Unanswered questions loom as Bulls begin 2014 campaign

The Chicago Bulls begin the 2014-15 season Wednesday and fans are eager to witness the return of Derrick Rose. Will the Bulls be contenders this year?...
Derrick Rose made his return to the Bulls Monday against the Pistons. Photo/Wikimedia
Derrick Rose. Photo/Wikimedia

The biggest question for the Chicago Bulls heading into the 2014-15 season was Derrick Rose. After a successful return to action this summer, those questions seem to be answered. Photo/Wikimedia

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]erhaps, the biggest question mark facing the Chicago Bulls entering their 49th season as a franchise in Chicago was Derrick Rose.

The former MVP gave us a glimpse of his health this summer by participating in the world games prior to the preseason. The preseason answered most, if not all questions regarding his health. Rose showed off his renewed athleticism and also displayed a new wrinkle to his game. During Rose’s five years on the court, he owns a 31-percent career mark from beyond the three point stripe while only taking 6-percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

This preseason, Rose took a much higher percentage of his shots from beyond the stripe (30 of his 95 total field goal attempts- totaling 32-percent), hitting 13 of the 30 threes he attempted for a sparkling 43-percent from that range. Adding that to his speed and open court moves could put Rose back in the thick of being recognized as one of the best in the game again and give his fans hope for a great season.

With the Rose health question being a bit less of a concern, the preseason presented the Bulls with several more questions that were not sorted out in the eight games they had to do so. Here’s a look at what Head Coach Tom Thibodeau still has to sort out as we head to New York for the first game of the season:

