Buffalo Bulls: NBA edition

Since the Buffalo Braves left the Queen City in 1978 for San Diego (and eventually became the Los Angeles Clippers), Buffalonians have had to search for basketball teams to root for. Some fans follow the stars and root for the Lakers or Heat, while others embrace a (somewhat) nearby team like the Raptors or Knicks.

However, there is one basketball team right here in Buffalo. That team is the Buffalo Bulls. These Bulls may not play in Chicago, or anywhere in the NBA for that matter, but we can always imagine. Here is a comparison of sorts to give everyone an idea on who suits up for the blue and white.

Center—Mitchell Watt

NBA Equivalence—Marcus Camby, Portland Trailblazers

Both players tower over just about everybody else on the court.

Camby has never been the best offensive player, but he finishes around the rim, has flashes of brilliance in the post, and his timing is second to none. He has been among the league’s best shot blockers since he entered the league in 1997. He may be getting old, but Camby still fills the stat sheet with blocks and rebounds.

Mitchell Watt is the same way. He’s known on campus at UB as Mitchell “Swatt” for his shot blocking ability. He rebounds formidably and throws down a couple dunks per game, but he’ll never be a 20 PPG player.

Power Forward—Javon McCrea

NBA Equivalence—Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks

Amare is a freak on the court. He’s constantly matched up against athletes significantly taller than him. Those athletes, however, can’t keep up with Stoudemire. He runs the court like a guard and throws down vicious dunks. Additionally, Amare has been a sensation since he was young—he jumped to the NBA from high school.

Javon McCrea knows what it’s like to be a young phenom. The forward is quite possibly the biggest recruit to ever come to UB. Last year he lived up to the hype and won the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year award. McCrea plays like a guard in a big man’s body. Tall guys can’t stick with him because of his ball handling and passing ability, and little guys can’t handle McCrea in the post. He’s a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.

Small Forward—Dave Barnett

NBA Equivalence—Luis Scola, Houston Rockets

Luis Scola’s opponents know what he’s capable of, but many fans who don’t avidly follow the sport have never heard of Scola. He is the guy who just consistently produces but stays under the radar. He doesn’t have the flash or highlight reel plays, but he plays with 100 percent effort all the time.

Dave Barnett is the guy diving on the floor like Luis Scola. He doesn’t put up a huge stat line or throw down monster dunks, but he’s athletic enough to shut down the other team’s best player. He never stops pushing himself and he plays unselfish ball.

Shooting Guard—Zach Filzen

NBA Equivalence—Peja Stojakovic, Dallas Mavericks

This comparison derives from the Peja of yesterday, when he was knocking down infinite three-pointers for the Sacramento Kings. The version of Stojakovic who plays for the Mavs now is nothing like his old self. Every real basketball fan knows who Peja is. He had unlimited range in his heyday. Peja was a major reason everybody was afraid of the Kings in the early 2000s.

Zach Filzen shoots the three-ball like nobody else UB has had in recent memory. Filzen hit the second most threes in the NCAA last year. He runs off screens to get free like a maniac, and if you leave him open for a second or two, you’ll pay the price. His stroke is flawless.

Point Guard—Jarod Oldham

NBA Equivalence—Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Westbrook is the second-best young point guard in the NBA (trailing only MVP Derrick Rose). He has the quickness, ball handling, athleticism, and all other physical tools necessary to thrive as a point guard. He can score but he also plays tough defense. Westbrook is still young, though, and he’s trying to establish himself in the league.

Oldham has only played one year for the Bulls, but he showed great signs in his freshman campaign. By the end of the season, he was a great compliment to all-MAC starting point guard Byron Mulkey. Mulkey graduated and now the team belongs to Oldham. He is a lock down defender with freakish athletic tools. He can get above the rim with the best, but Oldham is still trying to develop a consistent jumper and prove himself in the MAC.

Sixth Man—Titus Robinson

NBA Equivalence—Jared Jeffries

Jeffries has turned into a solid player for the Knicks, but he’s never become what everyone expected from him. Jeffries was an impressive college player at Indiana, and he was a lottery pick by the Wizards in 2002. Since then, Jeffries has bounced around the NBA. He’s a good defender but his offensive game is almost non-existent.

