But truth be told, when I think back to what my own expectations were for this team at the beginning of the year, it's hard to be bitter—even if the season did end at the hands of the much-maligned Miami Heat. Oh sure, I had originally predicted Chicago would be ousted by that same South Beach squad in five games a round earlier, but that was back before the Bulls achieved far more than most any fan dared dream this season. And looking back at how the team only seemed to get better and better with each passing quarterly update this season, I myself had indeed sipped so frequently from the Kool-Aid that I was already beginning to apologize to my girlfriend for what I thought would happen to her Dallas Mavericks if they met Chicago in the Finals.
Instead, I find myself rooting alongside her for the one team remaining that stands in between the Heat and a championship. After all, it helps take my mind off the work that will need to be done in order to help these Bulls play into June next year—assuming there's a 2011-12 season, of course.
All of that said, there was still much more to like than dislike this year for Chicago's basketball team. Thibodeau has proven to be the genuine coach that the franchise desperately needed. Rose became not just the best point guard in the league, but also a legitimate superstar who deserves to be included in any discussion of the best players in the league. Those two developments alone have seemingly vaulted the Bulls into the status of an annual contender, and I certainly won't be surprised if the team ends up being the pick of many more pundits at the beginning of next season—provided that Chicago's able to bolster this year's roster even a little further.
The complaints and concerns all year long centered around the weakness at shooting guard, and indeed just as so many fans (myself included) started to believe that maybe the team could win it all with Keith Bogans in the starting lineup, sure enough, opponent after opponent clamped down on Rose without much fear of being beaten by whichever other guard was on the floor. Ronnie Brewer's magnificent defense makes him a valuable piece, but he's almost a liability on offense. And Kyle Korver, however deadly from downtown on occasion, was not consistent enough in the playoffs to constitute being a reliable threat. While some might believe the answer is simply to pick up a free agent this off-season, one might want to consider not only the quality of what will be available at that position but the room the Bulls are going to have to operate with. So unless the team could find another franchise desperate enough to take, say, Carlos Boozer's salary off Chicago's books, those options sound rather limited.
But it's hardly doom-and-gloom. Luol Deng had arguably the best season he's ever had as a professional, and the only concern with him would be if he can build on what he accomplished this season. Both Taj Gibson and Omer Asik continued to develop nicely and will likely continue to contribute. Additionally, the Bulls could have two additional first round picks over the next two years.
Looking back at the year that was though, this season was still one to savor. Things developed quite quickly for this group, but it was a joy to watch the team once again move into the upper echelon of the league. I've never seen any franchise dominate an era quite like the Bulls did in the 1990s when the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen teams took six titles in eight years, so that's perhaps why I'm not taking the coming up short this year too terribly hard. Fans in other cities have been suffering for far longer.
What was beginning to feel like a storybook season ended a few pages too soon, but for this fan, there's still plenty of reason to be optimistic about what the future volumes will bring.
The complaints and concerns all year long centered around the weakness at shooting guard, and indeed just as so many fans (myself included) started to believe that maybe the team could win it all with Keith Bogans in the starting lineup, sure enough, opponent after opponent clamped down on Rose without much fear of being beaten by whichever other guard was on the floor. Ronnie Brewer's magnificent defense makes him a valuable piece, but he's almost a liability on offense. And Kyle Korver, however deadly from downtown on occasion, was not consistent enough in the playoffs to constitute being a reliable threat. While some might believe the answer is simply to pick up a free agent this off-season, one might want to consider not only the quality of what will be available at that position but the room the Bulls are going to have to operate with. So unless the team could find another franchise desperate enough to take, say, Carlos Boozer's salary off Chicago's books, those options sound rather limited.
But it's hardly doom-and-gloom. Luol Deng had arguably the best season he's ever had as a professional, and the only concern with him would be if he can build on what he accomplished this season. Both Taj Gibson and Omer Asik continued to develop nicely and will likely continue to contribute. Additionally, the Bulls could have two additional first round picks over the next two years.
Looking back at the year that was though, this season was still one to savor. Things developed quite quickly for this group, but it was a joy to watch the team once again move into the upper echelon of the league. I've never seen any franchise dominate an era quite like the Bulls did in the 1990s when the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen teams took six titles in eight years, so that's perhaps why I'm not taking the coming up short this year too terribly hard. Fans in other cities have been suffering for far longer.
What was beginning to feel like a storybook season ended a few pages too soon, but for this fan, there's still plenty of reason to be optimistic about what the future volumes will bring.
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