Chicago Bulls Stock Watch: Risers and Fallers with Return of Carlos Boozer
When Carlos Boozer was preparing to make his much-anticipated debut for the Chicago Bulls on December 1st, many fans were worried about what effect this would have on the team's chemistry that it had built during the first month of the season.
In Boozer's absence, the Bulls battled to a 9-6 record, despite facing one of the league's toughest early schedules. The team also enjoyed its first successful circus road trip since 1997, compiling a 4-3 record over the stretch.
The starting lineup that featured Taj Gibson in place of Boozer was really beginning to gel, and the insertion of Boozer into the rotation was certainly going to shake things up, for better or worse.
During the first two games of Boozer's return, these worries intensified as the Bulls were blown out by both Orlando and Boston. Derrick Rose had his two worst shooting days of the season up to that point and looked nothing like the elite superstar and MVP candidate that he had been throughout the first month of the season.
However, Boozer would return to form in a big way in the following two games, averaging 27.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in victories against Houston and Oklahoma City. Since then, the Bulls have extended their winning streak to five games, and Boozer has proven to be a vital piece of the team's success.
Through seven games, let's look at the Bulls players who have been most affected by the return of Carlos Boozer and examine whose stock has risen, fallen, or stayed about the same.
Taj Gibson: Stock DOWN
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It was known from the day the Bulls signed Carlos Boozer that incumbent starter Taj Gibson would be moved to the bench to accommodate the two-time All-Star.
Gibson was one of the team's biggest surprises last year, winning the starting power forward job as a late first round draft pick out of USC and going on to garner first team all-rookie honors. During the first month of the season, pre-Boozer, he continued to develop his game and prove that he could start for the majority of the teams in NBA.
In the month of November, Gibson averaged 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, on 48.7 percent shooting from the field. However, these numbers don't nearly do justice to how well he played and how important he was to the team, as he battled an ankle injury which limited his minutes and effectiveness in several of these games. When healthy, Gibson was exceptional and displayed a strong chemistry with his partners in the front court, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.
Since the return of Boozer, Gibson has been relegated to the bench and his minutes have dropped. As Boozer continues to get more into game shape, Gibson's minutes will drop even more significantly.
In the seven games since Boozer's return, Gibson has averaged just 6.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and has shot a paltry 37.3 percent from the field.
While Gibson is a strong talent who should provide plenty of scoring and energy off the bench, his stock has undoubtedly dropped the most of any Bulls player since Boozer's return.
Gibson: Stock DOWN
Derrick Rose: Stock UP
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At this point, Derrick Rose's stock is like a runaway train, and his season has been nothing short of spectacular. He was dominant in the month of November without Boozer, and after a very brief period of adjustment, has been even more dominant since his return.
As mentioned earlier, Rose struggled in Boozer's first two games against Orlando and Boston, and he was also held to just 11 points against Oklahoma City a few days later. It was somewhat inevitable that there would be something of an adjustment period for the Bulls, especially when the team's first opponents with Boozer back were among the best teams in the league.
However, luckily for Bulls fans, this adjustment period appears to be over before it really even started. The team has won five straight, and Rose has been at the forefront of the resurgence.
Boozer has largely deferred to Rose as the team's leader and go-to scorer at the end of games, and Rose has proved every bit worthy. Rose has recently shown an increased flair for the dramatic and has been making big shot after big shot in the clutch. His sensational play in the fourth quarter and overtime has been instrumental in recent victories over Houston, Cleveland and the world champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The addition of Boozer has provided Rose with even more ways to torment his opponents. It has given him more open looks from the three-point line, where Rose has been improving at a dramatic rate. In just seven games since Boozer has been back, Rose has already buried 19 threes—already more than the 18 he made during the entire season up to that point.
While Rose's numbers are down slightly in December (22.1 PPG, 8.0 APG versus 25.4 PPG, 8.5 APG in November), I would attribute this to the early acclimating period of playing alongside Boozer.
Rose's game has already shown it will greatly benefit by the presence of Boozer. He is having a special season and all of the MVP talk will gain in strength as he continues to mesh with Boozer.
Rose: Stock UP.
Joakim Noah: Stock DOWN
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In the first 15 games of the year before Carlos Boozer returned, Joakim Noah was nearly every bit as important as Derrick Rose during the Bulls' successful 9-6 campaign. His toughness, rebounding, leadership and great intangibles were all factors that were practically already booking his trip to the All-Star game.
Since Boozer's return, Noah hasn't appeared as comfortable as he was when playing alongside Taj Gibson. This was evident as early as Boozer's first game, when Noah infamously grabbed zero rebounds in 25 minutes of play, despite being the league's second leading rebounder at the time.
