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The Raptors take on the Bulls tonight at the A.C.C. (I'll be there with Raptorman a.k.a. Efman) in a game that could go either way. The Bulls have lost eight of their last 11 and appear about as playoff-worthy as the Raptors — which is to say, not very. For all the hype surrounding rookie point guard Derrick Rose (wonder who's getting Swirsk's vote for R.O.Y.?), he's cooled recently after a hot start while Ben Gordon has caught fire of late — scoring at least 17 points in each of his last nine games and averaging 22 points over that period.
While I wouldn't consider myself a fan of the Bulls, Rose, Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah are all among my favorite players to watch so I'm looking forward to seeing them live. The Raptors will have a decided advantage against the Bulls' undersized frontcourt, so it will be interesting to see if Andrea Bargnani works to get position in the post early. The Bulls are very quick and athletic so I'm not sure he'll get the looks he wants at the top of the arc if he continues to hang out in that area. The Bulls will probably look to leverage their superior quickness at the guard positions with Rose's slashing and Gordon's long-bombing providing the biggest challenges.
The Links
Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal admit that they haven't "meshed" very well. That writing on the wall, it's getting clearer.
Michael Grange and I are both on-board the "Trade J.O. Now Bandwagon".
Rick Barry — who is one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History" and is second all-time (behind Mark Price) in free throw shooting percentage — breaks down Jose Calderon's free throw shooting form and routine.
Food Court Lunch has a chilling account of how Kevin Garnett continues to haunt Chris Bosh — both on and off the court.
Cuzoogle welcomes the Swirsk back to Toronto with a somewhat unsettling Photoshop.
In this topsy-turvy world, it's comforting to know there are still some constants. The sun will rise, the seasons will change and Rasheed Wallace will get a truckload of technical fouls (13 so far) every season.
Mark Cuban got all up in J.R. Smith's grill last night.
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