Training Camp Roster: Finalized

With the first preseason game a month away the Chicago Bulls announced their final training camp roster last week. Adding some talented youth in Kim English (Guard), Ben Hansbrough(Guard), and Solomon Jones (Forward) Sept. 26th.

These additions bring the roster up to 17 players, which I know sounds like a lot when only five play at a time, but it's always nice to have a back-up who knows the offense in case an injury occurs. Which as a Bulls fan I'm frankly tired of injuries at this point. Anyway, I think the move is a solid one.

Depth is time-and-time again a strength that almost every single NBA Champion has shared for the past couple decades. Presently, I believe the Bulls are morphing into one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Attribute a lot of that to coaching, player development, and hard work. Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah, and Pau Gasol in my opinion rival any other four person match-up in the league (5th starting spot TBD).

With such a solid foundation the Bulls are just looking to ease some of the pressure on the starters. Great play from the bench has been something Coach Thibodeau (and the fans) can count on almost every game the Bulls play. Hinrich, Gibson, and Brooks will give Coach T solid minutes every night, and on both offense and defense. As well as some veteran leadership.

The Bulls' depth is becoming more and more of a strength, and there is also an abundance of young talent waiting to be developed. The Bulls have a great coaching staff and as the season progresses be sure to watch players make huge strides in their all-around game.

Winning a title never comes down to just one player, and it seems that Chicago is aware of this. The Bulls' management sure has brought together a solid group of guys, and it seems Chicago is 100% about winning a title this season.

Resigned: Nazr Mohammed

I love this re-signing, although Chicago seems to be pretty deep at the big-man position, Mohammed, can be there for his veteran leadership and defensive tenacity. Barring any real injury he should be able to fill the role of "the enforcer" when his number is called upon. You can't undervalue 16 years of NBA experience, and he's a Chicago native! Welcome back Mr. Mohammed.

Preseason Preview

Lot of hype surrounding the Bulls due to the new additions Chicago brought in this offseason. Not to mention the former league MVP is just waiting to burst back onto the scene, and with the exception of Luol Deng most of the key pieces are still in place.

However, there is still a LONG way to go before the playoffs start so let's not get caught up in all the hype just yet.

What I want to see this preseason from this team is simple. I hope to see a commitment to defense from Derrick Rose. D-Rose is without-a-doubt an explosive offensive player, but the numbers for Mr. Rose in Barcelona weren't exactly stifling. Spoiler alert Eastern Conference, that is going to change and it could happen overnight.

But not yet, it's preseason. I want to see a commitment to defense from our star player because defense wins championships. Defense is a staple of the Chicago Bulls, and I hope Mr. Rose embraces this again. Don't focus on getting your shot Mr. Rose, your offense WILL come. You are just too good at what you do. Play the game within yourself, play defense, and be a leader for this team.

Last, I would just like to see a cohesive group on the floor this preseason. Good communication on the court is probably an underrated trait that most fans don't consider, but it is so crucial. The new additions might mix up the team chemistry a little bit, but both Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic are intelligent players. They should fit right in with Coach Thibodeau's and the Bulls' philosophies.It will help that both Noah and Gasol are excellent passers for their size, so if these two can mesh well I think they could dominate any team in the paint. Joakim Noah/Pau Gasol pick and roll? Just saying.

Anyway, I'm not an expert but I love basketball and am absolutely crazy about the Chicago Bulls. I hope they do well this preseason. I'm so ready to see the team grow together.

USA! USA! USA!

I'd like to take a second to say congratulations to the U.S. men's basketball team for bringing home the gold! As a team there isn't much to say about how well they played throughout the tournament. Team USA dominated most of the competition.

Proud of each and every one of them. Well done gentlemen.

GO USA!

Missing Person: Derrick Rose's 3pt Shot

Derrick Rose has certainly turned some heads with his comeback play in Barcelona, but I think he forgot to pack his 3-point shot. Perhaps it got lost in baggage claim? That happens right?

Anyway, Rose is 1 for 18 from behind the arc thus far in the tournament, or a whopping 5.5% for you number guys out there. Although, no matter what kind of guy you are at the end of the day I'm sure we'll all agree that is pretty awful.

Or downright sad...

Mr. Rose is a career 31% three point shooter, which isn't great, but is still a whole 26% points above 5% (5x better technically). No one really ever expects a Reggie Miller like performance from Mr. Rose, but he can occasionally light it up from outside.

Now before I cause any panic and sound any real alarms here let us remember that the man hasn't played professional basketball for a pretty long time. I've never played in the NBA, but I'm sure there is a huge difference between practicing your three point shot in an empty gym as opposed to trying to shot over a charging defender.

I have complete faith that this 1 for 18 thing is just a fluke, and that Mr. Rose's biggest critic about this performance is himself. If anything this will fuel him to work even harder, and besides he's bound to break out sooner or later.

Derrick Rose Coming Into His Own In Barcelona

After a pretty stunning performance in Barcelona that landed D-Rose 12 points and 5 assists in just 18 minutes, the question is, is Derrick Rose finally back?

Well in short, I FREAKING HOPE SO!!!!

Coach Krzyzewski claims that this is just the start of Rose's journey back to NBA stardom. Rose definitely looked more comfortable out there vs. Slovenia, but how close to 100% is he really feeling?

I'm not a licensed doctor or medical practitioner by any means, but I would imagine most of what Rose is going through at this point is all in his head. The knee might be healed full and his body could be running at 110%,  but until he truly believes that for himself I don't think we will see the explosive D-Rose of old.

Though we did see some real explosion from him last game.

Truly hope we see more of the same from Rose in the Lithuania game today!

GO USA!!!!

Bulls Look Great On Paper

As an avid Chicago Bulls fan I am SO excited to see how the 2014-2015 season plays out for us! The addition of Pau Gasol, the return of Derrick Rose, and a group of promising young talent has the Bulls looking like one of the scarier teams in the league.

Since the arrival of Tom Thibodeau, Chicago's defense has been stellar. The Bulls have made a commitment to defense and I think it's safe to say they will finish in the top 5 on the defensive side of the ball in the 2014-15 season.

I however think our offense will struggle at the start of the season. I'm not Coach T, but I imagine both Gasol and Noah will play a significant amount of minutes with each other. Individually Gasol and Noah are both great, but the "twin tower" combination hasn't really worked since the Tim Duncan/David Robinson days. It will help greatly that both Gasol and Noah have excellent court awareness and passing skills.

The loss of Luol Deng to me really hurts the Bulls on both the offensive side and defensive side of the ball. Deng was a great player (I believe one of the most underrated in the league) and always played hard. Luol seemed to take pride a lot last season in picking up the opposing teams' main scoring option. He will surely be missed and I wish Deng all the luck in the world. Now, can Jimmy Butler replace him? In short, I think he definitely can. Butler has great upside and has shown flashes of NBA stardom at still such a young age. Keep an eye on Butler, he could be the x-factor that determines how far the Bulls go this season.

The real story though once again is whether or not Derrick Rose can stay healthy. The former NBA MVP has been pretty inconsistent thus far with Team USA in Barcelona, but there has been a play here and there that reminds one of the D-Rose of old. There is still time for Rose to come back into his own and I feel it's only a matter of time. No one will question the ability that Rose possesses, but I don't believe he is 100% confident with his knee yet. I pray that I am wrong!

There is still a good while before the Bulls tip-off the regular season vs. the Knicks on October 29th, and I'm excited to see what changes between now and then! (Possible Ray Allen signing?)