For the past four or five years, the Chicago Bulls have been contenders in the Eastern Conference. They have had an extremely talented core throughout those four or five years and have had one of the best coaches in the NBA in Tom Thibodeau. However, the Bulls have never been able to get over the LeBron James sized hump in the Eastern Conference, just like this season. Because of LeBron, along with a few more reasons, including Derrick Rose's numerous injuries, these past few years have been wasted by the Bulls. If you're a Bulls fan, it's officially time to start realizing that the championship window is closing for Rose and the Bulls. That is why this offseason is going to be the most crucial offseason in recent memory for Chicago. If Gar Forman and the front office screw up this off-season, Bulls fans may as well kiss goodbye the next five to 10 years of Chicago basketball. The following offseason moves are the moves that the Chicago Bulls need to do to get over the hump.
Find A Suitable Replacement For Tom Thibodeau
If the rumor mill is true, the Bulls' management do not like Tom Thibodeau. As one of the better coaches in the entire league, he will be headhunted by other teams with bigger offers for him. So basically, Thibs is out the door. If the NBA's 2011 'Coach of the Year' does end up leaving Chicago, the Bulls will need to find a replacement. Just who this replacement is, will be the obvious question. One of the problems that Thibodeau had this year with his squad was integrating Pau Gasol into his defensive scheme. This was because Gasol can't play on defense as a normal power forward, as he does not have the necessary speed to keep up with other quicker power forwards. Therefore, Gasol had to play center, which forced Noah out to an unnatural power forward position defensively, where he wasn't able to protect the rim. This caused all sorts of confusion for Coach Thibs and going into next season, the stifling defense of the past few years needs to return. If there is one coach that can fix this defense, that is available, it is Scott Brooks. Say what you will about Scott Brooks and his offense, but his coaching of the Thunder defense was exceptional. He is one of the better defensive minds the NBA has had in recent memory. Another thing that Brooks could provide is finally bringing back the proper D-Rose. NBA fans across the globe did see some of the D-Rose of old in the playoffs, but the Bulls need him to be completely dominant for them to become true contenders. If Scott Brooks can turn Derrick Rose into a Russell Westbrook type dominant offensive player, which Brooks could certainly do, then the Bulls should improve with Coach Brooks at the helm instead of Coach Thibs.
Other options could be nabbing Alvin Gentry from the Warriors' assistant coach ranks and Fred Hoiberg from Iowa State, who has been constantly rumored as Thibodeau's replacement.
Figure Out What To Do With The Power Forward Spot
As mentioned above, the power forward spot has not worked defensively. Though, on offense, Pau Gasol's fruitful post game has made him an All-Star, probably an All-NBA team performer and has most certainly kept him in the starting lineup. However, there is another power forward on the Bulls' roster that has a claim at starting, not Taj Gibson, but rookie Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic fits the bill for the Bulls and the new and ever evolving NBA. He is a stretch four, who has fantastic range for a big man and is fast enough to play as a proper power forward, with Noah as the shot blocking center on the defensive side of thing. So the question becomes, who starts? Mirotic isn't as polished as Gasol yet and cannot match the level of production. But what he does have is 10 years on Gasol and a more natural fit for the Bulls on both sides of the ball. It is a decision that may not have come up in many conversations as Gasol has had such an excellent season, but it is definitely something to think about for whoever the coach of the Bulls will be next season. If the Bulls do end up going with Mirotic, Gasol might not be content with his role as a bench player and could very well be traded, just like the next player that is about to be mentioned.
Trade Taj Gibson & Acquire A Backup Rim Protector
It wasn't that long ago that Taj Gibson was the NBA's most underrated player. Now, he is probably overrated. Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol have taken a minute or two away from him as well as a lot of production. On top of that, those two have made him expendable, as they no longer have a need for Gibson. This has landed him in quite a few trade rumors, especially during February. The best thing for the Bulls will be to trade him and get a position of need out of him. There are a number of teams that could use a strong, physical, experienced, hungry power forward and the Bulls could be able to exploit their interest in the perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Just a few of these teams are the Raptors, Pistons and Kings. All of those teams have assets that the Bulls will be interested in. One of the more pressing needs that the Bulls should be looking into if they rid themselves of Taj Gibson is acquiring a backup rim protector. This is something that not many people would have thought of, but when you think about it, if Noah gets injured or fouls out, there isn't really anyone else on that team that can provide a defensive presence that is anything close to what Noah provides. Mirotic isn't a shot blocker, Gasol can't jump anymore (if you need evidence type in 'Pau Gasol posterized' into YouTube) and Nazr Mohammed....is NAZR MOHAMMED! Trading Gibson for another rim protector, or just acquiring one in free agency will help their team and second unit out tremendously.
Grab Another Perimeter Defender
The final thing that the Bulls need to address is grabbing another wing defender. As hard as it is to believe, you cannot really have Jimmy Butler play 48 minutes every night the Bulls face any team with a decent perimeter scorer and get away with it. Especially if Butler fouls too much or just gets injured, they need someone else that can guard a perimeter scoring threat. Luckily for the Bulls, there are a host of them in this year's free agent class that they could potentially pick up on the cheap. This year's class contains players like K.J. McDaniels, DeMarre Carroll, Jae Crowder, Corey Brewer, and Andrei Kirilenko (if he returns from Russia) all of whom can defend the wing capably and provide Butler with some help on the perimeter. If the Bulls choose not to address this potential issue with their team, they will be stuck with Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott guarding the LeBrons, Melos and KDs of the world. If you're a Bulls fan, that is something you simply do not want.
To conclude, for the Bulls to get over the hump, their roster and coaching need work. The championship window is closing, so improving this team needs to happen this offseason. So get ready and buckle up Bulls fans. This offseason is going to be fun.