NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls
30 teams, and with the second in the central division, I will be doing the most mysterious of them all, the Chicago Bulls. Last season, the Bulls failed to make the playoffs under the first year of Fred Hoiberg as the head coach, but many in Chicago like to blame injuries for their problems. This season, after a massive change of direction that at one point looked like a rebuild was coming, it took a turn back toward win-now mode with the signing of future Hall of Fame shooting guard Dwyane Wade. Now, the Bulls' faithful once again believe that they can challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics for the top seed in the East, but I'm here to tell you to hold off on those projections for the moment.
ADDITIONS: C Robin Lopez (Trade-New York), PG Jerian Grant (Trade-New York), SG Dwyane Wade (Miami), PG Rajon Rondo (Sacramento), PG Isaiah Canaan (Philadelphia), G Spencer Dinwiddie (Detroit), SG Denzel Valentine (draft), SF Paul Zipser (draft)
SUBTRACTIONS: PG Derrick Rose (Trade-New York), SF Mike Dunleavy (Trade-Cleveland), F/C Pau Gasol (San Antonio), C Joakim Noah (New York), PG Aaron Brooks (Indiana), G E'Twaun Moore (New Orleans)
TRADED FOR THEN TRADED AWAY: PG Jose Calderon (from New York, then to the Los Angeles Lakers)
An interesting offseason for Gar Forman and the Chicago Bulls to say the least. Letting Rose, Noah and Gasol walk early in the offseason caused a lot of people to believe that the Bulls would be headed to the lottery again after the season, as they formed the foundation around the win-now mode of the team. To add fuel to the fire regarding those beliefs, All-Star guard/forward Jimmy Butler was a part of numerous trade talks to teams including the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. Had he been traded, it would not matter what the Bulls did subsequently, they would be in rebuild. However, they passed on trades, signed All-Star guards Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo and now seem to be back in win-now mode, as none of those players can be part of the team's long term future. The Bulls have some nice pieces around Butler, Wade and Rondo, it's just a matter of making it work.
PLAYER TO WATCH: I'll go with forward Doug McDermott here. In his early career up to this point, he has been relatively overshadowed and held back by players such as Mike Dunleavy, Tony Snell, and Nikola Mirotic. However, with minutes opening up at the four for Mirotic and Dunleavy being traded to Cleveland, a lot more minutes on the wing have been added for McDermott. Sure, Wade was signed and he will take up some of those minutes, but he is injury prone for starters and it's not like he can play forty minutes a game anymore. Jimmy Butler can and likely will, but McDermott should have enough opportunities to approach thirty minutes. In 23 MPG last season, McDermott averaged 9.3 points and was the Bulls' fifth leading scorer, and two of them were gone and only Wade is a viable option to replace the scoring output. A larger role will be placed on McDermott, so we will see if he can handle it.
BIGGEST CONCERN: Lack of floor spacing is a big concern, as the new additions of Rondo, Wade and Jerian Grant are not floor spacers from the guard position. Jimmy Butler is not great at shooting either, and with Robin Lopez and Taj Gibson manning the five for the majority of the game, it could leave at least four below-average shooters on the court at one time. Players such as Nikola Mirotic, McDermott, Tony Snell and rookie Denzel Valentine are going to carry most of the shooting load, and outside of Mirotic that is an underwhelming group as well. That's the fear with the Bulls' chances of extended success this season and next, and I am on the side that believes that fear is rational.
BIGGEST UNKNOWN: I'll go with what version of Rajon Rondo will the Bulls get. Will they get the Rondo when he was in Boston with the Big 3, or the one after the Big 3 left and then was traded to Dallas? If the Bulls get the Rondo that leads the NBA in assists and plays good defense, then the Bulls made a smart move and Rondo will help them win-now. If they get this Rondo, watch out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT2M81uWZc4
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE: C Robin Lopez, PF Nikola Mirotic, SF Jimmy Butler, SG Dwyane Wade, PG Rajon Rondo
ROTATIONAL PIECES: F/C Taj Gibson, SF Doug McDermott, PG Jerian Grant, G/F Tony Snell, PF Bobby Portis, SG Denzel Valentine
ROUNDING OUT THE ROSTER: PG Isaiah Canaan, F/C Cristiano Felicio, G Spencer Dinwiddie, SF Paul Zipser
PREDICTION: I put Mirotic in instead of Gibson, since the Bulls do not otherwise have a solid option for a post presence on the bench if Gibson is the starter. Overall, the Bulls have a nice roster, but how this group will function and what kind of team they will be is a question that I, among others, still do not know the answer to. Butler and Wade make this team a playoff contender, and a good Rondo puts them in the playoffs, but the lack of upside among most of the role players makes it hard to see this team winning more than 50 games and vying for the #1 or #2 seed. The #3 is possible depending on Boston or Toronto's season, but something between 4 and 7 is most likely. I'll go with 49 wins for the Bulls.
