2012/13 NBA season previews: Chicago Bulls
Columnist By Ryan O'Connell, 22 Oct 2012 Ryan O'Connell is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Basketball, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, NBA
It was all going so well for the Chicago Bulls last season. They once again clinched top spot in the Eastern Conference.
They had signed Rip Hamilton to take scoring pressure off league MVP Derrick Rose. And their league-leading defence was as stingy as ever. Everyone was looking forward to a return match-up with the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals.
Then, in one shocking turn of events at the end of their opening play-off game, their season fell apart.
Rose tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the closing seconds of a game that was practically already won, and the Bulls hopes of championship evaporated. Worse still, with such a serious injury, their hopes for this season may have been dashed as well.
Three biggest questions for the Bulls in 2012/13:
When will Derrick Rose be back?
A few weeks ago, the media was told that Rose was ahead of schedule with his recovery. However, considering no one actually knew what that schedule looked like, that vague description only served to tease Bulls fans into thinking that Rose might be making a miraculous early comeback.
Yet, it appears that simply won’t be happening.
The latest reports from just a few days ago, straight from Rose himself, suggest the former league MVP may miss the entire 2012/13 NBA season.
If that’s the case, it would be devastating news for Rose, the Bulls, their fans, and the entire NBA.
The best case scenario is Rose returning after the All-Star break, sometime in February. Yet, truth be told, even if he could make a return to the court this season, it would take him awhile to get back to the level of play he had reached before his injury.
Can the Bulls compete without Rose in the line-up?
I guess the answer depends on your definition of ‘compete’.
Kirk Hinrich is a handy replacement and has started in this league before. The Bulls still have plenty of talent, great team defence, a fantastic coach, and a loud and passionate fan-base. That will ensure the Bulls will remain competitive and win their fair share of games.
In fact, Rose missed a large chunk of the season last year, and the Bulls were still able to achieve an 18-9 record without their best player, so it’s not like they’re going to suddenly become the worst team in the league.
However, the goal for this club was not respectability, it was the title. And any hopes of winning the NBA championship without a less than 100% Rose are completely futile.
Is this therefore a lame duck season for Chicago?
Unfortunately for their fans, it essentially is.
The club needs to be realistic, and treat this entire season as chance to build for 2013/14.
That means the goals for this season are getting Rose healthy, giving younger players some on-court experience, and preparing the roster for Rose’s return.
Rose, when healthy, is one of the top five players in the league. That means his rehabilitation should be the primary focus for the team, not any irrelevant wins or token appearances from their superstar point guard.
Apart from giving younger players some experience, the Bulls also need to try to offload Carlos Boozer’s horrendous contract. It may prove hard finding a suitor for the power forward, but Boozer has worn out his welcome in the Windy City, and the club desperately needs the financial flexibility that ridding themselves of his large contract will provide.
Chicago Bulls Snapshot
Last season:
Regular Season:
- 50 wins, 16 losses
- Finished first in the Eastern Conference, and first in the Central Division
Playoffs:
- Lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round
Statistical leaders in 2011/12:
Points: Derrick Rose (21.8 ppg)
Rebounds: Joakim Noah (9.8 rpg)
Assists: Derrick Rose (7.9 apg)
Major additions:
Kirk Hinrich, Vladimir Radmanovic, Marco Belinelli, Nate Robinson, Nazr Mohammed
Major losses:
Kyle Korver, Omer Asik, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson
Coach:
Tom Thibodeau
Career Record: 112 wins, 36 losses
Predicted finish in 2012/13:
Regular Season:
- 6th in the Eastern Conference
- 2nd in the Central Division
Playoffs:
- Lose in the first round of the playoffs
Images via nba.com/bulls
Ryan is an ex-representative basketballer who shot too much, and a (very) medium pace bowler. He's been with The Roar as an expert since February 2011, has written for the Seven Network and NBA Down Under, and been a regular on ABC radio. Ryan tweets from @RyanOak.
