Here's Bruno's Scouting Report which looks at the Pacers' success when playing without Jermaine O'Neal. While the Pacers are without J.O., the Bulls announced today that Luol Deng will not play for at least a few games in order to rest a sore Achilles' tendon. If you look real close, the Bulls have improved their results a bit since Jim Boylan took over for Scott Skiles, but really, nothing has changed. Just like the Pacers, the Bulls show flashes of getting it one game and then look lottery bound the next. The Bulls record of 16-24 reveals a struggling team, but they are 3-0 against the Detroit Pistons. And I thought following the Pacers was frustrating.
To appreciate the full angst of Bulls' fans, spend some time over at Blog-A-Bull to capture the mood.
Troy Murphy and Travis Diener are day-to-day, hopefully they'll be ready to go. Also, David Harrison returns from suspension and will be in uniform and available tonight. I imagine Ike Diogu will get first dibs on any available front court minutes after his strong outing in Philly.
Here's what the efficiency numbers say:
| Team | Pace | Off.Eff. | Def.Eff. |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | 97.4(2nd) | 105.9(17th) | 107.0(11th) |
| CHI | 90.5(13th) | 103.6(25th) | 107.5(15th) |
Projected Starters
| PACERS | pos. | BULLS |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Dunleavy | F | Joe Smith |
| Danny Granger | F | Andres Nocioni |
| Troy Murphy | C | Ben Wallace |
| Kareem Rush | G | Thebo Safolosha |
| Jamaal Tinsley | G | Kirk Hinrich |
Feel free to leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.