What the Chicago Bulls’ Roster Should Look like Next Year

The Chicago Bulls exited the post season much faster than anyone expected. A series of unfortunate injuries, and questionable decisions, along with questionable calls from referees led to a 4-2 series loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Beyond all the excuses, however, was play that, in the end, was not good enough to move on. Such performances included an ineffective C.J. Watson, a Ronnie Brewer that barely played, and a Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer that forgot to show up in the playoffs.

Now, however, this season is over, and it is never too early to start looking at next year. It is possible that much of the Bulls’ bench will be gone next year, John Lucas III has his contract expiring, as does Mike James’ and Omer Asik’s. There are player options as well on C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver. Then of course the most important player on the team has his contract ending as well in Brian Scalabrine. Taj Gibson has been playing very well, and when his contract runs out next year, there needs to be room in the cap space to sign him.

Speaking of Gibson, he seems to be a man ready to regain the starting job in Chicago, while being a cheaper option than Carlos Boozer. The amnesty rule has come up in a lot of conversations recently about Boozer, maybe it is time to put it to use? Let’s look at what could be happening to the Bulls’ roster next year.

C.J. Watson: Watson was a warrior during the regular season, doing an excellent job filling in for the oft-injured Derrick Rose. He averaged 9.7 points per game, and 4.1 assists per game. He shot below 40 percent from the field, but we excused it, as he shot 39 percent from 3 point land. However, in the playoffs, Watson was horrendous. He shot 24 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep while looking lost sometimes on the floor. That play does not deserve 3.4 million dollars a year. Verdict: Cut

Ronnie Brewer: Brewer’s production actually dropped significantly as his minutes went up from last year. He averaged 6.9 points a game on 43 percent shooting and 1.1 steal a game. He still was a good energy guy, and his 3 point shooting improved, but like Watson he was awful in the Postseason. He shot 25 percent from the field and averaged 1.6 points per game. I don’t think he should even be considered coming back. Verdict: Cut

Kyle Korver: Korver was his usual 3 point threat self this season, averaging 8.1 points shooting 44% from 3. He even improved his defense, and was less of a liability. In the Postseason however, Korver only shot 30%. That is not enough for 5 million dollars a year. Unfortunately, we need a three point threat on the team, and Korver is all we have. Verdict: Resign

John Lucas III: Sometimes Lucas has a tendency to dribble out the clock and fire a bad shot, or make a bad pass. However, he also comes up big sometimes, and that was true of him in the playoffs. Lucas averaged 8.6 points per game in the playoffs on 45% shooting, and 39% from deep. He is not much of a great passer, but if we can keep his salary low, he would be good insurance as a 3rd point guard. Verdict: Resign

Mike James: He really wasn’t around much, so there isn’t a lot to talk about. Verdict: Cut

Brian Scalabrine: This is the most painful thing for me to write. Scalabrine is a fan favorite, as he should be. But he is not an effective player. If we can just turn him into an assistant coach, it would be awesome to keep him around. However, he is not worth about a million dollars to average 1.1 points. Verdict: Cut

Carlos Boozer: Carlos Boozer actually had a decent regular season, averaging 15 points, 8.5 rebounds and even a steal per game while playing in every regular season again. That’s great until you realize Boozer is a career 17 and 10 guy, and was brought into Chicago to consistently produce double doubles. Then, to no one’s surprise, Boozer’s production dipped in the Postseason. He only shot 42 percent from the field while averaging 13.5 points a game. Boozer is not worth 13 and a half million dollars. Verdict: Amnestied

Omer Asik: Asik averaged 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game this year as he continues to be a project for the Bulls. Not only did he do well, he averaged a block a game in his limited minutes, proving to be a defensive force. In the post season Omer showed up, and played his heart out until the very end. He played even more defense, averaging 1.7 blocks per game in only 21 minutes. He will be a restricted free agent, so Chicago can match any offers, and I expect just that to happen. Verdict: Resigned

Now that we have taken care of our own guys, the Bulls roster currently looks like this:
Point Guard: Derrick Rose, John Lucas III
Shooting Guard: Rip Hamilton, Kyle Korver
Small Forward: Loul Deng, Jimmy Butler
Power Forward: Taj Gibson
Center: Joakim Noah, Omer Asik

So who could be joining the Bulls next year? Let us see who I think will be added on!

Point Guard: Kirk Hinrich, Free Agency previously of the Atlanta hawks. Captain Kirk will make him return to the Bulls to start in Rose’s place as Derrick recovers from ACL surgery. He is a bigger Point Guard with a 3 point shot that knows how to run an offense well. He can also score, which is something the Bulls will be needing in Rose’s absence.

Shooting Guard: Doron Lamb, NBA Draft previously of Kentucky. Doron Lamb will come in out of college and contribute immediately because he can score well, and is now used to winning. He is also incredibly efficient, so he will fit in well in Chicago.

Power Forward: Brian Cook, Free Agency previously of the Washington Wizard. Cook will be a cheap option to be the primary backup behind Taj Gibson. He has averaged 5.5 points per game over his career, so he is more of an offensive threat, which is nice because Taj is more of a defensive player.

Center: Nazr Mohammed, Free Agency previously of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a hopeful pick, as it is possible OKC wishes to retain Nazr, but he is a good veteran and has a defensive presence. He can be a Kurt Thomas like player that the Bulls did not have this year.

So next year’s roster can look something like this:

Point Guard: Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, John Lucas III

Shooting Guard: Rip Hamilton, Doron Lamb, Kyle Korver

Small Forward: Loul Deng, Jimmy Butler

Power Forward: Taj Gibson, Brian Cook

Center: Joakim Noah, Omer Asik, Nazr Mohammed

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Let me know!

Source: espn.go.com