Here is a 3-way trade I was considering that would include the Nuggets, Bulls, and 76ers. There have been a few rumors that the 76ers wanted to swap Andre Iguodala for Luol Deng recently. I am not sure how true these rumors are, but they are just rumors. I am not certain this is a great idea for the Bulls as Luol, if healthy, is a great fit. Iggy is a better defender and a better slasher, but not by much and Deng is a better shooter and is now nailing threes. However, Carmelo if Carmelo wants to play for a bigger market and with a better cast then the Bulls might be a great option. I lineup of Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah, would have to be a contender right? So I ran this trade on ESPN's Trade machine and it works. What do you think?

Bulls get: Carmelo Anthony

Nuggets get: Andre Iguodala, Taj Gibson, James Johnson, and Bulls future 1st round pick.

76ers get: Luol Deng

Bulls would land a top 10 player and a superstar that would have to sign an extension for the deal to go through and the Bulls would beome a powerhouse.

Nuggets would land a star shooting guard to ease the pain of losing Melo and a nice young double double machine power forward in Taj Gibson. James Johnson is a raw talent that in time could become a solid player. The 1st rounder from the Bulls would be in the mid to upper 20s but still it is a pick.

76ers would get the player they wanted and only lose the player they were willing to give up.

Thoughts?

Here is a 3-way trade I was considering that would include the Nuggets, Bulls, and 76ers. There have been a few rumors that the 76ers wanted to swap Andre Iguodala for Luol Deng recently. I am not sure how true these rumors are, but they are just rumors. I am not certain this is a great idea for the Bulls as Luol, if healthy, is a great fit. Iggy is a better defender and a better slasher, but not by much and Deng is a better shooter and is now nailing threes. However, Carmelo if Carmelo wants to play for a bigger market and with a better cast then the Bulls might be a great option. I lineup of Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah, would have to be a contender right? So I ran this trade on ESPN's Trade machine and it works. What do you think?

Bulls get: Carmelo Anthony

Nuggets get: Andre Iguodala, Taj Gibson, James Johnson, and Bulls future 1st round pick.

76ers get: Luol Deng

Bulls would land a top 10 player and a superstar that would have to sign an extension for the deal to go through and the Bulls would beome a powerhouse.

Nuggets would land a star shooting guard to ease the pain of losing Melo and a nice young double double machine power forward in Taj Gibson. James Johnson is a raw talent that in time could become a solid player. The 1st rounder from the Bulls would be in the mid to upper 20s but still it is a pick.

76ers would get the player they wanted and only lose the player they were willing to give up.

Thoughts?

     Up to this point I have broken down each of the Bulls players that should see major playing time. Those players include: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons, Brad Miller, Tyrus Thomas, James Johnson, and Joakim Noah. I have reposted each of those blogs below, and have treaked my predictions as to their statistics a bit. For the most part things remain the same. After all of the player reposts I have my final report as far as Best/Worst-case senario for the Bulls as a team and my predictions for wins. I hope you enjoy the read and please reply with your thoughts.

Derrick Rose.

     Well I have written a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players over the last few weeks and I will finish with Derrick Rose. It only seems fitting to end on a high note. While Rose had a wonderful rookie season there looks to be a lot of room to grow. He has size for a point guard and mad speed. He can break down defenders and make the pass. To be honest he is the total package. His only black eye at this point is the controversy in regards to memphis and coach John Calipari. This could cause a distraction for a young player and we will have to pay attention Rose to see if he can or can not move past this. So will Rose become a top 5 point guard this season or will he struggle to focus with the Memphis blues? Let us take a look.

Best-case. To me this would start with Rose being honest and up front with the fans about his behavior at and prior to playing at Memphis. He could then put all of that in the past and focus on basketball. In regards to basketball Rose is a future Allstar for sure and if the Bulls make any kind on noise before the Allstar break this season and Rose is playing great then I could see him making the team. The Bulls have not had an Allstar since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. That is sad. Derrick Rose reminds me a lot of a cross between Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. He has speed and vision like paul and the driving and finshing ability of Wade. Sure Paul is a better playmaker and Wade a better finisher, but Rose is a nice hybrid. He can run the floor faster then 99% of the league and can finish with a dunk. He has strength and size to take contact but still make the shot setting up the and one. His weaknesses are his defense and shooting, but I could see both of these only getting much better. He will never be a defender like Hinrich, but with his size and strength alone he should be able to be an above average defender. His shot looked pretty good last season to tell you the truth. The media had me believing he could not shoot past 15 feet to save his life. Those stories were fiction. His jumper will get better and when you couple that with his court vision and driving ability you have a winning combo. Rose will see a ton of minutes and for this reason I could see him averaging 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and making the Allstar team.

