Rose's bum ankle: How big a concern?

I believe the Bulls are being cautious with Rose and rightfully so. Why risk making the injury into a nagging season long thing in the pre-season. They have shown they can compete without Rose in the pre-season and looking at the schedule, if he had to miss the first 15 games in order to be healthy the balance of the season I could see a 6-9 start which is still better than alot of the last 10 seasons. I'm sure if this was already the regular season Derrick would be on the court Friday noi question but I'd rather he missed Friday's game and be a little rusty in the opener than risk an extended stay on the DL.

There is cause for concern. The lack of any definite answers leads me to believe they don't know what exactly is wrong with his ankle. I've said this before, but it's eerily similar to the Luol Deng situation of being day-to-day until a final season knockout punch. 80 percent to play to 0 percent out of nowhere. As they say, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Bulls are not prepared if they lose their big time pg.

If we lose Rose for a significant portion of the early season, we will need to get a capable backup pg. Cut Lindsey stinkin' Hunter immediately and get an NBA player to backup the pg position.

Bulls will be ok. Rose is alright. Man its preseason. Rose is just an aggressive person when it comes to basketball. He has to learn to pace himself.

Salmons will be nothing more than he was last year, but that was good enough. The plus is that he will be FINALLY playing the position he was traded for to play and thats shooting guard. Bulls haven't had a true shooting guard since MJ. And the Bulls will also have an overpaid 7ft small forward on the floor and they will have at least 2 very solid rookies. They will have Jannero Pargo and maybe Derrick Byars and also a healthy Kirk and Brad Miller. But most importantly a much improved Noah and Thomas. Even Vinny and Rose will be in their sophmore years. ALL of this will help to more than make up for the loss of Ben Gordon. Bulls will make the playoffs.

Now here is the kicker - Ben Gordon is a sixth man, and should have been KEPT. He played out of position last year - because we didn't have a two guard. Kirk aint worth a hill of beans. Couldnt start at either position! We should be building on last year's success, but the press and the Bulls brass have folks talking about Gordon's departure when they should have PAID him and kept him. Especially if they want to attract a free agent. Don't want to argue about it, but its the truth nonetheless. Bulls are playing us cheap. We ALL know Pargo is not Ben Gordon. At least get a player of GORDON's scoring caliber and then pick up from last year.

Its about MANAGEMENT and this duct tape solution when they are supposed to be a top team in a top market! Everyone knows the Bulls have the money. And now they are trying to act like they are so business savvy and ready for next year! Just like the Mayor and the Olympics! Crying broke and going for the gold at the same time! How can you be broke or cash strapped with this current ROSTER!!!! Not ONE STAR ON IT!!! They are telling us to "wait till next year". That is some garbage. Will they lower prices until next year? No they wont! I ask you the real question - would the Bulls be better, more exciting to watch, and a lock to advance to the second round with Gordon on the Team??? Then act like it media and ask this management some tough questions for a change! Fans deserved more of what they got in last year's playoffs. YES they deserve a better brand of basketball - but we didn't have sacrifice Gordon to get that like they told us.

All indications point that the Bulls are just being cautious with Derrick Rose and if so, then that’s the right way to go about this. However, I do remember Vinny & co. saying the same similar “day-to-day” and “unusual” injury comments to the media about Luol Deng last year and look where that ended up. On one hand, Derrick says he’s fine and then later said that he was “sore”. Vinny stays his diplomatic self and won’t give the media straight answers other than taking it day-by-day or wait-and-see. So really, bottom line for me is that until I can see it for myself when Derrick finally takes the floor in a game and see how he moves laterally and with all the quick cuts and dribble drives, then and only then will we know how serious the injury is or not. I’m hoping it’s not more than just the fluid in the tendon, but at least he’s supposedly doing running drills in practice already.

