2009-2010 Chicago Bulls Preview

2008 Record: 41-41, 2nd in Eastern Conf. Central Division, lost in First Round
Head Coach: Vinny Del Negro, 2nd season
Key Additions: None
Key Losses: G Ben Gordon, F Tim Thomas
1st Round Draft Picks: F Taj Gibson, F James Johnson
2nd Round Draft Picks: None

2008-'09 Bulls Review:

For a seventh-place team that lost in the first round of the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls enjoyed a very special run last season. The Bulls' 4-3 loss to the defending champion Boston Celtics will continue to be talked about as a classic NBA postseason series for decades. That small but meaningful measure of playoff immortality is deserved by any team that can hang with the sport's most storied franchise; fight on even terms in the new incarnation of what is essentially the Boston Garden; receive heroic performances from the likes of Ben Gordon and John Salmons; and endure seven overtime periods to go the distance in a first-round fistfight for the ages. The Bulls didn't win their epic encounter against Boston, but they won a great deal of admiration from everyone in the league.

2009-'10 Bulls Preview:

After seeing Ben Gordon light up the Celtics last Spring and then head for Detroit in the offseason, it will be hard to imagine how the Bulls can radically improve upon last season's display. Perhaps Luol Deng will shrug off a fractured leg and make meaningful contributions in the season to come, but it's just not realistic to expect Deng to play the way he did before the nasty injuries (before the leg, it was a wrist...) that have kept him off the court for the past two years. The Bulls will need to rely on the fact that several players on their roster grew up in the epic battle against the Celtics. If Joakim Noah can continue to swat shots and run the floor the way he did against Kendrick Perkins; if Salmons can continue to throw down shots from all corners of the court, just as he did against Boston's wings; and if the combo of Brad Miller and Tyrus Thomas can stick open shots the way they did against the 2008 NBA champions, a team blessed with a star point guard in the making--Derrick Rose--will get better in 2010, setting up what could be a breakout 2011 with a fully-healed Deng in tow. That's the best possible outlook for a franchise that made significant strides in 2009, and needs to maintain momentum this season before making an honest run at the championship in the near future.

> Find a great selection of Chicago Bulls Merchandise and apparel online through probasketball-fans.com!

By Matthew Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

> View the entire 2009-2010 NBA preview here at ProBasketball-fans.com