From: kyam@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (kok peng yam)
Subject: Re: was Re: Paxson sucks (was Re: Phoenix is absolutely scary...)
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 15:32:24 GMT

markham@brtph597.bnr.ca (Andrew Markham P205) writes:

>Harry Koehnemann writes:
>>(I Spike - Therefore I Am) writes:
>If you want to judge the Bulls without Jordan, you have to let them
>play for an entire season.  You can't just remove the center of their
>offense for a single game and expect them to play like he was never a 
>part of the practices the have been having all year.

lets see.... right now new jersey nets are a medium-strength playoff team
and chicago are tops... minus jordan can they beat nets?

well, lets compare the 2 sides...
at guard, bulls have BJ paxson.... and nets have anderson and petrol... the
result, a TOTAL ANNIHILATION
at forward, bulls have pippen and grant, but without jordan can they still
perform at the elite NBA level? nets have morris and coleman... well bulls
will win, but not by a mile
at center, BOOOOOOOOWIE would crush whoever bulls have to offer

so overall nets would smash the bulls, and since cleveland, knicks are better
than the nets, with charlotte orlando and detroit, i think bulls would
really be fighting for a playoff spot without jordan

>>They're not playing up to potential because they don't have that focus they 
>>had in the past and Jordan and Scotty "I want my own team and my own 
>>identity" Pippen are unhappy, for whatever reason.  Jordan comes around, they 
>>win another title.  Jordan doesn't, it's up for grabs this year (and 
>>therefore a good year for the Suns to be playing well).

i hate the bulls, but its true that pippen is a great player. if you put him
with some team like dallas he'd go out and get you 30 points a night...
pippen shoots, passes, rebounds, performs both offensively and defensively,
and if i were pippen, after getting 2 champinship rings i'd be looking
at going to another team that needs help, and then see if i could become
a franchise player for that team... how about pippento minnesota for chuck
person, luc longley and a #1?

>I agree the team is a little out of focus, but after two strong Championship
>seasons, it's gotta be difficult getting up for games night-after-night
>when you KNOW you're going to be in the playoffs and that's all that really
>matters.

but when you're in the playoffs, coming in with a bad form, you just cant
say 'hey now we gotta play hard' straight away, it doesnt work that way.

>>It's easier for CHicago.  Hell, the only thing between the Bulls and the 
>>finals is NY.  The Suns have Portland, Seattle, LA, San Antonio, Utah, etc.  
>>It's a little different out West.

>The difference, my friend, is defense.  The West simply cannot touch the 
>East in defensive strength, and defense wins championships.  Just ask 
>Chicago and Detroit.

its gonna be diffreent this year, and here im gonna say something which
you bulls fans will puke, but in 2 years bulls will be too OLD to play tough
defense and with jordan aging they'd start to look like the detroit last year.

well, so the popular belief is that its bulls V knicks in the east and
suns V portland/utah/seattle in the west? well i like portland, still....
they team they have now with murray strickland as the new guys, and robinson
playing like an all-star, they're just waiting to explode.... after all
portland has virtually no weaknesses now that cliff is filling the post nicely
... if they peak near the end of the season they'll have a huege impact on
the playoffs...

seattle, well i tend to think that they need another true center rather than
playing the dumb benjamen or kemp there, whos really a power forward and not
a ceneter.... phoenix, well they're preaking too early, and if you put
some tough guy, say even karl malone on barkley, then the  suns low post
game will be gone, and without horny they'll just be an ordinary team with
its top gun shut down

and dont forget the spurs... i reckon they got a chance... 

>-- 
>Andrew W. Markham (markham@bnr.ca)
>Bell Northern Research, Inc.

andy chang


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