Power Ranking Chicago Bulls Players Heading into 2014-15 NBA Season
The 2014-15 NBA season is the biggest, most expectation-laden Chicago Bulls campaign since we turned over into a new century. Coach Tom Thibodeau’s steely system, which charges his team through the regular season, seemingly regardless of who gets hurt, has to prove its worth in the playoffs.
And the Bulls are faced with perhaps their last great opportunity for a contemporary title as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers try to figure out life with a new coach, new roster and a ton of other young, moving parts.
What better way to size up the Bulls' chances than with a good old-fashioned power ranking? Let’s see what Chicago’s got.
Nos. 14-12
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14. Cameron Bairstow
I’ll put this bluntly: Cameron Bairstow is not going to get many minutes in 2014-15. The Bulls have a logjam up front, and the Australian rookie from the University of New Mexico has done nothing in the preseason to show us he can fight through it. Thibodeau has only given him a combined 14 minutes.
13. E’Twaun Moore
The same goes for E’Twaun Moore, a late-summer signing by the Bulls who was brought in on the chance that he could provide some extra shooting in the backcourt. But Thibodeau has given Moore a grand total of two preseason minutes with which to prove himself. Like Bairstow, he’ll be lucky just to last the year on the roster.
12. Nazr Mohammed
Nazr Mohammed won’t be getting time on the floor either, but that’s alright. The 37-year-old has had his day—including as a rotation player with the 2004-05 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs—and now he’s along for the ride in a largely advisory role. Mohammed’s value to the Bulls is as a trainer of young minds, helping Thibodeau build the team-first principles he needs to win.
Nos. 11-9
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11. Tony Snell
Tony Snell looks to be the odd man out this year in Chicago. After a rookie season spent with light minutes and adjusting to Thibodeau’s demanding system, Snell is unlikely to get much more than last year’s 16 minutes per game as a sophomore.
In fact, he’ll probably get less. The arrival of Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic means the Bulls have youngsters with much higher offensive upsides, and both are likely to dig into Snell’s playing time.
10. Aaron Brooks
Meet the Bulls’ newest point guard reclamation project. Aaron Brooks is a speedy, creative and undersized guard who once scored at will. He averaged 19.6 points per game in 2009-10 with the Houston Rockets.
The Bulls won’t expect that kind of production from Brooks, and won’t give him the minutes needed for it, either. But if past years (in which Chicago made the most out of Nate Robinson, C.J. Watson, D.J. Augustin and John Lucas III) are any indication, he can be tailored into an extra, overlooked weapon. Brooks can hit defenses with scoring spells just when they think they have a minute to catch their breath.
9. Nikola Mirotic
The man, the myth…the rookie. Nikola Mirotic is finally here to make good on the hype Bulls fans have created around him for years. But he’s still fresh to the NBA, and Thibodeau isn’t going to use him heavily until he learns his spots in the coach’s formation.
Mirotic’s debut was inspiring, though. His 17 points against the Washington Wizards perhaps showed us the future of Bulls basketball, in which big men are quick, mobile dribblers and always ready with potent shots from deep.
Nos. 8-6
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8. Doug McDermott
Doug McDermott hasn’t looked like a polished entity in the preseason, and that’s to be expected. He’s a rookie, after all. But his ace shooting has stood out nonetheless. As Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson puts it, “Very apparent thus far in preseason: McDermott spaces floor whether his shot is falling or not. Defenses pay attention to him.”
McDermott has innate value to his team. He may frustrate his coach as he stumbles along the harsh learning curve of his defense, but his impact on the offensive end is too positive to ignore.
7. Kirk Hinrich
Kirk Hinrich’s face is next to the word “veteran” in the dictionary of NBA terms. He doesn’t do anything flashy or highlight-worthy—he’s actually a drag to watch, for the most part—but he does a lot of things that please his coach.
