The 2011–12 Chicago Bulls season was the 46th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Bulls finished the lockout-shortened season with a 50–16 record, or roughly 62–20 in a full season, tying the San Antonio Spurs for the best record of the season. They ended as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for a second consecutive season.
| 2011–12 Chicago Bulls season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Tom Thibodeau |
| General manager | Gar Forman |
| Owners | Jerry Reinsdorf |
| Arena | United Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 50–16 (.758) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Central) Conference: 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to 76ers 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television |
|
| Radio | WMVP |
Chicago started their playoff run on April 28, taking Game 1 of the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center. However, that victory was marred with the season-ending injury of point guard and reigning MVP Derrick Rose, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the final minutes of the game.[1] Chicago then lost three games in a row and were also without the services of starting center Joakim Noah for Games 4 and 5 of the series following an injury in his left ankle during Game 3 in Philadelphia.[2] The Bulls won one more game at home before losing the series 2–4 in Philadelphia and became the fifth number one seed in league history to lose a playoffs series against a number eight seed, following the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994, the Miami Heat in 1999, the Dallas Mavericks in 2007, the San Antonio Spurs in 2011, and followed by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023.[3]
Key dates
edit- June 23: The 2011 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.[4]
- November 1: Chicago Bulls first game of the season, against the Dallas Mavericks was scheduled, but was cancelled due to the lockout.[5]
- December 25: Chicago Bulls first game of the season, against the Los Angeles Lakers.[6] The Bulls won 88–87, in Los Angeles.
- March 24: Chicago secured a spot in the 2012 NBA Playoffs with a 102–101 victory against the Toronto Raptors.[7]
- April 12: The Bulls clinch the Central Division title with a 96–86 win against the Miami Heat.[8]
Summary
editNBA draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Nikola Mirotić | F |  Spain
|
Real Madrid (Spain) |
| 1 | 30 | Jimmy Butler | G/F |  United States
|
Marquette |
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Pre-season
edit| 2011 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-season: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
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| 2011–12 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
editStandings
edit| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z-Chicago Bulls | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 26–7 | 24–9 | 13–1 | 66 |
| x-Indiana Pacers | 42 | 24 | .636 | 8 | 23–10 | 19–14 | 9–4 | 66 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 35 | .470 | 19 | 17–16 | 14–19 | 7–8 | 66 |
| Detroit Pistons | 25 | 41 | .379 | 25 | 18–15 | 7–26 | 4–11 | 66 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29 | 11–22 | 10–23 | 3–12 | 66 |
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z-Chicago Bulls | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 66 |
| 2 | y-Miami Heat * | 46 | 20 | .697 | 4.0 | 66 |
| 3 | x-Indiana Pacers * | 42 | 24 | .636 | 8.0 | 66 |
| 4 | y-Boston Celtics | 39 | 27 | .591 | 11.0 | 66 |
| 5 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 40 | 26 | .606 | 10.0 | 66 |
| 6 | x-Orlando Magic | 37 | 29 | .561 | 13.0 | 66 |
| 7 | x-New York Knicks | 36 | 30 | .545 | 14.0 | 66 |
| 8 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 35 | 31 | .530 | 15.0 | 66 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 35 | .470 | 19.0 | 66 |
| 10 | Detroit Pistons | 25 | 41 | .379 | 25.0 | 66 |
| 11 | Toronto Raptors | 23 | 43 | .348 | 27.0 | 66 |
| 12 | New Jersey Nets | 22 | 44 | .333 | 28.0 | 66 |
| 13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29.0 | 66 |
| 14 | Washington Wizards | 20 | 46 | .303 | 30.0 | 66 |
| 15 | Charlotte Bobcats | 7 | 59 | .106 | 43.0 | 66 |
Game log
editPlayer statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Season
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ömer Aşık | 66 | 2 | 14.7 | .506 | .000 | .456 | 5.3 | 0.5 | 0.45 | 1.03 | 3.1 |
| Carlos Boozer | 66 | 66 | 29.5 | .532 | .000 | .693 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 0.95 | 0.36 | 15.0 |
| Ronnie Brewer | 66 | 43 | 24.8 | .427 | .275 | .560 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.09 | 0.32 | 6.9 |
| Jimmy Butler | 42 | 0 | 8.5 | .405 | .185 | .768 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.26 | 0.12 | 2.6 |
| Luol Deng | 54 | 54 | 39.4 | .412 | .367 | .770 | 6.5 | 2.9 | 1.04 | 0.67 | 15.3 |
| Taj Gibson | 63 | 0 | 20.4 | .495 | .000 | .622 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 0.43 | 1.29 | 7.7 |
| Richard Hamilton | 28 | 28 | 24.9 | .452 | .370 | .784 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.43 | 0.04 | 11.6 |
| Mike James[a] | 11 | 0 | 10.9 | .408 | .600 | .875 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 0.36 | 0.18 | 4.8 |
| Kyle Korver | 65 | 7 | 22.6 | .432 | .435 | .833 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.55 | 0.23 | 8.1 |
| John Lucas | 49 | 2 | 14.8 | .399 | .393 | .867 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.39 | 0.02 | 7.5 |