  • The Guard Rotation: Since Thibodeau has been in charge of the nightly duties as head coach of the Bulls, he has received much criticism for working his players too hard and causing them to be physically worn down by the playoffs. He has traditionally gone with an eight man rotation and as few as seven in the playoffs. This season he is presented with quite the opposite problem. The offseason acquisitions provided by Bulls management has given him a luxury that he has not yet enjoyed as a head coach. The preseason was supposed to give Thibodeau a chance to sort out a rotation going into the season, but it actually became more puzzling. Kirk Hinrich was brought back to the Bulls to serve as the first guard off the bench spelling Jimmy Butler and Rose for stretches at a time and to serve as a ball handler to close tight games. After Jimmy Butler went down with a minor wrist injury, Kirk Hinrich was inserted in the starting lineup. Aaron Brooks was brought in as a free agent to be the insurance policy for Rose. Brooks became the first guard off the bench and certainly appears to have played his way into the rotation with his marksman like shooting and overall good point guard play. With the extended time on the court he received, Brooks looks like he has played his way into a back court that already has Rose, Hinrich, and Butler as locks for playing time. Sorting out the minutes in the backcourt will be an ongoing process for Thibodeau if he decides to insert Brooks into his everyday guard rotation.
  • Wing Position: Mike Dunleavy enters the season as the incumbent starter at small forward after replacing Luol Deng (who was traded January 7th, 2014 to the Cleveland Cavaliers). Dunleavy was originally brought in to be a three point specialist and veteran off the bench after signing with the Bulls in the summer of 2013. Since the trade, he started all 49 regular season contests he competed in, averaging 31.5 minutes per. Without much of a threat off the bench at the wing last season, Dunleavy amassed more minutes than he was originally brought in to play. Tony Snell provided the only relief at the position as a rookie and Butler slid up to the three spot to provide some depth at the position. This season provides the polar opposite of the previous season in terms of depth at the three. The Bulls acquired Doug McDermott in a draft day trade with the Denver Nuggets and fans immediately penciled him in as the starter. In his tenure, Thibodeau has resisted the temptation to thrust rookies into the starting lineup, preferring to red-shirt them until they prove they are more than ready to perform at a high level every time out. This season, that way of thinking will be put to the test as McDermott has shown flashes of brilliance in the preseason, and looks like he will be pushing Dunleavy for playing time. Thibodeau tried McDermott in a starting role on two occasions this preseason, perhaps giving us a glimpse into his thinking of the position. McDermott had mixed reviews in those opportunities, but his talent is undeniable and he has definitely secured a spot in the rotation at the wing position. With McDermott firmly secured as the primary backup and future starter, Snell appears to be the one left out of the rotation. After averaging 16 minutes per game in 77 contests during his rookie season, Snell appears to only be guaranteed garbage time and spot duty this season (barring injuries). At this point it appears as if the plan going into the season is for Dunleavy to start, McDermott to receive the bulk of the minutes off the bench and Butler sliding up to the three when the Bulls go with Hinrich and Rose in the backcourt together. There are a few question marks still remaining as far as the way the minutes will break down, if McDermott will evolve into the starter, and if Snell will play himself into the rotation. As for now, we will have to wait for those questions to figure themselves out over the 82 regular season games.
  • Big Man Rotation: With the health questions looming smaller after an extended view of Rose during the summer and preseason, the biggest question mark now becomes how Thibodeau uses his newly acquired infusion of talent in the frontcourt. The Bulls released Carlos Boozer via the amnesty clause this summer, clearing enough cap space to bring over reigning Spanish Cup MVP Nikola Mirotic and sign 14 year veteran Pau Gasol via free agency. Last season, Thibodeau had a built in excuse to bench Boozer down the stretch due to his lack of defensive willingness and allow Taj Gibson to play the entire fourth quarter regularly. This year, Boozer is in a Laker uniform and Thibodeau will face the pressure of trying to balance 96 minutes between starters Gasol and Joakim Noah and backups Mirotic and Taj Gibson. Already vowing to never play a big lineup consisting of three of the available bigs at the same time, Thibodeau faces the challenge of finding minutes for two players brought in and expected to make an immediate impact. Undoubtedly, Noah will receive his usual 30+ minutes per game. Pau Gasol is expected to receive starter minutes as well. With his stellar defense and improved low post scoring, Taj Gibson played 28.6 minutes per contest last season, which looks virtually impossible to duplicate with Mirotic slated to at least get a shot at the rotation. Bull’s management will expect that Mirotic get his fair share of playing time after signing him for a large chunk of the free agent money they acquired this summer besides his arrival being anticipated for over three years. This question was not even close to being addressed in the preseason as Mirotic proved that he can play in the NBA, but he did not impress to the point of being a lock in the rotation. Pau Gasol left much to be desired and Thibodeau has a problem in its own in trying to get Gasol to gel with the other Bulls. Gasol led the team in turnovers this preseason and he is still trying to get acclimated to his new teammates and Noah specifically who has seen a major drop in his production since Gasol was brought in as his frontcourt mate. This will be the biggest challenge besides the Cleveland Cavaliers that Thibodeau will face all season. With the Bulls trying to make it to the Championship this season, Thibodeau will try all combinations outside of playing three of them together. He will also be tasked with trying to figure out the best personnel combination to end games. With 82 games to work with, there is no doubt that Thibodeau will figure it out.
  • The Overall Rotation: Thibodeau has gone on record, stating that playing 10 is very hard, an eight man rotation is ideal, and a nine man rotation is as far as he would like to go. If the preseason is any indication as to how he will start the season. Rose, Butler (when his wrist heals), Dunleavy, Gasol, and Noah will be your starters. Taj as the first big off the bench. Hinrich and Brooks as the first guards in the game, and McDermott coming in to spell Dunleavy at some point late in the late first quarter. That rotation would seem to be ideal for Thibodeau, but with Mirotic lurking somewhere on the bench, he will be under constant pressure to get him in the game at some point, forcing the rotation up to 10, with a minimum of nine (barring injuries).

 With Rose’s health concerns appearing to finally be over after being the biggest question mark of the last two seasons, Thibodeau faces far more welcomed problems. With more talent than he’s had since he took over as head coach, he also faces the problem of trying to find minutes for a bench that includes E’Twaun Moore, Nazr Mohammed, and Cameron Bairstow, who are slated to serve as reserves without roles. Trying to put together a solid rotation and find minutes for players relegated to the bench, as opposed to losing your MVP, is undoubtedly a great problem to have, unless you’re Thibodeau, the one who has to solve those problems.

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