No Rose, No Thorn in Anyone's Side

  Are the the Bulls heading in the right direction in 2012-2013?

I'm worried about the Bulls. That team's strength was a healthy Rose and a lights out bench. Rose is hurt and the bench is full of new faces. Whether the changes were for the better, it's yet to be seen. I'm staying positive that the loss of Kyle "Hot Sauce" Korver, the overpaid Asik, and the underrated Ronnie Brewer won't ruin the cohesiveness the team is known for.

        Bulls Projected Starting 5:

PG Kirk Hinrich     SG Rip Hamilton     SF Luol Deng

            PF Carlos Boozer     C Joakim Noah

     Bench 

PG Nate Robinson/Marquis Teague     SG Marco Bellineli     SF Jimmy Butler/Vladimir Radmanovic

  PF Taj Gibson     C Nazr Mohammed

I love the signings of Nate Robinson, Kirk Hinrich, and Marco Belinelli. I love the drafting of Marquis Teague even more (cant believe he fell into their laps!)

I think the Bulls did an amazing job with the limited cap space they had to bring in solid players. The Bulls did right in not matching Houston's ridiculous offer to Asik and they saved money long term in not resigning Brewer and trading away Korver. 

Now all they got to do is rid themselves of Carlos Boozer...

If
- Rip Hamilton can return to at least half the wingman he was in Detroit
-Taj Gibson continues to produce like the 6th man of the year
-Joakim Noah plays like a top 5 center
-Nate, Kirk, and Marquis rotate smoothly at PG
-Boozer (or Kris Humpries??) put up 10/10 a game
- Deng plays like an All-Star

The Bulls can be a real threat come playoff time when they get a fresh pair of hop-steppin' Derrick Rose legs.

That's a lot of ifs, but, I have faith in Tom Thibodeau. I think it will be fun to see if the Bulls sneak up on everyone this NBA season.

-Josh