Bulls hope familiarity brings success
By TOM MUSICK – tmusick@nwherald.com
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| Bulls center Brad Miller is one of 10 players returning from last season’s team and is expected to be the team’s top option off the bench. (AP file photo) |
CHICAGO – Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said he feels more comfortable heading into his second season.
Del Negro’s comfort level might drop – and quickly – once he scans the first month of his team’s schedule. The Bulls tip off their regular season Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, and they play two other title contenders, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers, within the season’s first five games.
A six-game “circus trip” in November with road trips to Los Angeles, Denver, Portland and Utah could help to determine whether the Bulls are contenders or pretenders in the NBA playoff picture.
The latter proved true last season, although the Bulls rallied down the stretch to win 17 of their final 28 games and push Boston to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. Top-scoring guard Ben Gordon left to sign a five-year,
$55 million contract with division rival Detroit, and the Bulls returned 10 players from 2008-09 to build around second-year star Derrick Rose.
Only four players on the roster – free agent Jannero Pargo, draft picks James Johnson and Taj Gibson, and undrafted rookie Derrick Byars – did not play with the team last year.
“There’s a lot more familiarity going into this season,” Del Negro said. “We have a little bit more of a foundation built in terms of what’s expected on both ends of the court.”
Will the Bulls be good? Will they be bad? That’s up for debate.
But will they be more familiar? Few could argue with that.
Guards (5): Derrick Rose, John Salmons, Kirk Hinrich, Jannero Pargo, Lindsey Hunter
Rose, Salmons and Hinrich should benefit offensively as they fill in for Gordon, who averaged 20.7 points a game last season to lead the team. Sports Illustrated picked Rose to be the league’s “most improved player,” which could be scary for the rest of the NBA.
Rose averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists a game as a rookie, but a nagging ankle injury could slow his start this season. Salmons played mostly small forward last season, but a healthy Luol Deng will allow him to shift to shooting guard.
Forwards (5): Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, James Johnson, Taj Gibson, Derrick Byars
Deng was a mainstay at the Bulls’ practice facility this summer, where he arrived early and stayed late to rehabilitate his stress fracture and develop greater strength and quickness. Injuries have limited Deng to 63 or fewer games in three of the past five seasons, and he will need to play a full season to win back fans who have grown skeptical of his durability.
Meanwhile, Thomas’ maturity level also has drawn scrutiny. He complained about not starting this month, and that was for a meaningless preseason game. Johnson and Gibson impressed Del Negro in the preseason, but neither is expected to develop into a star.
Centers (4): Joakim Noah, Brad Miller, Aaron Gray, Jerome James
Despite a free-throw shot that might make high school coaches cry, Noah’s arrow is pointed up after starting 55 games last season. He averaged 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in the preseason, which Del Negro would gladly accept from his highest-energy player.
As the top option off the bench, Brad Miller averaged 11.4 points and 7.4 rebounds after the Bulls rescued him from Sacramento last season. His pick-and-pop style on offense should give Rose a solid passing option if defenders clamp down on drives to the basket.
Bottom line: The Bulls do not look bad on paper, but they do not look very good, either. Expect more of the same from a Bulls team that posted a 41-41 record last season and is positioning itself for a huge free-agent splash in 2010.
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