Worst-case. Rose is still young and last season he had a great offensive player to pass to in Ben Gordon. Gordon was the centerpiece of the Bulls offense most of the time. Well this season Derrick will take over that spot. Sure the Bulls will have John Salmons and a healthy Luol Deng, but I have to think Rose will be the go to guy. Part of me wonders if that is too much to ask. With all the Memphis controversy stuff going on as well will this take a toll on the young Derrick Rose? Maybe. Maybe he might burn out a bit under all the pressure. Last season he was as consistant as any player in the NBA. Will that change? I do not think it is possible for him to lose his starting role, but he could see his minutes drop if he lacks focus and starts fouling to much or throwing the ball away to often. If this is the case we could see him average 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and not make the Allstar team.

My Prediction. Derrick Rose is a fierce competitor and is very strong mentally so therefore I do not see him getting distracted very easily. Infact I think he will flat out just ignore the whole Memphis deal and focus on Bulls basketball. What I am saying is I am leaning towards the best-case senario for Rose. Do I think he will make the Allstar team? Maybe. Something tells me that Allen Iverson is not going to be starting on any Allstar team this season. This leaves us with a few very good point guards in the east. There is Devin Harris, Rajon Rondo, and Jameer Nelson to deal with. If the Bulls are playing well I could see Rose making the team. Chicago is a big market and Rose could get a lot of fan votes, but he would be competing with two other large sports markets in Boston and New Jersey. In any event Rose should have a steller season even if the Bulls do take a step back. My prediction is for him to average 20 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting .470 from the floor.


James Johnson.

    I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but I thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I already have wrote on Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons, Tyrus Thomas and Brad Miller. Now it is time to take a look at James Johnson. I for one liked what little I saw of Johnson before the draft and I thought he would be a good pickup if he slipped to the Bulls at 16 and he did. To me Johnson was a no-brainer. I think however that the Bulls should have gambled on DeJuan Blair at 24. That could haunt them. There is nothing that sexy about James and there are a few questions about his work ethic but from what we saw this summer he looks to be fairly good. He has a NBA readt body which is a plus. He is not the best defender but can score down low and can handle the ball very well. He could look nice on the floor with Rose. So will James Johnson be a difference maker this season or a total waste of a pick? Let us take a look.

Best-case. In an ideal world Johnson could step into the rotation and play backup to Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas and log about 15-20 minutes a game. He is quite athletic and is a good playmaker for a big and can handle the ball very well for his size. He has a soft touch and can play a bit in the paint. He also can create his own shot and is pretty good at driving to the rim. The downside on his is he is a bit big and slow to play against many small forwards in the league and to small to play against most power forwards in the NBA. This makes him a tweener and in many way in the same mold as Tyrus Thomas. He however reminds me of a young Tim Thomas back when he played for the Bucks. I think he can be that kind of player on the right team. If he was on a bad team and saw 30+ minutes a game he could average 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, but he is on the Bulls and will not see those kind of minutes even in a best-case senario. If he works hard and can find a way to impress the coaching staff he could see near 20 minutes a night and average 10 points and 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Worst-case. There are rumors floating that he has a bad work ethic and even tried to leave a practice early. Does James Johnson have an Ego problem like so many young players in the league? If so the Bulls will have no part in it. The Bulls have a long and sound history of benching or even buying out players that they view as lazy or as ego cases (see Eddie Robinson, Tim Thomas, J.R. Smith, Eddie Curry, and Larry Hughes). In many ways the Bulls are the anti-Knicks/Warriors in that they take no chances on players that are headcases. This is good and bad. Bulls teams are always hard working but often lack pure talent because often there are strings attached to that talent. In any case I can see Johnson becoming a problem if he thinks he needs more playing time and then demands more playing time. He has a lot of raw talent and could be a solid player but if he does not understand his role as a backup things could get ugly. If this is the case then he may only see garbage minutes as the Bulls let the hardnosed/hard working Taj Gibson eat up his minutes. Johnson could see less then 10 minutes per game and average 3 points per game.

