The 2014 Chicago Bulls Roster: First Five

Now that I am back in action, It is time to get the party started by talking some about the Chicago Bulls since their season is now under way. And I just gotta say first off: W-O-W! The Chicago Bulls made some solid moves this off season through the draft and free agency (course so did the Bears, right?). The drafting of a Lithuanian center and a shooting guard made some sense to me, but the trade for Creighton forward Doug McDermott was just too good to be true. Then in free agency, we said "See ya later!" to Carlos Boozer and picked up an experienced forward/center in Pau Gasol and guard Aaron Brooks. And then just as the camp was starting, here comes this kid from Montenegro from Spain named Nikola Mirotic who we have had to wait almost five years to come. So why say "Wow!"? Well, lets get into the roster to see the "Wow!" there, but we can also not forget that there will also be, as Keenan Thompson would always say from his show Keenan and Kel, "WHY??!!"


-Derrick Rose: Guard #1

Lets face it: Derrick Rose's season is spinning in the air like a quarter that has been flipped.

-If it's heads: healthy, strong season with a playoff finish
-If it's tails: A season of nagging injuries at the least or another season-ending injury at the most

While Rose did look explosive and strong in the games he played with team USA, Chicago fans will always carry the thought of doubt because of the fact that he has missed two straight seasons with ACL injuries to both knees. And if you did not know, yes it was BOTH. But despite the two injured knees he has had, he still seems to have some sense of being quick and agile while on the court from what the preseason has showed us. Now, we should expect (or hope) that head coach Tom Thibodeau will limit Rose's minutes on the court so to allow him to ease back into the physical nature of the NBA, but we can only just wait and see what will happen right now. The hope is that if Derrick Rose can play smart, strong, and stay as healthy as he has looked and says he is, then the Bulls should be on there way to a 50+ win season with a playoff berth

Predicted Stats:
Points/Game- 21.0
Assists/Game- 5.5
Rebounds/Game- 3.0
Steals/Game- 1.5
Turnovers/Game- 3.0
Field Goal%- 47.5
3 Pt. %- 33.5


-Jimmy Butler: Guard-Forward #21

When it comes to Jimmy Butler, I must be honest when I thought he was just going to be either a journeyman coming through the Bulls or a nice piece that would get maybe 10 minutes a game coming off the bench. But clearly he is so much more than that on both offense and defense. For that, I apologize to Jimmy Butler for not realizing how good he would become. Last season, Butler scored 13 points/game, grabbed 5 rebounds/game, and swiped 2 steals/game all while playing close to 39 minutes/game to help the Bulls reach the playoffs in another Rose-less season that ended in the first round of the playoffs to Washington. In the playoffs, he showed his skills with 13.5 points/game, 5 rebounds/game, and had 1.5 steals/game while playing an astounding 43.5 minutes/game which showed just what Butler has inside and what can do. Along side last season's Defensive Player of the Year, center Joakim Noah, Butler helps boost Chicago's defense immensely. While there are some that protest that Jimmy Butler needs to start stepping up his scoring ability, his game seems to be pretty well rounded for a man that plays the two-guard and swing man position. And besides, his biggest upside really is his ability to be a lock-on defender against those players that can really dictate a game's outcome. If Butler can keep the competitive edge on offense and defense while keeping himself limited to injuries, He'll help the Bulls march right into the playoffs.

Predicted Stats:
Points/Game- 14.5
Assists/Game- 2.0
Rebounds/Game- 5.0
Steals/Game- 2.0
Turnovers/Game- 2.5
Field Goal%- 43.0
3 Pt. %- 31.5


-Joakim Noah: Center-Forward #13

He was Chicago's 9th overall pick in '07 after winning back-to-back national championships with Billy Donovan's Florida Gators ('06,'07). When the Bulls took Joakim Noah, reaction was in the ballpark of, "We got ourselves a big man!" and they were right. Since then, Noah has never stopped grabbing rebounds, contesting and blocking shots, and being aggressive on the inside. The way I see it, Joakim Noah represents what it means to be a dominating big man in the paint. Now, I think it is well understood that Noah will probably never become a center who scores 20+ points/game. But we don't ask him to because we already know that he is good for 10+ rebounds/game and almost 2 blocks/game. Of course, the thought that we may have had a chance to get former Timberwolves' and current Cavaliers' center-forward Kevin Love for Joakim Noah sounds like a real good move to me, but considering the moves that were made by Chicago this past off season, I feel pretty confident that Love may regret going to Cleveland with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Although injuries now seem to be plaguing the Bulls' star these past few seasons, I feel very positive that Noah will produce a strong season that will put him back the conversation for a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year.

