ESPN Has us at #10 in the East

[Rerisen]

40 seems like a conservative prediction.

Very conservative. Provided we don't have 200 games lost to injury, don't have locker room armageddon, and Wade doesn't fall off a cliff (which he shouldn't assuming the injury provision above), I see the low side base wins of this team really no less than 42 or 43.

But you're right its not that big of an insult from ESPN since the actual rank is only so low due to how bunched up teams are in the East, and even if they undersell us by a few wins that can drop you like 5 ranks with the current parity.

[Jimako10]

Sounds about right, but I'm definitely the most skeptical one here. I really do hope I'm wrong though.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using RealGM mobile app

[FriedRise]

The whole league is so enamored with this 3pt shooting and spacing, everyone and their mother wants to shoot 3s nowadays. Sign all the shooters cuz nothing else matters! Apparently when a team zag instead of zig, they're automatically a fail. Doesn't surprise me one bit that ESPN goes with that narrative.

Miami last year finished 3rd in the much improved Eastern Conference and went so deep in the playoffs being one of the worst 3pt shooting team in league. They were bottom 4 in 3PA, 3PM, and 3P%. I didn't follow them much, but were they as chastised by the media? How did they beat teams packing the lane against them?

All I know is we now have Rondo and Wade who've made a name for themselves in the league for not being shooters. It's not like they're now gonna start taking and bricking 7 3-pointers a game early in the shotclock while being lousy shooters. I'd rather be the underdog than an underachieving lottery team that everyone crowned as LeBron's biggest obstacle.

[detlef_schrempf]

Anybody who thinks a team with the talent of Rondo, Wade, and Butler won't make the playoffs, let alone contend, is someone with an opinion not worth listening to. Not surprised ESPN provides this narrative. Blowhards.

[TheStig]

I think this team will do better this year. With the addition of a well respected guy like Wade who knows how to win and all the defectors in Noah, Rose and MDJ gone, I feel like the team has just had surgery and cut all the cancer out. I think Niko and Doug will stretch the floor and the Bulls will keep Wade on a maintenance plan to let others get involved and to keep him fresh.

The depth and toughness is good. This looks less like a Hoiball team and more like a grind it out team with some good transition players.

If I had to guess, I think they struggle the first 1/3rd of the the season and then really turn it on after the all star break when the schedule gets easier. I'd say they win 45-50 games if health isn't a issue.

They're a more dangerous playoff team IMHO. In the playoffs, Rondo, Wade and Butler are as good as any 1,2,3. Taj and Rolo are solid and Niko, Portis and Doug can go off at anytime with our back court causing havoc.

And lets face it, outside of the Cavs. Everyone in the East is really lumped in from 2-6. There is very little separation. You just have to get the 2, 3, 6 seed to avoid the cavs.

[Bulls03]

50+ wins and ECF should be the goal. They then should look to sign a big name free agent and possibly make a big trade. One of Wades family members says he intends to bring in another max player this next summer. At least that's what that Carlos Douglas jr. guy tweeted after the Wade signing.

[Axxo]

Dont see any way we have a worse record than last season. Everything that could go wrong went wrong last year and we arguably improved and quite possibly by a lot.

I argued the same basic thing before last season, and am still finding bits of egg on my face.

I think the national media fails to fully appreciate the Rose dynamic. I think we've improved the short term roster and, yes, think "fit" actually improved through the additions and subtractions.

But I can see why ESPN would see it differently.

We dropped at least 10 games last year due to lack of effort. Injuries compounded it and gave us no margin for error at the end. I don't agree with the wizards placement although they do have brooks coaching. We did not build the best "team" this off-season, that said I do think we will be around 9th with a similar record as last year depending on which teams actually a step back this off-season.

[JordansBulls]

The national media has a lack of faith in Hoiberg.

That isn't what is driving this. Its the Warriors' "fault." Predictably the national media dunderheads are now married to and obsessed with "spacing," thinking that basketball has been reinvented wholesale. That is why pretty much everything you read about the new Bulls roster is entirely about "fit" and "spacing." Of course that analysis focuses solely on Rondo, Wade and Butler, ignoring the roster as a whole, and ignoring that though they will start, they don't have to share the floor with one another all the time.

This happens all the time in sports media coverage.

Now, that isn't to say that the Bulls' bizarre roster is necessarily going to work. Its certainly experimental. I'm just saying the rationale of the national media is lazy and superficial, as is frequently the case.