Titus Robinson has all the potential in the world. He’s started back-to-back seasons. Now entering his senior campaign, it’s time to see if Robinson can finally fulfill all the potential fans see in him. Robinson is an impressive athlete and a pretty good all-around player, but he’s never been able to put it all together for the Bulls. Fans hope to see more from him this year.

Email: aaron.mansfield@ubspectrum.com

Bulls vs Bowling Green: REACTIONS

Titus Robinson (30) has to reach his potential if the Bulls want to be serious MAC contenders.

 

Take a breath; it’s only one game. As heartbreaking as this game was and as disappointing of a home loss as it was, it was only one game. This is a young team that isstill learning how to play together. Players need to learn that when guys around you are having an off night, it’s on you to pick up the slack. I don’t think we’ve seen what junior forward Titus Robinson is capable of yet. I think that he may surprise people with his offensive game as this season progresses. He hurt the wrist he fractured over the summer on Thursday in practice and that’s why it was taped and that’s why he wasn’t in the starting lineup. He’ll heal up and hopefully start to get into more of a rhythm and develop an understanding of what is needed from him on this team.

 

The decision to start sophomore forward Mike Clifford was a bad one. Head coach Reggie Witherspoon admitted after the game, without singling out Clifford, that the offense was stagnant from the opening tip. Things like this can’t happen and Witherspoon has to be able to pull the strings with this team as MAC play continues. This would have been a perfect opportunity for freshman forward Javon McCrea to get a shot in the starting five. He is just loaded with talent and I think it will be important for Witherspoon to start stretching his minutes as the season goes on. I’d like to see him start hitting 30 minutes by the middle of February or at least come close on a nightly basis. I also don’t think Clifford should be judged to harshly for his poor play. It’s only the second game back for him and it’s going to take a little while for him to get into game shape and find a place in the offense. I’ve seen him a lot in practice this year and the kid can play. He just needs to find his niche.

 

Senior guard Byron Mulkey claimed after the game that he is fine physically and that he isn’t experiencing any kind of extreme fatigue considering he sat out last season. While that may be the case he didn’t look like that same guy that played in the first few home games this season. In those games, he had a smile from ear to ear for 40 minutes and was visibly active in directing his teammates where he wanted them to be. Against Bowling Green he looked sluggish at times, almost as if the amount of games he’s played and the minutes he’s logged is starting to catch up with him. With that said, I think he’ll bounce back. He’s too good of a player and too committed as a leader to let this team fail. The start turned in by the Bulls wasn’t a fluke and look for them to try and get a tough road win on Thursday against the RedHawks.

 

Freshman guard Jarod Oldham has to play more. I mean the kid turned in a really solid performance against BYU. He really handled himself well and never looked overwhelmed for a second in that game. Against a tough 2-3 zone and especially considering the difficulty the shooters were having against it, his slashing ability would have really changed the way Bowling Green would have had to guard the Bulls. Junior guard Zach Filzen is a great shooter and he made four more huge 3-pointers against the Falcons, but after that Bowling Green had a lock on him. Falcons head coach Louis Orr said after the game they put a “lock-on” on Filzen which means whenever he got the ball two defenders ran at him immediately. It obviously had the desired affect as Filzen went cold in the second half. Oldham would have changed things up and maybe put a little life into a lifeless Bulls offensive attack. Witherspoon really has to pay close attention to how MAC teams guard Filzen and sub accordingly. Oldham is really talented as well and should start to see extended playing time.

 

Although it’s tough to see now, this could end up being an important loss for the Bulls. It illustrates just how tough MAC games are and it does so right off the bat. It also shows that the team can just take the pedal off even when they’re playing in Alumni Arena. Mulkey is a strong leader and should be able to use this example when attempting to get the most out of his players.

 

Thursday night is a tough game. You want to see them respond right away after a tough loss but Miami at home is going to be a real challenge. If the Bulls can somehow pull off a win I would put them right back at the level they were at in my eyes heading into the BG game. With that said, head back here sometime on Wednesday for a full scouting report and preview of the Miami (OH) game.