Assembling Chicago Bulls' Ideal Playoff Rotation
Despite an injury-plagued season, the Chicago Bulls are headed for their seventh consecutive playoff appearance.
The 46-30 Bulls hold the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, but it remains to be seen which seed they'll actually end up with.
All-Star guard Jimmy Butler, who missed 11 games with an ankle injury, is now back in the Bulls lineup. Reserve big man Taj Gibson is off the injured list as well. And currently out with a torn meniscus, Derrick Rose is expected to return soon. So if everything works out, we'll see a healthy roster throughout the postseason.
It'll be coach Tom Thibodeau's job to put together the proper playoff rotation. Will Thibs go eight players deep, or is nine or 10 more realistic? Better yet, what is the perfect rotation?
Starters
Barring injuries, Thibodeau should start Rose, Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. It will be fascinating to see these guys on the floor at the same time. They've only played 19 games together, posting a 15-4 record. When healthy, this unit is easily one of the most talented starting fives.
Butler has morphed into Chicago's alpha dog, leading the way with a career-high 20.2 points per game. Obviously, his role is to score the basketball. Yet he also plays incredible defense, making him one of the top two-way players in the game today.
The Marquette product is averaging a league-leading 38.8 minutes a night. Look for him to play about the same amount during the playoffs.
All eyes will be on Butler's backcourt mate Rose, who's returning from yet another knee injury. How will the former MVP fare in his first postseason since 2012? Can he stay healthy? Hopefully he does because the Bulls can't win a title without their scoring point guard in the lineup. Expect Rose to play roughly 32 minutes per contest.
Gasol has put together an amazing campaign, producing 18.6 points and 11.8 boards per game. And he has managed to stay healthy, which is always a good thing. Chicago will need his scoring and rebounding in order to make a deep run.
Noah's minutes have been limited to 32 a night. It's unclear what type of playing time he'll receive during the second season. Struggling at times this year as a result of offseason knee surgery, Noah will be asked to provide defense, rebounding and playmaking.
Last but not least, Dunleavy gets the starting nod at small forward. Due to his floor spacing, he'll help create driving lanes for guys like Butler and Rose.
Reserves
No doubt about it, Gibson, Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic will be part of the playoff rotation.
Gibson is one of the Bulls' most important players, as he contributes on both ends of the court. He plays lockdown defense every night and possesses a solid offensive game as well. In addition, Gibson can sub in for either Noah or Gasol, and he can serve as an excellent starter if one of those two suffers an injury.
Brooks has proved to be a fantastic pickup for the Bulls. Starting the last 19 games at point guard, he has done a remarkable job filling in for Rose. Once Rose returns, Brooks will head back to the bench and provide instant offense.
Meanwhile, Mirotic is having quite a rookie year, especially recently. He has scored at least 23 points eight times in his past 17 contests. Aaron Mah of Hoops Habit gave an accurate description of Mirotic's game:
"At his core, he’s a shooting guard trapped in a forward’s body — consistently showcasing his ability to hit pull-up threes, put opposing bigs on skates with his advanced handle, and keep defenses on their proverbial heels with his pumpfake and drive game. As such, his myriad of skills allows Niko to score in bunches, via the free throw line, even when his outside shot deserts him.
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At times in the past, Thibodeau has been reluctant to use rookies. But you better believe that Mirotic will see a lot of playoff action this year. He's too good not to.
Considered a bust just a few month ago, Tony Snell is a quality role player nowadays. He deserves to receive playing time, backing up Butler at shooting guard.
That means Kirk Hinrich, E'Twaun Moore and Doug McDermott will be left out of the rotation. And you can forget about Nazr Mohammed and Cameron Bairstow.
Final Playoff Rotation (Minutes)
- PG: Rose (32), Brooks (16)
- SG: Butler (38), Snell (10)
- SF: Dunleavy (26), Mirotic (12), Snell (10)
- PF: Gasol (24), Gibson (16), Mirotic (8)
- C: Noah (32), Gasol (8), Gibson (8)
In this rotation, Gasol, who averages 34.4 minutes per game, sees roughly a two-minute decrease. And Dunleavy's playing time decreases by about three minutes. This frees up room for Mirotic at both forward spots.
While this is an ideal rotation, it isn't exactly realistic. Using a nine-man rotation, Snell is likely to be left out in favor of Hinrich. If you've followed the Bulls over the past few years, you're aware that Captain Kirk is a Thibodeau favorite. Morten Stig Jensen of Chicago Bulls Confidential wrote this:
"Hinrich over Snell will undoubtedly be ill-received, and rightly so, but unless Tom Thibodeau reverse his own feelings on having a slim rotation, one should expect a somewhat large quantity of Hinrich out there, which will take up further minutes for Snell and E'Twaun Moore, seeing as Jimmy Butler is likely to average somewhere in the early 40s, and Gasol in the mid-to-late 30s.
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Jensen is right about Hinrich, and it is possible that Butler will average over 40 minutes. Regardless of how Thibodeau uses his rotation, this Bulls squad is capable of winning a title if everyone stays healthy.
All stats are from Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of April 4.
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