The Bulls went looking for a little depth at point guard in the first round, and they got exactly that with 6’2″ guard Norris Cole out of Cleveland State.  Though the Bulls obviously have their guy at point guard in league MVP Derrick Rose, Cole could be a very nice fit for the team and a solid pick at number 28.  Cole is touted as a good shooter with strong range but also a talented passer with good court IQ.  The Bulls could very well use Cole to run a second unit, and it looks like he has the maturity and basketball IQ to do exactly that.

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Now with the NBA season completely over, and the Dallas Mavericks stunning the Miami Heat and their fans, it’s a good time to take a look back and see how the Chicago Bulls fit in for next season.  Though some might want to make major changes to the roster after they were beat soundly by the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, there’s no getting around the fact that the Bulls make major strides in 2010-2011.  Despite some significant injuries, the Bulls put together one of the best defensive units in the league and were able to take a big stride after losing in the first round the previous season.  Moving forward, it doesn’t seem that the Bulls have all that much to fix.

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Though it looked for a couple of weeks like the Miami Heat were poised to win a championship, the Big Three ended up no match for the Dallas Mavericks down the stretch in the NBA Finals.  Down 3-2, the Heat put up a substantial fight but couldn’t hold it together in the second half in Game 6 once Dirk Nowitzki finally got it going.  In the early going, it was Jason Terry and J.J. Barea who carried the Mavs while Dirk struggled to find his stroke.  Terry was hitting three-pointers and jump shots from very early on while Barea continue to put a significant amount of pressure on the Heat, eventually breaking the Heat spacing and opening up an elite defense.  Once Dirk heated up, the series was over.

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People can say what they want about the Miami Heat, that they’re simply a superstar-laden team with a bunch of spoiled players that turned the league upside down by forming a conglomerate.  But more than anything else, what is making the Heat win right now has nothing to do with the hoopla.  Instead, it’s their unbelievable versatility and defensive intensity, which they showed clearly in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  After the Dallas Mavericks stayed right with the Heat for much of the game, LeBron and Wade ratcheted up their defensive games and ultimately put Dallas away.  As Bulls fans should know, putting together strong fourth quarters is nothing new for the current Eastern Conference champion Heat.

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Everyone knows that Derrick Rose is a special player, one who certainly was a solid choice for the league MVP this year, even if LeBron James had a compelling case as well.  But while Rose dazzled MVP voters with spectacular plays and clutch moments throughout the regular season, the playoffs showed that he’s still a young player who needs to continue to refine his game.  One of the best dual threats in the game, Rose had difficulty facilitating at various parts of the Heat series and was able to be severely slowed down by James in crucial moments.  Ultimately, LeBron and the Heat get to go on to take on Dallas in the Finals while the Bulls get to regroup, get some rest in the offseason and then figure out what to do from there.

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Though the Chicago Bulls came into the playoffs with the best record in the regular season and title aspirations, those aspirations will come to an end tonight if they can’t find a way to rally around their home crowd and get a win against the Miami Heat.  The Bulls have been frustrated on offense by a committed, energetic and very fundamentally sound Heat defense over the last few games, which has led the Heat to winning three straight and taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.  Derrick Rose in particular has to play more efficient, as the league’s MVP has had a major problem making jump shots and has really not been able to get his team going offensively.  For the Bulls to win, Rose needs to find his shot on the floor but also needs to limit his turnovers while getting his teammates involved.

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Though the Bulls came very close to knotting the series, the Miami Heat pulled it together in the fourth quarter and in overtime, helping them grab the win and a 3-1 series lead.  While the Bulls did a great job shutting down Dwyane Wade for much of the game, D. Wade took over in OT and carried Miami to the win and a full command of the series as it shifts back to Chicago.  But while Wade was there in the end, it was LeBron James who once again was the star, as the former two-time MVP poured in 35 points, swatted three shots and ripped two steals.  LeBron also has had a highlight-reel block on Derrick Rose in the first half.

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The Bulls’ margin for error is now very small, as the top seed in the entire NBA playoffs face a 3-1 deficit if they can’t find a way to pull out a tough win against the Heat in Miami tonight.  Though the Bulls looked very strong in a Game 1 win, the Heat have made some big adjustments and received major contributions from both Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem down low, helping give Miami a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4.  One positive sign is that Carlos Boozer sprang to life in Game 3, though the rest of the Bulls offense really struggled to find good looks and ultimately was shut down by the Miami defense.

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Though the Bulls got a huge night from Carlos Boozer yesterday, they simply couldn’t slow down Chris Bosh and the Heat ended up taking Game 3, giving them their first series lead.  The Bulls now will need to recover quickly and find a way to win Game 4 or they’ll be in big trouble moving forward in the series.  In Game 3, the Bulls struggled to find room in the Heat defense and couldn’t find offense outside of Boozer and Rose.  Even with 26 points and 17 rebounds from Boozer, Derrick Rose couldn’t get the rest of the team going and he ended up with just five assists.  Joakim Noah actually had a strong passing game, helping the Bulls stay close, but in the end the Heat were too strong.

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The Bulls have gotten pretty far with their formula of a dominant superstar, Derrick Rose, and a couple timely scorers.  Now, with the Heat evening the series at a game apiece, it looks like the Bulls need to find some more offense or they’ll be in jeopardy of getting knocked out before reaching the NBA Finals.  In Game 2, the Heat turned Rose into a volume shooter, which is one of the ways that the Bulls’ offense can get severely limited.  In order for the Bulls to get back on track, they’ll need more from Carlos Boozer, who hasn’t looked particularly healthy in the postseason, even when he’s shown flashes of his former self.  If the Bulls want to win the series, they’ll have to get some more consistent post scoring from Boozer or they’ll have a very tough time competing with the energetic Heat defense.

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