Bulls Mid-Season Recap
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Feb 3, 2011 4:00PM
With the Bulls having kicked off their smartly timed five-game West coast swing while we dig out from the snowpocalypse, we figured it was a good time to assess their season so far. While not quite the All-Star Break, they've played more than half their schedule already and, through 48 games, the Bulls are a surprising 34-14. That makes them 20 games over .500 for the first time since the Jordan era and equals their record at this point in the year they won their sixth title. It's also good enough to be tied for second best record in the Eastern Conference with a Miami Heat team that added LeBron James and Chris Bosh last summer to team up with Dwyane Wade. Not bad for a team that missed out on those three top free agents and has a rookie head coach.
Making the Bulls season so far even more impressive is that they've played almost the entire season without one of their big men on the court. Free agent power forward Carlos Boozer broke his hand during training camp, delaying his Bulls debut by a month. After just nine games featuring their entire projected starting line-up, the Bulls lost center Joakim Noah to ligament surgery on his thumb in mid-December. The hope is that he can return following the All-Star Break. When they've been in the line-up, both big men have been beasts. Noah is averaging 14 points/game and 11.7 rebounds/game. He looked like a lock for the All-Star Game until he went under the knife. Since Boozer's return, he has lived up to the expectations created when the Bulls made him their top free agent signing. He's scoring 19.9 points/game and banging the boards to the tune of 10.2 rebounds/game. Is that enough to land him an All-Star Game invite? Joining Boozer and Noah in the front court has been a resurgent Luol Deng. Lost in Vinny Del Negro's system, Deng has blossomed under Tom Thibodeau. Scoring 17.6 a night and grabbing 6.2 rebounds, he's also playing great defense while having developed three point range.
Of course the biggest reason for the Bulls hot start is the play of Derrick Rose, who's developed into one of the most dominant players in the league and is fast becoming a candidate for MVP. Voted by fans to start the upcoming All-Star Game, Rose is driving to the hoop and hitting from downtown to the tune of 24.4 points/game while also dishing 8.1 assists/game. Rose has been the constant in the shuffling line-up and his leadership has kept the team humming all season long.
Perhaps the one weakness is with Rose's back court pairing. Keith Bogans has started alongside Rose at shooting guard, but has not performed to fans' liking. Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver also have had up-and-down seasons, with none of the new additions setting himself apart from the others. That's why most rumors involving the Bulls and trades focus on the shooting guard position. As long as Carmelo Anthony remains in Denver, there will be rumors linking him to the Bulls. But Chicago isn't going to give up Noah, so Carmelo's not coming to town anytime soon. O.J. Mayo is another name repeatedly connected to the Bulls, but the Bulls will likely make a smaller upgrade or stand pat with the armada of guards they acquired over the summer.
Once the Bulls get Noah back into the line-up, they'll have about six weeks to make a run to close out a top seed in the playoffs. With Miami getting healthy again, can the Bulls keep pace to fight for the second seed? Thanks in part to Thibodeau's mastery of defense, they've been among the league's best defensive teams and best rebounding teams. That might be enough for them to close in on the East's second seed, and it'll be even more important in the postseason. With Rose's play making ability, Boozer's scoring in the post and better outside shooting all around and the team's excellent chemistry, the Bulls are a pretty complete team. While the Bulls may not quite be championship material just yet, we expect to see a deep playoff run this spring.