Now that the Bulls have officially drafted Derrick Rose (Bulls! Rose! Woo!), not to mention Sonny Weems (woo?) let's take a look at how YOUR USED TO BE WORLD CHAMPION CHICAGO BULLS! will get back to the playoffs.
Most Successful Team Role: Energy and scoring off the bench, a la Jannero Pargo. Likely looking at another season just on the cusp of the active roster, but a valuable scoring guard to have in the arsenal in case of injury.
Most Successful Team Role: The Juice-25 minutes of pure scoring off the bench. When Ben Gordon is on the floor, his only responsibility is to put the ball in the bucket. Also the man with the best shot at hitting a game-winner. A better version of the Toni Kukoc role. Should easily bag 20 points a night. That is where his NBA value lies. HIGH TEAM VALUE
Most Successful Team Role with Rose: Starting off guard, defender of opponent’s best perimeter player. Should be scoring at least 14 a night on high percentages. Solid three point shooting, great leadership, can play both guard spots. DEFINITE STARTER
Most Successful Team Role: 15 to 20 minutes of rabid-dog perimeter defense. Don’t really need his scoring, and probably don’t have too many shots for him. His NBA value lies in his perimeter defense, which is top-of-the-line.
Most Successful Team Role: Starting point guard. Floor leader and organizer, team leader, main ball-handler and points-distributor. Not sure what kind of scoring we can expect from him at the start of the season, but certainly 14-16 points seems like an achievable starting goal. MAIN TEAM SCORING comes from Deng and Gordon (min. 20 each), with Rose, Hinrich, Noah, and Nocioni all chipping in with double figures. DEFINITE STARTER
Most Successful Team Role: A defensive hound dog, a rebounder from the guard position, the number one man to give Hinrich a defensive breather. Can develop a knack for guarding key division perimeter threats James, Hamilton, Redd, and Granger, as well as other East perimeter players Wade, Arenas, Joe Johnson, Pierce, Igoudala, and Jefferson. HIGH TEAM VALUE
Most Successful Team Role: Scoring, defense, and energy...if there was a question as to Shannon Brown or JamesOn Curry making the active roster, Weems pretty much knocks them out.
Most Successful Team Role with Rose: Starting small forward. Main scoring threat along with Gordon. High percentage shooting matched with fantastic rebounding ability and skills around the rim leads to more efficient possessions, which leads to more shots for everyone on the team, which leads to more points and more pressure placed upon opponent to match pace. DEFINITE STARTER
Most Successful Team Role: With Rose, Gooden is the starting power forward. Can be this team’s Horace Grant: physical strength from the power forward position, ability to score in low double figures on high percentage shots, near ten boards a game while providing strong interior defense. Plays well next to Noah, Deng, and Beasley. Hustle player, very valuable big. HIGH TEAM VALUE
Most Successful Team Role: Backup center. While giving Noah a breather, can be counted on for efficient low-post scoring. Provides six more fouls on Dwight Howard. GOOD TEAM VALUE
Most Successful Team Role: Starting center. Rebounding, interior defense, shot-blocking threat that grants perimeter defenders the freedom to play tight without worrying about having no help near the rim should they get beat. Should easily chip in 10 points a night on dunks, tip-ins, and put-backs. DEFINITE STARTER
F Andres Nocioni, 6-7, 225
2008 stats: 82 G, 24.6 mpg, 13.2/4.2/1.2, .432/.364/.807
Most Successful Team Role: The Nocioni provider. Key, key bench igniter. 15 ppg with a threat for 25 on the right night. Rebounding, hustle, team and one-on-one defense, good foul shooting, can stretch defenses with three point abilities, and can play either forward position depending on desired lineup approach. Effectiveness does not depend on minutes; in baseball, he would be a long reliever who can start if needed while also being trusted in tight, late-inning situations. HIGH TEAM VALUE
Most Successful Team Role: Another big body off the bench, also providing quick breathers for frontcourt mates. Better rebounder than Nichols, with better size. Defense, hustle, rebounding.
Most Successful Team Role: The Hawk. Defensive missile, shot-blocker, rebounder, with skills to finish around the basket. Can defend the rim or the perimeter, making him a largely valuable big man. Provides energy, athleticism, and excitement off the bench, and shouldn’t need much time to make a contribution. A Cliff Levingston for the next generation, and could develop into a guy who plays D the way Dominique played O. HIGH TEAM VALUE
Let's assume right off the bat that Curry, Brown, Nichols, and Simmons in no way figure into the final roster. That leaves seven guys in the backcourt and eight in the frontcourt, bringing us to step one...
