The Chicago Bulls had high hopes for the 2015-16 season, they were the second favourite to win the Eastern Conference only behind the LeBron James lead Cleveland Cavaliers. But now the are going to miss the playoffs all together, in what has been an extremely frustrating few months and they are probably the biggest disappointment in the NBA season.
The Bulls started the season full of intrigue as they had just fired long term coach Tom Thibediou and Derrick Rose was finally injury free and ready to go. New coach Fred Hoiberg was about to install a new offence and the Bulls were ready to explode, or so it would seem.
Executive vice president John Paxson said, “I do think that anybody who watched us play this year saw a team that didn’t have the collective fight or toughness that’s needed to battle through adversity. And to me, that’s the biggest disappointment in all of this. And again, that falls on all of us.”
Now injuries definitely take up part of the blame, key players such as Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler all missed extended periods during the season. Although for a team expecting to contend for the top seeds in the East they should have been able to manage and at least keep close to the top teams, but that wasn’t that case.
There have been rumours that the franchises two “best” players Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose do not get along and that other players did not like the fact the Butler gets treated better than the other players. The same Butler who a few teams during the season called out his new coach for not coaching them hard enough.
One of the biggest problems with Chicago is that they still rely on Derrick Rose being an All-Star calibre player and he just can’t be that anymore. While his 16.4 points and 4.7 asssists per game weren’t bad figures he can’t carry the team like he used to. Without his athleticism he’s not the player that can dominate a game.
The frontcourt was another problem Pau Gasol is frustrated and may look elsewhere. The biggest question mark is Joakim Noah who became a shell of his former self and was restricted to a bench role, this is a player who was an All NBA first team just two seasons ago. Now he has to come off the bench which clearly didn’t sit right with him but he also missed half the season with a separated shoulder. He is a free agent and has every right now to look at his options and maybe move on.
Now this offseason comes with a huge amount of questions, was Hoiberg the right choice for a coach? Do they trade Derrick Rose go? Is Jimmy Butler the right man to lead this team to their next title run?
With chemistry issues everywhere between the young guys and the old heads it’s a very interesting time for the Bulls.
This wasn’t supposed to be the questions being asked at the end of the Bulls season, it had so much promise at the start but they have failed and failed big time. It’s time for a change in Chicago because this team isn’t going to compete anytime soon if it stays the same.
It's More Than a Game 