Oct
12
Chicago Bulls 100, Dallas Mavericks 92
He entered late in the first quarter, making the collective stomach of Bulls fans drop upon sight. Back in the 2001 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected current Dallas Maverick Trenton Hassell with the first pick of the second round and Gilbert Arenas still available. The Golden State Warriors would naturally pick Arenas immediately after the Bulls, with then-ESPN commentator and current Louisville Head Basketball Coach Rick Pitino saying that Arenas had the chance to be one of those real special players drafted in the second round.
Pitino would prove to be a profit as Arenas would go on to be one of the most dynamic scorers and personalities in the league after tearing it up in two seasons at the University of Arizona. Hassell would essentially become a journeyman, bouncing from Chicago to the Minnesota Timberwolves to now the Mavericks in his seventh NBA season. Once again, Chicago General Manager Jerry Krause tried to find a diamond in the rough; in trying to be smarter than he was, Krause passed up on one of the best players in the game.
Back to tonight’s game, Chicago Bulls rookie Aaron Gray had another impressive game, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. In Chicago’s first pre-season game, Gray scored 10 points and snatched six rebounds in sixteen minutes.
So far, Gray has showed that he has soft hands and a nice touch down low. And he has been looking good against backups and guys just hoping to make the league. The key for Gray to have a decent career will rest on his ability to cope with the physicality of life in the NBA lane. Gray was abused and pushed all over the court by UCLA during the 2007 NCAA Tournament and will need to prove that he can stand tough down low in the NBA if hoping to get solid minutes with the Bulls.
As for Dallas second-round pick Nick Fazekas, he scored eight points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field in 16 minutes. Fazekas displayed his soft shooting touch at times tonight, which will have to be his calling card if he expects to not only stick with Dallas but also play long in the NBA and be a Matt Bullard-type player from a step inside the three-point line rather than a step outside of it.
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
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He entered late in the first quarter, making the collective stomach of Bulls fans drop upon sight. Back in the 2001 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected current Dallas Maverick Trenton Hassell with the first pick of the second round and Gilbert Arenas still available. The Golden State Warriors would naturally pick Arenas immediately after the Bulls, with then-ESPN commentator and current Louisville Head Basketball Coach Rick Pitino saying that Arenas had the chance to be one of those real special players drafted in the second round.
