.jpg)
Tuesday, 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. Yesterday, we dealt with the frontcourt. Today, I address the backcourt.
The Bulls backcourt is truly the nucleus of the team. Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng (I consider him backcourt because he isn’t a real banger) are three guys who form a solid core that is, at times, spectacular. Hinrich is a tenacious defender with a solid jumper and he knows how to run a team. Gordon definitely has scoring ability and I think that it’s pretty obvious that he’s a clutch player. Deng is on the verge of becoming a superstar. Right now, however, only Deng has the potential to be a cornerstone player. Neither Gordon nor Hinrich is a true lead guard who can always be counted on to get a shot; and in a perfect world, they’d be able to work off of a dominant big man who can find them either cutting to the basket or spotting up for three (this brings us back to our first problem). Furthermore, you can’t seriously expect to contend for a title when it’s a necessity that these 3 each score around 20 to have a chance to win.
Defensively, Hinrich is great, Deng is adequate, and Gordon is generally atrocious. Against teams with big guards (like the Pistons), the Bulls are at a distinct disadvantage. Gordon’s struggles force Hinrich to stick the bigger guard, which in turn can wear Hinrich out to the point where he is a non-factor offensively. Thabo Sefolosha has the ability to be a shut-down defender (and contribute some on offense), but his spotty playing time this past season didn’t do a whole lot for his development. I can see Thabo developing a game akin to a better Doug Christie – a tough defender who can score if needed. Ultimately, Sefolosha might not be a starter but his development will be important if the Bulls hope to contend.
For the Bulls to be successful next season, Sefolosha’s development is key. He provides a defender that can man up on bigger guards, which allows Hinrich or Gordon to focus their energies on chasing point guards rather than physically confronting twos. And while I like Gordon, I think he’s the most tradable of the bunch. He’s a proven scorer, but not much else. If there are any serious trade talks that call for Gordon (without Deng), I think Paxson has to seriously consider it.
May 31, 2007
Fixing the Bulls - the Backcourt
May 30, 2007
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.
May 29, 2007
What to Do, Chicago Bulls
The 2007 playoffs exposed a few needs for the Chicago Bulls. First and foremost is the total lack of any sort of inside game. When Skiles resorted to playing Fat Michael Sweetney during the Pistons series, I took it as a sign of defeat. It was essentially a white flag, with Skiles admitting he had nothing to throw back at Detroit. This goes hand in hand with the Bulls’ second major flaw. The Bulls commitment to their drive-and-kick offense leaves the Bulls at a huge disadvantage if they aren’t hitting their jumpers. Furthermore, if you aren’t getting the expected production from Gordon and Hinrich, their defensive inadequacies become magnified. Hinrich is a tenacious defender, no doubt about that, but due to Gordon’s height (and defensive failures) he is often forced to guard the opposing team’s big guard. And no matter how good of a defender Kirk Hinrich is, he can’t do anything to grow taller. Lastly, I feel that this year’s rookies (Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha) were unfortunately stunted during the season. As we will see, these two players’ development is of the utmost importance if the Bulls are to truly contend for the NBA Championship. In the days ahead, I’ll address what I think needs to be done if the Bulls want to win next year.
Mock Draft, 1.1
With the announcement that Brandon Rush was returning to college and the Hawks seem intent on drafting Mike Conley, I had to make a couple of minor updates:
1. Portland - Greg Oden
2. Seattle - Kevin Durant
3. Atlanta - Mike Conley, Jr.
4. Memphis - Brandan Wright
5. Boston - Corey Brewer
6. Milwaukee - Julian Wright
7. Minnesota - Jeff Green
8. Charlotte - Nick Young
9. Chicago - Al Horford
10. Sacramento - Joakim Noah
11. Atlanta - Spencer Hawes
12. Philadelphia - Yi Jianlian
13. New Orleans - Al Thornton
14. L.A. Clippers - Acie Law IV
15. Detroit - Javaris Crittenton
16. Washington - Jason Smith
17. New Jersey - Thaddeus Young
18. Golden State - Tiago Splitter
19. L.A. Lakers - Gabe Pruitt
20. Miami - Sean Williams
21. Philadelphia - Josh McRoberts
22. Charlotte - Rodney Stuckey
23. New York - Daequan Cook
24. Phoenix - Marco Bellinelli
25. Utah - Derrick Byars
26. Houston - Ante Tomic
27. Detroit - Alando Tucker
28. San Antonio - Rudy Fernandez
29. Phoenix - Marc Gasol
30. Philadelphia - Glen Davis
May 25, 2007
I'm Surrounded By Frickin' Idiots
Well, he shot it. Not a great look but it was a strong move to the hoop, plus he probably got fouled. I guess that answers that question.
However, there is far bigger question for the Cleveland Cavaliers – what are they going to do to win while they still have LeBron James? Currently he’s surrounded by a mismatched group of underperformers and an awful coach. I really don’t like Larry Hughes at all and if he’s signed as a “shooter” to complement LeBron then he should be able to hit an open 8-footer to win a game. Daniel Gibson might eventually be the answer at point, but he’s still too raw to be counted on. Ilgauskas isn’t suited for this team, and Pavlovic isn’t anything more than a bit player. Varejao has really been impressive this series, but he’s the only Cav (including LeBron) that has.
LeBron is a top 5 talent, but he’s handcuffed by having to play with these guys. The Cavaliers need to do everything they can to get someone who can give LeBron some consistent help. If not, I can’t see James wanting to stay around Cleveland for too long. He’s stated that he wants to become a global icon, but that’ll only happen if he wins something. And if he isn’t winning in Cleveland, what’s the point of staying?
May 24, 2007
Thoughts on LeBron
With game 2 rapidly approaching, there is talk all over the place about LeBron James’ performance on the last play of game 1. Driving to the hole, Bron Bron kicked it out to a wide open Donyell Marshall for the game winning three. Of course, being a former Chicago Horri-Bull, Marshall clanked the three and now LeBron is taking tons of heat for his crunch-time decisions.
If you’ll remember, this same time last year, LeBron was being questioned left and right about how he’d never hit a game-winning shot and his peculiar habit of chewing his fingernails during a close game. However, James seemingly answered all those questions during last year’s playoffs when he owned the Wizards and almost pulled off an upset of the Detroit Pistons.
That was LeBron at his best, but now TrueHoop has addressed the problem that everyone is having, why’d LeBron pass? Henry proposes that it’s not so much a matter of LeBron being meek, but rather that James, being only 22, is just trying to find himself as a player. I find a lot of credibility in this line of thinking and am also reminded that when he was coming in to the league, the thing that people raved about was LeBron’s court vision and passing ability. Though he chose to wear 23, most envisioned him as the second coming of Magic Johnson (which begs the question, why doesn’t LeBron run point?). Unfortunately for him, any and all lead guards will be measured against Jordan’s success.
I find it hard to reconcile the fact that if Marshall had hit that shot, we’d be praising LeBron for making such a good pass; but if he’d missed the shot, people would be complaining that he didn’t hit Donyell in the corner. It’s impossible to expect LeBron (or anyone) to compare to Michael Jordan, but I think LeBron can become his own kind of crunch-time killer. Last year’s playoffs showed that he has the ability to finish games, but right now he just needs to figure out the best way.
