The Chicago Bulls fell to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight 104 to 101 at the United Center.

Ben Gordon hit a clutch three to tie the game at 101. Then Brad Miller fouled Andre Iguodala who made 1 of 2 free throws to give the 76ers a 102 to 101 lead. Rose was then blocked at the rim on a layup. The 76ers then whipped the ball down court to Thaddeus Young who scored on a layup with no one around him. Ben Gordon than dribbled up court, and took a very contested three point shot that rattled off the rim.

Ben Gordon hit another three point shot tonight. He is now just 14 three pointers away from breaking Nick Van Exel’s record for most three pointers by a player in the first five years of their career.

The Bulls just didn’t look good tonight at all. I thought Derrick Rose looked pretty good, finishing with 20 points 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Still, his true shooting percentage wasn’t very high.

Ben Gordon had another tough scoring night, only scoring 9 points on 4-12 shooting. He also had 2 steals. Ben only really had two good looks tonight. One on a midrange jumper in the first quarter, and then on that three point shot he hit late in the fourth quarter. The Bulls need some plays that get Gordon some more good looks at the basket. Other teams don’t have a problem getting their best players good looks, how come the Bulls have this problem? To get said plays, hiring a real NBA coach would probably be a step in the right direction.

John Salmons had a bit of a rough shooting night as well, only scoring 14 points on 5-13 shooting.

Coming into the game, I though Samuel Dalembert would give the Bulls problems (because he always does), and he did just that tonight, having a monster of a game, finishing with 8 points, 19 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

I thought a lot of Dalembert’s big game just came by weak play from Brad Miller and Tyrus Thomas. Brad Miller had 14 points and 7 rebounds, but he was really terrible tonight. He gave up a lot of rebounds because he doesn’t jump for them, and he is always out of place defensively and commits bad fouls to compensate for his poor defense.

Tyrus Thomas has reverted to bad Tyrus Thomas. He finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds tonight. He takes a lot of stupid shots on offense that he doesn’t have the skill to have a hope of making. He doesn’t put a body on anyone in regards to rebounding, and his defense in the paint is usually weak. Thomas extended his block streak.

Kirk Hinrich was good tonight, scoring 14 points on 10 shots. The game wouldn’t have been quite as close as it was without Hinrich’s little scoring punch off the bench.

Joakim Noah also did really well, scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. He should have been in instead of Brad Miller in the fourth quarter.

Tim Thomas was bad overall, but his barrage of 3 three pointers helped get the Bulls back in the game.

Andre Miller had 13 points and 13 assists.

The scoring duo of Andre Iguoldala and Thaddeus Young really killed the Bulls. Iguodala had 25 points and Thaddeus Young 31 points. Del Negro had Gordon guarding Young for part of the game. Young is a big, 6′8″ forward. Del Negro is out of his element coaching if he thinks Gordon can guard Thaddeus Young.

Maurice Speights had 10 points. The Bulls gave up way too many easy dunks up to him.

With the loss, the Bulls fall to 29-37 on the season.

Diatribe Against League Pass

This was the screen that we were treated to tonight.

Were there really no games tonight? What about the Bulls vs. 76ers game among others? League Pass just completely died a little before the midpoint of the fourth quarter. A lot happened down the stretch that those using league pass depend on.

David Stern, if you have any respect for your customers, you must do one of two things. First, you could offer a refund to all of those who did not receive the product that they are paying for. The second thing you could do is offer a public apology to the customers. Not your publicist issuing an apology on your behalf, but from you. League Pass has cut out during crucial moments of multiple games this season, and NBA fans simply deserve better.

Closing Comments: Del Negro’s Probably Getting Fired

This was a must win game for the Bulls. The 76ers aren’t a very good team and are also a team that the Bulls are chasing in the playoff race. You have to win these games against mediocre teams and the Bulls have failed to do so all season long and that has to fall on the coach.

Vinny Del Negro, you are probably getting fired at the end of the season. You are a horrible coach. After our joke of a loss to the Orlando Magic, I said that making the playoffs should not be enough for Del Negro to keep his job. The Bulls are a very talented team. They took the core of a team that won nearly 50 games and a first round playoff series, but who just disappointed for one season and added the first overall pick in the draft, and they’re still just on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Making the playoffs with a losing record doesn’t mean we’re a good team, it means the rest of the conference sucks.

