Youth Movement Has Got the Bulls Charging

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The New York Sun

The Chicago Bulls made some highprofile changes this off-season, but their current hot streak — they’ve won 11 of 12 after a 3–9 start — has been fueled by the holdovers.

When the Bulls visit the Knicks on Friday, the attention will be focused on center Ben Wallace and with good reason. After an even slower start than his team, Wallace has been playing well (probably not well enough to justify his four-year and $60 million contract but performance and payroll rarely coincide) and his play has helped turn the Bulls from a good defense, sixth in Defensive Efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) last season to a stellar one ranked third this season. And his last three games must have made his fantasy league owners grin from ear to ear: 15 points, 20 rebounds, five blocks against Seattle on Wednesday; 10 points, 27(!) boards, six assists, and three blocks versus Milwaukee on Friday, and six points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks Saturday against Atlanta.

That spat between him and coach Scott Skiles seems like ancient history now.

The best Bulls blogger, www.blogabull.com, published an interesting study over the weekend noting that Wallace’s presence has changed the style of the Bulls defense, which is counterintuitive since Wallace is typically regarded as a superior — albeit older — version of the man he replaced, Tyson Chandler. In the past two seasons, the Bulls defense was built on a foundation of holding teams to a low shooting percentage; now they excel in limiting second shots and forcing turnovers. If they begin forcing bad shots, too, then they could move up further among the top defenses.

The Bulls figured to be a strong defensive team, since it’s been their forte in the Skiles era, but what’s somewhat unexpected is their offensive improvement. No one is going to confuse them for the Suns anytime soon, but for the first time since the championship years, the Bulls are in the top 10 in Offensive Efficiency. Has Wallace impacted that too?

A little. Just as the Bulls are much better at keeping opponents off the offensive glass, they are now good at rebounding their own misses. The Bulls have moved to eighth from 19th in offensive rebounding. But the biggest change in the Bulls attack is in shooting percentage. Last season the Bulls shot 44.6%, this season, despite their early season woes, Chicago has already improved that mark to 46%, which can account for as much as four points a game. Since Wallace is one of the worst shooters in the NBA, he can’t claim credit for that.

Instead, kudos to the continued development of key wing players like Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Andres Nocioni. Look at their shooting percentages:

These three players account for 47.5% of the Bulls’ shots. While Wallace probably does set very good picks, the real story is the continued maturation of Chicago’s youth movement. All three players are still on the upward arcs of their careers, and Deng, who is only 21 has significant room for improvement.

Since John Paxson took over for Jerry Krause, the Bulls have drafted key players from perennial top college teams and signed Nocioni, a well regarded Argentine player from the Euroleagues. As a result, Chicago has a group of young players, who were already rugged defenders, finding their offensive games all at once — in harmony, given their current winning streak.

With the early season losing streak an increasingly distant memory, the question turns to the Bulls future. I’d like to see how well they fare against their next steady diet of Western Conference opponents before punching their ticket to the Finals. However, with their current roster, the Bulls do seem like a near lock to be a force for years to come. While their nucleus is young, rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha are waiting in the wings. Both look to be substantial contributors soon. And then there’s that Knick draft choice this summer.

A few years ago, a good friend of mine used to lament that she wished the Knicks could be more like the Bulls. At the time, the comment mystified me; Chicago was still a league laughingstock while the Knicks were in the mix for a low-level playoff spot. Her point was that the Bulls were willing to rebuild from the ground up while the Knicks were content tread water. Her point has been made abundantly clear by now, and Knicks fans can take heart; while the Bulls staggered in the dark for six seasons, their current unit was built in three drafts, one Euro signing, and three shrewd trades. The Knicks will start a true rebuilding plan in about 18 months at the latest, and they’ve already drafted well, so progress could come sooner than later.

mjohnson@nysun.com


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