At times last season the Chicago Bulls were guilty of leaning on MVP point guard Derrick Rose too much to help them pull out wins in close games. If the way they closed out Friday night's 97-83 victory over Orlando is any indication, coach Tom Thibodeau's team is well on the way to fixing that problem.
I think this is the biggest positive to come out of the season so far. Rose's numbers are down across the board, except for assists. Yet we're winning in a more convincing manner, and our top 9 players all have a PER over 15.
The rosters' individual numbers are going to be all over the place this season. This team is better than it was last year, and the addition of Hamilton provides a substantial new weapon. Like, Noah's numbers have been pretty subpar up 'till now. But I like the way he's played with a physical presence. There are not enough shots on this team for everyone to get their usual numbers.
Rose 20. Boozer 14. Deng 14. Rip 15 Noah 8 Taj 6 Watson 6 Brewer 6 Asik 3 = 92 Bulls average 81.5/game. Their pace is 23rd in the league. A faster pace is not only more fun to watch, but would likely make our games look like the Magic or Clippers games. Both were 13+ point victories. These FGA/game are consistent with the players' career attempts (typical attempts in a good season for the player)