Why the Bulls will not make the NBA playoffs
Are the Bulls better than a year ago when they finished seventh in the conference and lost an epic series against Boston in the first round?
Maybe.
(AP)
PHOTO GALLERY
2009-2010 Bulls Roster
Why the Bulls will not make the playoffs?
The bigger question: Did other teams in their conference get better?
Most definitely.
Therein lies the problem. While I like the additions of Taj Gibson and James Johnson, and I like the fact that Derrick Rose will be a year wiser, other teams behind and ahead of the Bulls improved more significantly.
The Celtics got back the injured Kevin Garnett—who didn't even play vs. the Bulls in the playoffs—AND picked up Rasheed Wallace. The Cavs should be a little stronger with Shaquille O'Neal. The Magic get a healthy Jameer Nelson back and added Vince Carter and a very underrated Brandon Bass (this is the bruising forward I thought the Bulls really needed to go after). Those three teams figure to be the elite in the East.
In the next tier you have the Wizards rising from the ashes. With a healthy Gilbert Arenas, a steady Antawn Jamison and the addition of Mike Miller, Washington has as formidable a starting five as anyone in the league. The young Atlanta Hawks keep getting better; they have added Jamal Crawford—looking to go to his first playoffs—to their potent offense. The Raptors should be a shoo-in for the playoffs with Chris Bosh getting better each year and Hedo Turkoglu there to provide floor leadership.
Undeniably, there is your top six in the East.
That leaves the Bulls, Heat, Pistons, 76ers and Pacers fighting for the last two playoff spots. (The Bobcats, Knicks, Nets and Bucks might as well be playing in the developmental league.)
As many problems as Michael Beasley has had in Miami, my money is still on D-Wade to will the Heat into the playoffs. The 76ers made the playoffs last year, but they'll have a tough time duplicating that feat without Andre Miller. Does anyone in the league score a quieter 25 than Danny Granger? (See, you probably didn't know he averaged that last year.) But the Pacers still lack a supporting cast for him.
So, that eighth and final playoff spot comes down to the Bulls and the Pistons—the team that has the Bulls' leading scorer—Ben Gordon—from the previous four seasons (almost five ... he came up a point short of topping Eddy Curry's 16.1 in his rookie season).
So, the Bulls should find out right away if they're better off without Ben Gordon. It's the question Bulls fans have been debating for the last three seasons: Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon—who do you keep?
While Gordon makes all the plays you see on SportsCenter, Hinrich defends on all the plays that never make the show. And, while I tend to lean to Hinrich as a better overall player, you can't deny that Gordon is a flat-out playmaker.
To win in the NBA, you have to have a playmaker. You have to have one (or two) of the Top 10 players in the league, a go-to guy. You can't win with five good players. You win with one great player surrounded by four good ones.
Don't believe me? Look at the list of NBA champions over the past 30 years. Only two teams in that group won without a great player (and that could still be argued)—the 2004 Pistons and the 1989 and 1990 Pistons. (Some might say Isiah Thomas is your great player—which he was—but he didn't really take over games the way the others did.)
The point is, all of the other champions had names such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Now, was Gordon in that group? Probably not. But is he one of the Top 10 playmakers in the league right now? If you go by last year's playoff stats he was. He was the eighth leading scorer in the playoffs last year, right up there with LeBron James, Bryant, Wade, Tony Parker, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Roy. Pretty good company.
The Bulls won't miss Gordon's defensive lapses, but they will miss his shot-making ability late in games. With Gordon out of the way, Derrick Rose might step up to be the go-to guy. But, until he develops a more consistent jump shot, teams are going to shut down his drive and make other Bulls beat them.
And, here's saying that those other guys won't.
Give the Pistons and Gordon the eighth and final playoff spot. Give the Bulls another year of rebuilding.