2008 Chicago Bulls Predictions
The Chicago Bulls captured the No. 1 pick in the NBA’s draft lottery and used it to select Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago. The Bulls also hired first-time coach Vinny Del Negro, who will likely play at a faster tempo and rely on ball movement to get open shots. The Bulls had a dismal 33-49 record last season and haven’t won an NBA Title since 1998. Derrick Rose is the player that Chicago looks to lead them back to the playoffs and hopefully a championship. Read on to find out if we think Rose will lead the Bulls back to the Promised Land. Jump over to BetUS where the Bulls are at +550 odds to win the Central Division and +1500 odds to win the Eastern Conference championship.
Derrick Rose will be the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls and will get a chance to lead this team as a rookie. He is expected to play a fast past offense. Rose will replace Kirk Hinrich at the point, and Hinrich will move over to the off guard and backup Rose at point. The Bulls don’t feel Hinrich is a true point guard, but he handles the ball well enough, he just needs to do a better job of running the offense and setting up his teammates.
Hinrich will start at the off guard slot. His greatest strength is his versatility. He can create his own offense, be a spot-up shooter, and play aggressive defense. Hinrich does need to become more consistent shooting the ball as his shooting percentage dropped last season. Ben Gordon will backup Hinrich. He became the second player in franchise history to shooter better than 90% at the foul line for the full season. With the addition of a potential star point guard, the Bulls will need a reliable outside shooter to catch some passes, and Gordon seems to be the Bulls best option.
Luol Deng did not emerge as the all-star caliber player that the Bulls were count on last season, but he looked good at times when he wasn’t out with back and Achilles injuries. Deng tried to score in the post, even though he has a solid mid-range jumper, because the Bulls were in dire need last season of a post-scorer, and Deng attempted to fill that role. Andres Nocioni began last season as the only Bull playing to his potential, but he eventually hit a shooting slump and started throwing up too many 3-pointers instead of driving to the basket.
Drew Gooden is a valuable addition to the Bulls and is a definite threat to score in the post. Gooden averaged 14.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in 18 games with the Bulls last season after coming over from Cleveland, where he was underutilized. Gooden is confident that he will be better this season as he will play a more important role for the Bulls. He needs to be more consistent, as he had a 31-point 16-rebound game then turned around the following night and scored only 2 points last season. Tyrus Thomas will come off the bench for Gooden. The Bulls still believe he can be effective, and like many others are baffled by Thomas’s slow development.
Joakim Noah had a largely successful rookie campaign, although it did not go without incident. Noah needs to get stronger so he can hold his position under the basket, as he often times looked like he was getting pushed around. Aaron Gray will backup Noah. While Noah needs to bulk up, Gray needs to drop some weight and add some speed. Gray also showed some nice moves as a rookie.
Final Analysis
With a rookie point guard in Derrick Rose and a first-time coach in Vinny Del Negro, it is difficult to predict just how the Bulls will do this season. Rose has tons of potential, and Chicago has a crowded backcourt and a talented frontline, so they should at least show flashes of brilliance. Putting it all together to have a playoff year is probably too much to ask for at this time. With our NBA predictions we have the Bulls finishing 5th in the Central Division and missing the playoffs. BetUS has the Bulls at +3000 odds to win an NBA Championship this season so at least someone thinks that Derrick Rose and Vinny Del Negro will propel this team to competitive status this season.
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