Survey Says
Today’s reminder that the Bulls have an uphill climb to the title, courtesy of an NBA.com survey of all 30 general managers (or the assistants deputized to fill out the survey on their behalf):
Which team will win the Eastern Conference?
1. Miami — 96.3%
2. Chicago — 3.7%
Well, you can’t say they sugarcoated it. Miami, which wasn’t allowed to vote for itself, was the only team that didn’t pick the Heat to repeat as Eastern Conference champs — and I suppose the reigning victors are due the spoils.
Elsewhere in the poll is better news for the Bulls. They’ve got:
- the best defense (66.7%) and Tom Thibodeau has the best defensive schemes (61.5%)
- the fourth-best home-court advantage (Oklahoma City, Utah, Denver)
- a lock on the Central Division (picked unanimously except for the not-voting-for-yourself rule)
Derrick Rose, as you might expect, appears more than a few times:
- Best point guard
- Fastest with the ball
- 2nd for most dangerous in the open floor (LeBron James)
- 3rd for player you’d pick to start a franchise (LeBron, Kevin Durant)
- 3rd for best finisher (LeBron, Dwyane Wade, tied with Blake Griffin)
- 5th for player who forces you to make adjustments (Dwight Howard, Durant, LeBron, Dirk Nowitzki)
- Also receiving votes for best leader (Paul), most athletic (LeBron), best at getting his own shot (Kobe Bryant)
No other Bulls won individual awards, but seven received votes in various categories:
- Richard Hamilton in moving without the ball (2nd to Ray Allen) and most underrated acquisition (Brandon Bass)
- Kyle Korver, also, for moving without the ball
- Luol Deng for best perimeter defender (Tony Allen)
- Omer Asik for breakout international player (Ricky Rubio)
- Joakim Noah for player who does the most with the least (Kevin Love)
- Ron Adams for best assistant coach (Mike Malone)
- Tom Thibodeau for best coach (Gregg Popovich), best in-game adjustments (Pop) and best offense (George Karl)
Oh, and all the MVP votes went to LeBron and Durant. We shall see.
