Should Chicago Bulls Be Confident or Disappointed in Start to Season?
The Chicago Bulls aren't off to the type of start that many fans and pundits had predicted before the season. Should the team be concerned, or is it too early in the year to worry?
Chicago currently owns a 17-9 record, fourth-best in the Eastern Conference. But after making several offseason moves, a much hotter start was expected.
Four-time All-Star Pau Gasol and scoring point guard Aaron Brooks were signed as free agents. And the rookie combo of Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic was picked up as well.
With this newcomer quartet added to holdovers Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler, the Bulls instantly morphed into legitimate title contenders.
They were supposed to run away with the conference, especially with the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers needing time to gel.
Sitting at fourth place, though, isn't inspiring at all. What are some reasons for Chicago's not-so-spectacular start to the season?
Injury Bug Has Bitten Hard
Injuries are clearly the worst part of sports. They can simply destroy teams. Just look at the Indiana Pacers, who went from a title contender to a likely future lottery participant without Paul George.
Chicago has battled injuries quite a bit this season. Rose has missed 10 games, Gibson and McDermott have sat out nine and Noah has missed seven. In addition, Gasol was sidelined for three contests while both Butler and Kirk Hinrich have sat out two.
The starting five of Rose, Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Gasol and Noah have played together in only eight of the team's 26 games, posting a 6-2 record.
Maybe the Bulls would own the top record in the East right now if it wasn't for injuries. It's not very easy to win games when you're often missing key players.
Rose, who has dealt with ankle and hamstring injuries this year, caused doubters to say, "Oh no, here we go again" a few times. But fortunately, the former MVP has played in 11 of the last 13 games.
If the dreaded injury bug can stay away from Chicago—especially away from Rose and Noah—there's no telling what this squad can accomplish.
Where's the D?
When you think of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, championship-caliber defense is the first thing that comes to mind.
Since his arrival, the team has never finished a season ranked worse than third in opponents' points per game. This year, though, they rank 11th, allowing 98.4 points a night.
A season ago, the Bulls gave up at least 100 points on 16 occasions. Opponents have accomplished the feat 11 times already this season.
Even the Philadelphia 76ers dropped 115 on them (November 7), although Chicago managed to win the game. Yes, we're talking about the same Sixers, who are currently 2-23 and possibly on their way to becoming the worst team in NBA history.
The Bulls could've won their December 6 matchup with the Golden State Warriors, but they just couldn't stop Draymond Green, who put up 31 points and knocked down seven threes. He was left wide-open throughout the game.
So what's up with Chicago's D? Gibson gave his opinion, via Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago:
"It's just new guys...That's all it is. Most of the guys are coming from teams, they're not really defensive-minded teams first. So of course it's going to happen, but that's just my opinion. That's what I see on the court. I've been here for a while. I know what I'm talking about. Joakim knows what he's talking about, he was the defensive player of the year, of course he's going to know what he's talking about. We're on the court, though.
"
Whatever the reason is, the Bulls need to play the kind of defense that we're all accustomed to seeing.
Confident or Disappointed?
While they may not have the league's best record, the Bulls should still be confident and not disappointed. There's so much talent on this team it's scary.
Heading into the season, they featured a Big Three in Rose, Gasol and Noah. Little did we know that Butler would emerge and make it a Big Four.
Butler is playing out of his mind this year, leading the Bulls in scoring with 21.9 points per contest. Already known for his elite defense, the November Player of the Year has developed into one of the game's top two-way players.
Meanwhile, Rose has shown flashes of his old self at times. For example, he recorded 31 points during the December 12 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It was his first 30-point effort since March 2012.
Gasol has proven to be the perfect pickup. The two-time NBA champ is providing scoring, rebounding as well as excellent rim-protection.
And following offseason knee surgery, Noah hasn't resembled the MVP candidate he was last season. Yet, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will return to form as the season progresses.
The Bulls also possess a nice bench which includes Gibson, Brooks, Hinrich and Mirotic, who may wind up winning Rookie of the Year honors.
Plus, the team should be confident after picking up huge wins over the Toronto Raptors, Trail Blazers and more recently, the Memphis Grizzlies (November 19) without Rose and Noah.
There's no reason for disappointment if you're a Bulls fan.
All stats are from Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of December 20.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
