Chicago Bulls organizing themselves to survive the lockout: NBA Update
It’s June 30th, and the owners of the franchises and players union haven’t reached to a consensus until now. So now the dreadful lockout looks inevitable, as Friday morning is just few hours away. As the lockout hit
things will change, so the Chicago Bulls are also organizing themselves accordingly.
During a lockout the players cannot make contacts with any staff member of the franchise. Bearing this thing in mind many players have already discussed where they will practice, until the lockout gets over.
Bulls General Manager Gar Forman said, "We like our group. And I think we've got a close knit group. And we've got guys that genuinely like each other and spend time with each other. We've also got guys that are workers. And we've
already had a number of guys in the Berto Centre that have started their offseason conditioning and skill work and those type of things. We've got guys that are motivated to get better and, I think, guys that it hurt when we lost that last series [to Miami
in the Eastern Conference finals]. And I think we'll have a group that will be ready to go when we get back together."
Forman was spot on as Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer have planned to work out together in Miami. Gibson, who was re-signed by the Bulls for one more season on Wednesday, is in contact with many players of his squad including Luol
Deng and Keith Bogans as he believes that in the absence of the staff members it’s up to them now to stay in touch and work things out.
Gibson told that it was coach Tom Thibodeau words that gave him lot of encouragement. Tom told Gibson that he performed well in the last season, but there is always room for improvement. So the coach advised him to put in some
extra effort in his workout sessions during the off season in order to excel and try to lead from the front.
Chicago were the top team in the Eastern Conference in the previous season with a 62-20 record. The Bulls also had a terrific run in the 2011 playoffs as the defeated the Indiana Pacers 4-1 in the quarter-finals round of the postseason.
Then in the semi-finals they trounce past the Atlanta Hawks 4-2, before the South Beach natives threw them out of the contest, as the Bulls won just one game out five.
Gibson and company are now not just looking for revenge, but they are aiming higher as they want to be in the National Basketball Association Finals next season. To make them hungrier Bulls coaching staff told their players that
they should never forget that they were defeated in their own backyard and at a very important stage of the playoffs, so they wouldn’t forget when they return after the lockout for next season.
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