As for the schedule… it’s brutal to say the least at the start of the season for the Bulls. If they can manage .500 ball somehow in the first month, then I would call that a success for them. Taj Gibson will be fine (still would have preferred DeJuan Blair’s power game in the post, but I like Taj) and Vinny better not continue the bench and head games with Tyrus Thomas. I know a bunch of fans have already soured on Tyrus, but for me, he only gets better if he plays, not take him out of the game on every single mistake made. You play him or you get rid of him, period. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be averaging more than 30 mins a game this time around. If the Bulls want to ultimately trade him down the road, then showcase his skills more and drive the value up. The Bulls may surprise people overall in the standings, but no way in heck will they contend for the title this season. I don’t want to see another former top 3 draft pick walk to free agency without NOTHING in return again. And lastly, Luol Deng … I’ve watched all the Bulls’ preseason games up to date and if you ask me, his overall game hasn’t changed one bit. Nuff said.

Well, get a Doc to log in and explain what soreness in and fluid on his flibber dibber Mcthingy means, and I'll tell ya my feelings on it...

I'd wait till he's 100%, though...he's 13, he'll heal fast...

Try this link to get info on posterior tibial tendon issues.

http://www.eorthopod.com/public/patient_education/6489/posterior_tibial_tendon_problems.html

RPK - you cannot be saying that the Bulls need a back-up point when they have a #7 pick and CAPTAIN on the team. And excuse me, didnt the Bulls just sign highly sought after free agent Jannero Pargo??? ANOTHER point guard. And they have Middle Linebacker Lindsy Hunter. Man has he been eating good! So what's the problem?

Without that quickness and ability to change direction on a dime Rose is nothing so an ankle injury is far more of a hindrance to a player like him than to most players.
Maybe the Bulls are being cautious but if this does not clear up a couple of weeks into the season then they are going to be in trouble.
They had better get a few wins before they go on their annual road trip from hell or they are looking at another sub .500 season.

Why is Lindsey Hunter on this team?
Are they confusing washed up old guy with this myth of “veteran leadership”?
The only thing Hunter is leading is the race to the buffet table.

hahaha... you guys are killin me on the Lindsey Hunter comments. Buffet table, eh? Which one, Old Country Buffet or Golden Corral? lol C'mon now Phil/Keith, you know the only reasons why Lindsey is on the roster are to continue "mentoring" Rose and to provide some so-called veteran leadership. I believe that the coaching staff is also prepping him as a future asst. coach down the road after he finally and "officially" retires. The only way Lindsey will have any playing time on the court in a real is from garbage time or if there's a drastic run of injuries at the same time at the guard position, which is certainly possible from this seemingly fragile team now.

And Keith - I see that you're already in mid-season form on the Bulls management bashing train!;) Not that I don't disagree with you of course because I'm probably one of the main culprits for your "transformation" in that area, but I'm just sayin'....

Keith - I have nothing against Hinrich. He's a very good defender and spot up shooter. Not great at breaking someone off the dribble but that's what we have Rose for. Kirk is also a very valuable utility player as he can play PG, SG, or SF (as we saw last year in the "3 guard lineups" that Vinny deployed sometimes).

What I have a problem is with NBA players stealing a paycheck like Hunter, and to some extent Deng is doing right now (I hope I am wrong about Luol).

Tim (is that you, Tim Little, or another "Tim"?), thanks for the medical link. Good info. Man, this tendon injury better not be the degenerative symptom! If it is, Bulls better start planning for another pg in the upcoming drafts or get the surgery done NOW...

RPK - I know you don't. But the Bulls selected him 7th in that 2003 draft - arguably one of the richest drafts EVER. In fact, Dwayne Wade went 5th in that draft and the Bulls refused to trade up to get him. Now here we are years later ready to sell the logo off the floor to get him! Then they payed Kirk a boatload of cash and then DRAFTED at his position and THEN they kept him! Now we are paying top dollar for a UTILITY MAN - translation - Tweener. A player too slow and average to be a starting point guard and too small and not skilled enough to be a starting 2 guard. Instead of dealing Kirk, the Bulls are stuck with him and his salary. And now folks are acting shaky as if Kirk can't or isn't a better option at point guard than Rose. And truth be told Kirk should be BETTER. Especially since his defense is better. That's what everyone was selling last year and all summer. DEFENSE.

