Cleveland’s not the only place where a former champion will arrive via free agency to potentially change the team’s fortunes for the upcoming season.
The Chicago Bulls hope the free agent signing of veteran big man Pau Gasol will bring some winds of change over to the Windy City as they continue their search for their first post-Jordan championship. Read on to learn how the Bulls stack up with the Spaniard in their lineup, and check out our complete analysis of the other huge free agency story: LeBron’s move to Cleveland.
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The Chicago Bulls’ 2015 NBA Championship Odds After Free Agency
Pau Gasol and an Improving Bulls Offense
Chicago may have missed out on the big free agent fish in Carmelo Anthony, but snatching up two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol to a three-year, $22 million deal is a more than acceptable consolation prize. Despite some lingering health issues in recent years, the 34-year old Spaniard still averaged 16.3 PPG and 9.6 RPG in his last three seasons with the Lakers, and will join the Bulls as a man tired of losing.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Bulls have always been an elite defensive unit under head coach Tom Thibodeau; they’ve ranked within the top two or three defensively in the last four years. The problem has always been producing enough points. With Gasol on board, the Bulls now have an outstanding post player who should improve a Bulls offense that has ranked 23rd and 28th in offensive efficiency in the last two years.
The arrivals of rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic should also provide the Bulls offense with a little more scoring punch off the bench. Both come with impressive resumes: McDermott was last year’s Wooden Award winner in college and ranks fifth all-time in the NCAA in points. Meanwhile, Mirotic was the 2013 Spanish League MVP and the 2014 Spanish Cup MVP.
But while their offseason moves were a tremendous plus, the Bulls’ title hopes still basically hinge around the health of one man: Derrick Rose.
Derrick Rose Returns (Again)
After playing in just 10 games last season before needing another knee surgery, this time to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose will try to make this comeback last a little longer this time around.
Rose had the burden of carrying the Bulls’ offense almost singlehandedly at times prior to his knee injuries. But while he’s still the only perimeter player in the team capable of getting his own shot, he won’t have the same burden put on him this year.
That’s because his star big men are more than capable of shouldering some of that load. Gasol is instant offense from the post, and center Joakim Noah showed last season that he’s capable of running the offense from the high post. This should allow Rose to work more off the ball as he plays himself into full game sharpness.
Rose will get the first chance to show off his progress in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball in August. No one expects him to be 2011 MVP-level D-Rose just yet, but the Bulls – and people willing to bite on them at +800 to win the 2015 NBA Championship – are banking on him to get there (or somewhere close) by season’s end.
While many are quick to anoint Cleveland as favorites in the East now that LeBron has come back – they’re currently the overall favorites to win the NBA title at +375 – the Cavs aren’t without holes and weaknesses. For one, they have no reliable big man currently in their roster.
Spencer Hawes is now in Los Angeles, Tristan Thompson has been unspectacular throughout his career, and Anderson Varejao hasn’t played over 70 games in four years. If they hope to add another reliable big man to the roster, it’ll need to happen via trade.
The Cavs’ biggest weakness should play right into the Bulls’ new-found strength: frontcourt depth. The All-Star Gasol-Noah frontcourt figures to be the best in the East by a considerable margin, while Taj Gibson and the much-hyped Mirotic could form one of the best big man bench combos in the league.
That Bulls frontcourt should also be well-equipped to handle LeBron if he continues playing as a small-ball power forward. Gibson is a great defender with enough mobility to hang with LeBron in the perimeter, and Jimmy Butler is another excellent perimeter defender whom they can throw at James. And if all else fails, Chicago can just go big and force James to guard either Noah or Gasol in the paint.
Another interesting factor to consider: the Bulls under Tom Thibodeau were 8-5 SU against James and the Heat in the regular season last year. Chicago’s just 2-8 SU vs. LeBron in the playoffs, but the first series was in Thibodeau’s first season, and the second one was without Rose. At the very least, the Bulls should give LeBron and the Cavs a thorough test in his debut season back if they meet in the postseason.