Predicted Stats:
Points/Game- 10.0
Assists/Game- 3.5
Rebounds/Game- 11.5
Steals/Game- 1.0
Turnovers/Game- 2.0
Field Goal%- 48.5
3 Pt. %- 0.0

-Pau Gasol: Forward-Center # 16

If we could the clock back to the year 2011 or 2012, former Memphis Grizzlies' and Los Angeles Lakers' forward-center Pau Gasol would have been an excellent addition to the roster's starting five. So what is he now in 2014 at age 34? Well, he is STILL an excellent addition to the roster's starting five. From what I can remember, he's the team's first true 7 ft. tall player to step on the court since Brad Miller ('09-'10) and the team's first true 7 ft. tall player to start since the 7' 2" towering Luc Longley of the 1990s and Illinois native Eddy Curry ('01-'05). Some of you might be wondering why I mention his height? Simply because we have needed a guy like Gasol who has the height advantage to get rebounds and blocks combined with incredible skill sets to help him score. And from what I've seen of him, age is nothing more than a number. The man who came from Spain is coming to the Bulls after finishing his seventh year in L.A. with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers finishing with 17.5 points/game, around 9.5 rebounds/game, and had 1.5 blocks/game. In his time in Los Angeles, Gasol was able to capture back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, so he knows what it takes and feels to have to take the long road to the finals and hold that trophy up in the air. That means that there is experience to feast off of by rookies Doug McDermott and fellow spaniard Nikola Mirotic. Of course with his age and the 30+ minutes he has always played and might be playing this season, injuries may become unavoidable as they have begun to show with Gasol over the past three years. However even if Pau Gasol was to miss 15-20 games in the season, his stats would not shy to far away because of the his amazing work ethic on the court on both offense and defense.

Predicted Stats:
Points/Game- 18.5
Assists/Game- 2.5
Rebounds/Game- 9.5
Steals/Game- 0.5
Turnovers/Game- 2.0
Field Goal%- 47.5
3 Pt. %- 30.5


-Doug McDermott: Forward #3

In 2010, college basketball's National Player of the Year was BYU's Jimmer Fredette. He went 10th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Kings, where he spent three years before coming to Chicago in order to help with the bench last season. That same year Fredette won his award, a young forward  at Creighton University named Doug McDermott started his road to his own National Player of the Year award (which can in 2014). From 2010 to 2014, McDermott was named a first-team NCAA All-American ('12-'14) while averaging around 21.5 points/game and 7.5 rebounds/game with a career shooting percentage at 55%, a career 3 point percentage near 46%, and an outstanding career free throw percentage at 83% to show just how consistent this guy really can be. At 6' 8" and 225 lbs., McDermott seems to have all the impressive qualities of a starting small forward in the NBA. He has just about every record Creighton basketball can offer and is ranked fifth on the NCAA's all-time scoring list (3,150 points) which puts him ahead of the man I believe he can look the most like because of his style of game, NBA Hall of Fame legend Larry Bird. And no, it is not why you might think. McDermott has the same lengthy body that helps his jump shots look so smooth and sweet that even those that cannot see would know it is going in. He shows an aggressive nature to attack the basket, yet shows a touch of finesse while handling the ball on the court. And while many think that his career will be going the same route as Jimmer because Doug was noted mostly for his scoring ability, he does show the tough grit that is needed to play defense, especially when you add in the defense mindset of coach Thibodeau and support that surrounds him in Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah. Hopefully, Thibs will see just what he's got in the kid taken No. 11 overall in the draft that he traded two so-so first rounders for, and if he does and gives him at least 20 minutes per game, then I think we could see McDermott be one of the teams' top scorers as well as a possible All-Star appearance and even a Rookie of the Year award.

Predicted Stats:
Points/Game- 15.5
Assists/Game- 2.0
Rebounds/Game- 5.5
Steals/Game- 1.0
Turnovers/Game- 2.0
Field Goal%- 49.0
3 Pt. %- 43.5