Chicago Bulls Scouting Report

When Derrick Rose went down with the ACL tear last spring, the prospect of success for the ensuing season seemed unlikely. Many experts predicted the Bulls to miss the playoffs and/or have an overall losing record. However, the Bulls played exceptionally well this year despite Rose’s absence and Hinrich, Deng, Noah, Gibson, and Hamilton missing significant portions of the season with a vast assortment of injuries and illnesses. The Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs in the eastern conference semi finals by the two time defending champions Miami Heat. With summer upon us, the Chicago Bulls face the crucial offseason; an opportune time to better the team. As followed is a comprehensive investigation of potential moves that the Chicago Bulls could make this summer along with underlying storylines surrounding the Bulls this offseason. ENJOY

The Derrick Rose debacle lost some of its flare upon the conclusion of the 2013 season. As most know, Derrick Rose tore his ACL last April in a first round playoff match-up against the Philadelphia 76ers. He received ACL reconstructive surgery on May 12, 2012 and then began an intensive rehabilitation program designed to bring him back as quickly as possible. Although he was cleared in March, he never made a court appearance in 2013 prompting heavy criticism by fans and media alike. Although Derrick Rose’s decision not to return should never be questioned, Rose not returning creates complications for the ensuing 2013-2014 basketball season. Rose cited a lack of confidence as the underlying reason behind him not returning last season. Until Rose is fully confident he will not be able to play up to his full potential. The problem with him not returning last season is that the confident issue will continue to bother him until next year. Therefore, he will be playing cautiously and not up to his full potential at the beginning of next year until he is able to fully re-adapt to the game speed in the NBA and fully trust his knee again. The re-adaptive period that could have happened last season now must carry on to this season.

At the moment, the Chicago Bulls have four point guards on their roster. It can be reasonably inferred that one of these point guards will be released over the offseason due to roster space and salary cap limitations. In 2011, Derrick Rose signed a 5 year $94.8 million contract extension locking him up for the future. He is also a former MVP point guard and the cornerstone of the entire franchise so the likelihood of him being traded is extremely minute.  Although his contributions were limited this season, the Bulls sole 2012 draft pick, Marquis Teague, will probably be in Chicago for years to come because teams don’t usually trade first round draft picks that have only spent one year in the league. Trading young talented players is also completely uncharacteristic of the Bulls organization. The Bulls pride themselves on developing players drafted within their organization into solid NBA players.  Therefore, Kirk Hinrich or Nate Robinson will probably get traded over the summer. With Derrick Rose returning next year, the question becomes which player, Robinson or Hinrich, fits best with the Bulls second unit. Robinson and Hinrich have drastically different playing styles with Robinson being an offensive oriented high energy player while Hinrich is more of a game manager type player. The second unit of the Chicago Bulls needs scoring. To win in the NBA these days a team must be able to put up a large amount of points. Therefore, Nate Robinson needs to be kept this offseason to provide scoring and energy to the Bulls second unit.

Another interesting plotline surrounding the Bulls point guards is the question regarding how much Marquis Teague will be utilized this season. Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler played 17.5 more minutes per game his second season than his rookie season. Will Marquis Teague have a similar fate and see his minutes per game drastically increase? Teague should expect a somewhat expanded role this year, but it is unlikely that his role expansion will parallel the one that Butler went through his 2nd season unless the Bulls experience an injury at the point guard position. It isn’t Marquis Teague’s time yet. He is a 20 year old kid that should only be a junior in college. He will continue to develop and hone his skills through the valuable experience he will gain from playing with Derrick Rose. The future is bright for Teague and someday he will be a valuable second unit point guard for the Chicago Bulls.

The emergence of Jimmy Butler was possibly the most encouraging discovery of the 2012-2013 season. The terrible injury epidemic of last season forced Jimmy Butler into an unfamiliar starting role. However, he made the most of this opportunity accumulating a stat line of 14.5ppg, 7.1rpg and 2.7apg coupled with unwavering hustle and impressive defense. Unless the Bulls are able to land a big name shooting guard over the offseason, Jimmy Butler should retain his rightful position as a starter on this team.

