Jim Boylan Has an Odd Interpretation of the Word 'Control'

I think it's pretty clear at this point that Jim Boylan's title as interim head coach of the Chicago Bulls is exactly that: interim. He's not coming back next season, not with the way this Bulls team has played and acted since he took over for Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve.

Not only has he shown that he's in way over his head here, but now he's showing signs that he's losing grip with reality. You see, Jim still thinks he's in control.

"It doesn't really matter what other people say," Boylan said. "I just know that what I do in the locker room and with this team, I'm in control. I run this team. We have guys with strong character. We've had a couple of situations where people used poor judgment. I don't think it reflects entirely on the team.

"We have some guys who are very serious about their craft. Some of the other guys need to emulate what they do. If we do that, we'll be fine. If not, there will be other consequences."

You're right, Jim. It doesn't matter what anybody like me says, because nobody really needs to say it to begin with. The fact you've lost control (assuming you ever had any in the first place) is painfully obvious.

Tyrus Thomas is skipping practices, Chris Duhon is skipping town and sleeping through morning shootarounds, and Aaron Gray is yelling at you on the sidelines. And that's just what's happened in the last week.

The last few Bulls games have been on national television, so that means coaches and players have been mic'd up. During those last few games there have been a number of times the networks have shown Boylan in the huddle with the team during timeouts, and I swear to God I haven't seen a single Bull even looking at Boylan while he's talking, let alone listen to him.

If there's a bright side for Boylan, it's that he only has 19 games left to go before he's finally cut loose.

Tyrus Thomas Won't Be Reminiscing With Ben Wallace Tonight

Ben Wallace will be returning to the United Center tonight for the first time since he was traded to Cleveland. As Mariotti instructed you all to do in his column today, I strongly suggest you boo the hell out of him if you're attending the game. Oh, and sneak in a sniper rifle and take out LeBron James too while you're at it. Give the team a real homecourt advantage.

In the few weeks that have passed since Ben left town, I can't say I've missed him. Sure, the Bulls still suck, but at least they're a little more fun to watch as they play a much faster pace without him.

Still, one of the things that did worry me when the Bulls made those deadline day trades was that they traded away all their veterans.

It creates a void in the leadership department, which tends to lead to things like this.

In an untimely development as the Bulls attempt a late-season playoff push (Editor's Note: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA), Tyrus Thomas missed Wednesday's practice and general manager John Paxson suspended the second-year forward two games for the unexcused absence.

Thomas will miss Thursday's home game against the Cavaliers and Friday's game in Boston.

Efforts to reach Thomas for comment were unsuccessful and Paxson declined to comment. Reached late Wednesday, Brian Elfus, one of Thomas' two representatives, also declined to comment other than Thomas' absence was for "personal reasons."

Since neither Tyrus nor his agent could be reached, noone is really sure why he missed practice yesterday. I tend to think, though, that if it was a personal emergency, Tyrus would have at least called the team and let them know he wasn't going to be able to make it.

That he didn't call leads me to believe that he skipped practice out of anger, perhaps over the fact he's barely been getting any playing time the last few games, despite Ben Wallace and Joe Smith no longer in front of him in the rotation.

I can't help but wonder if things would have been different if one of those guys (or Adrian Griffin) was still around to get in his ear and explain to him that skipping practice is not how you earn playing time.

I'm still hopeful Tyrus Thomas can mature into a well-rounded basketball player - he's recently added a 15-foot jump shot to his game to go along with his high flying acrobatics - but I'm not sure the team is going to be patient enough to wait for him to grow up as a person. Tyrus is still only 21 years old, so you have to remember you're dealing with a college-aged kid here, but at the same time the NBA is a professional league. It doesn't matter how old you are, you're getting paid just like everybody else, and at the end of the day it is a job.

There are plenty of times where I'm unhappy with something at my job, but I still go in everyday and get it done. And they're not paying me $3.5 million to do it either.

