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(07/12/15 2:36pm)
After the Chicago Bulls chose to bring back Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy in this summer’s Free Agency period, it looks as if next year’s roster will be relatively the same as this past year’s. But with the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau and the hiring of Fred Hoiberg of Iowa State, don’t expect that to continue. In fact, this roster will most likely go under a rapid change very soon. Butler was essentially given the keys to the Chicago Bulls’ future with the max contract he was offered. But, besides Butler and Derrick Rose (if he stays healthy), I wouldn’t expect many of the other faces of the franchise over the past years to stick around very long. Given the fact that the Bulls have fallen short in virtually every single playoff run with that roster, maybe that’s not a bad thing.
This upcoming roster change will transpire because Thibodeau and Hoiberg coach a polar opposite style of play. Thibodeau preaches a grind-it-out type of basketball where you walk it up the floor. This offense relies heavily on offensive sets in order to create open shots, rather than athletes making plays in the open floor. Thibodeau was a defensive-minded coach and loaded his roster up with big, lanky players who could defend the rim. He did not necessarily care how effective they were on the offensive side of the ball. This is problematic because the NBA is moving away from this type of basketball. The Golden State Warriors won a championship last month showcasing five perimeter players pushing the ball up the floor at every possibly chance. This is why Chicago’s hiring of Hoiberg makes sense. Hoiberg coaches the style of play extremely similar to the Warriors. His Iowa State teams always featured a Run N’ Gun, up-tempo pace. He loaded his rosters up with guards that could make plays in the open floor, while possessing the ability to shoot from the perimeter. In Hoiberg’s system, you have to be able to run the floor. More importantly, you have to be able to put the ball on the floor and consistently make plays toward the rim to get teammates open. With the exception of Butler and Rose, the Bulls do not have any players with the ability to do that.
Butler was offered a max contract because he can do all of what Hoiberg wants while consistently guarding the best player on the opposing team. The Bulls have made it obvious they will build their future around him. But, it is likely players like Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson will not be a part of those future rosters. Although they were perfect under Thibodeau’s system, they cannot make plays in the open floor. Both of them can barely dribble. Joakim Noah has one year left on his contract, and Taj Gibson has two. Although it would be in the Bulls’ best interest to trade either one or both of these players before the season, that will likely not be the case. Noah dealt with a bad back and a bum knee all year. Taj Gibson just had surgery on his left ankle and is out for the next three to four months. The market value for these players is at an all-time low because of their injuries, and the Bulls would probably not receive any intriguing offers. Pau Gasol has two more years on his contract. He doesn’t necessarily fit perfectly in Hoiberg’s system, but at least he has the ability to score. Noah and Gibson cannot score unless they are wide open under the basket and nobody is within 5 feet of them. Expect Pau Gasol to stay with the Bulls until his contract expires, but nothing can be certain for Gibson and Noah. The Bulls’ front office is probably searching for any way possible to get rid of them at the moment while still receiving at least a decent amount of value in return.
Bobby Portis, the Bulls’ 2015 NBA Draft pick, is a perfect example of what Hoiberg wants the future of the Bulls’ frontline to look like. He is an excellent athlete who runs the floor as well as any big in the league. Most importantly, he can catch the ball on the perimeter and at least make two or three dribbles toward the rim and create separation from his defender. Also, he is the type of guy that has the foot speed to stay in front of guards on the perimeter. This means the Bulls can switch off of virtually any pick and roll without having their big getting blown by off of the dribble. This is the type of defense the Warriors ran this past year, and it was a part of the reason why they were statistically the most efficient defense in the league. The front court of the Bulls will move from big, bulky post defenders to versatile, athletic guys who can step out and shoot a perimeter jumper while running the floor like a deer. This change will be a completely different type of style than what Bulls fans were accustomed to seeing under Thibodeau.
