Bulls Season In Review: Derrick Rose

Before the season began, Derrick Rose wondered why he couldn’t be the NBA MVP. Most scoffed at the idea and went right back to discussing names like LeBron James and Dwight Howard. But early on, it was clear that Rose’s question, which came across as arrogant to some, was a perfectly valid one.

Derrick Rose didn’t have a summer. After the Bulls were knocked out of last year’s playoffs, Rose went to work preparing to represent Team USA at the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. Rose may not have been the breakout start of the tournament (that was Kevin Durant), but he saw big minutes on the USA squad that cruised to the gold medal.

Literally the day the team returned from Turkey, Rose was back in the gym. Jetlag and all, Rose returned to begin working out and watching film with newly hired Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.

It didn’t take long before Rose’s hard work turned into success on the statsheet, but more importantly, wins for the Bulls. Rose septn the tnrie regular season providing us with incredible body-twisting layups and highlight reel dunks not seen in Chicago since You-Know-Who.

All of Rose’s stats saw a jump in 2010-11. His PPG average jumped from 20 to well over 25 points per. His assists per game swelled to nearly eight a game and he also grabbed four boards per. Those numbers, those highlights, and those 62 Bulls wins culminated in Derrick Rose being named MVP of the league, beating out names like LeBron, Durant, and Dirk Nowitzki.

Rose began to show signs of wear in the postseason, but still proved to the world why he was named MVP. He will the Bulls through their first round series, with some spectacular fourth quarter performances. It was more of the same against Atlanta in the second round, before Rose ultimately succumbed to a top notch defensive team in the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

What we can really chalk Derrick Rose’s performance in the Eastern Conference Finals up, along with great defense, is a lack of help. Though Rose’s body was beaten up by May, it’s unlikely even a healthy Rose would have been able to best that Miami defense by himself. Sure, he probably forced up too many bad shots, but no one else looked to be stepping up consistently as a second option.

Despite the incredible year that Rose had, the 22-year-old still has plenty of doubters. Many question the choice of Rose being named MVP and criticized his shot selection at the point guard spot. It’s definitely true that Rose still has growing up to do as a basketball player. It’s an over-used term, but he can only get better. With a work ethic like his and a coach, how could he not? If the Bulls land a second option on offense for Rose this summer, watch out MVP.

And as for those who said Rose was undeserving of such an honor, yes there were other guys that were worthy. It was almost a crap shoot this year for who could have been MVP. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a guy who willed his team to as many victories and provided the consistent, all-around game that Rose did this year, and will continue to build upon in the future.

Many have compared him to Allen Iverson after this season, claiming that he won the MVP out of shock and awe, rather than success. But with a better work ethic, better character, and a better base behind him, this is a kid who is going to be up for the award annually, just like the Chicago Bulls are now going to be considered a perennial championship contender.

Could The Bulls Swap Carlos Boozer For Golden State’s Monta Ellis?

You don’t need to be an NBA expert to know that Carlos Boozer‘s first season as a Bull can be labeled as a disappointment. The Bulls had hoped he would bring a strong scoring presence to the paint for Chicago when they signed him to a 5-year, $80 million deal last summer.

That never really happened. Boozer struggled to find offensive consistency and couldn’t maintain chemistry with his battery mate in the paint, Joakim Noah. His inconsistency really burned the Bulls in the postseason, when he disappeared on both ends of the court, and had many questioning whether or not Boozer was a good choice for the franchise.

Those questions weren’t new, though. When the Bulls signed Boozer, after missing out on the likes of free agent big men Amar’e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh, the questions about Boozer’s health and consistency were instantaneous. And he would prove both of those concerns to be valid over the course of his first season in the Windy City.

It’s because of those struggles in his one season that have left many wondering whether or not Boozer will be a Bull in the 2011-12 season (if there is a season). Despite the woes Boozer experienced this year, he did do some good things, which has left a rumored interest in him from some teams.

While many will hope one of those teams is Orlando, the Magic are reportedly interested in Boozer to pair with Dwight Howard, not to swap the two. But Orlando isn’t the only name that has popped up in these early-summer, and questionable, trade rumors. The Golden State Warriors are looking for a big man, and their biggest scoring threat just might be available.

While Warriors’ brass has shot down the rumors already, Monta Ellis‘ name has come up several times already this offseason, since the NBA finals ended just over a week ago. His name has come up in a possible deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, which would send Andre Iguodala to the Golden State.

But as ESPN’s Chris Broussard has already stated, the Bulls and Warriors have had talks about a possible deal at some point this summer. While that doesn’t mean much, given the fact that the Bulls may have simply inquired as to Ellis’ availability, it shows that the Bulls are serious about upgrading their lineup at the two-guard.

