Muller: How Good Are The Bulls?
By Shawn Muller--
The Chicago Bulls lead the Central Division by eight games over the Indiana Pacers as we near the half-way point in the 2010-2011 NBA season. The eight game lead by the Bulls is the second largest divisional lead in the NBA, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers, who lead the Pacific Division by 9.5 games over the Phoenix Suns. Derrick Rose and company have weathered storm after storm on the injury front thus far. Carlos Boozer missed the first 15 games due to a broken finger, and now the Bulls are currently without the walking jolt of energy in Joakim Noah until at least the end of February or early March. Dealing with any losses to key personnel is huge for any team, let alone one trying to stake its claim as one of the elites of the Eastern Conference. But the Bulls have not only weathered the storms of losing Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah (up to this point anyway), they own the third best record in the Eastern Conference.
But how good are these Chicago Bulls? I have thought about this long and hard and I can honestly say….I don't know. I am beginning to think that the Bulls may be bordering on being special. Carlos Boozer missed the first 15 games of the regular season. Joakim Noah has missed the last 10 games and will probably miss the next 14-18 contests. So, barring some miraculous early return by Joakim Noah, the prospects of Chicago playing over half of the regular season without two of it's best players are very real.
Sports is full of "what-ifs" and I hate to play the "what-if" game, but what if the Bulls had been healthy all season? What might their record be right now? Would they own the best record in the East? The best record in the NBA? Possibly.
The Bulls are 5-9 this season against teams with a winning record. While that doesn't scream spectacular, 9 of those games were without Boozer in the lineup (Chicago went 3-6 in those contests). When both Noah and Boozer were in the lineup together, Chicago went 2-2 against teams with a winning record, and are currently 0-1 without Noah. While Chicago has struggled against the upper-echelon of the league, the Bulls have feasted on the meek and meager. Heading into tomorrow's contest against Philadelphia, Chicago is 18-2 against teams below .500. Good teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat and the Bulls are preying on the leagues' subordinates. That is a good thing, but it cannot be the only thing Chicago can lay it's hat on as the season progresses.
The Bulls have 51 games remaining on their 2010-2011 schedule. Of those 51 games, Chicago only has 19 games against teams with a winning record. 11 of those 19 games are against the Celtics, Heat, Magic, and Hawks, easily the main teams that pose a serious threat to the Bulls in the East. That means Chicago has 19 chances to show us they are for real. In my opinion, 19 games are all that are left on the Bulls regular season calendar. Sure, they have 32 other games, but with the way Chicago has dismantled the Sisters of the Poor this season, they should continue to take care of business from that end. An inflated record due to poor competition doesn't make a team "great".
The Chicago Bulls are a very good team, teetering on the edge of being great. Health has been, and will continue to be the biggest concern for the team this season. If Joakim Noah can come back and play at the level he was playing at prior to the wrist injury, and the Bulls can remain relatively healthy heading into April, there is no reason for anyone to believe this team won't be a factor in the playoffs.
Do you agree with Shawn? Post your comments below.
Shawn Muller has lived in Chicago for 7 years. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and just recently received his certificate in radio broadcasting in October of 2010. Sports have always been a passion of Shawn's. In his free time, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa and 3 year old daughter Ava, catching any live sporting event, and traveling. Check out his radio show, "Grab Some Bench with Muller and Bangser" at www.blogtalkradio.com/spmuller24.
