Posts Tagged ‘John Lucas III’

Sixers Hope To Enjoy ‘Holiday’ Weekend

May 3, 2012  ·  5:56PM




Jrue Holiday’s numbers went down across the board this season, a trend that continued in the Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff opener against the Chicago Bulls last weekend.

It’s a trend, however, that may be over. After sputtering through a forgettable performance in Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls, Holiday was the best player on the floor for the Sixers when they fired back Tuesday to even the best-of-seven series at one game each. The Eastern Conference first-round clash resumes Friday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and Holiday sounds determined to pick up where he left off.

“This is the stage you dream to be on,” Holiday said after his team’s 109-92 handling of an emotionally drained Bulls club in Game 2, a team coping with the loss of MVP Derrick Rose and what that means for the rest of its postseason.

For one thing, it means an elusive, scoring-minded point guard such as Holiday has less worries freedom against Bulls backups C.J. Watson and John Lucas III than he did when Rose was around for Game 1. In that one, Holiday scored 16 points and had seven rebounds, but he finished with two assists and three turnovers and never seemed fully in synch. (more…)

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Posted in 2012 NBA Playoffs / Comments (4) /

Rose practices, still might not play

April 4, 2012  ·  3:16PM





DEERFIELD, Ill. – The sounds of Derrick Rose‘s first practice in more than three weeks Wednesday were encouraging, in as much as there was no discernible “squeak-squeak-tap, squeak-squeak-tap” from behind the closed doors and shaded windows at the Chicago Bulls’ practice court.

So in his most significant test yet since he suffered a serious groin strain March 13, the Bulls’ and NBA’s reigning MVP didn’t require a cane.

Whether Rose will be able to face the Boston Celtics Thursday night at United Center, however, remains in doubt. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was upbeat in comments after the practice about his point guard’s participation, condition and recovery.

Rose sounded more iffy, saying he wasn’t at top speed and didn’t know if he would be capable of playing against Boston’s elusive Rajon Rondo and the rest of the Celtics. As for the media, well, they heard practice but they never go to see Rose do more than shoot free throws and 3-pointers, mixing in at most some one-dribble moves.

“I’m running, able to move a little bit more. So I’m getting healthy,” Rose said in a brief interview before heading for more rehab and treatment. He has missed the past 11 games and 21 overall due to earlier toe and back injuries (Chicago is 14-7). “Taking three weeks off or two weeks off, however [long] I took off, my conditioning is definitely a worry. But in basketball, you should be able to fight through it.”

Thibodeau labeled Rose a “game-time decision” with a little more half-full tone than usual. Normally, that means “fuhgeddabouddit” in Thibs-ese. (more…)

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LeBron Over Lucas … Worth Another Look!

January 30, 2012  ·  2:28PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – We’ve been debating the merits of this dunk (above and from a different angle than you’ve probably seen) all day here at the hideout.

Man jumps over another man, you’re supposed to be impressed.

But the dissenters suggest that Heat star LeBron James needed to just over someone a hair taller than Bulls guard John Lucas III for this to be celebrated the way it has been since yesterday afternoon.

Our main man and Dunk Ladder guru LeMont Calloway has already weighed in, and if he’s impressed … who are we to argue!

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Boozer’s Son Picks A Side In Rivalry

January 30, 2012  ·  8:38AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – LeBron James stepping on the head of John Lucas III for a dunk was one of the more remarkable things we saw this weekend here at the hideout.

James riding his bike to work was another pleasant surprise. Who needs that Phantom anyway?

But the unquestioned most staggering video of the weekend had to be this shot of the oldest son of Bulls forward Carlos Boozer chanting “Let’s go Heat” as his dad and the Bulls battled their Eastern Conference nemesis Sunday afternoon.

I don’t know how they’d handle this at the Boozer residence, but somebody would have some explaining to do!

Clearly, young Boozer doesn’t realize (or doesn’t care) which side of the rivalry his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches come from …

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Bulls Have To Grind With/Without Deng

January 25, 2012  ·  11:08AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Few teams in the league have shown a better understanding of how to survive without a key player than the league-leading Chicago Bulls.

