Mixed preseason performance by Chicago Bulls fails to remove reservations due to the absence of Derrick Rose (Part 2) – NBA Feature
For the Chicago Bulls, their reliable players through the first five preseason games have been their team core. Joakim Noah is averaging 9.2 points and 10.4 rebounds in five games. Richard Hamilton seems to be playing better than last season now that he has fully recovered from shoulder injury, and has been consistently scoring for the team. After playing in four out of the first five preseason games, Hamilton is averaging 15.3 points, 3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He had 23 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 16th, and has scored at least 10 points in all the games he has played.
Taj Gibson, despite playing only 23.4 minutes per game on average after playing in five preseason games for the Bulls, has averaged 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds. He is looking like a player who is ready to be given more responsibility by the team, and has been particularly impressive on the boards. Carlos Boozer has been his usual inconsistent self, scoring 24 points and 9 rebounds in the October 19th victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves but failing in the other preseason games.
Tom Thibodeau now has a daunting task ahead of him. He will attempt to keep the Bulls in playoff contention with this team till the time Rose returns, so that he has something to work on. And in a league dominated by superstar teams, Thibodeau has none in his team and will rely on his coaching skills to gather the strengths of his roster and combine them together to put up a strong front when the season opens. Thibodeau also has to go through the difficult task of finalizing his starting five for next season. Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Hamilton seem to be a lock after playing consistently in the preseason.
However, Nate Robinson has looked a better guard than Kirk Hinrich so far and Taj Gibson is also giving starter Carlos Boozer some competition at the power forward position. Will Thibodeau go with conventional wisdom or will he take a risk and try to change things up in order to give Gibson and/or Robinson a chance to shine and prove their worth in extended minutes of play.
The preseason games have also brought out a number of positives for the team and Thibodeau. For starters, the Bulls remain on course for becoming the best rebounding team in the league once again, with players like Noah, Mohammed, Gibson and Boozer. Also, Hamilton has played much better in the preseason games than he did last season, hinting that he may finally have fully recovered from the shoulder injury that bothered him last season and will be able to add more value to the team at the shooting guard position.
Thibodeau has also found a solid back-up for Noah in Nazr Mohammed, who is not much of an offensive option but can dominate the boards all night long, much like Noah. Thibodeau will now need to sit down and assess the strengths of each player, and somehow combine those strengths into a team plan that can keep the Bulls in playoff contention. It is going to be the toughest challenge he is yet to face in his short but illustrious career as head coach.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: