Yahoo! Sports NBA Preview Magazine Looks at the Bulls

Perusing the latest issue, I came across  the Bulls 2009-10 pre-season outlook by Kelly Dwyer who sees them finishing with a not too shabby 44-38 record and a 2nd place finish.  I found some interesting observations in his article and excerpted them, many of which, in my opinion, are right on the money.   In his words.......(parens mine).

With his strange coaching decisions and apparent lack of defensive fortitude or offensive creativity, Vinny Del Negro didn't exactly establish himself as a formidable sideline presence. (understatement of the year, except for his hair?)

Tyrus Thomas posted very good numbers down the stretch last season, just in time for everyone to have left the bandwagon.  Thomas once again looks like a clear upside pick.  He still suffered from a quick coaching hook for reasons not always obvious from press row.

Joakim Noah dealt with the same issue.  (Is it because Vinny loves veterans who are smarter than him in hopes they will bail him out after he exhausts his slim repertoire of tricks?)

Derrick Rose was probably the worst full-time defender at point guard in the NBA last season.  He didn't seem like a natural passer at times either.  (Maybe Hunter can help?)  Beyond those quibbles lies a natural scorer who can get to the rim on anyone in this league and he's only 20. 

John Salmons might not have the quickness to defend shooting guards.  Chicago could have the worst defensive backcourt in the NBA.  But he should replicate the 18.3 points per game in 2009 and is effective at small forward.

Kirk Hinrich is about as good as a backup point guard can get.

Assuming Deng returns he has a lot of work to do to worm his way through a confusing and somewhat primitive offense by Vinny Del Negro. (you can't teach what you don't know?)   Deng had screen setters and good spacing under former coach Scott Skiles but Del Negro's sets are far less exacting which doesn't bode well for a non dribbler like Deng (or Tyrus, etc.)  Deng's left leg could make or break Chicago's season since stress fractures are prone to long recovery with a chance to refracture. 

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Unfortunately, I didn't buy the magazine.  Instead I read it at Borders and copied key portions of the article while having coffee.  I also managed to lose page 2 of my notes so from this point on, I'm relying on my recollections on some further highlights rather than directly quoting from Mr. Dywer's lengthy review.  

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He felt that although woefully slow, Brad Miller can bring a physical presence, space the court and make some plays to help both the Bulls and their opponents with his high turnover rate.

Dwyer again went off on the Bulls coaches, saying they seem determined to never allow Thomas to play beyond 35 minutes no matter how well he is performing.  He also criticized them for not recognizing that Noah is not a 24 minute player and should have been given more floor time in the past.  He pointed out that Joakim brings an abundant amount of hustle, energy, defensive effort, shot blocking and rebounding skills, along with his ability to run the court and make intelligent decsions which more than offset his limited offensive range and smaller size.  He felt our coaching staff has been extremely slow to recognize his potential upside.  (Our coaching staff has been extremely slow in recognizing things taught in the NBA 101 coaching video for beginners, in my opinion on too many occasions.)

He also indicated with such an athletic core, there is no excuse for their drastic defensive dropoff since the departure of Skiles which reflects more on poor coaching than on poor personnel.  (where is Thibedeau?)  In essence, he implied the talent level is not being maximized due primarily to the lack of talent emanating from the sidelines.  Again I must ask, is this the year Vinny comes back from Oz with a brain or are we stuck with counting down the days until his inevitible firing as the Bulls continue to move sideways under his misdirection?