Complete Chicago Bulls 2014 Training Camp Preview
The Chicago Bulls' training camp begins Tuesday, September 30. Their first preseason game is on Monday, October 6 at the United Center (full preseason schedule here) against the Washington Wizards—the team that ousted them from the first round of last year’s playoffs.
The 2014-15 NBA campaign is nearly here, and the Bulls have a lot to figure out between now, then and beyond. They’ve got a logjam in the frontcourt, new players young and old (say hello to Aaron Brooks, Pau Gasol, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic) plus former MVP Derrick Rose looking to make a full return.
But there is a clear, if preliminary, depth chart in place. Let’s take a look at what the Bulls have, position by position, in preparation for the team’s most important season of the Tom Thibodeau era.
Point Guard
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1. Derrick Rose
I think you’ve heard of this guy before. Rose is not just atop the Bulls’ point guard pile—he’s the top priority on the whole team. His past, MVP-level dominance still hasn’t been forgotten in Chicago, despite playing just 10 games over the past two seasons.
Rose’s role in 2014-15 has yet to be determined. All signs point to him being the man who wins close, tough games for the Bulls, coming back as one of the NBA's most impactful players.
However, Rose’s time spent with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup tournament showed him playing lousy, rusty, terribly inefficient basketball. His line in Spain: 4.8 points per game, 3.1 assists, 5.3 percent shooting from three and 25.4 shooting overall.
Since Rose has never had this many weapons before, he might ease back into the game by being more of a general, deferring to his teammates and managing the game more than taking it over. But as the season turns toward the postseason, Rose will need to be the singular, game-changing athlete he once was if the Bulls are to have a chance at winning a title. Can he do it?
2. Kirk Hinrich
Trusty, reliable Kirk Hinrich gives the Bulls exactly what they want in their scheme. He turns the ball over rarely, starts the offense and plays terrific perimeter defense, seemingly impossible to screen.
Hinrich had his best stretch in years through the second half of 2013-14. In March, he shot 43 percent from beyond the arc. His re-emergence as a shooting threat opened up the Bulls’ offense in untold ways, but he lost his touch by the time they faced off against the Wizards.
The more Hinrich can find his long ball in 2014-15, the more minutes he’ll get.
3. Aaron Brooks
The newest of Thibodeau’s point guard rehabilitation projects, Aaron Brooks is arguably the Bulls’ most talented find off the scrapheap. A former top scoring option with the Houston Rockets (where he once averaged 19.6 points per game), Brooks is a tricky, imaginative scorer who finds space to shoot in small spots.
Expect him to fill the Nate Robinson role, with the Bulls potentially riding Brooks’ unpredictable hot hand through the more dogged stretches of the year when they allow Rose more rest.
Shooting Guard
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1. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler’s heading into his most important year as a professional. He’s eligible for restricted free agency next summer, and whether he's worth the prickly hurdles of that circumstance depends a lot on his offensive performance.
Thibodeau pushed Butler to a minutes-per-game total that tied Carmelo Anthony’s for highest in the league last year at 38.7. The coach’s obsession with defensive perfection makes Butler a perfect tool. His ceaseless focus on team strings has been the glue to the Bulls’ perimeter stronghold for two seasons.
But Butler’s 28 percent mark from three-point land will have to improve considerably if he’s to expect much more money than the $3 million qualifying offer in 2015. Hopefully the Bulls’ offense has improved enough to give him the breathing space he needs to sink his jumpers.
2. Tony Snell
The lengthy, energetic Tony Snell is a wing man being built according to Thibodeau’s vision. As was the case with Butler and other Bulls prospects before him, the second year under Thibodeau is crucial. The coach is hesitant to trust rookies with heavy minutes while they learn his principles, and the true test of their value as Bulls comes as sophomores.
If Snell can approximate Butler’s effort on defense but score more efficiently (his 32 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie is encouraging) then the Bulls might have themselves a contingency plan next summer if negotiations go sour with Butler. Stay tuned.
3. E’Twaun Moore
The second-to-last Bulls signing before training camp, E’Twaun Moore is not likely to play much in Chicago. Like Snell and Butler, though, his usage rate could vary greatly based on his shooting performance. Moore’s potential as a floor-spacer is why the Bulls took a chance on him, and if he can reproduce his 35 percent shooting from three last year (spent with the Orlando Magic) over sustained stretches, he might stick around.
Small Forward
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1. Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. should begin 2014-15 where he spent most of 2013-14—in the starting lineup.
But an improved Snell could move up to small forward if he consistently outplays Dunleavy. The 34-year-old veteran was a primary scoring option for the extremely thin Bulls last year, but there’s youth and talent coming up on his tail. Dunleavy is lengthy and a strong team defender, but less so he ages. The gap between his defense and that of his underlings might even close visibly over the season.
