee. Everything is hard. Head coach Scott Skiles believes effort and energy are renewable resources that can't be saved up for later; players should exert maximum effort every night, or else it is wasted. Brandon Jennings, Stephen Jackson and others can't agree on a team goal and remain suspicious of the unrelenting approach of their coach. It couldn't be uglier.
Guess what happened when they played head-to-head at the United Center on Wednesday night.
After Rose torched them on Jan. 27 (34 points, 59.9% TS) and again on Feb. 4 (26 points, 13 assists) the Bucks schemed to prevent an encore performance. From the outset they routinely trapped the reigning MVP on high pick-and-roll. Although the hard trap at the top of the key can get the ball out of reigning MVP's hands, it also opens up two other aspects of an offense: (1) role players are freed up for mid-range jumpshots and (2) offensive rebounding opportunities become plentiful by taking additional defenders away from the paint. Chicago's role players all answered the bell.
On the scoring front, Carlos Boozer exacted a team-high 20 points on 9-12 shooting, Ronnie Brewer scored 15 points on 7-10 accuracy, and Kyle Korver added 11 points on 5-8 from the field. With Bucks defenders rushing to the perimeter to trap and scrambling to recover, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah both snared five offensive rebounds and added enough on the other end to hit double-digits, as the Bulls earned an overwhelming 49-29 advantage on the glass.
Rose resisted the urge to force the issue against traps -- he still managed 16 points on 6-13 shooting and 7 assists -- and Noah stepped into the spotlight. He recorded his first career triple-double as he scored 13 points, claimed 13 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. The goofy Bulls center maintained an angry energy on the glass but worked calmly to beat defensive rotations with his passing. When defenders gave him space, he unleashed his unsightly jumper and found success. Noah had himself a night, and pulled out his signature "Finga Gunz" celebration again just for good measure. The "we aren't going to let player x beat us" defense always feels like a nice way to lose with dignity, but this loss should be called non-embarrassing rather than dignified.
The Bucks never led after the 7:45 mark in the first quarter, and the Bulls held a double digit margin for all but 60 seconds of the second half. Milwaukee's offense looked like Milwaukee's offense. Brandon Jennings needed 20 shots to score 20 points. Carlos Delfino scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting in the first half and then faded again to finish with 7 just points and a 3-12 mark. Jon Leuer once again impressed by scoring well in extended minutes (14 point on 7-11 field goals in 20 minutes), but he only grabbed one defensive rebound and a paltry four in total. Ersan Ilyasova played almost the exact same game as Leuer, and also struggled to rebound against a more athletic front line.
The bench couldn't save the Bucks this time. Mike Dunleavy couldn't shoot straight, Larry Sanders couldn't find a way to make a positive impact, Beno Udrih put up four assists and three steals but didn't dazzle.
The Bucks badly needed a break. They fell to a season-worst seven games below .500 in the loss, and things are looking bleak going forward. A critical reassessment is required. Anyone paying any amount of attention knows it. Let's see what happens.
Three Bucks
Jon Leuer (14 points on 7-11 shooting, 4 rebounds) - He shot the ball well, but failed to make the high traps on Rose pay off because he only pulled down one defensive rebound.
Ersan Ilyasova (15 points on 6-11 shooting, 4 rebounds) - See: Leuer, Jon.
Brandon Jennings (20 points on 8-20 shooting, 5 assists, 3 turnovers) - Another day, another under 50% performance from the field and another middling effort distributing the ball. It could easily have been Beno Udrih or Shaun Livingston here, but the third Buck in a 19 point loss isn't exactly the time to take a principled stand.
Three Numbers
54.4% - The Bulls shot 54.4 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from three, which limited the impact of the 20 turnovers the Bucks forced.
49-29 - The rebounding differential, which tilted heavily in favor of the Bulls.
13-13-10 - Joakim Noah's points, rebounds and assists on the night. He collected his first career triple-double.
Three Good
I'd rather not compliment Joakim Noah any further, so I respectfully decline to fill out this section.
Three Bad
I'd rather not criticize the Bucks any further, so I once again abstain from the exercise.
42 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
stealth tank
David Robinson injury year is the model
by Southern Marxist on Feb 22, 2012 10:02 PM CST reply actions
Is Bogut out for the season?
I’ve noticed how some writers in the media are now suggesting he could be gone for the season. What’s the story?
Well, he's a 7-foot man with a fractured ankle, so it would be safe to assume his comeback will be difficult and likely slow.
