NBA Power Rankings: 2014-15 Eastern Conference Forecast
By Shane Young
1. Chicago Bulls — 62-20
No, breaking 60 wins is not blaspehemous, or out of the question for the team Tom Thibodeau has in his locker room next season.
Derrick Rose, with a sprinkle of luck and the most rehab time of any athlete I can remember, will finally be back at full strength. We said this last November, until he played in 10 games and suffered a distasteful meniscus tear in Portland.
It’s not happening a third time (counting the 2012 ACL tear). It’s just not plausible. Or, that’s only what I’m allowing my brain to believe.
Winning the tug-of-war battle with the Lakers for Pau Gasol, Gar Forman and the Bulls have assembled their most dangerous lineup since 2008, when Rose was drafted. That’s predicated on Joakim Noah’s inhuman leap into the discussion of star centers last season, as he earned himself Defensive Player of the Year honors and isn’t showing signs of holding back.
The time will probably come where we reminisce and ask each other if we’ve ever witnessed a better passing frontcourt tandem than Noah and Gasol, as both have extreme gifts for finding teammates out of back-to-the-basket and face-up situations. Off the bench, it doesn’t hurt to have the strongest Sixth Man of the Year candidate (Taj Gibson) completely full of energy, allowing Chicago never to miss a beat on either end.
As long as Rose is durable, the days of comparing this offense to vomit are over. If you give a full-fledged attack on Rose off screen rolls, you’ll now have Gasol to deal with in either pick-and-pop action, or he’ll have the confidence to put the ball on the floor and make a play at the rim. Yeah, it’s something you cherish the organization for regarding the amnesty of Carlos Boozer. In addition, if there’s a coach that’s going to get the absolute max out of what Gasol has left on defense, look no further than where he landed.
Running at the second-slowest pace last season (90.2 possessions per 48 minutes), the Bulls severely missed their point guard. It disrupted everything, and left them searching for trades to find D.J. Augustin.
The points discrepancy was disgusting, as I’ve never seen a team allow the least amount of points (91.8 per game) while scoring the least as well (93.7 per game). On a 100 possession average, the Bulls had the second-best Defensive Rating last season, allowing 100.5 points per 100 possessions. That was without their dynamic backcourt leader, who has been a defensive pest for Team USA through August.
Anytime you add shooting through the draft that can somewhat replicate what you used to have in Kyle Korver, you’re doing something right. Doug McDermott is a fan favorite from the 2014 Draft, and he wasn’t even supposed to make this much of a difference right away. However, he’s in a position where he can step right in and be given the greenest light in the league. All of a sudden, when you combine McDermott with Mike Dunleavy and a poised Aaron Brooks off the bench, the shooting woes could disappear.
The Bulls had one significant chance at knocking off a LeBron-led team and reach their first Finals since 1998 … it occurred in 2011, when health was on their side. Noah — nor Rose — was ready for that Eastern Conference Finals stage.
Now, they’re more than ready. They just need luck on their side before they can even make it there.