The Chicago Bulls are preparing for the upcoming season opener and the news and rumors are ramping up.
Check out the latest buzz below.
Gasol to Come off the Bench?
The big man rotation is still up in the air and Pau Gasol could come off the bench.
“Watching a few of these preseason games it seems obvious to me that we got two natural 5’s and two natural 4’s. And I wonder if the Bulls are better off moving Gasol to the bench so Taj can play the 4 with Jo instead of playing an undersized 5. The Gibson/Mirotic pairing just seems awkward. It’s undersized, lacks playmaking in the high post (though I imagine Mirotic will get there eventually), and is poor on the boards,” a reader wrote to Sam Smith of NBA.com.
But Smith says that the Bulls are locked in starting Noah and Gasol, “part for respect and part for reality.”
“It’s not easy to bring an older player off the bench for spurts and get him going more quickly. Especially someone who’s never done that. Pau starts. Then you need Noah to defend the stretch fours as Pau and Gibson can’t do that as well, though you are right that could be difficult. Plus, Noah’s physical issues remain a question. He says he’s doing fine from that knee surgery, but he is wearing a brace,” Smith said.
“So can he exert himself to that level? Maybe he should come off the bench as backup center? But do you do that to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and all-NBA first team center? Thibs doesn’t have easy choices here. Maybe you have Dunleavy in against stretch fours like Kevin Love, though Love would have a rebounding edge. I do think the Bulls have to nurse Noah some through the season as much as he fights that stuff. So Taj should get enough starts. Then Mirotic gets time with Pau some.”
Smith says that he would also start rookie (but European veteran) Nikola Mirotic at the small forward and bring both Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott off the bench.
Noah’s Injury May Hamper Him
Joakim Noah’s surgery in the offseason might not have been as minor as advertised.
After the star big man played through knee pain last season, he got surgery this summer and was supposed to be fully recovered by now.
But a source told the Chicago Sun-Times that Noah’s knee “is going to be an issue all season.”
“He has played through pain before with the plantar [fasciitis], but this is completely different, a different level.'’
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The source said Noah entered camp “panicked” that he wouldn’t even be able to start the season in the lineup, let alone participate in camp like he has.
Dr. Benjamin Wedro provided analysis of the situation to NBC.
“The injury can be acute or chronic. In the chronic injury, there is degeneration and wafting away of the cartilage tissue. It is a bigger deal when parts of the remaining cartilage is removed,” he said.
“It may be relatively minor, but there is no such thing as minor surgery. The risk of developing arthritis later in life increases.”
Butler Confident of Contract Extension
The Bulls and Jimmy Butler have until October 31 to work out an extension, and the starting shooting guard is confident that a deal will get done.
If not, he'll become a restricted free agent after this season.
“I think we’re going to figure it out,” Butler told ESPN. “My main focus is now of all time is to get healthy. If you’re healthy, you'll get paid anyway. That’s all I’m worried about it.”
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Butler said that he wants to be a Bull “for as long as possible.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau commended Butler on how he’s dealt with the contract discussion.
“I think Jimmy’s handled it well,” Thibodeau said. “He’s allowing his agent to take care of the business side for him so we can lock into the basketball part of it. Jimmy has done a good job with that. I want him to continue on that path.”
Lots of Work Before Season Opener
Thibodeau said after the 113-112 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the preseason finale that there’s a lot to do before the season opener.
“We obviously got a lot of work to do,” Thibodeau told ESPN.
“That’s what it reveals to you. Give up 30, score 21. Blow a 13-point lead. Turn the ball over like crazy.”
Derrick Rose, on the other hand, said that the game was good as he continues recovering from injury and improving as a player.
“Moving up, man. Moving in the right direction. I felt good. Just trying to stay positive even when I do things wrong, just try to learn from it, try to learn from my mistakes and just try to make myself a better basketball player by using my IQ of the game,” Rose said.
“I feel like I’m in a good place. Just missing two years, coming back, being able to play again against all these great players and really go up against them. I don’t know if they would be able to do the same if they were in my shoes, but the situation happened with me and all I can do is try and be motivated by it and just try and move in the right direction every day. Stay positive.”
Cavs, Bulls the expected frontrunners in East
LeBron James is again surrounded by an All-Star caliber guard, a big man who can score and 3-point sharpshooters.
Sounds familiar.