The Basketball Diaries

Indiana Pacers 112 Chicago Bulls 102

Kareem Rush just owns the Bulls. He's never been that great of a player in the pros, but when he was a Laker, he killed the Bulls. When he was in Charlotte, he killed the Bulls. Now that he's an Indiana Pacer, he's killing the Bulls. Rush scored 22 points on Wednesday night to help the Pacers send the Bulls back to that oh so familiar location, the loss column. The same Kareem Rush who's averaging 3.2 points per game this season. Of course, the game was secondary. The only real action came in the second quarter when Troy Murphy and Tyrus Thomas got into a shoving match and were both ejected from the game. I don't know what it is, but I find this year's team to be completely unlikable, and that's incredibly odd considering it's the same team I loved last year. Right now there are only two players on the roster who I don't hate: Andres Nocioni and Joe Smith. That's not a good thing. This team has me so angry, in fact, I don't even feel like doing a complete Diaries today.

Sorry, but don't blame me. Blame the Bulls for making me hate basketball at the moment.

Elsewhere...

• Sixers 98 TWolves 94
• Raptors 92 Mavs 76
• Bobcats 108 Clippers 103
• Celtics 90 Kings 78
• Sonics 117 Knicks 110
• Rockets 80 Pistons 77
• Bucks 100 Magic 86
• Nuggets 105 Hornets 99
• Blazers 105 Warriors 95
• Suns 103 Jazz 98
  

If Only The Bulls Could Go Back In Time

The Bulls start their annual Circus Trip tonight in Phoenix, and with a 1-5 record, this isn't exactly the best time for the Bulls to hit the road. Ever since Michael and Scottie left Chicago, the Bulls are 5-47 on the annual west coast swing.

5-47.

If you averaged that out to a complete 82-game season, the Bulls would finish with an 8-74 record.

By the time the Bulls come back home we could be looking at a 2-10 or 1-11 team. With every single loss they take on the trip, the calls for Kobe will only grow louder. While I still want Kobe here, the further we go along into the season, the less likely I feel a trade is going to happen.

While I'm sure the Kobe rumors are having an impact on the paper-thin psyches of the young Bulls, I don't think it's the trade they haven't made that's having the biggest effect on the team. I think it's a trade the Bulls did make that's proving to be the larger problem.

Let's go back to the summer of 2006, to the NBA Draft. The Bulls had a lottery pick courtesy of the Knicks, and they used it to draft LaMarcus Aldridge out of Texas. Minutes later the Bulls sent Aldridge to Portland for Tyrus Thomas.

At the time I was fine with the trade because I wanted the Bulls to draft Thomas. I was wrong, and so was John Paxson.

What's the one thing everybody's been saying the Bulls need ever since they traded Eddy Curry? A low-post scorer. Well, we had him.

In only his second year in Portland, Aldridge is averaging 19.0 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. He's getting better with every game as well.

Tyrus Thomas?

He's averaging 9.3 and 7 a game.

Now I'm not writing this as an indictment of Tyrus Thomas. Coming out of college we all knew what Thomas was, a project with freakish athletic ability. And while Tyrus has had a couple of big games for the Bulls already this season, he's nowhere near polished enough of a basketball player to be a consistent threat.

With time Tyrus might become an amazing basketball player, but the Bulls don't really have the time to sit around. If this team is going to make a title run, they need to do it soon. Yeah, the nucleus of this team is young, but with Ben Gordon and Luol Deng's current contract situation, there's no guarantee that either will be back next season.

Which is why LaMarcus Aldridge would have been a bigger help to this team right now than Thomas is. Yes, Aldridge has room to improve as well at the age of 22, but he's already a consistent performer for his team.

Having Aldridge on the team would also allow for Joakim Noah to get more playing time. As of now, Noah is just Ben Wallace but a lot younger. He contributes just about nothing on offense, but he rebounds, and defends well. (To be honest with you, with the way Big Ben is playing right now, I'd rather see Noah in the lineup.) So at the moment, Noah can't play at the same time as Wallace because then the Bulls are playing 3-on-5 on the offensive end.