            Perhaps a beneficial adjustment for Coach Tom Thibodeau to make this season is to have Marco Bellinelli play point guard on the second unit and move Nate Robinson to the shooting guard position. This of course assumes that Bellinelli and Robinson remain on this team. Robinson’s erratic playing style and inability to catalyze offensive sets lowers his point guard credentials. Robinson’s game is to be an electrifying scorer and the shooting guard position will allow him to make the most of his strengths. Often times last season Bellinelli was forced to fill in at the second unit point guard position when Hinrich was hurt forcing Robinson into a starting role. He proved very capable at the point guard position especially in pick-and-roll situations where he craftily drove to the basket or created his own shot.

Much has been made about the future of Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng as members of the Chicago Bulls organization. Luol Deng should only be traded if the Bulls are able to land a big name free agent shooting guard. Many people negate the significant contributions Luol Deng has made for the Bulls especially last year. He struggled scoring at certain points last year because he was forced into an unfamiliar primary scorer role with the absence of Rose but sparkled in terms of hustle plays, rebounding and defense. With the addition of Derrick Rose next year, Luol Deng will retain his role as a secondary scorer. This is a role that he has thrived in throughout his career. Therefore, it would be in the Chicago Bulls best interest to keep Luol Deng, at least for one more year. Carlos Boozer signed with the Bulls during the summer of 2010 scoring a binding 5 year $75 million contract. This year he has finally began to earn this contract with an impressive stat line of 16.2 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. Much talk has sprung up about the possibility of amnestying Boozer this offseason which would release the Chicago Bulls from his debilitating contract. This might not be a good idea though. Carlos Boozer, like Luol Deng, should benefit from the return of Derrick Rose because he thrives as a supplemental scorer to a superstar. Also, with the Bulls lack of big man depth they are in no position to trade away or release a quality power forward like Boozer. During the summer of 2014, when European superstar Nikola Mirotic is expected to come to Chicago, a move involving Boozer could be quickly executed. But for now Carlos Boozer should play an important role on this Chicago Bulls team for the impending 2013-2014 seasons.

Potential Draft Picks

(According to various mock drafts)

The annual NBA draft is a chance for all NBA teams to make picks that they feel will most benefit their franchise and ultimately contribute to a championship run. The Bulls have the 20th pick in the 2013 NBA draft thus making it highly improbable that they will land any of the biggest-name players in the draft that the experts expect to make immediate impacts in the NBA. But, as we all know, top 5 picks often turn out to be big time draft busts for the unfortunate teams that land them. There are always late round gems that end up being big time players in the NBA. Over the Gar/Paxson era the Bulls are one of the best franchises in the NBA at developing low draft picks into players that constantly make positive contributions to their franchise. Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Marquis Teague and Joakim Noah are all current Bulls players that were actually drafted by the franchise that they now play for. The Bulls should look to draft either a shooting guard or a big man during this draft. As followed is a comprehensive list of potential draft pickups for the Chicago Bulls this year based on several mock drafts.

Allen Crabbe                 A shooting guard from the University of California, Crabbe figures to contribute to the team with his three point shooting prowess.

Tony Mitchell                Mitchell fits right in with the Chicago Bull’s defensive first culture. He is a 6 foot 9inch small forward/power forward from North Texas. Assuming that Boozer stays this offseason, Mitchell might not be the optimal draft pick for the Bulls. The Bulls have two competent small forwards and power forwards. That leaves him with two options if he wants to be part of the franchise. He can either ride the bench until Boozer leaves then become the back-up to Taj Gibson or move to the center position and get immediate playing time as backup for Joakim Noah.

Gorgui Dieng                 Dieng is a high impact player from the University of Louisville. He doesn’t score much but is highly renowned for his stellar defense which makes him a perfect fit for Chicago. He can also come in his first year and make an immediate impact as the backup to Joakim Noah while consubstantially solving the Bulls big man depth problem.