badgers

Yeah I'm pretty sure I always get large football jerseys despite being in between medium/large (well back when I got Jennings I was definitely medium). At Green Bay in the winter you want your jersey over your coat and hoodie so it needs to be a size up haha. But thanks for letting me know. I'll definitely check out the mall and try on sizes just to be sure if they are running a bit tight. I didn't hear anything about Nike in the NBA. That being said however I think that makes me want to get a jersey now. I like the Adidas ones. I found that they do have red Mirotic jerseys on AliExpress for $18. I might give it a go and see how it is. Thanks for the info on the NFL ones. Seems like Nike's are definitely more slim fitting so I'll keep that in mind.

Yeah I looked there and at Packer pro shop but the pics aren't that great and the terminology confuses me. That's why I'm looking at the first hand accounts. The cheap version for Reebok always worried me because it was like, a rubbery painted on number that would rub off after a couple of cycles in the wash machine. Has that been improved by Nike or is it still crappy like that? And I usually go with my personal favorite players not the best players. Hence the Jennings/Butler jersey (though Butler's now probably our best player at least he was last year). Do you have any photos to compare the knock off with the real deal? I don't want to go with one of those cheap Chinese kinds if I can tell the difference when I wear it. Plus I'm always worried that the knock off brands might come looking nice but they'll have unsatisfactory features to them. Like numbers/letters not on straight, stitchings a bit loose? Is that ever the case?

god dammit stevo can there be bionic body parts in your story version of the world? gimme some lol but real nice. i forgot all about this thing glad to see you're still writing them. can't wait for the newer parts.

Wasn't he like a 5th round draft pick? He's not that bad. Idk what kind of expectations you had but mine were backup TE lol. And he was a pretty decent backup TE under Finley and makes a good duo with Ridchard Rodgers. Also, cutting him? We didn't cut Letroy Guion (yet). I figure Quarless won't be cut until the investigation takes a turn where we know he will be not allowed to play for an extended amount of time.

Surprised nobody has mentioned Brandon Saad. That was a pretty big trade and everybody here was shocked about it. Mostly because we were assured by everybody in the organization he'd be extended. We thought Sharp and Bickell would get the axe but it seems like Saad wanted too much money. At least we got a decent return for him.

Neat link, but the "where they'll end up" part of the title is bullshit. For more than half of the players they summed it up saying "A lot of teams will be interested in this player" or something along those lines. They didn't even make any bold suggestions as to where anybody will end up next year.

I disagree. Teams put banners up for everything they win. Division, Conference, and Super Bowl. I don't think the Packers have any banners, at least I've never seen them cuz there's no dome to hang them from. But it's the same as T-shirts and Hats being sold when a team wins the division. It's the team celebrating their first major victory in the season. The regular season is a battle for your division. The playoffs are a battle for the conference. And the super bowl is a battle for the league title. Each one is an accomplishment (albeit a small step) toward the final battle. If the original pic is real and not shopped I think that's kinda dumb lol. You don't put a banner when you lose, just what you won. It should just be 2014 Division champions.

Really wanted Jerian Grant or Delon Wright to back up Rose because I'm tired of these gimmicky 5'9" point guards that everybody fawns over in the regular season but laughs at in the playoffs. Then they got picked at 19 and 20, and was like okay I hear that Justin Anderson's a sleeper and he's at our iffiest position, SF. Thought he'd fit well in Hoiberg's offense but no, thanks Mavs at 21 picked him. I don't hate our pick. At first glance, we can assume that with Pau, Noah, Taj, Niko, and now this Porter kid all at C/PF, someone's getting traded. But then again, 3 of those 4 are 30+ in age and Noah and Taj are always playing on some bum ankle it seems. With Pau at 34, and with some rendition of Hoiberg's ISU offense being used in Chicago I'm sure, those guys are gonna need to rotate a lot more to keep them healthy and fresh. Porter might be a good rotational player to give them a breather, or an insurance policy if they have to sit out some games.

That, and nobody is gonna mention how easy Cleveland's path was? I don't care if you're down to Lebron and a bunch of Care Bears for your starting lineup. You played Atlanta and Boston on your path. The only obstacle they faced was Chicago and we crumbled pretty quickly after the 4th game.

My dad was gonna get tickets to the game on Monday but then realized they were $1500+ just to be able to sit down. Hope we win. I'm at my parents (Chicago suburbs) at the moment so things will be pretty crazy if we manage to win at home.

I see that there's like 4-5 pages of Lebron vs Jordan debate so I'll answer your question it's because the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals are at the same time each year. They try to organize it so that the leagues aren't competing for viewership.

