As we’ve passed the midpoint of the NBA season, heading towards the rapidly approaching All-Star break, it’s time to do some evaluation. Where are the Chicago Bulls halfway through the 2015-16 season? Has the change from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg been for the better? Or for the worse?
If you’re betting on the NBA, like you can on 888 Sport, should take the Bulls to reach the NBA Finals? Are the Cleveland Cavaliers there for the taking as they’ve head to switch coaches midseason?
For the Bulls, there’s been a couple big changes, but the bottom line stays the same. Chicago switched coaches, and they also have a new alpha dog.
NBA on TNT analyst and basketball legend Charles Barkley on the Bulls this season:
“They don’t have an identity. They have been lost from the beginning. They can’t figure out who the leader is…it should be Jimmy Butler. They just can’t find any consistency.”
The Chuckster is spot on. Jimmy Butler is the leader now, he is the team’s best player. It’s not Derrick Rose, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t paying attention. Most Chicago Bulls finally understand this now- Butler is the man. Hoiberg has brought in a new philosophy that facilitates more offense and a brand of ball with additional excitement. However, the results have declined.
Offensive prowess has been swapped in while defensive efficiency has been swapped out. The end result is a net negative. Maybe the Cavs aren’t invincible in the Eastern Conference. Maybe there’s no one in the East who could pose a bigger threat to Cleveland than the Chicago Bulls, but the bottom line is this- Bulls vs Lebron James in the NBA playoffs.
Like the Police Academy or Fast and Furious series, it’s a tired, often recycled storyline. And you already know exactly how it ends.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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