Schuster: Bulls Treading Water Until Boozer's Return
By David Schuster--
Tom Thibodeau kept his calm following Saturday's one sided defeat down in Orlando. It was pretty obvious from the start that his team was mailing it in (they lost by 38) but being a new coach he bided his time before letting his players have it. That time came Monday morning as he let them know during a film session and then later in practice that efforts like Saturday will never be accepted.
The Bulls have played six pre season games and have compiled a record of 2-4. Unfortunately, their whole plan was derailed by Carlos Boozer's broken hand and the trick will now be to tread water until Boozer's return which should be right around Thanksgiving. The team as currently constituted is fairly similar to last years squad. Better outside shooting for sure but still no inside presence. Boozer was going to change all that. Finally they would be able to throw the ball into the post and have the opposing team's defense concentrate on a guy who could score down there. This would also enable the other players to roam more freely and have open looks but without Boozer (for now) it's the same old story. Omar Asik, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans and C.J. Watson will all help this team in their respective roles but Boozer (along with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah) is one of the main ingredients and the rest of the team will have to play out of their minds until his return.
In the mean time look for Thibodeau to crack down on his squad and get more out of them. He already preached defense like a devout madman but that emphasis will now go up even another notch. Make no mistake, Thibodeau already has displayed that he's a step up from his predecessor as a coach but his work is really cut out for him without Boozer.
It's a long ways off but the crystal ball has the Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks battling it out for the top of the Central Division. Should the Bulls win the Central that would mean a top four seed in the East. Is it feasible? Absolutely, but they'll need Boozer in order to accomplish that goal.
