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Right now the Chicago Bulls are in one of the worst positions in the NBA. The management seems to be without a real plan, so I have proposed a plan to bring the Bulls back into contention as soon as next season.
The first issue is the coaching. Tom Thibodeau got the best out of his players but was essentially fired because he didn’t get along with Gar Forman and John Paxson. Fred Hoiberg can coach college kids, but not NBA players. There are plenty of “nice guys” who are successful NBA coaches like Brad Stevens and Steve Kerr, but the difference is that they actually demand respect. Hoiberg might be more comfortable demanding more out of his players after a year in charge, but if not, the Bulls really need to find players who don’t need to be pushed to compete on both ends.
This offseason plan begins with the draft. The Bulls need scoring, athleticism and toughness. With their first-round pick, the Bulls should look to fill the backup point guard role with a player like Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson who checks all three boxes. Wade Baldwin, Dejounte Murray and Tyler Ulis could also be options if Jackson is gone by then. In the second round, hopefully a big body like Purdue’s A.J. Hammons or Weber State’s Joel Bolomboy would be available.
Free agency is really where management has faltered in Chicago. Even without a ton of big names this summer, there are a number of players who would push the Bulls in the right direction. I’m assuming that Pau Gasol, Aaron Brooks and Cameron Baistow will be free agents and also anticipate Joakim Noah and E’Twaun Moore will at least test the waters, so that would give the Bulls $22.23 million in cap space to work with.
First, the team should target a wing player to play next to Jimmy Butler, because Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott won’t cut it. The team should be interested in Kent Bazemore, who would bring athleticism, energy and the ability to make outside shots. The Bulls would then have two of the best defenders against LeBron James. It would also be beneficial to add an experienced veteran like Courtney Lee or Arron Afflalo to defend and score with the second unit.
If Noah would be willing to take a discount, the Bulls should try to have him recruit Al Horford. That of course would be a long-shot, so it’s possible Meyers Leonard could give the Bulls a hometown discount and be an effective stretch five.
Finally, the Bulls should offer to send Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and a couple unprotected picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jahlil Okafor. This would give them a much-needed point guard, veteran leadership and a solution to their big man logjam while giving the Bulls a new frontcourt centerpiece.
Obviously this plan depends on a lot of “ifs”, but at least it’s better than management’s mystery plan that seems to have the Bulls stuck between a rock and a hard place.
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