Friendly Bounce Open Run: Russell Westbrook evolves and the Bulls stay the same

Welcome back to the Friendly Bounce Open Run

Russell Westbrook is evolving

by Matt Cianfrone

One of the best parts of Russell Westbrook over the last few seasons has been the chaos he brings. Westbrook was so fun to watch because thanks to his athleticism, fearlessness and general disregard for anyone’s safety, he was able to take advantage of the crazy parts of games by just doing unimaginable things.

Against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, though, that Russell Westbrook was nowhere to be found. Instead there was a calm, controlled and still incredibly dominant Westbrook in his place. Throughout the night the severely undermanned Pelicans continued to throw run after run at the Thunder, pulling within six here and four there and finally within three with just over three minutes to play, but each time Westbrook started a run to keep them from actually taking the lead.

There were still highlight plays, like his full court spring past everyone on the floor to push a six point lead to eight around the two minute mark, but it never felt like it was an out-of-control force that happened to go the Thunder’s way like in the past. Instead it felt like it does when most superstars take over games.

The Pelicans had no real chance, no real answer for the superior basketball that Westbrook was playing. It felt like a step in the evolution of Russell Westbrook and it was really fun to watch. While I will always love the ferocious athleticism and anger that truly defines Westbrook more than most things in the NBA it was cool to see Russ strike the balance between that and the player so many people want him to be.

If he can continue to play the balancing act between the two going forward the Thunder are going to be a bigger problem than they ever have been before. Which is as scary of a thought as trying to stop Russ one-on-one in the open floor with the game on the line.

~Professional H.O.R.S.E. player Trevor Booker~

Jimmy Butler and the quirky Chicago Bulls

by Ryne Prinz

The Bulls tallied up another win on Wednesday against the Suns to improve to 8-3 and move them into first place in the Eastern Conference. They continue to beat great teams and fall short against below average teams. This inconsistency plagued the Bulls last season as well, but they’ve found some stability in Jimmy Butler.

Butler is coming off of a tremendous year where he won Most Improved Player and made his first All-Star appearance, but he certainly isn’t stopping there. Jimmy is now a top-20 player in the league and easily the best of the Bulls.

Jimmy shined against Phoenix, scoring 32 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in a tight contest. He got his buckets in a variety of ways, whether he was hitting stepback jumpers, catching lobs for dunks or drilling huge threes down the stretch. What was even more impressive was the way in which Butler took control of the game in the 4th quarter. He scored 12 of his points in the final period and sealed the game from the Bulls. It was an outstanding performance.

As a Bulls fan, Jimmy Butler is the silver lining of this franchises misfortunes in the past few seasons. Injuries to key players and disappointment in the postseason have been bittersweet, all because Jimmy has blossomed into one of the league’s premier players. Maybe, just maybe, that’s what Chicago needs to push them over the edge.

COREY BREWER ONIONS

The Ghost of Thibs looms for new look Bulls

by Donnie Kolakowski

Sweet Home Alabama is a charming movie about Reese Witherspoon trying to escape her roots. Once she goes home, she discovers you can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl. (Full disclosure: I’ve never actually seen the movie, but that’s the synopsis Hollywood sold us.)

Once the decision was made to replace Tom Thibodeau with Fred Hoiberg, the Bulls were supposed to be a brand new team. Nikola Mirotic replaced Joakim Noah in the starting lineup, and this was going to be an offensive team, with fluid motion on every possession. It was a deeper team, and no one would have to worry about playing too many minutes. The biggest concern was the defense, particularly for the starting unit.

Well, the Bulls players, just like Reese Witherspoon, learned they can’t simply break from what they are. You can take the Bulls away from Thibs, but you can’t take Thibs’ voice out of the Bulls players’ heads.

It hasn’t been offense that has sparked the Bulls to be tied for the best record in the conference thus far, but defense. The team is 25th in offensive efficiency, but 5th in defensive efficiency. Somehow, despite playing Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Aaron Brooks, and Doug McDermott significant minutes, the team has relied on defense to win.

And it’s not just the defense, either. There’s Jimmy Butler, still playing 40 minutes and shouldering a huge burden down the stretch. There’s Aaron Brooks, pulling a hamstring, yet gutting it out because the team couldn’t afford to be down another point guard. He shouldn’t have been allowed back in the game, but he was, because Bulls. Here was the team down two players that start when healthy, winning a road game against a tough Western Conference team.

Hoiberg will likely leave his mark on this team by the end of the year and it’s highly unlikely this defensive effort holds up, but the ghost of Thibs still lingers. And the real Thibs is likely hiding in his secret lair in the bowels of the reconstructed Berto Center, screaming ICE at pick and rolls, and cracking something resembling a smile when his old team pulls off another solid defensive effort.

DeMar DeRozan stars in Space Jam 2

Often times the best dunks are the ones we don’t see coming. The ones that shock you as much as awe you. The ones that actually make you jump out of your seat and put your hands on your head.

That was the kind of dunk DeMar DeRozan threw down last night on Rudy Gobert.

We see plenty of amazing dunks every single week during the NBA season, but only a handful are actual posters. Most are of the fastbreak variety, where we have a few seconds to see the events unfolding before us. Yet on Wednesday night, DeMar made magic out of nothing.

It was a simple drive to the basket, an move we see countless times each night. Coming over to contest was Rudy Gobert, and then, so all of a sudden, DeMar DeRozan was cramming the ball right in his face.

You didn’t even have time to really process what happened until it was all over, until you saw the replay from 17 different angles. Watching live, it was just, “hey DeMar’s going…WHOAALLKHSDFLKH.”

And it was awesome. God bless dunking. God bless DeMar DeRozan. God bless Rudy Gobert.