And in terms of buckets, the next man on the depth chart could be the Bulls’ best get in some time.
2. Doug McDermott
It wouldn’t be shocking to see Doug McDermott, a rookie, starting by season’s end. The Creighton University alum is the fifth-highest all-time scorer in NCAA history, and the Bulls have needed shooting prowess like his every second of the Thibodeau era.
McDermott—better known to many as “Dougie McBuckets”—is going to struggle defensively. He was not a strong stopper in college, and the competition gets a lot steeper here. But on offense, he may—conversely—have an easier time. McBuckets often caught the full attention of NCAA defenses at Creighton, maneuvering his way to jumpers through double- and triple-teams.
That’s not going to happen with the Bulls. Rose, however he may look, will always scare defenses, and so will Pau Gasol. McDermott will have his space to do what he does best, perhaps as well as anyone: shoot.
Power Forward
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1. Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol is the most famous free-agent signing the Bulls have made this century. The two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers is also just what Chicago is looking for personality-wise. He came to the Bulls to compete in a serious, passionate culture.
“Instinct told me to pick Chicago,” he said at his introductory press conference in July. Sick of languishing in L.A. as the Lakers reset, the intensity of Thibodeau and new frontcourt partner Joakim Noah made for an appealing final stop of a storied career.
As for what Gasol brings to the floor? He will be the best post-scoring presence they’ve had in at least a decade, a magnificent passer...but a weak defender. While Gasol’s playmaking chemistry with Noah should be dynamite, Noah’s need to play recovery defense may have just risen.
But when the Bulls want to go all-defense, they’ve got one of the best power forwards in the league for that, right behind Gasol in the depth chart.
2. Taj Gibson
The not-so-silver lining of the Gasol signing is that it leaves Taj Gibson, long one of the most underrated players in the league, somewhat in the shadows.
While Gibson is sure to be an integral part of the Bulls’ rotation, it remains to be seen whether he or Gasol will be Thibodeau’s choice down the stretch of important games. Gibson played virtually every fourth quarter over Carlos Boozer in 2013-14 despite not starting, as his coach simply valued his defense and rebounding too much.
But Gibson’s offensive game has also taken major strides. He averaged 18.2 points against Washington in the playoffs, putting up an impressive 56 percent shooting mark against a steely front line of Nene and Marcin Gortat. Gibson was the best big man in a series full of good ones, and if he continues his progress into next year, it’s going to be hard to keep justifying Gasol’s position ahead of him.
3. Nikola Mirotic
The Bulls have a pretty happy problem in their embarassment of frontcourt riches. Nikola Mirotic has arguably been one of the best non-NBA players in the world for two years, and he’s certainly one of the most compelling prospects of his rookie class. From ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla:
"Given the way the flow of the league is going with spacing, really a lack of quality inside scorers, the game has become a driving game. And where it fits for the Bulls, especially and particularly if D. Rose is healthy and back to form, is he is a 6-[foot-]10, young floor spacer who can really shoot it. But also has enough skill to be able to drive it on occasion.
"
Mirotic is, in other words, the future of NBA big men. It’ll be hard for him to find time among the Bulls’ outstanding veterans up front, but he promises to provide Chicagoans with a ton of optimism and excitement for coming years when they see him on the court.
Center
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1. Joakim Noah
Last year’s most valuable Bull and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Joakim Noah comes into 2014-15 with a lot more freedom. With Gasol next to him and more than capable of playing Noah’s “point center” role that carried the Bulls through much of 2013-14, Noah is free to cause carnage for the opposition with his relentless off-ball activity.
Expect Noah to go even harder after the offensive glass this year. He’ll also have more open shots when he gets them—which has never been a concern for Noah—so it’ll be interesting to see if he can improve upon his 48 percent shooting from last season.
Otherwise, you know what to expect from the wily center. He’s going to frazzle the enemy and make hustle plays in the margins that don’t show up in the box score, energizing his team and city just when all hope seems to be lost. Noah is a non-stop force and his coach’s spirit animal. In the Bulls’ new frontcourt shuffle, Noah is the least likely to be lost.
2. Nazr Mohammed
Recently re-signed as the team’s 14th roster member, Nazr Mohammed isn’t going to see much of the hardwood in 2014-15. The 37-year-old is a solid locker room presence, though, and more than happy to play his role as an adviser and cultural totem. His contribution to this year’s Bulls will be largely invisible.
3. Cameron Bairstow
The Bulls’ second-round draft pick, Cameron Bairstow—from Australia, by way of the University of New Mexico—will be more of a practice squad presence than a game-time contributor. It’s hard to imagine a world in which the rookie can play his way past the five more proven, more talented big men in front of him.
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