A shakeup the size of LeBron James has thrown the NBA‘s Eastern Conference for a loop, leaving analysts to solve the question of who will emerge as their Finals representative next June. Dwayne Wade is on the back nine in Miami, the Pacers were spiraling out of control before losing Paul George and Lance Stephenson, and it’s too early to tell if Toronto’s second-half success was an aberration. This begs the question — are the rough-and-tumble Chicago Bulls primed to fill the power void?
While a few contenders sat on their hands in the offseason — looking at you, Thunder — the Bulls come back a completely different team. Part of this is organic; few teams are ever fortunate enough to “add” a player of Derrick Rose’s caliber at any time, even if the circumstances are less than ideal. Nikola Mirotic’s arrival was also a long-time coming, more delayed gratification than offseason wizardry. But Chicago was able to make one of the best acquisitions of the summer, landing Pau Gasol in free agency on a three-year deal.
Gasol is no longer the headliner he once was, but he doesn’t need to be. The Bulls will be trotting out a frontline on par with any team in the league, with Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Gasol, Mirotic and Doug McDermott — we’ll get to him soon — providing a multitude of options for Tom Thibodeau to play with. Gasol can be paired with a defensive ace like Noah to hide his deficiencies on that end, and that pairing will be an offensive treat. Both are among the best big-men passers in the game, and watching them work together from the elbows in will be magic.
While Thibodeau isn’t one to get frisky with lineup adjustments, the newly-drafted McDermott is going to be a fun piece to plug and play. Among the most prolific shooters and scorers in NCAA history, McDermott’s biggest challenge will be finding a position he can defend. He lacks the lateral quickness to stay with threes, and he’s a little small to be dealing with NBA bruisers in the post.
But boy, this man can light it up:
Summer league disclaimers always apply, but seeing McDermott whipping around screens and knocking down shots is a sight that should please Bulls fans. Chicago lacked outside shooting in a big way last season, ranking 24th in the league in three-point percentage. Thibodeau will have to hide McDermott, but defensive scheming is what he does best. He’ll likely be used in different ways depending on the matchup, but at the very least, he provides a much-needed release for Chicago’s slashers and bigs. There may be rookies better down the line, but he’ll play an important role earlier than some of his peers.
Much of this gushing also applies to Mirotic, a dynamic power forward previously seen with Real Madrid (hoops version). Mirotic won’t be confused with Kevin Garnett on the defensive end, but he is generally involved in team defensive sets and will mix it up when called upon, which will sit well with Thibodeau. Dragging his man out to the three-point line and creating space for his teammates will be a priority, and Mirotic will surprise some opponents with his off-the-bounce game. The threat of a 6’10” player consistently making threes throws a monkey wrench into traditional defensive schemes.
These additions to a 48-win Bulls team make the headline question appear silly. Alas, like created heroes in comic books and movie scripts, Chicago has a potentially fatal flaw at its core in the form of Rose’s health.
Concerns about “injury-prone” players seem dated in the sports world these days; ailments that once appeared to be career death sentences can now be overcome with the help of modern medical advances. Knee injuries taking away almost two full seasons is terrifying in Rose’s case, but there’s no way for us to predict how Rose’s future will turn out. The likelihood seems greater that he’ll go down in comparison to other, healthier stars, but it’s an educated guess at best. All the pseudo-science in the world about him being “damaged goods” is just that, and the only way to find out if his body will hold up is to let the future unfold.
In the event that he does go down, though, the Bulls are an orchestra missing their maestro. He is head and shoulders above anyone else on the Bulls roster as a shot creator, scorer and distributor, whose absence would torture Chicagoans with Kirk Hinrich for yet another go-round. The importance of adding shooters in McDermott rests in Rose’s ability to make use of them, whether that means dashing toward the rim to finish or driving as a mechanism to set up his teammates.
You can replace parts of his game by committee, with one exception — there is no duplicating the impact of his still-awesome athleticism. Human whirlwinds don’t grow on trees, and though Rose showed signs of rust at the FIBA World Cup this summer, the explosiveness is still there:
This is a scrappy, confident bunch that will go down swinging in the event that Rose tumbles. Still, if the Bulls lose their athletic virtuoso again, they are dead in the water.
In addition to potential Rose issues, most determining factors are out of Chicago’s control. Though LeBron left a team that was built to contend immediately, the Cavaliers team he joined is a force to be reckoned with. With the combined powers of the league’s best player, a budding star in Kyrie Irving and a top-10 player in Kevin Love, it wouldn’t be shocking to see LeBron back in the Finals for the fifth consecutive season.
Cleveland will most likely be fine, but the rest of Chicago’s potential hurdles are fluid. Chris Bosh was paid superstar money this summer to stay in Miami, and it’ll be interesting to see whether he eases back into the leading-role that he left behind in Toronto. On the flip-side of Miami’s veteran coin are young teams beginning to put the pieces together — if Bradley Beal builds off a strong postseason, he and John Wall may be able to push the Wizards to another level. Charlotte may not be a threat to go deep into the playoffs, but their stingy defense will give opponents fits, and Stephenson’s arrival will give them spice they lacked offensively.
Every year we see matchup issues rear their head in the postseason, and the Bulls could end up losing to an inferior team if the bracket breaks the wrong way. As invincible as San Antonio looked in the Finals, they were pushed to the limit by an aging Mavericks team and an Ibaka-injury away from a potential loss in the Conference Finals. It’s too far out to predict what half of the conference will look like come spring, let alone if the Bulls will topple them all.
From a distance, however, Chi-town looks serene. If they their cornerstone stays off the trainer’s table and new weaponry is implemented successfully, there won’t be many teams that stand a chance against the Chicago Bulls in 2014-15.
More from FanSided.com
NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Seahawks, Broncos flip-flop; Cardinals crack top 5
NFL: 5 things we didn’t see coming in Week 3
NBA: 7 players with the most to lose in 2014-15
College Football Player Rankings: Week 4
NHL: 10 stadiums that should host an outdoor game