Chicago Bulls: Can They Make a Run at the East Crown?

The Chicago Bulls are one of the most improved teams in the NBA after the past offseason, and they did it with very little media fanfare.

The recent arrival of NBA mercenary Carlos Boozer and absolutely crazy accurate three-point shooter Kyle Korver automatically improves the team beyond what they were as a team last year.

Boozer adds an inside scoring threat that they really weren't able to establish last year outside of Joakim Noah, and is a welcome addition to any team.

Korver is probably the best three point shooter in the game since Reggie Miller. His 53.6 percent three-point shooting last year is an NBA record, and there is no reason he cannot do that again or even improve upon it.

The Jazz last year were very similar to the Bulls this year (considering they snatched both Boozer and Korver from the team). They had an elite point guard who was a definite scoring threat and a great tandem down low in Boozer and Mehmet Okur.

The Bulls now have the ability to stretch the floor on any defense with the addition of Boozer and Korver, combined with the lanky Luol Deng and the constantly improving Rose, any defense will have their hands full with this team.

On any given night they have five players who can go off and score 20-plus points. Their scoring threat at any position will make life much easier for new head coach Tom Thibodeau.

For the past 21 years Thibodeau has been one of the best defensive minds in the NBA. He coached the NBA Champion Boston Celtics in 2008, a team lauded for their excellent defensive ability.

Prior to that, he was an assistant for Minnesota, Seattle, San Antonio, Philadelphia, New York, and Houston. Anywhere he went, sound defense was sure to follow.

During the 2000-01 season with the Knicks he orchestrated a defense that set a then-NBA record of holding their opponents under 100 points for 33 consecutive games.

It goes without saying that defense should not be a problem for this squad, as long as they are willing to work hard and listen to Thibodeau, they should have one of the best scoring defenses in the league.

Along with the offseason acquisition of Korver and Boozer, and signing Thibodeau as their new head coach, the Bulls have made several more subtle little tweaks to their roster.

In an attempt to add depth to a team that was lacking last year, they have added former Grizzly Ronnie Brewer, former Warrior C.J Watson, former Buck Kurt Thomas and former Spur Keith Bogans.

Brewer has shown many flashes of brilliance throughout his career. He has shown the ability to score when needed and he is an excellent one-on-one defender.

Brewer is an under-the-radar type pickup as he could end up being the opening day starting shooting guard on this Bulls squad.

Watson is a scrappy guard who has worked his way into the league from Europe, to the D-League, to the NBA, where he averaged 10.3 points last year. Watson will serve as an excellent backup to Derrick Rose this year.

Kurt Thomas is one of those wily old veterans who can help any clubhouse from a leadership standpoint. He may have lost a step in his advanced age (he's 37) and he may no longer be a legitimate scoring threat, but he is still a stalwart on defense who will drive his opponent crazy.

Keith Bogans is a journeyman who has spent his seven years in the NBA with six different teams. He is basically a low-risk high-reward pickup who can either end up being a pleasant surprise or just gotten rid of. He has shown the ability to score, and even has a decent three-point shot, but he has never really established himself as a reliable player.

Finally, they signed Omer Asik away from the Euroleague, which could pay off to be their best non-Boozer/Korver signing of the season.

Asik has a freakish ability to be around when a shot needs blocked. He has had a few injuries in his young career, but if he can evolve to a level of play he displayed in Europe then he could become one of the premier shot blockers in the NBA.

Chicago has added the pieces to fill nearly every hole it had last season, and should win the Central Division, with Milwaukee being their only real threat to that title.

If all the parts fit correctly and the team meshes then it will be no surprise to see Chicago slugging it out with Boston, Orlando and Miami come April in order to represent the East in the NBA Finals this season.