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One of the things everyone always says about the Bulls is that we need to drive more.

Just curious, considering that none of our primary guards can finish well why do people think we need to have this relentless driving mentality? I think in general that our guards will drive when it's there, but they also realize they can't just drive all the time because they don't have the game for it.

I agree and disagree doug.

I agree coz we don't have to drive everytime coz we don't have great shooters on the team and Wallace is not the wallace of old that even if you miss, he would get the offensive board and finish himself.

I disagree coz when we miss our open shots (it was almost every game when the season started), we really needed to drive more that time coz it's simple, if your shots are not falling, take it to the hole and take the high pct. shots or go to the line.

I do agree though that we don't have personnel that can take it to the hole and successfully either finish or go for the contact and either go for and-1 or atleast go to the line consistently. This is why it hurts us more. This is why I would like to use Tyrus/Gray/Noah more coz they can finish around the rim and are not afraid of contact.

In theory, I think driving is good.

I'm just thinking that for the Bulls, they need to pick their spots to try to finish because they simply aren't good at drawing fouls or finishing.

I believe this is why so many people want Corey Maggette. He always drives or at least lives at the free throw line.

DASMACKDOWN wrote: lives at the free throw line.

Free throws win games, but only if you get them.

In my opinion its just Gordon I want to see drive and I have always been puzzled why he never has really. He is quick enough to get into the lane and has the leaping ability to dunk but he never has. In college he would somewhat regularly. I don't want to see Kirk drive, unless it was to another stadium to play for a team other than the Bulls.

I think this drive mentality is brought forth by the need for "easier" baskets. Since we never had big men who could finish offensively since curry, the post play was virtually eliminated. Even when he was here, he was only good for the first quarter.

Now, with wallace as our C and no real post game outside of Gray, we still need easy baskets. For this reason everyone wants the guards to drive more. Personally, I think we need to attack the issue directly and find ourselves an all-around big man. But If our guards were able to finish, then I suppose it could work.

DASMACKDOWN wrote:I believe this is why so many people want Corey Maggette. He always drives or at least lives at the free throw line.

Thats why I'm a *huge* Maggette fan outside of him going to Duke.

But he really makes a living their. People may hate me, but I'd probably trade Gordon for him straight up, barring that Maggette resigns here. You lose 3pt shooting, but boy do you get your 8 FTAs/game.

I wish, the Clipps would do Noce for Maggette. That would be a great trade.

It's a good question, why drive the ball if we suck at it?

Firstly we have to start taking it to the basket on fast breaks, and we have been doing it much more under Boylan, we are getting out and running more. I don't mind the odd pullup jumpshot on the break, Gordon and Hinrich occasionally make them, but we are doing it all the time and it's not good.

I would like to see us driving more but that doesn't mean it has to be forced. I just want us to take the ball to the basket when the opportunity is there, sometimes we settle for jumpers when there is a lane opening up or when we have numbers on the break.

Thabo sefolosha should be going to the basket more IMO, but that is up to him. The last few games we have seen more confidence in Thabo and as a result he has played better. Their was a play last night on the fast break where Thabo drove the ball aggressively drawing the foul, usually Thabo would have just pulled it back and passed to the PG. And, when Thabo does take it hard to the basket he actually does draw contact and fouls, it's just that he never does it.

Ben Gordon has been playing noticeably different since the Scott Skiles departure. It's fairly clear to me that he has been playing more loosely and free, last night I noticed (particularly in the 3rd)that he was taking the ball to the basket strong, he slashed right through the defense a couple of times finishing well. And prior to last nights game we have already seen a couple of dunks or dunk attempts, against Charlotte Ben went up really strong, he got blocked but he cocked it right back and was looking to throw it down. I like that kind of aggressiveness.

Hey Doug,

Do you think you might have time to do a mid season "Bulls Beat"?

I've wanted to start the podcast up again for the past month and a half, but I have been so buried with work that I haven't gotten a chance to.

yea i know you are busy these days

dougthonus wrote:I've wanted to start the podcast up again for the past month and a half, but I have been so buried with work that I haven't gotten a chance to.

Just curious....what industry do you work in?

I'm a computer consultant.

I do all of the web development and feature design for draftexpress.com (which is the only place you'd have head of that I work for).

Last night in Philly Gordon, Thabo, Duhon, and Kirk all drove to the basket they were being aggresive. And that mostly all our guards that were driving, so that's good.

Agree that the Bulls guards aren't great at driving to the basket, but I like seeing them attempt it at least enough to make it unsafe for opponents to overplay the outside shots.

You would think that if the Bulls guards drove to the basket more consistently, they would eventually get better at finishing. That's not a given, of course, but it's the law of averages. Also, it would possibly eventually increase the number of FTAs they take per game. And since Gordon and Hinrich are both excellent FT shooters and Duhon is above average, this would be a definite advantage.

I'm sure if they attacked the basket more they'd draw some more fouls, but both Hinrich and Gordon drive to avoid contact not to create it.

I'd also suggest that we'd get a ton more turnovers if we just tried to relentlessly attack.

I'm not saying that when our guards drive it's bad. I just think there is a pretty finite limit on the amount of driving that they can do with their skill sets.

I'd like to see Gordon use the teardrop/floater a little more frequently, he is pretty good at it but we don't see it as much as I would like. Finishing is clearly the problem, I don't doubt that Gordon can beat his man allowing him to get into that key area, it's what he does with it then.

Really if he could master that little giant killer which he is respectfully good at already, then it would allowing to finish in they key without having to finish under contact or off balance.

It's one of my favorite moves in the whole of basketball, it's extremely difficult but once you have that touch big men can't touch it.