This year’s Bulls squad will be an interesting team.  Clearly they are waiting to make a splash in 2010 with all the money they have saved up, meaning that this season should probably be viewed as a rebuilding year.  The climactic end to last season and the emergence of Derrick Rose as a player on the cusp of stardom and even superstardom has shifted those expectations, however.  Truehoop phrased the question, and answer, this way:

How much should we read into Chicago’s classic seven-game series against Boston? Was the Bulls’ gutsy performance a harbinger of things to come, or was it lightning in a bottle? Did they graduate into a team that knows how to scramble defenses with a legitimate pick-and-roll game, or were they just lucky to encounter a crippled Celtics team ill-suited to deal with their quickness and athleticism?

Those aren’t the only imperative questions for Chicago. Even if we conclude that they came of age in April, is it fair to expect them to continue their progress without their top scorer, Ben Gordon, whom they lost to Detroit?

Short answer: Yes.

The story then goes on to discuss how and why they will progress, however while they claim the Bulls will move forward, the story does not explain what to expect.  Another 1st round exit? 2nd round? Eastern Conference Finals?  It’s hard to tell.  Theoretically, the departure of Ben Gordon will allow Derrick Rose, John Salmons, and Luol Deng to replace his scoring and develop even farther (at least in the case of Rose).  With Noah emerging as a legitimate 10 and 10 threat on the block (and a surprising ability to get up and down the court in transition), the only real question mark on this team is TT.  With Brad Miller coming off the bench, the Bulls should be able to account for any inconsistencies on the part of Thomas.

So?  So what do I think the Bulls are capable of?  They should be able to put themselves in a 4th-6th seed in the East and be in a better position to advance to the 2nd round than they were this past season.  A number of things could happen to change this, like the Hinrich-Salmons-Rose backcourt not gelling, or the Bulls making some kind of gigantic deadline deal (perhaps for Boozer, Amare, or even Bosh).  Either way, expect to be blown away by Rose’s athleticism.  Oh, and the Vinny Del Negro discussion is for another day.

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Tags: Derrick Rose, Expectations, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas