'07 Chicago Bulls Preview

2007 Chicago Bulls NBA Season Preview

The Bulls failed to land the top-notch post player who could draw double teams that they badly needed. Joe Smith was their consolation prize, but he's hardly the answer. Still, Chicago will continue to improve and are already one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng enjoyed career years last season and are poised to grow even more this season. Also, Tyrus Thomas showed flashes of the great player he might become in a few seasons and they were able to re-sign gritty forward Andres Nocioni. Make no mistake about it, Chicago is loaded with talent. What's more is that several of its players are still under rookie contracts, which means the Bulls do have some wiggle room in terms of cap space. Still, they have to be careful that they have enough money left for when Gordon and Deng seek contract extensions.

Statistics Projections/Depth Chart

• Center: Ben Wallace 4.9 ppg, 10.6 rbpg, 2.1 bspg (back up: Joakim Noah)
• Power Forward: Andres Nocioni 13.6 ppg, 6.3 rbpg (back up: Joe Smith)
• Small Forward: Luol Deng 19.6 ppg, 6.4 rbpg (back up: Tyrus Thomas)
• Point Guard: Kirk Hinrich 14.7 ppg, 6.0 apg (back up: Chris Duhon)
• Shooting Guard: Ben Gordon 23.3 ppg, 3.8 apg (back up: Thabo Sefolosha)

Key Losses

P.J. Brown and Mike Sweetney were the only noteworthy losses, but since they replaced Brown with Joe Smith and Sweetney had played himself out of the lineup, it won't make much difference to the team's success this season.

Key Additions

The Bulls couldn't land the offensive power forward they needed and had to settle for Joe Smith, who will be able to contribute and provide some locker room veteran leadership as well as 10-15 minutes off the bench.

Team Rumors

There was once a rumor that the Bulls were shopping rookie Joakim Noah and Andres Nocioni for a power forward, but after finding no takers they re-signed Nocioni.

Prediction

The Bulls will win two more games this season for a record of 51-31, but will be just short of passing the Detroit Pistons to win the division. As the number two seed in the playoffs, the Bulls will beat the New Jersey Nets in a grueling seven-game-series in the first round, but will again fall short in the second round; this time to the Boston Celtics in six games. Tyrus Thomas will continue to improve, averaging 7.7 ppg, 5.6 rbpg and will more than double his blocks with 2.4 per game in 20 minutes a night.

Fantasy Spin

Luol Deng had a great fantasy season last year and should better that this season. With low turnovers, his scoring, rebounding and percentages can be a big help. Consider him in the top fifty to sixty picks.

Ben Gordon is a very intriguing player, because of his scoring ability and he should be able to score even more points this season. However, he tends to be drafted higher than he ought to be drafted. He's a great addition in scoring and threes made, but doesn't do a whole lot else. Don't be fooled into taking him too early.

Ben Wallace's stock is slipping each season. His blocks, boards and steals decreased last year, which is his bread and butter. He's still a great player to take within the top sixty picks, because those three stats can be difficult to find. However, don't pull the trigger on him too early.

Kirk Hinrich's always solid, too. If you miss the first couple strings of point guards in the first fifty picks or so, consider Hinrich to fill your one spot.

Also, keep an eye out for Andres Nocioni and Tyrus Thomas this season. Both should be available on the waiver wire and both could put together some great games.

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