Derrick Rose and The Chicago Bulls: 10 Reasons They Will Win The East
While the Miami Heat have drawn all the attention for signing the "Big Three" the Chicago Bulls have quietly had the best off-season in the NBA, putting themselves into a position to win the East. While their moves might not have made the same headlines as those made by the Heat, in their entirety they make the Bulls a better team and here are ten reasons why.
10: Tom Thibodeau
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When Tibs was announced as the new head coach of the Bulls it was a decision that was broadly criticized because it was narrowly viewed only in the light of securing LeBron who had stated the importance of playing for a proven coach. It is now apparent that the head coach was not the deciding factor in LeBron's decision, but the hiring of Thibodeau will be the deciding factor in the Bulls becoming a perennial contender over the next half decade.
In the NBA many give little regard to the importance of the head coach, but in truth, it's a hugely important factor. Let this one fact sink in for a moment. In the last 26 years, six coaches have won 24 of the NBA championships. In the 53 year history of the league, just four coaches have won 29 of its titles. In terms correlation, there is no other factor which stands out so much.
Thibodeau has the experience, the energy, the dedication, and all the tools needed to be a championship head coach. The Bulls made the right decision in putting their first emphasis on the coach and not the player, and while that might not be immediately obvious, as the season progresses, it will become apparent.
9: Synergy
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It's well known that the Bulls gutted their team to acquire James. The core of the team, Rose and Noah, along with surprise rookie standout Taj Gibson were all that remained. Hiring Thibs first, coupled with a large free agent class, gave the Bulls a unique opportunity to build a team on an established foundation, with an architect in mind. It usually takes a new coach to get "his team" in place, but with the new look Bulls, Tibs was able to build a young team from the ground up according to his own specifications. This team is his team from year one.
While the Heat are trying to find ways to fit a game plan around their players, the Bulls are fitting their players to their game plan. As a result the Heat will be a team that is less than the sum of their parts (but pretty tremendous parts!) the Bulls will be a team that is greater than the sum of their parts. It's not just about how well the players play, it's how well they play together. The Bulls will have an edge on Miami in that department.
8: Tom Thibodeau, Part II
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Consider last season and the Celtics playoff run. In the first round his defense stopped Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. In the second round they sent LeBron James and the Cavaliers home packing. In the finals it was Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. He did all of this while coaching for the Celtics, the defense he knows better than anyone, including Doc Rivers. Now consider who his biggest obstacles are next season. He, more than anyone, knows how to get past the obstacles he faces.
7: Depth
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The Bulls second team is composed of CJ Watson at the point, Keith Bogans at shooting guard, Kyle Korver at small forward, Taj Gibson at power forward, and Kurt Thomas at the center. Between those five players they combined for 144 starts on their respective teams. Kyle Korver, arguably their best and most important bench player, had none of those. The Bulls will be an outstanding fourth quarter team as a result of their depth, while the Heat will be struggling in that department.
Tom Thibodeau's Defense
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Tom Thibodeau's bread and butter his is defense. It's an earned reputation. He's helped San Antonio, Houston, New York and Boston all produce elite defenses. His teams have finished in the top 10 defensively ten times in the last 15 years. His Knicks defense set the NBA record for holding teams under the century mark with 33 straight games. In short, his resume` is earned. There may not be a better defensive mind in the NBA.
6: Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans
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It doesn't matter how well you coach defense if you don't have the players to execute the game plan. Enter Ronnie Brewer one of the best defenders in the game, who can guard at either the SF spot or the SG spot. Enter Keith Bogans, another defensive presence. The Bulls can put a shut down team on the court when the game is on the line and the other team has the ball.
5: Joakim Noah
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Noah is emerging as one of the better defensive centers in the NBA. In fact, the only center clearly superior to him at this point is Dwight Howard. His energy and tenacity are things that can't be coached. He's got height, length and athleticism. He's got everything he needs in terms of both physical attributes and the mental game. When you add in Tibs coaching, you have a player primed to join the NBA All-Defensive team.
4: Tibs Offense and Player Development
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While he's known for his defense, that's not all there is to Tom Thibodeau, contrary to popular belief. His player development is to say the least, through the roof. Add Rajon Rondo to the list of players who give him credit for helping their game, a list that already includes Larry Jonson, Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant.
That's right I said Kobe Bryant. When he was 14 and living in Philadelphia, where Tibs was coaching at the time, Kobe used to get help from him. "He started drilling me, NBA basketball drills, when I was 14. So he kind of has inside information on what I like to do because he taught me most of the stuff." That's pretty telling words from the game's elite player. Thibodeau is the guy who followed Yao to China for two months to help him work on his game. He's bent on player development, and with a team of young players, the importance of that simply can't be overstated.
Another aspect of his coaching that gets overlooked is that he knows what he's doing on offense also. In fact it was his view of where he wanted to take the Bulls offense, a drive and kick offense featuring Derrick Rose, that sold the Bulls on hiring him as their new head coach. When you look at the roster built this summer you have perfect personnel for the offense he wants to run.
3: Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans
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The second factor in a drive and kick offense is a quality low post scorer. Again it's an area where the Bulls have been lacking for a long time, not having a presence in the middle since the departure of Etlon Brand. Enter Carlos Boozer, one of the best post scorers in the game. Boozer's contributions on the offensive end are going to be valuable enough, but his largely underrated defense will mean something too. Boozer has been blamed for
2: Carlos Boozer
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The second crucial aspect of the drive and kick offense is the low post scorer. The Chicago Bulls haven't had a real threat there since the departure of Elton Brand. Enter Carlos Boozer, one of the better post scorers in the game. Already, that's enough to establish the signing of Boozer as a success. That's not all there is to him though, as he's a far better defensive presence than he's given credit for being. Okur 's defense is far more suspect and Boozer would give up points trying to help Okur, which explains why his defensive rating jumped seven points when he went to Utah. With Noah playing alongside him now, look for Boozer's defense to "miraculously" improve.
1: Derrick Rose
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The most important thing in a drive and kick offense is the point guard. You have to have a guy who can break down defenses off the dribble (check), score (check) and pass (check). Rose is the whole package. With the tools around him now, and the new offense, look for Rose's assist totals to have a nice jump. Then factor into this that Rose has apparently been working, quite successfully, on his three. Offensively, look for a huge year for Rose.
It gets better though. Mike Krzyzewski has stated the factor that got Rose onto Team USA this summer was his defense. Add onto that that there's been reports about Rose tapping Billups, the best defensive PG in the game for how to improve on that end of the court. Finally you cap that off with Tibs defensive help and you've got the making of a complete point guard. Think Steve Nash' offense with Chauncey Billups defense.
Think of the the Phoenix Suns offense mixed with the Boston Celtics defense and you start getting a picture of the potential of these Chicago Bulls. They are a team that is fully loaded, and coached by a man who knows how to stop all the other key players. When you put it all together you have the makings of your next Eastern Conference Champions.
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