The biggest addition for the Chicago Bulls was defensive stalwart Ben Wallace. Wallace is a four-time defensive player of the year who will bring toughness and a team-mentality to the Bulls. He is also a veteran presence on a fairly young team. The main problem with Ben, however, is that he is no offensive threat, which is the main area the Bulls lacked in last season.
The main scorers for the Chicago Bulls are the young backcourt players in Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. Hinrich is an excellent point guard who can shoot from any spot on the floor. The Bulls expect him to get better as he has over the past few seasons. Much in the same way, Gordon is expected to continue as the leading scorer of the Chicago Bulls. It would come as no surprise if the third-year man out of Connecticut reaches the 20 points per game plateau.
Luol Deng is yet another talented young scorer at the small-forward position. Deng seems to be more comfortable coming off the bench, however, as he averaged almost three points more a game in that position then as a starter. The starter, therefore, is Andres Nocioni who can provide energy and double-digit points night in and night out.
The Bulls pride themselves on playing tough defense and having one of the deepest rosters in the league, and that should continue through the 2006/07 season. Some of their key bench players that haven't been mentioned so far may include first-round draft pick Tyrus Thomas. Tyrus is a very young player who has a lot of talent but is relatively unpolished. Ben Wallace should help in his development as an elite NBA player. Another key bench player that coach Scott Skiles has relied on is backup point guard Chris Duhon. Duhon is a relatively unspectacular player who can manage the offense when Hinrich needs a break.
The Bulls certainly have a lot of talent entering the 2006 season, but most of that talent is also very young. This may end up being their downfall once again, as in the past two seasons. One thing is for sure, Chicago is on the right path to success.
"It surely was a good game." - quipped del Negro. This rather straight faced comment comes on the back of a close shave against the Knicks. Yes, the Bulls won their game against the Knicks 105-100, but wonder why del Negro is fuming? On analyzing the match after it got over, clearly del Negro did not mince words in saying that forward, Tyrus Thomas should not have sat out the match. Whatever were the reasons of Thomas sitting out, it clearly seemed not to impress del Negro. Not for one bit!
For starters, it must be said that del Negro believes in a high degree of work ethics and discipline. First, he is in charge of a young team and is in the process of getting a lot of players warmed up to the task. In such a scenario, he wishes players who know their roles to definitely be a part of the starting line-up. When that has to be compromised at times, del Negro does get furious. The incident involving Thomas being benched for the game against the Knicks surely got us the volcanic side of del Negro.
Del Negro believes that Thomas did not play not because of his skills, but because of his un-professional attitude. He believes when a team is trying to regroup and build itself as a strong team for the future, no inch should be given or taken. But with the latest actions of Thomas, del Negro believes that the professional work ethic of the team has been compromised. Obviously, del Negro is not one who would mince words, and after the match, said, "I can tolerate if someone performs poorly, if someone makes mistakes. But I cannot stand someone for lack of discipline."
Del Negro had some good words for forward Joaquim Nokah. He, as per Del Negro, was seen working very hard on his game throughout the match. After not playing in the previous game against the Wizards, Joaquim had his share of blocks, rebounds, assists and scores. His performance during the game against the Knicks definitely won him the respect of del Negro. Coming from a hard taskmaster that he is, Joaquim definitely has set a benchmark for himself.
With the game over and the Bulls looking ahead to build an unassailable lead in the championship, the players from the Bulls squad need to gear up to the Del Negro style of working. Mistakes are acceptable here, but poor attitude is not. And players would definitely like to keep that in mind.
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