Considering the hype this team had going into the season, for many Bulls fans, this is a disappointment. Personally, I am not as shocked as many people are; when the Bulls went all out and signed a washed up Dwayne Wade and an injury riddled Rondo, I knew the best the Bulls could expect for the next two years was maybe a 5th seed. But the season has been worse than expected, between being a game below .500 and constant drama between the players, the season seems to be on the downward spiral toward a second straight year without a playoff berth and without a top 10 draft pick.

        In basketball, nothing is gained from mediocrity, picks 15-30 even in the first round usually don’t provide that big an impact in the NBA. If the Bulls want to be a successful franchise again, they need to push the reset button, and yes, that includes Jimmy Butler.

        For many Bull fans, this idea seems crazy. Jimmy Butler is the future! Why would you trade someone who could be a superstar in this league? While it’s true Jimmy Butler has super star potential, I don’t believe he has leadership potential. He has stated in an interview that he likes controversy in a locker room. That kind of thought process is unacceptable for the face of a franchise. A leader is supposed to unite and rally a locker room, not tear it apart.

        Another reason to trade Butler is the return the Bulls could possibly get from him. If the Bulls moved him this year, one of the most realistic landing spots for him would be Boston, a place that has a plethora of draft picks and assets to give the Bulls in return. Right now, the Boston Celtics, who are currently the second seed in the East, hold the Brooklyn Nets’ 2017 1st round pick; the Nets have the worst record in the NBA and will probably get the first pick in the upcoming draft. The Celtics could possibly trade that to the Bulls along with other draft picks to the Bulls for Butler, possibly giving the Bulls the first pick in what is supposed to be a very good draft class.

        I think the Bulls would also do well to get rid of Rondo and Hoiberg. Rondo has made it clear that he wants out of Chicago, and Hoiberg has potential to be a good coach somewhere else, but it’s clear it hasn’t worked in Chicago. I think the Bulls should keep Wade as after this year he only has one more left on his contract, and he could be a good mentor to the young incoming players. A few years ago, the Bulls were legit championship contenders and had the youngest MVP in league history on their team. Six years later, they’re struggling to maintain a playoff spot.  Chicago Bull fans and their front office need to understand their window to win a championship is over and it’s time to start the long, arduous, rebuilding process

The post Bulls Need Fresh Start appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Mark Freie (@markfreie)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa State Cyclones (7-1) saw five different players reach double-digit scoring totals in their 90-75 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-3) on Friday night.

Cyclone junior Naz Long led all scorers for the Cyclones with 21 points including five 3-point shots.

Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery gave praise to Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones.

“This is a good Iowa State team who has a ton of playmakers,” McCaffery said. “[Abdel] Nader was one of those guys who really impacted the game for them tonight.”

Impact is exactly what Nader did. The redshirt junior scored 19 points coming off the bench for the Cyclones, who shot 53% as a team.

The first half was full of high energy plays. Hawkeye senior Gabe Olaseni sent Hawkeye fans into a frenzy early in the game as he recorded a demolishing block on Nader. Olaseni fished with 5 points and 2 blocks on the night.

The Hawkeyes were able to hold Georges Niang to 2 first-half points, but Iowa States sharp shooters made up for his lack of play shooting 44% in the first half. Cyclone guard Matt Thomas drilled a buzzer-beating three to send his team into halftime with a 38-33 lead.

However, the game got away from the Hawkeyes early in the second half.

“Once the wheels started coming off, defensively we broke down, offensively we broke down,” McCaffery said. “[At the] start of the second half, we didn’t have too many buckets. It’s hard when the lead gets to double figures so quickly.”

A major area of concern this season for the Hawkeyes has been their long scoreless stretches. The Cyclones took advantage of a five-plus minute scoring drought as they went on a 23-4 run that included five-straight Iowa turnovers.

Niang was able to find his shot and scored 14 second-half points while dishing out 7 assists.

Leading the Hawkeyes was senior Aaron White who recorded 18 points and went 5-5 from the free throw line. White has now scored double digits in every game this year for the Hawkeyes. White’s performance was not enough for the dominant Cyclone team.

A bright spot for the Hawkeyes was shooting touch of Peter Jok who added 14 points, going 5-10 with two 3-point shots.

The Hawkeyes will need to find answers to their prolonged scoring droughts. Iowa State was able to take full advantage of costly Hawkeye turnovers in the second half.

“You have a great win, or you have a tough loss,” McCaffery said. “You go back to work…you have to get them believing again because they clearly had doubt tonight.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes will have the week off for finals, but will return to action on Saturday, December, 20 against the #23 UNI Panthers in Des Moines. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30.

