5 Goals Tom Thibodeau Should Set for the Chicago Bulls in 2011-12

Last season the Chicago Bulls did so well that they broke Chicago's heart. Preseason picks to win maybe 45-50 games Chicago fans only hoped for a second round trip. Instead the Bulls finished with the NBA's best record, made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and made Chicago believe they could win it all. 

In 2012 the question is whether they will take a step back, forward or simply stand still. With Miami getting better, Indiana improving, Milwaukee getting healthy and the two New York teams looking to improve with their new superstars. Even standing still is moving backwards. 

Here are five goals Tom Thibodeau needs to set for the Chicago Bulls to move forward. There is one goal for each of the five most important Bulls. 

Carlos Boozer: Avoid Gym Bags and Stay in Shape

Carlos Boozer has received an incredible amount of criticism for his relative absence in the playoffs last year. There are questions about his age, his health and his conditioning. 

The truth is that some of the criticism is over the top. He did have some turf toe during the playoffs, and sometimes fans too easily dismiss the impact of certain injuries. 

Injuries affect players; that's why we have injury reports. 

Having said that some of the injuries were partly on Boozer. His conditioning, or lack thereof, has made him prone to ankle injuries. He needs to shed some pounds so he can both stay healthy and recover his explosiveness. 

His averages last year were almost identical to his career totals: 17 points and 10 rebounds. However his field goal percentage was the second lowest of his career. He has a nice spot up shooter from outside, but the explosiveness to the rim was simply not there last year. 

To advance to the next level and win it all, the Bulls need someone inside who can dominate in the close post. Boozer can be that player, but whether he will be that player depends on his health and conditioning. 

Joakim Noah: Work on a Post Game

The best thing about Joakim Noah's offensive game is that he's such a tremendous offensive rebounder and scrapper that he's an outstanding "garbage scorer." By that I mean he has a real talent for turning "garbage," i.e. loose balls and offensive rebounds, into points. 

His length, uncanny quickness for a seven-footer and tenacity make him a one of the really great scrappy players in the league. In a losing effort in the conference finals, he won a lot of praise for his frequent stops of James in isolation or incredible contributions in help defense.

His rebounding is outstanding. Prior to his thumb surgery last season, he trailed only Kevin Love in rebounds per game.  

Right now, really the only thing that separates Noah form being a superstar is that he has so little of an offensive game outside of what he picks up in garbage. 

If Noah can develop a real post game where the Bulls can reliably run plays through him, the Bulls would have a dual threat down low, which would in turn spread the court for Rose to penetrate. Last season the Bulls were dead last in points per play when going to to the post man on pick-and-rolls. 

Noah developing a post game could make a big difference in that. 

Luol Deng: Self Affirmation

When you stop and think about it, Luol Deng is one of the top five small forwards in the league. Clearly LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are better. Most people would still put Paul Pierce over Deng as well, though with Deng improving and Pierce aging, that may not be the case next season.

That would surprise some people and seem like a bold statement. In fact defensively you could argue that the only better small forward in the NBA is James. Deng is emerging as one of the better players in the league, but he is not as much emerging as a star.

The reason is that he shrinks back sometimes when the Bulls need him to step up. What he needs more than anything else is to believe in himself. 

It's not skill that keeps him from being able to dribble the ball without looking at it. There are times when he'll make a move that makes you realize he has the ability and the skill set, but most of the time what he lacks is confidence.

Deng is an inherently humble person. Confidence and humility are hard things to combine, but there is a pattern of it in his teammate Rose. Deng needs to learn to believe in himself, and as he does, so he will believe in his game. 

That will take some of the pressure off Rose and give the Bulls another player who can step up in the biggest moments. 

There were times we had glimpses of that version of Deng last year but not consistently. The Bulls need him consistently. 

Derrick Rose: Bounce Pass

Again I want to come back to the low post game and the roll end of the pick and roll. 

Now the Bulls in all likelihood are going to sign a shooting guard or acquire one through trade. That will take some of the pressure off of Rose. You also know that he's already working on improving his shot again this year. 

This though is a goal that Thibodeau needs to set for Rose, not one that Rose needs to set one for himself. I've been giving it some thought and just in my recollection, I can't recall Rose making a lot of bounce passes. 

It seems silly, almost mundane. It's such a fundamental. However to really nail down the pick-and-roll a point guard needs to have a arsenal of passes. Rose's vision is good enough, but his passes just seem to almost always be either over the top or straight ahead.

A lot of times working the ball into the paint is just a matter of a good crisp bounce pass. John Stockton made the bounce pass an art. Other great passing point guards like Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Deron Williams are highly proficient with it.

Derrick Rose, as simple as it may sound, needs to work on that very basic aspect of his game. It's hard to score the ball in the post on a pick-and-roll if you can't get the ball in there. Often times Rose fails in that regard, and in large part it's because he does not appear comfortable with a bounce pass.  

Tom Thibodeau: Be Fliexible, Be Very Flexible

Some astute observers might have noticed that Rose was not the top person on this list. That's because in order to set goals for everyone else, Thibodeau needs to first set one for himself. 

Now, let me say first that Thbiodeau just completed arguably the best season every by a rookie head coach. No rookie head coach has ever won more games. No rookie head coach has ever inherited a team with a winning record and improved by more games. 

Thibodeau did a phenomenal job. However his success might have been his own undoing. There's a difference between being firm and being rigid. If something is to rigid, it can become brittle and break. 

Last season there were times when the team's success may have prevented him from doing things that could have helped the team. For instance, putting Ronnie Brewer in the starting lineup, or giving Rasul Butler more playing time in the playoffs might have been advisable. 

Failing to make adequate adjustments is what ended up costing the Bulls in the end, and the one thing that Thibodeau needs to learn now is how and when to adapt. It's a good thing to be firm and, to a point, even stubborn. However there's a point where you need to be flexible to keep things from breaking down. 

He needs to learn that point.