Eduardo's Offseason Preview - Chicago Bulls

ChuckChilly · Post #41 » by **ChuckChilly** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:38 am

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfSEwDel084[/youtube]

Keller61 · Post #42 » by **Keller61** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:09 am

hands11 wrote:
bullsaficianado wrote:60 wins is possible if Derrick can stay healthy and they don't blow any close games, the East is a bit stronger than last year but not all that much. Both the Cavs and Bulls have a shot at a 60 win season imo. I'd say 55 wins or 57 wins is more realistic.

More like 48 to 52

The Bulls won 48 games last season despite having the 28th ranked offense in the league. I would think that adding a superstar offensive player (however long it takes him to get back to that level) to the mix, along with other upgrades, should be able to raise that win total significantly. It's not like their defense got any worse; in fact, it got better.

DoubleLintendre · Post #43 » by **DoubleLintendre** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:22 am

Eduardo wrote:
hands11 wrote:
dice wrote:on the contrary, it's quite easy to believe that adding pau gasol, mirotic, mcdermott and upgrading from augustine to an all-star DERRICK ROSE can produce 12 more wins. hell, just getting rid of boozer might add a couple of wins

I got a new flash for some here. DR will not be scoring as efficiently as DJ did last year.

Anyone looking forward to Rose put up 16 attempts per 30 mins might want to think that through.

It amazes me how undervalued DJ was to CHI fans. Dude was huge for them last year.

I see some serous gears grinding as they try to integrate DR back into the team.

Bulls turn trash into treasure at the PG spot. Nate Robinson, DJ Augustin. Aaron Brooks is the next revival. I'm not worried about the backup PG tbh.

Nate Robinson is one of my favorite players, he is not trash and has never been. He's been underrated pretty much his whole career. He's a SG in a small PG body so he's more or less just a one way player. However he has played well wherever he has been. I was hoping he would be retained by GS as he played well as our scorer PG off the bench one year.

Brooks, who was a MIP at one point might be done. He hasn't gotten much burn on any squad for a while.

WesleyExChiFan · Post #44 » by **WesleyExChiFan** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:34 am

mcfly1204 wrote:Who else besides Rose, and occasionally Gasol in the post, is creating offense for Chicago?

Nobody. Hate to say it, but the same avenue of exploitation remains. Mia was built to capitalize on it. Cle, not so much. That said..they're still favorites in a series. No question.

Post #45 » by **HomoSapien** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:28 am

DoubleLintendre wrote:
Brooks, who was a MIP at one point might be done. He hasn't gotten much burn on any squad for a while.

He averaged 29 minutes a game for the Nuggets last year (part of the season), and averaged 12 points a game.

Village Idiot · Post #46 » by **Village Idiot** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:38 am

60 wins seems overly optimistic although playing in the East they should get some easy wins.

If we look at last season's record the Bulls finished at a solid 48-34. The problem is that they went 35-17 against the East but only 13-17 against the West. How legit are they really when they can't crack .500? Would they have even made the playoffs in the West last season? The top 9 teams in the West had winning records within the Conference and in addition all 9 of those teams did better than .666 against the East.

Of course the Bulls did accomplish what they did without Rose. Given his play thus far this off-season his contribution seems completely misaligned with his ego and he may end up being a negative change element. The Bulls could have a very hard time fitting him in again. Mirotic and McDermott could be solid NBA players but it is too early to appoint either as franchise saviors.

DoubleLintendre · Post #47 » by **DoubleLintendre** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:47 am

HomoSapien wrote:
DoubleLintendre wrote:
Brooks, who was a MIP at one point might be done. He hasn't gotten much burn on any squad for a while.

He averaged 29 minutes a game for the Nuggets last year (part of the season), and averaged 12 points a game.

Really now? That's not totally awful. I guess DEN needed a guard to replace Nate.

NBAfan3024 · Post #48 » by **NBAfan3024** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:53 am

No surprises from a homer really.

WesleyExChiFan · Post #49 » by **WesleyExChiFan** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:11 am

Village Idiot wrote:60 wins seems overly optimistic although playing in the East they should get some easy wins.

If we look at last season's record the Bulls finished at a solid 48-34. The problem is that they went 35-17 against the East but only 13-17 against the West. How legit are they really when they can't crack .500? Would they have even made the playoffs in the West last season? The top 9 teams in the West had winning records within the Conference and in addition all 9 of those teams did better than .666 against the East.

