Next team up is the Chicago Bulls, the once great dynasty from the 1990s, oh, how the great have fallen.
Coach: Vinny Del Negro
PG: Derrick Rose, Jannero Pargo
SG: Kirk Hinrich, Flip Murray
SF: Luol Deng, James Johnson
PF: Taj Gibson, Hakim Warrick
C: Joakim Noah, Brad Miller
Reserves: Acie Law, Devin Brown, Rob Kurz, Chris Richard, Joe Alexander
I don't know where to start with this team. I know Kelly Dwyer from Yahoo! Sports has a soft spot for this team. I personally was rooting for the Mailman during the Finals in 1997 and 1998. Now... well, frankly, they only made the Playoffs because the Raptors really are that bad. I don't know enough about Del Negro to say how he does as head coach, but I've heard enough stories to know that he's not really that good, and I suppose I'm putting it a little more nicely than some of them. Derrick Rose has shown potential, but not a whole lot else. Sure he can score, sure he's fast, sure he can get assists, but his shot selection isn't stellar and he takes probably the most inefficient shot in basketball at a very, very high clip. Everyone else, well, everyone else is a plug piece. Noah and Gibson are both energy guys in the mold of someone like Anderson Varejao, while Deng, one of the premier mid-range shooters in the league, is primarily a viable instant-offense second option. Hinrich is a facilitator and defensive specialist, great piece but only in the right system (say Portland?). This means Derrick Rose is the go-to guy, not a go-to guy I'd look for.
I think most of these guys are expiring contracts. Word on the street is Vinny Del Negro is out, but in terms of players, it's hard to say. The obvious answer is a more consistent scorer, optimally someone in the post. However, if we like Taj Gibson. Well, I don't know that they want to get rid of or give up on Derrick Rose yet, but maybe an offensive option in the 2 and defensive options off the bench, better than James Johnson, Jannero Pargo, and Flip Murray. Maybe a fully healthy Luol Deng will make the difference, but I can't say how much so. Nothing short of a major re-haul, but maybe I'm biased, I don't really like anyone on the team aside from Deng.
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