It's amazing to think how far the Bulls have come since the beginning of 2014. When I last did a yearend post, everyone was still reeling from Derrick Rose's second season-ending injury. But a January trade of Luol Deng told everyone they were ready to let go of the past and start building with Rose rather than around him. The early returns have been nothing short of promising.
We haven't seen it as much lately, but with Deng gone and Rose out of action, Joakim Noah took it upon himself to run the offense. He began setting records for assists by a center in various fashions. The rundown Bulls became his and his alone for his Defensive Player of the Year campaign, the first for a Bull since Michael Jordan in the 1987-88 season. The first-time All-Star also further cemented his status as the emotional leader of the franchise, even if he was second behind Rose as far as talent.
As much love as we fans gave Noah, we expressed equal contempt for Carlos Boozer, an overpaid defensive liability whose nightly double-doubles made him seem better than he actually was. By the end of the season, it was a foregone conclusion the Bulls would use their amnesty clause on him for the final year of his contract. He found himself on the bench in the fourth quarter of games, both close and otherwise. Although he rarely missed time and was decent offensively, he wasn't worth the money he made and definitely not compatible with Tom Thibodeau's defensive philosophy.
While the Bulls grinded their way to the fourth seed in the playoffs, their season-long offensive woes came to the forefront against the Washington Wizards. Despite having home-court advantage, the Wizards proved to have more offensive talent, which made all the difference in upsetting the Bulls in five games. The lone Bulls victory in the series came in Game 3 in our nation's capital. In Game 5 at the United Center, the 75-69 loss which ended the season became symbolic of how much improvement was needed.
The first step came in the June draft. With two first-round picks in hand, the Bulls traded them for the rights to Creighton's Doug McDermott, the national player of the year. Their second-round pick was used to select Cameron Bairstow, an Australian out of New Mexico. While McDermott has underachieved and is out for awhile due to injury and Bairstow has done nothing meaningful, their fortunes will hopefully change.
Free agency saw the signings of Aaron Brooks and E'twaun Moore, which only came after the big splash of Pau Gasol and bringing over 2011 draft pick Nikola Mirotic. Two months into his Bulls career, Gasol is already in the running for the best big man in team history. There are whispers that Mirotic is in the running for Rookie of the Year. Amazing what two products from Spain at such different stages in their careers have brought so far.
The story of the new season has unquestionably been Jimmy Butler. He's taken giant leaps already in his career, but this season has him playing at an All-Star level. Although he refuses to take credit for the Bulls being arguably the best team in the league, there's too much working against his argument to deny any of it. With him becoming a restricted free agent after the season, one has to hope the Bulls will do everything to lock him up long-term.
Rose had a rocky first month of the season, often looking timid and sitting out various games with multiple minor injuries. Since Thanksgiving, he's become more aggressive, more confident and above all, approached his MVP level. He hasn't had to carry the team on his back, but if the Bulls are to succeed later in the year, they'll need all the contributions from him they can get. He may not be an All-Star this season, but it won't be long before we can say he's back to being a superstar.
The Bulls are a chasing a championship, or at least a Finals berth. Considering their competition, this season is the best chance for them to get as far as they possibly can. They finally have enough talent on both ends and certain guys have played together long enough. Just about everything is working their way at the moment.
New Year's Day will be the day the Denver Nuggets come to the United Center. That it's being played on a holiday is the only reason this game will really stand out barring a disastrous injury to a key player. Otherwise, it's just one of 82 regular-season games. Until then, Happy New Year and see you in 2015!
No comments:
Post a Comment