Big bodies never seem to heal quite as fast, and the lower extremities take a higher load of stress than for normal-sized folks, but the guess is that he return timetable still has more to do with where the team is two months from now.
If the Bucks are a longshot for the playoffs, the prudent move is to shut him down. If they are on the cusp, maybe he gets to try and come back.
The story on his recovery is highly contingent, in other words
SB Nation Brew Hoop - Editor | SB Nation Midwest - News Desk Contributor | SB Nation Chicago - Writer | SB Nation Basketball - Scores & More | Twitter: @stevevonhorn
by Steve von Horn on Feb 22, 2012 11:48 PM CST up reply actions
Does the BrewHoop crew have what it takes
…to cover 33 more Bucks games in this sad season?
More power to you, if you do. And if you continue to find fresh angles and interesting observations to make, they should put you up for a Pulitzer. Or two.
If there are no fireworks from management, I wonder if I’ll be around here after, say, March 15…
In 40 years of following the home team, I can’t recall taking a sabbatical like the one that attracts me now. T’ain’t just losing. It’s losing with no glimpse of a future. Feels like Bill Murray in a downbeat version of Dog Day Afternoon.
Rose-colored glasses
Please cheer-up. This is a player evaluation and development year, and hopefully a management development year, I have not lost faith in Hammond. He seems to have improved the Bucks in several areas relative to the Harris era. Bogut’s injury is a huge opportunity. It should be interesting to see how Hammond, Skiles, and Kohl work together or not to adjust to the disappointment of Bogut’s injury and use it as an opportunity to improve the team.
One area I hope they improve is injury prevention (the coordination between the the medical staff, athletic trainers, coaches and upper mgmt). Just like the draft there is a certain amount of luck involved. However, teams like the Suns and Hawks seem to be innovating with some success in thie injury prevention area.
by Southern Marxist on Feb 23, 2012 7:56 AM CST reply actions
Nice try...
If I don’t quite manage cheering up it isn’t because I’m depressed about the team. It’s because I currently care little about their games. I started watching the Bulls game on DVR. Thought the Bucks play wasn’t interesting; thought their prospects weren’t good. So I jumped ahead 45 minutes to live action. They were 11 down. So I watched an episode of Terriers on Netflix. Went back to live action. They were down by 19. Watched another Terriers. When the game was over, I deleted it and was thankful there won’t be games for a few days.
Player evaluation & development? When Win Now makes you add a lot of veterans, there’s not much interest in player development. Not much youth to evaluate. When your Coach seems at odds with his team, the energy is poor. When management doesn’t look competent and doesn’t do much other than ill-fated Win Now acquisitions of vets whose flaws seem to magnify on our roster, there’s no good reason to support management. No reason to anticipate their next step.
I’m not “furious” with my team. I’m bored with it.
Dissapointed in Jennings
& I dont know whats going on behind the scenes, why dont they just cut Jackson? its fairly obvious to me that he is single handedly destroying our delicate little team.
by Daniel Flanagan on Feb 23, 2012 9:31 AM CST reply actions
Earlier, I made a few stabs at picturing Cap'n Jack as a rogue hero...
…but the facts seem to suggest that he’s simply a maverick who likes to run his mouth. All of that was known before we traded for him. So if we can’t “handle” him (and we obviously can’t) I believe we look like fools more than Jackson does. Like the fabled scorpion told the poor dying creature that accepted a ride from the scorpion across the river and then was stung, “You knew I was a scorpion before you rode with me. What did you expect?”
My theory of an effective small-market GM is that he’s savvy enough to add value to his team where others only see problems or unfulfilled potential. Hammond seems to want to be that kind of GM. But his judgements (or the judgments of Kohl/Hammond) have repeatedly been bad. Maybe you can be dumb in a big market, but not in a small one.
I thought it was an alligator.
...BRANDONJENNINGSSUX!!!
by TwoShoesMcGooze on Feb 23, 2012 10:01 AM CST up reply actions
Not having fathered any children
…my knowledge on children’s’ stories comes from a looong time ago. But I remember scorpion. And I like that image better. That long, curving wicked tail with the deadly stinger at the end. The deadly deed like a flashing sword thrust. Alligators IMHO are all roughhouse — no scary subtlety.
;)
The scorpion rides a frog, I believe.
by swilldog on Feb 23, 2012 1:14 PM CST via iPhone app up reply actions
That sounds right.
So the Giver of the favor gets killed. Not the Taker of the favor. A heightened version of the No Good Deed Goes Unpunished maxim.
