Chicago Bulls: Summer 2010

         The Chicago bulls have a new coach – well, not officially.  Tom Thibodeau is waiting the conclusion of the NBA Finals before any announcements are made. The Boston Celtics top assistant has been known as one of the elite assistants in the NBA, and has received wide praise from veteran players and coaches. His defensive talents are a big positive for the Chicago Bulls. They have a core of players who all hold above-average defensive skills, and with the correct schemes and mentality they can certainly compete to be a top defensive team. Want proof? In the last 15 seasons, Thibodeau’s teams have finished in the top-ten defenses 10 times. Don’t forget though, it was reported Gar Forman and Paxson were also very impressed with his offensive mindset (also backed by Jeff Van Gundy).
         With a current roster consisting of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson, and James Johsnon, the Bulls have skill but need to add some pieces. Good thing, they are one of the few teams in a financial position to sign a max-free agent to their already talented roster. This I believe is what will influence star-free agents the most. Derrick Rose has only played two seasons in the NBA and after earning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009, posted a season in 2010 with 20.8 PPG, 6.0 AST, 3.8 RPG, 49% FG. Those numbers are great alone, however numbers can’t simply measure Derrick Rose’s presence on the court. His quickness and athleticism have a huge impact against defenses, even the elite defenses. In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Chicago Bulls took the reigning champs (Boston Celtics) to 7 games in quite possibly the best non-finals playoff series ever. Obviously it was a complete team effort, but Derrick Rose led his team as a rookie PG in that series. An extremely difficult task when considering how important the PG position has become in the modern NBA game.
         Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are both young and talented. In my opinion, both also have high ceilings. With Joakim’s energy and Taj’s understanding of the game, they form a great combination down low. Luol and Kirk can both be considered veterans, and have played pivotal roles in Chicago during past playoff runs. However, I believe both will be made available for sign-and-trade scenarios. These S&T rumors are sure to start as soon as the Finals end, and ultimately, have a great chance of completing the trade of a star free agent. Don’t you think Toronto has a slight idea Chris Bosh is leaving?
Here are my ideal scenarios for how Chicago would approach the acquisition of star players this summer:

1. Sign and Trade for Chris Bosh: Offering Luol Deng and another piece (cash, draft pick, player) could sway the Raptors to let go of Chris Bosh.

-Go after LeBron: If he truly has the desire to win Championships he will come to Chicago. Their current roster and winning tradition speak for themselves.

-Draft a SG to fill out the roster. With the 17th overall pick in the draft the Bulls have the ability to target various shooting guards: James Anderson (Oklahoma State), Xavier Henry (Kansas), Paul George (Fresno State). All have NBA talent and may be able to contribute their rookie seasons. My selection would be James Anderson if available, then Xavier Henry. Potential 2010-2011 starting roster:

PG: Derrick Rose
SG: James Anderson
SF: LeBron James
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Joakim Noah

2. Wait until July 1st begins, and simply pursue potential free agents. LeBron James is the #1 choice, Chris Bosh would pair well with D-Rose and Noah, however after that it gets interesting. Boozer has been a dominant force, however is aging and could be injury prone. Amar’e doesn’t seem to fit the Bulls defensive mindset, and Dirk Nowitzki is almost certain to re-sign with the Mavericks.  Joe Johnson has been rumored to be seeking a max-contract, and that may be to steep for an aging player who didn’t show up elite in Atlanta’s playoff series this year. There are also many other lower level free agents available that are getting overlooked by the star-studded class. A solid off-season could yield a roster like this for the 2010-2011 season:

PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Joakim Noah