Chicago Bulls: 2014-2015 Season Preview
For the 2014-2015 version of the Chicago Bulls, the season can be summed up into about three words: “Title or bust.”
“You can be a fool if you want to. I’m serious. I’ll be alright.”
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Those were the words of Chicago Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose during a December press conference in Chicago. Rose was addressing the media mass who attended the 2011 NBA MVP’s first press conference since tearing the meniscus in his right knee and having surgery on November 25th of last year.
Rose would sit out the rest of the 2013-2014 season, the Bulls would win 48 games and clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, led by First Team All-NBA member Joakim Noah.
Although the Bulls found success throughout the year, they ran into a buzzsaw in the first round of the playoffs against a hot and hungry Washington Wizards club.
But now, it’s a new year and Wednesday will begin one of the most important seasons in the history of Chicago Bulls basketball. Between the return of Derrick Rose to the hardwood (again), the free agent addition of two-time NBA Champion Pau Gasol and the draft night trade that brought the reigning Naismith National Player of the Year Doug McDermott to the “Windy City”, the Bulls are primed for for a tremendous season.
So, what lies ahead for the Bulls this season?
Are the Bulls the favorites?
Outside of the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers (who had quite an offseason themselves), the Bulls are seen by most as the team that can defeat the Cavs and get to the NBA Finals for the first time since the end of the 1997-1998 season.
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With Derrick Rose as the catalyst for the Bulls offensively, don’t expect the Bulls to average just 93.7 points per game again this season (the lowest PPG average in the NBA last season).
Rose has proven over the past few months that the explosion is back in his game and should open up the floor for the Bulls’ sharpshooting of Mike Dunleavy Jr., Doug McDermott, 2011 first-round pick Nikola Mirotic and the newly-acquired Aaron Brooks.
Along with the offensive improvement, the Bulls have been known as the best defensive team in the NBA since Tom Thibodeau‘s arrival in Chicago before the 2010-2011 season.
That won’t change.
If you don’t play defense for Thibodeau, you don’t play. It’s that simple.
So, to answer that question of the Bulls being the East’s favorites … it’s hard to say they aren’t with the lack of playoff experience on the Cleveland roster.
The Bulls could take a page from the team that shares the United Center
This may be an odd comparison, but the Bulls and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks are quite similar.
How?
Both play in arguably the best division in their respective sports.
The ‘Hawks play in the dreaded Central Division, where six of the seven teams have playoff expectations.
The Bulls won’t have to worry about that many clubs in their own Central Division, but the toughness level doesn’t change. Between the new-look Cavs, the gritty (yet short-handed) Indiana Pacers and the improved Detroit Pistons, the Bulls will have their hands full in the Central throughout the season.
Key games for the Bulls
With 25 national television appearances (tied for the league high with Cleveland and Oklahoma City) scheduled for the Chicago Bulls this season, fans will have plenty of opportunities to see the Bulls in action.
Here’s a few key match-ups for the Bulls in 2014-2015:
- Bulls at Knicks, Oct. 29th – Season opener against the man who shunned the Bulls in free agency this summer: Carmelo Anthony.
- Bulls vs. Cavaliers, Halloween – Home opener vs. “The New Big Three“
- Bulls at Bucks, Nov. 5th – First match-up between Chicago high school hoop legends Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker
- Seven-game “Circus Trip”, Nov. 17th-30th – Los Angeles (Clippers), Sacramento, Portland, Utah, Denver, Boston and Brooklyn
- Bulls at Heat, Dec. 14th – Bulls’ first meeting with the Heat since LeBron James‘ departure and the first look at Luol Deng in Miami
- Bulls vs. Knicks, Dec. 18th – Carmelo Anthony‘s first visit to Chicago since denying the Bulls in free agency. (Hint: Expect a fair share of boos from the United Center crowd.)
- Bulls at Wizards, Dec. 23th – First meeting between the two since Washington eliminated the Bulls in last year’s playoffs
- Bulls vs. Lakers, Christmas Day – Remember this?
- Bulls vs. Pelicans, Dec. 27th – Chicago high school hoops star Anthony Davis‘ first NBA visit to the United Center
- A stretch of eight games at home out of nine, Dec. 30th-Jan. 14th – Brooklyn, Denver, Boston, Houston, Utah, Washington (lone road game), Milwaukee, Orlando and Washington
- Bulls at Cavaliers, Jan. 19th – Bulls’ first visit to “The Land“
- Bulls vs. Spurs, Jan. 22nd – Bulls host the defending World Champions
- Seven-game homestand, Feb. 21st-Mar. 5th – Phoenix, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Minnesota, Los Angeles (Clippers), Washington and Oklahoma City
- Bulls vs. Hawks, Apr. 15 – Season (and home) finale for the Bulls
Five bold predictions for the Chicago Bulls in 2014-2015
- The Bulls will win 60+ games
- Can the Bulls win 60+ games? Yes. The Bulls went 62-20 in the 2010-2011 season and that was with Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missing extended time throughout the season. That season also had a much healthier Derrick Rose and a deep, youthful bench. This season has the most talented roster since that season.
- Derrick Rose will play 70+ games
- Bulls fans adore Derrick Rose. Since Rose’s arrival for the 2007-2008 season, he’s become one of the biggest stars in the NBA. But, like many before him, injuries have slowed his progress of fulfilling his full potential. The 2010-2011 MVP’s only played in 49 games since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. How much punishment can the knees take?
- Joakim Noah will win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards
- Is there a center that’s most versatile in the NBA than Joakim Noah? Noah led the Bulls in rebounds, assists, blocks and was tied for second in triple-doubles (4) last season. Noah can guard multiple positions on the floor efficiently and has a reputation as the best defensive center in the NBA.
- Jimmy Butler will shoot over 45% from the field and over 37% from three-point land
- Although he’s injured to start the year, Jimmy Butler‘s preseason performance showed that Butler is prepared to make “the leap” into stardom. What better way to do that than by having his best shooting season to date? Players that shot 37% or higher in 2013-2014: Kevin Love, Chandler Parsons, Ray Allen and Kawhi Leonard … last year’s Finals MVP. Pretty good company Butler could join this year with the return of Rose and some key additions to help space the floor.
- The Chicago Bulls will beat LeBron James in the postseason for the first time
- The Chicago Bulls’ record vs. the game’s best player in the playoffs: 0-3. With three chances since the 2010 postseason to “dethrone the King”, the Bulls have been eliminated all three times by a James-led team. That’ll change this season. Whether it’s in the East Finals or not, LeBron James will not be the reason the Bulls are eliminated from title contention in the spring.