The Chicago Bulls extended an impressive streak a year ago when they finished above .500 for the eighth season in a row. However, a more important streak came to an end as the Bulls failed to make the playoffs for the first time over that span. Chicago’s failure to make the postseason led to major offseason changes and their roster and direction is going to be very different going forward. Only time will tell if the Bulls substantially improved this offseason but there is certainly reason for fans in the Windy City to be optimistic about their chances to take a step forward in 2016-17.
Offseason Changes
Chicago orchestrated one of the biggest trades of the offseason when they sent Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a second round pick to the New York Knicks in exchange for Jerian Grant, Jose Calderon and Robin Lopez. The Chicago Bulls appeared fully committed to a youth movement when they made the deal but it didn’t take long for them to switch course again and sign Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade to free agent deals. Chicago may have found a gem in first round pick Denzel Valentine and the combination of incoming veterans and young talent represent a substantial upgrade in terms of the talent on their roster.
But many are going to sit back and wonder what exactly the Chicago Bulls are doing. Two years ago, under Tom Thibodeau, they were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They cycled out some injury-prone, past-their-prime veterans for different ones in Rondo and Wade. On one hand, they can’t really be worse than they were last year but they’re still not going to be much of a power player in the East.
Strengths
While the offseason moves might seem to have lacked direction on the surface the reality is that this Chicago Bulls roster is better than the one that missed the playoffs last season. Rondo led the NBA in assists a year ago and while he might not be the most complete player he is still a talented playmaker that should make everybody else on the roster better. He also should be able to stay healthy and with Grant in the mix at the position Chicago now has much more stability at point guard both in terms of the present and future. Wade should provide a strong veteran presence and a go-to player in clutch situations while Valentine gets the opportunity to learn behind a future Hall-of-Famer at the position. Jimmy Butler has star potential and it will be interesting to see if Rose’s exit has a major positive impact after rumors of tension between the two a year ago. Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott are among the more intriguing young talents on the roster and could finally be ready to break through as major impact players this season.
Weaknesses
Chicago is still dealing with some of the issues they had a year ago in terms of question marks at the center position. Robin Lopez should be able to stay healthy but he struggled with consistency over the second half of last season and there isn’t much depth behind him with Cristiano Felicio the first big man off the bench behind him. Mirotic could challenge Taj Gibson for starting minutes but neither one of those two will help take the pressure off of Lopez in terms of rebounding, which could be a major issue. Chemistry could also be a problem early on with four new starters following the offseason shakeup. The Bulls are more talented now than they were at this time a year ago but it could take some time for the pieces to come together.
Outlook
There are plenty of experts that have been quick to write the Chicago Bulls off but we think they have the potential to get back to the playoffs if they can accelerate their chemistry building. Rondo, Wade, Butler, Gibson and Lopez make up a formidable starting five while Mirotic, McDermott and Valentine should contribute coming off the bench. The Bulls success will rely heavily on their ability to come together and play as a unit in a short period of time following substantial offseason turnover and we think that could happen. Chicago will be overlooked by a number of experts but we expect them to reemerge as a dark horse playoff contender in the Eastern Conference this season.
Prediction: 4th in Central Division; 8th in Eastern Conference
