If things play out in reality as they do on paper, the Eastern Conference will be a two horse race between the Cleveland Cavaliers and YOUR Chicago Bulls.
This was a truly eventful summer that was filled with fantasies of a Chicago starting five that would have been the best since the Michael Jordan Era. However, when the Bulls were forced to go with Plan B, they went with Plan BIG, as in bringing in two-time NBA Champion Pau Gasol and former Spanish League MVP Nikola Mirotic, as well as, NCAA Scoring Champ and the Consensus College Player of the Year Doug McDermott. If it is possible, the Chicago Bulls may find that in June, they were better off missing on Carmelo Anthony than if they had gotten him.
As for right now, there is great hope and optimism that these Chicago Bulls are something special.
#CHIvsCLE Skilled Big
WHOA! What once was a marquee match-up in the Western Conference is now a major match-up in the renewed rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.After "winning" the #1 Pick in the NBA Draft Lottery in 3 of the last 4 years, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to package two of those #1 Picks, including coveted 2014 #1 Overall Pick Andrew Wiggins, to acquire Kevin Love to team with Lebron and Kyrie Irving to form a new, younger Big 3 in Cleveland.
Kevin Love was one of the most sought after All-Stars this past summer, despite not yet becoming a free agent. However, he had all but said that he would not resign with the Minnesota Timberwolves when he was going to become a free agent in the summer of 2015. This fueled tons of speculation and trade rumors, including several proposed deals that involved the coveted power forward coming to Chicago.
Minnesota took a page out of the Denver Nuggets playbook and refused to be rushed into a bad deal, and eventually, the Timberwolves were able to land a king's bounty for the potential free agent.
And with the acquisition of Kevin Love, Cleveland was also able to secure a commitment for a long-term contract from the power forward.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls, who didn't have the outward success of the Cavaliers, after Carmelo Anthony chose to rejoin the New York Knicks, added serious depth and a bonafide low post scorer to a scrappy team that over-achieved in 2014.
Pau Gasol, who helped Kobe Bryant win two NBA Championships in Los Angeles, is now a cornerstone of the Chicago Bulls push to win the NBA Championship.
Gasol chose Chicago over other high quality opportunities to join the likes of Oklahoma City and San Antonio in order to position himself to win another NBA Championship.
And in competing in the FIBA World Cup for the host country, Spain, Gasol showed how dominant he can be as the focus of the team. He starred for an NBA player-studded Spanish National Team, averaging 20.0 PPG (4th in World Cup), 5.9 RPG, 2.3 BPG (2nd in World Cup), and shot an eye-popping 63.5% from the field (1st in World Cup). As a result, Gasol was one of five players named as a 2014 FIBA World Cup All-Star
And what was phenomenal for Chicago Bulls fans to see was the fire with which Gasol was playing with, not only playing for his national team, but also appearing rejuvenated after several seasons of drama and irrelevance as the Los Angeles Lakers went from benching him with the acquisition of Dwight Howard to tanking after the injury to Kobe Bryant.
It is clear that the goals of winning an NBA Championship are aligned for Pau Gasol, the Bulls, and the city and fans of Chicago and #BullsNation.
So, BullsNation, who wins this match-up? Tell us who you are voting for in the comments below! And stay tuned to our Facebook Page for results and our next vote!
