2011-12 Chicago Bulls Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Chicago Bulls finished with an NBA-best 62-20 regular season record last year, but would lose to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. First year head coach Tom Thibodeau turned the Bulls into one of the league’s best defensive teams with a relentless attack every single time they took the floor. Sensational point guard Derrick Rose won the MVP in just his third season in the league, while Thibodeau took home Coach of the Year honors. The big knock on the Bulls was their lack of a consistent scoring threat to help out Rose, which is ultimately what cost this team against Miami.
Chicago was rumored to be going after a number of different options to upgrade the shooting guard position, but ended up signing veteran Richard Hamilton, who has spent the last nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons. Hamilton had a fallout with the Pistons, but could be just what the Bulls need to get to the NBA Finals and bring a championship back to Chicago. This figures to be a huge upgrade over Keith Bogans, who averaged just 4.4 ppg in 82 starts for the Bulls last season. Hamilton averaged just 14.1 ppg in limited action for Detroit last year, but should be able to provide the Bulls with 15-20 points a night.
Hamilton will enter into a starting lineup that features Rose, Loul Deng, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. The offense runs around Rose and his ability to create for himself and others. He finished 7th in the league with 25.0 ppg and was 10th in assists at 7.7 a game. Chicago had hoped the addition of Carlos Boozer would provide a big spark to the offense, but instead he was inconsistent and missed 23 games with injuries. Deng continued to grow on the offensive end, as he is already one of the league’s top defenders. If he can continue to build his game to grow offensively, he could become an All-Star as soon as this season. Noah is the heart and soul of what the Bulls stand for. He averaged a double-double with 11.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. His intensity on defense and rebounding is contagious, easily making up for his lack of an offensive game.
Chicago also has great depth, which is what you need to be an elite team in the NBA. they return Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, C.J. Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, and rookie Jimmy Butler. Gibson and Asik are great defensively, which allows Chicago to continue to give opposing offenses fits even when their starters go out. Korver is a dead-eye 3-point shooter that can turn a game around in a hurry. It will be interesting to see if Butler can provide a spark offensively off the bench, something the Bulls really lacked last season.
Prediction – 1st Eastern Conference Central Division: With the core back from last season, I see no reason why Chicago won’t run away with the Central again this season. The way they play defense every single night will have them right there with Miami and Boston for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Getting past the Heat and Celtics in the East won’t be easy, but this team is clearly capable of winning it all this season.
Find out where we have all 30 NBA teams finishing in our 2011-12 NBA Predictions article.
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