My Prediction. James Johnson is a rookie so I have to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he will understand that he is not a starter and just a backup. I think he gives the Bulls a nice scoring threat off the bench and could cause matchup issues with his size at the 3 and his speed at the 4. I also love the way he controls the ball like a point guard. He has some nice skills. He is a solid shot blocker but not the greatest defender and could get into foul trouble often as a rookie. I hope he is a sleeper and I hope even more that he is not another ego-case like Eddie Robinson was. I think he will see 15 minutes a game and average 4 points with 2 rebouds and 1.5 assists. Nothing great but he will have his moments and could have a 30 point game one night.

Brad Miller.

  I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but I thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I already have wrote on Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons, Tyrus Thomas. Now I shall turn my attention to Brad Miller. Picking up Miller along with Salmons was one of John Paxson's best moves as GM. I hope Gar Forman can add one or two more pieces to this puzzle we call the Bulls. Brad Miller gives the Bulls a gutsy veteran presence in the paint. He is a good teammate and can teach Joakim Noah a trick or two. Let us not forget that he also has size for a center at 7 ft tall and over 260 lbs. Miller give the Bulls a big strong body to throw at some of the bigger centers in the league. So is Miller going to be a bigger factor in the locker room or on the hardwood? Let us take a look.

Best-case. Joakim noah will be the Bulls starter at center unless Noah has a major meltdown that is. Miller is getting older and really can not play a ton of minutes and still be affective. Anything more then 20 minutes a night is pushing it if you ask me. Vinny will have to be smart when using Miller by trying to exploit mismatches and by pulling the other teams center out of the paint with his shooting ability. Miller is a great passer and a pick and roll with Rose could be used effectively. Let us pretend that Miller comes into this season is great shape and can play 20 solid minutes as a backup. If this is the case then I could see him averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Worst-case. Age has a way of creeping up on players in the NBA and centers seem to be the first hit due to all the years of banging in the paint. Miller is a banger and has always been one so he could start to really fade as a player. His knees could start to slow him down even more. I can vividly recall a few plays last season were Miller would put the ball on the floor and try to drive. It was comical to me because he has the footwork and skill but is as fast as molasses. It would not be a stretch to think that Miller will take a substantial step back this season. He might be only able to play 15 minutes or less and if this happens look for him to become a 8 points and 6 rebounds type of player.

My Prediction. For some reason I feel that Miller will lean a bit towards the worst-case senario this season, though it will have more to do with Joakim Noah stepping up his game and eating up most of the minutes. If healthy and in shape Miller can play 20 good minutes, but we all saw him struggle at time last season when he played more then that. Only on a few occasions did he play well for over 30 minutes. I think age will become a factor and I see it as a burden on the Bulls if they are forced to play him over 20 minutes. Also, I see most of the Bulls points coming from Rose, Deng, and Salmons so Miller will be asked to grab boards and make plays. Tyrus will be the Bulls scoring bigman. I know that scares many of you but he has the potential to score 15 a night or more. All in all Miller will be a nice player to have and will be called upon to be a leader on this young team. I think he will average about 20 minutes a night and 9 points and 6.5 rebounds.


Tyrus Thomas.

   I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but I thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I already have wrote on Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and John Salmons. Now it is time to tackle the most mysterious of all the Bulls and hardest to predict, Tyrus Thomas. We have seen him shine by hitting the outside jumper and blocking a ton of shots and we have also seen him disappear. His biggest problem has been his inability to be consistent. Often times he is sitting on the bench at the end of close games while Noah is out there hustling. I really think it all comes down to effort and focus with Tyrus and those two things come with maturity. Thomas is very young still and has the talent to ne an allstar level player but it is all up to him as to how bad he wants to make that leap. So which Tyrus will we see this season? Let us take a look.

Best-case. Last offseason Tyrus worked on his jumper and when the season started and he began to shoot jumpers I cringed. I was so used to his ugly shot that it took me a while to realize that he had worked hard that offseason. Let us assume that Tyrus is working hard this offseason as well. I hope he is working on an inside game and defense but in any case it is quite possible that we will see a better Thomas on the floor this season. His numbers over his first three seasons tell us that he is getting much better with every passing year. He will will be our starting power forward this season and if he can be consistant and stay focused then he could see a lot of playing time and his numbers could make a big jump. His scoring has gone from 5.2ppg to 6.8ppg to last seasons 10.8ppg. His rebounding has gone from 3.7 rpg to 4.6rpg to last seasons 6.4rpg. Those are nice trends and you know he will be blocking shots left and right. It might not be likely but Thomas could have a breakout season and average 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting .470 from the floor.