Keith - do you think Gordon would have signed equal money, and accepted the role of 6th man on the Bulls? I'm not so sure...we'll see how long he accepts coming off the bench for the Pistons - ok, getting the dough should cushion the blow.

Gordon would have made the Bulls better..but how much better? I'd say right now they will battle the Pistons for the #6 (optimistically) or 7th spot. With Gordon you give them the edge at #6 with an outside shot at #5. If the xtra $ by letting him go gives us at least a chance at one of the free agents like Bosh, I'm ok with it. Again, I said a "chance"...either way this year is a waste.

Gordon and the Bulls were a bad match with so many short guards. Who knows what this team would look like if Jay Williams stayed off that bike (still remember how he tortured jason kidd), or somehow pulled off the draft day deal to move up to get Wade.

Hinrich is a different option as the 3rd guard. Against some teams, he'll be fine - against others not so much. Similar to Gordon with less offense...

If they're being cautious with Rose, no problem, he's heady enough to hit the flow quick. His shooting may need time, but if he's smart he'll just hit the hole until his touch gains form.

I hope Byars gets a chance to play. He's a smart, athletic big guard who doesn't turn the ball over and plays pretty tough 'D'. I know he's gonna be way down the totem pole, but he won't be a hinderance if given time.

Noah: Looks impressive. Total concentration on FT stroke and 'NO' 15 footers!!! Energy, energy, energy. Biggest surprise.

Thomas: Just play within' YOUR game and everything else will fall nicely into place. Biggest game changer on the defensive end.

Deng: He doesn't look any improved on offense, but if he elevates this part of his game into the season, that, along with his defense and lack of turnovers will be solid. Steady.

Salmons: I wish this guy had a 'LITTLE' mean streak in him. He'd almost be unstoppable. Instead, his 'going about his business' approach to the game should be worth 20 pts. Needs to look at the rest of the court a little better. Solid defense often overlooked.

Rose: When this kid develops a THREE and learns 'when' and 'when not' to leave his feet, he'll be pretty much unstoppable. If he keeps his turnovers down and shoots 45-85, we go far.

Hinrich: Say what you want about Kirk, but he may be the best 3pt. shooter on our team now. Couple that with his versatility and you've got a rounded role player; our best sixth man.

Miller: I don't know who throws sillier veteran TO passes, Kirk or he, but they need to address this situation big time this year. There's no room for error here. Otherwise, saavy as they come.

Gibson: I'm impressed! Solid lunch bucket player who plays well beyond his years. FT percentage may be a key in him being our ninth 10+ pts. player on the team.

Pargo: Quick feet but needs the 3pt. shooting to improve dramatically if the Bulls are going to challenge for a top 4 conference spot. TOs may be his other achilles but my only hope for him is that he doesn't play passive. Key player if we don't pick anyone else up (Lakers are loaded).

Johnson: Silent, but deadly. This guy has all the tools to be one of those players who quietly puts up 14pts. in eighteen minutes. FT form and concentration needs full attention, and the rest of his package will make him the second biggest surprise.

Hunter: Lindsey Hop, right on down to the end of the bench. From one old man to another!

Go Bulls!!!

I would bet that Hunter is a Golden Corral type of guy Edgar.
He may not be able to smoke on the hardwood but he sure loves the applewood smoked bacon!
Let him play the game with a fork and a spoon and I bet he would lead the league in steels.

