NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The word out of Chicago is that Allen Iverson will go to the Bulls in an NBA sign and trade deal with Detroit for shooting guard Ben Gordon. The deal would put high scoring Alan Iverson on the Bulls for probably the end of his career in a pretty good basketball market. This way the Bulls get something for Ben Gordon.

Allen Iverson to the Bulls?

What do the Pistons get out of this deal and didn’t they already sign Ben Gordon? Right now no one can figure out how this helps the Pistons, because they would be seeking salary cap relief. The deal was made in principal, but the free agent market is not officially open for signings until July 8.

The key for the Bulls is if Iverson would come off the bench as a happy camper.

The Bulls also would want to know that Iverson, 34, would be totally committed despite not making the $20 million he’s accustomed to and without playing the primary role he enjoyed for his entire career until he was traded to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups last season. Iverson did not adapt well to diminished minutes with the Pistons, and late in the season vowed to retire before he would come off another team’s bench.

But Iverson apparently is invigorated by the prospect of getting past the Detroit experience. He wrote on his Twitter account Thursday, “For those of you who thought that I was done, think again! … My only preference will be to play for a coach that knows what I bring to the table and that I am going to bring it every night.”
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Ben Gordon would actually get a bigger contract in a sign and trade deal, but his agent did not even talk to the Bulls before agreeing to sign with the Pistons.

This whole deal seems crazy for Detroit and Joe Dumars takes risk, but does not do crazy.
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The Chicago Bulls have a tough decision facing them. In fact, they have several tough decisions on personnel. It seems that every single Bull is on the trading block except for Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.

The big question though, has to do with resigning Ben Gordon. He will get anywhere from 10 to 11 million smackers and that is a lot of money for a small shooting guard that often plays sixth man.

Ben Gordon can score, but how does he guard the taller shooting guards?

Still if you watched the playoffs it was Ben Gordon that could get his shot off under pressure and it was Ben Gordon that could keep them in games. He has that knack.

If the Bulls resign Gordon, they would be over the luxury tax threshold. This may not be an issue.

If Chicago does re-sign Ben Gordon they’ll be pushing the luxury tax threshold, which means there won’t be a lot of money to spend on free agents. Sources have made it clear that the luxury tax thing is not as big a deal for the Bulls as the media seems to be making it out to be, and while that may be true, it’s also no secret that Chicago is protecting their cash until the summer of 2010, when Miller, Tim Thomas
, and Jerome James come off the books. That’s about $24 million in salary gone in a blink.

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The Chicago Bulls have a tough decision facing them. In fact, they have several tough decisions on personnel. It seems that every single Bull is on the trading block except for Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.

The big question though, has to do with resigning Ben Gordon. He will get anywhere from 10 to 11 million smackers and that is a lot of money for a small shooting guard that often plays sixth man.

Ben Gordon can score, but how does he guard the taller shooting guards?

Still if you watched the playoffs it was Ben Gordon that could get his shot off under pressure and it was Ben Gordon that could keep them in games. He has that knack.

If the Bulls resign Gordon, they would be over the luxury tax threshold. This may not be an issue.

If Chicago does re-sign Ben Gordon they’ll be pushing the luxury tax threshold, which means there won’t be a lot of money to spend on free agents. Sources have made it clear that the luxury tax thing is not as big a deal for the Bulls as the media seems to be making it out to be, and while that may be true, it’s also no secret that Chicago is protecting their cash until the summer of 2010, when Miller, Tim Thomas
, and Jerome James come off the books. That’s about $24 million in salary gone in a blink.

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Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The latest greatest almost impossible to dream rumor about is the Bulls picking up Dwyane Wade with a max contract. Can you imagine rookie of the year Derrick Rose and perennial MVP candidate Dwyane Wade in the same backcourt? Hand them a few average big guys and you are talking title contenders for years to come.

Think of your average Chicago Bulls fan tainted with the memory of the great one, Michael Jordan, still fresh in their minds and his 6 titles. They have to be hurting right now. There was the close miss with the Celtics that were without the services of Kevin Garnett and the thought that Derrick Rose is a few years away from being able to carry the team.

Could Rose be teamed up with Wade?

Oh, it could be great. In a couple of the OT games with the Celtics the Bulls went to Rose in tie breaker situations at the end of games. How nice it would be to hand the ball to Dwyane Wade instead. No knock on Derrick, but it would be his job to set Wade up for the victory shot.

Wade could walk right into a backcourt with Derrick Rose, two potential all-league players with a nice supporting cast with Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and John Salmons. Such a plan likely would preclude making a big offer and bringing back Ben Gordon. But then you also risk Miami pulling off a coup, and, say, getting Bosh and then ending up with the 2010 version of Ron Mercer.

