The 2014–15 Chicago Bulls season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and fifth under head coach Tom Thibodeau. In the off-season, the Bulls let Carlos Boozer go and signed Pau Gasol. Chicago had its first 50-win season since the 2011–12 season with a record of 50–32. Seeded number three in the playoffs, the Bulls met the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and defeated them, 4–2. However, Chicago's season ended with a 2–4 loss to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference semifinals.
Offseason Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College or club 1 16 Jusuf Nurkić C Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia) 1 19 Gary Harris SG Michigan State 2 49 Cameron Bairstow PF New Mexico Made roster
The team entered the draft with two first-round selections and one second-round selection. They kept their original selections, while the additional first-round pick from the 2010 Tyrus Thomas trade was conveyed from the Charlotte Hornets when the latter made the 2014 NBA playoffs as the Bobcats, having been deferred in 2012 and 2013 due to poor regular-season finishes.
Roster changes
Player signings
On July 18, the Bulls signed 13-year veteran Pau Gasol and Real Madrid player Nikola Mirotić. Gasol received a three-year, $22 million deal, while Mirotić's contract was reported to be a three-year, $16.6 million deal. Then, on July 21, Kirk Hinrich was re-signed, whose contract was a two-year, $5.5 million deal. The next day, Aaron Brooks signed with the Bulls.
On September 18, the Bulls signed E'Twaun Moore. Nazr Mohammed was re-signed on September 22. The Bulls finalized their training camp roster with the additions of Kim English, Ben Hansbrough, and Solomon Jones on September 26.
Trades On June 26, the Bulls acquired the draft rights to McDermott, the 11th pick in the NBA draft, and Anthony Randolph from the Nuggets, who received the draft rights of Jusuf Nurkić and Gary Harris, as well as a 2015 second-round draft pick. In a trade with the Orlando Magic on July 14, the Bulls gained the draft rights to Milovan Raković, while Randolph, 2015 and 2016 second-round draft picks, and cash considerations were sent to the Magic. On the same day, the Bulls acquired the draft rights to Tadija Dragićević from the Dallas Mavericks, who received Greg Smith.
Player departures
On June 21, Tornike Shengelia, an unrestricted free agent, went overseas, signing with Saski Baskonia. D. J. Augustin signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons on July 15. On the same day, the Bulls waived Lou Amundson, Ronnie Brewer, and Mike James. The Bulls then waived 12-year veteran and two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer on July 17. On July 24, Jimmer Fredette signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Events After having an arthroscopic left knee surgery, Joakim Noah reported that he was "doing well" in rehabilitation on June 27. On August 8, Guy Rodgers, who spent one season with the Bulls, was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Ronald Dupree, who played for the 2003–04 Chicago Bulls, announced his retirement on September 8. Additionally, Caldwell Jones, who played for the 1984–85 Chicago Bulls, died on September 21.
It was announced on July 22 that Jimmy Butler and McDermott would play on the 2014 U.S. Select Team. The Bulls' team captain Derrick Rose participated in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup representing the United States men's national basketball team; head coach Tom Thibodeau was also part of the team as an assistant coach.
Gasol, another Bulls' player, played for the Spain national basketball team in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Bairstow also played in the World Cup, competing for the Australia national basketball team. On September 14, Gasol was named to the All-Tournament Team.
On August 11, the Bulls released the 2014–15 preseason schedule for the team. Chicago's 2014–15 regular season schedule was released on August 13. On September 12, the Bulls opened a new training facility called the Advocate Center next to the United Center, replacing the Berto Center in Deerfield, Illinois.
Noah threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game on September 11. The White Sox dubbed their September 13 game vs. the Minnesota Twins as "Bulls Night", welcoming Bulls fans to the ballpark. On September 17, Noah also threw out the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game.
On September 23, Rose donated $1 million to After School Matters, a non-profit organization based in Chicago. The Bulls began selling tickets to the public on September 26. On September 28, Brooks threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a White Sox game against the Kansas City Royals.