Bingo, exactly Keith. I taught you well, didn't I? haha You see, RPK, it's not that we don't respect Kirk Hinrich as a player. He's a solid NBA pro, no doubt about it, but he is what he is, a solid utility man, a 6th man or spot starter only if Rose and Salmons go down in injury. Unfortunately, he's one of the biggest reasons why the Bulls are so cash-strapped in salary cap flexibility because Bulls management decided to give him a phat contract a few years ago, a front-loaded contract averaging more than $11 million a year for the first couple years. I even remember the signing like it was yesterday with good ole John Paxson as quoted as saying that Kirk Hinrich would be the next "Steve Nash" but with better defense. RPK, when the Bulls signed Hinrich to his first big contract, did you even know that Kirk's salary that first season was more than the large contracts of Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, David West, etc. for example?? I bet you don't, but you see, long time Bulls diehards like me and Keith remember crap like this and that's why when fans like you RPK say that you don't like certain NBA players who "steal" a paycheck like Lindsey... Well, guess what, for what Kirk Hinrich is/should be really worth as to what he's getting overpaid by the Bulls right now after all these seasons under contract, who exactly is "stealing" more money from the organization than what that player is really worth? What has Kirk really accomplished with the Bulls other than impressing the more casual fans who enjoy the hustle and defense more than the spoiled superstar? So no offense to Kirk at all, I like him and respect him as a player also, but he's one of the biggest reasons why the Bulls are always whining about touching luxury tax territory every f'in year as their convenient excuse. For me as a fan of this great sport, I don't just look at which NBA player is better than the other and break down their skills strengths and flaws. That comes easy for me and for plenty other basketball fans I'm sure. I go further than that and analyze what that player is worth to the team and how my team that I follow and monitor religiously manages their own salary cap. That's the "basketball nerd" side of me talking/blogging. Now as for Luol Deng... hoo boy, don't even get me started again talking about him! If you're a regular NBA blogger here in FCP, then you'll already know what I'm talking about my feelings about Mr. Deng... it's not pretty, I'll tell you that much.

Edgar sorry to say that wasn't me that posted that link.
Keith I am very impressed with the fact you have finally made your arguement about BG calmly and made your point about Kirk rationally. Instead of just outright bashing him you did give him the credit he's due then attacked his weaknesses.

Edgar I had avoided any discussion about Deng because like you I haven't seen anything so far that suggests he's any different than he has always been. I'm going to digress right here and put on my KLSS hat and just say "what did you expect he's a coach K Dukie product". Servicable as a perifial puzzle piece but by no means a main player. IMHO the starting 5 should be Rose, Salmons, Gibson, Tyrus and Noah.

Edgar thank you for putting Kirk's numbers in the proper light. I feel like young Aniken Skywalker for some reason!

Tommy - no question he would have. But asking him to come off the bench LAST YEAR was a slap in the face. 1. was a contract year. 2. he was clearly the ONLY option we had at the 2 spot. Gordon is not the coach! Why did they choose to start him??? And folks overlook the fact that he actually led the Bulls in scoring and led the team to the playoffs - the best opening round in NBA history. I don't think there was another player on the team that worked harder or logged more minutes than he did other than Rose. Look at last year's team and this one. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO COMPARISON. This year's team is better in every way possible. And ALL of the playoff issues were addressed in the draft and free agency.

Thabo was the big guard until the trade. But blame DENG for having Salmons to have to take his spot. If Gordon is coming off that bench this year, we are a lock for the second round and everyone's job is that much easier. And a free agent will salivate just thinking about having that caliber of a shooter off the bench. That is all I am saying.

I identified Kirk as a tweener MANY years ago. Nobody appreciates hustle and defense like I do. SCOTTIE is my all time favorite Bull, and WORM third. I even loved Harper, Daryl Walker (Junk Yard Dog), and Jerome Williams (JYD#2). And although I never saw them play, I always appreciated what I heard about Norm and Sloan. All of that is good and dandy, but Kirk is not worth what we are paying and the MOMENT that Rose arrived, we should have traded him. Portland wanted him last year. People look at how other guards eat us alive scoring - who's job is it to STOP them? Its our defensive specialist's job. Kirk was given ALL the accolades when the Bulls swept the Heat in the playoffs. But when Wade dropped 50 on us last year and stood on the scorer's table - ALL the blame when on Gordon. Gordon was a fill in to provide scoring and boy did he ever. folks are afraid to peek behind the curtain and look at the books. Bulls are just like the Wizard of Oz in this respect. Bunch of lies and hot air.

