Central - GDHQNBA15_2pg-Chicago Bulls

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EASTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION Chicago With former League MVP Derrick Rose sidelined with repeated injuries, the Chicago Bulls embraced an identity of being one of the NBA’s most grinding teams last season. Defensively, Chicago was as good as anybody, with players like Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Jimmy Butler shutting opponents down. Offensively, Chicago struggled to create shots, and at one point Noah embraced a unique role as a point center to try to create offense. The result was a team that made the playoffs but got bounced by Washington in the first round. Since then, a tremendous amount of attention has been paid to the Cavaliers, and for good reason. However, Chicago has quietly built a championship-worthy roster over the offseason as well. After signing veteran big man Pau Gasol and drafting pure scorer Doug McDermott, the Bulls have brought in players who can help them on offense. With Rose’s return, the Bulls have become Cleveland’s top challenger in the Eastern Conference. Defense Head coach Tom Thibodeau is very well known as a defensive guru, and that’s been the identity of his Chicago teams throughout his tenure. Thibodeau’s Bulls teams swarm to the ball, constantly putting pressure on the ball, disrupting passing lanes, denying open shots and forcing opponents into tough looks at the basket. Thibodeau’s teams have never finished worse than sixth in the League in defensive rating, and last year’s Bulls team finished second. The players most responsible for Chicago’s defensive mastery are center Noah and power forward Gibson. Noah is not a particularly big center, but he is lanky with an undying motor. He knows how to pressure the ball and is excellent at rotating and cutting off driving lanes. Noah always forces opponents to make an extra pass and rarely gets beaten on the inside. The same can be said for Gibson, a player who has been an advanced metrics darling for Chicago. Gibson graded out as a +3.64 on defense according to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, having also bought in to Thibodeau’s swarming, attacking defensive phi losophy. Together, Noah and Gibson form a tandem that simply does not give up easy baskets very often. Chicago’s wing players are not quite as valuable on defense, but there’s not a particularly weak player among them. Mike Dunleavy is a very intelligent defender who doesn’t give up very much separation. Butler ranked eighth in the League in defensive Real Plus-Minus at the shooting guard position, behind league stalwarts such as Tony Allen, Thabo Sefolosha, and Danny Green. The only question is one of continuity. Gasol was Chicago’s big free-agent signing of the offseason, but Gasol is now 34 years old and his defense was not particularly good in his last couple years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Rose will also make his return, but after missing the vast majority of two seasons with repeated knee injuries, it seems unlikely that Rose will be able to play at the same level. Integrating both players into Thibodeau’s high-energy defensive scheme will be a challenge. Even so, Thibodeau is a master of defensive coaching for a reason, and Chicago should have the depth necessary to keep Rose or Gasol from playing too many minutes. Noah and Gibson are still in place, as are Dunleavy, Butler, and Kirk Hinrich. Simply put, there’s no reason to believe the Bulls will be anything other than an outstanding defensive team again this season. Offense While the Bulls had one of the league’s best defenses last season, they also had one of the worst offenses. Chicago was hampered by a roster full of players unable to create his own shot, leading to a tremendous number of tough, contested shots and not very many open looks at the basket. Continued offensive struggles compelled Noah to embrace the role Derrick Rose Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images


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