How will the Bulls do this year?, im thinking finals Options

[ChicagoBullsMadi...]

How far do you think the bulls will go this year? depending on how much deng has improved and tyrus, im thinkin finals. deng can play post and im positive he has developed it. he practices all summer harder than anyone in the nba. i know he's got it. im predicting a 56 win team. thoughts?

[madisonsmadhouse]

Middle 50s for wins is a nice number if you ask me. They are deeper than they have been, plus they have a year of experience under their belts for guys like Lu, Ben, and Tyrus. Joe Smith will provide a nice option on the block that they haven't had for 3 years now. I think the confrence will be tougher, so it is hard to say how far we will go in the playoffs until I see how the other teams progress.

[dasox24]

Anything less than a mid-50 win season will be disappointing to me. 55-27 seems like a good record. This team has enough talent and work ethic to improve to a 60-win team, but that's probably a year or two off.

[ChitownMan]

The team continues to improve and with adding the right players, anything is possible. I do like the addition of Joakim Noah and now Joe Smith which should only help. Would like to see if Pax decides to make any further changes to the line up. The only other thing I am concerned about is whether or not Skiles has lead this team as far as he is able to and whether or not there is a coach available to may be able to get the team to the pinnacle. Time will tell however, I agree anything less than 50+ wins is going to be a bit of a disappointment.

[Steve9347]

52-30, 2nd place Eastern Conference/ they'll beat the Pistons in the Conference Championship and lose in 5 in the NBA Finals.

[sport1016]

Our low post scoring has improved yes, and that will bump up our win total.

But in terms of size in the backcourt we still have an isssue. Not that I dont trust thabo and griffin to guard bigger Gs, but until duhon is no longer on the roster thabo wont be backing the backup Pg mins, and therefore limiting his time to guard the other teams bigger Gs.

Its not like i mind duhon being on the team, and if kirk had any type of extended injury we'll be lucky to have him bc he really did run the offense well. But when kirk comes out, Skiles always brings in duhon. Duhon and gordon is too small in the backcourt.

If thabo can get decent minutes at both guard spots, that will also increase kirk's effectiveness.

56-26 --lose finals in 6

it would also help if we didnt always start slow and have to make up ground after the all star break

here's another question to just add in this thread along with record HOW MANY ALL-STARS THIS YEAR? WHO?

I think just 1. Deng. But gordon, wallace, and hinrich have shots as well. And you never know what TT will do.

[b-riann]

52-30, 2nd place Eastern Conference/ they'll beat the Pistons in the Conference Championship and lose in 5 in the NBA Finals.

its funny, b/c on cbssportsline, i said they would win 53 games and lose in 6 in the finals

[ChWRoCk2]

HOW MANY ALL-STARS THIS YEAR? WHO?

I think just 1. Deng. But gordon, wallace, and hinrich have shots as well. And you never know what TT will do.

Honestly, none. Wallace might come close just because he has a good rep and has been there before and people notice his name but besides him Deng isnt popluar enough. As we all know its a popularity contest.


As for playoffs, eh well we will make it no doubt but miss the NBA Finals, I still dont think we have our low post scorer and Im not about to jump on the Joe Smith bandwagon this early.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

Around 52-30 I'd say. Probably good enough for 1st or 2nd in the East. With the core getting more experienced and hopefully the (last year's) rookies coming along the wins will increase. It sucks that we have that long stretch where we play like 8 games in a row away because of that circus.

We could win like atleast 5 or 6 out of those first 8 games but because of that long away stand we've gotten off to bad starts the last few years.

ALLSTARS: Luol Deng @ 21 ppg 8 rpg 2 apg 1 bpg & Ben Gordon @ 23 ppg 3 rpg 5 apg

Just a guess.. Gordon could have made it last year so I suspect he will next year if his numbers increase a tid bit and he keeps shooting it well from the arc.

[madisonsmadhouse]

Anything less than a mid-50 win season will be disappointing to me. 55-27 seems like a good record. This team has enough talent and work ethic to improve to a 60-win team, but that's probably a year or two off.

As long as we hit 50 wins, I'll be happy. The problem with projecting this team is that they lack a superstar to take over a game, which means if the team isn't in balance, they can struggle. One key injury, or a stretch of bad play can put more pressure on the rest of the players, and we don't have that type of team. I think 55 wins is about the most you can hope for out of this type of team. If we had inside guy who could score 20 a night, this could be a 60 win team, until that happens, I don't think the Bulls can win that many.

[madisonsmadhouse]

here's another question to just add in this thread along with record HOW MANY ALL-STARS THIS YEAR? WHO?

Deng maybe. It will be harder to keep him off of the team if he hits the magical 20 points a game mark.

[Balta1701-B]

If the Bulls don't make the conference finals with this roster as currently constructed, then the coaching staff gets put on the "on notice" board for next year. With the improvement in the front court and another year of development, this team should be the #1 seed in the East, and should make the NBA finals.

Anything significantly below 55 wins and a conference finals birth, in this conference as currently built, will qualify as a big disappointment in my book. And if we only make the conference finals, i'll still be a little disappointed, because this team looks better than that.

[DrunkBomber]

The Bulls are probably the best team in Chicago right now. they have the pieces in place to make it to the finals. Winning them on the other hand is going to be a tall order. Its not impossible but they need to get hot at the right time, have the ball roll their way and need to stay healthy.

[b-riann]

The Bulls are probably the best team in Chicago right now. they have the pieces in place to make it to the finals. Winning them on the other hand is going to be a tall order. Its not impossible but they need to get hot at the right time, have the ball roll their way and need to stay healthy.

the sky have the bulls in that department by a hair or two...

[Bullies4Life]

Bulls will probably start w/ a shaky start, and then finish strong as they usually do under scott skiles. I predict 51-53 wins this season, 2nd seed. The East has gotten tougher, and overall, pretty much every NBA has improved this season.

IMO, Deng will be the only one from the Bulls making it this year to the All-star game. Gordon will have a hard time making it do to 2 many good guards in the East.... Carter, Redd, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Wade....