Tommy, I’d like to help answer your questions to Keith if you don’t mind… Yes, I believe that BG would have accepted the same exact proposal from the Pistons with the Bulls if the Bulls decided to counteroffer. And yes, he would have accepted the 6th man role again just like he has with the Pistons because he’s the proven consummate professional. BG was all about business and the $’s first before the love of the game. Not saying that’s wrong because I’m sure that’s the case with the majority of pro athletes (don’t forget though, this was BG’s first big contract negotiation), but in this case, it made no sense to go to a completely different team and its rebuilding plan if he had to choose between the two. Now let’s say BG re-signed with the Bulls, there was no way Kirk would have stayed because both salaries were essentially the same. The Bulls would have had to trade him to avoid a hefty luxury penalty. I believe the Bulls were already shopping Hinrich heavily first during the Summer and they were reportedly neck and neck with Philly on a possible trade to Portland. Unfortunately, the Bulls tried to also unload Jerome James in a package and also wanted one of Portland’s hotshot prospects (Jerryd Bayless) in return. When Portland opted to take Andre Miller from Philly instead, that’s where the Bulls made up their mind about not re-signing BG and from there, the Bulls used their famous p.r. spin to justify letting BG take a walk to free agency. Of course, GarPax had nothing to say about the BG signing with the Pistons and all was eerily quiet from Bulls management about the topic until voila!... Spin master Jerry Reinsdorf himself finally goes public about BG a few weeks later and basically starts pointing out all the obvious Ben Gordon flaws and rambling about how he would have been the FOURTH guard on the depth chart and about the luxury tax even though that would have been offset with the loss of Hinrich. He totally dissed BG despite all of his accomplishments as a Bull and showed a lack of class and a lack of any sort of appreciation. From a p.r. point of view, I think the Bulls failed miserably in this area and that’s why there are so many fans like Keith extremely upset over losing BG.

So anyway, as a fan, you pick your poison with BG or Kirk Hinrich. Bulls politics behind the scenes aside, that’s ultimately what it comes down to. Who’s the better piece to the Championship puzzle? I think keeping BG as the 6th man off the bench brings you closer than Hinrich for this particular Bulls team, that’s all, but nowhere am I saying that he’s the FINAL piece. John Salmons still starts most games at the 2 guard position, but BG to me is simply a better fit than Hinrich off the bench. Remember, the Bulls are still dealing with an inexperienced head coach with a more offensive-minded philosophy. If Doug Collins was the guy at the helm like he should have been a couple years ago, then I would say that Kirk is the better fit. Sure, Vinny has said that defense is a priority in the press conferences and that is probably what he said to GarPaxDorf in the interviews to win the job, but I haven’t seen any creative defensive schemes out there in the last 2 years. We have players defending better on the ball and showing more hustle on D in preseason, but in terms of help defense and rotation, I haven’t seen it. I know, I’ve been around the game, played the game and even coached the game at a youth/high school level and the Bulls’ defensive schemes are extremely basic, especially for a professional team. You can get players who play solid fundamental D like a Taj Gibson or even a Kirk Hinrich, but without the proper plays and the creative trap formations, there is NO WAY you will be able to stop an efficient NBA offensive team. Establishing a defensive identity takes up way too much time and Vinny is under a short leash as it is. Vinny will be looking to keep his job this season and streamline/master his offensive schemes first.

Hahaha Phil.. so if you add in a butter knife utensil for the dinner rolls, Lindsey would have achieved All-Defensive 1st team then? Hilarious.

Ok, now we’re getting some good basketball posts! Let me add some comments to some of Anthony’s player evaluations if I may…

Derrick Byars – I’m not even so sure the Bulls will even keep him because of the luxury tax. Yes, they are that close to luxury tax threshold even for a minimum salary.

Joakim Noah – yep, should be no more jokes about his looks and the long hair. He actually showed a couple of sweet drop step moves in the post during preseason!

