The Bulls finished with one of the better home records in the east, with a 27-14 record. But their last place, 3-38, road record was horrendous. So how can a team correct that? Experience. Too many times did leads dwindle away in the 4th quarter on the road. Too many times did small deficits turn into a larger deficit, that ultimetly put the game away. Too many times did scoring droughts occur at the wrong time. And too many times, was inexperience the main reason. Enter Pippen and Gill. Chicago wanted to step up its perimeter defense, add shooting, and add leadership/veteran experience to its mix. Chicago was one the youngest teams last year. Pippen is being brought into Chicago for many reasons. First, he is still one of the leagues better players. True, age has started to show, but he is still one of the better wingmen in the game. And he is a savvy player, who will help out Chicago's poor perimeter defense that it displayed last year. Second, Pippen will install a winning attitude among the younger players. Pippen isn't used to losing, after winning for much of the 90's, and into the new millenium, with the Blazers. Pippen doesn't know how to lose. And he wont stand for losing. That attitude will be transferred to the other, younger players. He also gives Chicago another scoring option. Someone who has played in big games, and comes through in the clutch. Someone to help out Rose. Rose proved last season he cannot carry this team alone. Pippen will help shoulder that burden, until Curry, Crawford, and the rest of the younger players are ready to. So what about Gill? Same scenario. Different level. Gill wont be as good as Pippen overall, but Gills man to man defense is good. He was brought in to provide defense and leadership as well. Gill proved last year he can still play a high level of defense, something Chicago is going to rely upon. Chicago blew too many perimeter assignments last year. Pippen and Gill are expected to fix that. Lastly, Rose has never had a player get into his face after taking a bad shot, since joining Chicago. Thats about to change. Pippen will get in Rose's face after a bad shot. This might seem to cause trouble at first glance, but lets look at it a bit further. Rose has taken bad shots bec. often, he was forced to bec. of the shotclock, or lack of scoring from his teammates. This season, he should have more options. And Pippen, who will be vocal, will make sure Rose knows this, and relies upon his other teammates as well. Too many times Rose came down and jacked up a shot(are you listening as well Jamal?). That will happen less this year. And as a result, our offensive flow will improve, which should net us more points. Sure, Pippen and Gill's stats this season might not be all that impressive. But the one stat that matters, wins, should be. Look for Chicago to improve vastly on its paltry 3 road wins from last season. More experience will mean more steady play down the stretch. And the vets will be able to help the younger players out, almost calming them down. Wins should be the biggest stat noticed between last year and this year. Thats why Gill and Pippen are great additions to this team.
I'm gonna respond . Great post, the whole thing about Rose taking bad shots is true, his decline in shooting percentage shows it, last year in Chicago he shot a disgusting 40.6%, when in previous years he shot around 45% and even up to 47% in some years.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting thefranchise3:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm gonna respond . Great post, the whole thing about Rose taking bad shots is true, his decline in shooting percentage shows it, last year in Chicago he shot a disgusting 40.6%, when in previous years he shot around 45% and even up to 47% in some years.</div> Thanks for responding. His shooting percentage has gone down, but a lot of that IMO is attributed to him having to shoulder too much of the burden on the offensive end. Often, he had to jack up shots bec. of shot clock situations, or no one else was demanding the ball, or even worse, no one else would step up. He had to force some things, which caused the FG% decline. But some of the time, he had other options than shooting.
I don't think Pippen will be used as a scoring option. Pippen is merely there for defense and getting the ball away from rose and into the hands of Curry. then again, look at crawford, he's going to be in the top 5 in assist this year. I'd like to see Rose go away...
very good article. i agree with bball guru, i think pippen will be mostly involved in giving the rock to the younger players, experience, and defense.
To be honest I would be surprised if Pippen even played 50 games this season...that back of his is not improving and correct me if I'm wrong but Pippen is not playing in any pre-season games because of it...Bulls season will depend on Curry getting the ball ALOT...If Rose takes the most shots and doesn't give the ball to Curry and Chandler inside this year Bulls won't make the playoffs..
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sportsrock37:</div><div class="quote_post">very good article. i agree with bball guru, i think pippen will be mostly involved in giving the rock to the younger players, experience, and defense.</div> I think this is being misenterpeted. (sp?) Pippen wont be a high scoring option, but he will be at the end of the game. He can still score, and will be relied upon as part of the offense in critical moments in the game. Either in this post, or the post about averages, I assessed that Pippen will average around 10ppg. Meaning that he wont be a high option, but would rather be looked to when the games on the line.
Great post :thumbsup: I agree 100% on the whole experience thing. The Bulls played, and lost around 7 road games in overtime. They also had a LOT of close games overall. Their new found experience and veteran leadership will put them over the edge this season and the Bulls will begin to win those games, and more. I expect the Bulls to have a half decent road record this season.