If Aldridge was here, the Bulls would have a very young frontcourt of Deng, Noah, and Aldridge that over time could have proven to be one of the best in the NBA.

Of course, we'll never know that for sure, will we.

Foul Balls

Rex Is Our Quarterback - We all knew it was coming-in fact we knew hours before the Bears announced it yet for some reason they kept denying it-and it's happened. Rex Grossman is our starting quarterback. Again.

With Brian Griese's shoulder still bothering him, Lovie Smith has decided to hand the keys to the Kia over to Rex.

Now I'm not expecting Rex to be good all of a sudden. People are saying that this benching will be good for him because maybe it will help him relax. Maybe instead of worrying about making mistakes, Rex will just worry about making plays now.

I don't think it will happen. Okay, maybe his mental state is a lot better after a few weeks on the sidelines, but he's still a midget. He still can't see over the line. He still can't detect a pass rush, and he still can't move.

I am excited about the return of Rex, though. Cuz let's face it, with Brian Griese in there you knew what you were going to get. Nothing spectacular, but nothing horrible at the same time. Just mediocrity, which gets boring fast.

Now that Rex is back in charge, I'm excited about watching the Bears on Sunday. We have no idea what he's going to do. He may come out and throw for 350 yards and 5 touchdowns, or he might throw 6 interceptions.

This team isn't going to make the playoffs, so at least Rex will provide us with a real reason to watch every week. Christ, I never thought I'd say this, but I think I actually missed Rex Grossman.

Phil Jackson Is Funny - Ever since Phil Jackson left the Bulls for the Lakers all those years ago, I've noticed that Phil is a smug son of a bitch. I didn't really notice it while he was still in Chicago, because I was young and blinded by those six trophies.

One thing I always thought Phil was, though, was funny. He still is too. Earlier this week after the Lakers were victimized by Tony Parker's constant penetration into the lane, Phil had this to say afterward.

"We call this a `Brokeback Mountain' game because there's so much penetration and kickouts. It was one of those games."

Obviously you can't say this kind of thing without pissing somebody off, and that somebody was GLAAD. So of course, Phil felt the need to apologize for his remarks, which he did yesterday.

"I want to thank all the journalists and TV people who thought it was humorous in the moment last night for their support in laughing, but in retrospect it wasn't funny," Jackson said before the Lakers faced the Houston Rockets.

"When you take it out of context, it wasn't funny," Jackson continued. "It was a poor attempt at humor and I deserved to be reprimanded by the NBA. If I offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I apologize."

Asked if he had left anyone out in his mea culpa, Jackson said, "Well, children."

We need more apologies like this in the world.

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 97 Detroit Pistons 93

And the Bulls finally put one in the win column. It would only figure that after losing to heavyweights like the Sixers, Clippers, and Bucks, the Bulls would get their first win against the Pistons. Tyrus Thomas had another big night, leading the Bulls with 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Unfortunately he couldn't do much on the defensive end to stop Rasheed Wallace, but of course, nobody on the Bulls could stop Rasheed. Wallace finished with 36 points for Detroit, but he did miss a couple of crucial baskets late. The biggest surprise of this game though? Kirk Hinrich didn't get into foul trouble. And guess what? He played well on top of it! What a coincidence. Hinrich only scored 8 points, but he did hand out 14 assists while committing only 3 turnovers. Joe Smith also hit some big shots for the Bulls down the stretch, and though I wasn't very excited by the Bulls signing him, he's proven to be the team's most consistent player this season. Now whether or not his knees hold up all season, that's a different story. Joakim Noah had another game in which he didn't light up the stat sheet, but he definitely brought an energy level to the game that the Bulls needed. And he kept his mouth shut after the game. I should probably also point out that Ben Wallace didn't see a second of playing time in the 4th quarter. Whether it's because his ankle was bothering him, or that Skiles felt more comfortable with Tyrus, Joakim, and Smith, I don't know. Neither is great news.

