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Chicago Bulls Highlights From 2015-16 NBA.com GM Survey

ByJames D. Tillman III|
Oct 8, 2015; Boulder, CO, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) watches from the bench during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Coors Events Center. The Nuggets won 112-94. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2015; Boulder, CO, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) watches from the bench during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Coors Events Center. The Nuggets won 112-94. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Each year John Schuhmann of NBA.com compiles a list of votes from each of the NBA general managers on 49 different questions pertaining to each team. And in some basketball circles, this NBA GM survey is must-read material.

If you are fans of the Chicago Bulls, however, you may not find the latest poll too appealing. In all fairness though, a year ago, Joakim Noah was voted the best defensive player in the NBA, while Doug McDermott was voted as the draft’s biggest steal at No. 11. Unfortunately, both players had their fair share of struggles during the 2014-15 campaign.

But while the Bulls were not the favorites in a number of areas, they were not totally overlooked either. So without further delay, here is a look at the results at how the Bulls fared in the categories they did receive recognition.

Top four teams in Eastern Conference

As a surprise to exactly no one, the Cleveland Cavaliers were considered the favorites to win the East, capturing over 96 percent of the vote in this category. Meanwhile, the Bulls were picked as the second best team in the conference, garnering 65 percent of the vote.

This is pretty significant considering the fact that the Cavs have several players who are dealing with injures right now. Then again, they did beat the Bulls in the postseason despite the absences of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. That being said, the Cavs deserve to be voted as the top team in the conference until someone else can beat them in a playoff series.

Who is the best shooting guard?

  1. James Harden, Houston (79.3%)
  2. Klay Thompson, Golden State (10.3%)

Similar to how the Cavaliers were the runaway favorites in the previous category, James Harden led the way here with 79.3 percent of the votes. Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors finished in a distant second with 10.3 percent.

Jimmy Butler managed to garner a few votes in this category along with the likes of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Not too bad for a player that was considered one-dimensional prior to the start of last season. And if Butler continues to improve, there is no reason why he can’t continue to be included in the conversation as one of the elite two-way guards in the league.

Most surprising move of the offseason

DeAndre Jordan’s flip-flop episode between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers led this category with 24.1 percent of the vote. Finishing in a close second was Greg Monroe opting to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks despite receiving offers from teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and the New York Knicks.

But the one non-player related offseason transaction that garnered some votes among the league’s general managers was the firing of Tom Thibodeau. I can definitely agree with this sentiment to an extent considering that the Bulls won 65 percent of their games during the regular season; advanced to the playoffs in every year of his tenure and finished as a top-five defensive team in four of the past five years.

Best international player in the NBA

1.  Marc Gasol, Memphis (62.1%)
2. Pau Gasol, Chicago (17.2%)
3. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (10.3%)
4. Tony Parker, San Antonio (6.9%)
5. Goran Dragic, Miami (3.4%)

The results here are somewhat surprising because Pau Gasol had an outstanding season for the Bulls last year. In 78 games, his averages included 18.5 points, a career-best 11.8 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per contest. Furthermore, Pau had an impressive shooting split of .494/.462/.803.

Marc Gasol also had a productive year for the Memphis Grizzlies with 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game. But while his shooting percentage was identical to Pau’s, Marc did not have the same success from distance, as he converted just 18 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, and his PER of 21.73 was slightly lower than Pau’s 22.73.

And unless the fact that Marc is five years younger factors into the equation, Pau should have gotten the nod in this category.

Which rookie will be the biggest steal based on where he was selected in the draft?

  1. Justise Winslow (10), Miami (31.0%)
  2. Bobby Portis (22), Chicago (24.1%)
  3. Emmanuel Mudiay (7), Denver (20.7%)
  4. Myles Turner (11), Indiana (6.9%)

Following a season in which he averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest in his second season at the University of Arkansas, Bobby Portis was projected to be a lottery pick. But when that did not happen, general manager Gar Forman knew this was who they were going to select, per CSN Chicago’s Mark Strotman:

"“We were going to take the best player available. When Bobby was on the board at 22 there was no discussion; he was the guy we were going to take.”"

So far, Portis’ averages through six preseason games include 12.2 points and 10.0 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per contest. Whether or not he will get extended playing time during his rookie season remains to be seen. But at this point in time, Portis is proving that he is definitely one of the top steals of the 2015 draft.

Best perimeter defender

  1. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio (44.8%)
  2. Tony Allen, Memphis (17.2%)
  3. Jimmy Butler, Chicago (10.3%)
  4. LeBron James, Cleveland (10.3%)

One of the areas that the Bulls have made a name for themselves is defense. So it is only fitting that one of the players would receive a little recognition in this category. Although Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard was head and shoulders above everyone else, Jimmy Butler was ranked third in this category.

Not only that, Butler received the same amount of votes as LeBron James. This is very stellar company to say the least considering that James is the best player in the league and he has won the MVP award in four of the last seven seasons.

Which new (or relocated) coach will make the biggest impact this season?

  1. Alvin Gentry, New Orleans (32.1%)
  2. Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City (28.6%)
  3. Fred Hoiberg, Chicago (17.9%)
  4. Scott Skiles, Orlando (10.7%)
  5. George Karl, Sacramento (7.1%)
  6. Mike Malone, Denver (3.6%)

After playing a key role as the assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors last season, it isn’t too far fetched to think that Alvin Gentry would get the highest number of votes in this category. Fred Hoiberg fared somewhat favorably in this area, finishing in third place.

One of the reasons why Fred Hoiberg is the new coach of the Bulls is because of the up-tempo offense he implemented during his five years at Iowa State. Although Thibodeau did have a lot of success during his tenure in the Windy City, Chicago’s offense became somewhat predictable, and at times, simply bogged down to put it mildly.

While Hoiberg will more than likely get the players to buy into a new system, he will be ultimately measured by whether or not he can finally help the Bulls beat James in a playoff series. Because as we all know, James-led teams have eliminated the Bulls from the postseason in four of the last six years.

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