Five questions for the opening of Bulls' camp
After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007, the Bulls accomplished one basic mission this summer by creating a new buzz around town.
Whether or not this team is a threat to win the Eastern Conference title is questionable, but the Bulls should be interesting to watch after adding Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Robin Lopez.
Training camp is about to start, with media day set for Monday afternoon at the Advocate Center. So here are a few questions to ponder as the team gathers for practice:
Can coach Fred Hoiberg find an offense that works?
Hoiberg arrived last season with the tough task of replacing Tom Thibodeau and apparently an even tougher task of turning the Bulls into a higher-scoring, fast-paced offensive team.
The fast-paced part never really worked out, for a variety of reasons, and the Bulls stopped playing defense a couple months into the season.
Ultimately, their 42-40 record would have been good enough to make the playoffs most any other season, but not last year.
The basic long-term plan was to retool the roster with players who would better fit Hoiberg's offensive style. Then Wade surprised the basketball world by deciding it was time to ditch Miami after 13 seasons and return to his hometown at age 34.
Rondo pushed the pace in Sacramento last year. The Kings actually led the league in possessions per 48 minutes. At this point in Wade's career, though, a Golden State-style up-tempo offense isn't a great fit.
What will work and can Hoiberg get everyone to buy in?
The chemistry between the coaching staff and starting lineup is more of an unknown than how well Wade, Rondo and Jimmy Butler get along.
Will Year 3 be the charm?
We're talking about third-year pros Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, who are still the keys to whatever upside the Bulls may have.
If they can't become solid, consistent NBA players this season, it may never happen.
McDermott showed signs last year of what may be in store. He has a chance to be one of the league's most complete scorers, able to shoot a high percentage from 3-point range and attack the basket with success.
Whenever McDermott got hot, opponents would inevitably isolate him on pick-and-rolls and he usually struggled.
In the team concept, McDermott wasn't a bad defender and he's more athletic than many observers give him credit for. But when you grow up as your team's best scorer, defense is usually an afterthought and McDermott is still traversing the learning curve.
Defense isn't Mirotic's strong suit, either, but staying near the basket and grabbing some rebounds can be an acceptable result for a 6-10 combo forward.
Last year Mirotic was a "no in-between" player. He either resembled one of the league's rising stars or played like a semiskilled, low-IQ project.
Mirotic had some good moments for Spain in the Olympics. Based on his two years with the Bulls, his greatest strength is his versatility.
When he runs the court, attacks the basket, scores in the post and is choosy about when to launch 3-point attempts, he's a tough matchup. Smoothing out the inconsistency would obviously help.
Who plays power forward?
On the surface, this seems to be a simple question: Either Mirotic or veteran Taj Gibson. But there are other factors to consider.
Gibson and Lopez together could give the Bulls a very mobile interior defense. But if that's the case, is second-year pro Cristiano Felicio ready to handle backup center duties?
Maybe the Bulls would be better off splitting time at center between Lopez and Gibson.
Another question is whether second-year forward Bobby Portis is ready to contend for the starting role. He shot the 3-pointer very well in summer league and could conceivably be a better equipped "stretch four" than Mirotic.
Then how often will Hoiberg want to use a small front line? Could he play McDermott at the four, to get a long-range shooter on the floor with Rondo, Wade and Butler?
Could Felicio or Portis handle being the only big man on the court? Those are issues the coach needs to explore next month.
Can Bulls survive slow start?
No matter how optimistic the Bulls are about their new lineup, all logic suggests it will take some time to blend the group together. The Bulls moved on from Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, three cornerstones of the rotation.
So there will be an adjustment period to begin with, then the Bulls are working with one of the more unusual three-star lineups in recent memory.
They have a two-time all-star in Butler, a player in his peak years with still room to improve; and will pair him with a superstar in the waning years of his career (Wade) and a once-feared point guard looking for a career revival (Rondo).
The 2010 Heat got off to a slow start, so these Bulls figure to endure plenty of growing pains. Will everyone involved, including fans, be patient enough to give it a fair chance?
Can Bulls become one happy family?
The Bulls needed some sort of fresh start, so management did the right thing by shuffling the roster. But there were some hard feelings left over from the unmistakable rift between Thibodeau and the front office.
The players would prefer a unified winning attitude to another Advocate Center power struggle, and Hoiberg doesn't need to be caught in the middle.
Allowing the second-year head coach take control of the locker room will be a helpful first step this season.
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