| Joakim Noah | 64 | 64 | 30.4 | .508 | .000 | .748 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 0.64 | 1.44 | 10.2 |
| Derrick Rose | 39 | 39 | 35.3 | .435 | .312 | .812 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 0.90 | 0.72 | 21.8 |
| Brian Scalabrine | 28 | 0 | 4.4 | .467 | .143 | .500 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.18 | 0.21 | 1.1 |
| C. J. Watson | 49 | 25 | 23.7 | .368 | .393 | .808 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 0.92 | 0.16 | 9.7 |
Playoffs
editGame log
edit| 2012 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First round: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2012 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoff statistics
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ömer Aşık | 6 | 3 | 21.3 | .500 | .353 | 4.7 | 1.3 | .2 | 1.6 | 3.3 | |
| Carlos Boozer | 6 | 6 | 33.3 | .422 | .714 | 9.8 | 3.0 | .8 | .3 | 13.5 | |
| Ronnie Brewer | 5 | 0 | 16.6 | .250 | .000 | 3.8 | 1.8 | .8 | .2 | 1.6 | |
| Jimmy Butler | 3 | 0 | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |||
| Luol Deng | 6 | 6 | 38.0 | .456 | .364 | .571 | 8.3 | 1.5 | .8 | 1.5 | 14.0 |
| Taj Gibson | 6 | 0 | 22.8 | .457 | .682 | 6.5 | .7 | .7 | 1.7 | 9.5 | |
| Richard Hamilton | 6 | 6 | 28.5 | .414 | .333 | .818 | 3.2 | 3.0 | .2 | .0 | 13.0 |
| Kyle Korver | 6 | 0 | 15.7 | .409 | .308 | .500 | 1.7 | 1.5 | .5 | .5 | 3.8 |
| John Lucas | 5 | 0 | 18.8 | .450 | .385 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 1.8 | .0 | .0 | 8.6 |
| Joakim Noah | 3 | 3 | 15.0 | .731 | .636 | 9.3 | 3.0 | .7 | 1.3 | 15.0 | |
| Derrick Rose | 1 | 1 | 37.0 | .391 | .500 | 1.000 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 23.0 |
| C. J. Watson | 6 | 5 | 27.3 | .241 | .250 | .750 | 2.2 | 5.5 | .8 | .0 | 7.3 |
Awards, records and milestones
editAwards
editWeek/Month
edit- On January 16, Derrick Rose was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (January 9 – January 15)[10]
- Coach Tom Thibodeau was named Coach of the Month for December–January.[11]
- Coach Tom Thibodeau was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for March, 2012.[12]
All-Star
edit- Derrick Rose was voted as an All-Star for the 3rd consecutive time, 2nd consecutive time as a starter.[13]
- Luol Deng was voted as an All-Star reserve for the 1st time.[14]
- Coach Tom Thibodeau was selected as Head Coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars.[15]
Transactions
editOverview
edit| Players Added Via draft Via free agency |
Players Lost Via free agency Waived |
Trades
edit| June 23, 2011 | To Chicago Bulls Draft rights to Nikola Mirotić |
To Minnesota Timberwolves Draft rights to Norris Cole Draft rights to Malcolm Lee Cash Considerations |
Free agents
edit| Additions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Date signed | Former team |
| Richard Hamilton | December 14 | Detroit Pistons |
| Mike James | April 5 | Chicago Bulls |
| Subtractions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Date signed | New team |
| Kurt Thomas | December 11 | Portland Trail Blazers |
Many players signed with teams from other leagues due to the 2011 NBA lockout. FIBA allows players under NBA contracts to sign and play for teams from other leagues if the contracts have opt-out clauses that allow the players to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.[16] The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.[17]
| Played in other leagues during lockout | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Date signed | New team | Opt-out clause |
| Brian Scalabrine | September 22 | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | No |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bulls' Derrick Rose tears ACL, ESPN.com, April 29, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ Joakim Noah injured in Game 3, ESPN.com. May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ 76ers Upset Bulls To Advance To Second Round, The Sports Network. May 11, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ "Report: NBA draft moving to Newark". ESPN.com. October 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ "Chicago Bulls announce 2011–12 schedule". nba.com/bulls. July 19, 2011. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ^ Mahoney, Brian (December 2, 2011). "Shorter NBA schedule has 42 back-to-back-to-backs". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- ^ Bulls take 102-101 OT victory over Raptors, Chicago Tribune. March 24, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ Bulls bench strong in overcoming Heat 96-86, Chicago Tribune, April 12, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ "Bulls stats". nba.com/bulls.
- ^ "Bulls' Rose, Lakers' Bryant named NBA Players of the Week | NBA.com". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ "Thibodeau, Brooks named Coaches of the Month | NBA.com". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ "Bulls' Thibodeau named the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for March". NBA.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "All-Star Game | All-Star 2012 | NBA.com". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Tom Thibodeau to coach East at ASG, ESPN.com, February 15, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "FIBA: NBA stars can play overseas". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 30, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ Sun Xiaochen (August 21, 2011). "New rule shuts door on NBA stars". China Daily. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011.