Although Bulls fans want Hoiberg to immediately be successful, particularly in the playoffs, this will most likely not be the case. The hope is that young players like Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell and Doug McDermott flourish under Hoiberg. This could definitely be possible since they all have the potential to spread the floor and shoot threes at a successful rate. The problem is that none of these three players have proven to be consistent shooters in the pros. Also, none of them are good ball handlers who can make plays for their teammates. If they don’t prove to be an asset in Hoiberg’s new style of play, this first year under Hoiberg will not be as successful as people hope. Next year’s Free Agency should be when the Bulls start to make serious changes to reflect an up-tempo style. Expect the front office to recruit players that resemble speed and athleticism rather than strength and toughness. This makes for an exciting future. But, besides Rose and Butler, the outlook for the Chicago Bulls is as uncertain as ever.
Follow Brian on Twitter @brianmischler
(07/03/15 8:15pm)
Jimmy Butler was not supposed to be successful. He was not supposed to attend college. He was not supposed to be an NBA All-Star. And he was most assuredly not supposed to receive a max contract this summer worth 90 million dollars over five years. But, through sheer determination and a work ethic most people would consider insane, he proved everybody that doubted him wrong. From his childhood to his time at Marquette University and even now with his career in the NBA, Jimmy Butler has been defying odds for as long as he has been living.
At age 13, Jimmy was kicked out of his home. The last words his biological mother said to him were “I don’t like the look on your face. You gotta go.” Throughout the rest of his childhood and high school days, Jimmy bounced around from house to house and basically raised himself. Jimmy had as tough of a time growing up as anybody, but the one thing he enjoyed was basketball. Going to the gym and working on his game was his escape. He was a very good high school player, but was under-recruited because no college coach knew how or where to contact him because of he was homeless. After one year of dominating the competition at Tyler Junior College, Marquette University offered him a scholarship. Jimmy made his decision by faxing his National Letter of Intent from the local McDonalds. Without any parental guidance, it is remarkable Jimmy didn’t get himself into serious trouble growing up. He learned responsibility at a very young age and didn’t have anybody to count on besides himself. This made Jimmy live his life with a chip on his shoulder, constantly trying to prove his skeptics wrong. This mindset molded him into arguably the hardest working player in the NBA.
The critics didn’t stop after Jimmy stepped foot on Marquette’s campus, they only grew bigger. Throughout his three-year career he never made an all conference team and was always considered to be a ‘role player.’ When teammates like Jerel McNeal, Lazar Haywood and Wesley Matthews were touted as the stars of the team, Jimmy Butler was the forgotten one. When the NBA Draft rolled around after his senior year, the doubting hit its ultimate maximum. NBA scouts saw him as a ‘glorified role player’ that lacked the ability to be a starter at the NBA level. Executives saw him as a good defender, but as a liability on the offensive end. Gar Forman, the Chicago Bulls GM, drafted him 30th overall because he liked his work ethic. But I don’t think anybody in the NBA, not even Jimmy Butler, saw what was to come of this late first round draft pick.
Throughout the first three years of Jimmy’s career, he proved himself to be the steal of that draft. The Chicago Bulls’ former coach Tom Thibodeau was wowed by Butler’s work ethic and immediately fell in love with his ability to guard practically any position on the floor. But being known solely as a defensive player was not good enough for Jimmy. So, he decided to change up his offseason workout routine last summer. He lived in an apartment with no TV, no access to internet, and basically no means for entertainment. All he did was go to the gym and work on his game, just like he did when he was a kid without a home. Jimmy came back for training camp a whole different ball player on the offensive end and was in better shape than anyone. He was approaching the last year of his rookie contract last summer, and in October the Bulls’ front office offered Butler with a contract extension of 40 million dollars for four years. For most late first round draft picks, that would have been a dream come true (considering most drafted that low end up in the NBA Developmental League). But Jimmy refused to accept the contract extension. He knew he was better than what the Bulls offered him, and boy was he right. Butler went on to average 20 points and six rebounds per game that year, not to mention becoming an NBA All Star and being elected NBA’s Most Improved Player. Now, he just received a max contract offer from the Bulls worth more than twice as much as the extension offered in October. Jimmy Butler proved the whole Chicago Bulls front office wrong, just like he continues to prove his mother wrong for kicking him out of her house. Now she is watching her former son become a multi-millionaire on TV.
