The 2016-2017 Bulls Experiment
The Chicago Bulls had a disappointing season last year and there’s a few reasons why that happened. Fred Hoiberg was brought in to coach after Tom Thibodeau left for Minnesota to coach the up & coming Timberwolves. Hoiberg coached at Iowa State & designed a fast paced offense that took some time for the Bulls to get used to since they were a defense-first team under Thibodeau. When a coach begins with a new team, they don’t always click right away until they get a feel for each other. Coach Hoiberg’s first year didn’t pan out the way we hoped so fans are chalking it up as a period of adjustment. Their second issue was Derrick Rose not returning to form the way everyone expected after having 2 separate knee surgeries in consecutive years. Injuries are very common in the NBA and can end a players season or even their career if it’s serious enough. Joakim Noah was sidelined with a shoulder injury for almost the entire 2015-2016 season and missed several games in past years due to various afflictions. Over the summer, the Bulls traded Derrick Rose & let Joakim Noah go with hopes of putting their major injury concerns behind them. Unfortunately the team now has 6 players who have gone through significant knee surgeries which could lead to missed games from key players later this season.
“The 3 alpha’s” Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo & Dwyane Wade look on from the bench late in the game in Brooklyn on October 31. The Bulls dominated the Nets 118-88. Image source: fansided.com
The Bulls made some moves during the offseason, they added Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, drafted Denzel Valentine & recently traded Tony Snell to the Bucks for 2013-2014 rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams. On the flip side, they lost Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Mike Dunleavy, E’Twaun Moore and Aaron Brooks. There’s been a lot of intrigue & curiosity about the newcomers, like how much Dwyane Wade has left in the tank for his age (34), can Rondo regain his form that won him a championship in Boston, and most importantly, can the new players coexist & not butt heads with each other? It’s hard to tell when Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo & Jimmy Butler all thrive when the ball is in their hands. An early concern during the preseason was lack of outside shooting & how the Bulls would space the floor. Through the first few games of the season, D-Wade has stepped up to become a threat from 3-point range & joins Doug McDermott & Nikola Mirotic among the team’s best. Through the first 3 games, the Bulls are 3-0 for the first time since the 1996-1997 season.
Dwyane Wade finds his outside shot during the first game of the season against the Celtics on Oct 27 at the United Center. Image source: Getty Images
The concoction of new players to this year’s roster is interesting & has a lot of fans wondering if the experiment can work. Will the “3 alpha’s” (Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade & Rajon Rondo) play off each other effectively enough to make the playoffs? Only time will tell, but they have played extremely well to start the season & you can expect to see a lot of exciting match-ups against some tough teams. Grab your seats from Gold Coast by clicking here & catch all the action live!
DJ –
Sounds about right for a early November post. After two months of play, it appears the Bulls Experiment is another rollercoaster ride. Hopefully, they will get their act together in time to make a play-off run.
At least the Alpha Dogs seem to be leading – at least tow of ’em!
Go Bulls!