Bulls Win In London

The Chicago Bulls played in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,689 at the 02 Arena in London. The hometown favorite, Luol Deng, scored 18 points as the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz 102-101. Rookie James Johnson had an excellent game, displaying his short jumper with less than a second on the clock., to delight a crowd that was rooting for the Bulls. Deng, who sat out the fourth quarter, said ”It was unbelievable, seeing some of the people in the stands who helped me get to where I am in basketball, and seeing so many Bulls jerseys. When I was growing up I couldn’t say that. It says a lot about the development of basketball in this country.” Jannero Pargo, Taj Gibson, and Kirk Hinrich got the start for the Bulls since Derrick Rose (ankle and Achilles) and Tyrus Thomas (hip) sat out as a precaution. Although Chicago was limited to 10 players, that didn’t stop Pargo, Gibson, and Hinrich from shooting a health 61.1 percent in the first half, including 5-of-7 from 3-point land. The Bulls ran more and defended harder than they did in Friday’s 104-95 win over the Pacers. The Bulls were up 55-48 at the break, but the Jazz made it a game when they traded leads in the fourth quarter until Johnson’s heroics won the game.

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Rose And Thomas Sidelined For Utah Game

The Chicago Bulls will have a limited roster when they face the Utah Jazz because Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas are both sidelined due to injuries. Rose has a sore right Achilles and ankle. Thomas is bothered by a right hip contusion. Neither has practiced since the Bulls arrived in London on Sunday. Keep in mind, Aaron Gray has been out of the lineup due to a stress fracture in his lower leg and John Salmons did not make the trip to England because he’s with his pregnant wife in the United States. So the Bulls will dress just 10 players against the Jazz. Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said, “It’s not ideal. A few guys will have extended minutes, which is tough for the second preseason game. But I’ll monitor things as best I can.” The Bulls will be back in Chicago on Wednesday and the team will take Thursday off, so Rose and Thomas have three more days to recover. The Bulls’ training staff said Rose will heal in three to five games. Thomas said, “It doesn’t make sense to push it this early in the preseason. I should be fine on Friday.”

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Gibson Helps Bulls Defeat Pacers 104-95

Bulls Rookie Taj Gibson scored a team-high 19 points (6-for-12 shooting) and grabbed nine rebounds in just under 30 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on Friday. The 6-foot-9 power forward showed he’s capable of breaking into the team’s front court rotation. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro summed up Taj’s performance when he said, ”Taj is like the Energizer Bunny: He just keeps on coming at you,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. “He shoots it better than you think, and he’s pickin’ and poppin’. He’s long, he had some nice box-outs and good rotations defensively, so just a great effort for a rookie in his first exhibition game. That’s a good sign for us.” After trailing 43-41 at halftime, the Bulls outscored the Pacers 34-19 in the third quarter for a 75-62 lead heading into the fourth. After the 2009 NBA draft, Gibson was described as an energy player who can provide spark on defense and on the boards. But nobody mentioned the rookies’ lethal jump shots. He exhibited a solid medium-range jumper (15 to 18 feet) throughout the game. In the third quarter, Tyrus Thomas suffered a concussion after taking a charge. He took a hard hit to the midsection and did not return to the game.

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Bulls vs. Pacers Tonight

After practice this morning at the Berto Center, the Bulls are scheduled to fly to Indianapolis at 2 p.m. and play their first preseason game tonight against the Indiana Pacers. At 5 p.m. on Saturday, the team will take a flight to London, where they will have two days of practice before taking on the Utah Jazz in a exhibition game on Tuesday. Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said, ”With the time change, the jet lag and everything involved, you lose a little practice time. We started [camp] a little bit earlier.” There will be no sight seeing for the Bulls. They are scheduled to arrive in London at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, then will take an hour bus ride to the team hotel. The players have just enough time to grab a quick meal before they unpack and head to practice. Vinny said, ”I’ve talked to enough coaches that have done it, and I feel with the way our schedule is, let’s get right to it, let’s get the mind-set right on the trip. Keep them up so they don’t go right back to sleep and try to get adjusted to the time [change] as quickly as possible. We need to put the work in.”

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Bulls Cancel Evening Practice

Wednesday was suppose to be the last day of two-a-days for the Bulls, but Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro decided to cancel the evening session. The coach had decided to go with a longer morning practice on Wednesday. He said, “I thought the guys gave great effort for four straight days with double sessions. I just thought we’d have one long practice today, and we got a lot out of it.” Except for backup center Aaron Gray, who injured his left leg on Tuesday, the Bulls made it through their four days of double sessions healthy. Vinny stated that Gray had a productive summer and it would have benefited him to get some experience under his belt in the exhibition season. Gray is expected to be out of the lineup for six to eight weeks, so he will probably miss the first month of the regular season. After the first week of practice, the backup center’s injury has been the biggest news reported. The Bulls have always kept their practice sessions tight-lipped from the press. How are the other players on the roster doing? How are the projected starters performing in their practices? We will find out once the regular season kicks off.

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Is Salmons A One-Year Wonder?

