DEAR COACH VDN, PLEASE TRY THIS

This Bulls team has me frustrated after just five games already, so I'm going to put this out there. I know this season is still really young with just five games being played, but here are just some random thoughts. I'm not bashing the squad, giving up on the coach, or the season or anything like that, so just hear me out here. I just think that if the Bulls work on these two following things, this team can put themselves in a better position to win for the rest of this season...

Our overall offense... I don't know about you guys, but I think this Bulls team is straight up built to play run and gun basketball. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. Now I know we are learning a completely new offense, we have a brand new Coaching Staff, and a new point guard, so there are going to be some growing pains. I totally understand that, and every team goes through these bumps and bruises at one time or another. But at the same time, if you have watched our first five games, our half court offense has been completely and terribly stagnant. The guys on the court are thinking wayyyy too much out there, especially Deng and Thabo. They honestly look like robots in the half court game, it's crazy. I don't know how else to describe them out there, so I'm sticking with robots. Also, another thing I've spotted is that the players have been talking to themselves on the court. Just thinking too much out there. A couple of them, including Deng, also look perplexed at different times on the court. Now again, the half court offense will come along just fine eventually with repetition, but right now we need to put ourselves in the best position to win, and if that means scaling down the half court offense a little bit and just running and gunning, then so be it.

One thing is for sure, whenever we have run so far this year, we have been successful. If you need to look back and need proof, think about the 2 games that we won, and about the comebacks we have made in the 3 games that we have lost. All those points mostly came from running and gunning, from the guys just playing ball out there, and not thinking too much.

I really think we need to look to fast break a ton more and for VDN and the coaching staff to make that the identity of our team going forward. If we break everytime and look for the primary and secondary break first and then nothing is there, then we can go back to our half court offense and work through that. But I think we should definitely be utilizing the roster we have, and playing to their strengths, which is running and gunning. If you haven't noticed, your PG Derrick Rose is built to run. He is bigger and faster than pretty much every other PG in the League, so why not use that? You also have wing players like Deng, Thabo, Tyrus, Gooden, and Noah who are all long, can jump, and can run the floor. And don't forget about Bgeezy, who will thrive in a run and gun offense. He will get much better looks then he does now from running and gunning and filling the lanes with DROSE. I also think running will really help Deng, Thabo, and Tyrus snap out of their mini funks quickly. They won't have to think at all while on the floor, just run and fill the lanes with one of the best PG's in the land leading their way. How hard can that be, right???

I see it like this. We've all balled before at our local gym, whether it be XSport, Lifetime Fitness or in College. Now think about those times when we get some runs in at those gyms with complete strangers. Usually everyone is playing for themselves, and there is no team ball involved at all. Everyone stresses out a little because you want to make a good impression on those guys at the gym, so you most people naturally play a little tight. But then during the game whenever someone gets a steal or whenever you play a little run and gun ball, even the biggest hog on the court has to make that outlet pass to their teammates for the wide open layup. Everyone fills the lanes, and no one thinks out there. Everyone plays loose and usually that's how most games are won at the gym. And that is exactly what these Bulls need to do! Play worry free, run and gun, and ball on cats!!! I don't know if that makes any sense at all to you guys, but it does to me, so I'm sticking with it.

So getting back to my prior thoughts, plain and simple, these Bulls need to establish their identity as the Suns 2.0 ASAP! 7 seconds or less baby! Hopefully VDN learned something from when he was in PHO with the Suns. I really think that if the Bulls do that, they will win a lot more basketball games, they will all gain self confidence in their own games, and their fans will love watching this team play!

Now onto my second big point in this post. Tyrus Thomas... Why in the world is this Bulls coaching staff not utilizing Tyrus Thomas in the proper way? I mean the kid is setting picks and popping instead of rolling. We all know his jumper is inconsistent, so why do they keep having him picking and popping??? They need Tyrus to just run screen and rolls all day with DROSE and it will be money, trust me on that one! They also need to tell Tyrus not to settle for the jumper, but to instead take two dribbles, take off, and jam on someones head!!! The kid is more athletically gifted than most of the players in the League, so they need to put him in the best position to be successful going forward. Honestly, they just need to have him watch film of how Nash and Amare run the screen and roll, or of how CP3 and Tyson run it, and if he emulates that, he will be a lot better than he is now. And yes I know the staff has made them watch this film already, but they need to really enforce, preach, and teach this screen and roll to them until DROSE and TT get it down. TT is 5 times more athletic than Chandler (I've seen both play a lot), so there is no reason he can't be just as good, or if not better than Chandler at the screen and roll. I also think they should bring TT off of the bench, and this will fire him up. That is when he has performed at his best, so why not take him back to his comfort level. Anyways, his effort has been great this year, unlike the years past, so I think the staff can still turn his season around. We have some great assistant coaches with experience, so I am hoping one of them looks into this.

I'm about to go watch our Bullies take on the Suns tonight, so I am out of here. I look for them to already be smarter than me and make these changes for tonight's game. If they do, we will wax the Suns! You can laugh now, but I'm being serious. Anyways, I'm sorry to bore you guys with this random banter about my Bulls, but I really think those are the two main things the Bulls need to work on. If they can improve on just those two things, look for a really successful season from them going forward

GO BULLS!!!