Worst-case. It is hard to not look at the growth that Tyrus has shown but at the same time he seems to lack consistency way more then any other Bull. You just do not know what you are going to get from him night to night and for that reason Vinny may continue to keep him out of close games and Thomas' minutes may suffer. He can be a 20 and 10 guy for three games straight and then lay egg after egg after egg. It is not a huge stretch to think that this style of play could persist into this season. My biggest fear with a young emotional player like Thomas is a mental breakdown. His lack of attention could easily lead to frustration and that frustration could lead to a breakdown or at least very unpredictable play. Could we have seen all that tyrus can be? Has he hit the top? Will his lack of focus and effort keep him from blossoming? If so then he may only average 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks while shooting .450 from the floor.

My Prediction. Tyrus seems like the kind of player that puts a lot of effort into practice and getting better. You can see it in his eyes that he knows that he is good and can be great. But when he steps on the hardwood things seem to change a bit for him. He does not look so comfortable. He has improved in this area, do not get me wrong, but he often has that lost look on his face when he has lost his man on a pick or when he gets a pass down low. The Bottomline to me is that he is young and has gotten better each season and I think he will mature in time to become a very good player in this league. I just do not see him breaking out this season. I could be wrong on this as he is very hard to predict but a breakout season is a best-case senario and I can not make that my prediction. I think he will improve this season for sure as he has done every season in the past. He will come into the season with a few new tricks for sure. Maybe a three point shot, which I hope is not the case, or better footwork in the paint. I think if Tyrus puts in the time that he could become great at anything he just has to pick the right areas to work on and work hard at it. I think we will see less of the lost looks on his face this season as well. In the end I predict him to average 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting .465 from the floor.


John Salmons.

   I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but I thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I already have wrote on Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich. Now it is time to breakdown John Salmons. Salmons came to the Bulls along with Brad Miller in perhaps the best trade of last season. Some will argue that the Nuggets trade for Chauncey Billups was better and I might agree, but nobody can say the Bulls got the short end of the deal with the Kings. The Bulls robbed them. Salmons was a steal. He is a sure starter on just about any team. He can play both the shooting guard and small forward and is a good defender and can create his own shot. In many ways he is what the Bulls wanted Ben Gordon to be. Sure BG is a better scorer and a bit more clutch, but Salmons is bigger and plays savvy basketball on both ends. Something that Gordon will not give you. Bottomline Salmons is a complete player, much like Kirk Hinrich. So were does Salmons fit in on the Bulls and how good can he be? Let us take a look.

Best-case. First off, with no Ben Gordon on the team Salmons will be looked for to score more and he will see a lot of minutes. There is a chance that the Bulls may have Salmons start at the small forward spot and have Luol Deng come off the bench until he can prove himself, but in a perfect world John Salmons would be out starting Shooting guard and Deng would play well enough to start at small forward. Hinrich would then be the 6th man. If this is the case, which I hope it will be, then look for salmons to be playing 35+ minutes a game and be either a second or third option on offense. For the sake of best-case senario we will have John as the Bulls number two option and spliting time as the starting SG and some time at SF. It is possible then that Salmons could average 20 points, 4.5 rebonds, and 3.5 assists while shooting .475 from the floor.

Worst-case. I think it is within the realm of possibilities that John Salmons had a career season last year and that he really is not that good. Many players have come into this league and had one good season and then gone down hill. Remember Ron Mercer? Mercer had season were he almost averaged 20 ppg. So one could argue that Salmons having one solid season was a fluke and that nobody should count on him to repeat what he did this year. He is also 29 years old. That is pretty old to finally be figuring out how to play in the NBA. So let us pretend that this season was an accident and that Salmons returns to his old playing habits. If this happens then Kirk will be the starter and John will come off the bench and may only see 25 minutes a game or even less. If this is the case then he may only average what he did a season ago. 12.5 ppg, 4 rpg, and 2.5 apg, all while shooting .460 from the floor.

