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LeBron signs with the Chicago Bulls, becomes their point forward. Chicago calls it a day and doesn't sign Boozer, signs Asik to longer contract.

Rose no longer has to go balls to the walls as their point guard and assumes his natural slice and dice shooting guard.

Does this team beat OKC in 2012 finals and become powerhouse for next half decade?

Starting 5

Luol Deng
Rose
Lebron
Noah
Kyle Korver

Omer Asik
Gibson
Brewer
Watson

With 7 footer Noah and Asik and Thibodeau, this lineup would be the most ferocious defense in the league.

They'd be better than the Heat IMO. Always thought that Chicago was the best team for him.

2011 they sign Shane Battier
2012 they sign Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

Monster team imo.

I'd say they have a good chance of being the greatest defensive team of all time.

They'd trade Deng I think. He's kind of redundant with Lebron as the 3/4. Plus you can't assume Rose would be healthy.

HeartBreakKid wrote:They'd be better than the Heat IMO. Always thought that Chicago was the best team for him.

Agreed. That team would be scary indeed, Noah + Lebron alone is scary. Passing and chemistry likely would have been great, defense out of this world. Bulls would have needed to add more shooters but that's about it. Honestly that team on paper is better than Miami.

Thibs tends to push his players crazy hard though, not sure Lebron would have been a fan. Also not sure how the chemistry between he and Derrick Rose would have worked out. I guess you could say similar to how he and D-Wade worked out but I don't know, Derrick is younger and still trying to prove himself, D-Wade had already won a ring and Finals MVP so it's not as big a sacrifice for him. Basically Derrick Rose knows if Lebron joins the team he is second fiddle for pretty much the remainder of his career.

This team would definitely not be better than the Heat. Wade has the guile and experience to make his impact off the ball, which I don't think Rose would. Defensively they'd be monstrous but they wouldn't match up to the passing, shooting and movement of the Heat.

Benedict_Boozer wrote:

HeartBreakKid wrote:They'd be better than the Heat IMO. Always thought that Chicago was the best team for him.

Agreed. That team would be scary indeed, Noah + Lebron alone is scary. Passing and chemistry likely would have been great, defense out of this world. Bulls would have needed to add more shooters but that's about it. Honestly that team on paper is better than Miami.

Thibs tends to push his players crazy hard though, not sure Lebron would have been a fan. Also not sure how the chemistry between he and Derrick Rose would have worked out. I guess you could say similar to how he and D-Wade worked out but I don't know, Derrick is younger and still trying to prove himself, D-Wade had already won a ring and Finals MVP so it's not as big a sacrifice for him. Basically Derrick Rose knows if Lebron joins the team he is second fiddle for pretty much the remainder of his career.

Yeah, that was a big factor in Lebron not going to Chicago. Miami pushed hard to get him and have him join his 2 friends and win rings and party in South Beach. Rose thought he could win without Lebron and I remember reading that he didn't even call James that summer. For Chicago to get Lebron, Rose would have had to go all out in recruiting Lebron. Of course, I think Lebron had his mind pretty much made up in the 08 olympics that if he left Cleveland he was going to Miami with his buddies.

Benedict_Boozer wrote:

HeartBreakKid wrote:They'd be better than the Heat IMO. Always thought that Chicago was the best team for him.

Agreed. That team would be scary indeed, Noah + Lebron alone is scary. Passing and chemistry likely would have been great, defense out of this world. Bulls would have needed to add more shooters but that's about it. Honestly that team on paper is better than Miami.

Thibs tends to push his players crazy hard though, not sure Lebron would have been a fan. Also not sure how the chemistry between he and Derrick Rose would have worked out. I guess you could say similar to how he and D-Wade worked out but I don't know, Derrick is younger and still trying to prove himself, D-Wade had already won a ring and Finals MVP so it's not as big a sacrifice for him. Basically Derrick Rose knows if Lebron joins the team he is second fiddle for pretty much the remainder of his career.

But Derrick doesn't have a Kobe-like ego, he'd be a Russell Westbrook without the responsibility to create for others. He'd be able to play at his peak potential; slashing shooting guard with a spot up 3.

Kyle Korver would be their shooter year 1, year 2 they add Shane Battier. Shane Battier came to Miami to play with LeBron. Ray Allen came year 3 to play with LeBron. Kyle Korver, Shane Battier, Ray Allen as your 3 point assassins. Derrick Rose and Luol Deng would also be asked to practice their 3 point shooting to get near 40% consistently.

With Noah and Asik, as well as Luol Deng, they can match any team in terms of size and pretty much everyone is top tier defensive capability.

They would be a scary team.They may not be as good of a offensive team as this miami but defensively,they would be one of the best of all time.Imagine 2013 bulls with butler/deng/james. Nightmare for opposing perimeter players.Noah and asik manning the middle,defensively they would probably be pacers on streroids.They would probably be the best rebounding team.

Put noah/asik/deng/butler/james(rose is injured in this scenario) on the floor.They would have much of a spacing but defensively they would just eviscerate opposing teams.

I have always wanted him to join bulls.My second favourite team after lakers.Imagine a big or two in this case who can actually defend and rebound so that lebron wouldnt have to be the best rebounder.

Tien wrote:2011 they sign Shane Battier
2012 they sign Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

Monster team imo.

Shane didn't sign with Miami because of lebron. He signed because of Mickey; I still think he signs with Miami. Ray Allen would be a very real possibility though because Lebron was always in Ray's ear about teaming up

They would need to have traded Rose. His skillset is useless with LeBron's.

pauk89 wrote:They would need to have traded Rose. His skillset is useless with LeBron's.

Isn't Rose's skillset fairly similar to Wade's? Besides, when you have two elite offensive players it doesn't really matter how well they compliment each other. It is impossible for the defense to shut them both down. The attention that Rose requires from the defense would allow LeBron to do whatever he wanted, and vice versa.

Keller61 wrote:Besides, when you have two elite offensive players it doesn't really matter how well they compliment each other.

...

ThaRegul8r wrote:

Keller61 wrote:Besides, when you have two elite offensive players it doesn't really matter how well they compliment each other.

...

Obviously it helps when they compliment each other well, but it's not like one of them is useless if they don't. The point I was trying to make is that two great players is always better than one. They take pressure off of each other and thus create easier oppurtunities for each other. If you try to stop one of them the other will beat you. A team with two Kobes, for example, would be unstoppable, even though you could argue that a second Kobe doesn't bring any new skillset to the team.

pancakes3 wrote:I'd say they have a good chance of being the greatest defensive team of all time.

Deng is a better defender than Lebron, they would only improve defensively if they started both which could work. As for the question, I don't think they win anything during that time span unless Rose doesn't get injured.

The 2011 and 2012 Bulls would have been as great as people mistakenly think the Heat are. They would have been a no question GOAT level team and would likely have turned in maybe the greatest season of all time.

Those Jordan comparisons would be deafening.