Bulls 17th in Initial Power Rankings

ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has released his initial power rankings for the 2008-2009 NBA season.  The Bulls head into the season ranked 17th after finishing last year ranked 23rd.  “Returning to the top eight when PG and coach have no experience won’t be easy.  A guards glut and the usual low-post void won’t help.  Can’t be harder than winning the Rose lottery with the ninth-best chances, though.”  The thinking in this ranking is naturally that Derrick Rose isn’t going to be able to turn things around for the Bulls in one day.  As discussed at length on this blog, making the transition from the collegiate ranks to the pros is notoriously difficult for point guards.

This is probably a pretty fair ranking for the team.  Coming in as the ninth-highest ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls do have playoff potential.  A lot of how this team performs will hinge on whether Luol Deng can have a bounce back season, and his performance in the Eurobasket has indicated that he will, and how well Rose and rookie head coach Vinny Del Negro can adjust to their new roles.  The Bulls could be a much improved team in the second half of the season.
Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.