Tribune Article - Spurs vs. da Bulls

[Spurzilla]

Skiles up front about struggles
Bulls need more from their big men, especially vs. Spurs

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By Brian Hamilton
Chicago Tribune staff reporter
Published November 7, 2005

Coincidence or not, as the Bulls dispersed after a short practice Sunday, some of the last players off the floor were the big men who as a whole had come up somewhat small the previous night in New Jersey.

There was Tyson Chandler, he of the 27 minutes and one point against the Nets. And Darius Songaila, with one rebound in 10 minutes. And Andres Nocioni, who shot 2 of 10 in 23 minutes. Even Mike Sweetney, whose 14 points in 26 minutes would suggest he deserved a day at the spa by comparison, pedaled a stationary bike in the corner.

Whether the swampy New Jersey night prompted some extra work or not, Monday will provide a chance for redemption. However, it also provides the San Antonio Spurs. And as the defending champs reign, the options pour forth.

"You start with [Tim] Duncan, one of the best players in the league," Songaila said. "Obviously, that's the immediate concern. You concentrate on that, then you've got [Rasho] Nesterovic, [Nazr] Mohammed, [Robert] Horry is very challenging for a [power forward]. You just go down the line, and I think they're very polished at every position."

Recuperating against that is about as easy as kicking a sugar habit in a chocolate factory. No one provided a specific reason for the Bulls' contagious mediocrity the night before. Chandler suggested the frontcourt was "just off."

But the players expressed at least some confidence Sunday that the frontcourt was capable of better. After all, just one game earlier against Charlotte, Chandler posted a double-double and Songaila was one of the heroes.

Then again, with that confidence comes frustration.

"We've got a lot of weapons up there," coach Scott Skiles said. "We've just got to make sure we're bringing them every night. It's my job to try to establish some sort of rotation, but in order to do that, I'd like to see some consistency there. We have confidence in them. [Saturday] was just not a great night."

Another not-great night could spell doom against San Antonio, which has added Fabricio Oberto, who played on the Argentine national team, to that big-man roll call Songaila listed.

Skiles described the 6-foot-10-inch center as "clever" in terms of how he plays off his teammates with his cuts and screens and passing, though he has played just 35 minutes in three games.

At any rate, Duncan has yet another fluid big man to play off him.

"The core of their team has been together for a while," Chandler said. "They understand each other and how to play with each other. It's definitely going to be a challenge for us."

As for judging how far along they are compared to the Spurs, Skiles more or less scoffed at the idea, saying his club isn't close to three- les-in-seven-years territory.

But after a sluggish night Saturday, playing the Spurs to something close to a draw would be a nice feat for the Bulls' big men.

"They're big, they're long, they put different combinations out there," Skiles said. "We're going to need contributions from everybody."

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[Brutalis]

This will be a 20 point win easily, if our bigs do their job. That alone would blow them out I believe.

Chicago isnt any better than last year if not worse. Anything can happen, but if we control the boards, and our bigs get it done on the offensive end. It's way over.

[Ishta]

I just want a win!

[Spurzilla]

Is it me or does the writer sound a little concerned about tonight's game???