Cirque du Sucks for the Bulls 2009 is here and ready to begin in Sacramento. Five of the six teams the Bulls face over the course of the annual circus trip have winning records, although the Bulls should be accustomed to facing above average teams at this point. Based on opponents’ winning percentage, the Bulls have faced the league’s second-toughest schedule.
The Bulls will face a winning team tonight, because technically the Kings have a winning record. But placing a team with this starting five: Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson and Andres Nocioni (if he plays) on the same plane as some of the other teams on this road trip would only leave the Bulls with another excuse should they stumble during these six games of doom.
Sacramento is 5-4, they’ve won four in a row, but they’re not the Lakers, Nuggets or the Blazers. If the Bulls hope to return after the Circus Trip — Why is it called the Circus Trip, asks Joakim Noah — with a record at .500 or better than this is a must win.
The Kings deserve credit for throwing a handful of wins together, especially since the streak came after the loss of Kevin Martin. Cowbell Kingdom.com credits communication on defense for the string of success. Even if the Kings have played better defense for half of their games, like Cowbell Kingdom.com suggests, the amount of points being scored on the Kings would like to argue otherwise.
Through nine games, the Kings are 25th in the league in points against. They’re 24th in defensive rating according to Basketball Reference. The Kings are a less extreme Raptors. They may not be first in offense and last in defense, but they’re pretty close (the Kings are 6th in points per game).
Some Bulls are looking forward to up-tempo games against high-scoring teams. Derrick Rose suggests. Derrick Rose said in the Chicago Tribune, “We’ve been struggling on offense, but maybe playing high-scoring teams can help us.” He is speaking of the entire road-trip and the barrage of offensive teams they’ll face, but with the Kings, the Bulls can play up-tempo against a team who won’t guard them like the Lakers or Bucks will. They had this in Toronto too, though it didn’t work out well.
‘Big Donkey’ has a friend
Adam Dunn is studied like a zoo animal by baseball statisticians. Traditionalists poke and prod the “Big Donkey,” prodding especially hard at Dunn’s .249 career average and 180 strikeouts per 162 game. Others, like me, see the 40 home runs and .383 OBP and wish their favorite team made more of an effort to sign him instead of … say, Milton Bradley.
Kevin Arnovitz at True Hoop says Kevin Martin is being discussed in similar way amongst basketball people. Martin’s a 42% shooter from the field, which is just OK, and some would say he’s inefficient. But, people at the forefront of the statistical movement, who look at True Shooting Percentage (*), would say Martin’s among the most efficient scorers in the NBA.
(*) True Shooting Percentage is a measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account field goals, free throws, and 3-point field goals. The best way to look at it is: the average amount of points scored each time a specific player goes up for a shot.
Not that any of this matters for tonight’s game — Martin’s out with a wrist injury — I just thought it was interesting. Kevin Martin: The Adam Dunn of the NBA [TrueHoop]
Noc questionable
According to the Sacramento Kings on Twitter, Andres Nocioni is questionable with a hip pointer.
If he does play, I’m sure he’ll have plenty to talk about with his former teammates. Nocioni was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving on November 5. Andres Nocioni has a right hip pointer [Sacramento Kings Twitter via Sactown Royalty]
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