The Chicago Bulls need to trust Fred Hoiberg’s system and avoid a complete rebuild
At the start of Fred Hoiberg’s second season last year, the Chicago Bulls blew out teams and seemed poised to recover from a disastrous first season with remnants of a roster built for ex-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
Then, Jimmy Butler started his crusade again of doing things his own way, negating any advantage the pace-and-space system may have had for his new and old teammates to shine. In the end, the Bulls limped into the 2017 playoffs before unceremoniously losing four straight games with Jimmy B getting gassed out.
This year, Gar Forman and John Paxson decided to finally go for a team build that will play Hoiberg’s high octane offense.
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Fred Hoiberg now has everything and more for his preferred offensive sets, even without Jimmy Butler. The Bulls have new and old defensive wings to help backstop any inherent weaknesses in his one playmaker-plus-four shooters offense.
Although teams like the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors are the posterboys for frenzied three-point shooting, Fred Hoiberg’s team may just be the dark horse for this year’s successful run-and-gun offense.
Though, most echo the belief that the Chicago Bulls should tank for a high lottery pick this season. But considering how deep the NBA Draft could be next year, the Chicago Bulls should not lose sleep for performing well and getting their guys into form.
Remember, with Michael Jordan as their main man, and getting Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant after Jordan’s most prolific scoring year, it took them three to four years to overhaul kinks in their system to defeat a brutally physical, Detroit defense and move on to annihilate an aging Lakers team in the NBA Finals.
It took time for that 80’s Bulls team to know their roles in a new system, something that Jimmy Butler completely forgot – you have to carry the team by allowing your teammates to get their game going, or it costs you the season or a playoff series.
Jimmy just had to keep holding the ball and walk it upcourt to set up his own shot, several possessions in a row. That’s never going to be Hoiball. That’s why there is no more Jimmy on the Chicago Bulls.
Dwyane Wade is now the veteran to carry the team and help his Bench Mob crew groom themselves into intense competitors. He’s got a scrappy bunch from Nikola Mirotic as a perpetual explosive scoring enigma to Bobby Portis getting a breakout season as a starter who can be counted on to get double-doubles each game.
If Kris Dunn grows into his role as defensive playmaker, the new guys from summer league might deliver more than promised – David Nwaba and Antonio Blakeney look like they can give Denzel Valentine and Cameron Payne a run for their roster spots (if they play in a high octane offense that is Hoiball).
The team with Nwaba and Blakeney playing with Wade may be sharper from the eye test of their recent games, in spite of stat sheet proof that they are a weak long range scoring duo. A few weeks of games, plus plenty of playing time, under their belt should quickly turn that around.
The thing about the Bulls not needing to tank is that from what we’ve seen of the guys who CAN play – Nwaba, Blakeney, Portis, Mirotic, Paul Zipser and Robin Lopez – if the remainder of the team can perform their roles and knock down shots when needed, Hoiberg might enjoy this development season as proof that if given guys who buy into his offensive sets, the Bulls can even make a playoff run.
Stealing Michael Porter from next year’s 2018 draft should be the least of the Chicago Bulls’ worries.
In fact, the 2018 NBA draft has plenty of potential sleepers like combo forwards Miles Bridges, a Barkley-style rim diver, and Kentcuky superfrosh Kevin Knox, someone who projects to be as good as Michael Porter if he grows into his role given his already potent physical abilities.
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If the Chicago Bulls can ignore the rabid and impatient fans, take the growing pains in stride and learn the Hoiball offense by the time Zach LaVine comes back next year to play starting shooting guard, Fred Hoiberg may accomplish what Erik Spoelstra did in Miami with his crew last year.