It’s pretty clear that the Bulls need a second scoring threat to pair with Derrick Rose. Boozer was a let down and Luol Deng isn’t a strong scoring presence. If the Bulls do upgrade their roster and find that scoring threat, it’s most likely going to be at shooting guard.

The 2010-11 season was the first season in which Ellis played 80 or more games, after playing just 89 combined the previous two seasons. He finished the season with just a touch over 24 points per game, to go along with the almost six dimes per.

Now if the Bulls are somehow able to pull off a deal for the 6′ 3″ shooting guard, it wouldn’t likely be a one-for-one swap with Boozer, as nice as that would be for the Bulls. Picks and role players could be involved in such a deal as well.

If the Bulls do deal for Ellis, the lineup would include he and Rose in the backcourt, Deng and Noah in their regular starting roles, and Taj Gibson likely moving into Boozer’s role, provided none of them get dealt as well.

At the end of the day, how likely is this trade to actually happen? Not very. The Warriors have been pretty adamant about not trading Ellis, and while honesty in regard to something like that is something rare in today’s sports world, the Bulls would likely have to give up a lot more than Boozer to get Ellis, and that’s something that Gar Forman and co. seem unlikely to do.

This Bulls squad isn’t in need of a facelift, it simply needs some tweaks. If they are able to unload Boozer for a two-guard anywhere near Ellis’ caliber, which would move Gibson in the starting role he has appeared to earn, then it would be the right deal. But until the right deal comes along for both sides, which would require the Bulls to move the minimum amount of players on their current roster, while also upgrading at the two, I doubt that make a Ellis-caliber splash.

Bulls Season In Review: Kyle Korver

In the somewhat mass exodus that took place out of Salt Lake City last summer, the Bulls wound up with three former members of the Utah Jazz’s roster. While the biggest name to come out of the three was Carlos Boozer, the Bulls’ signing of Kyle Korver was also a noteworthy one.

Korver was brought in for one purpose: to shoot the basketball. His career with both the Jazz, and the Philadelphia 76ers prior to his Utah days, demonstrated that Korver was an exceptional guy to have hanging out behind the three point line, whenever someone needed to hand it off.

Coming in with a career shooting percentage that hovered around the 40′s, Korver brought that same accuracy to the Bulls, even if it wasn’t always so obvious.

He did struggle a bit, just as Ronnie Brewer did, to not only fit with this Bulls team, but actually make his shots as well and demonstrate consistency. While the 42% he shot from beyond the arc this year is about on par with his career totals, it doesn’t quite match up with the 54% he dropped with Utah the previous season.

Korver did prove to be a key player for the Bulls, at times. He wasn’t a completely integral part of their offense all the time, but Korver proved to be a big part of the Bulls’ runs over the course of the 62 games they won, dropping the big shots from deep to put the proverbial dagger in the opposition.

He proved to be big time in the first round of the postseason, against the Indiana Pacers. Korver didn’t light up the scoreboard by any means, but he hit big shots in the fourth quarter throughout the five games of that series, as the Bulls never actually put away the Pacers in a convincing manner.

But after those shots against Indy, Korver was more of a negative aspect of Chicago’s series in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

He shot just 7-of-22 in the series, including shooting 1-7 in Game 2. But perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Korver’s play in the postseason was the fact that Tom Thibodeau left him in in key moments to play defense on Dwyane Wade, even when Korver was failing to make shots.

However, despite his horrid performance against Miami, Korver can still be an asset to the Bulls, at least offensively. His shooting ability opens the game up for the Bulls’ no. 1 scoring threat, Derrick Rose. While his defense is nothing to write home about, he will continue to be a part of this Bulls offense, as long as he doesn’t endure the types of shooting woes he struggled with during the winter months.

Much of what Korver’s involvement with the Bulls will be in 2011-12 depends on what the Bulls do in addressing the two-guard. With Keith Bogans possibly departing as a free agent, Korver and Brewer would be the two options for the Bulls at shooting guard, meaning more minutes for Korver than last season. Of course, all signs point to them making some sort of move in regard to that spot. Stay tuned.

Could The Chicago Bulls Pursue Dwight Howard This Summer?

Immediately after the Bulls completed their Game 5 meltdown in the final minutes against the Miami Heat, the questions began to turn from “what went wrong?” to ideas of how the Bulls can improve heading into next season, whenever that might be.

And with the Bulls being in the big market they are, those questions instantly turned to perhaps the biggest name entering the trade rumors and free agency next summer: Dwight Howard.

We all know about Dwight Howard and how good he has been for the Orlando Magic the last few years. Really the last big star to enter the draft straight out of high school, Howard finished second in the MVP voting behind Chicago’s own Derrick Rose. A beast on the boards, Howard averaged just over 14 boards a game to go along with his nearly 23 points for a Magic squad that surprisingly got bounced in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks.

