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Bulls season preview with Andrew Lawrence of Sports Illustrated
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Issue on newstands now
Are you ready?
Of course you are.
Opening night. NBA basketball is back.
No more preseason, no more lethargic play, no more guys working themselves back into game shape, no more guessing, no more predictions, definitely, no more replacement refs it's time to see who's for real and who's got some explaining to do.
Numerous publications have their NBA previews up and on newsstands and Sports Illustrated is no different.
I sat down with SI columnist Andrew Lawrence, who in the newest issue, previews the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks, to get his opinion on some storylines facing the Bulls this season.
The talk has been about focusing on defense this season. How good can this team be if they focus more on that side of the ball?
I think they can be a top-tier outfit, no question. Scott Skiles wrung a lot out of this roster when he was coach, and they figure to be improved by another year of Brad Miller (a huge addition to the maturing frontcourt of Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas) and the subtraction of Ben Gordon, who made no secret of his allergy for defense. On the other hand, his replacement, John Salmons, is both bigger and legitimately eager to distinguish himself as a premier perimeter defender while building on last year's breakout offensive year.
Luol Deng has looked healthy this preseason and seems to have his legs back. Do you feel he can return to those 18 and 6 averages?
Call me crazy, but I think he might improve on those averages because he's got one of the best playmakers in the business in Derrick Rose to set him up. I've long been a fan of Deng's game, but he needs other guys creating for him to get it untracked. That 18 and 6 year came off of the largesse of Chris Duhon and Kirk Hinrich. Salmons scored close to six points above his career scoring average thanks to Rose, who was a rookie and didn't start out the season playing with John. If I'm Deng, I'm licking my chops.
How does losing a guy like Ben Gordon help/hurt a player like Derrick Rose's development as well as the teams?
I don't know that it has much impact. Ben's a great player, but he's not exactly the sharing type. That Boston series is rife with moments where the ball went into Gordon and never came out. Rose, being a rookie and an excellent point guard, regularly deferred to Gordon. This year, however, I think Rose will be better served by having more scorers around him who are more inclined to pass the ball back. Guys like Salmons, Deng, Hinrich and Miller definitely fit that mold.
It seems like after the Boston series, there is more confidence amongst the entire team, how do you think that one series has helped the young players on this team?
It's not the youth on this team that worries me; it's the understated personalities. Between Deng, Rose, Salmons- even Hinrich to an extent-you've got your pick of phlegmatic faces. The guy who changes all that for me is Noah. That series confirmed why the Bulls absolutely made the right move in drafting him. He might be one of the ugliest free-throw shooters the sport's ever seen, but put him in a series that matters and he's Nocioni 2.0. I mean, the guy just radiates passion and self-belief. And once he gets going, it spreads like wildfire through the rest of the team. What's more, Jo is a very heady defensive player whose knack for making the right play only seems to get better as the game tightens. Compare that with Noc-who never failed to take a charge when simply staying on his feet and guarding his man would do-and what you have is an upgrade. A significant upgrade.
How do you feel rookies James Johnson and Taj Gibson will help the team this season?
Size and size. This baby Bulls team was so small for so many years; now, it seems like between these two, Jo, T2, Brad and Aaron Gray, they've got more big men than your neighborhood Casual Male. Johnson is probably the more polished of the two rookies. I like that he can score both while facing and with his back to the basket, finishes well at the rim (he's got really soft hands) and he isn't afraid to put in work on the boards. Gibson is a similarly canny rebounder, and he'll have to really get after it to secure minutes.
A lot of people are expecting this to be some sort of "breakout" season for Tyrus Thomas. How do you think his season plays out?
He has to be better, right? Forever, we'd been hearing how it was him-and not Big Baby-who was the better pro prospect coming out of LSU, and yet who's had the better career so far? (*Throw Portland's LaMarucs Aldridge into that proverbial what-if machine if you really want to depress yourself.) [Interview was conducted before LaMarcus Aldridge signed an extension with the Portland Trailblazers.] But I see no reason to abandon faith in T2 yet. The Bulls have been gushing nonstop about all the work he's put in to improving his offensive game. Even if he's half as good as advertised, his numbers should continue to trend upward.
How do you think Derrick Rose performs this season?
I want to say Rose will turn out like Chris Paul, but that almost seems like I'm shortchanging Rose. I think last year was just a preview of even greater things to come.
Do you feel the team will make any major move before next offseason?
Dunno. Talking to Gar Forman, he seems quite content with the roster as is. But I could see them making a move-may be even one that involves Thomas?-if the going gets tough and the pieces are right.
The Bulls should have about $25 million coming off the books at the end of the season, General Manager Gar Forman, has said they like this current team, but who do you feel the team is eying for the crop of free agents next summer?
Joe Johnson and Josh Howard are two players that seem like they'd mesh well with the team as currently idealized. Maybe even Aldridge if re-signing Miller becomes an impossibility. But beyond that, beats me.
Do you think the Bulls could give one of the Eastern Conference top three teams problems come playoff time?
There's no doubt that they can do that. If they can avoid Cleveland and Orlando, a first-round series win is definitely there to be had. The Bulls can give themselves a better chance of that with a mid-pack finish, and those chances would be greatly helped by an improved showing on the annual circus road trip.
When it's all said and done, how close do you feel this organization is close to returning to contending for titles consistently again?
Tough to say. As much as I like this team's parts, it still missing a big man to bang with the Shaqs, Howards and KGs of the East. What's more, I still don't know what exactly Del Negro brings to the table as a coach outside of not being Skiles. VDN certainly surprised last year, but I'm still not sure to make of him as a general-or at least in the way I was sure Skiles had a system, held his players to an exacting standard and drew up exactly the right plays coming out of stoppages. Vinny, on the other hand, leaves me puzzled a lot. One thing that might change my mind is if he can get the Bulls through the circus swing with a .500 record. That, I think, would be a really good harbinger for this team's long-term prospects.
You can see Andrew's previews in this week's Sports Illustrated, on newsstands now.
For questions, comments, reach me @:ccason4@sneakculture.com and follow me on www.twitter.com/C4DUNK
With the season just hours away, watch the Top-10 plays of the preseason.
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