That sounds even more pungent.
Southamerican vote
Goes for the frog: as I rememebr it, the frog carries the scorpion through the river and…doesn’t both die drowned after the sting and the little dialogue?
if I was consciencious
I’d research the fable and share. I’ll have to give that a period of thought.
Thanks for the input.
by unklchuk on Feb 23, 2012 9:23 PM CST via Android app up reply actions
Here you go
The Scorpion and the Frog
One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn’t see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.
Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.
“Hellooo Mr. Frog!” called the scorpion across the water, “Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?”
“Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?” asked the frog hesitantly.
“Because,” the scorpion replied, “If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!”
Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. “What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!”
“This is true,” agreed the scorpion, “But then I wouldn’t be able to get to the other side of the river!”
“Alright then…how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?” said the frog.
“Ahh…,” crooned the scorpion, “Because you see, once you’ve taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!”
So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog’s back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog’s soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.
Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog’s back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.
“You fool!” croaked the frog, “Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?”
The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog’s back.
“I could not help myself. It is my nature.”
Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.
Self destruction – “Its my Nature”, said the Scorpion…
They've got just enough talent and skill that teams will keep signing them and hoping they put the pieces together, until all of a sudden eight years have passed and they're John Salmons.(Rafe Bartholemew)
by CanadaBucks on Feb 23, 2012 10:00 PM CST up reply actions
Thanks
Who wrote that? The “self destructive” moral is a bit different than what I’d have in mind. Which is that it’s dangerous to let social niceties cause one to overlook the core nature of the other person.
A. Noni Mouse
They've got just enough talent and skill that teams will keep signing them and hoping they put the pieces together, until all of a sudden eight years have passed and they're John Salmons.(Rafe Bartholemew)
Glass Half-Full
I do think that Hammond/Skiles will get the memo that it is time to use the Bogut injury as cover to develop our young players and do a hard-nosed evaluation of our players and coaches. To the hard core fan, there should be some enjoyment in watching our talented young players develop. Leuer and Harris can be key ingredients in the future. John Hammond will jettison problem players (as he did this past season) and will reshape the roster by packaging somewhat valuable spare parts to fill important needs and add talented youth to the roster. There seems to be loud drumbeat to trade Brandon Jennings. I don’t see it. We should continue to groom Jennings to be our leader for the long-term. He has the skill and charisma to be a fixture on an exciting young team. The Bucks should have all of the economic leverage to make him happy and, hopefully, in the next couple of years a young, talented roster to take advantage of his impressive talents.
I'll clap for that
Although I will view doing what you say as pretty radical for this franchise which seems to do very little thinking outside the box they have constructed for themselves.
The evidence suggests major changes are due. But it seems more likely that they’ll use the Bogut injury to justify the losing, and use the losing to explain the team divisions, and say that Bogut coming back will make them a happy playoff team next year. They’ll have to get rid of Jackson, but who knows if that move will do anything for the team. Hammond takes out the trash, but he brings more trash back in with him – and that hasn’t worked.
They’ll likely say nice things about Gooden playing out of position at C, and say he will be even more valuable back at PF.
Don’t know what they’ll do about Jennings. In the “machine” of the Bucks team he looks like the only moving part. Whether the movement he gives the team is helpful is very debatable, but without him the team is passive. IMO Udrih and Livingston cannot handle the position. The closest thing I imagine to a solution is that Jennings goes to a team that soars not plods, in a market that makes him feel like a celebrity at home. He might flourish there.
From somewhere, we get a PG who makes the Bucks a unified team and makes his teammates better. I could be just dreaming. If Jennings stays, everybody needs to handle things a LOT better.
I’m not the first to point out that assembling a “young, talented roster” demands that Bucks management practice skills that have not been in evidence. If they’re as bad as they’ve looked, and major changes don’t happen, there is no hope in that direction.
Do you BHers, like me, grow fond of your typos?
And grow reluctant to change them? The head has the Bucks playing the Bucks. Without doubt, that would be the only way to guarantee a Bucks victory. If it worked.
Or perhaps you’re bored with the team too. Maybe watching Terriers instead of visiting the site. Or perhaps you’re freshening your resumes.
That second to last line should read...
“Maybe watching Terriers instead of in addition to visiting the site frequently.