What’s old is new again for James, who left home for four years, learned plenty and returns eager to ply those lessons. Except this wasn’t college; this was free agency and he chose Miami, where he became a two-time champion. And now he’s back in Cleveland, where his career began and where it will presumably finish, with the four-time MVP driven by a quest to deliver a long-awaited title to his native Northeast Ohio.
In Miami, his star mates were Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. His favorite shooters included Mike Miller and James Jones.
In Cleveland, James’ star associates will be Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. And he’s got Miller and Jones with him again.
Cleveland’s biggest challenge in the Eastern Conference likely will come from the Chicago Bulls, a team that won 48 games year ago despite former MVP Derrick Rose missing basically the entire season.
Washington and Toronto are young teams on the rise, Miami still has plenty of talent and the race for the final playoff spots should have no shortage of contenders.
A look at the East:
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PLAYOFF BOUND
1. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: James has been to the NBA Finals in each of the last four years, and he’s put a supporting cast together in Cleveland that could ensure that streak continues. There’s so many questions about the Cavs, but James alone provides plenty of answers.
2. CHICAGO BULLS: Rose is healthy, Joakim Noah is an elite big man and the Bulls added another 7-footer with championship savvy in Pau Gasol. They could be a size nightmare for plenty of teams, and Rose has to be extremely motivated after dealing with injuries for so long.
3. WASHINGTON WIZARDS: John Wall and (when he comes back) Bradley Beal could be the East’s top backcourt, Paul Pierce makes the Wizards better and smarter, there’s depth and there’s confidence. A year ago, they were a surprise to some. Now, contending is expected.
4. TORONTO RAPTORS: Plenty of other teams in the East are reinventing themselves. Not the Raptors. Toronto’s top seven scorers (in terms of total points) from last season are all back this year, and this team went 22-10 to close out the regular season. Watch them closely.
5. MIAMI HEAT: Motivation might have been in short supply last year. That’s not the case anymore. Beaten by the Spurs in the Finals, then spurned by James in the summer, the Heat have taken plenty of shots in recent months. Time to see what Bosh and Wade will do.
6. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Lance Stephenson’s arrival makes a team that went to the playoffs last year better, even though the Hornets — Bobcats a year ago — will have to deal with losing Josh McRoberts to Miami. Al Jefferson is one of the East’s best big men.
7. ATLANTA HAWKS: A second year of Mike Budenholzer’s system will help, and having Al Horford back will help even more. The Hawks have a big in Horford, a shooter in Kyle Korver, but it remains to be seen if front-office issues holds this team back.
8. NEW YORK KNICKS: Never doubt the power of the triangle. The Knicks are rebuilding under first-year coach Derek Fisher, but they have a star in Carmelo Anthony and a scheme that may create plenty of headaches.
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IN THE MIX
9. BROOKLYN NETS: Brook Lopez already being hurt, though presumably just minor, is not a good sign.
10. INDIANA PACERS: Losing Paul George to that awful leg injury this summer changes everything.
11. DETROIT PISTONS: Stan Van Gundy starts his building project, and he’s got some talent.
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FACING LONG ODDS
12. BOSTON CELTICS: Even with Rajon Rondo the Celtics don’t seem ready for a leap.
13. ORLANDO MAGIC: The Magic could win more games than the 23 they did last year.
14. MILWAUKEE BUCKS: They’re long, feature rookie of the year candidate Jabari Parker and they should be able to defend well.
15. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Michael Carter-Williams, Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel may be great — someday.
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WHAT TO KNOW
NEW COACHES: The East has five new coaches. Van Gundy (Detroit) has won 64 percent of his games, Fisher (New York) won five rings as a player, Jason Kidd (Milwaukee) was a champion, Lionel Hollins (Brooklyn) went 56-26 in his last season with Memphis and David Blatt (Cleveland) was renown for his work in Israel.
FA‘S TO WATCH: Boston’s Rondo and Detroit’s Greg Monroe will likely be the among the biggest-name free agents next summer. They’ll have motivation.
MIAMI'S SHOT: Bosh has waited patiently for his chance to be a first-option again, and Wade has made trying to silence doubters an annual occurrence.
NEW, NEW YORK: The Nets don’t have the enormous expectations and tax bill of a year ago, and the Knicks start their first full season with Phil Jackson calling the shots.
NO MVP ... FOR NOW: For the first time since 2008, a season begins with the reigning MVP (Kevin Durant) hailing from the West. Oddsmakers favor James to reclaim it this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
