Chicago Bulls 2015: What went wrong?

Injuries again affect the Chicago Bulls’ season

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: imagine how good this Chicago Bulls team would be if it did not have so many injuries!

It seems like a running story with the Bulls — injuries stifling what could have been a very good season.

This season, the core of the Chicago Bulls roster missed 161 games because of injury. The starting five that began the season played together just six times all year. Hoiberg used 23 different lineup combinations this season.

You can talk about a new coach with a new system, or that coach being soft, but it is nearly impossible for a team to get into a rhythm when there are almost always one or two different players missing each game.

How can Hoiberg get a cohesive offense when the players he depends on are on the bench in street clothes?

Some say that part of the reason these injuries keep happening is because the players Hoiberg inherited are broken down versions of the ones Thibodeau had when he first became coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2010.

Thibodeau’s big minutes may have taken their toll on some of the older veterans.

Mike Dunleavy started the season recovering from back surgery, and while he came back, his shot did not. He struggled to make baskets

Last season, Dunleavy hit 43.5 percent of his shots, and 40.7 percent from three. This season, he hit just 39.8 percent of his shots, and 39.2 percent from three.

Joakim Noah looked like a shadow of himself in the 2015 playoffs. During the regular season this year, that continued to show. He struggled with his overall game, and was even demoted to the bench. He had trouble warming up from the bench, and complained about it, until he hurt his shoulder in January and was lost for the season after surgery.

The Chicago Bulls’ defensive play was good up until the Noah injury. They were in the top ten in defense, but without their defensive anchor, the defense slipped. It will finish in the middle of the pack for the season.

Jimmy Butler was not immune from the injury bug. He hurt his knee just before the All Star break, and was not the same since. After shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 33 percent from three, he hit 43.5 percent from the field and 22 percent from three.

Derrick Rose missed games, of course. This time, however, it was not because of his knees. He broke the orbital bone in his eye on the first scrimmage of the season. Perhaps that was a sign of the frustration that was to come in 2015.

Rose missed a few games, but overall he did have a pretty good season. It was just nice to see him play an entire season and not have it cut by surgery.

It would also be nice to have a season without having to see the Chicago Bulls’ best players modeling their suits on the bench.

Next: Hoiberg could not get through Thibs' players