Tyrus Thomas – I agree completely with Anthony, but just not sure Vinny believes it like we do. I believe there is a soap opera brewing between Vinny and Tyrus this season.

Luol Deng – that’s a lot of “if’s”, Anthony. lol Fans will be happy with the 15-17 ppg and 6 rebs averages, but I will always expect more from this underachiever. Steady is not good enough for what the Bulls paid him and for where he was originally drafted.

John Salmons – classic old school game. Crafty vet, nothing spectacular, but his job is to create and score. Actually kind of reminds me a bit of Vinny himself when he played. Not sure his defense is “solid”, but it is underrated.

Derrick Rose – simply put, he’s a superstar in the making, but not there yet. It’ll still take time. Defense is still pretty inept, but only seen 1 preseason game out of him so far. Jury is still out in terms of progress. We’ll see.

Kirk Hinrich – I agree completely, not much to add there except that he’s the best defending white guard I’ve ever seen. ;-)

Brad Miller – solid NBA vet. You see what you get out of him. Actually a good leader and mentor to the other big men. Without him, Noah probably wouldn’t have improved as quick.

Taj Gibson – I think people forget that Taj is older than Tyrus. He’s not your average rookie which shortens his potential ceiling, but he’s as NBA-ready as they come. Head to head, I still would have preferred DeJuan Blair, but Taj is indeed the better fit here.

James Johnson – this kid’s offensive potential is seriously off the charts. He has a nice shot and he explodes to the rim. His handles are better than Kirk Hinrich, I’m telling you. He could be a really good one and may be the steal of the 1st round draft at his slot, but I have my concerns about his development from the coaching staff a la Tyrus Thomas.

Jannero Pargo – here’s your matchup guy on the perimeter and the spark plug off the bench. He’s a shooting specialist, has always been so I don’t see him improving any more than he already is. A poor man’s Ben Gordon as some say? Nah, just a mercenary journeyman like the great Eric Piatkowski at one time. ;-)

Lindsey Hunter – if this was Phil’s assessment, Lindsey would seesaw his way to other end of the bench just to keep the weight balance in check. lol

EDGAR - Hotter than Lava!
October 23, 2009 10:39 AM POST - Masterpiece! I heard about them being in talks with Portland, but had no idea thats how it went down. Excellent stuff Edgar!

Tim - I will be rooting for Kirk every game this season. Edgar knows I am just mad at the team not progressing and selling us a 2010 DREAM. I think Chicago has a better chance at getting the Olympics than one of the major free agents!!! When it comes to the Bulls - I am a bird in the hand kind of person. They have lied too much! TIM - I AGREE WITH THAT LINE-UP!! Might as well break Gibson in. I think Deng is going to get hurt again! Only this time we will be ready.

This team is going to the playoffs though - if Rose stays healthy.

Edgar Excelent analysis.
Keith I am sure we all have been aware that you were pissed about how BG was let go and many of us feel the same way. To not get anything in return for him was idiotic. But as Edgar pointed out Kirk had to in order to keep BG and that just didn't happen.
Now to the present: can u even phathom the block party that would be going on with Tyrus, Gibson and Noah on the floor together?
Both Tyrus and Gibson have an ancanny knack for coming from the weak side to block shots and Noah if I'm not mistaken is averaging 2 a game so far already. With the 3 of them out there together teams wuold have to become more perimeter oriented.

Oh BTW Edgar i heard Lindsey Hunter is going to do a comercial for CiCi's 24 foot long pizza buffet! LMAO

Always great posts by Edgar when it comes to the Bulls.
He knows his basketball and he knows this team.

Edgar, you continue to amaze with your hard court mastery. When are they going to give you call?

Nice breakdown Edgar, along with excellent posts by everyone else.

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about hoops, but as a fan of the game I still pay a fair amount of attention.

My layman's opinion of this team remains as stated: I'm cautiously optimistic, and think this team, as it is currently comprised, just might surprise people.

