The 2010 offseason in the NBA was unlike that of any sport in history. It featured All-stars, Olympians and MVPs. There were three-point shooters, dunk enthusiasts and guys who love to take the final shot. Quite simply, the free agent class of 2010 has no rival and we as basketball fans may never see anything like it ever again. Experts and fans alike predicted the summer months would change the basketball landscape for years to come and, man, were they right.
The Chicago Bulls had made several moves in the previous seasons in order to unload contracts (Nocioni, Salmons and Hinrich) with 2010 clearly in the forefront of their plans. The Bulls were one of the few teams with enough cap space cleared to add at least one of the big fish (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh) swimming in the free agency pond. Unfortunately for the organization, and maybe even more so for the fans, all three swam to south beach to create a super team that quickly escalated to the top of a lot of fans most-hated-teams list.
Although Chicagoans were optimistic about landing one of these three players, they are used to heartbreak (ask Cubs fans). In 2001, the only other free agency class people have brought up when trying to compare to this past offseason, the Bulls struck out when trying to land Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill. With the Big Three signing with Miami, Amar’e Stoudemire going to the Big Apple and Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce resigning with their respective clubs, you would think the Bulls would have repeated the whiff they made earlier in the decade. On the contrary, they made the best of a bad situation.
Craving a back-to-the-basket post presence that they haven’t had since the head-scratching trade of 2000 Co-Rookie of the year, Elton Brand, they went out and signed double-double machine, Carlos Boozer. The best part about this move, besides the mouth watering pick-n-roll duo he and young superstar Derrick Rose will become, is that he signed at a discounted rate. Chris Bosh signed a 6-year $110.1 million contract with Miami (Averaged 24 points and just under 11 boards last season, with 20.2 and 9.4 in those same categories for his career).
Stoudemire signed a big contact, five years $99.7 million, with the Knicks (Averaged 23 points and just under 9 boards last season, with 21.4 and 8.9 in those same categories for his career). Boozer, however, left some much-needed salary cap breathing room for the Bulls to play with.
He signed a 5-year $75 million deal in early July (Averaged 19-and-a-half points and 11 boards last season, with 17.2 and 10.2 in those same categories for his career). Although Boozer doesn’t have the appeal others in the free agent class have, he has been to two All-Star games and was part of the 2008 United States Olympics team that brought home the Gold from Beijing. Boozer will do a lot for this team when healthy (he broke his right hand during training camp, and will miss the beginning of the season). In addition to the aforementioned pick-n-roll combo he and Rose will be, he takes pressure off of both Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. Rose and Boozer will most likely be the two leading scorers for the Bulls this year. Making Deng the third option will help him fall into his comfort zone. Chicago led the league in rebounding last year, thanks in most part in Noah, Boozer makes them that much better. He also will draw the attention of the opposition’s better post defender which will make Noah’s job easier.
Boozer wasn’t the only player GarPax (general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson) signed who had worn a Utah Jazz uniforms last season. They also signed three-point threat Kyle Korver and fellow wing Ronnie Brewer (he also played for the Memphis Grizzlies last season). Korver shot an amazing 53.6 percent from beyond the arc last season (41 percent for his career). He is the perfect option off the bench for this team considering the majority of the team drives, slashes or stays in the post. Brewer will help with defense on the wing. He’s lanky at 6’7” 230-ish. He’ll be counted on as a guy who will get into the faces of the premier shooting guards and small forwards the league is now sporting.
Chicago also added depth at several positions. Veteran big man Kurt Thomas was brought in to contribute minutes and fouls off the bench. He won’t come close to the 14 points a game he put up for New York in 2002-03, that’s not his job. He’s here to provide a big body and help Joakim Noah in his continuing development. Omer Asik is a 7-footer from Turkey, who (technically he was drafted by Portland, but the Bulls were the ones pulling the strings on the selection) was drafted in 2008 but didn’t come stateside until this season. He’s a developmental project at just 24 years old, but still may find himself getting a decent amount of minutes (especially while Boozer nurses his hand back to health). C.J. Watson is combo guard who will let fans breathe easy when Rose needs a rest. He played 27-and-a-half minutes a game last season in Don Nelson’s run-n-gun offense for the Golden State Warriors. Again his numbers won’t be impressive, but he can handle the rock and is surprisingly long for a 6’2” player.
Keith Bogans was an under-the-radar signing who reportedly will start at the two in the opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bogans has grasped new coach Tom Thibodeau’s offense and plays good defense. Fans shouldn’t be surprised to see him hand the job to someone else as the season progresses. He may remind fans of Lindsey Hunter, except that he’s more athletic at the tender age of 30. With the youth on this team, Bogans provides a veteran presence that is an extension of the coach on the floor as well as at the end of the bench. Speaking of players who will help on the pine (hold your laughter please), Brian Scalabrine was a smart signing by Chicago. He spent a lot of time with Thibodeau in Boston. Scalabrine knows the defensive scheme and even the tendencies of the former associate head coach in Beantown. He also provides a spark off the bench. Not in the sense that he’ll make a play or score a bunch of points, but NBA fans like to see a guy like Scalabrine come into the game. Sometimes he wears his socks high, might have a headband (the Bulls may still be against that though), and some awesome Irish red/orange hair.
Improvement can and should be expected from the returning players; due to their age and the extra experience they gained by making an appearance in the postseason last year. Derrick Rose spent his summer with Kevin Durant winning the world games. Coaches and management say that they can see a difference in Rose. He has been a lot more vocal and pushes guys in practice. Kirk Hinrich’s salary may have been high for a guy who shot just 41.5 percent from the field in a Bulls uniform, but no one questioned his leadership in the locker room. With Thibodeau starting his first head coaching gig in the NBA, he’s going to need his players to act like grownups and be professional in order to help with his transition to the big chair at the end of the bench. He’s most well-known for essentially being the defensive coordinator that frustrated LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in the Celtics 2008 run to the title. He runs a motion offense that should give plenty of players a good amount of touches.
The 2010-11 Chicago Bulls are a better and deeper team than they were a year ago. The 41-41 squad made the playoffs as an 8 seed and should have no problem surpassing those numbers if they can limit the injuries and buy into Coach Thibodeau’s system. The Boozer injury hurts, especially with the Circus trip looming, but he will suit up this year. This won’t be a team that blows 30-point leads at home to bad teams. They may not be in the upper echelon of the league, but opposing will really have to earn victories especially when they come to the Madhouse on Madison. The only people who are anticipating Chicago’s season more than Bulls fans are the players themselves. So sit back, relax and strap it down (Thanks Hawk), let’s tip this thing off.
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