What is funny is that the Warriors didn't win the title.

The team that did had two isolation scorers, a hustle guy in the middle and role players standing around the arc. From a "fit" and role standpoint (not talent), the difference between Chicago and Cleveland is swapping out Rondo with a spot up shooter.

Roles
Butler = Kyrie
Wade = Lebron
Rondo != Mo Williams or JR Smith standing around as a shooter
Mirotic = Love
Taj = Thompson

The "fit" thing may be an issue but it has taken on a life of its own and is being exaggerated. If the Bulls aren't that good this year, it will probably be because they simply aren't that good.

Exactly and don't forget that Butler shuts down Lebron as well.

[Bulls03]

That isn't what is driving this. Its the Warriors' "fault." Predictably the national media dunderheads are now married to and obsessed with "spacing," thinking that basketball has been reinvented wholesale. That is why pretty much everything you read about the new Bulls roster is entirely about "fit" and "spacing." Of course that analysis focuses solely on Rondo, Wade and Butler, ignoring the roster as a whole, and ignoring that though they will start, they don't have to share the floor with one another all the time.

This happens all the time in sports media coverage.

Now, that isn't to say that the Bulls' bizarre roster is necessarily going to work. Its certainly experimental. I'm just saying the rationale of the national media is lazy and superficial, as is frequently the case.

What is funny is that the Warriors didn't win the title.

The team that did had two isolation scorers, a hustle guy in the middle and role players standing around the arc. From a "fit" and role standpoint (not talent), the difference between Chicago and Cleveland is swapping out Rondo with a spot up shooter.

Roles
Butler = Kyrie
Wade = Lebron
Rondo != Mo Williams or JR Smith standing around as a shooter
Mirotic = Love
Taj = Thompson

The "fit" thing may be an issue but it has taken on a life of its own and is being exaggerated. If the Bulls aren't that good this year, it will probably be because they simply aren't that good.

Exactly and don't forget that Butler shuts down Lebron as well.

Ehhhhhhhh, nobody shuts LeBron down in a playoff setting. Hopefully he can make it tough on him if we get matched up with them in a playoff setting. Wade gets up for matchup a against LeBron so I think those 2 will go toe to toe. We need Jimmy to outplay Kyrie and for our role players/shooters to show up if we want a chance though.

I'm really hoping Bosh and Miami agree to a buyout and he forces his way to Chicago to play with Wade who is his best friend.

[molepharmer]

I'm actually not all that worried about possible injuries, assuming they're not prevalent. Sure if Wade, Jimmy or Rondo go down there will be a talent drop off with the replacement. But quite possibly the replacement's game style will be a better fit than the veteran who went down. The one injured player I'd be most concerned about, due to his replacement, would be Lopez; a relatively inexperienced Felicio would have to adapt very quickly.

ESPN's win prediction, while justifiable, will prove to be too low. Wade is not coming back home to Chicago and miss the playoffs.

[BahamaBull]

Joakim Noah missed almost the entire season, Jimmy missed 15 games, derrick 16...And we still managed to win 42 games last year.

This year with a better team we are going to win 40?! Really?

Ok, ESPN...

[SpinninHouse]

I mean, we basically unloaded several horrible players and acquired several not horrible players. How would we not improve next year?

Unloaded:
Rose - Horrible
Noah - Horrible
Brooks - Horrible
Gasol - Not Horrible
Dunleavy - Not Horrible but Not Good
Holiday - Not Horrible but Not Good

Acquired:
Wade - Not Horrible
Rondo - Not Horrible
Valentine - Not Horrible but Not Good
Canaan - Not Horrible but Not Good

How did we get worse? I'm confused.

[Stratmaster]

Well, there is obviously about a 6 spot margin of error with the clump of teams. I'm still going with 6 seed.

[musiqsoulchild]

They put win total down. If you look, 6 wins separate 4th and 11th place. That might be pretty realistic.

Fair point - here's my add on.

We have 2 of the game's premier closers. And a third very good one. When it comes to putting away close games, I see us doing that much more than even under Thibs.

So, I see us in the upper part of that 4-11 bracket.

One thing being undersold IMO is we can put out 5 players that can all be productive at their natural positions.

No more praying for Snell, or brokeback Dunleavy to give more than 3 points on any given night as a starter.

