After beginning the season on the road, the Chicago Bulls returned home and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-64 on Sunday, Jan. 1.

It was a good way to kick off the New Year after a four-game California road trip.

The Bulls got on the board after two shots from the line by Luol Deng. The game remained tight for a few minutes but the Bulls took a lead and finished the first quarter with a 25-12 advantage.

In the second quarter, Carlos Boozer stepped up. In a 13-3 run around the six-minute mark, Boozer contributed 11 of the points and helped the Bulls take a 48-27 lead.

The Bulls entered halftime with a 54-28 advantage.

After the break, Derrick Rose showed up and got the quarter started with a jumper. Success at the line helped the Bulls extend their lead and with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, they were ahead by 40 points.

The Bench Mob successfully took over and the Bulls ended the third quarter leading 84-44.

In the final quarter, the starters continued resting and John Lucas got hot with three-pointers. Rookie Jimmy Butler got some playing time and an all-team effort led the Bulls to their first home game win of the season.

This is a team that’s on a mission to win. The Bulls dominated Sunday’s game: they outrebound 55-40, outshot 46 percent to 31 percent and outscored on the break, 33-13.

With their 4-1 record, the Bulls are seeing their best start since the 1996-97 season, as they won their first 12 games.

Scoring…Boozer led the team with 17 points in scoring and 11 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer also had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

After initially struggling (missing his first shots, then going 4 for 10), Rose added 16 points for the night.

Rip Hamilton did not play on Sunday due to a groin injury and in the fourth quarter against Memphis, C.J. Watson exited the game with an elbow injury. Both players have been listed as day to day.

Next up? The Bulls will host Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

As a lifelong Bulls fan and Chicago resident, the Derrick Rose era has been a good one.

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By Scott Schroeder

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Jan 1, 2012 – Zach Randolph has been great for the Memphis Grizzlies the past several seasons, but the veteran power forward suffered what looked to be a knee injury during their game against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. The team announced that it was only a knee contusion, but an MRI is likely in store.

Randolph was attempting to rebound a blocked shot from teammate O.J. Mayo, but the team’s guard had too much momentum and fell into the right knee of Rondo. The veteran power forward was tended to on the baseline by the Grizzlies training staff before eventually being taken to the locker room.

Randolph is averaging 19 points and nine rebounds through the first the first three games of the Grizzlies season and had scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in the first quarter of Sunday night’s contest. If he misses any considerable time, the Grizzlies will be very light at power forward as they lost Darrell Arthur to injury during the preseason.

For more on the Grizzlies, be sure to visit Straight Outta Vancouver.

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Even though the Chicago Bulls were facing an inferior opponent in the Memphis Grizzlies when the teams played on January 1^st, I was concerned that Chicago might not play so well following their successful west-coast road trip. However, not only did the Bulls jump on the Grizzlies early, they continued to impose their will for the entire game, resulting in a 104-64 victory. This was by far the their best performance of the season and here are a few keys as to why the Bulls were so dominant against the Grizzlies.

Defense and rebounding:

The Bulls were up by as much as 46 points at one juncture and a lot of that was because of the solid defense they played. Chicago limited Memphis to just 27 percent shooting in the first half and 31 percent for the game. Chicago was also more aggressive on the boards, posting a 55-40 advantage. This would mark the second straight contest in which the Bulls out-rebounded their opponent by a double-digit margin.

Carlos Boozer:

Boozer had another solid outing, scoring 17 points along with 11 rebounds, including 11 points during a second-quarter run that gave the Bulls a 54-28 lead and put the game out of reach early. What I liked about Boozer’s game was he scored a lot of his points around the basket, rather than hoisting up rainbow jumpers from 15 feet out. Even more to the point, Boozer was 7-of-10 from the field and did his damage in just 24 minutes of action. Being that I’m critical of his game when he is not playing well, it is only fair that I give him credit when he does live up to expectations.

Ronnie Brewer:

Ronnie Brewer did a great job starting for Rip Hamilton, who had to sit out because of a groin injury. His stat line was 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. I realize that it’s early in the season to offer too much praise, but Brewer’s game has improved a lot from last season. He has always been able to finish around the rim, but now he is showing that he can be a reliable mid-range shooter as well.

