Bulls view of Mercer

["Dave Wickerham" <wickerhd@govt.co.saratoga.ny.us>]

Most of this article from the Chicago Sun Times deals with Brands great game
against a weak Denver front line.  There is an interesting comment about
Mercer at the end

dw

> A Brand new season
>
>    October 13, 1999
>
>    BY ROMAN MODROWSKI STAFF REPORTER
>
>    Bulls 86 Nuggets 84 It may be too early to label the Bulls as Elton
>    Brand's team, but the No. 1 draft pick went a long way toward
>    establishing ownership of the Bulls' fans Tuesday night.
>
>    The 6-8, 260-pound forward from Duke turned the ball over the first
>    time he touched it and missed a short jumper on his second possession.
>    But once he was done stopping himself, Brand proved too much for the
>    Denver Nuggets to handle.
>
>    Brand scored 18 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and assisted on the
>    winning shot as he led the Bulls to an 86-84 victory in their
>    preseason opener before a three-quarters-filled United Center.
>
>    "I was just out there playing, and I didn't know what to expect,"
>    Brand said. "I kind of knew where to go offensively more than four or
>    five days ago, so that helped."
>
>    Brand seemed neither surprised nor overjoyed by his pro debut, which
>    likely reflects his confidence and poise. He has been described by one
>    teammate as a 40-year-old inside the body of a 20-year-old.
>
>    Brand was 8-of-14 from the field, but his most impressive play might
>    have been a decision rather than a shot. Brand drove the lane with
>    time running out in the fourth quarter and the score tied. But he
>    decided not to force a shot and spotted Chris Anstey open on his
>    right.
>
>    Anstey buried an 18-foot jumper with 1.4 seconds left.
>
>    "Chris was wide open, and he hits that shot constantly in practice,"
>    Brand said. "I know, because he hits it against me.
>
>    "I was looking to score because I knew there were only a few seconds
>    and I didn't want to go to overtime. I was thinking go to the hole or
>    pull up, but then I saw Chris."
>
>    Brand wasn't able to prove himself against one of the best forwards in
>    the league as Denver's Antonio McDyess was not in uniform because of
>    migraine headaches. But Brand did go up against a veteran in Popeye
>    Jones.
>
>    He also victimized Keon Clark on a baseline move with 48 seconds left
>    in the first half. Brand drove under the basket and slammed on the
>    opposite side while drawing a foul.
>
>    "Elton really played physical all night long," Bulls coach Tim Floyd
>    said. "He took good shots, rebounded the ball extremely well and ran
>    hard.
>
>    "I'm kind of like [the fans and media] in that I'm watching him now
>    and I'm just hopeful."
>
>    The Bulls' other highly-touted rookie, Ron Artest, struggled in the
>    first half, but he scored on a strong drive with 25.6 seconds left to
>    put the Bulls up 83-79.
>
>    But Artest committed three of the team's 26 turnovers and was 3-of-6
>    from the free-throw line. The Bulls were just 24-of-39 from the line.
>
>    "We had way too many turnovers, and our free-throw shooting was a
>    negative," Floyd said. "But the fact we got to the free-throw line 39
>    times was a positive.
>
>    "And we had a real emphasis to get the ball inside. We didn't settle
>    for as many jump shots as we did a year ago."
>
>    One player who emphasized perimeter shooting was Denver's Ron Mercer,
>    who scored a game-high 31 points on 13-of-28 shooting. It might have
>    been an inadvertent audition for Mercer, who will be one of the top
>    free agents next year and could be the target of Bulls general manager
>    Jerry Krause.
>
>    But one Bulls player didn't sound in any hurry to get Mercer. "Not if
>    he shoots that much," the player said.
>
>    NOTE: The Bulls' B.J. Armstrong did not suit up as the 32-year-old
>    veteran rested his knees. James Cotton (right knee) and Doug Swenson
>    (right ankle) also were out of action because of injuries.
>