Follow Brian on Twitter @brianmischler
(06/24/15 6:18pm)
The NBA draft is slated for Thursday, and NBA executives are gathering information on players in hopes their team will make the right selection. From the Lakers and Knicks, who are in desperate need of some serious talent, to the Warriors and Cavaliers, who are just trying to find guys that can give some productive minutes as role players off the bench, every team has spots that need to be filled. What past drafts have taught us is that the young ‘one and done’ freshmen will be picked near the top of the draft and the older college veterans will be passed over. But the play of former draftees exposes flaws in this concept.
This year’s NBA Playoffs proved that players who declare for the draft after three or more years of college ball can blossom into NBA stars. Jimmy Butler, Demarre Carroll and Draymond Green are all prime examples. Butler is the Chicago Bull’s alpha dog, an NBA All Star and the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Demarre Carroll is the best player on the Eastern Conference’s used-to-be No. 1 seed, the Atlanta Hawks, and Draymond Green is a vital piece to the NBA’s champion, the Golden State Warriors. Each of these three players were looked over by NBA executives because they were older and did not possess the physical upside other players had. Jimmy Butler was a junior college transfer that played at Marquette University for three years. Demarre Carroll played at Vanderbilt for two years, then transferred to Missouri for two years, meaning he played college ball for a total five years (including a redshirt in between). Draymond Green was a four-year player at Michigan State. All these players were very good on their collegiate teams, but did not possess ‘future star power’ that NBA teams were looking for to be drafted as a lottery pick. So, why is it that NBA executives select freshmen early in the draft rather than more proven veteran college players? Honestly, besides the typical “he is younger with more potential” quote, I can’t see any other reason.
This is not to say that every one-and-done lottery pick is a poor decision. Normally, the one-and-dones drafted at the very top of the draft prove to be stars in the NBA (Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, John Wall and Kyrie Irving, to name a few), but these players are not the problem. The problem is the freshmen selected near the middle of the draft who have not proven themselves nearly as well as the ones selected toward the top. NBA executives draft these guys purely based off of potential, but these players almost never prove to live up to their “potential.” In the 2009 NBA Draft, Byron Mullens, a freshman out of Ohio State, was picked 24th overall. He posted dismal numbers of 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds that year. Demarre Carroll was selected 26th overall and recorded numbers of 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds his senior season, not to mention three years prior of proven consistency. Obviously Carroll was a much more proven prospect, so why was he picked two spots later? The answer is simply because he was older and Mullens was a 7-foot center with “way more upside.” Right now, Byron Mullens is in the NBA Developmental League, while Demarre Carroll is a free agent this summer expected to receive a multi-year contract worth around 12 million a year. Also, in the 2011 NBA Draft, 29 teams skipped over Jimmy Butler, an eventual NBA All Star that is expected to receive a max contract of five years and upwards of 91 million dollars this summer from the Chicago Bulls. The only players in that draft you could make an argument have had as much success as Butler is Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard. So it looks like those other 26 teams might be a little regretful of their decision to pass on the college veteran for players with “more potential.”
The 2012 NBA Draft had an overload of one-and-dones selected in the first round. Between Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 2, Dion Waiters at No. 4, Andre Drummond at No. 9, Austin Rivers at No. 10, Mo Harkless at No. 15, Terrence Jones at No. 18, Fab Melo at No. 22, Tony Wroten Jr. at No. 25 and Marquis Teague at No. 29, one-and-dones took hold of that draft by storm. And quietly, selected as the fifth pick of the second round, was Draymond Green. He was tagged by NBA Executives as “an undersized power forward” or, “a great college player that did not have the physical capabilities to succeed in this league.” But, little did they know how key of a role he would play on the Warrior’s Championship season. He possesses the ability to guard big men in the paint, while also having the quickness to handle the ball and beat you off the dribble. So when the Warriors inserted Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup for Andrew Bogut, moving Green to the five position, the series was over. No Cavalier big man could guard him on the perimeter, and Green sliced and diced his way to a triple double in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, which was ultimately the reason for the Cavaliers’ elimination. Looking back at the one-and-dones selected before him that are listed above, none of these players have had nearly as much success as Draymond has. And if you ask any NBA executive why they picked these players before him, they will say they had more upside. Well, as Draymond Green is holding his championship trophy, I think he got the last laugh.