My Prediction. Well if you look at Salmons career stats you will quickly see that he has gotten better every season and has taken a couple of big jumps the last two years. To me he simple is comming into his own and the Bulls just might have a very good player on their hands. If Salmon's game continues to improve at the same pace that it has then he could be an Allstar, but I am not that bold to predict anything like that. I do think that he has shown to be more reliable then Deng and therefore should be the Bulls second leading scorer behind Rose. Infact he could become the leading scorer depending on how much better Rose is this season, but one would have to think that Rose will be the centerpiece of the Bulls offense and judging on his rookie play you have to think he is an Allstar talent in this upcoming season. I think Salmons will fill in nicely for Ben Gordon if he starts at the two guard which i think he should. He is the perfect sized SG at 6'6" and 210 lbs. He also is a solid shooter from anywhere on the floor. I think he is a much better fit with Rose then BG was and is smart enough to know when to pass the ball. I think Salmons will be a big factor for the Bulls this season adn should see about 35 minutes a game and average 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists all while shooting .470 from the floor.

Kirk Hinrich.

    I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but I thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I already have wrote on Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. Now it is time to tackle Kirk Hinrich. A few years ago Kirk was considered in many fans eyes as being the Bulls most complete player and the teams clear leader, but sadly Kirk has not been himself for awhile. The Bulls also now have Derrick Rose who is the Bull franchise player and he plays in Kirk's position. To add to matters, whenever a trade is rumored you almost always hear that Hinrich is involved somehow. So were does this leave Captain Kirk? Let us take a look.

Best-case. Ok, Kirk is not going to be the Bulls starting point guard this season and everyone knows that. Kirk can however play both the guard positions so there is a slight chance that he could start at the shooting guard spot now that Ben Gordon is gone. It is more likely however that John Salmons will start at the 2 spot. The Bulls will need scoring with BG gone and Salmons is a better scorer then Kirk, and while Salmons may not be as good of a defender as Hinrich he is bigger and can hold his own. So I see the best-case senario for Kirk being the 6th man spot. Something that I think he could be very good at. He would see starter minutes playing behind Salmons and Rose and would be a spark off the bench. Not only can he score and defend but he can run the offense. That is very valuable in this league. With about 32+ minutes a game I could see Kirk averaging 15 poits and 5 assists and be in the running for 6th man of the year.

Worst-case. Even without an injury Kirk could still have a rough season. Not starting could prod at his ego a bit and with inconsistent playing time his scoring could suffer. Hinrich can be a steaky shooter scoring 5 points one night and 25 another and if he can not stay focused he could get into a lot of foul trouble and play himself out of games. If this happens then I see Kirk playing only 20 minutes a game with Pargo snagging some of his minutes. Kirk would then average 10 points and 4 assists per game.

My Prediction. Kirk Hinrich is a team captain and a solid veteran and for this reason I lean a bit more towards the best-case senario. Kirk plays with heart and it a gritty player and will be a defensive stopper off the bench. With no Ben Gordon slowing down the offense I see Kirk stepping up and being a very good 6th man. I am now seeing clearly how much crisper the Bulls rotation looks without Ben Gordon. Sure BG won us some games last season with his crazy scoring but Kirk is a more complete player and I think he will shine without BG on the team. The Bulls can go small with Rose, Hinrich, Salmons, and Deng if they want in some games and this too could be a great advantage for the Bulls. Keeping Kirk makes so much sense for so many reasons. I predict that Kirk will come off the bench as a very good 6th man and play 30+ minutes a game and will Average 12 points and 4 assists.

Luol Deng.

     I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but I thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I already tackled Joakim Noah earlier this week and now it is time to breakdown Luol Deng. Deng is a hard player to predict. Many thought that he was going to have a breakout season two years ago after he was the key factor to the Bulls sweeping Shaq, Wade and the defending champion Miami Heat. He looked like a true Allstar. But things have been up and down the last two seasons due to injuries and Deng has yet to prove worthy of his big contract he signed last summer. So will Deng be back to his 18 and 8 ways or will he continue to battle injuries? Let us take a look.

Best-case. If Deng can stay healthy and play healthy then he could become a key factor for the Bulls. He is not a 1st option type of player and I do not see him every being that kind of talent even in a best-case scenario. Two years ago Deng had a great season averaging 18 points and  7+ rebounds per game while shooting over .500 from the floor. He became a deadly shooter and a very good slasher, but injuries struck and he has been up and down since. I think he will see plenty of minutes if healthy as the Bulls starting small forward and John Salmons will move over to the shooting guard spot. If Deng can remain healthy one could argue that he could still become an allstar level player with a star point guard in Derrick Rose running the team. Deng could see a lot of open shots with Rose driving the lane. Also, with no Ben Gordon on the team you have to think Deng will touch the ball a lot. If things work out just right for Luol I could see about 20 points a game with 7 rebounds and a return to his sharp shooting ways with a FG% of .500+.