Full Iowa-Iowa State Stats HERE

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Iowa

Iowa has coasted through their non-conference schedule so far outside of the Nebraska-Omaha game. They have put up at least 80 points in every game. They are just outside the rankings of the AP top 25 poll. Iowa is coached by Fran McCaffery who has had multiple coaching stops at Lehigh, UNCG, and Siena before coming to Iowa. He has taken Iowa to the NIT 2 years in a row, getting runner-up last year in a losing effort to Baylor in the NIT final at Madison Square Garden. Walking around Campus you see may different shirts, but nothing rhymes or sticks out like Fran The Man. I definitely have to get one of those. Fran has brought back excitement in Iowa basketball which has been lacking since the Tom Davis and Steve Alford eras.  Fran has had the great opportunity to take a  great group of players and teach them for multiple years like Aaron White, Roy Devyn Marble, Zach McCabe and Melson Basabe, allowing them to gel and build a program for multiple runs at the NCAA tournament.

He has found more versatile players to help keep players fresh while still having an aggressive team on the court. A wonderful problem for a coach is having a very deep bench and finding minutes for everyone. Sometimes people that see limited action try to do too much when they’re in, but Fran has done an excellent  job of getting his players to use his system even if their playing time varies from game to game. Some key contributors of the bench are Peter Jok, Jarrod Uthoff, Anthony Clemmons, Gabriel Olanseni, and McCabe. Mike Gesell did an outstanding job at point guard last year but him and Marble have been sharing the role this year.

Looking forward, Iowa’s strength of schedule increases dramatically starting Thursday with Xavier in the battle 4 Atlantis tourney, and then Notre  Dame in the ACC challenge on December 3rd. Iowa first real road test won’t come till the Iowa State game. It’s very realistic they could go into the Iowa State game undefeated or with one loss.

Iowa State

Iowa State is coming off a huge week of beating Michigan and BYU partly in thanks to Melvin Ejim, who returned early from the hyper extended knee and been great for State over the years. They totally earned their 21st in the nation status. Iowa State’s coach Fred Hoiberg was a legend as a player and continues to build on his legacy as a coach. A fun fact is his received write in votes for the mayor of Ames, thus giving him his nickname “The Mayor”. He has jump started the program under his coaching ERA by getting recruits that are misfit transfers that get kicked out or quit at their former college. He may only coach them for a year or two but that doesn’t bother the fans in Hilton Coliseum.

Some of his key transfers are/were Royce White, Will Clyburn, Tyrus McGee, Korie Lucious, and Deandre Kane.  Most people think that getting transfers is a sign of recruiting weakness, but I disagree with that because you have to recruit them the same as any other potential signee. Some recent big time high school recruits  have been Georges Niang a post play maker from Massachusetts, Monte Morris, Michigan player of the year, and Matt Thomas, a sharpshooter from Wisconsin.  The Mayor has lead Iowa State to 2 straight NCAA tourneys.  They are known for playing fast tempo offense while shooting 3 at a very high rate.  They also set a school record last year and led the nation in 3 pointers made.

Looking forward, Iowa State’s schedule gets a little easier after having to play BYU and Michigan back to back. They have only 3 games before Iowa.  The ‘Clones play Auburn on December 2nd in the SEC challenge, then UNI at the big four classic in Des Moines, before finally welcoming Iowa to Hilton to face the fans and Hilton Magic. It’s also very realistic they could be undefeated heading into the Iowa game.

The post Wins make December ’13 rivalry bigger than in recent years appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has surprised everyone in the Big 12 this season under second-year coach Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg—who grew up in Ames and played basketball for Iowa State—has proven that he is the right man for the job, not just because of his past relations and success in Ames with Iowa State University, but because of the success that he has brought back to Hilton Coliseum and the men’s basketball program.

Hoiberg has successfully turned around the program in part due to his ability to lure a handful of college basketball players who left prominent basketball schools and transferred to Iowa State.  Athletes such as Chris Allen, who was a big part of a Michigan State team that made it to the final four in 2010, as well as Royce White, a highly recruited forward that originally committed and attended University of Minnesota before leaving his freshman year to attend ISU, have both contributed to an unexpectedly competitive Cyclone basketball season.  Allen decided to use his final year of amateur eligibility to play in Ames, and is the second-leading scorer on the team (12.4 ppg) behind Royce White (12.8 ppg).    Other transplants that have aided the team include: Scott Christopherson (Marquette to ISU, 12.1 points per game), Chris Babb (Penn State to ISU, 8.2 ppg), and Anthony Booker (Southern Illinois to ISU, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rebounds per game).

The Cyclones (21-8 overall) currently sit in a tie with Baylor for fourth place in the Big 12 conference at 11-5, with Baylor having won their first match in Waco, 79-64.  That game—played two weeks ago yesterday—was also the Cyclones’ last loss.  It speaks to Iowa State’s underrated status as a team that they’re tied with the #10 Baylor Bears in the league standings yet are unappreciated in the polls with no top-25 ranking.  The Cyclones have yet another opportunity to prove their worth when they travel to #8 Missouri on Wednesday before closing the season against Baylor on March 3^rd in Ames.

March Madness is right around the corner.  Let’s see if the Cyclones can close out the year on a high note and storm into the 2012 NCAA Tournament with a band of talented transplants.

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