ROSTER
C - Joakim Noah, Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik
PF - Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Brian Scalabrine
SF - Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, James Johnson
SG - Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans
PG - Derrick Rose, CJ Watson
ANALYSIS
Brad: I'm on record that I think Derrick Rose makes the leap this year... to what, you ask? Well I haven't thought he was a top-5 PG to this point... I think he makes that leap, and then I think he's on the verge of challenging the "Big 2"... there's nothing he can't do on a basketball court, and his physical tools are scary... the Boozer injury hurts a bit early, but I see them treading water (it's really close to the same team as last year, who wasn't bad) until he gets back... I'm glad (if I'm a Bulls fan) that they wouldn't deal Noah for Carmelo... Noah is their glue... he doesn't need the ball, and he's an excellent rebounder/shot-blocker/defender that they can't replace internally... Brewer and Korver were brought in to supplement the wing after JJ Redick's restricted free agent offer sheet was matched by Orlando, and I kinda like the combo... Brewer can defend his behind off, and Korver is obviously a knockdown shooter... the bench is decent... Korver, Gibson, Thomas, Scal, Bogans, and Watson are all NBA players, and can play significant minutes and not murder you... Oh yeah... the hate on Luol Deng has gone too far... all you hear is people killing Deng... and yes, he's overpaid wildly with that 70 million dollar deal... but he's a consistent 17 per game scorer, and now he's their 3rd option on offense... he's fine... good even...
Ryan: I'm with you on one thing..the hate on Luol Deng has gone of enough..okay he might have maximized his potential but 17 and 7 is nothing to down. I like that they got far deeper than they were a year ago at all positions... I mean they added depth behind Rose with CJ Watson, added Brewer and Korver at the wing..and oh yeah..added the low-post scorer they've been lacking for almost 8 years now in Carlos Boozer. He's hurt (get used to that) but when he's in he's legit and they need that. Signing Kurt Thomas was an underrated signing too... I do think that Rose is a tad overblown though..he's good..very..I think he rounds out my top 5 PGs but his skills as a point guard don't do it for me..and offensively sure hes athletic and can get to the rim but that jumper is eh to me..as well as defensive output...geez..I might be hating here lol
Brad: Slight hate, but valid... he doesn't have the straight "PG" skill set that I so highly value (i.e. he's shoot-first), but he's nice... I love, love, love the Kurt Thomas move... not so much for the regular season, but they'll need him in the playoffs against Boston or Orlando if they face them... badly... Boozer is the crucial thing... I think the fit is a good one next to Noah because of what I said earlier about Noah being the dirty work guy, and Boozer being a pick/pop jump shooter, and a guy who's capable of giving them interior scoring they've never had in this era... I think it's a team that could be a year away, with that year being used to get used to each other, but it could easily be a team that challenges the top-3... they certainly have the talent in that top 4 of Noah/Rose/Deng/Boozer... that's very, very good... I'll keep them out of the "elite of the elite" but they're right there... Prediction: 4th in the East
Ryan: I agree with them being a year away but they will definitely push the top 3 teams in the East which is very promising for this team. Being setback by the Boozer injury will slow the gelling process of their optimal playing level, but I think that they will challenge one of the big 3 East teams in the 2nd round of the playoffs.. Predictions: 4th in the East
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