Previewing the 2009-2010 Chicago Bulls
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 27, 2009 5:00PM
Is this the year the Bulls finally reclaim their place among the NBA's elite? For the past few seasons, the Bulls have been full of potential but inconsistent on fulfilling that promise on the court. One of these years, they'll finally make that jump. When we last saw the Bulls playing meaningful games, it was in an epic seven-game series (plus seven OT periods) with the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs. Taking the defending NBA champs and second-seeded Celts the full distance gave Bulls fans a lot to look forward to for this season. But is the optimism justified just yet?
While the Bulls roster isn't that different from the one we saw against Boston, it is vastly different from the one we previewed a year ago. Trying to reshape a roster around top draft pick Derrick Rose, the Bulls once again took advantage of the trading deadline wheeling-and-dealing to revamp the team mid-season. They shipped out players like Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, and Andres Nocioni, while adding Brad Miller, John Salmons, and Tim Thomas. A team that was six games under .500 at the times of the roster shake-up, the Bulls finished 41-41 and made the playoffs as the seventh seed -- and perhaps earning rookie coach Vinny Del Negro another year on the bench.
Roster changes, the starting line-up, and our 2009-2010 prediction are after the jump.
Key Departures:
Ben Gordon - SG
Key Additions:
James Johnson - PF
Taj Gibson - PF
Jannero Pargo - SG
The biggest roster change during the off-season was the departure of Ben Gordon, their leading scorer the past few years and one of the stars of that series with Boston. The team and Gordon had been unable to agree to terms in the past when the organization made contract offers and parting ways with Gordon gives the Bulls more flexibility and salary cap space for next summer's free agent class. Having Gordon on the court was a mixed blessing, as he was prone to turnovers and was a liability on defense. In the short term, however, the Bulls may have difficulty replacing Gordon's points. Their only additions during the off season were free agent Jannero Pargo and the drafting of rookie power forwards James Johnson and Taj Gibson.
Expected Starting Line-up:
Derrick Rose - PG
John Salmons - SG
Tyrus Thomas - PF
Luol Deng - SF
Joakim Noah - C
Derrick Rose was definitely one of the Bulls highlights last season, as the top overall draft pick made substantial contributions from day one on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award while averaging 16.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. Teamed up in the back court most often with Ben Gordon last year, this season he'll play along side John Salmons. Salmons shifts over to the two spot after primarily playing small forward in Luol Deng's absence, and will be looked at to make up much of Gordon's scoring. Deng is back at small forward and hopefully healthy. The Bulls hope he can regain his form from past seasons and also approach 20 points per game. Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah will start at power forward and center. The Bulls bench includes key veterans like Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller, as well as the rookies Gibson and Johnson.
Prediction: 51-31
Once again, the Bulls are likely to dig themselves a hole early in the season with a tough schedule and the notorious "Circus Trip" meaning they play 10 of their first 15 games on the road -- all while trying to figure out players' roles. But this team should eventually gel, and with Derrick Rose maturing, Luol Deng returning, and Vinny Del Negro a little more experienced in coaching a team, we think the Bulls can dream of hosting an opening round playoff series come spring. Any noise the team makes in the playoffs, though, will likely pale compared to the noise the Bulls make in free agency next summer when they'll look to add the final, missing piece that'll make them serious title contenders (Bosh, Wade, or Lebron, anyone?)