Hawks top Bulls; Rose & Horford future All-Stars

The Bulls played with heart, conviction and purpose. No one can question their effort. Mike Bibby and Mo Evans came up big in the fourth quarter nailing threes deflating the Bulls confidence as the Hawks prevailed at the United Center. Al Horford was rock solid and I mean a rock. He scored a career high 27 points but was a beast on the boards with 17. On a night Joe Johnson, the sixth leading scorer in the league struggled to get in a groove, it was a solid team performance from others who held off the Bulls. Horford is such a load in the  lane and so strong he  dictated how the game was to be played in the paint. He is old school. His work ethic is fantastic. He's an All Star in the making.

Derrick Rose was terrific with a 26 point 10 rebound 6 assists game. Rose is so good right now it's incredible. He was gassed after the game. He pulled a muscle in his back and you could sense he wasn't right but he played through it. This is a player Chicago can be proud of. He too is an All-Star in waiting. Book it.  Luol Deng came through with a double-double of 19 points 10 rebounds. Andres Nocioni tossed in 20.  I'm a huge fan of Nocioni. I love his toughness and  competitive fire.  Ben Gordon added 19.

Audio recap of Bulls vs. Hawks:

The Bulls now take on a struggling 2-5 Mavs team Thursday at the United Center. Dallas dropped a home game to Kobe and the unbeaten Lakers last night. Lakers 6-0 for the first time since 2001. Dirk went 1 for 9 in the second half which tells me that the guy is human. Hopefully he'll stay cold  in Chicago-don't count on it.

Other thoughts...

Is LeBron the early MVP candidate? OK, it's a stretch. How many games have we played? But you get the point. Another 41 point performance as the Bucks got a taste of LBJ in Cleveland 99-93. The Cavs have won five straight.

Think Tim Duncan doesn't care what others are saying about the banged up Spurs ? A 23 point-9 rebound 7 assists game against the Knicks should silence  a few critics for the time being  My man George Hill with 12 for San Antonio.

Break up the Nuggets. Chauncey Billups and Denver  are now 3-0 with a new lineup after a road win in Charlotte.  Is Gerald Wallace still a Bobcat? Just asking.

Deron Williams is back and that's good news for the 6-1 Jazz.  Utah easily beat the disappointing Sixers 93-80. Carlos Boozer is one tough dude. 19 points-16 rebounds,  that'll work.

Did you check out Allen Iverson's line. 30 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists. Oh yea, the Pistons beat the Kings... that helps!  100-92.  I'm impressed what I'm seeing out of Spencer Hawes... last night a 19 point 6 rebound game.

The Warriors plan to extend Stephen Jackson who wants more bling. His 30 point, 3 rebound, 5 assists game as GST beat Minnesota in OT should help his cause.

If I ran the Raptors I would do everything possible—within reason to get Gerald Wallace.

Quick hits... I love it... If you believe the measurements... 5' 11", 170lbs. Sure... Tim Lincecum wins the Cy Young. The guy has nasty stuff.

I'd love to see Jake Peavy in a Cubs uniform. Would Kevin Towers (Padres GM) please make up his mind!

Let me get this straight—Mike Singletary threw his offensive coordinator Mike Martz under the bus after the 49ers debacle Monday night. Now, Martz says the officials not his play calling cost SF the game. Give me a break.

Greg Oden says he's ready to roll and for his career and for the NBA it will be good to see him get back on the court. The Bulls play in Portland a week from tonight. The latest NBA buzz through newspaper reports has Stephon Marbury on the wish list of the Spurs. 

Thanks for reading, it's always a pleasure!