Official Game Thread: Bulls at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“YOUR BOY VEACH WAS SUPPOSED TO TRADE THAT FUMBLING PACHECO AT THE DEADLINE! YOU FOOL!”

 

There is a clear line of demarcation separating the Top-8 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference from the rest. It has been left to two teams, among the dregs, to decide whether they wish to muddle that line up.

“Yeah, I’mma head out,” has been the mantra of the Pistons, Wizards, Hornets, and Raptors for a minute now. The Nets are soon to join them, once Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas and Jacque Vaughn properly fall out with one another.

That leaves two lottery slots, and it will be up to the players on the floor tonight in Atlanta (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, NBC Sports Chicago) to figure out which direction they wish to head. For the Hawks, and the Chicago Bulls, their fates are no longer in the GMs’ hands.

You could have told me Brett Veach was the lead guitarist for The Cranberries and I would have believed you. Tagging along when Andy Reid was expelled from Philly, Veach was the personnel guy who first sang the praises of the rocket-armed game manager down at Texas Tech. Then he moved up KC’s ladder to take over the GM spot.

Although it is easy to obscure oneself, lately, behind the glitz of an international pop star, Veach has since made the deals, the drafts, and the offseason signings and re-signings without much personal fanfare, then left it all in the players’ hands to, eventually, earn him a third Superb Owl ring. Your title-winning touchdown recipient last night? Acquired a week before the NFL Trade Deadline; thanks, Jets. What’s this GM guy’s name, again? Life’s a Veach.

He’s like the “G” in Lasagna. I think Veach hit the sweet spot of being that RealGM that can hang out at the produce aisle midweek, taking time to pick just the right set of crudités for his gameday party platters, without anybody recognizing him enough to covet his autograph, nor lob tomatoes at him for failing to make the precise personnel acquisitions and dispatches they dreamed up for their favorite sportsball team.

By no means celebrity GMs, certainly not celebrated ones, Landry Fields and Arturas Karnisovas likely each have their favorite supermarket shopping locales. It’s just that they must drive a little ways out from their NBA city-cores to spend much time there. Especially so, after last week’s Trade Deadline passed without any white smoke rising from either organization’s front-office edifices, much to the chagrin of their hand-wringing (and online neck-wringing) fanbases.

While Landry at least makes the occasional appearance during and throughout the season, deftly applying his Stanford education to chat his way out of directly answering incisive questions, AK saved his Groundhog Day routine for the hours after Bulls fans realized his Trade Deadline line went dead. Paraphrasing Karnisovas: “We’re gritty and competitive enough right now; it wasn’t our kind of trade market anyway; no need to worry bout the cap crunch until the offseason; whoops, there’s my shadow, gotta run!”

Wrought with despair over the years-long inability to get Lonzo Ball upright, and now Zach LaVine (foot surgery, out for season) having to shut things down, Bulls fans have been clamoring to their conductor that they want off this train. That would have meant Karnisovas finding a new home for his tricenarian players (DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond), and getting some useful draft capital or player exceptions to, someday, revamp this roster around Coby White.

Yes, these are now Coby White’s Chicago Bulls. Never mind the former UNC star and North Carolina native’s career-long struggles versus the Hawks (38.5 FG%, 25.8 3FG%, 71.8 FT% vs. ATL), while being turnstiled in-and-out of coach Billy Donovan’s rotations for years. And never mind his shooting struggles of late on the road, going 5-for-21 from the field in the Bulls’ 114-108 overtime loss on Saturday at Orlando.

Starting all season long, White has finally flourished offensively (career-bests of 19.3 PPG, 5.2 APG, 39.5 3FG%) while displaying some of the defensive tenacity, for rebounds and loose-ball recoveries, that Bulls fans crave from fan-fave Alex Caruso (questionable, contused toe after playing @ ORL). So long as he still has DeMar and Vooch around to draw defenders away, and with Drummond still here to smash the offensive glass, White can keep Chicago (14-9 when he hits half his shots) in contention on a decent shooting day.

Hoof issues have plagued the Bulls (25-28) all season, between Caruso’s toe sprains and bruises, and Patrick Williams (out, midfoot bone edema, missed past 7 games) and Torrey Craig (probable, sprained toe, missed 22 games before coming off-bench for past 4) missing time. That’s forced Donovan into fielding the Bulls’ elder statesmen (DeRozan’s 37.6 MPG, most since his first All-Star season in 2013-14; Vucevic’s 34.4 MPG a career-high) longer than even he would like.

Still, having had an off-day between the Magic and Hawks games, the Bulls are in better fighting shape than some of the travel- and injury-hampered teams that have stumbled through State Farm Arena’s doors of late. The hosts’ team colors, fortunately, are not Torch Red and Fool’s Gold.

Coach Quin Snyder’s club exited this past weekend with a 6-2 stretch that, coupled with Trae Young’s worthy All-Star replacement selection, has begun to turn frowns upside down. It certainly aids the whole team that Dejounte Murray (34 points, season-high 12-for-15 FTs, 7 assists in Saturday’s win vs. HOU) needn’t look over his shoulder for a tap from Fields. But it is astute to recognize that wins like the past two, back-to-back at knee-capped Philadelphia and versus customs-cleared Houston, were the types of games where, as recently as weeks ago, the Hawks would routinely find themselves at the losing end.

Games like the After Christmas Day loss in Chi-town, 118-113, to a Bulls team that had not only LaVine but Vucevic unavailable. Chicago was able to uncork Drummond (25 rebounds, incl. 10 O-Rebs, 24 points, 3 steals, 2 blocks) on an overwhelmed Clint Capela (out, strained adductor). It wouldn’t take much slippage, particularly on the defensive, free-throw and corner-three shooting, and ball-control fronts, for Atlanta (24-29) to find themselves hangin’ with the Hornets again.

