--Preseason hasn't always been a work of art for the Bulls, but there has been one major encouraging sign: point guard Derrick Rose has serious star potential. Many times during preseason, Rose made fans at the United Center gasp in awe with some of his athletic moves. The No. 1 draft pick turned things up a notch at Dallas on Oct. 21 when he finished with 30 points and seven assists while hitting 13 of 18 shots from the field. He also helped the Bulls erase a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, though both teams were using second-teamers. "I'm just reacting to things now instead of thinking," Rose said after the game. "I'm more comfortable in the offense. I love knowing my coach believes in me."
Coach Vinny Del Negro toyed with the idea of bringing Rose off the bench, but the more Rose has played, the more absurd that plan has become. Rose is clearly the Bulls' best player right now, and the future is looking brighter every day.
--G Ben Gordon will try to become an NBA trailblazer of sorts. He turned down a contract offer believed to be worth around $55 million over six years, choosing instead to sign the one-year qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Gordon will be paid $6.4 million this season and cannot be traded without his permission.
The history of players taking the qualifying offer is not very promising. The list includes Michael Olowokandi, Stromile Swift, Vladimir Radmanovic and Mickael Pietrus. All of those players changed teams after becoming a free agent and none was paid more than the mid-level exception (currently worth $5.6 million). Gordon is obviously hoping to beat the offer he rejected from the Bulls.
"At the end of the day, Ben shouldn't sign a deal he's not comfortable with," Bulls general manager John Paxson said. "Because then you sign something and if you're not totally happy with it, you're always thinking about that. He's a Bull for now, which is great for us, because we need his ability on the floor."
--First-year coach Vinny Del Negro expects to experiment with a number of different lineup combinations, but the one that figures to draw the most interest is whether or not to start rookie point guard Derrick Rose when the regular season begins on Oct. 28. Rose started the first two preseason games and showed that he hasn't yet reached a comfort level with his new teammates. In an Oct. 14 exhibition against Minnesota, Del Negro brought Rose off the bench, starting Kirk Hinrich and Larry Hughes together in the backcourt. The Bulls happened to turn in an impressive first quarter that night, outscoring the Timberwolves 30-13.
"Don't read anything into the starting lineup, but Larry and Kirk give us a bigger backcourt, there's no question," Del Negro said after the game. "I thought Larry and Kirk really set the tone for us defensively. Derrick's a great kid, he's going to keep working. I'm not really worried about his offense as much as I am defensively, being attentive to running the club on both ends of the court. That's just going to take time."
MAIN REASON BULLS CAN WIN: The nucleus of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni has already made the playoffs three times and all of those players will be anxious to bounce back from a tough season. Rookie point guard Derrick Rose is the Bulls' best chance at finding a franchise player since Elton Brand was traded.
MAIN REASON BULLS CAN LOSE: This is still a young team with an unproven head coach. As great as he could be someday, Derrick Rose figures to endure some growing pains. The lack of veterans on the inside will be a liability, particularly on defense.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "If we're winning with me on the bench, winning with me in the lineup, I'll take either. As long as we win and make it to the playoffs and this city is going crazy. It really doesn't matter who's starting. As long as we're winning, I'll be happy." -- Rookie point guard Derrick Rose, on the role he expects to play this season.
