Editor's Note: Our Kyle Ratke was able to chat with Sean Highkin to preview the Chicago Bulls. Highkin covers the Bulls for Bleacher Report and is an NBA writer for NBC Sports. You should give Highkin a Twitter follow. You won't be disappointed.
Below is Ratke's preview and embedded is Highkin's interview.
Players Acquired: F Bobby Portis (draft), F/C Cristiano Felicio
Players Lost:
Recapping 2014-15
It was another consistently solid year for the Chicago Bulls. And that’s kind of the thing. Solid isn’t what this team is striving for. A championship is.
The Bulls finished with a 50-32 record, hitting the 50-win mark for the first time since 2011-12.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, though, the Eastern Conference had another power house. While it wasn’t Miami, it still involved LeBron James. After the Bulls beat the Bucks in the first round, they would fall to the Cavaliers in six games in the semifinals.
One of the highlights was that Derrick Rose played more than 39 games for the first time since 2010-11. Sure, he did miss 31 games due to a torn meniscus, but he kind of looked like his old self in the playoffs, averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds over 12 games.
The Bulls also got nice surprises from Jimmy Butler, who bet on himself and won. Butler averaged 20 points and 5.8 rebounds over 65 games. Rookie Nikola Mirotic was also a pleasant surprise, averaging 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds.
The focus wasn’t on the players. It was on the coach and the front office. There were rumblings that coach Tom Thibodeau and the front office weren’t seeing eye-to-eye for years. But Thibs kept winning and well, what can you do?
Fire him, I guess. Thibs was replaced with Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, a man who spent some time as a member of the Wolves on the court and the front office.
The Big Question
It’s been the big question for the last three years with the Bulls.
Can Rose stay healthy?
In the last three seasons, Rose has missed 185 out of 246 games. He’s show signs of his old self, from time to time. Especially last season before the All-Star Game. In a win over the Cavaliers, Rose put up 30 points and seven assists, shooting 12-of-24 from the field. The buzz around New York (where the All-Star game was held) was that maybe Rose was back.
But then Rose came back from the break, scored 32 points in three games, tore his meniscus and missed 20 games.
He turned things around in the playoffs and while he didn’t look like the MVP Rose that we grew to love, he looked like an above-average point guard. Which at this point, should kind of be the goal for us with Rose. We don’t need him to be a top-5 player and neither do the Bulls. It should be about Rose being healthy, being a plus player and helping his team win. Ignore the contract.
If Rose can play 70-75 games and average 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds per game, that will be a successful season for him and the Bulls.
How Can The Wolves Beat Them?
Well, if you remember right. The Wolves almost did beat the Bulls last season.
(Sorry, Andrew.)
That came in a 106-105 loss on Nov. 1. It’s worth noting that Rose did not play. The Wolves held Butler somewhat in check, allowing him to score just 24 points. Chicago did, however, shoot 9-of-23 from deep.
Kevin Martin went off for the Wolves, scoring 33 points, but it wasn't enough.
The Wolves fell again to the Bulls on Feb. 27 in Chicago, 96-89.
The team didn’t do such as good job of shutting down Butler this time, as he scored 28 points. The Wolves also didn’t have a player score more than 18 points.
So, after a lot of research: The best chance the Wolves have to beat the Bulls will be to A.) Shut down Butler. And B.) Have a player go off.
Easier said than done.
The first game between the two teams will be on Nov. 7 in Chicago. The second will be Feb. 6 at the Target Center.
To find tickets to the Wolves game, click here.
Ratke’s Projection
Hoiberg will jumpstart the team’s offense, something that will be helpful. I think this team has the chance to have the second-best record in the East. With Atlanta likely sliding down, the only other team that I think will compete for the second seed will be Washington. And who really knows what we’ll get out of the Wizards?
So, we’ll give the Bulls the second seed.
And then we’ll have the Bulls advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, much to do with Hoiberg not over-playing guys like Joakim Noah and Butler (we’re looking at you, Thibs). Unfortunately for Bulls fans, this is where the fun stops. If you’ve read my Cavs preview, you’ll know that I have them advancing to the Finals.
Describe This Team In 15 Words
It seems like they’ve been contending since 2008. And they’re still good.