On the other hand, their season might be over with by the All Star break.

How's that for decisiveness?

Derrick Byars – I truly hope the Bulls keep this guy. This is the athlete the Bulls need to help at the 2 spot. Kirk should be the backup point guard.

Joakim Noah – As valuable as Bosh or Amare in my humble opinion. His offense has improved gracefully. But we just need him on the boards and playing solid defense. I think Miller is the proper compliment for him. Noah is what supposed to happen. You coach him and he learns. He has all of the energy and intensity needed to go as far as he wants to go. I am happy for him.

Tyrus Thomas – Is a freakish athlete that can play defense and board. He always has been able to do that. Its running offense that he needs to work on. Has some attitude, but its mostly confidence and toughness. A teacher channels that energy. Some people know how to drive a Ferrari and some drive it 35 mph to Walmart. He should start and knows it. Sad that he acting smarter than the coach. I hate it when the coach tries to belittle players. Like hearing a woman tell you "he didn't know what he was doing".

Luol Deng – Now this is the guy that has been sticking up the team without a gun. I personally don't want to start him especially since he is already crying about soreness. But you have to feed his ego after you paid him all that money. I personally think he hurt his legs trying to carry one of those checks! Like Tim suggested, this is the place you steal minutes from. Bring this baby seal along slowly and let him know you are also concerned about his soreness.

John Salmons – I agree with Edgar's assessment but not in comparison to Vinny. Vinny wishes he were that good! He was a good journeyman, but I think Salmons is just a late bloomer. Looks like Wesley Snipes and reminds me of Joe Dumars. I WISH he could play defense like Joe. But Salmons is solid.

Derrick Rose – Rose is going to be a star, but he needs to improve as a point guard. Believe it or not, Kirk is a better point guard than Rose right now. Running the offense is taking care of the ball and making assists. This is where I want to see Rose make the most improvement. Taking care of the ball and passing. And then he needs to improve defensively. I think with his speed he should have more steals and with his hops be a good rebounder. Yeah he needed to improve his shooting from 3pt range, but a good point guard only scores the ball when he has to. A point guard beats you by making everyone on his team better and executing the offense. When your point guards best play - is him to the basket on a blow by, he is NOT polished.

Kirk Hinrich – People LIKE Kirk. And he is a nice guy, but a tweener. And he doesn't excel at anything except being tough and determined. Kirk was once a really promising point guard. He has lost a step due to injuries or ability. I understand why Pax paid him. But Kirk was fool's gold. Kirk is NOT a sixth man. He is a backup point guard and a patch-work defender. Kirk can guard, but he is not a specialist. MJ could defend, but SCOTTIE was a lockdown defender. Kirk is a wonderful player to come off the bench, but he should really be the starting point guard. He makes too much money for what you get.

Brad Miller – Edgar nailed this one. Folks like Miller are invaluable. A guy that the game has been good to and he's giving back to the game. He is enjoying the game like Bill Laimbeer. Playing with his head. He improved the entire front line, with his play and mentorship. Players respect him. Miller is good for all those guys.

Taj Gibson – Edgar keep mentioning Dajuan Blair and now I am going to have to keep an eye on that kid. I think Gibson has benefited from his maturity. Coaches love this kind of guy because he doesn't need to be coached. Gibson has a nice steady game, but he is not NBA ready yet. All he needs is time and i would give him almost half of Deng's minutes. The moment I don't like what I see from Seal, lets send Gibson to the scorers table! Gibson's game is around that basket too. Tyrus and Deng need to get that but at least you can count on Tyrus to block shots.

James Johnson – Edgar has me intrigued with this guy also. He hasnt been special to me yet. I have seen good play, but not special. I will be watching. All the rookies have been good. Interesting to see how they fair in real games.

Jannero Pargo – Pargo is a good bench player. Made a living shooting those tray baskets. He can get caught up in it though. He is not instant offense but good for a few. He has to know where he is on the depth chart when he is in the game. Pressing in my humble opinion.

