Bench Could Be Big

The Chicago Bulls’ success this season could hinge on the performance of its bench players. This notion may be a bit deceiving, as the club has two starter-caliber players in Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. Both guards played very well coming off the bench in the first game of the season, Hinrich scoring 15 and Gordon adding 18 of his own. The two combined for 10 assists as well. Head coach Vinny Del Negro chose to start the two youngest players in his backcourt, Derrick Rose and Thabo Sefolosha, in the season opener. Sefolosha only logged 12 minutes, though, while Hinrich and Gordon each received 25-plus a piece. Del Negro may have opted for this starting backcourt because of its collective size. Rose, at 6-3, is among the bigger points in the league, and Sefolosha stands at 6-7. Both Gordon and Hinrich are undersized for the two position, though Hinrich can play the one when Rose is out of the game.

Whatever Del Negro’s reasoning, Hinrich and Gordon seemed to thrive in their roles coming off the pine, at least in this contest. Other bench players that will play a key role in the Bulls’ success are Andres Nocioni and Joakim Noah. Center Aaron Gray could also get some minutes, as his offensive repertoire in the post is probably the most complete of anyone on the squad.

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