Oct
1
Chicago Bulls Report to Training Camp
While the Chicago sports scene is currently dominated by bandwagon, uneducated Cubs fans envisioning a World Series Championship before a playoff game has even been played and beleaguered Bears fans wondering how low the offense can go, the best team in the city reported to training camp today.
While this very mediocre Cubs squad has championship aspirations and the Bears are merely dying to get a win against the division-leading Green Bay Packers, true sports fans should be paying attention to the Chicago Bulls, the most legitimate Chicago team with the chance to play for a title this season.
For the Bulls, this is a make-or-break season. It’s either the NBA Finals or bust after three-straight seasons of advancing no farther than the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The 2007-2008 season is when fourth-year players Luol Deng and Ben Gordon need to take that next step and become star players, night in and night out, especially considering that both of these guys are up for extensions.
It’s now or never for capable point guard and defensive specialist Kirk Hinrich to become much more steady on offense and focus on becoming a penetrator and distributor rather than a stand-still jump shooter.
The time is now for second-year power forward Tyrus Thomas to become an X-factor with his game-changing abilities on the defensive end of the floor, and for Head Coach Scott Skiles to show that he can take the Bulls to a championship-level.
Despite the big off-season by the Celtics, the continued development of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, the improvement of Orlando and the veteran presence of the Detroit Pistons, the window of opportunity for the Chicago Bulls is still there.
However, if Chicago doesn’t get to the 2008 NBA Finals, especially with aging center Ben Wallace entering the second of his four year contract, this current makeup of its roster will never do it.
General Manager John Paxson has quietly done another steady job in the offseason, resigning heart-and-soul Andres Nocioni, adding solid veteran Joe Smith and bolstering the front line with top-draft pick, collegiate winner and ultimate team player Joakim Noah. The Bulls still need a veteran guard with size off the bench, and should move Chris Duhon if possible.
With that said, the pieces are in place in 2007-2008. Can the Bulls complete the puzzle and become the elite team in the Eastern Conference?
By Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
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