

Questions remain about the team’s offense, but none that cannot be answered with time and proper attention from Hoiberg. With young guys like Snell, Mirotic, and maybe McDermott rounding into form, they might even improve on that mark. In the Eastern Conference, this team should have no problem landing near 50 wins again. Their most pressing challenge will be adjusting to a new coaching style, but, at a certain point, you have to trust that talent will get the job done regardless. PF: Pau Gasol | Taj Gibson | Nikola Mirotic | Bobby Portis SF: Tony Snell | Mike Dunleavy | Doug McDermott SG: Jimmy Butler | Kirk Hinrich | E’Twuan Moore In news strictly pertaining to basketball, Rose suffered a left orbital fracture in practice on September 29 and remains doubtful for the season opener. I would be remiss to entirely glaze over this ongoing story, but out of place to comment further at this time. Presently, Rose is at the center of deeply concerning rape allegations, the details of which can be found elsewhere for those inclined to learn more.

As is generally the case with first-time NBA coaches, how well he is able to handle the stars will determine how much he gets out of them.Ĭhief among them, if only in name at this point of his injury marred career, is the heretofore unmentioned Derrick Rose. Hoiberg has the tools to get just as far as Thibodeau did, so it will be interesting to see how he stacks up in a fairly direct comparison. The only player not returning from last year’s squad is the 38-year-old Mohammed, who is contemplating retirement after a 17-season career.
2015 chicago bulls roster free#
They made no moves in free agency outside of re-signing their own players. Hoiberg now has the benefit of coaching a team that has already established some form of synergy, as the Bulls boast impressive roster continuity at the cost of being well above the $84.7 million tax line. Former Bull Fred Hoiberg was hired to fill Thibodeau’s chair less than a week later. They tactlessly kicked him to the curb with a parting "this was all your fault" in place of a thank you for the 255-139 record in five years of service. Among other things, team owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Gar Forman were never fond of Thibodeau’s propensity for diminishing his stars in extended minutes. Not last season anyway.Īfter a long deterioration of trust between Thibodeau and the Bulls’ front office, he was dismissed by the team on May 28. On the other hand, they got quite a scare from the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1, which should not happen to a title-worthy team. On one hand, they made it as far as LeBron James and the Cavaliers allowed, keeping even with the King through four games. Whether or not they met those expectations in the playoffs depends on your level of cynicism. The aforementioned ascension of Butler (who won Most Improved Player by a landslide) and the addition of Pau Gasol (who somehow returned to peak form at 34) created high expectations from Day 1. Still, their strict defensive formula and abundance of talent carried them through a myriad of injuries and into the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second time in three years. Consequently, the Bulls never really found an offensive rhythm. Mike Dunleavy, although a gifted 3-point shooter, is not the kind of replacement that can lose defenders by flying around off-ball screens, and the alternative Nikola Mirotic small forward experiment fizzled because he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from beyond the arc. Spacing was a major issue for the first completely Luol Deng-less iteration of the Bulls in a decade. This was hugely important for their success because the offense was oddly disjointed at times. That’s the beauty of unwavering implementation at the systemic level as long as everyone does their job well, a grind-it-out win is rarely out of sight. Nothing came easily for the Bulls last season, but they made their annual run at lasting prominence nonetheless.įor the most part, they buttered their bread with suffocating Thibodeau defense. When enervated by injuries (the official post-noughties equilibrium of the Chicago Bulls), they looked like… well, they still looked better than the average Eastern Conference team. When healthy (the official post-noughties caveat of the Chicago Bulls), they looked like real championship contenders a team of battle-worn veterans revitalized by Jimmy Butler’s meteoric rise to stardom. Nazr Mohammed (C) – Contemplating retirement

3 Eastern Conferenceīobby Portis (PF) – Drafted No.
