Chicago Bulls Off-Season Grades: Center
The Bulls made some moves this summer at almost every position. Even the positions that went untouched will see a different minutes distribution and more playing. Since the Bulls have essentially completed their roster, barring any unforeseen camp invites, it is time to hand out grades.
Unless you’ve never been to Pippen Ain’t Easy before, you should be aware that we already covered point and shooting guards, small and power forwards, and today we finish everything up with the center position.
Center Grade: B-
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The 2015-16 Chicago Bulls had no shortage of capable centers. Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah spent a lot of time on the floor, when healthy. Ultimately, Gasol declined his player option, electing to sign a more lucrative contract with the San Antonio Spurs and Noah left in free agency, choosing the New York Knicks and former Bulls teammate Derrick Rose.
The combination of Gasol or Noah was impressive in theory, though maybe not exactly what anyone had in mind when it came to practice of that theory. Often, if those two players were getting their minutes, it meant that the power forwards Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis were sacrificing some of their playing time and Nikola Mirotic was pushed all the way out of position frequently.
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While the impact at power forward and small forward was a trickle down from the Gasol and Noah situation, Cristiano Felicio and Cameron Bairstow were buried. After Noah’s season ended prematurely, there was daylight for Felicio and Portis, who both impressed at this year’s Las Vegas Summer League.
Noah probably still has a couple of decent seasons ahead of him, though it will be hard to say with all the miles he has put on his body and the long list of injuries he racked up in Chicago. Still, his price tag of roughly $19 million was too rich for the Bulls, who never really had a chance of re-signing him.
You can argue the merit of flipping Rose with a year left on his contract, though it is done so time to move on. The good news is that the Bulls let two players well past their prime, Noah and Gasol, walk. The better news is that the player they acquired to replace those starter minutes is younger, healthier and on a cheaper contract than what Noah, $18 million per year for four years, or Gasol, $15 million per year for two years, are getting from their new teams.
Did I mention that Lopez is younger, healthier and generally better at basketball than those two? Yes, I did. And it is true. Nylon Calculus and their famed rim protection numbers bear out the truth that Lopez is a better defender at the rim than Gasol or Noah at this point in their respective careers.
It isn’t perfect in Chicago and Lopez isn’t a game-changer. Few of those exist at the center position and even if the Bulls could entertain any of those options, they would be paying far, far more than what Lopez will earn over the next few season. If it doesn’t work out, both his skill and contract make him an easily tradeable asset and there’s always Felicio.