Chicago Bulls and their plan
Two years in a row the Chicago Bulls have made it to the playoffs and were eliminated in the opening round. They have lacked a low post presence for years, and since Ben Gordon jettisoned the team for the Pistons, they have lacked a shooter as well. There was speculation that with the 17th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft they would try and pick up Paul George or James Anderson or even Avery Bradley, but instead opted for foreign big-man, Kevin Seraphin. The Seraphin pick was made for the Washington Wizards as part of the Kirk Hinrich Trade. The addition of a shooter would open up the floor for Derrick Rose, but also for Joakim Noah and Luol Deng to operate.
Through free agency, the Bulls finally added the low post presence that they have needed since the departure of Elton Brand in 2001 by signing another former-Duke Blue Devil, Carlos Boozer. They still have room to sign one more max free agent, but it looks like LeBron James will end up signing elsewhere. In the event that James does not land with the Bulls, and since the team was not able to land a shooter via the draft, they will have to turn to a free agent; options include J.J. Reddick of the Orlando Magic, Kyle Korver of the Utah Jazz, Mike Miller, Roger Mason, C.J. Watson or Eddie House. Even without the Bulls landing a max free agent guard, the addition of Carlos Boozer should help the team advance past the 1st Round of the 2011 playoffs.
By Steven Spector - 7-8-10