Of course the Bulls did accomplish what they did without Rose. Given his play thus far this off-season his contribution seems completely misaligned with his ego and he may end up being a negative change element. The Bulls could have a very hard time fitting him in again. Mirotic and McDermott could be solid NBA players but it is too early to appoint either as franchise saviors.

they traded Deng for nothing too. Top two scorers gone halfway through the season. Replaced by a waiver wire guy. Still got HCA (before burning out spectacularly)

King Stannis · Post #50 » by **King Stannis** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:15 am

If winning 60 games requires a lot of play from Rose it isn't worth it. The Bulls must be very careful with him.

Playoffs are what count.

LloydFree · Post #51 » by **LloydFree** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:34 am

A bit of Homerism for sure, but honestly this preview is better than any of the previews Jazzfan has produced so far. At least the guy is knowledgeable about the subject.

hands11 · Post #52 » by **hands11** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:44 am

RememberLu wrote:I dont see 48 wins in this teams future. Thibs' teams get 48 wins just by showing up every day, regardless of the roster.

Tell that to the 2012/13 season

Village Idiot · Post #53 » by **Village Idiot** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:48 am

wesleybullsfan wrote:
Village Idiot wrote:60 wins seems overly optimistic although playing in the East they should get some easy wins.

If we look at last season's record the Bulls finished at a solid 48-34. The problem is that they went 35-17 against the East but only 13-17 against the West. How legit are they really when they can't crack .500? Would they have even made the playoffs in the West last season? The top 9 teams in the West had winning records within the Conference and in addition all 9 of those teams did better than .666 against the East.

Of course the Bulls did accomplish what they did without Rose. Given his play thus far this off-season his contribution seems completely misaligned with his ego and he may end up being a negative change element. The Bulls could have a very hard time fitting him in again. Mirotic and McDermott could be solid NBA players but it is too early to appoint either as franchise saviors.
they traded Deng for nothing too. Top two scorers gone halfway through the season. Replaced by a waiver wire guy. Still got HCA (before burning out spectacularly)

No doubt the Bulls performed well above expectations last year but there are a number of additional considerations. No question the coaching, especially defensivly, is top-notch. Thibs has them playing as a team. My point though was that perhaps the Bulls are not as good, looking at the league as a whole, as their record would indicate. Last season was fairly unique due to the large number of teams, especially in the East, that were blatantly tanking which makes a 35-17 conference record one with dubious meaning. They still don't have Deng and I am questioning whether Rose being back, at least at his current state, is a net positive. While Gasol is a slight improvement over Boozer, is the team really going to take a major step and overperform yet again above a record from last year that can already be regarded with some doubt?

hands11 · Post #54 » by **hands11** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:56 am

dice wrote:
mcfly1204 wrote:Who else besides Rose, and occasionally Gasol in the post, is creating offense for Chicago?

same question applied 3 and 4 seasons ago. substitute 'boozer' for 'gasol'

Only you don't have 2010/11 and 2011/12 prime D Rose anymore.

And no prime Luol Deng.

No Kyle Korver

And for the record, Boozer averaged 17.5 pts

Not sure why people aren't being realistic about CHI. They have a chance to be good. Only, its going to take some time most likely. It would take near a miracle for it to all come together the first year Rose returns and the first year they add Gasol. Sure it can happen. Its just not the most likely outcome.

Near 50 wins would be a very successful season.

Keller61 · Post #55 » by **Keller61** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:13 am

Village Idiot wrote:60 wins seems overly optimistic although playing in the East they should get some easy wins.

If we look at last season's record the Bulls finished at a solid 48-34. The problem is that they went 35-17 against the East but only 13-17 against the West. How legit are they really when they can't crack .500? Would they have even made the playoffs in the West last season? The top 9 teams in the West had winning records within the Conference and in addition all 9 of those teams did better than .666 against the East.

Of course the Bulls did accomplish what they did without Rose. Given his play thus far this off-season his contribution seems completely misaligned with his ego and he may end up being a negative change element. The Bulls could have a very hard time fitting him in again. Mirotic and McDermott could be solid NBA players but it is too early to appoint either as franchise saviors.

Rose's play in this off-season amounts to the equivalent of about 3 NBA games in terms of usage, without the benefit of continuous touches to get into a rhythm. I don't think you can draw any conclusions from that, apart from the fact that he looks healthy and explosive.

It's hard to see even a rusty Rose not making a positive impact for a team that was one of the worst offensive teams in the league last year.

hands11 · Post #56 » by **hands11** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:19 am

jc23 wrote:
hands11 wrote:
dice wrote:on the contrary, it's quite easy to believe that adding pau gasol, mirotic, mcdermott and upgrading from augustine to an all-star DERRICK ROSE can produce 12 more wins. hell, just getting rid of boozer might add a couple of wins

I got a new flash for some here. DR will not be scoring as efficiently as DJ did last year.