If Del Negro doesn’t get the Bulls to .500, he should be fired, simple as that. Anything less would be too little of an improvement over Jim Boylan to warrant Del Negro keeping his job. With Tom Thibodeau, Avery Johnson, Flip Saunders, and Jeff Van Gundy all not in head coaching jobs, the Bulls will have a good crop of coaches to choose from.

The NBA sent out a press release today announcing the participants in the 2009 Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Here is the press release that the NBA sent out.

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2009 – Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the reigning T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, lead a list of 18 players selected for the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, Feb. 13 in Phoenix during NBA All-Star 2009.

The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. For the first time in the game’s history, two current NBA players, All-Star starters Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat – veterans of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and part of T-Mobile’s “All-Star Faves” – will serve on the coaching staffs, Howard for the Sophomores and Wade for the Rookies. The head coaches for the Rookie and Sophomore teams will be the lead assistants from the 2009 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.

Forward Jeff Green, Durant’s teammate in Oklahoma City, joins him on the Sophomore team, which also includes Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford, Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton, Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler, Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey and a pair of teammates from the Houston Rockets – guard Aaron Brooks and forward Luis Scola.

Joining Rose on the Rookie team are two sets of teammates – guard O.J. Mayo and center Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and center Greg Oden and guard Rudy Fernandez from the Portland Trail Blazers. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Clippers guard Eric Gordon, Heat forward Michael Beasley and New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez round out the Rookie team.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam will be televised live nationally on TNT at 9 p.m. ET and also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, while NBA.com will make live audio available to fans in multiple languages. Fans tuning in to TNT will also get a special treat, as NBA All-Star starter LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a participant in the 2004 and 2005 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, will join Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager as part of TNT’s broadcast as an analyst.

As title partner of the Rookie Challenge and overall NBA Rookie Program, T-Mobile has teamed up with the NBA and NBA Cares to create the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Phoenix students to experience NBA All-Star 2009. By successfully completing fitness, nutrition, and community service requirements, more than 3,500 “T-Mobile Stick Together All-Stars,” ages 11-15, from participating school districts in Phoenix will watch the game from the best seats in the house at US Airways Arena.

As a new element to the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, fans had the unique opportunity to design the official jerseys worn by the Rookie and Sophomore teams. Thousands of fans registered for the NBA LIVE Jersey Creator Contest hosted by EA SPORTS for the chance to win a trip for two to Phoenix, AZ for NBA All-Star 2009. The winning jersey is being produced by adidas, the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, and will be worn by all participating Rookie and Sophomore players, marking the first time that a fan designed jersey has ever been worn during an NBA game or event. In past years, Rookies and Sophomores wore their regular team jerseys during the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. The winning design was created by 18-year-old Tim Ahmed from East Meadow, Long Island. Ahmed attended East Meadow High School and is currently a first-year student at Baruch College in Manhattan.

In last year’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson earned Most Valuable Player honors, making 11 three-pointers en route to a game-high 33 points, as the Sophomores cruised to a 136-109 victory. Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay added 22 points and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar tallied 17 points and 11 assists. Durant, then of the Seattle SuperSonics, led the Rookies with 23 points.

The contest began its current format pitting the Rookies against the Sophomores in 2000 and the Sophomores hold a 7-2 advantage over the first-year players. The game will be played in two 20-minute halves. Individual foul totals will be kept, but a player cannot foul out. A team will be in the penalty situation after 10 team fouls or after the second foul in the final two minutes of each half. In the event of a tie game, there will be a two-minute overtime to determine the winner. The clock will stop after each successful field goal in the last minute of each half.

T-Mobile will provide basketball fans with the opportunity to have their vote count toward selecting the MVP of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam by voting on NBA.com or via SMS on mobile phones during the second half of the game.

The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages and broadcast on NBA.com.

NBA All-Star brings together the top NBA players and performers for a week of competition, community service and world-class entertainment. Among the many other exciting All-Star events are Sprite Slam Dunk, Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, PlayStation® Skills Challenge, Haier Shooting Stars and NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

Building upon its already strong appeal to the nation’s youth and as Official Partner of the NBA, T-Mobile is showcasing the NBA’s youngest players — the Rookies — through the T-Mobile Rookie Program. Highlights include the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, an All-Star competition between NBA rookies and second-year players, and rookie awards presentations including the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month and T-Mobile Rookie of the Year. To learn more about T-Mobile’s partnership with the NBA, visit www.t-mobile.com/nba.