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

With a minute left in the 4th quarter and the scored tied, Derrick Rose took Rajon Rondo to the hole and drew a suspect foul, but it was not a shooting foul. On the ensuing play, Derrick Rose slipped going to his left and the ball rolled out of bounds. Interesting, the Bulls go to their rookie point guard with the game on the line.

A blurb on the TV showed that there had been 80 lead changes in the 5 game series. 3 of these games have gone to overtime.

Rajon misses after Marbury turns down a shot and Ben Gordon shoots an afterthought jumper at the other end for the lead.

Paul Pierce goes one on one and shoots a turnaround jumper at the foul line to tie it up.

Pierce and Allen try to carry on without Garnett

Chicago goes to Gordon to win the game and he misses a step back jumper. Odd shot selection.

We go to OT. Paul Pierce knocks down a step back jumper from the right side of the top of the key to give the Celtics a three point lead with 36 seconds left.

Will the Bulls go for the 2 for 1? Yes, Ben Gordon forces a 3 on a quick shot and Tony Allen fouls him. Bad foul.

Gordon makes the first, the second, and the third. Tie score. Time out Boston with 27 seconds left.

Will Boston go to Paul Pierce one last time? Read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The Chicago Bulls have no illusions about this series. They only see the opportunity to win this opening series and move on. Kevin Garnett, the Celtics leader, is hurt and out of the playoffs. The Celtics miss him, but are not using it as an excuse.

It is Derrick Rose vs. Rajon Rondo

The real battle in this series has been a surprise. It is all Derrick Rose against Rajon Rondo and once again, both players were brilliant.

Rose (11 rebounds, nine assists) scored 10 points in the first half, before going scoreless in the third. The NBA Rookie of the Year then took over in the fourth making five of his six shots. His lone miss was a last-second shot that would have won it for the Bulls.

“My team is looking for me to be aggressive,” Rose said. “I was looking to push the ball and get my teammates involved.”

Rondo, Rose’s counterpart, was an absolute force again for the Celtics, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and two steals. Paul Pierce had a team-high 29 points — 11 in the two overtime periods.

“[Rondo is] a good point guard,” Rose said. “He does everything you need to get done on the court. It’s fun out there when we are playing against each other.”

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Rose ruled the 4th quarter and Ben Gordon made a great shot to move the game to the second overtime, where John Salmons performed some heroics to win the game. John Salmons not only had 20 points, but he sealed the game with two free throws and then blocked Paul Pierce’s last second attempt to win the game.

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Chicago has it all set up for them to win easily at home tonight, but easily just does not come easily in the NBA playoffs. The Bulls may not find the friendly home confines to be the answer they are hoping for.

Derrick Rose needs to find a way to slow down Rajon Rondo before they change his name to Raging Roundballer. Rajon had a triple double on a sprained ankle in the last game. That is right; he did it on one leg. Pretty impressive.

Rajon rules in spite of nothing up his sleeves

If the Bulls can bring the effort then the odds are that the Celtics will find themselves down 2 - 1 facing another game in Chicago without Kevin Garnett or Leon Powe.

It is that needed effort that has Bull Coach Vinny Del Negro concerned.

”Never think you can use logic in basketball,” Del Negro said. ”Playoff basketball just doesn’t work like that. Every game causes different adjustments, different matchups.

”We have to control [Rondo] in transition; he’s like a one-man fast break. His rebounding and his assists are killing us. We have to do a better job of keeping him off the glass and pay a little bit more attention to him. We have to do a better job keeping him out of the paint. He’s very quick and tough off the dribble.”

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Here is a team that won over 60 games playing a team that won only 41, but that 41 is deceptive, because they added Salmons and Miller to that roster and Derrick Rose just kept on improving.

This is not a blog about the Celtics being one and done, but it does play into my prediction from last year.

Funny thing about predictions, you can always bring up the ones that are correct and just forget the ones that are way off. Even timing just gets in the way of the truth. It is kind of like golf, fishing, or stock investing. Hey, did you hear about my fishing trip last summer? There as this fish and it was so big that it barely fit into the boat and, oh, there was this golf hole, number 5, and using a 7 iron, uh then there was that small company in my portfolio and it just zoomed and , wait, wait, wait…We were talking basketball here.

Last year, my prediction/concern was that one of the 3 amigos would get hurt. They didn’t and Boston won. This year Garnett did get hurt (the 3 amigos are getting old and brittle.) and Chicago may steal the series.

In the NBA, there are few office pools because there are few series upsets. The higher seeded home teams should win handily at home and lose by a bucket on the road. That is not happening here. In Boston these two teams look equal. Chicago may get at home and win easily.

