08-09 Team Preview: Chicago Bulls edition

Just a few years ago the Bulls were seen to be an up-and-coming team in the East that was expected to contend with the elite in only a few years. Sadly, the Bulls today are a team that has failed to meet expectations and has had several areas of frustration lately. A mid-season trade sent Ben Wallace and Joe Smith packing and brought in Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes. The team finished last season with a disappointing mark of 33-49. However, their failures during last season resulted in an unexpected victory when they landed the number one pick in the draft, allowing them to select Derrick Rose. The Bulls are hoping that Rose can help them lead the Bulls on the road to recovery.

Key Additions:
Derrick Rose (No. 1 draft pick)

Key Losses:
Chris Duhon

What to be excited about:

And with the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose
The Bulls' prayers were answered when they got the unlikely win in the 2008 draft lottery. They got a great point-guard prospect in Rose, who is extremely athletic, has good size for a point and also has exhibited excellent court vision. It will be interesting to see how the point guard situation plays out next season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Kirk Hinrich as your opening day starter until Rose can learn the ropes a bit more. However, Rose is certainly considered to be the Bulls' playmaker of the future, so don't be surprised if Hinrich finds a new home sooner than later (especially if he struggles as he did last season).

Luol Deng returns
Let there be no question about it, Luol Deng is the Bulls' key player - and their success will hinge largely on the performance of Deng. The Bulls and Deng had been in stagnant contract negotiations for the past year, and were finally able to get him inked this summer. Deng missed nearly a quarter of last season, and his numbers were slightly down from the previous year. However, an offseason of resting up and not having to worry about his status of the team will hopefully produce a reinvigorated Deng this season.

Defensive potential
The Bulls have some great tools to give other teams fits on the defensive end. They are a young, long and athletic team. They have two point guards capable of applying pressure on the ball. They have solid wings in Deng, Larry Hughes and Thabo Sefolosha that are capable of getting into the passing lanes. They have Andres Nocioni who isn't afraid to back down from anybody. They have Tyrus Thomas who has gained a reputation as a solid shot-blocker. Their only questionable area will be defending the scoring bigs of the league, but even then Joakim Noah and Drew Gooden will at least serve as a legitimate speed bump.

Areas of concern

Will Ben Gordon be back?
This question really will need to be answered before giving a fair assessment of this Bulls team. Gordon was the Bulls' leading scorer last season, and one of the top 4th quarter scorers in the whole league. If the Bulls cant come to terms with Gordon, I can assure you that he will be missed in Chicago this season - especially when it comes to crunch time. Then, even if he comes back, there will be quite the clog of solid players in the Chicago backcourt, which will provide the Bulls with a different issue to deal with. But, having too much talent is always a better problem to have.

How will the team respond to Vinny Del Negro?
This team seemed to be slowly but surely drifting out of Scott Skiles' grasp last season. Interim coach Jim Boylan couldn't do much better. It will be interesting to see how new Bulls Head Coach Vinny Del Negro, who has ZERO prior coaching experience in the NBA (or elsewhere as far as I could tell), meshes with the various personalities on this team. Who wants to take bets on the first Del Negro vs Noah clash that results in Noah getting suspended as a result of a team vote?


Overall verdict:

The Bulls have some good talent and they will continue to improve as a unit. They have a lot of challenges ahead of them though, and one of them will be discovering what their roles on the team will be. This will be an even more important issue if Gordon doesn't return to the team. If that ends up being the case, I don't see the addition of Rose off-setting Gordon and Chris Duhon's absences in a positive manner. This team then will have to rely on the development and health of its individual players because they didn't upgrade much from a personnel stand point. With this in mind, I'm not expecting the Bulls to make a playoff appearance again this year.

Up next in the NBA Noise 08-09 Team Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers