No Bull: It’s Championship or Bust in Chicago

Photo courtesy of derrickrosemvp.com. Derrick Rose (right) is coming off a magical season that resulted in an MVP award. His team however fell short in the playoffs. This year, he is determined to bring Chicago its first title since the Michael Jordan days.

By Wesley Kaminsky

After a 2010-2011 season in which the Chicago Bulls finished 62-20, made the Eastern Conference Finals, had both the coach of the year in Tom Thibodeau and MVP in Derrick Rose, many said the Bulls overachieved and reached their maximum potential. Not if you ask Bulls fans or Derrick Rose, though.

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Looking ahead to NBA free agency (if and when it happens)

Photo courtesy of watchesbydesign.com. Yao Ming (pictured above) could be a potential bargain pick up for a contender when the CBA situation is eventually figured out according to our very own Nick Craddock.

By Nick Craddock

With a Thursday midnight deadline looming, NBA owners and the NBA players union appear nowhere near close to hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement that would allow for free agents to start negotiations, as regularly scheduled, on July 1.

However, whenever the 2011 free agency period does commence, there will be some talented ballers available for general managers to sign. How a new CBA affects player contracts is yet to be seen, but here is a list of this summer’s free agents who are overvalued and in line to start taking baths of Benjamins. On the other hand, potential bargain players could reap huge rewards for teams:

5 overvalued players

1. Jose Juan Barea (Dallas Mavericks): The diminutive Puerto Rican point guard won many admirers for his performances during the Mavericks’ 2011 championship run, but whether or not this former undrafted player and star from Northeastern is ready for primetime is yet to be seen. Sure, Barea sliced-and-diced the Lakers during the playoffs, but could this career bench player sustain such success for 82 games a year in a more demanding role? Regardless of my skepticism, his playoff heroics will be the most recent memory general managers have of Barea and, consequently, he will undoubtedly cash in with a hefty pay raise. Once Barea receives a bump in pay, one can only hope he will follow the path of fellow Puerto Rican Jennifer Lopez; although he used to have a little, but then a lot, he’ll remember where he came from because he’s J.J. from the block.     

Heartbreak from a Chicago Bulls Fan: 2010-2011 Season in Review

Courtesy of BasketBawful.blogspot.com. League MVP Derrick Rose (pictured above) was unable to lead his team past the star studded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Can he lead the Bulls to Eastern Conference Title next year?

By Wesley Kaminsky

It’s been about a week since the Chicago Bulls 2010-2011 season
came to a close, and forgive me for waiting this long to write this, but it’s
been a process of recovery for me.  As a Bulls fan for as long as I can remember, this was the best season I had gone through as a fan thus far in my life. The regular season could not have gone more perfect. In an off-season in which the Bulls failed to land LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, they still managed to jump from 41 wins to 62, securing the best record in basketball.  Not only did they have the best record, but the coach of the year in first year
head coach Tom Thibodeau, and MVP in Derrick Rose. Heading into the playoffs, my mindset was if the Bulls did not at least make the Eastern Conference Finals than it was a waste of a season, and I firmly believed that.  The regular season means nothing, and it’s all about what you do in the playoffs, just ask LeBron James from his Cavalier days.  Although it wasn’t pretty at
times, the Bulls did reach the Eastern Conference Finals, something that Bulls
fans did not imagine happening in the beginning of the season.

“Food for Thought 12-21-2010”

UConn Head Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma (pictured above), looks to make history tonight with an 89th consecutive victory. Is he the greatest College Basketball Coach (Men's or Women's) of all time?

Today is another “Food for Thought” day.  There is just entirely too much going on in the sporting world to not at least touch on multiple items.  Being a sport’s fan at this time is good.

Lets take a look at some of the main storylines.

Bye Bye Brett

-Once again the media has been dominated by yet another storyline regarding the legendary #4.  I am not going to lie, I thought we would hear very little about Brett until the conclusion of the season when whispers of retirement came into the picture again.  Sadly, I was wrong.  Brett shocked America by suiting up and starting last evening’s Monday Night affair against the divisional rival and 1st place, Chicago Bears.  I will state, this was a mistake for Brett.  Not only did he hardly play, but he took another massive hit and suffered a concussion.  I know Brett’s legacy has been built on playing in big time Monday Night Games in the snow.  But the guy was not healthy, and had no business being on the field.  Will this be how Brett goes out?  He ended his career in Green Bay throwing an INT in the NFC Championship Game.  In addition, he ended on a sour note in New York (and still is dealing with the repercussions).  Now his Minnesota reign has appeared to end in a sad fashion.  The man just needs to retire already.  It is not worth permanent injuries.  He has nothing left to play for.

What is next for the TO Show?

-So Terrell Owens has suffered a major knee injury and appears to have played his last down in Cincinnati.  Does TO or Cincinnati really care?  Many thought TO was the final piece to the puzzle for the Who Deys.  Many thought that the Bengals were a Super Bowl contender.  Many were wrong.  I will state, Terrell has had his best year in some time.  He has quietly had a very strong year.  Until recently, he had even kept his mouth shut.  Amid all the losing, he finally opened up his mouth and his true colors showed.  Owens had 72 catches for 983 yards, and 9 TDs this season.  At 37, the guy can still play.  My question for you is who will pick him up?  His days in Cincy are without question over.  Who saw this Bengal’s team getting 7 or 8 games worse after the offseason they had?  Sadly, Cincinnati is very used to being disappointed by the Who Deys.  It is fact of life for the people who live in the 513.

Auriemma>Wooden?

-In less than an hour, Geno Auriemma leads his Lady Huskies into battle with a chance to rewrite history.  With a victory this evening, the Huskies will have one upped John Wooden and his legendary UCLA teams, with an 89th consecutive victory.  I do not care that this is women’s basketball.  89 wins in a row is an astounding feat.  Something that will probably never happen again.  Now my question for you.  Is Geno Auriemma in the class of the all time great coaches such as John Wooden, Coach K, Dean Smith, and Adolph Rupp?  Bobby Knight on ESPN coverage today stated that Auriemma should be the number 1 choice on any team’s list when looking for a new coach.  Is it that easy to go from coaching women to men?  I do not think so.  Sorry Bobby.  Geno is one of the best ever, but coaching women is far different from coaching men.

Coach K Satisfied?

-Coach K secured his 879th career victory last evening behind yet another stellar Kyle Singler performance.  The greatest Duke Coach of all time is now tied with UNC’s best, Dean Smith, for 2nd on the all time list.  Krzyzewski now sits just 23 wins behind the all time record, which is held by the legendary Bobby Knight.  The real question at this point is not if Coach K will catch Knight, but when, and by how much?  My money is on this year during another deep NCAA Tournament run. Is Coach K the greatest College Coach of all time if surpasses this milestone?  Is he even as good of a coach as Geno Auriemma?

Magic in Orlando

-So Orlando has been struggling.  They tried to change their luck by making the trade of the year thus far (LBJ’s decision was a free agency decision).  Following a trade that could really shake up the battle of the top of the East, the Magic ended up with Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, and their former (now current) star, Hedo Turkoglu.  Now I realize the Magic lost again last evening to the Hawks.  But do not sleep on this team.  They are definitely a contender in the East and this trade will make them a better team in the long run.  Give them a couple of weeks to develop a chemistry.  The battle for supremacy in the Eastern Conference, much less the state of Florida will be exciting in the near future.  I still have the Magic going to the Conference Finals as I predicted in the preseason.

So there you have some of my insights on the major happenings going on in the sporting world on this particular day.  Obviously there are other things going on as well.  Feel free to ask about whatever is on your mind via commenting or emailing.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze