| Lottery Summit: Chicago Bulls Authored by Andrew Perna & The RGM Bulls Forum - May 17, 2008 - 9:39 am
Last month I debuted a series of Pre-Draft Summits over on RealGM’s NFL page as each of the league’s teams prepared for the annual rookie draft. I posed a set of questions, similar to the ones asked on our NFL boards, to each of the NBA’s fourteen lottery team forums as we prepare to begin our up-to-the-minute, expert 2008 NBA Draft coverage. The following responses were compiled from our Chicago forum, the people who know the Bulls better than some of the players themselves.
The Chicago Bulls:
2007-08 Record: 33-49
Difference From 2006-07: 16 Fewer Wins
Chance Of Landing #1 Pick: 1.7%
Restricted Free Agents: Luol Deng, Demetris Nichols, Ben Gordon
Unrestricted Free Agents: Shannon Brown, Chris Duhon
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done different to make the playoffs?
SportsWorld: Shoot jump shots better.
JeremyB0001: If we continued to play defense, developed our young players, and avoided that brutal start to the season.
BigUps: Injuries hurt us quite a bit in the early going, so I suppose staying healthy. We also needed to be more mentally tough and guard the three-point line better.
bullzman23: Start Ben Gordon and play Tyrus Thomas more.
whodey: Play a set rotation so that the players knew their roles instead of switching them around every game.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
SportsWorld: ...
JeremyB0001: Offensive rebounding.
BigUps: We didn't really have anything that stood out.
bullzman23: Underachieving.
whodey: Gordon's free throw shooting.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
SportsWorld: Joakim Noah, I guess.
JeremyB0001: Joe Smith.
BigUps: Thabo Sefolosha. He went from an NBDL talent to a legit NBA player after the firing of Scott Skiles.
bullzman23: Sefolosha went from looking like a total bust to a borderline starter and Smith was playing at an All-Star level for us.
whodey: Sefolosha. Deng's injury was a blessing in disguise for us, to know we have a solid backup shooting guard and small forward is huge. His defense against LeBron in a couple of games this year was really fun to watch. I really would like to see him start along with Gordon next year.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
SportsWorld: Kirk Hinrich, Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, Deng and Gordon.
JeremyB0001: Hinrich, Deng, Gordon and Nocioni.
BigUps: As a player, Hinrich. Other than him, the entire coaching staff was ineffective in every way, shape and form.
bullzman23: Hinrich. He had the least inspiring season I've ever seen by a player on the Bulls.
whodey: Hinrich and Nocioni. If I had to pick one it would be Hinrich though, because he is a starter. He couldn’t get the offense into any type of flow, his defense was atrocious and he was just flat out a terrible leader. Nocioni just doesn’t understand how to run an offensive set.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
SportsWorld: Not confident at all. We have Ben Gordon and Luol Deng both restricted free agents. I would love to add Gilbert Arenas but that may be unrealistic.
JeremyB0001: Somewhat confident, but less confident than in the past.
BigUps: It’s going to be extremely difficult for John Paxson to fix this mess. It’s not that I don't think he can, but the timing is really poor. The contracts for Deng and Gordon, most likely a draft pick that won't net us a star and virtually all of our players are at an all-time low in terms of trade value. It's going to be an uphill battle unless we get it together mentally.
bullzman23: Extremely confident. I will be shocked if we don't return to the playoffs next season.
whodey: I'm pretty confident in Paxson. I think he learned a lot this past season. He has to do whatever he can to get rid of Hinrich and Nocioni. Depending on the direction of the Clippers, I would try to get Elton Brand back for Drew Gooden, Hinrich and the ninth pick even if we can't reach terms to an extension with Brand. If not, then I would take LaFrentz and the thirteenth pick for Hinrich.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
SportsWorld: A center.
JeremyB0001: A pure point guard, and any player with star potential.
BigUps: A star, but that’s just not happening. We need a guard that can create offense for themselves and other players. We are also still looking for that post player we've been trying to find for years.
bullzman23: Finding ourselves a slasher.
whodey: A true point. I really believe Gooden and Noah, with an offseason to feel each other out will be much better together. If it's Brand, then even better. I truly believe Thomas and Noah will be a breath of fresh air next year. I just don't like the centers and power forwards available when we pick.
7. Assuming the lottery plays out true, who would you like your team to select?
SportsWorld: I would love to see Kevin Love on this team.
JeremyB0001: DeAndre Jordan, D.J. Augustin or Marreese Speights.
BigUps: I'm torn. Jordan is a project and we can't develop talent. I would say Chris Douglas-Roberts, Speights, Augustin (only if we move Gordon or Hinrich), Gordon (if we move our Gordon), Donte Green, Russell Westbrook or Anthony Randolph.
bullzman23: Westbrook.
whodey: If we keep the pick I would really like to get Westbrook. He has the best value if we try to make a deal.
Archive:
The Miami Heat:Lottery Summit
The Seattle Supersonics:Lottery Summit
The Minnesota Timberwolves:Lottery Summit
The Memphis Grizzles:Lottery Summit
The New York Knicks:Lottery Summit
The Los Angeles Clippers:Lottery Summit
The Milwaukee Bucks:Lottery Summit
The Charlotte Bobcats:Lottery Summit
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. If you’re a fan of one of the many teams that we have yet to feature, surf over to our forums and weigh in on what is happening within the organization. If you’d like to contact Andrew, shoot him an e-mail at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
