THE (MAYBE) FINAL PRODUCT
After three seasons of complete overhauls around Rose and Noah, Bulls' roster makeover seems done.
CHICAGO, IL: The year was in 2013, when NBA was bought by a billionaire called Mylan Dyles, who suddenly changed the most successful and strongest basketball league in the world to Champion Sim League (or simple CSL). Nobody knows yet why he changed names, and even more confusing, why is it denominated a "Sim" (which's nothing more than the abbreviation of simulation) league.
Took a while for most of the sponsors to buy into all those changes. Adidas, league's official supplier of sports equipment, tried to rescind the contract, appealing that it would be fairly difficult to achieve profit with a league that, suddenly, became unstable, as opposed to NBA, which was a success.
Indeed there were times that CSL seemed destined to failure. Teams couldn't sell out arenas, GMs were being fired back and forth, and just few were able to stick during the crises. Some went away and came back, always believing in the future of the league. Owners were always afraid that what they invested so much time and money would quickly disappear.
Well. Two years after, as we're in the middle of the 2015/2016 season right now, the distrust is gone. CSL has grown each day and is following NBA's path to glory, attracting new fans and investors in the middle of the process.
Many, many things went back and forth. Many things have changed. But one stood still as a constant in the league. It happened during the first four months of every year, and then back at offseason, as a continuous cycle.
Well, it finally seems to be over.
Of course, we're talking about the Chicago Bulls' roster overhauls. Not only one, but multiple. All of them under the command of Bulls' Senior VP of Basketball Operations, Mr. Marcos Beck. A 21 years old Brazilian who worked hard day and night, with the solely intention of bringing a 7th ring to the Windy City, it's first post-MJ, the mythical #23, era.
But, how did the roster construction happened, and why so sure it's finished now?
First, some small recaps of what (and how) the Bulls did it, including some thoughts from their management. Than, Beck himself explain why he believes this group can bring the Larry O'Bryen trophy to Chicago, and why he's done making moves.
THE BEGGINING:
Starting with a roster with some talented and hard working players such as Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and Carlos Boozer, Chicago's first move was to move Boozer (next to a pair of first rounders) to the Lakers for Pau Gasol. At first this move paid off big-time, with the Bulls dominating the league in the first 20 games of the first season. But suddenly the team started fading and Beck questioned himself if that team was enough to win a ring. Clearly, it wasn't, so he went back to work.Then, the "Porter episode" happened, which caused Marcos to leave Chicago's management for almost half season.
But right before the start of the next season, he was back to lead his beloved Bulls.
Then, the real thing begun.
Gasol and Butler had vanished for other teams during Free Agency, and the Bulls were left with Rose, Noah, Gibson and plenty of shooters on expiring deals. Team balance was terrible, noted by Taj and Jo being the only big man in their roster. This made Beck plan for the future, as their season was almost dead. He repeatedly referred to that season as a "transition year", where the Bulls would not fight for a ring, instead focusing on bringing talent to Chicago. More than that, the main objective was to build a real team.
THE FOUNDATION:
Rose and Noah were chosen as the "pillars" of the new Bulls team. Derrick would be the franchise's leading star, while Jo would be responsible for making the team gel when the roster buildup was over.Bulls front office started to work, doing as many as 10 trades during the season (some say it was even more than that number). If you came to Chicago and were not named Rose, Noah or Gibson (another piece added to the foundation after, as he could serve as a small-ball C coming off the bench, something much valued by Chicago), you could expect to be traded again and again and again.
Many moves were done, highlighted by the acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova for a 2nd pick and Mike Dunleavy's expiring contract, and the Zach Randolph and Jrue Holiday additions in the same deal. Chicago suddenly became a good team, winning 23 out of their last 26 games, making a incredible push for the playoffs. But clearly that team wasn't done, as current personal didn't fit on Beck's and coach Tom Thibodeau's plan of building a team.
THE COMPLETE PLAN:
It was fairly simple:At the guards, Derrick Rose would be the leader. Next to him, slotted at the 2 spot, a low-usage, defensive and shooting weapon, so Rose could keep the ball on offense and form a great defensive duo on the least glamorous side of the court.
At forwards, Danny Green, a 2014 acquisition (was traded for a 1st pick), would be the team's sniper, but he lacked the tenacious defense required to start. Next to him, while Randolph had an amazing run as a Bull, a stretch four was needed, to space the floor even further for Rose to do his damage. And it couldn't be any stretch 4: they needed a second scorer, someone to command double teams in the post or beat his man off the dribble from the outside, as well as knocking down the long shots.
At center, it was a one-man contest with Noah reigning sovereign.
Off the bench, a 4-man unit, with a playmaker, a defender, a scorer and Gibson, the enforcer down low.
Well, the plan is now complete. Not really complete, because the 4-man bench rotation suddenly became a complete 5 man bench mob. That wasn't planned, but I'm sure you can't go wrong by acquiring more than the planned.
THE FINAL PRODUCT:
Rose and Bradley are the starting guards, a perfect combination of shooting / scoring / playmaking / defense. One has the ball every time on offense, the other is happy to defend opposition's best guard. As they are both 6'3, they could easily switch on D, creating havoc on opposing offenses.
Trevor Ariza and Love form the forward duo. One brings tenacious defense to complete the perimeter, the other is a star who has finally found his home after being traded 3 times to his fourth team (Minnesota, OKC, Brooklyn, Chicago) in 3 years. Love, always labeled an inefficient scorer, started scoring in super high volume, and, although his efficiency isn't eye popping (he shoots at 44% from the field), it's more than acceptable for someone who goes to the line over 8 times a game and knocks it down at an 80%+ rate.
At center, not much to say. Noah continues there, fresh of his new 4 year / 57M extension, manning the middle.
Off the bench, Tyler Ennis, a prized sophomore, spells Rose as the main playmaker. Many even point Ennis as a future Bulls starter, next to D-Rose.
RJ Hunter brings the shooting and scoring, as well as Danny Green, forming a formidable duo of exterior shooters and scorers.
Gibson continues as the first big off the bench, but Brandan Wright was brough to help into that category, functioning as 4th big option, much needed during the playoffs.
SOME WORDS FROM THE MIND BEHIND IT ALL:
As the season goes on, the Bulls currently lead the Eastern Conference despite having lost their building blocks Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to long injuries for 25 games combined.It's all about finding the system you want to play and the right players to it. I believe you can't just acquire talent and then worry about fitting. I mean, 99% of the times, this will lead to failure. First, you plan, you see which roles you want your players to fulfill, then you go after who you think might be a good addition to a certain role. That's how we built a contender here in Chicago. Aggressively pursuing players that would fit in our initial plan.
Also, when you have a plan set and ready to be executed, you have to pay attention to market opportunities. Green was a market opportunity. Smith also. Ilyasova's deal back in 2014 was all about that. You have to find those, and make the most of the opportunity that presents itself to acquire good talent.
What's a market opportunity you might be asking yourself? Talented players who are put on the block, listed as expandable by their teams. And do not be afraid of the bold deals, as they might separate success from failure.
With so many great teams around the league, exemplified by last year's finalists Pistons and the traditional Celtics (East) and league's #1 and #2 place Pelicans and Rockets (West), winning a ring wont be any easy. But there's no denying that Beck made it possible for Bulls fans to dream big again.
..). He got Josh Smith, Avery Bradley, Kevin Love and RJ Hunter for just giving up Zach Randolph and Holiday. So please blame those two 
.. 
.. Just kidding.
2028