Worst-case. A battle with injuries seems fair with Deng. I stayed away from the thought of injuries while writing about Noah because he has shown no real history of being injury prone, but Deng has. Deng getting hurt would shock not one Bulls fan. That is what I am saying, so it becomes clear that another injury plagued season could easily happen. In this case Deng might only play in 40 games and only start in half of those. This being the case, Deng would only average about 12 points, 5 rebounds, while shooting around .440 from the floor.

My Prediction. With Rose running the teams offense and Ben Gordon being done I see Deng being a big part of the Bulls season. I think he will get hurt at some point and miss about 10 games total. He will lay a few eggs thoughout the season as well, but he will also have a few superstar-like games as well. During a healthy stretch last season Deng averaged 20 and 8 and was shooting well over .500 from the floor. He was also very consistant in that stretch, so I think he will be overall a pretty consistant player this season. John Salmons still gives the Bulls another outside scorer to spread the defense so Deng should be able to do his thing. If the Bulls keep Kirk Hinrich, which I hope they do, then the Bulls will have another shooter as well. Rose is the first option on this team now that Gordon is gone and I see Deng being a solid second option. My guess is he averages about 16 and 6 while shooting .485 from the floor. I also think he will score 40+ in at least one game.

Joakim Noah.

     I would like to breakdown the Bulls as a whole going into next season, but i thought I would start with writing a blog on each of the Bulls major contributing players first. I thought I would start with Joakim Noah. He was the Bulls starting center last season and had a great post season in the now epic Bulls vs Celtic series. So, just how good can Noah become, or have we seen the best of what he can offer already? Let us take a look.

     Best-case. I think Noah would have the best chance to grow and prove himself this upcoming season without the likes of Chris Bosh or Carlos Boozer in a Bulls uniform. While having either of those two might be best for the Bulls as a team, I think Noah's statline would suffer. I do think that having an offensive minded player like Bosh or Boozer could make Noah shine in the sense that he would complement either of those two greatly. He plays with energy and has become a good shot blocker and a very good low post defender. On offense he is in the top ten percentile when it comes to basketball knowledge for a center. He is a smart player and knows were to be on the floor at all times. He is a great passer for a bigman and more importantly he knows when to give up the ball. He knows his own limitations and then might be his greatest strength.
     So what kind of season would be a best case senerio for Noah? I think if the Bulls decide to make no trades and stick with what they have for one season that Noah will see big minutes and be a much bigger factor for the Bulls then if they were to land a star low post player. Like I said though, this may not be the best overall choice for the Bulls, but Noah would surely. I think if all the stars are aligned Noah could average 13 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in 36 minutes of action.
    
      Worst-case. Obviously a major injury would be worst-case so I will exclude injuries from my analysis. Like I mentioned I think if the Bulls acquire a player like Bosh or Boozer that it will hurt Noah's number. It may very well help mature Noah and make him a better player, but you would have to think then Boozer would get his points and rebounds and that Noah would take on the role as energy guy/defender. Also, was the series against the Celtics just a fluke? Kevin Garnett was in street clothes. Would Noah have averaged 10 points and 13 rebounds if the Celtic's bigmen were healthy? I think not. Was Noah's steal and 70 sprint to the basket for an and one the highlight of his career? What I am saying is that we just might have seen the very best of Noah already. So, if all the stars do not line up I could see Noah slipping a bit and averaging 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in 28 minutes of play.
     
      My Prediction. I think it is a good idea to look at the best/worst-cases for a player and then go somewhere in between. I do not know what the Bulls might do as far as a trade. Boozer this summer? Bosh before the deadline? Amar'e? There are a lot of questions, but I have to tink that Noah still has some room to get better. Will he be the player we saw in the Celtics series every night of the season? No. I think he will lay his eggs as he matures, but I also think that this might be the season were we see him have some crazy games were he might score 15 points and grab 20+ rebounds. He has talent and a brain. He may not be very athletic but he can make up for that with grit. I think it is safe to say that he will average 9 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in 32 minutes of action. These stats are up across the board from this past season. I just think Noah proved himself in the playoffs to be a solid starting center in the NBA and he will see the minutes to produce.