This year’s NBA Draft is no exception with one-and-dones. Kentucky had seven freshmen declare for the NBA draft, something that has obviously never been done before. NBA Executives will be drooling over all these guys because they are “oozing with potential.” But, just like in years past, most of them will be selected higher than they should be and proven college veterans will be an afterthought in NBA eyes. Players like Jerian Grant of Notre Dame, Delon Wright of Utah and Justin Anderson of Virginia are all projected to be drafted outside the top 15 in most NBA mock drafts. They all had spectacular seasons and led their respective teams to NCAA Tournament bids at high seeds. But, they will be overlooked and drafted below many one-and-dones. And who knows, maybe one of these players will be the next Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green.
Follow Brian on Twitter @brianmischler
(06/19/15 5:02pm)
We live in an age where professional athletes are revered by people all around the world. As a result, everything they do is amplified by the media. With this exposure comes responsibility, and in turn, possibly scrutiny. You could make an argument that LeBron James is the most scrutinized professional athlete of all time, and why is that? Why do most people seem to root for him to fail? This is a question that, after thinking hard about, is extremely difficult to answer. Compared to other individuals that have had extreme success in their sport, LeBron has done very little to attract negative attention. Between reaching high expectations and having no off court issues, it is puzzling to conceive why LeBron James seems to be hated so furiously.
Immediately upon beginning High School at St. Vincent-St. Mary, LeBron was touted as the best prospect in his recruiting class. At age 17 he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as ‘The Chosen One.’ Even with all these lofty expectations he has done nothing but deliver, and some may even say he has eclipsed them. But instead of commending LeBron for living up to these highest of expectations, where most people would have crashed and burned, people decide to degrade him for his arrogance. Yes, LeBron James displays some arrogance. But let’s not kid ourselves, when you are the best athlete on the planet you cannot meet expectations without the mentality that you are the best. There is no shame in being outwardly confident in your ability as long as you deserve it and back it up. In this year’s Finals, LeBron averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists while virtually playing the whole game. He is the first player in the history of the NBA to lead both teams in a Finals series in points, rebounds, and assists. People will say none of this matters because he lost, and in turn he will probably get even more scrutiny because he is only 2-4 in NBA finals appearances in his career. But with these stats, yes, I would say he’s backed up his arrogance. And with a healthy Cavs squad, there’s no reason to believe they would not have won.
Even with the realization that LeBron is doing things that nobody has done before, there is one thing people have a legitimate right to criticize him of, and that was “The Decision.” I am sure to this day LeBron regrets making his decision of forgoing his ties with Cleveland and moving on to South Beach a nationally televised event. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with his decision to leave the Cavs (although Cleveland fans may disagree) but the way he managed the situation was poor. He should have simply talked to Cleveland’s front office behind closed doors and settled the manner quietly, just like he did with Pat Riley when he decided to leave Miami and return to Cleveland. But it’s not like LeBron made the decision by himself— his agent was breathing down his neck to persuade him to televise this in order to retain a large sum of money. ESPN was doing the exact same thing in order to receive a ratings boost because they knew the whole sports world would be watching. In other words, he was getting bad advice where he should have been getting good advice. He still made a mistake, but does one mistake when he was still a relatively young player in the league merit as much scrutiny as he gets? Not at all, especially when those same Cleveland fans that were burning his jersey when he left were welcoming him back with open arms last summer.
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why LeBron James’ scrutiny is puzzling is the fact that he has not had any off court issues. None. In an era where many outstanding athletes are womanizers, LeBron, as we know, has a wife and kids and is an extremely big family man. No facts have been found to make us believe otherwise, even with this being an age where everything is leaked on social media. Why isn’t any of that mentioned? After Tiger Woods’ scandal back in 2009 people scrutinized him furiously. But, people ended up forgetting and now he does not get half of the public hatred LeBron gets. Another aspect that pro athletes struggle with is gambling. There is a credible theory that Michael Jordan’s first ‘retirement’ from basketball in order to play baseball was actually a covered up gambling suspension from the NBA, although this was never confirmed to be true. But there is evidence that Michael Jordan was a gambling addict, whether it was bad enough that he was suspended by the NBA will probably never be known. It really doesn’t make any sense why LeBron is scrutinized so heavily. Compared to most great athletes LeBron James reigns superior in terms of his image and he should be admired for this. But maybe nobody cares about that.