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The Crowd Says (10) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Basketball, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, NBA
October 22nd 2012 @ 11:48am
mushi said | October 22nd 2012 @ 11:48am | Report comment
One thing that is often overlooked during the rose era is that their record is seems to be more a product of their second unit crushing opposing benches than rose tearing it up.
Rose’s plus/minus is fairly pedestrian for a top flight player (mainly because he is still a below average defender), meaning they aren’t actually outscoring opponents that much whilst he’s on court. That’s why they were still a pretty good team last year in the 27 games without him.
This year however they have neutered that second unit as brewer/miles/korver/asik/lucas have all left. Sure the best performer, Gibson, remains but without the ability to just strangle opposing benches I think they’ll struggle a bit more this year sans Rose than last year.
October 22nd 2012 @ 1:26pm
A1 said | October 22nd 2012 @ 1:26pm | Report comment
Rose is their only crunch time creator. Without him, if the game is close they’re not gonna win. That’s where he will be missed most, not +/-.
October 22nd 2012 @ 2:58pm
mushi said | October 22nd 2012 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
Oh I think rose still has importance but the fact remains the majority of Chicago’s advantage on the scoreboard over it’s opponents was generated by Subs. their starters were still above average but even when rose was healthy they were more like a 4/5 seed not a 1 seed.
I do wonder about this crunch time creator myth. the rules of basketball don’t change in the final mintues of the game
October 22nd 2012 @ 4:22pm
Ryan O'Connell said | October 22nd 2012 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Mushi, there was a great article in Sports Illustrated that analysed the shooting percentage of NBA teams in the last minute of close games, and how it plummets from 45% – 50% to around 30%. Not coincidently, this is when teams go ‘heroball’ (running iso plays for their stars) rather than running team offense, which generates a higher shooting percentage.
So your comment about the myth of needing a crunch time creator is fair. Really, apart from the favorable calls that stars can get from refs, there is no real benefit to heroball, having a crunch time creator, etc.
As for the Bulls bench, I think they’ve done reasonably well in replacing the players that left. The incoming players aren’t as good defensively, but I think they’re potentially better offensively.
October 23rd 2012 @ 12:07am
A1 said | October 23rd 2012 @ 12:07am | Report comment
There is no myth about the crunch time creator. What are you talking about? When the score gets tight and the game clock low you need a player that can create a shot for your team. Either for himself or his teammates. That’s just a fact. And the Bulls only have Rose to do that. I have no idea what that has to do with your comment about the rules not changing.
October 26th 2012 @ 10:14am
astro said | October 26th 2012 @ 10:14am | Report comment
And don’t forget the refs…calling a foul becomes much harder at crunch time that 5 minutes into the first quarter
October 22nd 2012 @ 7:19pm
Swampy said | October 22nd 2012 @ 7:19pm | Report comment
Shooting percentages plummet because defences lock in to their task. Hero ball it may be but sometimes the creator is the only one able to get create a shot against a focused defence.
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October 23rd 2012 @ 10:56am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 23rd 2012 @ 10:56am | Report comment
A good offense should beat a focused defense more times than not. Defense, by virtue of what it actually is, is reactive – you need to react to what the offensive players do. That means the offense has the advantage. By clearing out and letting one player go one-on-one, you’re giving up your advantage – it’s predictable and the defense knows exactly what it needs to do.
In any event, the Sports Illustrated article showed that most heroball occurrences end up with an attacking player taking a low percentage shot – contested jumper, fallaways, etc. That’s not smart basketball.
Having said that, heroball is a lot different to having a top notch creator for whom you run a play to take advantage of their skill set.
October 22nd 2012 @ 9:57pm
Johnno said | October 22nd 2012 @ 9:57pm | Report comment
A concern for Chicago is no one has stepped up to the same levels as Jordan, this must be a concern for Bulls.
October 22nd 2012 @ 11:03pm
Swampy said | October 22nd 2012 @ 11:03pm | Report comment
Johnno, no one before and no one after has stepped up to the level of Michael Jordan. From any team. In history. Ever.
I think Chicago appreciate that fact more than anyone.
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