The most intriguing team in the NBA this season is unquestionably the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And the secocnd-most intriguing team in the NBA this season may be the Chicago Bulls.
This summer, the Cavaliers remade themselves from a laughingstock to a legitimate contender with the additions of LeBron James and Kevin Love. Meanwhile, the Bulls are hoping the return of Derrick Rose and the addition of Pau Gasol puts them in the championship chase as well.
And both teams play in the Central Division, which should create some juicy storylines through the season.
In this edition of the Three-Man Weave, we take a look at a couple of questions facing the Cavaliers and Bulls, who may be on a postseason collision course.
1. Right now, Kyrie Irving is a better point guard than Derrick Rose. Agree or disagree?
CHRIS SHERIDAN, PUBLISHER: Agree. Look, in the past six weeks, Irving went from being Rose’s backup on Team USA to the starter and the MVP of the World Cup. Rose is still trying to get his legs and mojo back, and it really doesn’t matter if that process takes several months. If he is where he needs to be in April, the Bulls will be happy. Irving himself has to go through a major readjustment now because he will be playing with LeBron James, who dominates the ball the way Irving is accustomed to dominating the ball. So there is a learning curve ahead for both of them.
CHRIS BERNUCCA, MANAGING EDITOR: The play of Irving and Rose in the World Cup merely affirmed what I already believed: At this point, Rose isn’t even the same class as Irving because of how little he has played in the last two years. Making it through the World Cup certainly was a big plus for Rose, but he not only has to show he can handle the relentless NBA schedule but also recapture a good portion of his previous form. Irving still has some work to do to be mentioned with the game’s best point guards but clearly is moving in the right direction and much better than Rose right now.
A.J. MITNICK, COLUMNIST: Agree. If you are talking about right now, there is absolutely no question. Irving still has not reached the level that Rose achieved in his MVP season before injuries began plaguing his career, but he has proven to be in the upper echelon of point guards. It would be surprising to see Rose return fully to his dominant self, and I think its fair to say Kyrie has supplanted him.
2. Cavaliers coach David Blatt will have no trouble adjusting to the NBA. Agree or disagree?
SHERIDAN: Blatt is the master of winning one game, because that is how Euroleague playoffs and international tournaments work. You play an opponent one time, and it is win or go home. How will he adjust in the playoffs when it is best-of-seven? What worked in Game 1 may not work in Game 2, much less Game 7. Also, he has a major ego to manage in coaching LeBron James, who tends to consider himself the alpha dog no matter who are his teammates and who is his coach. Blatt is a very domineering coach, so that bears watching.
BERNUCCA: Disagree. Wildly successful college coaches historically have had trouble in the NBA. Many ready-made long-time NBA assistants have had trouble sliding over to the next chair. So Blatt will have some trouble. But does it occur to anybody that LeBron James has been entirely willing to accept anyone as his coach? He moved to Miami even though the relatively inexperienced Erik Spoelstra was in place and returned to Cleveland even though Blatt already had been hired. Maybe James believes he can hold more sway over an inexperienced coach. Or maybe his self-confidence allows him to work within anyone’s schemes. But one thing is for sure: The presence of James will make Blatt’s transition less troublesome.
MITNICK: Blatt will likely have a big adjustment this season, only it will be hard to notice it from the outside. With Kevin Love now in the fold, Blatt will be able to play small ball lineups with outside shooters like he did with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and it will be interesting to see if he plays a similar style to what he used in Maccabi’s miraculous 2013-14 season. With the talent the Cavs have surrounding James, they can win 55 games with my grandmother as the coach. This gives Blatt a great opportunity to adjust to the NBA without being in the hot seat from the beginning.
3. The Eastern Conference finals will be the Chicago Bulls vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Agree or disagree?
SHERIDAN: Agree. I like the Wizards, and I like the Raptors, but Chicago and Cleveland have assembled a pair of powerhouses that should both win 60 games barring injuries. This is much like a year ago, when it was a virtual certainty that the Pacers and Heat would meet again in the conference finals. There will be a lot of good teams in the East, but only two great ones.
BERNUCCA: Agree on the Cavaliers. There would have to be an unmitigated disaster for the team with arguably the best three-headed monster in the NBA not to reach the Final Four, especially in the weaker East. The Bulls appear to have enough to join them, but here’s what I remember from Chicago’s previous playoff runs with Rose: Opponents load up on him and force him to be a passer, but his stubborn belief in his ability to finish in traffic leads to contested hero shots. It is more than possible that in a big spot against a Toronto or Washington, one of those shots doesn’t drop, costs the Bulls home court advantage and ultimately the series.
MITNICK: Disagree. The Bulls look fantastic on paper, but there are a few factors that bode well in favor of the Washington Wizards. John Wall and Bradley Beal are coming for blood this season after being snubbed by Team USA, and both could take their game to the next level. The addition of Paul Pierce gives them one more shot creator, and one of the better competitors of the last decade. Chicago will be a lock if Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah have healthy seasons and Pau Gasol’s play resembles what he showed at the World Cup. However, that is two too many ifs for Chicago to be overconfident.
BullySixChicago says
Opinions opinions opinions everybody has one about Rose play and his status as a point guard. The only thing that everyone is correct about will he stay healthy. People are talking about his years of not playing as if he cant become the player he was before the injury, why that is a question I don’t know. We have pitchers who have the Tommy John surgery and comeback better, we have athletes in other sports who miss a great amount of time and come back as play as well as they did before. When you can play you can play. When you get the minutes in competition his ability will come forth.
a lot of speculation about Rose but I guess outside of Bron everything he does on the court is up for debate. I know if he plays the way these writers think the oiling on will reach higher that sky but Rose plays like the Rose ability shows will we have apologies?
Collin J says
Personally, I don’t think DRose will play for the entire season before going down to injury again. Even if does manage to play the full season, I just don’t think this kid is that good at this point, and probably never will be what he once was (I agree with Chris regarding Rose when he was healthy and at the top of his game). Chicago’s front office should have made allowances for DRose and signed an above average point guard during the off season. Of course they did not. Unfortunately, I just don’t think this works out for them because of that failure.