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Chicago Bulls: 5 Early Takeaways From Training Camp

By James D. Tillman III

Apr 25, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and guard Derrick Rose (1) and center Joakim Noah (13) walks off the court after the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Bulls 92-90 in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and guard Derrick Rose (1) and center Joakim Noah (13) walks off the court after the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Bulls 92-90 in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) poses for a photo during media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) poses for a photo during media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /

Pau Gasol hopes to see a reduction in minutes this season

While New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was Chicago’s primary target during the 2014 offseason, the team wasted little time in signing Gasol when Anthony decided to stay in the Big Apple. And although Gasol came into last season with 13 years of wear and tear on his body, he turned out to be everything the Bulls needed and more.

He averaged 18.5 points and a career-high 11.8 rebounds in over 34 minutes per contest. In addition to that, Gasol appeared in 78 of the 82 games and was the only starter who managed to avoid the injury bug for the most part during the regular season.

But despite the fact that he was able to turn back the hands of time during an impressive 2014-15 campaign, Gasol hopes to see a reduction in his minutes this season, per FoxSports.com:

"“The level of me playing with contact through the training camp is going to be limited because I like to stay fresh and not accumulate more fatigue.”(It’s) just monitoring closely how I feel and how things are going and try to be smart about it but also ready to go by the beginning of the season. We’ll see how the season goes. Ideally, I’ll play less than I did last year. That’s kind of the plan I guess.”"

After sustaining a strained hamstring in the postseason, I can’t say I blame Gasol for not wanting to log as many minutes as he did last season. Also, the team may want to consider giving him a few nights off so that he will peak shape come playoff time.

Next: Jimmy Butler Setting The Tone Early

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