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| Derrick will likely need to hand out quite a few of these shirts before his career is over |
2009-10 Record: 41-41
Additions: Tom Thibodeau (Coach), Carlos Boozer (FA), Ronnie Brewer (FA), Keith Bogans (FA), Kurt Thomas (FA), Omer Asik (FA), Kyle Korver (FA), CJ Watson (FA), Kyle Weaver (FA), Brian Scalabrine (FA)
Subtractions: Vinny Del Negro, Brad Miller, Kirk Hinrich, Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander, Acie Law, Flip Murray, Jannero Pargo, Devin Brown, Chris Richard, Rob Kurz
Chicago went into the summer as one of the supposed leading contenders for getting LeBron, Wade or Bosh. Unfortunately for them, that didn't happen. On the bright side, they did still manage to really improve their team, and still managed to snag a top flight Free Agent in Carlos Boozer, as well as better supporting pieces than they had last year.
Boozer broke his hand recently, and will likely miss at least 20-30 games to start the season. This is a bummer, but as long as Chicago makes the playoffs (which they will), and he's healthy by then, that's all that matters. Boozer is a perfect complement to Joakim Noah, able to spread the floor with his jumper, or take it inside. Having Noah at his back on the defensive end will help him too, as a defensive center was something he lacked in Utah. Boozer is also a tenacious rebounder, and even though the Bulls were already the best rebounding team in the league last year, the addition of Boozer makes them even better in that category.
The Bulls also added some depth to their backcourt as well, picking up Ronnie Brewer relatively cheaply, giving the Bulls a defensive minded guard to pair next to Rose. C.J. Watson was also an underrated pickup, handling the point ably for Golden State last year. In a smaller role behind Derrick Rose, he'll be one of the better backup point guards in the league. The Bulls also added some shooting to their team in Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans, which was a big need coming into this summer as the Bulls only shot 33% from three last year.
Derrick Rose is the most important part of this team, and how far this team goes depends on how much of a leadership role Derrick takes. Hopefully his experience in Turkey this summer helped him in that regard, as well as on the defensive end, which along with his jumper, are the two weakest areas of his game. By all accounts his jumper has improved and if true, he'll be one of the toughest players to guard in the league.
Hiring Tom Thibodeau and firing Del Negro was another important step for Chicago. Although Del Negro wasn't as bad as he was made out to be (Chicago did make the playoffs both of his years), it was clear he was at odds with the organization and needed to go. Thibodeau is a first time head coach, but as an assistant for the Celtics, was widely credited for making them into one of the best defensive teams in the league for the past few years. He's much in the same mold as Scott Skiles, so it will be interesting to see if he wears on his players before the season is over.
Losing Boozer will cost the Bulls some wins to start the season, but there is no doubt this is a better team than last year, especially factoring in improvement from Rose and Noah. The Bulls also have a nice asset in Luol Deng as both a trading chip and player, and as long as he remains healthy (a big question for him) he'll help the team. The battle with the Bucks for the top of the Central Division crown will be close, and it'll likely go to whichever team stays the healthiest. Still, I think Chicago is finally ready to rejoin the best teams in the East for many years to come.
Projected Win Range: 45-50
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