Interestingly enough, I've heard the rumblings that the Bulls' 2010-2011 season was a failure. I disagree with that point of view. The Bulls had the best record in the NBA, the MVP and the Coach of the Year, so it's easy to say that they should have at the very least made the NBA finals. However, I believe they overachieved during the regular season. They're a great team, Derrick Rose absolutely deserved the MVP, as Thibs was the best coach this year, but they were not expected to be this good this fast. They still had their flaws, and they were exposed in the postseason.
The most startling reality the Bulls must face is that their five-year, $75 million power forward, Carlos Boozer, absolutely shrunk in the playoffs. His 12.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs were career lows, and I'm not convinced they were the result of his turf toe injury. Boozer also continued to be the weakest defender on a team that hangs its hat on defense.
Bulls management was pretty insistent in claiming Boozer was their top priority among the free agent power forwards last summer, but I remain convinced that at least part of the reason they signed him was because Wade and Bosh signed in Miami, and Stoudemire in New York, so they had to at least sign Boozer in the hopes that he could somehow convince LeBron James to head to Chicago. We all know how that turned out. Sure, his presence allowed the Bulls to finally have a low-post presence, but in hindsight I firmly believe it was a move down out of haste. It could cost them dearly, as no team might want to touch Boozer's contract and at 29 years old there is little to no chance that he will improve defensively or shed his prolific injury problems in the next four years.
Boozer might return next year and be more consistent as well as durable, or we might get more of the same from Boozer. Four years and roughly $60.5 million remain on his contract. Joakim Noah, meanwhile, will stand to make $60 million himself in the next five years, and he also had a subpar postseason. While Noah had always stepped his game up in prior postseasons, this year his 8.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per in the playoffs seemed pretty pedestrian compared to what we've come to expected of him in the playoffs, and he also shot just 41% from the field.
The most telling thing about Noah, however, was the fact that Thibs opted to bench him down the stretch in favor of rookie big man Omer Asik. The fact that Thibs opted to go with the rookie Asik because he trusted his defense more than Noah's, an NBA second-team all-defensive player, has to worry Bulls fans. Noah once again started strong this season, as he did last, and once again was plagued with injury concerns. Noah was deemed an "untouchable" prior to this season, however if a player like Dwight Howard could someone be pried away by dangling Noah, I absolutely believe it should be done. Noah's combination of hustle, energy, defense, rebounding, passing ability and leadership are unmatched by any other NBA center, but I believe he has become expendable IF the right player comes along, especially with Asik possessing so much potential.
The top priority for the Bulls this offseason, however, should without question be getting Rose some help on the offensive end, preferably in the form of a shooting guard who can score, create his own shot, and be willing to defend as well. Keith Bogans plays his role well, he defends admirably and can hit the open shot, but he cannot be a starter on an NBA championship team. Ronnie Brewer is also solid defensively, athletic, has shown he can also hit the open shot, and is a much better ball-handler than Bogans, but he also isn't able to create his own shot.
With so many unknowns regarding the impending lockout and the CBA, we can't speculate for certain about things such as the Mid-Level Exception as such, but through whatever avenue, whether trades or signing, the Bulls must get that upgrade at the shooting guard position. If they're not able to snag a capable shooting guard in the draft itself, which this year may be next to impossible consider how thin it is, they are armed with several attractive pieces as well as two first-round draft picks, so a trade might be the route to take.
Of course, the more attractive players will be the harder ones to acquire. Aaron Afflalo would be a great fit, but the Nuggets seem intent on resigning him. Which might make JR Smith available, but the Bulls had him and let him go because of his "character issues", and they most likely are still not interested in the potential headache. OJ Mayo would make a solid backcourt partner for Derrick Rose, but there hasn't been any indication that the Grizzlies have any interest in trading him. There's other options available, such as potentially being able to snatch up Rip Hamilton should his contract be bought out. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that one. I think the Bulls need to find a long-term solution to their SG problem, and with Hamilton getting up there in age, he might not be it.
Of course, there's a lot to look forward to next season. After a few seasons where Deng's durability and even his heart was questioned, he has emerged as an outstanding player for his position. Asik and Taj Gibson still look very promising, and lest we forget - Derrick Rose is only 22 years old. The immediate past was dim, but the future still looks very bright for the Chicago Bulls.
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