Kirk Hinrich pretty much lost this game. With 3 seconds to go and the Bulls up 3, Monta Ellis (a good 3-point shooter to be sure) drove up to the right side of the court to take a desperation 3 as time expired. Hinrich fouled as Ellis went into his shot, with 1.2 seconds left. Ellis seemingly had no chance …
Bulls 97, Jazz 95 (11/24/14)
Hot damn, is this team fun to watch. This is the third time we’ve seen the Butler-Dunleavy-Gasol-Noah-Rose starting 5 this season, and each time they’ve started those 5 they’ve won the first quarter (twice convincingly). Chicago played probably it’s strongest 12 minutes of the year in the first quarter, dominating both offensively and defensively. Listening to the Utah Jazz commentators (a nice …
Predicting a Max Scherzer Contract
I figure it makes sense to perform the same calculations I did for Jon Lester for Max Scherzer. I think the chance he signs with the Cubs is a lot lower than Jon Lester, but it’s theoretically possible. Basically, we only need to calculate a starting WAR, and I’ll be using a depreciation schedule of Year(N+1) = Year(N) * .85. Scherzer …
Predicting a Jon Lester contract
The Cubs are meeting with Jon Lester, who already has a contract offer from the Red Sox. He’ll probably take that contract offer, but we’ll see. It’s expected that the totals for Lester will be at minimum 6/$120MM, and is in all likelihood going to be way off. Just how much value does Lester have, though? Lester is both an …
Bulls 105, Clippers 89 (11/17/14)
Link. Jimmy Butler has been playing like a max guy this season (both in usage and minutes). Year MPG Usage PP36 PER 2012 8.5 14.9 10.9 12.5 2013 26 14.6 11.9 15.2 2014 38.7 16.8 12.2 13.5 2015 40.3 21.3 19 22.6 PP36 is points per 36 minutes on the floor. Butler is near or at the top of the …
Bulls 100, Raptors 93 (11/13/14)
I’m getting ready to see Tom Thibodeau lose his job, honestly. There are some things that are inexcusable, and using a 7-man rotation on November 13, 2014 is certainly one of them. I realize that the Toronto Raptors were 7-1, and a likely playoff team that you want to beat. That being said, you have to plan for the actual …
Let’s talk about Colby Rasmus
For some inexplicable reason, I’ve always been a Colby Rasmus fan. Actually, I can explain it – Tony La Russa hates Colby Rasmus, so I must love him. Traded for pennies on the dollar to Toronto, Rasmus (the former #3 prospect in baseball) has had a very up-and-down career so far. He’s now a free agent, and one the Cubs …
Cubs theoretical offseasons on dynamic payrolls
I’ve recently speculated, as has Bleacher Nation, that the Cubs’ payroll obligations at the moment is around $65 million. MLBTR just came out with a graphic touting the number as $61 million. I trust Brett and myself more than Tim, but we can all agree that $65 million is close. Since that number is so low, we can all assume …
Let’s talk about Torii Hunter
There are a few reports that link Torii Hunter to the Cubs out there. A number of teams have expressed preliminary interest in Torii Hunter, including #Royals, #Twins, #Cubs, #Rangers, #SFGiants, #Mariners… — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014 I’m not sure how I feel about that. Looking into Torii Hunter a little bit, I came across two interesting …
Bulls 102, Pistons 91 (11/11/14)
Sometimes Bulls fans don’t appreciate just how good of a basketball player Derrick Rose is. Sure, Rose has missed an awful lot of time in the past 3 years, and it’s robbed a player on a HOF trajectory of some prime years. That sucks. When Rose is even close to healthy, though, he can drastically change the trajectory of a …