Getting away from these no-show guys in big roles, might shore up the roster from the bottom side in an unexpected way.

Edit: Ice Man beat me to the thought.

Another thing that combines what you are saying with my point about the clutch:

2 way players with actual PLUS talent / quality / size for their respective positions.

Makes end of game planning much easier for Fred and allows him to take timeouts only for play calling rather than Offense - Defense substitutions.

[sco]

I mean, we basically unloaded several horrible players and acquired several not horrible players. How would we not improve next year?

Unloaded:
Rose - Horrible
Noah - Horrible
Brooks - Horrible
Gasol - Not Horrible
Dunleavy - Not Horrible but Not Good
Holiday - Not Horrible but Not Good

Acquired:
Wade - Not Horrible
Rondo - Not Horrible
Valentine - Not Horrible but Not Good
Canaan - Not Horrible but Not Good

How did we get worse? I'm confused.

Can you dumb down the technical terminology for me? JK

Holiday should be rated as a pure Not Horrible IMO.

[MrSparkle]

Meh. Predicting this season is a crap-shoot. The +/- (ceiling/bust) ratio of the Bulls and Knicks is far more appealing than any team in the East besides CLE.

I actually like MIL more than a lot of the other teams too.

I expect a more entertaining season from CHI than last. They are in a good position to make the playoffs. With PHI finally attempting to field a competent roster, Howard going to ATL, Horford improving BOS, and regular improvement from the younger teams, it's gonna be a much more entertaining season than last.

I'm more curious as to which team actually collapses early and goes for the tank. I can see the Wizards falling apart. John Wall is great, but for being a top-ranking SG, Beal is very injury prone. Mahinmi isn't a game changer.

[waffle]

if we stay moderately (median) healthy, even if I take off my homer hat? That's low

[SpinninHouse]

I mean, we basically unloaded several horrible players and acquired several not horrible players. How would we not improve next year?

Unloaded:
Rose - Horrible
Noah - Horrible
Brooks - Horrible
Gasol - Not Horrible
Dunleavy - Not Horrible but Not Good
Holiday - Not Horrible but Not Good

Acquired:
Wade - Not Horrible
Rondo - Not Horrible
Valentine - Not Horrible but Not Good
Canaan - Not Horrible but Not Good

How did we get worse? I'm confused.

Can you dumb down the technical terminology for me? JK

Holiday should be rated as a pure Not Horrible IMO.

LMAO. I thought it was an expensive analytical case study on grading NBA players?

Holiday's D was pretty darn good.

[JordansBulls]

What is funny is that the Warriors didn't win the title.

The team that did had two isolation scorers, a hustle guy in the middle and role players standing around the arc. From a "fit" and role standpoint (not talent), the difference between Chicago and Cleveland is swapping out Rondo with a spot up shooter.

Roles
Butler = Kyrie
Wade = Lebron
Rondo != Mo Williams or JR Smith standing around as a shooter
Mirotic = Love
Taj = Thompson

The "fit" thing may be an issue but it has taken on a life of its own and is being exaggerated. If the Bulls aren't that good this year, it will probably be because they simply aren't that good.

Exactly and don't forget that Butler shuts down Lebron as well.

Ehhhhhhhh, nobody shuts LeBron down in a playoff setting. Hopefully he can make it tough on him if we get matched up with them in a playoff setting. Wade gets up for matchup a against LeBron so I think those 2 will go toe to toe. We need Jimmy to outplay Kyrie and for our role players/shooters to show up if we want a chance though.

I'm really hoping Bosh and Miami agree to a buyout and he forces his way to Chicago to play with Wade who is his best friend.

Butler locks down Lebron or at least more than anyone else can. Held him to 24 ppg on 44% FG for a series.

[TheStig]

I mean, we basically unloaded several horrible players and acquired several not horrible players. How would we not improve next year?

Unloaded:
Rose - Horrible
Noah - Horrible
Brooks - Horrible
Gasol - Not Horrible
Dunleavy - Not Horrible but Not Good
Holiday - Not Horrible but Not Good

Acquired:
Wade - Not Horrible
Rondo - Not Horrible
Valentine - Not Horrible but Not Good
Canaan - Not Horrible but Not Good

How did we get worse? I'm confused.

Gasol was far from horrible. His defensive issues were not good but he was still a 2 time all star here. And there is no way the Spurs would have signed him to be their starting C if he was horrible.