For the Chicago Bulls, the most important word in the 2015-16 season is "fresh."
As in, a fresh start under new coach Fred Hoiberg, whose offensive mentality will be in stark contrast to the defensive philosophy stressed by former coach Tom Thibodeau. Or as in keeping their key players fresh throughout the season, as Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah dealt with injuries during the regular season and the injury bug bit Pau Gasol in the playoffs.
So much in Chicago, of course, depends on the health of Rose. He played 51 games a season ago, scoring 17.7 points and averaging 4.9 assists per game. By the postseason he had hit his stride, however, averaging 20.3 points and 6.5 assists per game.
With him healthy, the Bulls are a championship contender. If he is injured again, however, the Bulls are nothing more than a decent enough squad to make the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference but not a contender against the league's top teams.
That was reflected in the team's championship odds, as the team was given 20-1 odds to win the title at Odds Shark, the seventh-best odds in the NBA.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Timothy Rapp
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August 12th, 2015 by Timothy Rapp Leave a reply »
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