It's easy to get frustrated at the Bulls for not playing better than their 34-20 record. Sure, they hold a slim lead in the Central and the third playoff seed, but there have been times when they don't look like a championship team. The sentiment everywhere is this is their one real chance to make the NBA Finals, so why haven't they been dominant?
The short answer involves the rash of injuries which have kept the normal starting five from playing together most of the year. There's also the observation of not as much intensive play compared to past seasons, especially against inferior teams like Orlando, Utah and the Lakers. And of course, that leads to questions about why the defense has regressed while the offense is finally playing up to NBA standards. We all wish these issues would just go away.
Then again, it wouldn't be the regular season if we didn't have all this second guessing. Remember, the first month was dominated by talk of Derrick Rose sitting out games with minor injuries and nobody trusting him in the playoffs. Now, he's played the Bulls' last 16 games, so that issue has at least temporarily been pushed aside. Storylines come and go often between late October and mid-April.
While Rose is playing consistently and getting more minutes, he's still not quite back to what he was before the first knee injury. By the same token, he's closer than ever before. As long as he focuses on being aggressive, making smart passes and not settling for shots he isn't used to taking, he can still be as dangerous as any player in the NBA. That's why the Bulls' success this year largely depends on what he can offer, especially in the playoffs.
For all the Rose talk, there has been equal, if not greater interest in Jimmy Butler, who just played in his first All-Star Game. His offense has drastically improved to the tune of 20.4 points per game, forcing opponents to plan for him. It could be argued that this new planning caused him to taper off a bit late in the first half, but if this is the regular Butler going forward, he'll need to show up consistently. It would also help if he incorporated more of the player who has locked down on opponents and caused them trouble, which defined him before this season.
Pau Gasol, another All-Star this year, is already in the discussion of the Bulls' best free-agent acquisition ever. After being shackled in Mike D'Antoni's offensive philosophy in Los Angeles, he's found the fountain of youth in Chicago. There were talks early on about him being an MVP candidate, but he's still good for a double-double nightly. Despite defensive issues like Carlos Boozer before him, he isn't being paid an insane deal to underachieve and most importantly, you want him on the floor late in close games.
Mike Dunleavy had never missed a game as a Bull before injuries sidelined him for over a month. It was during that stretch when the Bulls had their worst run of the season and momentarily allowed Cleveland to take over first in the Central. But he's back in the starting lineup and if he's the key in allowing his other, more talented teammates to play well, look out for this team in the second half. Although he doesn't make the highlight reels often, he knows how to play basketball and anyone with a high IQ for the sport belongs on a good team.
Speaking of injuries, Joakim Noah has really labored after offseason knee surgery. Although last year's Defensive Player of the Year is slightly above his career rebounding average (9.7 vs. 9.4), he's below in most other categories. We were warned this might happen after he made remarks early on that his sore knee would be an issue all year. As the emotional leader on this team, he'll need to stay hyped through the pain or the Bulls won't be motivated enough to go at the right speed.
The bench continues to have a solid contributor in Taj Gibson, who knows how to score inside and right now, makes a better rebounding tandem with Gasol than Noah does. Aaron Brooks has played every game and offensively, has excelled at point guard in Tom Thibodeau's system as so many others did in the role prior to his arrival. Also playing in every game is Nikola Mirotic, a Rookie of the Year candidate whose abilities on both ends have proven the time was right for him to come over from Spain. With a little more seasoning in the NBA, he could develop into a constant for the Bulls over the next several years.
A recent debate has emerged over whether Kirk Hinrich or Tony Snell should be a regular part of the rotation. Hinrich has shown flashes of former glory, but his skills are only diminishing more as he gets older. Snell has underachieved for the most part and yet, he's taken advantage of increased minutes in Hinrich's absence to show signs of being a good, young player. I would take youth in this case just to keep Thibodeau from riding an old mule.
The end of the bench ranges from average to practically non-existent. E'Twaun Moore is often called upon to fill in for regular rotation guys when they're sidelined and he does a good job. Doug McDermott has yet to reclaim a spot in the rotation since returning from the injury he suffered in December, but he needs minutes to get that chance. Cameron Bairstow has contributed about what you'd expect from a second-round rookie on a good team and Nazr Mohammed is starting to rival Jack Haley on the 1995-96 Bulls except for slightly more playing time.
With a group this good, you'd think it would mend any animosity between Thibodeau and the front office. But nobody in the league seems to think so, making this a possible agenda for Thibodeau to save his job. If the Bulls can at least get to the conference finals, all the powers that be might be able to stay. However, an early playoff exit could mean a major shakeup, so everyone needs to fight for themselves as well as the city.
If the playoffs started today, the Bulls would face Milwaukee in a 3-6 series while Washington and Cleveland would play each other in a 4-5. It would certainly be ideal for the Bulls if one of those teams had to knock the other out as neither has proven to be a good matchup for them. What's more, they wouldn't have to face either until the conference finals, so I would be just fine if the current 3, 4 and 5 seeds remained where they are. As for the rest of the East, Toronto is not being looked upon as a legitimate 2 seed while Atlanta is the conference's darling, but that's for another day.
The season's second half begins Friday when the Bulls travel to Auburn Hills and take on the Detroit Pistons. That's one team that dealt like crazy at the deadline, adding Reggie Jackson and Enes Kanter among others. In the East, that could be enough to earn them a low playoff seed. But that means they're not that good, so the Bulls must remind them of such.
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