The Chicago Bulls

[Matt_1979]

The Chicago Bulls

The Info:
Level - All Star
Sliders - Panthersfan89's (slightly editted)
Roster - Cam's Complete Roster v2.5
Draft Class - Cam's Complete 2014 Draft v2.5
Quarters - 9 min played / 12 min simmed
Platform - PS4

The Intro:
Welcome to my Chicago Bulls dynasty where I aim to stick to the principals of solid defence and getting the most out of Derrick Rose.

Admittedly I'm a rank amateur in the world of Basketball so if you see any glaring holes or errors anywhere please feel free to shout up.

Owners Demand:
Lose no more than 32 games.

Owners Wishes:
Obtain a good draft pick.
Attendance in the top 10.

My Thoughts:
The demand of losing no more than 32 games is clear. I either achieve it or I don't. I'm not a great player so it may be touch and go, although with a healthy team I should be able to achieve this.

To obtain a good draft pick I said I would TRY but made no promises. To do this the obvious choice would be to trade away Carlos Boozer and his hefty contract. However his hetfy contract is one not many teams can afford so may have to do some shopping around.

Other than that there are a few players on the roster I'm not overly keen on which I could package together.

Getting a top 10 attendance shouldn't be too hard if I can get the team performing and rack up some W's.

Up Next: Roster overview.

[Matt_1979]

ROSTER OVERVIEW

Centre:

Joakim Noah is known to everyone as a solid defender and great rim protector and should be in the running for Defensive honours at the end of the season. Backup Nazr Mohammed, 36, is far less mobile but still a respectable defender in the paint but shouldn't see too many minutes this season.

Projected Starter - Joakim Noah



Power Forward:

With four roster spaces taken up by Power Forwards one or two may have to leave. Carlos Boozer (and his $15m salary) is the expected starter due to the inside threat he poses but he may be traded away to meet the Owners wishes. Taj Gibson is the natural successor and, whilst not having the scoring skills of Boozer, makes up for it with solid defensive ability.

Meanwhile NBA new guy Nikola Mirotic offers a three point threat whilst 23 year old Erik Murphy will need to show vast improvement to see any minutes and save himself from the scrap heap.

Projected Starter - Carlos Boozer



Small Forward:

A real battle could ensue for the starters minutes between veteran Mike Dunleavy and youngster Tony Snell. Both offer a different skill set so could both be useful to the Bulls in various situations. Whilst Dunleavy excels as a 3 point shooter he is a lot less athletic and lack the defensive skills of Snell who, whilst a promising shooter from beyond the arc, still has some improvements to make.

Shengelia is expected to be cut before the season properly begins as he poses neither scoring threat or any defensive ability.

Projected Starter - Tony Snell



Shooting Guard

Chicago fans have high expectations for Jimmy Butler, which is a good thing because he's the only Shooting Guard currently on the roster. Butler great perimeter defender who also has the ability to knock down three's at a decent rate.

Projected Starter - Jimmy Butler



Point Guard:

The starter for this position is not even a close one. Derrick Rose, former MVP and NBA Superstar, will see heavy minutes for the Bulls and if they can open up some lanes we should see him driving to the basket and making plays each and every night.

As Rose's ability to stay healthy is in question its important to have solid back ups and that's exactly what we have with DJ Augustin and Kirk Hinrich. Both have good shooting skills from deep and should be more than adequate to fill the gap when Rose is taking a breather.

Projected Starter - Derrick Rose

[Jumpman14]

Following. Surprised you went with Snell over Dunleavy in the starting lineup.

[Matt_1979]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jumpman14

Following. Surprised you went with Snell over Dunleavy in the starting lineup.

My reasoning - and it's by no means final - is that Snell makes up for the what we miss defensively with Boozer in there. With Boozer & Dunleavy it'd leave only Noah with any defensive capability in the paint which leaves me feeling uneasy.

Alternatively I could try Gibson and Dunleavy together. Will see which combo works best in the first few games.

[gsutiger]

good luck..will be following

[Matt_1979]

Quote: Originally Posted by gsutiger

good luck..will be following

Thanks. Feel free to make any suggestions as I stumble along.

[Matt_1979]

Roster Moves Imminent for Bulls?

As the clock counts down towards the new season the Chicago Bulls find themselves with two vacant roster spots and a few players it seems are not wanted on the team by new GM Felix Blake.

Judging from recent interviews and the Summer League & pre-season squad rotations it's clear that Mohammed, Fredette, Murphy and Shengalia are scrapping to keep their place with the organisation.

Whilst guard Fredette and centre Mohammed could be traded individually or used as a sweetener in a larger deal it's expected Murphy and Shengalia would be released from their nominal contracts.

Their only saving grace may be the Bulls' current financial situation as they are, at the moment, around $15 million over the salary cap and could struggle to free up enough money to make serious upgrades.

One inside source has informed us four free agents have agreed to fly to the Windy City for a week long try out. The names will be released as soon as we have the information.

[Matt_1979]

Two Arrive for Work Outs

Two players have arrived at the Chicago Bulls training facility this morning for medicals prior to joining the rest of the roster for a week-long trial period.

The first to arrive was 23 year old point guard Tyshawn Taylor, formerly of the Brooklyn Nets. With a wealth of options already at his position Taylor will have to impress and prove he can offer a greater all round skill set than Jimmer Fredette and/or Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich is currently thought to be third on the depth chart but is set to earn over $4 million this season.


Tyshawn Taylor (Point Guard)

The second arrival makes much more sense and is player who is known well by the organisation and fan base having play five seasons for the ‘Bulls and reached the post season four times. Shooting Guard Ben Gordon left Chicago for the Detroit Pistons where he scored the 10 millionth point in NBA history and then tied an NBA scoring record when he notched up 45 points in one game in 2012.

He was then traded to the Charlotte Bobcats but now finds himself without a team. Known for his three point ability he was obviously happy to be back at his first NBA team.

“I’m delighted to be back in Chicago and to have the opportunity to win myself a place on the roster. I’m going to go in there and show them how to knock down some three’s and make it impossible to let me leave the building without a contract”. – Ben Gordon.


Ben Gordon (Shooting Guard)

Two more free agents are expected to arrive over the next 24 hours. Expectations are that one of those will a Small Forward who can drive to the basket due to the lack of that ability on the current roster.