Ben Gordon almost out dueled Ray Allen to win this last game, while Read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Derrick Rose led the Bulls over the Celtics in a first round road playoff victory.

Chicago 108 Boston 95

Derrick had a great year as the leading rookie in the NBA (my opinion), but he saved his very best for this game. The Celtics are fragile playing without Kevin Garnett and the Bulls are hungry with their star rookie looking the hungriest of all.

Derrick Rose is beating Boston single handedly

Rose followed up his 11 assists with a season high 36 points.

If USA Basketball kingpin Jerry Colangelo has any doubts about the availability of Chris Paul or Deron Williams for 2012 in London, this game should put to rest any anxieties he might have concerning potential point guards.

To put Rose’s game in perspective, his season best was 27 points. He had never made more than eight free throws in any game. He matched his season high for field goals (12, in 21 attempts). No one in NBA history has scored more points in his playoff debut and only one, Lew Alcindor, scored as many.
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In fairness to the Celtics, Rajon Rondo also had a great game with 29 points.
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Dwyane Wade collapses to the floor after beating the Bulls. Could Wade become a Bull?

The rumors have started and this one would truly be fun. How about if Dwyane Wade went to the Bulls to join up with Derrick Rose. Could it be the return of Pippen and Jordan and a return of the glory years of victories, victories, and more Bulls victories punctuated by NBA titles and MVP awards?

Wade’s performance in Monday night’s 130-127 double-overtime victory over the Bulls was one for the ages. His desperation heave to end the first half miraculously fell. He buried a dramatic 3-pointer to tie the game in regulation. He stole the ball from John Salmons with three seconds left and made a running 3 to win the game and send the Miami crowd into a frenzy. He finished with 48 points and 12 assists in the latest of a string of individual performances that proves he is at least the equal of two other members of the highly anticipated 2010 free-agent class, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

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The Bull’s fans can dream of a local hero dream backcourt of Rose and Wade, but the odds are it won’t happen. Big time free agents rarely leave their teams, because the money is set up to be higher if they stay. The league wants team loyalty by the fans.

But Wade is struggling outside of basketball, so who knows?

Wade is having what may be the most productive season of his career despite off-the-court turmoil that threatens to harm his once-unblemished reputation. He is in the midst of a high-profile divorce that includes accusations that he abandoned his children. His restaurant chain failed. A disgruntled former business partner made unsubstantiated claims about Wade using recreational drugs.

So Bulls fans should keep on dreaming and keep your fingers crossed!
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Rodney Stuckey

If you read this column at all, then you realize that your intrepid author is a huge Detroit Pistons fan. There is no reason to hide it and let’s hope it does not turn off any readers. All of you have your favorite teams out there.

That being said, it was a special night when the Pistons played the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose would be playing. Rose is excellent. It would be fun to see him play against the powerful Pistons. The Bulls would be outmanned and the defense on Rose and his teammates would be ferocious.

Well, that was what your intrepid author was looking forward to, but that is not what happened. Rodney Stuckey stole the show. Rodney is going to be a great player some day, but it seemed like he was there already.

The second-year guard caught fire early and stayed hot throughout the game as he torched the Bulls for a career-high 40 points in the Pistons’ 104-98 victory.

Stuckey, whose previous career high was 27 points in April at Minnesota, was 15 of 24 from the field, and he made nine of 11 free throws. Stuckey has averaged 18.4 points and 7.4 assists in the seven games since he became a starter.

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Stuckey seemed to be everywhere doing everything. He would drive to the hole and score. He would fake a shot and drop the ball off to Rasheed for a 3. He would fake a drive and fire a pass to Prince for a long range bomb. He would patiently dribble up top until Rip Hamilton became open on the curl play for a mid range patented jumper from Hamilton. If all else failed and the shot clock wore down, then Rodney would go to the hole with a slashing drive and score over Nocioni or some other outmanned Bull.

It was supposed to be about Rose and instead was about Stuckey.

Still my intent was to watch Rose and what he could do. It would be easy to say that Rodney fouled out Rose (and Ben Gordon), but that would miss the point.

Derrick Rose is tall, strong, and oh so quick. He can run the floor and can short jumpers and he can hold up the ball and spot the open man. There is little to work with on the Bulls, but you could tell that Rose is, in Vitale language, a dandy. His quickness is most evident, because he is so big. If you face him as a small guard, then you would expect to at least be quicker, but that would not be the case. Rose is quick, period.

There will be other Rose vs. Stuckey battles and Stuckey will not win them all, but on this night it was all Rodney.
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