SB Nation Brew Hoop - Editor | SB Nation Midwest - News Desk Contributor | SB Nation Chicago - Writer | SB Nation Basketball - Scores & More | Twitter: @stevevonhorn
by Steve von Horn on Feb 23, 2012 12:29 PM CST up reply actions
That was honestly a pretty good typo. Should have been easy to just put the Bulls to the higher total, but not me.
No, no. Not me.
SB Nation Brew Hoop - Editor | SB Nation Midwest - News Desk Contributor | SB Nation Chicago - Writer | SB Nation Basketball - Scores & More | Twitter: @stevevonhorn
by Steve von Horn on Feb 23, 2012 12:33 PM CST up reply actions
Terriers...
I’d never heard of it until a couple days ago, when streaming Netflix recommended it for me, giving it 4 stars out of 5. I don’t love it, but I’ve watched 6 episodes so that proves I like it. Did you know about it already, or did my mention “clue you in”?
It’d be t-riffic if my mention did it. I get enthusiastic about something, and mention it to friends (like most of us do) and can’t help notice that it only “works” part of the time. Different people have different tastes. Duh…
If you got to Terriers through me (it’s fine if you lie about it) that would make 2 rec successes in one week. I gave a hearty rec to Buck, the movie documentary about a cowboy, blue-collar guy who does a remarkable, innovative job of training horses. He specializes in mutual understanding. Horse and him. Converts the horse’s fear and confusion into trust and the understanding that the human makes a pretty damn good boss.
At the beginning of his 4-day workshop (which he does 9 months out of the year) he tells his human audience. Look at it from the horse’s point of view. "You walk into the corral with your new horse, with your breath smelling of a Big Mac — dead animal flesh. You’re wearing clothes made from the hides of other dead animals (shoes, cowboy gear). And you expect the horse to trust you, a virtual stranger?
“And the funny thing is that the horse WILL trust you. If you understand that horses begin with fear and confusion — and you have to patiently help them convert that to trust. Horses want to trust. They’ve been around humans for thousands of years. But they need reassurance, and that means mutual understanding.”
It’s fascinating to watch him in the corral with a new horse. Buck is talking calmly and intelligently to the audience. At the same time, horse and man are getting to know each other. On some deeper, more basic level. As a child Buck was abused by an alcoholic, violent father. So much so that the local sheriff took him out of his father’s home and Buck was raised by foster parents. Commentators in the documentary say that gave Buck sensitivities and (because the violence made him an introvert) caused him to look for communication in non-verbal channels. They think those unusual abilities have been the basis for Bucks’s genius in training horses.
Strikes me that’s a hell of a good way to train a horse, and a good way to approach any new relationship with another person or animal. Over and over, the owners in this documentary say that training their horse the Buck way changed them as human beings. I’d like to see the Milwaukee Buck coaches and point guards follow Cowboy Buckian principles.
Oh, the person I rec’d it to said it was the most meaningful film he’d seen in years. (Not tons of action, but wise and very human.) Streaming netflix has it. Our library has it, but the Holds on it are in double digits.
I've been interested in Terriers, but your rec might actually get me to check it out.
I heard great things, but lost my enthusiasm when FX cancelled the show after the first season. I will need you to follow up and let me know if they journey can exist as a mini-series, or if it just leaves you wanting the more that will never come.
I can get on board if it’s the former, but not if it’s the later.
SB Nation Brew Hoop - Editor | SB Nation Midwest - News Desk Contributor | SB Nation Chicago - Writer | SB Nation Basketball - Scores & More | Twitter: @stevevonhorn
by Steve von Horn on Feb 23, 2012 1:25 PM CST up reply actions
I’m about halfway through the episodes. I take it you’re relying on me to let you know whether the series comprises a satisfying whole? That’s a lot of responsibility. May be above my pay grade. As a born and bred Wisconsinite, I’ll do my best. Stay tuned.
I can envision the series being cancelled because it doesn’t quite achieve being Special. Not having a clear cut shape that’s easy to promote and fits the genre. With simple action characters that easily inhabit the imagination.
Of course, I like quirky — in shows and TV characters. I think the writing is pretty good. The humor works for me. There isn’t a lot of sex, but it strikes me as fairly real — enthusiastic but not titillating. The two gumshoes are definitely blue collar, but they flash just enough arcane knowledge and mental acuity to suggest that they might in different circumstances have done fine in academia. Gumshoe #1’s sister, as example, was excelling in Harvard grad school before her mental problems got the best of her. Now she’s in and out of institutions, on and off her meds, laser-smart in some areas, clueless in many others. She makes a good straw to stir up the plots.
