Oct
9
Bucks 93, Bulls 88
While the Milwaukee Bucks may have beaten the Chicago Bulls 93-88 tonight largely on a fourth quarter effort by second-stringers playing against mostly guys who won’t be in the league in a month, the game was very revealing in terms of both teams’ top draft choices. Chicago rookie Joakim Noah played a solid game, scoring six points in 23 minutes, while Bucks rookie Yi Jianlian notched three points and six fouls in 15 ineffective minutes.
For Yi, the adjustment to the NBA may take a full season, perhaps like the player he has been compared to, Dirk Nowitzki, who struggled in his first season in the league. Jianlian was pretty much a non-factor tonight, getting embarrassed on both sides of the court on separate occasions.
In the third quarter, Yi was dunked on by Chicago long-shot, rookie guard Thomas Gardner of Missouri, who received the ball on the break from Kirk Hinrich and went up with no fear with Jianlian approaching. Before Jianlian knew it, Gardner had quickly slammed the ball in his face and drawn the foul. The play was quite surprising to say the least, officially Yi’s welcome to the NBA from a guy who’s never played a game in the league.
Yi found himself on a fast break in the fourth quarter in which he had a great chance to display some of his offensive skills. However, Yi looked liked he traveled and then went up to get his shot blocked by the energetic Noah. Jianlian would foul out a few moments later, unable to disengage in time and avoid contact after hedging on the screen.
While Yi is physically impressive, he seemed a step slow tonight. One preseason game obviously doesn’t make a career so not much stock should be taken in Yi’s performance. However, if tonight’s game proved anything, it’s that Yi better be ready to go up against the NBA quality of athletes that he surely hasn’t seen night in, night out while in China.
As for Noah, he had a very solid first half. Chicago’s offense often stalled last year when getting the ball inside to Wallace. This should not be as much of a problem with Noah on the court, who was attacking with the dribble and setting up some nice shots. While only having four assists at the end of the game, Noah’s passing skills were quite impressive as he set up Andres Nocioni, Chris Duhon and others with several wide-open jump shots.
Offensively, Noah has a way to go. His first shot, a drop step to the baseline, missed badly. However, Noah responded a few possessions later by making a decisive move on the block and like Gardner, catapulting for a very quick and efficient dunk, this time with Charlie Villaneuva defending.
All in all, Noah was very energetic and heady, his trademarks at the University of Florida. While Noah is not going to be a big-time scorer, he does all the little things that Chicago fans will come to appreciate. The Bulls were very lucky to get Noah, who should be a very valuable contributor by the end of the season, if not much earlier.
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
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While the Milwaukee Bucks may have beaten the Chicago Bulls 93-88 tonight largely on a fourth quarter effort by second-stringers playing against mostly guys who won’t be in the league in a month, the game was very revealing in terms of both teams’ top draft choices. Chicago rookie Joakim Noah played a solid game, scoring six points in 23 minutes, while Bucks rookie Yi Jianlian notched three points and six fouls in 15 ineffective minutes.
