Paul Pierce and his Celtics were able to eliminate the Bulls 4-2 in the very first round of the Playoffs.
CHICAGO, IL: There was a lot of expectation going on since Beck announced he was returning to his beloved Chicago Bulls after leaving the team for personal reasons half a year ago. Coming back right after the free agency period, fresh of losing Pau Gasol and Jimmy G Buckets for ridiculous low contracts, there was a strong belief around the organization that the playoffs would be a long-shot, and the team needed a big re-tooling effort to be relevant again.
Starting the year with D-Rose, Mike Dunleavy JR and Joakim Noah as the only starters returning, along with Taj Gibson and DJ Augustin coming back from last year's bench (Gibson trusted with a starting job right off the bat, as he and Noah were the only two legit big men figuring in the roster), there was a lot of work to be done. Sharpshooters were added by the league to help the team open up the floor for Derrick Rose, most notably Mike Miller, fresh of a finals appearance as a starter, and Ray Allen, but the team lacked so much to be contending for a postseason spot: there was no one who could score or create shots next to Rose, not enough big bodies to rotate down low, not enough perimeter defenders to stop wings from penetrating at will... The concerns were so big, nobody believed the Bulls would be able something better than a Top-10 pick in 2015's draft.
So Beck started to work, along with coach Tom Thibodeau and VP of basketball operations John Paxson. Together, they were able to completely rebuild the roster from the scratch, leaving only Rose, Gibson and Noah, three fan favorites in Chicago, as reminescents of the very first Bulls' roster Marcos put his hands on. After long negotiations, and giving up on almost every future asset available, Marcos put together a starting 5 of Rose, Jrue Holiday (acquired from the Pelicans), Danny Green (acquired from Spurs), Zach Randolph (coming from Memphis) and Noah. Taj returned to his role as a super sub 6th man, with newly acquired Gerald Wallace and sniper Hollis Thompson completing the rotation.
The result? A miraculous 24-4 run with many wins coming at road against playoff teams, a postseason berth which appeared impossible (as 10 Eastern teams finished the year .500 or above, and 47-34 Washington managed to miss the playoffs), a 48-34 record (24-30 before the above mentioned starting 5 started playing together) and a lot of momentum heading into the 1st round, in a battle against the Boston Celtics.
Some experts even picked the 7th seeded Bulls to win against the 2nd seeded Celtics, but they came up short and their season was over with a home loss and a 4-2 result for the series.
Once again, Thibs' team made the playoffs but couldn't achieve a finals appearance, leaving at the very 1st round.
Desolated with the result, Beck was a little bit out of ideas on how to improve the team, as they had absolutely none flexibility or assets heading into the offseason, first the GM went to talk with owner Jerry Reinsdorf about his future with the organization. There was some tension in the air as Marcos felt his roster underachieved badly, and they needed someone who could do better adjustments and keep players hungry and motivated come playoff-time, clearly not his biggest strengths (as he's known for being a trade-artist, being able to improve his team in many ways with limited assets). Mr. Reinsdorf was able to convince Beck that his job was highly appreciated in Chicago, and they reached an agreement that Marcos would have his deal extended for 4 years and his salary raised. He then announced Pax would also return, and Thibs, even though media tried to create a buzz around a possible coach firing, it was quickly repelled by every person inside the organization, including players:
“If it was up to me, he’d be back,” said Derrick Rose.
Added Joakim Noah: “I think Thibs is a hard worker who always had us prepared.”
Said Taj Gibson: “If you want to be coached and pushed, Thibs is the coach for you. If you don’t want to get better, this isn’t the team for you.”
With a lot of work to do, the Bulls prepared to the draft shortly after acquiring pick #27 from Houston in exchange for 3 2nd picks. Knowing they had some issues to solve, weaknesses to address and a very limited amount of assets to work with, it would be very difficult to improve, if not by the only possible option: taking a step back somewhere to leap forward twice at needed positions.
With a reported deal involving Zach Randolph, Hollis Thompson and #37 agreed, the amount of assets to make a splash managed somehow to resume into a combination of Jrue Holiday, two late 1st / early 2nd picks and some expiring deals from two experienced players. The result?
"Bulls acquire Josh Smith, Avery Bradley, RJ Hunter in draft-day deal."
All of that while keeping nº 27, whom they turned into Louis Labeyrie, a relatively unknown french, considered a reach for his draft position, but who has the necessary skills and shooting to help the Bulls when his name gets called.
Bradley and Smith bring hard-nosed defense and balanced scoring, playmaking for this team.
With a splash made, Chicago's roster now stands at 8 players, holding rights on Zach Randolph (supposedly traded, but in need of a S&T agreement first) and Danny Green.
Derrick Rose, Avery Bradley and Joakim Noah are locks for the starting lineup, while Hunter, Gibson and Smith should see time off the bench. Labeyrie, while considered a ready now prospect, will have to fight for minutes, at least for now. He'll have summer league and pre-season to show his worthy, at least.
Now, heading into free agency with still some work to do, you gotta be questioning yourself: there's no denying that Beck will once again find a way of making good things happen. But, what will he do now?
Stay tuned for more info!