1. Get rid of Larry Hughes in any way possible. If that means an Eddie Robinson-style buyout, fine. But unless Del Negro and Pax can convince Hughes that his best team role is 15 minutes of madman defense with nearly no dribbling nor shooting allowed, he needs to go.
2. Solve the never-ending Duhon-Gordon problem. The Bulls have had an identity crisis ever since the 2nd round pick Duhon beat out the 3rd overall pick Gordon for the other starting guard spot. Assuming the Bulls keep Captain Kirk (and let's hope they do), both Du and Ben are now on the bench. Now we have to figure out how to use each of them. And so...
2A. Re-sign Duhon and use him as Rose's backup and the leader of the second unit. It can't be a coincidence that Duke went to the next level when the freshman Duhon took Nate James' spot in the starting lineup and began running the point for Jason Williams, Dunleavy, Battier, and Boozer, nor can it be a coincidence that the Bulls broke their 0-9 streak in 2005 and moved towards the playoffs when the rookie Duhon was given the other starting guard spot over Gordon/Piatkowski. (To be fair, Deng was also moved in at the same time.) This team needs Chris Duhon. I mean, he's their Chris Duhon. And that's all I'll say on that. As for Gordon...
2B. Ben Gordon's problem has not been his game, but rather how the Bulls have used him. We all know his deficiencies: too small to guard most 2-guards, not a good defender regardless of size, poor point guard skills, can't run the floor, not a good rebounder, very streaky scorer. However, he still has a great deal of NBA value because he is a 20 point scorer who can go for 40. While his value to this team is significantly greater than that of Hughes, their situations are similar: each guy needs to be corralled in order to be of value to the Bulls. In Gordon's case, he needs to come off the bench for 20-25 minutes a night and have no other responsibilities than coming off screens, catching and shooting, driving and getting fouled. SCORE! SCORE! SCORE! That's it. If he can't deal with that, then he has to go...if he can deal with that, he will be a better version of Toni Kukoc. It's fitting that Gordon took Toni's #7. Change the height, color, and nationality, and you've got the same player.
3. Acquire a veteran forward/center. Joe Smith was doing a fantastic job for this team before they shipped him in the Wallace deal. This team needs one more big anyway...bringing back Smith or someone of the like seems like a must.
4. We took a lot of heat for choosing Wallace over Tyson, especially since Wallace bombed and Chandler has turned into a double-double near-Olympian with New Orleans. And while I am thrilled to see him playing well, I won't say that things are as black-and-white as to say "Pax F'd up by letting him go." Chandler has found a way to cut his fouls way down on the Hornets...he has been given more minutes...and, HELLO!, he has arguably the best PG in the League setting him up and an all-star 4 playing next to him down low. Which brings us to Rose...
...and the fact that he immediately makes everyone else on the roster more effective. He gets Tyrus and Noah (and Gooden) a ton of easy dunks. He creates open shots for Kirk, Ben, Luol, and Noce. He eliminates the possibility of Gordon ever being asked to run the point. He eases the pressure on Tyrus to be a big-time scorer. And he gives the Bulls one more defensive option at guard, along with Kirk for the 1s and Thabo for the big 2s.
Basically, Rose creates order. The Hinrich/Duhon/Gordon guard question is gone, Thomas is no longer a problem as either a player or an attitude because he will absolutely LOVE playing with Rose, and he eases the leadership problem which will allow Deng, Gordon, and Hinrich just focus in on the strongest aspects of their games.
LINEUP OPTIONS with ROSE
Best Starting Lineup
PG Rose SG Hinrich SF Deng PF Gooden C Noah
Best Second Unit
PG Duhon SG Gordon SF Nocioni PF Sefolosha C Thomas
Best Small Lineup
PG Duhon SG Rose SF Nocioni PF Deng C Thomas
Best Big Lineup
PG Hinrich SG Sefolosha/Deng SF Thomas PF Noah C Gray
Best Shooting Lineup
PG Rose SG Gordon SF Deng PF Nocioni C Noah
Best Defensive Lineup
PG Hinrich SG Sefolosha/Hughes (again, hopefully he'll be gone) SF Nocioni PF Thomas C Noah
Best Crunch Time Lineup
PG Rose SG Gordon/Hinrich (depending on need) SF Deng PF Gooden C Noah
Being a KU alum, and living in Chicago, I'd love to see Hinrich and Gooden be in the starting 5.
Being married to a Pitt grad Aaron Gray should get
playing time also.
