[Vivid5292Participant]

I just got finished watching ESPN’s 1st & 10 segment about the Bulls & the main emphasis was Luol Deng & how the Bulls crashed the boards. Another thing, is the idea of them being the underdogs, yet they had the best record in the league winning 62 games. 

Now I have to ask this question aside from the playoffs after being reminded that they won so many games this season. The question is what is their ceilings & what’s the most games they can win in a season if they play hard? Could they chase the old Bulls’ 70 game record? 

In no way am I trying to compare these teams, but I have to ask this question when I see that Noah, arguably their best rebounder/defender, missed 34 games and that Boozer missed 20 games before Noah missed those games. Many of the games they lost were close games. How many of the close games could’ve been won if they had those 2nd chance opportunites that Noah & Boozer provide? We saw how big of a role those 2nd chance opportunities played in last night’s game.

In today’s league, defensive isn’t the vocal point for many teams & there is no better defensive team than the Chicago Bulls as they are right now under Coach Thibs’ preaching.

Remember, the Bulls’ team from the past won those 70 games because their vocal point was defense & there was no one better than them. They had 3 1st All-NBA Defensive Team players in Jordan, Pippen & Harper. Added the superstar prowess of Jordan, the All-Star in Pippen, & the great rebounder/defender in Rodman with a bunch a excellent role players.

Again, I am not comparing the two teams in terms of talent, but I have to ask, can the new Bulls chase that 70 win record if they are  healthy, add a reliable shooting guard ala a Mayo, J.R Smith, or Affalo, and play the league’s best defense as they did this year? 

Thoughts? Opinions? Criticism?

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

Bogans and Korver do what they are their to do: Be role players. Korver consistently hits 3’s. Bogans plays great perimeter D. Another scoring-minded guy would probably just detract from the balance they have.

[avikeshParticipant]

Aaron Aflallo. Perfect fit

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

Just maybe

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

3 or 4 titles.

Sure, they could stress out and try to win 67 or 68 games but so what?  I don’t see them breaking the 72 win record.  I think they will have a 65 or 66 win season or two, but they will usually win somewhere between 60 and 63 games. 

Over the next 5 or 6 years the Bulls and Heat will be the best teams in the East with the Thunder being the best team in the West.  The Grizzlies, Lakers, and a few others could also contend. 

Not sure the Heat get more than 2 titles out of Wade, LeBron, and Bosh.  The Thunder might get 2.  The Bulls could get 2 in the next five years, but I think that they might win more given the youth of Rose, Noah, and Gibson. 

I really like what the Bulls are doing.  With homecourt advantage they could be the champs this year.  Next year, if they add another solid role player or two then I still like them more than Miami.  Could go either way between them and the Thunder.  The Heat might decline way too soon, so that leaves the Bulls and Thunder as the main threats.  The Bulls have better rebounding, defense, inside scoring, and a better superstar in Derrick Rose.  The Bulls could very well be the new dynasty, or it could be like the 80’s where two teams win the majority of the titles (Bulls, Thunder as the new Lakers and Celtics) with a team like Miami or Memphis stealing one along the way.

Not sure there would be a reason for the Bulls to go for 70 wins.  Without a legit 2nd superstar they might peak out at 65 or 66 wins. 

Also, the ’96 Bulls had two superstars in their prime, a great rebounder in Rodman and some great veteran role players in Ron Harper and Stever Kerr.  The Bulls might look at getting a veteran point guard.  Then in the draft, if they don’t go after a shooting guard, they should look at getting a wide body power forward who can play some spot center.  Perhaps Vernon Macklin.  They have 3 good options at the 2 with Bogans, Korver, and Brewer, so maybe they take a look at a do-it-all  3 man like Kyle Singler or Chandler Parsons.  Jamie Skeen would be a good stretch 4 who can hit 3’s.  But, more than anything they need to get guys who fit in with their system and their chemistry.  The scary thing is that Rose is getting better.  Noah, Gibson, Bogans, and Asik are also getting better.  Boozer is solid and Deng is playing great.  Not sure they have any real "need" but adding another shooter and another big man never hurts. They have a complete first team and a complete second team (Watson, Brewer, Korver, Gibson, Asik) so they probably need a specialist who can get hot quick.  Thankfully, there are some good role player types in the late first and throughout the second round.  Josh Harrelson might even be a good pick at 44 as a rebounding specialist off the bench.

Another vet to look at: Sasha the Machine.  He can shoot and he has a couple of rings.  He is also a solid defender.  Would be a great 3 point shooter to bring in and see if he is hot.  If he is, leave him in.  If he is not, no big deal, they can always go to Korver.  If they can get him fairly cheap he would be a good pick up.  He is streaky, but so is JR Smith.  But JR Smith complains a lot, and I think Sasha wouldn’t mid as much to just sit on the bench and collect more rings.

If they want to get some more depth at point guard they probably need to get a veteran. 

Offseason: Sign Sasha the Machine.

Draft: 2 of these 3 players at 28 and 30: Singler/Skeen/Parsons.  Take a look at Harrelson at 44, along with DeAndre Liggins.  If Macklin is still there then draft him.  Maybe look at Ben Hansbrough as a John Paxon type.  If they draft well at 28 and 30 then they need to go with the best player available at 44 (who is a good character guy who will also fit their system). 

[blood]

Why are everyone started dyckriding them…They won first game of playoff AT HOMECOURT…..Its the same thing as lakers should trade byum gasol after they got outplayed by dallas….Why are you people so stupid ?

[Ghost01Participant]

The Lakers should trade Bynum and/or Gasol. Nothing stupid about that.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

blood,

they won by 20 and they contained LeBron and Wade.  They played great defense and rebounded well.  Bosh had 30.  He might not score that much again.  I think rebounding and defense is likely to carry over through the rest of the series, more than, say, Korver and Bogans getting red-hot from 3.  It also looks like they have a better bench.  I think the Bulls can count on these things.  They can beat the Heat without Rose having to score 40 points a night.

[blood]

but to me that wasnt really such easy win,if you watched the game it was tie at 48 48 going into 3rd quarter,and then bulls went 10-0,heat just missed some open 3s and they didnt rebound well in that period(i remember 3 offensive rebounds by bulls in same possesion,finished by roses 3)…Bulls need to win 3 more games…

[Ghost01Participant]

I guess easy wins arent winning by 21 points. It was tied at halftime, but by the start of the 4th u felt it slipping away.

[Author]

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