Chicago Bulls: Can’t Afford to Eliminate Focus on Defense

If the Chicago Bulls decide to stray away from the defensive identity that has defined this team for the last five seasons, it will prove to be a horrible mistake.

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The Bulls face an identity crossroads heading into the 2015 offseason, with new head coach Fred Hoiberg likely to impose a system heavily focused on offense. The Bulls need to find a happy medium that focuses on maintaining their defensive identity, while improving offensively.

In his introductory press conference 11 day ago, Hoiberg was extremely vague when he was questioned on how he was planning a defensive scheme, and said he would leave it to his assistants to run the defense.

During his time at Iowa State, the Cyclones never ranked higher than 104th in defensive efficiency. In terms of opponent points per game, the Cyclones never ranked higher than 167th in the NCAA during Hoiberg’s tenure as head coach.

During the 2014-15 season, the Cyclones ranked 51st in opponent field goal percentage, which was a program record under Hoiberg. It goes without saying that Hoiberg’s coaching priorities are disproportionately focused on the offensive end.

However, the Bulls can’t afford to sell out offensively at the expense of their defense because this strategy doesn’t have a proven track record of success and a 360-degree culture change could be counterproductive.

For starters, selling out offensively at the expense of their defense doesn’t have a proven track record of success among NBA champions in the last 13 years.

According to Sporting Charts, from 2002-2012, nine out of the ten NBA Champions were in the top ten in defensive efficiency during the regular season. Eight of the ten were in the top five in this category.

Jun 2, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg speaks during a press conference at Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The three most recent finals have yielded similar results. During their title run in 2012-13, the Miami Heat won their second straight title after finishing seventh in the league in defensive efficiency during the regular season.

The following season, the San Antonio Spurs were ranked fourth in defensive efficiency during the regular season, and used their stellar defense to propel themselves to a title.

This season, the Golden State Warriors made the Finals after finishing tops in defensive efficiency during the regular season. Contrary to the trend that is being discussed, the Cavaliers were ranked 20th in defensive efficiency.

The key is balance. However, defensive efficiency may be more important than offensive efficiency at least as of late. From 2002-2012, only six out of the ten NBA champions were top ten in offensive efficiency (compare this to defensive efficiency, where nine out of ten teams were top 10 in this category during the regular season).

The last two NBA champions have been defined by balance in both categories. San Antonio was ranked forth defensively and sixth offensively when they won the championship last season. Miami was seventh defensively and first offensively two years ago.

According to ESPN insider John Hollinger, the Bulls were ranked 10th in offensive efficiency during the 2014-15 season. The Bulls actually ranked lower in defensive efficiency (11th in the NBA) than offensive efficiency during this past season.

The key for the Bulls is to improve in both facets of their game because championship level teams in the last 13 years have consistently been elite in both defensive and offensive efficiency. Even if the Bulls are tops in offensive efficiency next season, history shows that this may not be enough to win a championship unless the defense is on par with the offense.

In addition, selling out offensively at the expense of their defense may be unwise because the existing group of players is wired towards playing elite-level defense.

Many of the veterans on this team — Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler — have been wired to focus on playing elite-level defense throughout the entirety of their careers. A complete overhaul of the previous system could provide a culture shock that many of these veteran players may not be able to recover from.

May 14, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) prepares to shoot the ball as Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and forward Pau Gasol (16) defend during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

In the last five seasons, this group of players have garnered a reputation as one of the NBA’s stoutest defenses. In four out of the past five years, the Bulls have been top five in the NBA in defensive efficiency. With the exception of last season, this Bulls team hasn’t fallen from the top three in the league in opponent points per game average in the last five years.

Hoiberg enters a potentially precarious situation with his new team because many of the players that he now coaches are more accomplished than he is. NBA analyst Kendall Gill explained how this situation may breed a lack of respect.

"“I don’t know really what’s going to happen with Fred Hoiberg. However, in my experience as an NBA player, if you’re going to bring in a guy, you need to bring in a guy who is going to be respected. You got Derrick Rose former MVP, Joakim Noah All-Star, Jimmy Butler All-Star, Pau Gasol Champion and All-Star. You have to bring in somebody that they will respect. I don’t know whether Fred Hoiberg carries the weight.”"

The best way for Hoiberg to prevent this situation from occurring is to adapt his system to accommodate for the strengths of his players rather than force his players to unnaturally change their games to fit his system. This strategy involves maintaining a defensive identity while mixing in a more efficient offensive system which is entirely possible.

Hoiberg’s ability to retain a defensive identity parallels what should be the Bulls grand strategy of keeping together the core of this team. If the Bulls front office decides to replace players like Gibson and Noah with other guys that more closely fit Hoiberg’s agenda offensively, that defensive identity will be lost.

A Chicago Bulls team without a defensive identity can’t win a championship. History shows it.

Next: Hoiberg's smart to want Spurs assistant Boylen

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