Broadcasting
On September 11, the 2014–15 television schedule was released. CSN Chicago was selected to broadcast a total of 42 regular-season games and six preseason games. WGN-TV was to televise 22 regular-season games and the remaining two preseason games. Furthermore, WPWR-TV, a station that will replace WCIU-TV for broadcasting rights, will broadcast six regular season games. Throughout the Bulls' regular season, 30 games were selected to be nationally televised. The 30 games were split between ESPN (10), TNT (10), ABC (5), and NBA TV (5). WGN America, WGN-TV's superstation feed, announced it would discontinue its national simulcasts of Bulls games in December 2014 as part of a gradual format change.
Date Away team Home team Time Broadcaster November 17, 2014 Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Clippers 9:30 p.m. Sportsnet One November 20, 2014 Chicago Bulls Sacramento Kings 9:30 p.m. TSN2 November 21, 2014 Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers 9:30 p.m. NBA TV Canada November 25, 2014 Chicago Bulls Denver Nuggets 8:00 p.m. Sportsnet 360 November 30, 2014 Chicago Bulls Brooklyn Nets 2:00 p.m. Sportsnet December 6, 2014 Golden State Warriors Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. NBA TV Canada December 18, 2014 New York Knicks Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. TSN December 22, 2014 Toronto Raptors Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet One December 25, 2014 Los Angeles Lakers Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. TSN January 1, 2015 Denver Nuggets Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet One January 5, 2015 Houston Rockets Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet January 9, 2015 Chicago Bulls Washington Wizards 7:00 p.m. TSN2 January 22, 2015 San Antonio Spurs Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. TSN2 January 23, 2015 Chicago Bulls Dallas Mavericks 7:00 p.m. NBA TV Canada January 25, 2015 Miami Heat Chicago Bulls 12:00 p.m. TSN January 27, 2015 Chicago Bulls Golden State Warriors 9:30 p.m. Sportsnet 360 January 29, 2015 Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers 9:30 p.m. TSN2 January 30, 2015 Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns 9:30 p.m. NBA TV Canada February 7, 2015 Chicago Bulls New Orleans Pelicans 6:00 p.m. NBA TV Canada February 12, 2015 Cleveland Cavaliers Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. TSN2 March 1, 2015 Los Angeles Clippers Chicago Bulls 12:00 p.m. TSN2 March 5, 2015 Oklahoma City Thunder Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. TSN2 March 9, 2015 Memphis Grizzlies Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. NBA TV Canada March 20, 2015 Toronto Raptors Chicago Bulls 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet March 25, 2015 Chicago Bulls Toronto Raptors 6:30 p.m. TSN April 5, 2015 Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers 2:30 p.m. TSN2 April 9, 2015 Chicago Bulls Miami Heat 7:00 p.m. TSN2
Source: NBA.com (courtesy of the Wayback Machine)
Training camp On September 15, the Bulls released their training camp schedule. There were ten practice sessions from September 30 to October 5. Training camp began for the Bulls on September 29 with Media Day at their new Advocate Center. In a scrimmage on September 30, Rose, Butler, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Gasol, and Noah were selected as starters. On October 1, Thibodeau said to reporters that he believed that Mirotić was impressive, and Noah called him a "secret weapon".
After receiving a day off, training camp resumed on October 4, Rose's birthday, when he was cited for having his best practice of the season. Meanwhile, Dunleavy helped rookie McDermott fix issues of staying inbounds for corner 3-pointers. Commenting on the team's two rookies, Thibodeau said, "[McDermott] and [Mirotic] have done a good job." Furthermore, Noah said that he would wear a knee brace on his left knee which was surgically repaired during the offseason. On October 5, Rose commented that the Bulls are "a dangerous team". In an ESPN power ranking, Chicago was rated number three behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (number two) and the San Antonio Spurs (number one).
