- “Fix It” is a series that shows how each NBA team has the potential to improve, focusing on how team success can be built over the long-term instead of simply year over year. The ultimate goal is to create a team capable of winning consistently for a decade. 

#thereturn didn’t turn out exactly how Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls envisioned it, and they’re facing another season without their former MVP. Coached by one of the best defensive minds in the NBA, Tom Thibodeau, this Bulls team has to reestablish the dominant defensive presence that led them to the second round of the playoffs last season without Rose. This roster is full of veterans. Even without their star, they are still capable of making the playoffs, and possibly even getting out of the first round again.

The Good: The Bulls have the best defensive coach in the NBA, elite defenders at four positions, and a defensive system that always puts them at the top of the table in terms of points per possession. The Bulls have also collected a number of useable assets. They own Charlotte’s first round draft pick this season (top-10 protected); one of the best centers in the Eastern Conference in Joakim Noah; two fringe All-Stars on expiring contracts, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer; and Jimmy Butler i.e. the next Kwahi Leonard. With these assets, the Bulls control their own destiny. They can push toward the playoffs by trading for a starting point guard while waiting for Rose to return, they can trade some older assets for draft picks and young guys with potential, or they can decide they no longer want to build around Rose and hit the reset button by trading everyone but Noah and Butler. While these are not the best options, the Bulls should feel lucky they have so many.

The Bad: Who scores on this team? Without Rose to penetrate and kick, this team has no one who can create his own shot off the dribble. This team is going to need Butler to become much more assertive on offense, something that does not come naturally to him. While I do think Butler has potential to be a solid scorer in the NBA, asking him to be your third scoring option behind Boozer and Deng is a tall task. They still have weapons and a chance to be very good, but without someone to penetrate, the most likely scenario for this team is a first round exit out of the playoffs, a far cry from the championship aspirations they had only a few weeks ago.

The Fix: In order for this team to have success, they’re going to need to find someone who is capable of penetrating in the lane and creating his own shot. Internal candidates, Marquis Teague and Kirk Hinrich do not appear to be the solution. Teague is very inexperienced, and Hinrich is over-experienced (old). Instead of going after Nate Robinson (last year’s Rose-Replacement), who is unlikely to be traded this early in his contract; this team would be smart to shop Deng and his expiring contract to Phoenix in exchange for the multi-year contracts of Goran Dragic and Channing Frye. Dragic would be the ball handler they so desperately need and Frye could come off the bench with Taj Gibson to form a devastating bench duo.