Bulls, Tank in Trouble
Seems like Tank Johnson is fond of his gun, and he doesn't care who knows about it. "You ain't the only one with a Glock. If it wasn't for your gun and your badge, I'd kick your ass," he was reported saying to a police officer when his limo was getting ticketed outside a night club the other night. A struggle ensued and mace made an appearance. Tank was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. This isn't his first incident while a member of the Bears either, as he's still on parole from a previous altercation. (not to mention he had a few "character issues" in college as well.) I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up serving time. But if he doesn't, what do the Bears do with him? Usually the McCaskey family doesn't put up with such shenanigans and you can bet your ass that if he were a less significant player, he'd be cut in a heartbeat. He's pretty good, though. Not a "starter", but he plays a significant amount as the first tackle off the bench in the Bears' defensive line rotation. He'd probably start on half the teams in the league but here's he's stuck behind pro-bowler Tommie Harris. And despite the reserve role, Tank did have five sacks this past season. So they can't just cut him. My guess is old Tank just had his second strike. One more, and he'll find himself in the unemployment line with Terrell Owens.
As for the Bulls, they just wrapped up a 2-5 Western Conference road trip. Friggin ugly. Ben Gordon gave a Kobe-like performance (on the court, that is) for the first several games of said trip, prompting Sam Smith of the Trib write, "Trade him now!" I love Ben Gordon, but it's not the worst idea in the world to trade him while his value is at it's highest. So who should they put together a package for, Sam? Kevin Garnett? Paul Pierce? Get this, old Sam wants to trade Gordon for Ray "He got Game" Allen. What a jackass. Thanks, Sam, for the reminder on why I shouldn't read your columns.
As for this recent road trip, the Bulls were in all but one of their five losses. They just couldn't seem to seal the deal, though, which has been a recurring problem for, oh, eight years now. If I've seen it once, I've seen it a hundred times. The Bulls come out of the gate as flat as can be, and go down by double digits. They come back behind a tremendous run, yet one or two bone-headed plays at the end of regulation and they walk out of the building with slumped shoulders. Or sometimes they vary playbook and start the game with a big run before blowing it in the second half. That's not much fun to watch either. Whichever game they play, the outcome is usually the same. Six of their next seven games are at the United Center, and if they have any hopes of sneaking into the playoffs this year, they better go on a run starting tonight.