More diluted than the fucking current day's Eastern Conference? There's 2-3 reasonable teams in the conference that can make the finals. And that's counting Chicago, who's in a state of limbo with a new coach. About Kyrie, I feel bad, truly. Kyrie is my favorite player on the Cavs, and probably the only player on that team I actually like. But I don't feel bad for the Cavs. You still have Lebron James and next year you'll still have him, Kevin Love and Kyrie (and others). This team is bigger and badder than any of Lebron's Heat teams. That is, if then can stay mostly healthy for a season. This is of course without looking at any expiring contracts. I know KLove is a free agent but he said he's staying. I don't know about anybody else, but the Big 3 is presumably staying here for the next 2 years at least.

More groundbreaking analysis from you, eh? 1. I'll concede on your first point. There's a chance he won't stay healthy. But there's also a chance that ANYBODY gets hurt. Derrick looked great in the playoffs for the most part and had a reasonably successful season given that this year was his first year back from TWO knee surgeries. He missed one month this year. I still do fear that we'll lose him again but I don't think it'll happen. It's more of something that is always in the back of my mind. 2. How'd you come up with this beautiful insight? Gasol just had the best year of his career last year and even if he halves his production in 2015 he's still a reasonable player for us and a starter on most NBA teams. And Noah was hobbled all year. Doesn't excuse him making up layups but he was also playing out of position. Coming off an ankle or knee surgery (not sure which), he was forced into being much more mobile and active on both ends of the floor because of the addition of Gasol. And I do agree they're past their primes. But even being past their primes is still good basketball. We're talking about a future HOF player and last year's DPOY here. Not some scrubs who lit it up for a season or two. 3. This is where I actually smiled at your post. Jimmy WAS our PRIMARY option this year for scoring. He led the team, was top 10 in the league I believe (not looking it up that's just my guess at what I can remember), is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and can be compared to the energizer bunny in that he never quits. He didn't disappear in the playoffs, either, against Lebron guarding him so you should know it's not a lucky season. He might drop in performance now that he's gonna get his money but he'll still be one of our best players and would be a starter on every team in the league (as a G/F, they'd find a place for him). Given he's not as good as a 100% healthy Paul George, that's still not saying he's secondary option material lol. A lot of people aren't as good as Paul George, Tim Duncan, Lebron, oh, I could go on but I think we're on the same page. Maybe Hoiberg doesn't bring a championship here. That'd suck. But your defense of your suggestion that the hire is inconsequential is flawed. There's no actual evidence that your statements will actually hold true in the future; in fact, the arrow points the opposite way.

That's because we had Tom Thibodeau, one of the best defensive coaches in the game and an innovator in defensive schemes. Teams tend to flow towards the direction of the coach's strong suit. And I don't know how you can say a team with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol, and Niko Mirotic is "limited" in its offensive potential. We saw how deadly this team can be and how quickly we can erase a deficit. Our main problem on offense wasn't talent it was scheme. We'd run outdated plays and slow the pace of the game, which doesn't play to the strengths of our players. And like I mentioned before, poor personnel decisions. Thibs would send out duds like Kirk Hinrich. I love Kirk but he's got nothing left and shouldn't be out there. The talent is there. You'd have to be blind to not see the talent we have on both ends of the court. Our problem was mismanagement of that talent. I'm not saying Hoiberg is the answer yet. He was just hired today. But I'm hopeful.

I have no knowledge of his tendencies at Iowa State but I believe what you say. If that's true, he won't be allowed to do that here. That was the number one spark in the friction between Thibs and GarPax. And for what it's worth he mentioned speaking to Dougie, E'Twaun and Niko already in person. And he mentioned Snell by name in regards to his offensive plans. So it's a good start toward getting those guys more involved. Thibs did a nice job at getting Niko in there Niko just completely vanished in the playoffs. That ain't on Thibs.

Hoiberg has officially been hired by the Bulls. SEE (F)RED. My immediate reaction... In his press conference he really stressed communication with his peers (players, management, etc.) to build a connection. Exact opposite of what Thibs did. Players always said that they never had a real conversation with him. It was basketball or nothing. That's why Thibs is such a good coach (basketball = life) but at the same time the personal aspect to being a coach is important. That kind of quality would be great in the front office but not at the helm of a team. On the same note, he expressed his interest in giving players proper rest. I'm sure he emphasized this just to distance himself from the guy who was just hired, but it's still important. It's something Thibs never understood. Thibs valued a regular season win far too much and it cost us in the playoffs. We usually would peak around February/March, and have nothing left in the tank for the playoffs. Hoiberg says he understands that timing is important when you start playing at your peak. Who couldn't like that? Both Fred and Gar seemed 100% confident/under the assumption that Butler will be on the team next year. Gar said something along the lines of "We know we aren't gonna have a lot of money to spend". That's only the case if we max Jimmy or indulge in a big free agent. Said he will look into retaining our assistants for consistency's sake and to help him with defense. Can't remember exactly but I think he has experience working with both Ed Pickney and Adrian Griffin. Really likes what he sees in Derrick and Jimmy in the offense he's gonna bring. Same with Noah, he said. I do have concerns with Gasol with what he said. He likes mobile big men who can move around in his offense. Gasol wants to just run down the paint and sit in the post. Hmm, not sure what else to say right now. I'm optimistic. My only real concern is that too many of our players won't fit into the system he wants to run. Derrick and Jimmy were made for his type of offense. Same with Dun-dun (if we re-sign him), Niko, Snell, and Dougie. But Taj, Noah, and Pau... they might have a tough time. Taj probably less than the other two. He's more mobile of the 3 and capable playing any position.

