Over the past few seasons, the Chicago Bulls have faced more adversity than any other NBA team. With two devastating knee injuries to former MVP Derrick Rose and the questionable trade of long-time leader Luol Deng, many thought this team would crumble. However, Tom Thibodeau’s group has showed a great amount of pride throughout these rough moments by continuing to make the playoffs and is now poised to challenge anyone for the NBA title this year.
The Bulls made several significant additions to their team in the offseason that has provided Thibodeau with the best depth Chicago has embodied since they made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011. The return of their All-Star point guard, Rose, and free-agent signing of two-time champion Pau Gasol alone would have pushed this team into contention, but Bulls general manager Gar Forman didn’t stop there.
He continued to make promising moves by making a draft-night trade for College Player of the Year Doug McDermott and bringing over prized Euroleague star Nikola Mirotic. The two sharpshooters are expected to provide the outside shooting that has consistently been the team’s biggest weakness over the past several seasons. It will likely take a substantial amount time for these two to grow into their roles and get accustomed to the NBA game, but they should make a strong impact.
The calling card for the Bulls will always be their defense, but their offense will be the best it’s been in recent memory with their new additions and the return of Rose. Chicago is also loaded with likely the best frontcourt in the NBA, which includes Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Gasol. All the ingredients are there on paper for this team to make serious noise this season.
Chicago is expected to be in contention with the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference throughout the year, which could provide the NBA with a new, budding rivalry. Thibodeau will have his crew ready to play every night regardless of the opponent and will continue to develop his young players, including Most Improved Player candidate Jimmy Butler.
The Eastern Conference will be much better overall than last season, but it’s still significantly weaker than the Western Conference, which will be an advantage for the Bulls in terms of their eventual win total. As long as this team can stay relatively healthy throughout the year, their depth along with leadership from Rose and Noah should catapult them into having one of the best records in the NBA this season.
Final 2014-15 projected win total: 58.
Nick Wilder is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickCWilder and add him to your network on Google.
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