The Chicago Bulls acquired  forward John Salmons from Sacramento on February 18, 2008. The 6-foot-6 swingman never averaged double figures in the NBA until his sixth season. Last season, the forward rose to 18.3 points and 47.2 percent shooting. There are very few players who start slowly and then average more than 18 points for a full season. Antoine Carr and George McCloud are the exception, but they went back to their normal numbers after a single breakout season. Salmons certainly set the bar higher for himself last season. Living up to those expectations has to be on his mind, right? “I haven’t thought about that,” he said. “There’s no reason to think that way. I know there are still nonbelievers out there. I know that. I’m not a fool. But at the same time, I’m focusing on doing what I do best, just go out here and help my team win. Whatever comes out of that, comes out. That’s how I approached last year, that’s how I approached every year.” This year, the Bulls are counting on Salmons to step in as the starting two guard. Salmons, a Philadelphia native, has been working next to Derrick Rose during practise. “I love playing with him,” Rose said. “He doesn’t say that much. I don’t say that much either, but we’ve got an understanding on the court of what we’re supposed to do. He’s a bigger guard, has a funny-type game, but he can score the ball.”

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What Role Will Rookie James Johnson Play?

James Johnson was the first of the Bulls’ two first-round picks in the 2009 NBA draft. Nobody knows exactly what role the rookie will play this season. But everyone agrees the former Wake Forest star has what it takes to be a big factor. Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said, “He’s very skilled, can make plays off the dribble, has a good feel for the game and has good versatility, but he’s young and he’s gonna make mistakes.” The coach continued to say the rookie does things you can’t teach a player. Vinny revealed that Johnson could give the Bulls versatility “at the three [small forward] and the four [power forward], but time will tell.” Although Johnson (6-foot-9) was listed as a power forward before he was drafted by the Bulls, Chicago saw him as someone capable of playing both forward positions. That’s how Johnson sees himself. The rookie said, ”I’ve just been playing the three so far. That’s my natural position, but I can play any position I’m put at.” Vinny expects Johnson to play a little bit of three and the four, at least while he’s practising. The coach believes he can handle both positions because of his strength and size and his ability to put the ball on the ground.

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Bulls Get Ready For Preseason

The Chicago Bulls wrapped up their first practice sessions on Saturday. Their first practice session began at 10:00 A.M., and their second came at 4:30 P.M. The two-a-day practice sessions will continue through Wednesday, September 30. Chicago will tip-off their eight-game preseason schedule on Friday, October 2, when they visit the Indiana Pacers. The Bulls will then travel across the pond to take on the Utah Jazz in England as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA Sports on Oct. 6. Other preseason contests include: at Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 10 in Green Bay, Wis.), vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 13), at Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 14), vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 16), vs. Orlando Magic (Oct. 19) and vs. Washington Wizards (Oct. 23). The team will then tip-off the regular season on Oct. 29 at the United Center against the San Antonio Spurs. Many Bulls’ fans are wondering how good Chicago will be this season since Ben Gordon has left. How much will the loss of Gordon affect the Bulls? If you ask the Bulls, they will tell you the loss of Gordon will not effect them much, but NBA commentators think the exact opposite. John Salmons will have some big shoes to fill as he slides into Gordon’s vacated shooting guard slot.

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Bulls 13th in Initial Power Rankings

ESPN’s Marc Stein has released his first set of NBA Power Rankings for the 2009-10 season.  The Bulls come in at number 13 on the list.  “With D-Rose no longer a rook, Deng back from injury and Brad Miller and Salmons in training camp, Chicago will weather Ben Gordon’s departure,” Stein writes.  ”Especially since the Bulls are a likely 2010 free-agent player, too.”  The Bulls were the fifth-highest-ranked Eastern Conference team, coming in just above the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.  The Orlando Magic were Stein’s top choice in the East.

The reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers landed at the top of Stein’s rankings, followed by the Magic, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.  There are not many pundits that expect a team other than one of these five to win the title this season.  I think slotting the Bulls as the fifth-highest-ranked team in the East is pretty fitting, but there’s a chance that they hurdle the Atlanta Hawks in the standings if things go right.  I think a good goal for the Bulls this season would be to gain home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, as breaking into the top three seems a bit too ambitious for 2009-10.

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Examining the Roster

Looking at the Bulls’ roster, I think the team should be pretty competitive this season, but improve as the year progresses, much like last season.  The subtraction of the team’s leading scorer of the last three years, Ben Gordon, will be felt initially, as the extra shot attempts are divvied up among the rest of the players.  Most of those attempts figure to go Luol Deng’s way, as the team will be looking for Deng to be the second option behind Derrick Rose.  Deng has the ability to produce efficiently on offense, as he showed three seasons ago, and he could really help pick up the slack early on and moving forward.

Derrick Rose’s improvement will greatly factor into the team’s success this season and the point guard has been working hard this offseason, especially on his jump shot.  Rose’s quickness is nearly unparalleled in the league and the addition of a consistent perimeter shot would make him nearly unguardable.  This certainly won’t be a one or two-man show, though, as the Bulls will need solid contributions out of a number of players in order to fare well this season.  Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah will play very important roles in 2009-10, as should John Salmons.

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