Lindsey Hunter – Lindsey looks like someone's spoiled overfed cat. But he is good for Rose and so he stays. One would think Kirk would be the mentor, but hey whatever. Lindsey is probably the happiest Bull on the team. His kind of salary is justified. At least we know where it going!!! One man stimulus!

Of Luol Deng, Keith sez: "Bring this baby seal along slowly and let him know you are also concerned about his soreness."

Then can we club him?

Thank you Keith for keeping this thread going because I don’t think I want to talk Bears for the rest of the week anymore! ;-)

And thanks again guys for the kudos on the posts. Gig, I may have the hardcourt stuff down, but there is no rival to you in NHL Hockey, none at all. Keep it up man. Blackhawks are also struggling right now, but they’re at least trying out there, which is much more than I can say about the resident Chicago football team.

Not bad on your follow-up analysis, Keith. Pretty good. Let me just say this on a few items that you pointed out:

You’re right, I was wrong to really compare Salmons to Vinny when he played. Vinny never really bloomed late like Salmons did. Vinny was pretty much a consistent journeyman for most of his career. It’s hard to really compare Salmons game to any one player, but he definitely has an old school game. He’s not explosive, but he just seems to have that knack of creating his own shot. He’s a nice player although Mick Swagger doesn’t like him too much here in FCP. (where has Swagger been lately huh?)

Keith, do you follow the College game like you do the NBA? DeJuan Blair is a tremendous player. The knock on him in the draft was his reported injury history, but he’s never shown it on the court. He’s massive and he knows his role in the paint, plus he’s got smarts and leadership skills. He dominated the Big East Conference the last 2 years and more than held his own against taller guys like Hasheem Thabeet and Roy Hibbert in conference play and in the tournaments. He was a very well respected College player and would have been a sure fire lottery pick had he not had the NBA doctors warn the teams about his knees. I can understand why he dropped so low into the 2nd round from a pure business sense, but man, you can’t replace heart and certain intangible skills. Blair is playing with a serious chip on his shoulder and he averaged an easy double-double in preseason play. I know, it’s “only” preseason as they say, but you compare that with how people have been impressed with Taj Gibson and others, Blair’s numbers and play stick out. However, like I said earlier, sometimes it is about the system that you play in and in this particular case, the Bulls are not a true half-court physical team. Taj is simply the better fit with an uptempo guard and a front court that relies more on athleticism than it does on pure power.

As for James Johnson, you can see the raw talent there, but again, with this particular team, it might take a while, unfortunately, because JJ plays the same position as Luol Deng and even Tyrus Thomas who plays more that 3 than a reliable 4 spot. It will be a numbers game for JJ and also again, I don’t trust this coaching staff in developing him properly right now. It’s amazing how much undeveloped talent you see out there because young head coaches feel the need to win win win win it all now or short term.

So Stu, no NBA prediction blog to discuss in FCP like you did with the Bears in preseason? What's up with all the catering to the football topics huh? :) Are you planning to leave all the Bulls blogging fun with John Jackson? Come on now... haha

Ok Edgar; I'll bite.

I predict that the Bulls top the 50 win mark this year, and make it to the second round of the playoffs, where they'll get their collective a$$es handed to them in a four game sweep.

But it will be an enjoyable season, nevertheless.

Villano, if the Bulls win at least 50 games this season, I will personally drive down to Bulls headquarters and kiss the feet of Jerry Reinsdorf himself in his honor and to my disgrace. And assuming that's enough of a "punishment", I'll no longer mention JR's name in criticism ever again in FCP if the team wins at least 50 games. I predict that the Bulls will barely make it to the playoffs again. Depending on matchups, I won't say if they pass the first round or not, but no way they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

EDGAR - I am dying laughing!!!! You are right of course, but they won't be that far away from 50. I am cracking up man! Because I know that JR thing is NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!!! Never say never.

Villy I need to know - why all the optimism? You know something we don't? Blockbuster trade or something??? You got me intrigued.