Time to share my thoughts on the Thibs situation: I've always been a long time supporter of Thibs. Everybody here saw the "heart, hustle, and muscle" teams that we put on the floor in the D-Rose-less years. It was amazing to watch; a team without any superstars taking the fight to the playoffs and the "big 3" Miami Heat every year. Even though we'd be crushed by the Heat, we all knew it would be a lot closer and we wouldn't be humiliated if we had our superstar back. Well this year we got him back. Jimmy Butler became an Allstar. We got future HOFer Pau Gasol who had his best year in the NBA at 33 years old. Tony Snell and Niko Mirotic make huge jumps for us off the bench, showing Bulls fans and NBA fans everywhere that they can start and succeed, helping to carry the team to the postseason in the absence of Derrick, Jimmy, and Taj when they were out for 1+ month with individual injuries. So the Bulls go into the playoffs with the best roster they've had under Thibodeau and it's 100% healthy (Noah is gimpy but he can play). And what happens? We are humiliated again. I'm starting to believe the leaks from the FO, that they're not happy with the way he runs the team. We seemed out of gas, out of energy, and just not willing to play for the coach anymore. The players look liked they'd given up. Last year, when Noah won DPOY, he made the famous remark toward Thibs "You know if we weren't winning, I'd really hate you". And we all just brushed it aside like it was a joke at how hard and how seriously he runs the team. Now I kinda get it. He works his players so hard they've got nothing left in the tank at the end of the year. Additionally, personnel decisions killed us. Why, pray tell, was Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks our plan to beat the Cleveland Cavs who, in their current state, were the worse basketball team than us? Niko didn't play well so I understand that. But Tony Snell should have been given more minutes. Give Jimmy a break so Jimmy can play late in the 4th instead of having to foul James because he can't keep up. This year, after 2 injury ruined season, we saw the same coach doing the same things, with a better roster. Like Campin's article says, he refused to evolve in the league. Things changed around him and what was on his plate changed. But he didn't want to. And it doomed us this year and will continue to doom us if he stayed on the team. Love you Thibs, good luck wherever you go, but as a Bulls fan first this was definitely needed. --- And no, Jimmy isn't going anywhere. According to one of the more reliable Bulls beat reporters, the FO and Reinsdorf have already told him that they'll re-sign him to our max contract. Thibs wants the Lakers job, and apparently he thinks AD is gonna bolt when his contract is up Ettore Messina is widely seen as the successor to Coach Pop (Pop himself endorsed Ettore), so it seems that he'll stay in SA til Pop retires Bulls apparently have a "gentlemen's agreement" on the table for 5 years/$25M for Hoiberg they expect him to take the deal. Hopefully we get some good assistants around him especially for defense.

Any time of the day, any day of the week, you can bet your ass I can come on TGP and see one of the moderators blithering on with his ludicrous sentiments toward sports. 9/10 Bware. Needs more MS Paint.

Apparently the Bulls and Hoiberg have mutual interest. Regarding the coaching change in Chicago: 1. Top candidates to replace Thibs are Hoiberg (1) and Gentry (2). Ettore Messina has been mentioned but I'm pretty sure he's content taking over SAS when Pop retires. As for Hoiberg, it's been reported that the job is his if he wants it. 2. Hoiberg has gone on record saying he doesn't really want to go to the NBA til his daughter graduates college or some shit. That being said if the offer is good enough he might reconsider. 3. Gentry said that he'd listen to coaching offers for a contending team. But I'm pretty sure he'd listen to any head coaching offer. Especially if GSW win it all this year, I don't see him staying an assistant. 4. However, Thibs has said he won't accept a buyout. This means that Reinsdorf would have to pay his full salary if we were to fire him, something that Jerry simply won't do. Or at least I can't see him doing. Two other teams in search for coaches are Orlando and New Orleans who have both said they're interested in Thibs. NOP apparently wanted to offer a trade for Thibs, which is the only way I see Thibs leaving town (that and Hoiberg commits to coming here). On the topic of NOP, I read today that they're recruiting coach Cal who as we know coached AD at UK. Might be a good fit but Cal said he ain't interested.

Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen Bware post one positive remark in regards to one of his favorite teams on this website. Bware, what's the point of watching sports if you hate your own team?

Packers have choked for the last 2-3 years now. Plus, we went into that game and I was anticipating to lose to Seattle. It was a crushing blow for sure but I wasn't totally shocked by our loss. Just the way it happened. Bulls have lost, yes, but they haven't been expected to win. Until this year. We probably wouldn't have beaten the western team that came out but we damn sure could have and should have beaten any of the eastern teams. We had Derrick Rose back, Jimmy was an all star .. fuck I've said all this before and am repeating myself lol. We were set up for a championship run. And we fucked it up. Unlike the Packers, this loss puts me in doubt for the team. I completely lost hope in the coaching staff and now I'm uncertain of our future. We could have a new coach probably will. Jimmy's a RFA. Pau and Jo and Taj are old. What if our new coach wants something entirely different than the players we have? That could take years rebuilding. Then you throw in the Derrick Rose factor. A lot of people question me on this (they're not Bulls fans) and it's hard to explain. Dude grew up in the nastiest part of Chicago. Watched the three peats growing up. We won the lottery with a 1.7% chance to win (rigged, hey thanks league). Got our hometown boy. Rookie of the year. MVP. ACL. MCL. Dude endures constant criticism and speculation from fans (even some Bulls fans), media, analysts, etc about things he can't control. I can't even begin to picture what it would be like, Derrick Rose holding the larry o-brien trophy in front of thousands of fans in Chicago at a victory parade. Would be chaotic. People would lose their minds. As a fan of sports I've always been pretty ... idk what word to say but like undeniably supportive of my team, but never overly attached. Greg Jennings was my favorite Packer, was pretty disappointed when we didn't sign him back but it was ok. As of right now I'd say Eddie Lacy is my favorite but I don't really know if I have one actually. Derrick Rose though, as odd as this sounds, I'd follow to hell and back. He's the only athlete I've ever felt attached to (Jimmy Butler's getting close). Derrick Rose is a big reason why Chicago fans can be so volatile/insane when it comes to basketball these days. After Jordan, we were nothing. Then some kid from the streets gets to play for his home town team and brings us back to life. I feel like I'm no longer explaining myself well here and probably haven't even answered your question. Too much rambling. Just an effect of the shock of losing I guess. Hopefully I did answer you though.

Kill me. I know this is weird on a football board but I'm just as invested in the Bulls as I am the Packers. I feel more sick to my stomach about this loss than I did about the NFCCG this year. Two teams, two dipshit coaches who waste a year with some of the best talent in their respective leagues. Thibs I love you. You and D Rose turned Chicago basketball from a joke into perennial competitors and contenders. You had the most revered defense in the league until this year. You and Jo kept this team not just afloat but battling when Derrick couldn't play. But this year there's no excuse. A healthy Derrick. An all star Jimmy. Pau Gasol. Tony Snell, who's basically a mini-Jimmy. The potentially best European player to come into the NBA in the last decade. And this happens. Thibs, I love you. But just like a dog who's gotten too old, it's time to take you out back and put a bullet in ya damn head because your time in Chicago is done. We've got way too much talent on this roster to humiliate ourselves every single playoff series. No Kyrie Irving. Tristan Thompson bad shoulder. No Kevin Love. And you put up this dog shit? I'd be okay if we lost a competitive series but they just embarrassed us 2 games in a row, after a game they luckily won when it should have been 3-1 Bulls. Lmao. I'll be a Bulls fan til I die but this one is going to be hard to live with.

the fuck is this post even? He's a bench player and he's not bad as you say. They have him as a shooter. And what the fuck does him being white have to do with it? The way I'm reading this, and correct me if it's wrong, you think he's given a spot on an NBA roster because he's white. Not because he deserves it. ??? I've been on this site for 5+ years now and sometimes you make posts like this and I can't even understand why you clicked submit? ====== So yeah the Bulls are down 3-2 in the series. I still have faith we can win it but it'll take a lot better effort. Lebron manhandled us in game 5 as he tends to do. I always support my team but something ain't right when you have a team this talented and you still manage to fuck up and choke every single playoff series. That shit has to fall on Thibs. I ain't screaming for a replacement... mostly cuz I don't know of any that'd come in and take an already established team to the finals. Losing a coach always has an impact on the team you just hope it's a good one and not regression. Really sucks too, because this was definitely our year to at least win the east. Kyrie is hurt, Love is out, JR Smith was suspended for 2 games. I still think we can win but we've put ourselves in a shitty position, again.

Winning feels good.

Things I hate, eh? Umm...... To be honest there's not much in life I truly loathe. Clipping my right hand's fingernails though. That's a bitch.