Making the Bulls Better - The Frontcourt

Yesterday, we started with an introduction of what the Bulls needed to do this off-season to make a jump to the upper echelon of NBA teams. Today, I address the frontcourt.

During the Pistons series it became painfully obvious that the Bulls’ lack of inside scoring was a major problem that needs to be addressed, and soon. Signing Ben Wallace is a move that shows that the Bulls are committed to winning now. Otherwise, they would have kept the younger, cheaper Tyson Chandler (who is basically a weaker Ben Wallace). And while I would have liked to see the Bulls keep Chandler, they are forced to play with what they have. Though his skills are clearly deteriorating, Wallace is still a force on the defensive end and I think he will have an even greater impact after a season and a whole summer of playing with the team. Unfortunately, having Wallace means that you’re accepting that you’ll be getting no offense from your center. Ideally, you’d make up the scoring at the 4 spot. But for the majority of this past season, the Bulls played PJ Brown, another non-factor on offense.

I know I’m not alone in thinking that PJ Brown was a stopgap and that his expiring contract would be moved for “the last piece,” but when an opportunity arose (Pau Gasol) nothing was done. I’m not convinced that Gasol would have made the Bulls an elite team. Furthermore, I agree with Paxson not wanting to give up Deng, but anyone who watched the Bulls knew that their roster wasn’t one that could seriously contend. Parting with, Gordon, and Tyrus Thomas or Thabo Sefolosha was a risk I feel that the Bulls should have taken. However, all that is in the past and the Bulls need to take steps to remedy this hole with their first round pick.

Based on most of the mock drafts I’ve seen thus far, the Bulls likely will have a shot at Washington’s Spencer Hawes or Florida’s Joakim Noah. I’m firmly in the Hawes camp. As a skilled post-up center, Hawes is an uncommon find at the 9th pick. And while I’d be a little nervous about actually having Hawes on the Bulls (I think a great deal of this anxiety comes from his being named Spencer, but that’s beside the point); he fits what they need far better than Noah. Noah would provide energy and defense off the bench, but his offensive game is unrefined and the Bulls aren’t in a position to wait for someone to develop a post game. Hawes enters the league with an array of post moves that will allow him to contribute immediately. Furthermore, the possible addition of Hawes to the young Bulls nucleus (Hinrich, Deng, Gordon, Thomas) would set the Bulls up as one of the top teams in the East for the next few years.

Another option that the Bulls could explore is a trade for Portland’s Zach Randolph. After winning the first pick in the draft (and the opportunity to draft Greg Oden), the Blazers are now said to be shopping Randolph. He is just what the Bulls need offensively – an unstoppable inside scorer. Furthermore, he attended Michigan State, just like Scott Skiles. However, Randolph couldn’t care less about defense (Skiles will hate that) and he can’t stay out of trouble (Paxson will hate that). It is likely that Wallace will be able to compensate for Randolph’s defensive inadequacies, but the Bulls don’t have anyone to keep Randolph in check like Jordan used to do with Rodman. Paxson and Skiles refuse to deal with malcontents (Eddy Curry, JR Smith, Tim Thomas), but the chance to add an elite post scorer might be worth the risk.

Whether it is through the draft, a trade, or free agency it is essential that the Bulls address this need of an inside scoring threat as it is the basis of all their offensive woes. Teams like the Spurs, Pistons, and Jazz know that if their jumpers aren’t falling, they can pound the ball inside to get a good look, but this isn’t the case for the Bulls. The addition of someone who can get easy baskets and command double teams will open up everything else that they try to do offensively and will take a lot of pressure off of Hinrich, Deng, and Gordon to produce every night. It’s often said that the NBA is big man’s league and adding a solid inside scorer to the Bulls could make them the class of the Eastern Conference.