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So the Bulls didn’t get LeBron. The much younger Big Three in Miami poises a big problem in the East for the Bulls, but at the very least the Bulls should be fun next season; definitely more enjoyable to watch than last season. It all becomes better if the Bulls manage to find some value with another piece or two, specifically a shooter. (Please be Anthony Morrow).
(Disclaimer: I wrote this before LeBron decided to choo choo choose the Heat, but I thought this older article I recently came across had some interesting nuggets in it. Also, pretty good breakdown of the pick-and-roll in the league today and how to defend it. End of disclaimer.)
Until a shooter comes though, the Bulls will have the pick-and-roll. With Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer, the pick-and-roll will make the Bulls better, as well as more entertaining.
First of all, Boozer can run it. NBA fans have seen him do it with Deron Williams; Rose is comparable enough to think the play will be similarly successful in Chicago.
Some forwards just have the skills to do it. Others ... well, they look like Joakim Noah -- setting poor screens and an ugly shot. Not a good combo.
But know this: While Boozer has the skills to run the pick-and-roll, he isn’t very well-practiced at the play. At least recently he isn't.
Kind of surprising, considering he played for the Jazz -- one of the all-time pick-and-roll teams. But according to this November 2009 New York Times article and Synergy analysis, the Jazz and the Lakers used the play less than any team in the NBA in two seasons ago. Only 11 percent of their plays originated with the pick-and-roll.
According to Deron Williams:
“Everybody just associates pick-and-rolls with us because of John and Karl. They ran it out a lot, but similar to us. We run it toward the end of the game when we need baskets, but we try to execute our offense first.”
Sloan says the Jazz don’t want the rest of the team standing and watching. Something much easier to do playing a two-man game.
With the lineup the way it is now, a two-man game isn’t the worst thing in the world. No one else on the current roster is particularly intriguing with the ball consistently in his hand.
If/when they add a shooter or two -- come on Morrow -- more creative offensive sets would be welcomed. Real offensive plays: another reason to expect next season to be much more entertaining than the last one.
Erick is a contributor to i94 Sports. You can find his daily thoughts at his site Outside the Clubhouse, and on Twitter at @OTCChicago23.
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