Before Chicago acquired Rip Hamilton, a lot of people felt Brewer had the potential to be the starting two-guard if the Bulls decided to stand pat. I didn’t agree with that assessment because his game seemed somewhat limited coming into the season. However, he is raising a lot of eyebrows and he could be a huge difference-maker if he continues to play at this level.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been a Bulls’ fan since the 1987-1988 season. James is currently a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and sports contributor for Sports Rantz magazine. For interesting discussions about the NBA, NFL and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Comcast Sports Net Channel 37

“Home Is Where Rout Is”, Neil Hayes, Chicago Sun-Times

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The Chicago Bulls could do no wrong Sunday in their season debut at the United Center, crushing the Memphis Grizzlies in a lopsided, 104-64 affair to open the New Year with a bang and send a simple message to visitors: This is our house, baby.

While there are plenty of positives from which to choose, the story of the night was the Bulls’ suffocating defense. It was, in a word, brutal: The Grizzlies managed just 12 first quarter points, and shortly before the end of the third quarter, were shooting 23 percent from the field with twice as many turnovers (12) as assists (6). Yikes.

On the other end of the floor, the Bulls were led by Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer.

Boozer played like a man possessed: He double-doubled before halftime and finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. He showed some of the explosiveness he’s recently lacked, and even made some decent defensive plays. He’s now averaging 15.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per 36, which is close to what the Bulls want, need and expect from their $70 million man.

Brewer, however, gets player of the game accolades. Starting for the sidelined Rip Hamilton (sore groin), Ronnie had 17 points (the most he’s ever had with the Bulls) with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Brewer was, well, vintage Brewer: Always around the ball making something good happen.

Overall, the Bulls’ offense was good but never great, which may sound strange for a 40-point win. They overcame a slow start shooting by sharing the ball (24 assists), using the fast break (33 points) and dominating the paint (+20). The Bulls have now averaged 108.7 ppg the past three games, and are averaging 101 ppg on the season, good for sixth best in the league (bet you didn’t expect that).

Not only did the Bulls get the win, they got it while getting a chance to rest their starters. Only two starters – Luol Deng and Brewer – played more than 30 minutes, as the Bench Mob closed out the game.

A win is a win, who cares if the Grizzlies were missing a couple of players, but this was a win at home, and a rather convincing one at that. The Bulls were a league-best 36-5 at home last season, and absolutely must win home games during this short NBA season.

Winning your home opener by 40 is a good way to get started.

Notes: The Bulls are 4-0 in home openers during the Derrick Rose era….. The +/-’s from last night’s game were utterly ridiculous. Brewer was +48, no other starter was less than +35….. Brewer is 4-for-4 on three’s this year; he made just six all of last season on 22 percent shooting….. Deng has held Rudy Gay, a career 18 ppg scorer, to 14 points on 3-of-22 shooting the last two times he played against the Bulls….. The win moved the Bulls to 4-1 for the franchise’s best start since 1996-97, when…well, you know….. The Bulls last played on New Year’s Day in 2005; Eddy Curry had 22 points in a 105-90 win over the Orlando Magic….. The Miami Heat may be 5-0, but the teams they’ve so far played are a combined 4-10.

Sources: Boozer leads Bulls past Grizzlies 104-64, Associated Press/Yahoo! Sports; Memphis Grizzlies at Chicago Bulls recap & box score, ESPN.com; Bulls win 40-point laugher in home opener, Chicago Tribune;

Other Articles By This Contributor:

Chalk One Up for Chicago Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau (December 31)

Bulls, Heat Will Meet in Eastern Conference Finals: Fan Forecast (December 23)

Top 10 Moments of Chicago Bulls’ 2010-11 Season (December 22)

YCN featured sports contributor Steve Merritt is – for better or worse – a lifelong Chicago Bulls, Bears and Cubs fan. He’s followed the Bulls since 1969, when he tuned in after bedtime on a cheap dime store radio tucked under his pillow.

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Source: TEHRANTIMES_UR

America’s premium basketball team the Memphis Grizzlies have re-signed Iranian star Hamed Haddadi. Per team policy and terms of the deal were not disclosed, Grizzlies website reported on Saturday.

Hamed Haddadi

The 26-year-old is the first Iranian ever to play in the NBA. The 7-foot-2 reserve center averaged 2.4 points with 2.2 rebounds in 31 games last season for the Grizzlies.

In three years with the Grizzlies, the 7-foot-2 reserve center only appeared 86 times for the team, averaging 2.2 points.

Haddadi native of Ahvaz led his country to an 8-1 record at the 2011 FIBA Asian Championship, which was held in China in September, averaging 15.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.89 blocks in 26.3 minutes with six double-doubles in nine games during the tournament.

Hamed Haddadi, 1st Iranian NBA Player, Shoots Hoops at Camp Ayandeh!

The Grizzlies announced the deal on Saturday.

Haddadi returned to Memphis and signed a one-year deal that will pay him between $1 million to $1.5 million this season, reports say.

… Payvand News – 01/01/12 … —