Not having to deal with Sengun or Embiid over the past couple games made it easier for Snyder to get away with Jalen Johnson (11 D-Rebs vs. HOU) subbing Onyeka Okongwu at the 5-spot, but Atlanta’s 58-41 rebounding disadvantage made it difficult to fully dock the Rockets. Similarly, Philly’s 49-40 edge on the boards made it hard to sink the Sixers’ ship late.

With Drummond coming off the bench for Vooch (27.5 3FG%) tonight, Gwu Tang could use some spirited spells from Bruno Fernando (probable, illness) and secondary rebounding from forwards De’Andre Hunter (DNP vs. HOU, but not on the injury list), Saddiq Bey and Johnson to offset Chicago’s interior-heavy game.

Young, Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic ought not be wooed by Bulls defenders into lofting out-of-rhythm threes, even when seemingly left “open”. They and the rest of the Hawks combined to shoot just 13-for-45 on treys in Chicago back in December.

Permitting an NBA-high 39.0 3FGAs, but with opponents shooting just league-average 36.8 3FG% (15^th in NBA), Donovan wants opponents out of the paint, keeping DeRozan, Vucevic and the bigs fresh and foul-trouble-free (CHI 7-16 when whistled for 20+ hacks). Their rebounding allows Chicago (30^th in Pace) to grind the tempo to a halt and keep foes close enough on the scoreboard in hopes White and DeRozan can help pull off some winning shots late.

Each current member of the NBA East’s Top-5 have been on the business end of a Trae Young bonanza in their own building during a postseason game (Play-Ins included). Given the choice, they’d rather see DeRozan, and his shrieking kid, than Ice Trae bringing wind chills to their arena at Playoff first-round time. You can always cover your ears, but you can’t avert your eyes when Young gets on a heater.

While both teams have Play-In ceilings, even the most optimistic Bulls fan understands that a sudden surge up the standings to catch the Pacers (4.5 games ahead of CHI) would only have Chicago as the third-best team in the Central Division. The Hawks, conversely, are in the NFC South of the NBA, particularly with the Baddest Mamma Jammas in the NBA, down in Miami (4.0 games ahead of ATL; 1.0 games behind ORL), coming apart at the seams.

A Play-In home game, and a feel-good division title, remain within reach, but only if the Hawks continue to improve at taking care of business when favored to win. They can do their part, tonight, to begin turning the East’s clear Top-8 into a Top-9. Preferably, not a Top-10.

Blurred Line! I know you want it.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Beywatch! Hawks' GameNotes has Saddiq joining Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell as the sole NBA'ers averaging over 20 PPG with 50/40/90 minimum splits over their past 4 games. Forever and always, he's always here.

Traewatch! Young could surpass Mookie for the franchise triples lead with 4 more today.

Tewatch! Per Elias Sports, Murray's next four-point play would move him past notorious perimeter foul magnet Jamal Crawford (5) for third all-time during a season in Hawks franchise history.

Bruno remains Probable to return today, although non-COVID illness seems to continue hampering the Hawks roster. 2Ts Matthews is Out, while Patty Mills is listed as Doubtful on the Boo-Boo/A-choo Report.

These little piggies may or may not be going to market: Patrick Williams (mid-foot edema) remains Out, Alex Caruso (contused toe) Questionable, and Torrey Craig (sprained toe) and Coby White (contused ankle) Probable on the Bulls' 1:30 PM update.

~lw3

[shakes]

my old sh!tty team vs my current sh!tty team.    Can't wait!

[shakes]

in honor of the Super Bowl, this game should be called the Shakes' Toilet Bowl

[JeffS17]

I know it's somewhat comical to call a February 12th game "must-win", but if this team wants to get back on track and make a run for the 6th seed (5.5 games back), I consider this a must-win game.  We have a very real chance of going into the all-star break only 3 games under .500 so we need to take advantage of our momentum tonight and Wednesday.

[kg01]

2 hours ago, shakes said:

my old sh!tty team vs my current sh!tty team.    Can't wait!

Best part about this matchup?

Either way shakes takes a L.

[JayBirdHawk]

AJ added to 'illness' report.

 

 

[Nash]

Let's get another win and keep finding the best linups. All I want is that Hawks get top 8 seed. Everything above it,  is a bonus. Why top 8 seed? Because that is realistic. In the play in game we'll beat any team for the 7the seed (except maybe Heat but they will be higher than 6 seed). It will mean that we can't play Boston before finals which I see as the most difficult team to beat but not unbeatable. Every other team is beatable. In every other matchup we'll have the best player on the floor except Bucks, but I am taking healthy Hawks team over the Bucks (Doc, lol). Also, let's cheer for the Cavs to stay at #2 as that'll be the easiest team to beat in the first round. Just get there healthy and don't worry about HC. Let's go!!!

[Dnice]

 Bruno is available, so they have better depth now.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Peoriabird]

Hawks are playing great team basketball right both offensively and defensively.  The coaching looks great now!

[hawkman]

Loving the activity from OO so far. He's outhustling the Bulls' bigs.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

12 blocked someone out.

12 BLOCKED SOMEONE OUT!!

 

He's about to get his name back, if he keeps doing stuff like this.

[terrell]

TRae 6 assists 0 turnovers. Keep it up man

GDammit Bruno smfh

[hawkman]

Can't blow too many of those Bruno.

[terrell]

Pretty good start

Edited February 13 by terrell

[Peoriabird]

Sloppy toward the end of the 1st

[Nash]

With that missed layup and then dunk Bruno created like 10 point swing.  They hit 2 3's as a result of open court