New Jersey Nets 87 Washington Wizards 85

The Nets are off to their best start in five years, as a win over the Wizards moved them to 4-1 in their first five games this season. Richard Jefferson had 25 points, but it was his offensive rebound late that won the game for New Jersey. Jefferson was fouled and went to the free throw line where he made the two shots that made the difference in this game. "Your eyes get real big sometimes when it's a tied game and someone takes a shot," Jefferson said. "A lot of times people turn around and look at the ball. No one boxed me out and I had a free run at it and the ball bounced perfectly to me." Vince Carter contributed 24 points to New Jersey's cause as well. Gilbert Arenas scored 23 points for the Wizards, and Antawn Jamison had 24, but it wasn't enough to keep the Wizards from falling to 0-4. What kind of crap team starts the season 0-4?

Elsewhere...

• Mavs 120 Warriors 115
  

The Basketball Diaries-The Bulls Don't Need No Stinking Low Post Scorer

Chicago Bulls 95 Boston Celtics 87

Ok, well I already covered Tyrus Thomas' night against the Celtics, but did you know his 23 points led the Bulls in scoring? They did. You know who the Bulls second leading scorer was? It was Ben Wallace. No, that's not a typo, I didn't mean Gordon. Ben Wallace had 19 points (on a career high 21 shots) and 16 rebounds. "I like being left open," Wallace said. "Me and B.G. (Gordon) switched roles. I had some good looks. When the guards get doubled-teamed or tripled-team we have to help them out any way we can. I was open and trying to take the pressure off Kirk and B.G. tonight." Oh, and apropos of nothing, Paul Pierce has some lovely breasts.

Miami Heat 88 Utah Jazz 86

The Jazz were basically in control of the Miami Heat all night, but then the fourth quarter came. Miami outscored Utah 28-12 to overcome a 14-point deficit and win their 7th straight game. Antoine Walker put down his cheeseburger and scored 11 of his 13 in the fourth to lead the Heat back. "Antoine was great," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "When the game counted most, he made all his stuff work."

Minnesota Timberwolves 86 Indiana Pacers 81

The Pacers are entering Mavericks territory in my eyes. They've now lost 10 games in a row, and thanks to their incompetence the Knicks might actually make the playoffs this season. Which would mean the Bulls won't get a lottery pick. Bastards. Jamaal Tinsley scored a career-high 37 but it wasn't enough to overcome KG's 30 and 9 to lead Minnesota.

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 104 Sixers 92
• Cavs 124 Kings 100
• Nets 112 Hornets 108
• Spurs 93 Clippers 84
• Nuggets 107 Blazers 99
• Pistons 101 Sonics 97

Tyrus Thomas Abused The Celtics

I'll get more into the Bulls win over the Celtics last night in the Basketball Diaries, but after the game Tyrus Thomas had last night, he deserves his own post.

Ty had what was easily the best game of his career scoring 23 points and grabbing 9 boards. He also had his share of highlight dunks.

The sad thing is, Tyrus had about four other chances at highlight dunks, but the Celtics kept undercutting him and fouling him. At one point Brian Scalabrine took out all his frustration over being Brian Scalabrine by clotheslining Thomas as he went in for another dunk.

The Basketball Diaries, Chicago Bulls Edition - BOOM Goes the Tyrus!

Chicago Bulls 104, NOOCH 93

Outscoring New Orleans 21-5 in the final minutes, Chicago went on to get its fifth win out of the last seven games.

The Hornets gave it a shot, going on a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter and taking an 88-83 lead, but a Kirk Hinrich three-pointer put the Bulls back in control and they never relinquished it. Ben Gordon put 27 on the board; Hinrich added 22, 11 of them in the fourth quarter. And Tyrus Thomas was spectacular on the boards early in the game (watch the video above for one of the best plays of the year) until he suffered a minor hand injury and lost his momentum.

