The Chicago Bulls are ready to prove to the NBA that they are back after losing Derrick Rose for the entire season to an injury and after signing Mike Dunleavy and drafting Tony Snell, the team feels that it has a championship roster heading into the upcoming season.
The team has made a number of solid moves to get better by adding Snell and Dunleavy and according to Yahoo, the team was mentioned as a possible destination for Gerald Henderson from the Bobcats. While that deal is unlikely, according to sources, the two teams could make a deal involving Carlos Boozer and his contract, but that depends on how long the Bobcats are willing to let the Henderson situation play out. As for the Bulls, they feel they have a championship team as is and the addition of Dunleavy could be a move like Mike Miller was for the Miami Heat the past three years as they won two straight titles.
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Last season Joakim Noah and Luol Deng were All-Stars last season and the team looked strong most of the year even without Rose, including when they defeated the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their playoff series. The team has the top record while playing with Rose and now they add a veteran like Dunleavy who can find open shots and make three pointers and adding Snell should bring some more athleticism to the table as well. Jimmy Butler showed that he can play solid minutes last season and if the team keeps Boozer they will stay strong in the middle as well.
Dunleavy was solid last season and made 128 threes, second in the NBA and that is something the Bulls need, as they ranked in the bottom half of the league in that category. Dunleavy still has big games left in him, as evidenced by his 29 points on six threes with 12 rebounds and six assists in November and the Bulls hope he can repeat that. Snell is also a solid three point shooter and he made 39 percent from beyond the arc and he should help out and he played well in the summer league as well, dropping 20 points in one game and adding five threes. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is ready to get the team back to the playoffs with a high seed and those two players should help give Rose a championship chance.
The Bulls needed another solid three point shooter heading into the season and Dunleavy fits that bill, as he shot 42.8 percent from beyond the arc last season. The Bulls ranked 20th in the league in long range shooting and the addition of Dunleavy and the return of Rose should help those numbers significantly. Dunleavy has been one of the top three point shooters in the league over the past three seasons and he also said that he was excited to join former Duke teammate Carlos Boozer on the Bulls.
The Bulls should be able to challenge all the top teams with Rose back, as the Heat, Nets, Pacers and Knicks should all be strong teams again. The Bulls showed they could win at least one game against a team like the Heat and after the tough seven game series against the Nets, they will be ready for intense basketball next year.
Carlos Boozer has been mentioned in various trade talks this offseason, but so far the Bulls haven't pulled a trigger on a deal for him or Luol Deng, who for a time was also a hot name in deals. Dunleavy hasn't had the chance for playoff success through his career and now he likely will get the chance as Rose returns from his injury. The Bulls finished 45-37 last season despite not having Rose and they even won a playoff series against the Nets and one game against the Heat before getting eliminated.
Without Rose the team dropped to 29th in the league in points per game, but since their defense ranked third, they were able to finish in the top part of the Eastern conference. The return of the former MVP will only be a boost to Chicago and with Dunleavy in the fold, the team should be much stronger away from the basket. Deng led the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game last season and Joakim Noah showed why he is one of the most versatile players in the league.
