Fred
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- Mar 29, 2009
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"The Bulls ranked eighth in scoring last season but really only guarded the three-point shot well, finishing fourth in opponents' three-point percentage. They allowed 102.5 points per game, 21st in the league, and ranked 14th in opponents' field-goal percentage, at .458. Deng and Hinrich remain from the Bulls teams that almost led the league in opponents' field-goal percentage three straight seasons from 2004-07, doing so the first two." - KC Johnson, Chicago Tribune.com
I was kind of shocked to see that the Bulls guarded the 3-point line so well last year since more often than not, the guards and small forwards are responsible for closing out on 3-point attempts. (Obviously, most power forwards and centers don't shoot 3's). It's all the more surprising when you consider that Kirk Hinrich, one of the best defenders in the history of basketball, missed almost 40% of the season.
This fact hammers home the point that in order for the Bulls to take that next step defensively, it needs to come from Thomas & Noah improving. Miller was an underrated addition. Part of the reason we were on a 50-win pace after the trade was because of his fantastic defensive interior fundamentals. If Thomas and Noah continue to improve, as they did at the end of last year, we'll win more than we did last year. If not, we're in for a season similar to 07-08.
I was kind of shocked to see that the Bulls guarded the 3-point line so well last year since more often than not, the guards and small forwards are responsible for closing out on 3-point attempts. (Obviously, most power forwards and centers don't shoot 3's). It's all the more surprising when you consider that Kirk Hinrich, one of the best defenders in the history of basketball, missed almost 40% of the season.
This fact hammers home the point that in order for the Bulls to take that next step defensively, it needs to come from Thomas & Noah improving. Miller was an underrated addition. Part of the reason we were on a 50-win pace after the trade was because of his fantastic defensive interior fundamentals. If Thomas and Noah continue to improve, as they did at the end of last year, we'll win more than we did last year. If not, we're in for a season similar to 07-08.