2012 CB Draft Chicago BullsCoach: Pat Riley
Assistant: Lawrence Frank
ROSTER:
Guards: Dwyane Wade, Jrue Holiday, Jarret Jack, Jeremy Lamb, Alexey Shved
Forwards: Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Thad Young, Chandler Parsons, Jimmy Butler
Centers: Tiago Splitter, Brendan Haywood, Nikola Vucevic
Theory: Acquire a superstar who can carry the team when they need it, and surround him with at least two other multi-tool players who complement the superstar's game well. Round out roster with versatile athletic players whose skill-sets complement the stars.
"The Big Three":
After I picked up Dwyane Wade, I knew that I needed to make another move. I was hoping for one of KG, Tim Duncan, or Bosh at 1.18, but after KG went in the top 10, I decided I liked a lot of the talent left and moved back into the second round, while also moving up in the third and fifth rounds. I traded back again when it became apparent that I would still be able to get Duncan or Bosh, but I selected Duncan to go next to Wade.
After that I began to build my team, switched out Duncan for Bosh, and then was able to trade Pekovic and Dudley for Pierce.
The three players fit very well together. Pierce and Wade are both good passers for their positions, and either one can create his own shot. Pierce I was especially interested in because beyond being a very versatile and durable player, he's also a very efficient spot up shooter. He had a rough go of it before the ALl-star break but by his own admission he came in unprepared because of the lockout (so did KG and many other guys). By the end of the all-star break he was playing better.
Bosh I had interest in because he's not only an elite power forward, but an elite offensive center. His last season as the primary option at center, he averaged 24 points and 11 assists for Toronto, while still shooting 52% from the floor. His offensive range with his jumper and his ability to put the ball on the floor make him both ideal in high-post and ideal as a pick and roll partner for either Wade or Pierce.
The rest of my rotation: I filled out with players I thought complimented my stars and filled any holes they might have in their respective games.
Chris Bosh is often thought of as 'soft' as a frontcourt player, a guy who doesn't seem to have a high-regard for contact, so I went out and got two physical centers who aren't scared to deliver hard fouls, and have both proven to be very effective next to dynamic players in Tiago Splitter and Haywood. Tiago Splitter is more offensively oriented, one of the best pick and roll partners in the league, while Haywood is more defensively oriented, and despite his low-profile and reputation, he was one of the best defensive centers in the NBA last year.
Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce are both high-usage ball-dominant players, as well as Chris Bosh, so rather than get a ball-dominant PG, I went out and got a set of guards who were used to playing without the ball in his hands too often, and were an elite defenders in Jrue Holiday and Jarret Jack.
I picked up Thad Young as my high-energy substitution for the front court because his own deadly change of pace transition-oriented game has proven to be very effective in the role for Philadelphia, and because of Bosh's talent with spacing the floor, as well as Vucevic's, I wasn't worried about Young's possible repercussions as a poor jumpshooter.
For my main SF backup, I selected a guy I really came to like this year because of his toughness and maturity. Chandler Parsons is 6'9 and as a rookie managed to push established starter Chase Budinger to the pine. Parsons isn't an elite scorer, and while he got better after the all-star break he isn't an elite 3pt shooter (37%) but he has the size to shoot over and finish over most small forwards, and has a very effective mid-range shot, making 42% of his long 2's. While I wouldn't feel great about him as a full-time starter, I think his upside next season is on par or above other much more highly regarded players who will man the spot, like Jeff Green, Tayshaun Prince, or Caron Butler. He also has the size to put in time as a stretch-4 against second units while Bosh and Thad Young are sitting.
To round out my bigs rotation, I took a chance on Nikola Vucevic. He's a solid 7-fter with an emerging jumpshot who played very well next to Thaddeus Young during his rookie campaign, and who I expect to continue to improve next season.
To round out the rest of my rotation, I picked up a series of guys I think will be able to help right away, despite two of them being rookies. Jimmy Butler I have especially high hopes for, as I think he is poised to take a huge step forward next season into a starting caliber player.
If you don't believe me, read this, and then realize that Jimmy Butler just got done averaging 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists in the Summer League, and was named All-League. On top of that, he's maybe the one lone bright spot all Bulls fans can agree should be some bright news next season with Rose out, and Luol Deng opting to have wrist surgery.
The other two guards are very different. I picked up Jeremy Lamb as a traditional proven scoring 2 prospect, basically a prototype for what the position currently is, but I don't expect him to play much even in the event of a Wade injury. Alexey Shved though I think is going to turn heads. He's been playing extremely well in the Olympics for Russia, he's a sharpshooter, and he's a deadly pick and roll player, feeling equally good about scoring or distributing once he gets the pick set he wants. He'll be a small part of the rotation from day 1, but if Wade goes down with injury, for a few games here or there, I expect Jimmy Butler and Shved to pickup most of the slack at the 2.
Offensive Theory, and Stuff:
My entire offense is predicated on the pick and roll. Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce are two extremely gifted ball handlers, and Chris Bosh, Tiago Splitter, and Thad Young are all extremely gifted counterparts to a pick and roll attack. On the bench, I took Jarret Jack (rated at the 19th best pick and roll ball handler in the NBA) and Alexey Shved, both guys who can handle the rock in the P&R, or are content to be spot up shooters. A series of isolated 2-man games with great finishers and good shooters keeping the defense honest.
I also built a team that I thought could be deadly in transition, but I'll talk about that more coming up.
Defensive Theory/Etc: Holiday, Wade, Pierce, and Bosh are all established two-way players who are plus defenders.
(waiting)
Shut up. I know what you think about Bosh. I know you've been inundated with comments about how 'soft' he is. Shut it. I get it. Just let me talk. Shut...shut...ouch. That one hurt. Okay. You done?
Chris Bosh is an elite defender because of his feel for the game, his athleticism, and his reach. He's not a traditional 'tough guy', but since he's been in Miami, he's been allowed to play a more balanced game (as opposed to being focused mostly on offense, like in Toronto), and has even toughened up. Bosh will never be Kevin Garnett, but he's not the guy you think he is, and you can't find numbers, and i doubt you can find much written during Miami's season this year or their post-season run to back up Bosh as 'Ru-Paul'.
He just had the unfortunate distinction of playing for a terrible team that never helped him out on the defensive end. Its a pretty common thing in the NBA, Ray Allen did it, Paul Pierce did it during the 'dark years'.
Outside the big 3, Brendan Haywood is still a top-5 defensive center (with Bogut and Howard out), and Jarret Jack is a plus defender at the 2, and average at the 1.
Okay, I'm sick of doing this now. My expectations are that I'll have the 2nd or 3rd seed in the conference, and I'll be a champion in the playoffs.
Topic: 2012 CB Draft Central Division Press Conferences (Read 68810 times)