The Chicago Bulls have gotten off to a 6 – 3 start this season despite the fact that Carlos Boozer is out with a broken wrist. After failing to land Lebron James in the off season the Bulls still have added several pieces that make them believe they can be in the championship conversation this year. With a new coach all the negativity of the Vinny Del Negro era should be gone, and the team can get past those issues that have lingered for two seasons under new coach Tom Thibodeau.
Championship Odds: The Bulls made some significant transactions during the summer and oddsmakers have taken notice. According to the live NBA odds Chicago is marked at +1,400 to win the 2010-11 NBA Title. They certainly aren’t the top choice to win it all, but this number suggests that it is very probable that the Bulls will make it to the playoffs again this year, where just about anything is capable of occuring.
Odds to Win the East: There are three squads (Heat, Orlando, and Celtics) listed in front of the Bulls in terms of who the linesmakers think will win the East this year. It makes it a lot more difficult to project a squad that was already pretty good when they bring in new personnel, but at +800 to win the conference, it looks like the Bulls are expected to be better.
Suggestion: Chicago falls right into that area where they are a decent team with the possibility to be great. I believe there’s value, especially at 8 to 1 odds to win the conference. They did not bring in Wade or Lebron, but the Bulls will be sneaky-good this season and could surprise some of the so-called favorites in the East.
Strengths: The Bulls have a lot of team quickness and some solid depth in the positions where they need it. Derrick Rose is very difficult to stop, while Luol Deng and the newly-signed Carlos Boozer are excellent second and third options to put up points. Center Joakim Noah might not be the best offensive big man, but his defense and rebounding skills make him a great compliment to the rest of this team. The Bulls also added Kyle Korver in the offseason to come off of the bench. He will add a much-needed 3-point threat to the Chicago attack.
Tom Thibodeau has replaced Vinny Del Negro as the Bulls head coach, which should improve the team’s defense, or at least their defensive scheme. It will be interesting to see how Thibodeau employs his many offensive options in his first full year as a head coach in the league.
Weaknesses: Beyond Korver Chicago doesn’t have much in terms of outside shooters. Think about this: even with Korver, if everyone on the Bulls’ roster equals their 3-point marks from last year, they’d finish with a total of 245 3-pointers on the season. That would still put them nearly 100 3-pointers behind the next lowest team.
Picks: For all of the dysfunction the Bulls have been through over the past few season, they are still managing to put together strong seasons. Their quickness and aggressiveness make them a tough match up for any team, however, their bad long-range shooting could ultimately be what sends them packing in the postseason.
I like Chicago to finish at the top of the Central. I don’t believe they are quite able to jump Miami, Orlando, or Boston to reach the Finals, but they surely appear to be headed in the right direction to do so sooner than later.
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