FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.The 2008 Bulls, hopefully, won't be remembered for defining mediocrity at 41-41. Instead, they'll likely be remembered for a thrilling first round series against the Boston Celtics in which were able to only do so much (it's italicized because it's a shoddy theme, y'all!) before heading home for the offseason.
And that offseason saw them very quickly lose -- even if it was expected -- their top scorer from last year. Ben Gordon's explosive, albeit one-dimensional, game will be missed a team that was already middle of the pack in terms of offensive efficiency last year. And John Salmons, a trade-deadline addition along with Brad Miller, will help counter Gordon's loss, but, guess what? He can only do so much.
Derrick Rose is an All-Star in waiting after winning Rookie of the Year in 2008 -- anyone that doesn't expect him to take another leap of some sorts this year probably
And while Rose has fans and ownership feeling secure about the long-term future at point guard in Chicago, the aught-nine Bulls have some shorter-term issues: Brad Miller fills the role of "low post scorer" since Joakim Noah can't "hit the broadside of a barn," but he's a free agent after this season which means the Bulls would probably be wise to get something back in exchange for the center from a team that could use him as a championship piece.
But if the season goes "well" (relatively speaking), Chicago may be hard-pressed to consider thinking of the future. And that might hurt them down the road -- if the Bulls wants to make a run at either Dwayne Wade (it's like a poor man's LeBron-->NYC, thanks for asking) or Chris Bosh (the logical scoring big man upgrade from Miller) they'll need to have plenty in place to attract such a player.
All of that is to say that the Bulls will be decent this year; they're probably slotted in the middle range of the playoff teams, but a highly successful season might be a stretch -- even with a full season of a healthy Luol Deng and improved play from an always-and-forever upside-and-potential-riddled Tyrus Thomas, Chicago's still, by almost any account, well outside of the elite in the East.
Which means they'll only be able to do so mcuh
Last Season By the Numbers
Record: 41-41 under Vinny Del Negro. Finished 2nd in the Central Division, tied for 6th in the Eastern Conference. Eliminated by Boston (4-3) in the first round.
Offense: 108.4 points per 100 possessions, 14th in the NBA. 21st in shooting, 17th in turnover rate, 6th in offensive rebounding, 12th in free throw rate.
Defense: 108.7 points per 100 possession, 18th in the NBA. 10th in shooting defense, 15th in opponent turnover rate, 28th in defensive rebounding, 18th in opponent free throw rate.
Top Performers: Ben Gordon, who left as a free agent this summer, led the team in scoring with 20.7 points per game. Midseason acquisition John Salmons scored 18.3 points per game. Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose led the team with 6.3 assists per game. Drew Gooden (traded at midseason) was the team's leading rebounder at 8.6 per game, and Joakim Noah averaged 7.6 rebounds per game in 24 minutes. Tyrus Thomas averaged 1.9 blocks per game.
All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.
Player to WatchFanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Ziller's post on Bulls wing John Salmons.
[Salmons] is the equivalent of a chained up Tim Duncan who is allowed only to shoot 15-foot jumpers. (And not bank shots, which have become overly romanticized, causing fans to place unearned sentimentality on Duncan.) A toned down Tim Duncan, people. That's John Salmons on the court: keeping calm because there's no other way to exist. Not no other way to win -- that's Duncan, that's the Spurs. For Salmons, there is no other way to live than quietly. He's the John Wayne of the NBA.
See Ziller's full post on Salmons.
Offseason Tracker
IN: James Johnson (draft), Taj Gibson (draft).
OUT: Ben Gordon (free agency), Tim Thomas (buyout).
