Unsuccessful offseason has Chicago Bulls uncertain about the future (Part 2) – NBA Feature
The Chicago Bulls have finished the last two seasons with the best record in the league, and are considered an Eastern Conference heavyweight. However, in two short months, the Bulls have gone from eastern conference contenders
to possible 4th or 5th position for next season. And their troubles started when Derrick Rose suffered an ACL injury to his left knee in the first game of the Bulls first round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rose is scheduled to be out for the next 8 to 10 months. In his absence, it was anticipated that the Bulls would recruit a veteran point guard in the summer, to carry the team and keep them in playoff positioning till the time
Rose returned.
Also, the previous season proved that no matter how deep the Bulls bench was and no matter how solid a game plan they had, the Bulls needed a quality guy in the front court to pair with Rose. The inclusion of Rip Hamilton in the
line-up before the start of the previous season was considered a genius move by the Bulls, as Hamilton was not only a veteran shooting guard who could pair well with Rose in the backcourt, but he also possessed a playoff pedigree after competing in many playoff
series with the Detroit Pistons. Hamilton was also thought of as a good scoring option, who had the range to open up the defence. Sadly for the Bulls, Hamilton sat out most of the regular season with shoulder injury, and then completely flopped in the playoffs
in the absence of Rose, when he was needed the most.
With these requirements in mind, the Chicago Bulls set off on their offseason. Fans waited and waited as players agreed to contracts and the free agency class kept reducing, but no news from the Bulls camp came forward. The Bulls
decided against using their amnesty clause for power forward Carlos Boozer, who had seriously underperformed in the past season and was the weakest link in the Bulls line-up. Many analysts had predicted the Bulls to amnesty Boozer and sign a strong power forward
like Josh Smith for next season, making them instant title contenders.
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