Noah has clearly not yet found a rhythm with Boozer which is obvious both in watching the games and in watching the box scores. In November, Noah averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Since Boozer's return on December 1st, Noah has averaged just 11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and his field goal shooting has dropped to 44.9 percent.
It remains to be seen if Noah can continue his emergence as an All-Star caliber player. Through the first seven games of Boozer's return, it appears as though Noah could be destined to fall back into the mold of a role player. However, given Noah's unique skill set, it's conceivable that he could be both. He is not a player that demands the ball or needs to be a focal point of the offense. There is no reason to think he can't continue to do what he does best: pound the boards, play with high intensity and get a lot of "garbage" buckets.
It seems as though Noah has needed more time than Rose to adjust to Boozer's presence, but time will tell whether this is just a temporary hang up.
Noah: For now, stock DOWN.
Luol Deng: Stock Neutral
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When Tom Thibodeau came to the Chicago Bulls, one of his top priorities was to find more ways to utilize the talents of Luol Deng. In the month of November, Luol Deng averaged 20 points per game and scored a career high 40 points on November 1st against Portland. Deng was becoming every bit the potent second scoring option that Thibodeau had envisioned.
However, since the return of fellow Duke Blue Devil Carlos Boozer, Deng hasn't once been able to crack the 20 point mark. His scoring has dropped from 20.5 points per game in November to 14.7 points per game in December playing alongside Boozer.
Despite taking an average of five fewer shots per game in December, Deng has been more efficient with his shooting and has improved his field goal percentage to 50.0 percent from 43.2 percent in November. Over the same stretch, his three-point shooting percentage has also soared, from 35.7 percent to an excellent 52.0 percent.
While it's easy to say that Deng has underperformed since Boozer has returned, what has really happened is that his role on the team has become much easier. Deng has gone from the second to third scoring option and is getting many more open looks, which he is taking advantage of. With Boozer's return, the Bulls will greatly benefit through Deng's more efficient scoring.
Though his numbers have dropped, I believe Deng has played at relatively the same level both before and after Boozer. His role has simply changed, and it will provide a lift for the Bulls with him getting higher percentage shots, even though he won't get to take as many.
Deng: Stock NEUTRAL.
The Rest....
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Some other notes of interest since the return of Carlos Boozer to the lineup...
- Omer Asik - The Bulls' Turkish import has predictably seen much less time of the floor in December, which has many Bulls fans rejoicing. He minutes have dropped from 14 in November to just 9 in December. While I'm not willing to totally write Asik off just yet, from what we've seen so far, it's nearly impossible to imagine a guy who blocked 19 shots in a single Euro League game. He seems lost on the court, and it's hard to find much of anything to get excited about. Asik gets bullied around the rim on both sides of the court and appears to have no semblance of an offensive game. Asik: Stock DOWN.
- Kyle Korver/Ronnie Brewer - You can easily tell which of the Bulls are the most comfortable playing alongside Boozer, and it comes as no surprise it's his two former Utah Jazz teammates that also joined the Bulls this offseason. Korver's and Brewer's statistics have remained virtually identical from November to Boozer's return in December. Korver and Brewer: Stock NEUTRAL.
- Bulls sideline/Boozer's horrendous style - I can't finish this slideshow without commenting on how much better dressed the Bulls sideline is now that Boozer has returned to the floor. During Boozer's month long sideline stint, his wardrobe consistently ranged from dreadful to just plain weird. When I watched him in person in Denver, he was sporting an awful maroon sport coat that was about three sizes too big, and his untucked shirt was hanging down close to his knees to where my friend and I both agreed he resembled some sort of pirate. While in Denver, he should have taken a style cue from Kenyon Martin, one of the best dressed guys in the league, but this could be more of a testament to how often he is injured. Bulls sideline style: Stock way UP.
Conclusion: How Good Can This Team Be?
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Behind Carlos Boozer's return, the Bulls are red hot and getting better with every passing game. This is essentially Boozer's preseason, and the newly completed team is still rounding into form. There are a lot of things to be very excited about in Chicago.
The team stands at an impressive 14-8 and is in first place in the Central division, despite having played one of the toughest schedules in the league.
The Bulls have one of the most exciting players in the league and a true MVP candidate in Derrick Rose. With a great supporting cast that now includes Carlos Boozer, the team should be a serious contender in the East.
While they have not had great success against the best teams in the east (lost twice to Boston and once to Orlando), these games were all either before Boozer's return or were one of the first two games of his return. It will be more of a true indicator of the team's ability to contend when the Bulls get to play these games when they have Boozer at midseason form and as the rest of the team gets more used to his presence in the lineup.
Can they prove consistently that they can play with Boston, Orlando, Miami and Atlanta in the East?
Now that Derrick Rose and company have added Carlos Boozer, there are a lot of reasons to think that they can.
