Three Glaring Weaknesses the Chicago Bulls Must Fix for 2011-12 NBA Season

As is unfortunately the case with a playoff exit, the Bulls loss to Miami has been weighing down on our minds for the past months, and with no sign of reprieve thanks to the lockout.

As we think back to the disappointing loss, we can analyze what exactly went wrong for the Bulls against the hated Miami Heat. 

Some of these shortcomings were personnel issues; some were shortcomings by the team itself. However almost every issue on the team has the ability to be fixed, and three of those issues are listed ahead. 

Resting Players

While Tom Thibodeau had an all-time great performance in his first year, a change he could make actually tops this list. 

By the end of the playoffs, Derrick Rose and Luol Deng were absolutely worn out, largely because they both played over 3,000 minutes, good enough for each to be in the Top 9 of total minutes played. Having two of your top players in the Top 9 of minutes played isn't going to help them stay healthy or playing well into the playoffs. 

It's true: the Bulls don't have a true backup for either Deng or Rose, and this contributes to their high minute totals. However at some point, it's just irresponsible to keep riding two players so hard, especially when you are winning games so comfortably. 

If minutes are cut back earlier in the year, it will only make things easier for the team at the end of the season. 

Shooting

The Bulls had one of the best marksmen in the league last year in Kyle Korver, a 42 percent shooter from three-point range. Along with improvements from Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and C.J Watson from the trey, the Bulls were able to at least stay afloat in the shooting department. 

This year, having one great shooter isn't going to cut it. Rose and Deng are known as streaky shooters at best, and C.J Watson doesn't have the catch and shoot game necessary to benefit Rose. 

We saw in the playoffs this year what a difference a three-point shooter can make. In the first round, Kyle Korver averaged 59 percent three-point shooting, compared to only 29 percent in the Conference Finals. By comparison Derrick Rose averaged 28 points a game in the first round and the Bulls won 4-1. In the series against the Heat, Rose averaged 23 a game and the Bulls lost 4-1. 

I'm not saying that Korver lost the series for us, but having another a consistent shooter to throw out with Rose would make things easier for everyone on the court. 

Second Ball Handler

Right now in the starting lineup, the Bulls have a grand total of one player who you can trust to dribble the ball, and his name is Derrick Rose. In the second unit, the Bulls have a grand total of one player who you can trust to dribble the ball, and his name is C.J Watson. 

That's flat out not going to cut it. 

As Miami proved to us, having a singular ball handler go against athletic and bigger defenders will not bode well for your chances, and a secondary ball handler would help greatly. 

The Bulls tried running out a lineup with both Rose and C.J Watson, but they were too small to play against Dwyane Wade. If the Bulls can acquire a bigger shooting guard to handle the ball like Rose, it makes everyone's life easier.