Hinrich is the quintessential “caretaker” point guard. He holds onto the ball, never makes errant passes and always stays on a string, communicating defensively. All the Bulls youngsters looking for minutes could do nothing better than study Hinrich’s work ethic.
6. Mike Dunleavy
Mike Dunleavy is going to begin the season as the Bulls’ starter at small forward, but not for any particularly compelling reason. The team simply lacks depth at the position.
Dunleavy is a serviceable player, however. Lengthy, smart and an accurate shooter from deep, he doesn’t leave any holes in the Bulls lineup. Many fans are wondering, though, just how long it is until McDermott can surpass his production and supplant Dunleavy as the starter. Stay tuned.
5. Pau Gasol
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When the Bulls signed Pau Gasol this past summer, no one thought it would be for his defense.
But thus far, that’s been Gasol’s place of impact. The 7’0” Spaniard has only had one vintage offensive performance in the Bulls preseason—a 20-point effort against the Milwaukee Bucks. Otherwise, he’s been helping Chicago’s back line mightily, having racked up 12 blocks in four preseason games.
Chicago signed Gasol for his presence in the post—as a passer and scorer both. Hopefully he can find his rhythm on that end over the course of the season. But it looks like he’ll be helping his team win games either way.
4. Jimmy Butler
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Jimmy Butler recently told CSN Chicago's Mike Singer that he’s “not even supposed to be in the NBA.”
Well, then he’s got a lot of people fooled. The All-Defensive second team selection in 2013-14 has been Chicago’s most consistent player in the preseason. His most complete effort yet came against the Denver Nuggets—Butler put up 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting with six boards, a block and two steals. He’s been everywhere.
Here’s to hoping Butler and the Bulls can work out their ongoing contract discussions and the shooting guard can be right back near the top of the list in 2015.
3. Taj Gibson
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Taj Gibson is one of the most underrated basketball players on Earth. Arguably as valuable to his team as Joakim Noah was in 2013-14, his fourth-quarter defense and reliable jump shot carried the Bulls through many a regular-season contest.
It's not hard to argue that Gibson should be a starter for the Bulls. He would be on virtually on any other team, and the arrival of a prospective hall-of-famer like Gasol is about the only thing that could've kept Gibson on the bench for another year. Whether Gibson is actually okay coming off the bench—there have been rumbles that he isn't—will be worth monitoring over the year.
He was also one of the most effective players of the postseason—albeit in a losing effort. Gibson tallied a staggering 26.5 player efficiency rating against the Washington Wizards’ physical front line and was his team’s only saving grace as Noah and the Bulls’ perimeter men struggled.
2. Joakim Noah
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Many may protest this selection and demand Joakim Noah be moved to the top of the Bulls’ ladder. His Defensive Player of the Year performance in 2013-14 is certainly a good argument in that direction.
It’s hard to refute the notion that Noah is the heart of his team. His relentless effort and determination embody what coach Thibodeau teaches and ignites Chicago’s fanbase time and time again. And Noah came out as a dynamic offensive player last year, too, collecting four triple-doubles as the Bulls ran much of their offense through him.
Noah comes into the season with a recently recovered knee. He had surgery this past summer after playing through pain down the stretch of the year. One should hope that the Bulls' new frontcourt depth will allow Thibodeau to give the center more rest.
1. Derrick Rose
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How could it be anyone else? Impressive as Noah was last year, he still can’t take over a game the way only Derrick Rose and a handful of other players can. If the Bulls are going to fight for a title, it’ll be because their star point guard is back at the top of his game.
Whether or not that happens is still to be seen. Rose's duel injuries are not exactly an encouraging couple of omens for his future health, but they're not damning, either. Sometimes a guy just gets unlucky. Whether or not Rose gets hurt again is largely out of his hands, and the only thing to do is put it out of mind and enjoy his game while it lasts.
Rose remains quicker than just about anyone, even if his timing and feel for the game look lacking at times throughout the preseason. With health, he should have the time to play through his doubts and confusions and become the most important Bull yet again.
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