Chicago Bulls: Chances this season
The Chicago Bulls are one of the few legitimate challengers to the supremacy of the LeBron James led Miami Heat. Bolstered by the return of Derrick Rose, the Bulls will aim to prevent the Heat from taking the title for the third time in a row. But can they? Will Rose coming back make that big an impact?
Offense
The Bulls were primarily a defensive team last season. They were the 3rd best defensive team and the 4th worst offensive team last season. With Rose back, their offense will be taken care of.
Although the Bulls were the 4th worst offensive team, this was not because they were lacking in talent. Granted, they were their missing their primary offensive player. But the main reason for the team’s shockingly bad offensive performance was that they lacked someone to stitch the offense together. Rose, albeit a shoot first point guard, will take care of this.
Rose brings unmatched speed and an ability to keep the team’s offense together even while in transition. This was sorely missed last season. They went on a fastbreak and all hell would break lose. Rose will make sure this doesn’t happen. He can shoulder the team’s offensive requirements while also involving his teammates.
The acquisition of Jimmy Butler will add more spunk to their offense. Will Luol Deng getting better, the Bulls’ offense would have improved leaps and bounds compared to last season.
The Bulls have the raw material to form a team with enough offensive capabilities to make a difference. Spearheaded by Rose, they can post 102+ PPG on an average.
This is one aspect which won’t be affected much by Rose’s return. But as we all know, this is their key advantage over other teams.
The Bulls have one of the best frontlines in the eastern conference. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer form an explosive and physical pair. They can shut down any team’s offense on a given night. With Noah’s ferocious athleticism and Boozer’s experience, their defense would be hard to break down. They also have Taj Gibson backing them from off the bench.
Noah’s pick and roll defense is masterful. Had he not missed around 15 games last season due to injury, he might have been on the top 3 shortlist for the Defensive Player of the year award.
Their perimeter defense isn’t any weaker. They have one of the league’s best perimeter defensive duos in Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler. Both have excellent on-ball defensive skills and also come up with a few steals a game.
Deng takes up the toughest offensive assignment on a daily basis. His long reach, surprisingly strong frame and athleticism make him one of the hardest men to get past. The same attributes also enable him to shut down opposing three point shooters.
Team Chemistry
One key aspect the Bulls missed last season was team chemistry. The Bulls have an unbeatable, and at times, ridiculous team chemistry.
Last season, with Rose sitting out the entire season and Deng injured for a while, they had to fill in with non-core team members and this definitely decreased their coordination and chemistry. The fact that despite all this they were ranked No. 5 in the Eastern Conference says something about the team’s strength. Rose’s return and the new additions of Dunleavy and Snell can only improve their performance.
Rose’s Leadership
Although there are way more experienced players on the team, there’s something about Rose which makes him seem older and more capable. It’s more of a feel, a presence and not anything solely related to numbers. Maybe that’s what leadership is all about.
He is selfless, relentless in his attack of the rim, and can lead the offence himself. His leadership played a huge factor in the Bulls’ recent past performances. Rose led the Bulls to the playoffs every season he played in. He’s quiet, not very expressive on the court, even less so off the court. He lets his game do the talking.
Verdict
Last season, the Bulls finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. They lasted till the second round in the playoffs where they lost to eventual champions Miami Heat. This season, they’ll definitely improve on last year’s performance.
However, there’s just one slight problem. The Bulls squad will remain this strong, this deadly, only if most of their key players remain fit, healthy and in-form throughout the season. Of course, this applies to every team in the league, but even more so for the Bulls.
What if Rose is unable to play at his former, MVP level of play right from the word go? After all, he hasn’t played in an NBA game for more than a year and his first game back will be against the mighty Miami Heat. What if Noah or Boozer or Deng get injured? Their inside and perimeter defense will suffer drastically. While they do have a good bench, it’s not that deep.
Due to this, I predict that the Bulls won’t be able to make a title run this year. They will have a deeper playoff run than last season, might last till the Conference Finals, but they would, ultimately succumb to the overwhelming talent of Miami.
Maybe next season, with Rose having been playing for a year since he returned from injury, the Bulls might be able to bring the title to Chicago for the first time since the Jordan era. But not this year.