They lose reigning MVP Derrick Rose for a few games with that bad toe and don’t miss a beat.

So while it’s obvious that the Bulls know exactly what to do when one of their big dogs is out of the lineup, it will be interesting to see what they do with Luol Deng on the shelf with that “Kobe Bryant” (torn ligament) in his left wrist.

It’s strange how Deng and Bryant’s names have criss-crossed over the course of Deng’s career. Don’t forget, it was reportedly Deng that the Bulls tried to send to the Lakers in a deal that would have brought Kobe to Chicago years ago. Reports that Bryant was objecting to any deal that included Deng (he wanted to make sure the Bulls had enough talent to compete for a title) is a testament to the value Deng’s peers place on his game.

That’s impressive for a player with no All-Star appearances on his resume yet and is one who is often overlooked when the conversation of the best small forwards in the game comes up.

Even more impressive will be the Bulls’ continued ability to grind through the avalanche of nicks, bumps and bruises that they’ve been able to brush aside so far (16-3 and atop the Eastern Conference and the league). They host the Pacers tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

“I know it’s a bad injury and it sounds terrible, but really, I think it will fine,” Deng, who is trying to avoid surgery, told reporters yesterday. “We’ve got a good team, and I think I’m going to be fine.”

(more…)

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Arrested Development?

January 12, 2012  ·  12:08PM

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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — John Wall is struggling.

Maybe you’ve heard.

In addition to his shooting issues, he was taken to the shed Wednesday night in Chicago, not by Derrick Rose but John Lucas III, who had  25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. No offense to JL3, but this was a new low for Wall, the former No. 1 pick who came into the league with “star” stamped on his forehead.

If it’s any consolation to Wall, he isn’t alone. A few other young-uns are finding it rough as they try to take that next step to being established and bona fide stars. And why is this? Maybe they played too many summer league games during the lockout.

Maybe they were overhyped.

Or maybe they just need time.

Whatever, here’s a sampling:

– DeMar DeRozan, 22 years old: Double D is shooting 41 percent and had three straight games where he didn’t get double figures. The Raptors were hoping he’d be at least a borderline All-Star this year, and he might still break out. But it’s coming very slowly at the moment for a guy with obvious skills. Here’s DeRozan on his issues, courtesy of Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun:

“I just got to play better,” DeRozan said after an 11 point game that saw him hit just one of his first 10 field goal attempts.

“I take a lot of the (blame) when we’re not doing as well because I got to step up and start being consistent on both ends of the floor.”

(more…)

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Rose Still Needs Help In Chi-Town

January 10, 2012  ·  11:12AM

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HANG TIME, TEXAS – The Bulls won more games than any other team in the league a year ago. The Bulls have the second-best record in the NBA this season. The Bulls have the President of the United States talking about welcoming them to the White House next year to celebrate a championship. The Bulls have the reigning MVP Derrick Rose playing like he’s ready to go back-to-back.

So are there really any questions about the Bulls?

Well, as our good friend Sam Smith of Bulls.com points out, maybe just one:

But it would be nice, also, if someone could score some points.

Yes, Derrick Rose, despite increasing defensive pressure, had 22 points and eight assists. And Carlos Boozer had one of his best games as a Bull with 23 points on nine of 13 shooting and eight rebounds, including a dive on the floor for a loose ball and aggressive fronting the post on Greg Monroe, which we don’t often see from Boozer.

That sort of play enabled the Bulls not only never to trail in beating the Pistons for the 13th straight time, but with an 18-3 run to start the fourth quarter with mostly reserves playing the Bulls broke open a game they controlled but primarily with leads around 10 points.

The Bulls Monday started their lone three in three nights set and are about halfway through playing nine games in 12 nights with nine of the first 13 of the season on the road. Though everyone has scheduling like that to play through this season.

So it doesn’t fully answer whether this Bulls team can score enough to truly be taken seriously.

(more…)

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