In my opinion, the Chicago Bulls are coming off a season filled with chaos and secrets. Between the injuries, and secret but not really a secret war going on with the coaching staff and the front office, how could the Bulls succeed? Derrick Rose had a third knee surgery, Joakim Noah just never quite looked like himself, the bench was inconsistent, players constantly in and out of rotation, and the Bulls starters playing about 20 games together all year, I can’t imagine how anyone could believe that was the year to advance. When it comes to the Bulls and the upcoming season, Noah needs to become the game changer. Jo needs to be better and play consistent ball, or else the team will once again be stopped short.
Last year, Noah was a shell of his old self and like Derrick Rose, we saw flashes of this. His best year came prior to last season and was the major reason the Bulls even made the playoffs, but immediately following the playoffs Noah had surgery. He never quite got back into rhythm, and sadly for all Bull fans it was almost torture watching Jo miss a layup or be out boxed by other bigs in the league. The front office, with the help of the medical staff decided to keep Noah on minutes restriction. Sure that was ok when Noah was coming back from a knee surgery, but Gar and Pax kept him on this restriction ALL year. I saw Jo on several occasions start getting into a rhythm, but his minutes were up and he was benched. The Bulls former coach basically had his hands full. Even when he looked great Noah had to be benched, but on the other hand it was decided Jo couldn’t play anymore than 30 minutes a game. We saw Pau pick up the slack, and Pau did have one of his best years in the NBA with the Bulls which is great, but the Bulls need Jo’s energy, his toughness, and also please just make a lay up.
The upcoming season will start a new chapter for the Bulls, but if Noah is played the same way he was used last year, I don’t see it being any better than it’s been in the past and that’s an early playoff exit. If Joakim Noah can bring his energy which rubs off on his teammates, and also bring his tough defense, and a more efficient offensive game, the Bulls can definitely have a chance to make the Conference Finals, even with an unproven rookie head coach.
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