Below are the rosters for the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam:

ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Michael Beasley Miami F 6-9 245 Kansas St.
Rudy Fernandez Portland G-F 6-6 185 Spain
Marc Gasol Memphis C 7-1 265 Spain
Eric Gordon L.A. Clippers G 6-3 222 Indiana
Brook Lopez New Jersey C 7-0 260 Stanford
O.J. Mayo Memphis G 6-4 210 USC
Greg Oden Portland C 7-0 285 Ohio State
Derrick Rose Chicago G 6-3 190 Memphis
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City G 6-3 187 UCLA

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – Dwyane Wade

SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Aaron Brooks Houston G 6-0 161 Oregon
Wilson Chandler New York F 6-8 220 DePaul
Kevin Durant Oklahoma City G-F 6-9 215 Texas
Jeff Green Oklahoma City F 6-9 235 Georgetown
Al Horford Atlanta F-C 6-10 245 Florida
Luis Scola Houston F-C 6-9 245 Argentina
Al Thornton L.A. Clippers F 6-8 220 Florida State
Rodney Stuckey Detroit G 6-5 205 Eastern Washington
Thaddeus Young Philadelphia F 6-8 220 Georgia Tech

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – Dwight Howard

PREVIOUS T-MOBILE ROOKIE CHALLENGE RESULTS

1994 - Phenoms 74, Sensations 68
1995 - White 83, Green 79 (OT)
1996 - East 94, West 92
1997 - East 96, West 91
1998 - East 85, West 80
2000 - Rookies 92, Sophomores 81 (OT)
2001 - Sophomores 121, Rookies 113
2002 - Rookies 103, Sophomores 97
2003 - Sophomores 132, Rookies 112
2004 - Sophomores 142, Rookies 118
2005 - Sophomores 133, Rookies 106
2006 - Sophomores 106, Rookies 96
2007 – Sophomores 155, Rookies 114
2008 – Sophomores 136, Rookies 109

Source: Bulls.com

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Philadelphia 76ers tonight in Philadelphia 103 to 92 to finish up their circus trip.

The Bulls fell behind in the first quarter, but fought there way back in the 2nd quarter. The Bulls trailed by 3 points at the half.

During the second quarter, Derrick Rose made Andre Miller fall down when he crossed him over, breaking his ankles.

In the third quarter, Ben Gordon got hot, scoring 13 points (would have been 14 points if it wasn’t for a Derrick Rose lane violation on one of his free throws). After Gordon opened up a sizable lead for the Bulls, Derrick Rose blew it open with a spectacular finish to the third quarter, capping it off from an alley-oop dunk that was assisted by Ben Gordon. \

The Bulls outscored the 76ers 31 to 11 in the third, and entered the fourth with a seventeen point lead. Del Negro got a little reckless in his coaching when he took Rose and Gordon out of the game, allowing the 76ers to creep back in, but the Bulls hung on to win the game.

The Bulls backcourt duo was simply great today. Ben Gordon finished the game with 21 points, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds. Derrick Rose finished the game with 18 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds. Having two guys who can take over the game at anytime makes the Bulls a really deadly team.

Drew Gooden also had a strong game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Gooden should be considered the Bulls third option, behind Rose and Gordon now. Gooden has averaged 19.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in the past 5 games. The Bulls were 3-2 in these 5 games. As long as the Bulls are getting third wheel production out of either Gooden or Deng, they will be a tough team to beat.

Luol Deng was pretty much a nonfactor in today’s game, but he by no means had a bad game, finishing with 8 points on 3-7 shooting in his return to the starting lineup. If Deng doesn’t start stepping it up soon, Paxson will need to begin exploring trade options before Deng loses all of his value.

Larry Hughes had 16 points in his new role as the Bulls’ sixth man. The 76ers left him open for three and Hughes made them pay by shooting 4-6 from three point land.

For the 76ers, Elton Brand had 21 points and 12 rebounds, but didn’t seem to have too much of an impact on the game.

Andre Iguodala only had 8 points on 3-9 shooting. The 76ers tried to post him up on Gordon early in the game, but that experiment failed.

Andre Miller had 15 points and 10 assists and Thaddeus Young had 17 points.

The Bulls finished the circus trip 3-4 and finish the month of November with a record of 8-9. This is a terrific start, given that the Bulls have had the toughest schedule in the NBA thus far, and also because Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon have been the only one’s who’ve had good all around months for the Bulls. Drew Gooden has been good as of late.

The Bulls will play the 76ers again on Tuesday at the United Center.