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Philippines, 23 Apr 2024 |
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NBA -- Bulls win but doubts linger By Artemio Mesiona PhilBoxing.com Fri, 12 Oct 2012  CHICAGO -- Life without Derrick Rose officially took center stage Tuesday night, October 9, when the Chicago Bulls ushered in the 2011-12 NBA campaign with their maiden preseason joust at the United Center. The good news is that the Bulls nipped the visiting Grizzlies from Memphis, 92-88, before a raucous crowd of 21,003. The bad news is that the Bulls really missed their prolific leader, who routinely manned the point with deadly efficiency. Three Bulls guards alternated directing the offense --- Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson and rookie Marcus Teague --- and not one performed exceptionally well. Hinrich, an ex-Bulls who is on his second go-round in Chicago, finished with 5 points and 7 assists in 23 minutes of duty. Robinson, a former slam dunk champion who had previously punched the clock with the NewYork Knicks and the Boston Celtics, had an explosive 13 points and 5 assists, but he turned the ball over three times in 20 minutes. The newbie Teague had zero points and a lone assist in very sparse playing time. The 6-foot-3 Rose, the NBA's MVP two seasons ago, averaged 21.8 points and 7.9 assists per game last season. And he shot 43.5 percent from the field. The trio of Hinrich, Robinson and Teague combined for a respectable 13 points and 13 assists, but they drilled only 4 of 14 field goals for an anemic 28.5 percent. While the preseason is not a definite gauge of things to come in the regular season, it also shows a little something, a sampling of the product on had. And the pooled performance of Hinrich, Robinson and Teague only shows an immediate need for improvement. On the brighter side, do-it-all small forward Luol Deng showed little discomfort on the left wrist that had pestered him last season and well into the playoffs. The always reliable Deng was accurate, 4-of-8 field goals, and very aggressive, 9-of-11 free throws. For the Bulls to have any kind of success while Rose is recovering from knee surgery, they will need many more nights like the one Deng served Tuesday at the United Center, the arena fondly called The House That Michael Built. Power forward Carlos Boozer, who makes $15 million a year in salaries, had a ho-hum outing -- 6 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes. The 6-foot-9, 266-pounder made only 3-of-10 shots. Center Joakim Noah, meanwhile, played with the usual flair that has made him a fan favorite. The 6-foot-11 pivot scored 10 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 4 assists. Noah also had a steal and a blocked shot, all in just 18 minutes of action. Well, in the end, the Bulls did win, which is a good thing. But good won't cut it in a tough Eastern Conference loaded with defending champion Miami Heat, the contending New York Knicks and the rising Philadelphia 76ers, who acquired ex-Lakers center Andrew Bynum during the off-season. The Bulls resume their preseason with a game against the Clevland Cavaliers October 12 at the Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois. Another game, another opportunity for the Bulls to develop some chemistry and upgrade their play in the point guard slot vacated temporarily by the still-ailing Rose. (Artemio Mesiona) Click here to view a list of other articles written by Artemio Mesiona.  |
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