Analysis Following the NBA draft, Bleacher Report gave the Bulls a "B". Additionally, USA Today would give a slightly better grade with a "B+". In regard to the McDermott acquisition, James Tillman of HoopsHabit.com assessed a "B" grade to the team. Yahoo! Sports graded the Bulls performance at the draft a "C+". Sporting News assessed a "C" to Chicago. SB Nation graded the first-round draft picks with three categories: upside, fit, and immediate impact. The Bulls' McDermott was assessed a "C" in upside, "A" in fit, and "A" in immediate impact".
CSN Houston assessed an "A+", calling the McDermott pick a steal. The Cincinnati Enquirer gave two "B+" grades each for the Bulls' drafting of McDermott and Bairstow. The Plain Dealer gave Chicago a "B+". Philly.com gave a "B+" for the Bulls. CSN New England gave a "B" grade.
In a July 13 report card, Bleacher Report assessed an "A" to Chicago's trade for McDermott, the drafting of Bairstow a "B−", and the signing of Gasol a "A−". Then, in a HoopsHabit.com August 8 report card, the signing of Gasol was downgraded to a "B+", the McDermott acquisition a "B", the signing of Mirotić a "C+", and the Aaron Brooks signing a "C". On August 12, Deseret News gave out an overall grade of "A".
Bleacher Report would give position-by-position grades on the Bulls' training camp roster. At the point guard position, an "A" grade was given. For the shooting guards, they were rated an above average grade of "B". However, the small forwards were given a "C+". The power forwards were given an "A" mostly due to the addition of Gasol. Lastly, the center position was given a "B+".
In an NBA.com off-season report card, the Bulls were given an "A−" grade.
Roster
Standings
Central Division
Eastern Conference
Record vs. opponents
Eastern Conference Opponent Atlantic Division BOS Boston Celtics 1–1 2–0 3–1 109.5 103.8 BKN Brooklyn Nets 1–1 2–0 3–1 100.5 86.5 NYK New York Knicks 2–0 1–0 3–0 106.0 85.7 PHI Philadelphia 76ers 1–0 2–0 3–0 112.0 105.7 TOR Toronto Raptors 2–0 2–0 4–0 113.3 102.0 Total 7–2 9–0 16–2 108.2 96.8 Central Division CHI Chicago Bulls — CLE Cleveland Cavaliers 1–1 0–2 1–3 102.3 104.8 DET Detroit Pistons 2–0 0–2 2–2 93.0 95.0 IND Indiana Pacers 1–1 1–1 2–2 92.3 93.2 MIL Milwaukee Bucks 2–0 1–1 3–1 92.0 84.8 Total 6–2 2–6 8–8 94.9 94.4 Southeast Division ATL Atlanta Hawks 1–1 0–1 1–2 92.0 95.0 CHA Charlotte Hornets 1–1 1–1 2–2 94.3 95.0 MIA Miami Heat 0–1 2–0 2–1 88.7 83.0 ORL Orlando Magic 1–1 1–1 2–2 103.3 103.3 WAS Washington Wizards 1–1 1–1 2–2 95.3 97.5 Total 4–5 5–4 9–9 95.2 95.4 Conference total 17–9 16–10 33–19 99.6 95.6
Western Conference Opponent Northwest Division DEN Denver Nuggets 1–0 0–1 1–1 107.5 107.5 MIN Minnesota Timberwolves 1–0 1–0 2–0 101.0 97.0 OKC Oklahoma City Thunder 1–0 0–1 1–1 104.0 107.0 POR Portland Trail Blazers 1–0 0–1 1–1 101.0 100.5 UTA Utah Jazz 0–1 1–0 1–1 87.0 96.0 Total 4–1 2–3 6–4 100.1 101.6 Pacific Division GSW Golden State Warriors 1–0 0–1 1–1 107.5 111.5 LAC Los Angeles Clippers 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 LAL Los Angeles Lakers 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 PHX Phoenix Suns 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 SAC Sacramento Kings 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 Total 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 Southwest Division DAL Dallas Mavericks 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 HOU Houston Rockets 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 MEM Memphis Grizzlies 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 NOP New Orleans Pelicans 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 SAS San Antonio Spurs 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 Total 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0 Conference total 0–0 0–0 0–0 0.0 0.0