Meanwhile, Hornet Tyson Chandler made his first appearance at the United Center since being traded by the Bulls last summer. Scoring 10 points and 13 rebounds, Chandler was booed roundly, payback for nasty words recently spoken about his old team and coach.

After the game, Chandler bit back at the fans: "All the yahoos and people that don't understand basketball -- I don't pay too much attention to that."

Well, Tyson, thanks for giving this yahoo a special moment late in the fourth quarter. Even I understood this.

Tyrus Thomas Has Angered the Basketball Gods

No matter whose side you're on, it's become apparent what the Basketball Gods think of Tyrus Thomas' statements about the slam dunk contest earlier this week.

Personally, I don't mind what Thomas said about only entering the dunk contest for "the paycheck."

Players are criticized all the time for not being honest but then when they are, we punish them for it.

Moreover, what you hardly see included in all the talk about Thomas' comments this week is that he also stated he was donating his winnings to his high school back in New Orleans.

Last night against Sacramento, Tyrus debuted a new cleanly shaven head, and got more playing time than he had so far on the Bulls entire road trip.

Well, the Basketball Gods decided that Thursday night on national television was the perfect place to unleash their punishment on Thomas.

Thomas was able to walk around on the ankle pretty easily later, but nobody knows for sure if the injury will affect his status in the dunk contest.

Tyrus Thomas Just Wants His Paycheck, Thank You

I wasn't even aware of the fact that Chicago Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas was in the NBA's Slam-Dunk Contest at the All-Star game before I heard the news he was fined for what he said about it.

When asked by the Chicago Tribune's KC Johnson if Thomas was excited about participating in the contest, Tyrus was a little too honest about his feelings:

"Not really. I'm just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day..."I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there."

The Bulls, General Manager John Paxson in particular, were not amused.

So when Tyrus Thomas receives his check for participating in the contest, it'll be $10,000 lighter cuz the Bulls fined him that amount for his comments.

"This fine is an appropriate response to the remarks Tyrus made concerning his participation in the Slam Dunk Contest. It is a poor reflection on Tyrus individually and a poor reflection on the Bulls organization and I am certainly disappointed."

The Slam Dunk Contest has sucked for a few years now, but the NBA is trying to return the event to its former glory. This year the NBA has gotten Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, and Michael Jordan to judge the event.

Something tells me the NBA isn't very happy about Tyrus' comments either. Whether or not the players association lets this fine stand remains to be seen.

Bulls Avenge Death of Dr. King

Sorry about that headline, we just couldn't think of anything, and we wanted to give the Bulls some props.

Playing without two starters in Ben Wallace and Chris Duhon, the Bulls were able to beat the San Antonio Spurs this afternoon 99-87. Considering the way that the Bulls have played at home, or anywhere for that matter, this season against the Western Conference, to say this win caught us by surprise would be an understatement.

Kirk Hinrich had 23 points, 7 assists, and 10 rebounds to lead the Bulls. There were also big contributions from Ben Gordon (20 points), Luol Deng (17 points) and Andres Nocioni (12 points, 11 rebounds).

Our favorite part of the game was when Tyrus Thomas leapt about 15 feet (give or take an inch) into the air to block a shot by Tim Duncan. He got called for goaltending, but only because NBA officials aren't used to seeing a guy get that high to block a shot. It wasn't goaltending, a thing of beauty is what it was.

If we've learned anything over the last two Bulls games, it's that they're a lot better off without Ben Wallace. They've outscored their opponents 210-153 in those two games, while outrebounding them 104-80.

Ok, so they're not really better off without Wallace, but it's nice to see this team can get a big win like this without him. To be fair, those numbers are just results of getting to play the Grizzlies. There's nothing more fun to watch than a 111-61 spanking of a horrible team like we got to see on Saturday night.

The Bulls have a road game at Milwaukee on Wednesday night, before coming back home to face the Utah Jazz and two of my favorite basketball players of all time. Deron Williams and Dee Brown.

It will definetely feel weird rooting against those two.