     There is a solid debate to be had as to if the Bulls are better or worse for having lost Ben Gordon in the offseason. One thought is that the Bulls lost their best player and their clutch go to guy and that they will be lucky to even make the playoffs. The other side of the debate is that losing Ben Gordon made the Bulls a more balanced team and allows Derrick Rose to shine. Both side have very valid thoughts behind their theories that should be looked at. So, are the Bulls better by subtraction, or will they be taking a step back this season? Let us take a look.

Best-case. Addition by subtraction is the theory here. Some believe that the Bulls are better for having lost Gorodn in the offseason. Could the Bulls be more balanced? Maybe. Ben Gordon did slow the offense down and was only average at best on defense. If John Salmons slides over to the shooting guard then the Bulls gain size and defense at the sacrifice of of a little offense. Salmons is no push over on offense however and could match Gordon's output last season without raising any eyebrows. Many of us remember a past president saying that "The buck stops here!". Well with BG the saying is "The ball stops here!". Gordon would often hold onto the ball and dribble to much and force bad shots. This is not to say this happened all the time, but often enough to really slow the offense down. I myself would rather have Rose with the ball. Rose is a much better play maker and a bigger threat to drive and finish. Everyone knew that Ben was going to shoot a jumper and that allowed defenses to roam a bit. Losing BG also gives the Bulls a better rotation with Rose and Salmons starting and Kirk coming off the bench as a 6th man Manu-style. Kirk would be deadly off the bench. A combo guard that can run the offense very well and defend just about any guard in the league. The big question in this all is Luol Deng. If Deng is healthy and his old self then the Bulls can start him and move Salmons over, but if Deng struggles again then John may have to start at the small forward making Kirk the starting SG and thereby creating a small lineup that would be challenged on defense for sure. Pargo would then be in the rotation and I would rather have him used on a smaller scale. If things work out for Deng and the Bulls are healthy with a solid rotation and depth then it would not be out of the question for the Bulls to win 50 games and snag the 4th seed in the playoffs.

Worst-case. In this senario the Bulls would struggle badly on offense without the go to player in Ben Gordon. Also Deng would struggle again with injuries and not be effective. Salmons would be forced into the starting small forward spot and the Bulls would again have a small lineup. Tyrus Thomas would hit a wall and not continue to improve. A heavy burden would be placed on the aging Brad Miller at center and he would be made to play more minutes then he should. Derrick Rose would be distracted with off court issues and would not improve greatly. The Bulls could start off really slow and the losses would pile up. They could enter the new year with a twice as many losses and wins. This would shatter confidence on the young team and that would boil over into the locker room. Vinny would get the axe and the season would be a loss. This would also set up a deadline trade were the Bulls would have to give up much more to get what they want had they had a winning record. Just writing this makes me sick because as a Bulls fan I have seen this type of season all to often in the past. The Bulls would end the season strong but miss the playoffs with only 37 wins.

My Prediction. The original idea behind this Best/Worst-case senerio series was to find that place in the middle for making a sound prediction and this is were it really comes into play. The Bulls are one off the most difficult teams to predict this season because they could really go both ways and nobody would be shocked. However, if I simply go in the middle here then I place myself in the light of not being able to be bold. I will have to use caution here. I think Rose will have a great season and that will be the heart of the Bulls season. I do tend to lean on the idea of addition by subtraction so I think the Bulls will make the playoffs. Deng is a big question to me. If healthy the Bulls could be really good. Also, I do think Thomas will get better this season. I just hope he does not shoot to many jumpers this year and I hope he learns a few post moves. I think noah will continue to be a pest of defense and could average 10+ rebounds a game. I think overall the Bulls will be more balanced and I love the idea of Kirk coming off the bench. The Bulls will start off slow like always but I think will be close to .500 come the new year. I am not slod on the Bulls making a midseason trade unless it is for a player like Chris Bosh and that would require the Raptors to not be playing well. The best bet is keeping the team together and making a splash next summer with all the money they will have. They should be able to land a superstar like hometown hero Dwyane Wade or a bigman like Bosh. Then the Bulls would be clear contender. Ok, back down to earth. I think the Bulls will have a slightly better season this year and could take a team to a game 7 again in the first round. In the end I am going to predict 43 wins and the 6th seed.

I hope you enjoyed the read and again please reply with your thought. Thanks.