Follow Brian on Twitter @brianmischler
(06/14/15 3:55pm)
As the NBA Finals continue and LeBron James continues to put up astounding stat lines, it is impossible not to bring up the Michael Jordan/LeBron James comparison. Although this will always be a controversial topic, people need to understand that they are two completely different players. Michael Jordan was a scoring juggernaut that could not be stopped from putting the ball in the hoop. Whether he was getting to the rim, pulling up from 15 feet, or shooting from 3, it did not matter. Jordan was going to score and he was going to do it efficiently (his career shooting percentage, 49.7 percent, validates that statement). LeBron James is also unstoppable offensively, but in a completely different manner. Yes, he can score, (although not as efficiently as MJ) but what makes LeBron great is his ability to get into the lane whenever he wants. He can draw two, sometimes three defenders while possessing the rare ability to find the open man every single time. They are both extraordinary talents, but when watching each of them play it really is not difficult to tell how different they are from each other in terms of style of play.
In these finals, the Warriors’ game plan is to 'let' LeBron go for 40 by not doubling him because they realize that he is most dangerous when he is getting his teammates involved. Does anybody in their right mind think any team would have ‘let’ Jordan go for 40 when he was in his prime? Not a chance. If any team did, Jordan could literally go for 65-plus every night, simply because he is a much better shooter (to put it lightly) and a more efficient scorer than LeBron. In contrast to LeBron, Jordan was at his best when putting the ball in the hoop. He was by no means horrible at getting his teammates involved, but it was not his first option. LeBron draws defenders and passes as his first option, then scores as his second. Jordan would only pass to teammates when he was being doubled. Simply put, LeBron will never be as great of a scoring threat as Michael Jordan, but that does not mean he cannot be as great of an offensive threat. James is clearly a better rebounder and passer, but what he lacks is the ability to create a shot for himself down the stretch of tight games. He lacks the ‘killer instinct’ Jordan clearly had in his prime.
If you were a coach and you were given one player to take a game winning shot for you in the closing seconds of a playoff game, there is no doubt every single coach would choose Jordan over LeBron. Most would choose Kobe over LeBron, and some coaches might even have a long list of people they’d choose over LeBron. The bottom line is LeBron probably won’t ever be the kind of player to deliver go-ahead field goals late in games simply because he lacks the offensive abilities. Jordan had the quickest first step the game has ever seen at his size, along with one of the deadliest step backs ever. Combine that with how great of a shooter he was, and he was going to get a great shot off at the end of games every single time. LeBron, at 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, does not have that first step explosiveness Jordan had and relies on being bigger than any perimeter player that guards him in order to get to the rim. Consequently, he does not have that kind of step-back jumper Jordan had which is why there are times at the end of games when he finds himself shooting a go-ahead shot that is just not a good shot (like the end of regulation shot in Game 1 of the finals). And even if he does free up space for a jump shot, he is not nearly as good of a shooter as Jordan in order to hit it.
Regardless of the fact that Jordan and LeBron are two different types of players, the comparisons between the two will never stop. But what the deciding factor will ultimately come down to is rings. Jordan went 6-0 and never even had to play a game 7, which is truly remarkable. For LeBron fans to say that he has already passed Jordan as the greatest ever is ludicrous. He has to get to at least four rings to even be considered. If he gets to five then the comparison will reach more scrutiny than ever before. If somehow James makes it to six or more rings while continuing to be the focal point in each of those championships, he will go down as the greatest of all time. And if James finds a way to lead this undermanned Cleveland team to his third championship, he is on that pace.
Follow Brian on Twitter @MischlerBrian