Friday, October 20, 2006 Sayson: Finding meaning in ‘meaningless’ games By Homer Sayson Secondovertime
CHICAGO - NBA in early October is usually painfully dull, a time when exhibitions games are played, games that hunger for enthusiasm and tenacity.
For the league's millionaire superstars, the preseason represents the final days of hibernation. After months of lay-off, they're expected to be slow, if not out of basketball shape.
But the Bulls don't think of the preseason as some extended vacation. They're already playing their tails off, winning all three of their assignments, including a taxing 110-105 overtime win over the Sonics in Seattle last Sunday.
So why in Michael Jordan's name are the Bulls playing like it's late May?
Well, the Bulls have at least six fresh faces in their roster and head coach Scott Skiles is anxious to see how the new parts meld with the old. Also, Skiles wants to have a regular rotation set by the time their regular season formally begins on Oct. 31 in Miami.
The preseason is not a true barometer of a team's strength or weakness, but I'm going to tell you this anyway—The Bulls look awesome.
They score 94.7 points, grab 40.7 rebounds and dish 24.3 assists per game. They shoot 48.9 percent from the field and have nailed 10 of 30 treys (33.3 percent) Unfortunately, their free throw shooting needs a lot of improvement, 58-of-92 or 63 percent.
The Bulls defense, however, is still doberman-like. With a former Piston now anchoring the D, the Bulls yield just 89.7 points per and allows the opposition to shoot a dismal 44.8 percent of their field goals.
With their increased length and athleticism, the Bulls have so far induced 68 turnovers in three games. They have stolen 27 possessions and averaged 5.3 blocked shots in three games.
As expected, the infusion of 32-year old Ben Wallace to the Bulls system is slow but sure. He plays just 22 minutes per, averaging six points and 7.7 rebounds a contest. He has only two shotblocks so far.
Prized 20-year-old rookie Tyrus Thomas is turning a lot of heads with his all-around play. The 6-foot-9, 215 pound forward is norming 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 assists in three games. He has logged 22.3 minutes per outing, the most of all Bulls.
P.J. Brown, the other veteran acquisition during the busy Bulls summer, is taking it easy on his weary 37 year old legs. The 6-foot-11, 239-pound center-forward is logging just 16 minutes per, but he is expected to start when the season opens.
Yet even with his limited action, Brown is making quite an impact with his 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds average.
Lituanian import Martynas Andriuskevicius is one of the new players the Bulls really hope will blossom. Martynas is 7-foot-2, and though he is a scrawny 240 pounds, the kid is only 20.
So far though, Martynas is quite lost in NBA play. He only has 12 points and one rebound in 14 minutes of exposure. As the long season progresses, it is hoped that he will come along just fine. But minutes will be hard to come by with Big Ben at center.
As for the regular Bulls, they're just a-okay. Ben Gordon is shooting an anemic 37 percent from the field, but that's nothing new to a streak shooter like him. Kirk Hinrich is playmaking well to the tune of four assists per game, while Luol Deng is averaging 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per.
Andres Nocioni, the daredevil from Argentina, remains pesky as ever. He normed 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in two games. He missed one game on an excused absence.
Many pick the Bulls as the rising team that will challenge the mighty Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference championship sometime in late May next year.
Being a homer, who lives in Chicago and who covers Bulls home games regularly, I'm praying for that to take place. But the key to success in NBA play is sustained good health and wonderful chemistry on both ends of the floor.
What I've seen so far with my home team is a chemistry among men, a mixture that is slowly blending into a powerful potion.
The problem is, can the Bulls stay healthy until late June, when the NBA title is being contested?
