Derrick Rose provides optimism after an otherwise rough week for Chicago.
By Ryne Prinz (@ryneprinz)
It’s been another week for Chicago Bulls fans, and it’s been another week of soaring highs and rocky lows. Last Thursday, Jimmy Butler put up a career-high 53 points in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Just a couple days later, it was announced that Joakim Noah will miss 4-6 months after sustaining a shoulder injury. It’s this kind of variance that has exemplified this era of Bulls basketball. It’s the kind of variance that has fans finding any kind of bright spot in an otherwise disappointing time.
That said, the Bulls lost to the defending champs by 31 on Wednesday night. The Warriors seemed to control the game from the tip, and it was never truly close. Regardless, we got to see a fantastic game from Derrick Rose. Rose scored 29 points on 12-22 from the floor and a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. Rose was very aggressive early, using a variety of crossovers, head fakes and midrange bank shots to get his buckets.
On one particular play, Rose ran off a Taj Gibson screen to find Andrew Bogut sitting back in the lane. Derrick quickly changed hands, causing Bogut to jump to his right, when Rose crossed back over for the wide open layup.
It was beautiful and fun and good ol’ Derrick Rose.
Robert Covington gives the Sixers some hope
By Zach Oliver (@ZachOliverNBA)
Over the last three years, the Philadelphia 76ers have become a laughing stock of the league. They’ve been all-out with their tanking, and attempt to collect as many assets as possible in hopes of turning those assets into something bigger. One of those assets which has flown under the radar is coming into his own.
Robert Covington, once a coveted piece for the Houston Rockets, has a smooth shooting stroke. He’s shown the ability to hit some big shots, and can score when needed. Maybe he’s not a go-to guy, but at the end of the day, being able to hit shots, especially in big situations, is a huge tool to have in the league.
But it’s what Covington does on the other end that can really make him valuable.
In a league where positional versatility is becoming more and more important, Covington’s ability to guard multiple positions — as well as comfortably play them offensively — gives him a lot of value. He’s shown a strong sense of being able to pick pockets and jump passing lanes, which helps get the Sixers out running, a spot where they have a lot of success.
While it can get him in trouble sometimes, his ability to defend is still a huge asset for the Sixers in and of itself. Maybe he’s not the sexiest of names, bug Covington is making a name for himself, and should be a piece for the Sixers moving forward.
DeMar DeRozan is really fun now.
by Matt Cianfrone (@Matt_Cianfrone)
I used to hate watching DeMar DeRozan play.
Part of it was the frustration with the idea of DeRozan taking a ton of mid-range jumpers off the dribble, which happens to be the worst shot in basketball, and part was just about how it felt like he was wasting his athleticism in settling for those shots. While great DeRozan dunks happened every now and then, it wasn’t enough for a guy with the incredible hops DeRozan has.
As I watched DeRozan pick apart the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night I realized that something had changed. DeRozan was no longer boring. Instead, he was a blast, even despite a few pull-up long twos. It happened because DeRozan is finally utilizing his athleticism in a way that feels proper.
As one of the league leaders in drives per game, DeRozan is now getting into the lane constantly and when he gets there using those athletic gifts to their fullest advantage. It isn’t all highlight reel dunks but night in and night out, Derozan is finishing through contact in tricky ways and making things happen for a good Raptors team.
Instead of finding reasons to not watch Toronto like in the past I found myself looking up when the Raptors’ next game once they finished off the Celtics. It was fun, it was worth my time and it makes me happy as a fan of the league to find another exciting young player to watch. DeMar DeRozan has arrived and I am upset it took me until January to realize that.
I really like the Portland Trail Blazers
By Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg)
Yeah, I know they lost.
But still!
I really like the Portland Trail Blazers.
On a night where my team, the Miami Heat, got torched by the Washington Wizards (I just threw up in my mouth), I found solace in watching one of my favorite teams of the season play another athletically pleasing squad from Atlanta.
The Hawks and the Blazers put on an entertaining show. Was it a “great” game? No, not really. Both teams are flawed, and those flaws were on display in the Hawks’ 104-98 win over the Trail Blazers Wednesday.
But it’s seeing those flaws, and then seeing both teams overcome those flaws at various times in the game, that made the game so darn fun.
I like the Hawks, too. I love me some Paul Millsap. And Al Horford. And Dennis Schroder and, of course, Kent Bazemore. Bazemore went off for 23 points. Same goes for Millsap. That was a good time.
But, hey, back to my boys in Portland, land of The Simpsons and VooDoo Doughnuts. Damian Lillard has been one of my favorite players to watch for the last three seasons. When he gets hot at the Rose Garden, it’s not unlike when Steph Curry is splish-splashing at Oracle.
Not to mention that Dame has a new upstart running mate in the backcourt with C.J. McCollum. Shouts to my journalism majors out there!
Lillard and McCollum didn’t have their best games. Both were a combined 3-for-13 from three-point range. However, they were still Portland’s leading scorers. And then there is Meyers Leonard, and Al-Farouq Aminu who tried to dunk on Millsap at one point, and Allen Crabbe, another surprisingly solid player for the Blazers this season.
When the Blazers had it going Wednesday, they were passing quickly and decisively. The ball movement was “crisp,” some would say. It wasn’t that way all night but, when it was, it was fun.
Fun because they don’t entirely know what they are doing. They don’t know the best pass from the second-best pass. They don’t exactly know how to exploit their opponent or create mismatches at will.
They just kinda… do.
Because they enjoy passing. They enjoy the crispiness of ball movement. Folks, these cats just like playing and they like playing with each other. They aren’t good. They aren’t bad. At times they look good. At times they look overwhelmed. But they’re having a good time.
And, when I’m watching them, so am I.