Anyone looking forward to Rose put up 16 attempts per 30 mins might want to think that through.

It amazes me how undervalued DJ was to CHI fans. Dude was huge for them last year.

I see some serous gears grinding as they try to integrate DR back into the team.

Dj was a spark and he helped Chicago attain the 4th seed last season. I appreciate what he brought to the team.

But he was also a defensive liability and was a practical no show in the playoffs. I would rather have DJ over Brooks or Hinrich for scoring, but losing him is not a huge deal.

IMO if you took away Rose the Bulls are still a better team overall this season compared to the team they were last season with DJ.

DJ wasnt a no show. He was targeted by the Wizards. CHI put up a good fight but it wasnt that complicated to shut down their offense which was DJ.

He was 10-22 FG and 4-8 from 3 in game 2 and even that wasn't enough. But the Wizards smartly targeted him.

Then Mike Dunleavy had an insane monster game 12-19 and 8-10 from 3. And even then CHI only won 100-97.

Then TG had one monster game scoring 35, but they still lost.

Then the last game they only could score 69 pts.

CHI fans claim Thibb can roll just about anyone in at back up PG and they will score. Well the Wizards with Wall can put any good 3 pt shooter on the floor and get them open looks from 3. PP is going to light up 3s. Don't be surprised to see Otto doing it as well who they really didnt get to use much last year because of an early season injury and their focus on a playoff push. Beal should be another level better this year which is his 3rd. His body should have finally adjusted to the 82 game season and so should his skills. And they added good depth in Humphries and Blair that they didnt have last year. And they get a full season with Miller backing up PG instead of just 28 games where they had no back up PG. And they are not relying on any of Wall, Beal, PP, Nene or Gortat coming off injury. And they have a full season of Gooden as well vs just 22 games last year.

Village Idiot · Post #57 » by **Village Idiot** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:42 am

Keller61 wrote:
Village Idiot wrote:60 wins seems overly optimistic although playing in the East they should get some easy wins.

If we look at last season's record the Bulls finished at a solid 48-34. The problem is that they went 35-17 against the East but only 13-17 against the West. How legit are they really when they can't crack .500? Would they have even made the playoffs in the West last season? The top 9 teams in the West had winning records within the Conference and in addition all 9 of those teams did better than .666 against the East.

Of course the Bulls did accomplish what they did without Rose. Given his play thus far this off-season his contribution seems completely misaligned with his ego and he may end up being a negative change element. The Bulls could have a very hard time fitting him in again. Mirotic and McDermott could be solid NBA players but it is too early to appoint either as franchise saviors.

Rose's play in this off-season amounts to the equivalent of about 3 NBA games in terms of usage, without the benefit of continuous touches to get into a rhythm. I don't think you can draw any conclusions from that, apart from the fact that he looks healthy and explosive.

It's hard to see even a rusty Rose not making a positive impact for a team that was one of the worst offensive teams in the league last year.

Indeed and I am not drawing any conclusions. My statements were conditional in nature but if Rose had come back and not looked tentative and ineffective but instead been his formerly dominating self I would not be questioning anything but his ability to stay healthy. With all of these uncertainties it seems like ungrounded optimism to project the Bulls at 60 wins.

The Bulls are not the only team to have made significant roster changes and additionally several teams are transitioning from an asset acquisition phase (ie tanking) to the win some games strategy allowing the Bulls fewer walkovers in the East. It was pretty easy to win games against teams that weren't trying to win. There is no guarantee that things will be so easy this season.

Destructor · Post #58 » by **Destructor** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:08 am

dice wrote:
Risk101 wrote:60 win team? That's a pretty big leap. Even the Heatles couldn't achieve that in there first season (58 wins)

This is unrealistic.

how many wins did the bulls have in the heatles' first season?

healthy, all-star caliber derrick rose could realistically get the bulls to 60. that's a big 'if', though

That 5 game ecf though :lol:

Destructor · Post #59 » by **Destructor** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:12 am

King Stannis wrote:If winning 60 games requires a lot of play from Rose it isn't worth it. The Bulls must be very careful with him.

Playoffs are what count.

Shhh it's a secret they haven't figured out yet :wink:

Post #60 » by **kingkirk** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:28 am

mcfly1204 wrote:Who else besides Rose, and occasionally Gasol in the post, is creating offense for Chicago?

Joakim Noah says hi, then throws out 5 assists.