Occasional Observations on Several Subjects - Bulls vs. Hawks

-Last night's game was the first that I've watched since completely buying in to the concepts of Liberated Fandom and it made the game infinitely more enjoyable to watch. Yes, I'm still a Bulls fan at heart but watching the game totally divested of interest in the result made it easy to appreciate everything that was happening. No longer was I worrying about Kirk Hinrich's atrocious play or Skiles' insistence of handing the offense to Nocioni. Instead, I could enjoy Ty Thomas' dunks, Joakim Noah doing Joakim Noah things, and Ben Wallace showing flashes of his old self. It was even to the point that I liked Chris Duhon last night, a first in the seven years that he's been on my radar. Being unencumbered by the team's status, I was able to like the things that I like about this team and it feels fantastic. I'll always be a Bulls fan, but Liberated Fandom allows me to actually enjoy it.

-Al Horford looked intimidated by Ben Wallace. Rather than initiating contact like he usually does (and did when Aaron Gray entered the game), Al was drifting away from Wallace on his post shots. It didn't seem as if he was refusing to play a physical and he did grad 14 boards. It was just unusual to see him fading on his shots.

-31 rebounds between Thomas (12), Wallace (12), and Noah (7). I've liked Joe Smith this year, but this should be their big man rotation. Not only does it allow Noah and Thomas to develop, but the three of them complement each other pretty well. They aren't options on offense, but their offensive rebounding (11 combined, which lead to 20 second-chance points) is still a contribution on that end.

-Marvin Williams' head confuses me. When he played at UNC, I thought his head was too big for his body. Now only two years later, it looks tiny compared to the rest of him.

-Until Ben Wallace learns to roll the right way on a high pick, he can't complain about not being a part of the offense. He spun the wrong direction EVERY time he set the high screen. Only when Zaza "Enormous Head" Pachulia bailed him out was his path to the basket effective. When you have to count on Zaza Pachulia to make you an offensive threat, that's not a good look.

-With 11:00 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, Hinrich committed his fourth foul and Skiles replaced him with Duhon. He did not make another substitution until Nocioni entered at the start of the 4th period. During this time the Bulls outscored the Hawks 32-19. With three of their four highest paid players on the bench and their coach doing very little coaching (one timeout called). Worth noting.

-Who was the Afro-ed fellow at the end of the Bulls bench in street clothes? Thomas Gardner, I assume.

-It's easy to see why the Bulls drafted Noah. In 17 minutes he had 5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He does all the things that Skiles wants plus he could eventually become a secondary playmaker for a team that needs as many as they can get. I very much like Joakim Noah and his bonky hair.

-Right now, there is no difference between Tyrus Thomas and Jason Maxiell. They both have no offensive repertoire outside of ferocious dunks, are decent rebounders, and play high-energy games. The discrepancy is that the Pistons are pleased with any contribution that they get from Maxiell while the Bulls are counting on Thomas to be a key component of their team. That sort of thing is the difference between the Pistons and the Bulls. People don't realize (or didn't going in to the season) how much of a chasm there is between those two teams.

-I have a friend that looks almost exactly like Aaron Gray.

-There was a Salim Stoudamire sighting! 6 shots in 10 minutes. Dude's a gunner, but he was hitting. Why he doesn't he get more tick, you might ask? Probably because he had 1 assist and the announcers were literally surprised when he passed the ball.