The Chicago Bulls 2010-11 season was viewed as a disappointment after losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, but in reality the Bulls went above and beyond the expectations set for them back in the summer.
Projected by many to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, the Bulls finished the season with the best record in the NBA at 62-20. Derrick Rose was predicted to take another step forward in becoming a perennial All-Star, but no one imagined he would end up winning Most Valuable Player like he did. And first year head coach Tom Thibodeau was expected to bring a defensive mindset to the team, however Thibs emerged as a teacher, leader and Coach of the Year, getting the Bulls past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the Jordan era.
Luol Deng had his best year of his career, Joakim Noah appears to be one of the best centers in the East and the Bulls “Bench Mob” may be the most complete in the league. Yet the one glooming weakness at shooting guard proved to be their demise. They never had another player who could take the pressure off of Rose and create their own shot.
With a weak free agent class and two late first round picks Chicago may have to get creative to upgrade their team. Jamal Crawford could be the best possible fit in free agency, returning to the team the drafted him. The former Sixth Man of the Year can play either guard position, create off the dribble and has never been afraid to shoot. J.R. Smith, who was also actually a Bull briefly in the summer of 2006 before being traded for Howard Eisley, has been a sparkplug off the Nuggets bench for years and may jump on the chance to be a starter for the first time in his career.
Ray Allen (Player Option), Arron Afflalo (Restricted), Michael Redd and Jason Richardson would be other suitable options if the Bulls can free up cap space.
Other than that, the Bulls will have to look to the trade market. Recently, Monta Ellis’s name has come up in conversation and looks to be available. Ellis averaged over 24 points/game this season and also led the league in field goal attempts (20.1). That combined with Rose’s 19.7 wouldn’t leave many more shots to go around. Houston’s Kevin Martin is an efficient scorer that would also be an ideal fit along with Washington’s up-and-coming Nick Young.
These players won’t come cheap though. Matching contracts and ability can be tricky. The Bulls would likely need to trade a major piece, or combination of young talent along with picks to make it happen. The Bulls would be hesitant to trade Taj Gibson, Omer Asik or Noah and Carlos Boozer’s contract may be too hard to move.
With the lockout looming, no one knows exactly how teams will be able to move forward. The NBA is at the peak of its popularity and it would be a shame to have a similar situation to what we are seeing right now with the NFL. Whatever happens though the expectations going into next season has grown tremendously.