In the 2009-2010 season The Chicago Bulls entered the playoffs as an eighth seed with a .500 record (41-41), the year before that they entered the playoffs as a seven seed with the same 41-41 record. In the 2008-2009 playoffs the sub par seventh seed gave NBA fans a series to remember. The Bulls took the second seeded Boston Celtics to over time in a playoff record 4 games and 7 quarters. In the 2009-2010 playoffs they struggled against a red hot Lebron James but signs of leadership and star play arose from Derrick Rose. So going into the offseason, The Bulls needed to add some solid players to help the rising star. The Bulls first went out and signed a man known to be a great defensive coach in Tom Thibodeau. Then they signed Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer along with others. By doing this, The Chicago Bulls put themselves in a great position to improve and become a top team in the league.
With Noah and Boozer battling injuries this season, The Bulls have not been i full strength for more than a week this year. Even without Noah for a big chunk of the season, The Bulls are one of the top teams in the NBA. I will even say that they are a real contender for the NBA Title. This team has a stereotypical championship team. They are big, they have perimeter shooting, and most of all they have an MVP candidate that can take over any game. Here are my top reasons why I think the Chicago Bulls are a championship caliber team.
5) Depth: with Joakim Noah coming back, that allows the cast of players that have successfully filled in for him to come off the bench. Kurt "Big Sexy" Thomas is going to get some much needed rest and will be ready to play a big role in the playoffs. He has proven he can come in to a game and guard the big centers, this is key to a good run in the playoffs. Also since Noah has been out, the big Turkish man in the middle, Asik, has improved greatly and has learned to play tougher. These two guys coming off the bench will be huge because the Bulls have won with them playing the bulk of the minutes. Not only do the Bulls have depth at the center spot, but they have depth in almost every position. Guys like Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver and C.J. Watson are all guys that can come in and make a difference in a game. Taj Gibson is a guy that coach Thibodeau likes to use to get in the game, block shots and give the team an energy boost. Ronnie Brewer might be the best back door player in the league. He constantly gets inside and gets the easy layups, and on the other side of the ball, he uses his length to come up with steal and blocks. Kyle Korver is the guy that every championship team has on the roster. Every championship team needs someone to come into the game to hit a couple three pointers and quick shots from the elbow, Korver is that guy for the Bulls. Then there is C.J. Watson, who has the honor of backing up the best point guard in the league. C.J. is a great ball handler and can pack the stat sheet for the amount of time he gets in.
4) Coaching: Coach Thibs has experience with teams in the playoffs. He learned a lot from being the guy behind the scenes in Boston and has a philosophy that is fit for a championship team. DEFENSE! The oldest in cliche in the book is Offense wins games and Defense wins championships. Noone knows this better than Coach Thibs and he has helped coach the Bulls to become one of the top defending teams in the league in the first half of the season. Thibs is a passionate, relentless coach that is looking to make a name for himself as a head coach.
3) Luol Deng: Deng has to play the biggest role of the starters inorder for the Bulls to win, YES LUOL DENG. Its not that he has to be better than Rose, Boozer or Noah, but its that he has to be the guy that takes advantage of the fact that a lot of double teams will come off of him to go help on Rose or Boozer. Deng is averaging 17.6 points and shooting 34% from downtown. He needs to continue to take advantage of open opportunities and be the third scoring option while trying to slow down the opposing teams star. Deng usually ends up guarding the Lebrons and Kobes of the league with the position he plays, and has done a decent job at slowing those kind of guys down.
2) Size: The Chicago Bulls have struggled in recent years to find big guys that can clog up the hole and give them an effective inside offensive threat. This year is different, they dont have Ben Wallace or Brad Miller to rely on. The Bulls can now rely on the likes of two time All-Star Carlos Boozer, and the high energy man, Joakim Noah. These guys have yet to play more than 8 games together but once they get rolling together they have the size, speed, defensive and offensive ability to beat the biggest teams in the league. The Bulls also have good sized guards and small forwards. Guys like Deng and Brewer are lengthy guys that have the ability to guard the opponents play makers and come up with steals and blocks, while C.J. Watson, Derrick Rose, Keith Bogans and Kyle Korver are at the smallest 6'3, that being Rose who is an MVP candidate. They are a team that can handle any big guy in the league. Their size along with athletic ability and Thibs defensive ingenious is a big reason they are a championship caliber team.
1) 6'3 190 pound guard from Chicago! There is not much explanation necessary for this guy. Derrick Rose and shown that he is a super star. He is averaging 24.9 points per game, 8.2 assists per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. Watch any game and in minutes you can see this guys ability. I dont think there is a guy in the league that can get to the highest point of his jump from the ground quicker than he can. Stacey King says it best, "Too big too strong to fast TOO GOOD." Rose is having an MVP year and is getting the attention of everybody across the league. He has proven on several occasions that he can make the clutch shot to win or put the game in overtime. He has proven that he can take over the game in the fourth quarter when everyone else is being locked down and most importantly he has proven to be the leader of this team.
These reasons are why the Bulls are a championship caliber team. There are some areas of concern however. The Bulls feel like they need a solid starting shooting guard. Someone that can start, play defense and knock down the three ball. Bogans is a solid defender, and Korver is a great shooter BUT Bulls fans want a combination of both. A guy who can start and not be a liability in defense or shooting. I tend to believe in the guys we have. Thibs has helped Korver become a better defender and an solid passer and Bogans gets the job done. Bulls fans seem to hate Bogans but they dont pay attention to what he does on the defensive side of the court, they only see the missed shots. But again the old cliche comes to mind, "Offense wins games and defense wins championships." The Bulls already have guys that can score at any given time of a game, they need guys like Bogans to help on the defensive side.
So get excited Bulls fans because this year come playoff time, the Chicago Bulls have a great chance of making a big run to the NBA finals. Pending a huge run upon Noah's return, the Bulls can come away with the top spot in the east, passing the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. GO BULLS!