If the show disappeared from Netflix, I would survive. But I sorta feel like I know the two gumshoes. They’re not exceptional (networks I’d think like exceptional). But they have the day-in, day-out solidity of real people. Watching them is good entertainment.
Terriers
i loved Terriers and never missed an episode. I was very dissapointed when they didn’t renew for a new season. I really enjoyed the acting of Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-james (and i enjoyed just looking at Laura Allen, who played Britt’s wife).
You are going to appreciate the last episode. the last scene is the Bucks organization as a whole.
by Redd's Ghost on Feb 23, 2012 4:18 PM CST up reply actions
I was hooked from fustercluck
episode 4. and the series wraps up all existing storylines, and ends on a cliffhanger that works just as perfectly unfulfilled as it would with a second season. I watched it as it aired, and regretted not a single episode. It’s wprth watching at least the pilot just to experience one of the greatest tv theme songs ever.
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Feb 23, 2012 11:53 PM CST up reply actions
And we thought jax was bad
Has anyone seen John Salmons stats in Sac-Town OMG
28 mpg 7 ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.8 apg on 36/27/65 shooting s. TS of 42.3 and eFG% of 40.8% Per is 7.6 Jax’s are better, not much better….but better.
They've got just enough talent and skill that teams will keep signing them and hoping they put the pieces together, until all of a sudden eight years have passed and they're John Salmons.(Rafe Bartholemew)
i would take 7 ppg without shadowy determination to undermine and implode whatever chemistry we had
by Daniel Flanagan on Feb 23, 2012 1:45 PM CST reply actions
yeah but we got rid of Maggette too
So there’s that
They've got just enough talent and skill that teams will keep signing them and hoping they put the pieces together, until all of a sudden eight years have passed and they're John Salmons.(Rafe Bartholemew)
from RGM
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/02 … &eref=sihp
Just saw this on SI.com……not really to much new to talk about.
story calls Bucks 3rd most disappointing NBA team
3. Milwaukee Bucks: Sigh. My inexplicable League Pass guilty pleasure is flailing again, even though a series of small moves have lifted the Bucks’ offense from last in 2010-11 to happily average this season. The defense has fallen apart without Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings continues to develop only in fits and starts, Stephen Jackson is upset about everything (shocker!) and the Bucks are looking at the lottery again. Still, this team competes every night, Shaun Livingston is a nice story and Milwaukee can put some entertaining lineups on the floor given all of its decent passers.
Is this the main thread over the all-star break?
Or is there MIK? More in kitchen.
More will be here.
Gotta get up some midpoint analysis, right? As always, stay tuned.
SB Nation Brew Hoop - Editor | SB Nation Midwest - News Desk Contributor | SB Nation Chicago - Writer | SB Nation Basketball - Scores & More | Twitter: @stevevonhorn
by Steve von Horn on Feb 23, 2012 2:51 PM CST up reply actions
"Gotta get up some midpoint analysis"
Thanks for the warning. I’ll brace myself.
Not for your reporting. For your subject matter.
Here is my midpoint analysis:
The Bucks are 2 1/2 games out of the playoffs, and 3 games away from the 5th spot in the draft lottery.
Given the injury issues and the Jax situation (dead weight on the bench), it seems gunning for the 5th spot is the better option for the long term future of the Bucks than trying to get into the playoffs.
by Brick's house on Feb 23, 2012 7:51 PM CST up reply actions
SKILES OFFERED COACHING POSITION
I heard Coach Skiles was offered a coaching position on the East All Stars. He turned the offer down, because he has limited experience with handing out towels and stocking the Coke machine. ;)
What would an assistant coach do anyway
Like Skiles would preach playing D at an all-star game
They've got just enough talent and skill that teams will keep signing them and hoping they put the pieces together, until all of a sudden eight years have passed and they're John Salmons.(Rafe Bartholemew)
by CanadaBucks on Feb 24, 2012 10:24 AM CST up reply actions
Silently laughing at the idea of Skiles benching Wade or Melo
because they didn’t do their rotations in time
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Brew Hoop
Related FanShots on Brew Hoop
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- C-a-C: This is probably as close to LeBron James working with John Waters as we’ll ever get
- Dwyane Wade’s hot pink pants: The kind of thing you can get away with when you drop 41
- Lamar Odom to New York? Dwight Howard on the move? For now, it’s all talk
- David West hilariously denies each and every one of his young fans a high-five (VIDEO)
- Behind the Box Score, where the Miami Heat are moving on to the conference finals
