ANALYZING STARTERS:
G Derrick Rose may not be a starter from Day 1, but the Bulls will not hesitate to throw him into the action. He was a little behind on defensive concepts during preseason. At the same time, his amazing athletic skills were also quite obvious. G Kirk Hinrich is still around, even though many observers expected him to be traded after the Bulls drafted Derrick Rose. He played off the point, next to Chris Duhon, for a large part of his pro career, so he should be comfortable beside Rose.
F Luol Deng has plenty to prove this season after signing a new six-year, $72-million contract in August. He insists that a couple of nagging injuries were the biggest reason he slumped in 2007-08.
F Tyrus Thomas is still young enough (22) to carry a huge upside, but the Bulls are anxious to see some progress in his third season. Thomas had a few monster games last year, but struggled to stay consistent.
C Drew Gooden vowed to work hard on his game over the summer now that he's being offered a significant role, as opposed to mostly chasing down LeBron James' misses in Cleveland. He looked good early in preseason, particularly with his mid-range jumper.
ANALYZING KEY RESERVES:
G Ben Gordon decided to spurn the Bulls' contract offer and take the one-year qualifying offer. Now the pressure is on to prove he deserves more, either from the Bulls or some other team.
G Larry Hughes isn't used to playing short minutes, but he might have to if the Bulls don't trade away a guard or two. However, Hughes dislocated his right shoulder on Oct. 22 and will miss the start of the season.
F Andres Nocioni will face a battle to hang onto his role, since third-year guard Thabo Sefolosha could also slide into this spot.
C Joakim Noah bulked up over the summer but missed the early part of preseason after getting poked in the eye during practice.
MEDICAL WATCH:
G Larry Hughes (dislocated right shoulder) will be sidelined when the Bulls open the regular season. He was injured during a preseason game at Minnesota on Oct. 22 when he dove to the floor for a loose ball and got his arm caught underneath Timberwolves F Mike Miller.
After getting an MRI exam the next day, Hughes felt optimistic that he'll recover quickly. Only time will tell, though, if Hughes can return in a couple of weeks or if he'll miss a month or more.