Howard has been in the league since the 2004-05 season, and has played in all 82 games in all but two of those years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was injured in those other two. Howard has had multiple issues with picking up technicals, including one late this season for a free throw violation, in which he tossed the ball away from the official and picked up his 18th technical, and a one-game suspension.

That seems to be one of the only drawbacks of being able to acquire a guy like Howard, who definitely seems like a guy of good character on and off the court, despite the technicals he picks up seemingly every other day.

Trade rumors are certain to swirl around the Orlando big man this offseason, due to the fact that he’s set to become a free agent following the 2011-2012 season, the Magic want to make sure they are able to acquire something for him and are not left empty-handed a la Cleveland.

Los Angeles has already been mentioned as a prime destination for the big man, with Andrew Bynum being mentioned as a possible trade chip in such a deal, whether a straight trade or a sign-and-trade. However, it remains to be seen if Howard would want to play with an aging Kobe Bryant, especially after the season.

The Knicks have also been mentioned, but Amar’e Stoudemire was already rumored to like being the go-to guy too much in New York before they acquired Carmelo Anthony, so adding another big statistical presence seems like a bad idea for the Knicks.

Enter the Chicago Bulls. They have the picks, they have the young talent, all that remains is whether or not they’re willing to part with some of that to acquire Howard.

If the Bulls were to enter into such a discussion with the Magic, Taj Gibson would almost certainly be a focal point for the Magic, especially after a solid postseason from the young forward out of USC. However, if the Bulls have any ideas about dumping Carlos Boozer, Gibson becomes the starter at that forward spot.

At the end of the day, is it a possibility that the Bulls acquire Howard? Sure, anything is possible, especially in today’s NBA. But is it likely? That’s the real question. With guys like Gibson and Omer Asik showing their worth to the Bulls this season, these guys have made Chicago more weary about dealing them, even when they seemed like sure trade chips this past summer.

While a move for Dwight Howard could very easily be the move that puts the Bulls over the top, it remains unlikely that they’ll be able to acquire him this summer, unless they are able to work out a deal that the Magic like, without compromising the roster that won them 62 games this season.

A combination of Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard would be a dream for Bulls fans, and could be the perfect formula to knock off the Miami Heat, but for fans it will likely remain just that: a dream.

Is Richard Hamilton Destined To Be A Bull?

It seems we’ve heard the rumors about Detroit’s Richard Hamilton heading to the Bulls floating around for months. Going back to the trade deadline, it appeared he would be dealt to Cleveland, who would buy out the remaining two years on his contract, leaving him open to signing anywhere, and by anywhere I mean with Chicago.

When the Detroit/Cleveland trade fell through, the Bulls lost their chance at signing Hamilton and instead had to go with Keith Bogans in their starting lineup for the rest of the year. However, it now appears that Hamilton could once again be on the Bulls’ radar.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the first and fourth overall picks on this year’s draft, but have their sights set on acquiring the top two picks. It appears they are working on a three-way trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons to make that happen.

While elements of the trade still have to be discussed between the teams, but it appears the Cavs would be acquiring the Pistons’ eighth overall pick and Hamilton, while sending that pick and their fourth overall pick to the Timberwolves to gain the top two picks, who they would most likely use on Duke’s Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, out of the University of Arizona.

Who the Pistons would acquire in such a deal is still unknown, but with the extra money the Cavs have from the trade exception they received from Miami for LeBron James, they would take Hamilton’s contract on and eventually buy out the remaining two years he has.

How much Hamilton could help the Bulls remains to be seen. While at 33, he isn’t terribly old, his body has shown signs of wear, playing in just 67, 46, and 55 games, respectively, over the past three years for the Pistons. His point per game total in the 2009-10 season was the lowest since his rookie season in 1999.

However, Hamilton would definitely bring some help to the Bulls at the two-guard, which consisted of Bogans and Ronnie Brewer, along with those spells of Kyle Korver. He would certainly be an upgrade over Bogans, who is unlikely to return and would probably come on the cheap side given his age and statistical decline over the past couple seasons.

If the Bulls were to sign Hamilton if he eventually finds his way out of Detroit, it would be an improvement for the Bulls, but it’s not a move that would put them over the top. They might be better served to try and acquire O.J. Mayo from Memphis, but it’s not known who or what they’d have to part with the acquire him.

For now, this Pistons-Cavs-T’Wolves trade remains just a rumor. As the NBA finals come to an end, we’ll know more and more about deals that are likely to happen, but there’s also that looming lockout, which will surely impact any transactions that are discussed or take place.

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