Unsuccessful offseason has Chicago Bulls uncertain about the future (Part 3) – NBA Feature
The Chicago Bulls were unable to decide on which direction to move in the point guard category. The Bulls needed a point guard to fill in the spot for Rose, but also someone who could take a backup position once Rose returned.
They could have gone for a veteran who would be happy to be part of a contender, even if it meant coming off the bench. Or, they could have offered a veteran a one year contract.
Jason Kidd was one point guard, who perfectly fitted the Bulls situation, but no one was expecting him to leave the Dallas Mavericks, and news of him joining the New York Knicks shocked everybody. But then again, championship teams
are made when the front office of franchises are ready to reach out and try to make things happen instead of waiting for an opportunity to arrive. The Bulls ended up signing Kirk Hinrich for the point guard position.
But the most surprising move came when the Bulls slowly parted ways with their bench, the infamous group that was their key strength throughout the 2011-2012 season. It was this group that Coach Tom Thibodeau used to perfection
in his rotation during the past season and ensured victory after victory for the Bulls. It was this group that was able to get the job done for the Bulls when Rose missed 27 games in the regular season due to a multitude of injuries, with the Bulls going 19-8
in those 27 games. They came to be known as the “bench mob”, but all lost their spot in the Bulls team. Kyle Korver was traded; Omer Asik received a big offer from the Houston Rockets that the Bulls declined to match. C.J Watson and Ronnie Brewer were let
go. The Bulls suddenly had an empty roster. They then went on to add Vladimir Radmanovic, Marco Belinelli and Nazr Mohammed.
The previous group of bench players for the Bulls were good quality players in their position, but the key to their success in the organization was that they adjusted well into the coach’s plan and seemed to connect with the team
philosophy. They bought into the team culture being propagated by Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau, one in which team was above any individual player and even the reigning MVP and the franchise player of the club could be made to sit out in overtime of a crucial
game if he was cold on the night. The new bunch of players being brought in to fill the bench are a risk to say the least.
The positive side of the deal is that the Bulls have Thibodeau, and he can coach the players into the same culture and team philosophy which was so successful for the previous group. The negative side is that they do not adjust
in the team as well as the previous core, further weakening an already weak roster.
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