You all know that part. What about the parts you may not know so well, especially if you're only a casual fan? Let's begin with the starting lineup. Kirk Hinrich did as well as he could as the point guard. He's no D-Rose, but he routinely led the team in assists night after night and proved to be a warrior in close games, personifying what the city is supposed to be about. Jimmy Butler took over the two-guard spot from Rip Hamilton late in the season and showed just how high his ceiling can be. He won't be an All-Star next year, but his endurance, hard play and ability to do everything when it was called for show he's going to be a productive NBA player for a long time to come. Off all the players on the roster not named Derrick Rose, I'm most excited about what he'll do next year.
Luol Deng provided more of the same heroics we've grown accustomed to from him. As the leading scorer on the team, he did his best to pick up the slack in that department and earned his second straight All-Star appearance for it. Carlos Boozer once again had a productive season, routinely turning in double-doubles. He still has his detractors for not showing up in enough playoff games and playing less than the contract he received and they have every right to call him out on those things. Still, the Bulls wouldn't have gotten where they did without him. Most other teams in the league would love to have somebody put up a double-double for them on most nights, regardless of how many of each category he totaled.
My player of the year is Joakim Noah. After years of standing on the cusp of greatness, this was the year we finally saw it. While he's still a defense-first player, he provided enough offense that he could be seen as somewhat of a twofold player. That defense however was perhaps the driving force behind being selected to both his first All-Star Game and the All-Defensive First Team. More than that, he showed everyone just how special he is. Battling an injured foot that may require surgery, he lifted the shorthanded Bulls to an unlikely playoff series win. Rose may be the best player on the Bulls, but Noah is the heart and soul. Without him, they would have been demoralized so quickly they would have looked like a 16th seed during March Madness. In this era of frequent turnover, I hope Noah stays with the Bulls throughout his career, or at least until he's past his prime. No one else is worthy of being the man in the middle in Chicago right now.
The bench had some solid contributions as well. Taj Gibson started out slowly, but made his way back into normal career numbers as the season went on. Marco Belinelli was not a true starter, but his 3-point shooting and ability to get hot at times proved beneficial. Nate Robinson was the big story for this group. Not only did he make clutch plays in the postseason to create lasting images for Bulls fans, but he did this all season. Although he was very hit-or-miss, it was hard to argue with his results and contagious energy. Rip Hamilton regressed in both health and productivity towards the end and deservedly lost his starting spot. He soon fell out of favor with fans and most definitely Tom Thibodeau. While he performed admirably in Game 5 against Miami, it wasn't enough to stave off elimination and likely won't save his job here. Nazr Mohammed was practically invisible during the first part of the year, so I gave him an incomplete grade at the All-Star break. As he services became more needed though, he showed he could still contribute at his age, pushing my grade for him up to about a C. Daequan Cook and Vladimir Radmanovic filled the role of seldom-used veterans while Malcolm Thomas fell victim to Thibodeau's mantra of not playing the youngest guys big minutes. Marquis Teague will probably get more minutes next year as the third-string point guard. We were saying similar things about Jimmy Butler last year and he turned out pretty good. I can't wait to see what we've been missing from the young guard out of Kentucky.
Most of the free agents signed last offseason were to one-year deals and not all contracts were guaranteed. That means another large turnover appears likely. The only free agent I can see the Bulls bringing back is Belinelli. Even then, it would only be because they can't find anyone else on the market who can shoot the long ball. I would also give a long-shot chance to Mohammed just for veteran purposes. I didn't think Brian Scalbrine would return for a second season, so don't be so quick to dismiss Mohammed just yet. Robinson, Hamilton, Radmanovic and Thomas are all likely gone. Their value has either gone beyond the Bulls' limits or just aren't worthy enough to keep.
Among the unrestricted free agents available this year are Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Al Jefferson, Manu Ginobili, Josh Smith, Kevin Martin, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette and Jose Calderon. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I really doubt any of them are coming to Chicago. The Bulls have too many large contracts right now and are flirting with the luxury-tax line. Gar Forman and John Paxson will never allow that line to be crossed as long as they're running the show. In their need for another shooting guard, small forward and center, I could see them pursuing the respective likes of Leandro Barbosa, Matt Barnes and Joel Pryzbilla respectively. They could also forget Belinelli and bring back Kyle Korver instead. Don't take that as gospel. I'm just throwing out a few names the Bulls could and possibly would reasonably pursue given their limitations. Regardless this will be an interesting offseason for the front office.
I'm not sure how much will be worth talking about between now and the draft, but I'll continue to keep you updated on the latest happenings surrounding the team. It beats the alternative of having to watch the Heat pursue another championship, am I right?
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