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1. Vinny del Negro: This will be Vinny del Negro’s first game as a coach in the NBA, let alone the head coach of one of the league’s youngest teams.  The Bulls line up is filled with plenty of potential.  Their are a number of young guys on this roster that could be potential stars in the NBA, it will be interesting to see how he handles the squad.
2. Derrick Rose: This will be Rose’s first attempt at running team’s point.  This is also a home game, meaning he will be playing in front of plenty of family and friends.  We all remember the last time the Bulls drafted a hometown boy (see Eddy Curry).  Rose will also have the tough task of guarding one of the leagues best point guards of all time, Jason Kid.  It will be interesting to see Rose’s role in his first game and how he gets the rest of the guys involved.
3. Overload at Guard:  The Bulls have a long list of guards, all of whom could be worthy of playing time: Rose, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha and Larry Hughes.  John Paxson has already stated the Bulls will develop Rose into a team leader at point guard this season, so he should get plenty of playing time.  Gordon has always been a great sixth man of the bench, so look for him to get those end of the game minutes when the game counts if he can reduce his turnovers.  Hinrich has been the captain of this team for a few years now.  He has always played tough defense, but his lack of shooting last year is a major concern.  Look for him to play against opponents top scoring threats. Sefolosha also has the backing of Paxson, as the Bulls would like to see him develop into a top scoring threat.  With Gordon likely leaving next summer, the Bulls will need to look for someone to replace the leading scorer of the previous three seasons.  As for Hughes, he is one of the Bulls few veterans.  His experience should be key to teaching these young players.  He also has a knack for playing tough defense, and could get some big minutes late in the game. It should be interesting to see how del Negro handles this situation.
4. Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah: Thomas and Noah combined, would be one great player.  Thomas is a savvy, quick offense player, who has a knack for finding lanes to get open away from the ball.  Noah plays hard nosed defense, and thrives on getting second chance shoots by getting garbage boards.  Del Negro has been public about Noah’s poor performance in summer league, and if he is healthy enough to play it will be interesting to see his role.  As for Thomas, don’t be surprised if you see him receive an ally oop pass from Rose.
5. Ben Gordon’s role: After failing to come to agreement on a long term deal two summers in a row now, it would be surprising if he stays with the Bulls after this season.  Gordon has lead the Bulls in scoring every year in his career, so his shooting ability will be needed.  Knowing that is probably not a long term option after this season, the Bulls would like to develop their young guys so it will be interesting to see how Gordon fits into the rotation.  Like I stated above though, I would like to see him off the bench.

This first game should be an interesting test for the entire Chicago Bulls team.  From the rookie coach to rookie point guard, it should be an interesting game to watch.  There will be a lot to learn in the first game, and even though the Bulls have plenty of players to figure out playing time for that is not necessarily a bad thing.

He must sign the one year, $6.4 million dollar contract by Wednesday to become an unrestricted free agent.  This will be the second straight offseason Gordon and the bulls have been unable to come to contract terms.  Last year Gordon turned down a 5 year deal worth around $50 million.

This leaves some interesting questions to what Ben Gordon’s role will be with Chicago this season.  The Bulls have a young bunch of players who need a lot of playing time in order to continue to develop individually and as a team. As been Gordon will most likely only be with the team one more year, it will be interesting to see how rookie head coach Vinny del Negro will work him into the lineup.

The Bulls were unable to come to a sign and deal trade with Gordon and other teams this off season, but perhaps his name will come up in trade talks again around the trade deadline if it becomes apparent he will not return next off season.

Although nothing has happened, that doesn’t mean the rumors and analysis on what the Bulls should do have stopped.  Different ideas and possibilities have surfaced throughout the internet over the previous week, non of which appear to be that certain.

Here are a few over the rumors, analysis and other news that has come about over the last week or so.

• The Bodog Beat blog reported rumors of a possible trade between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.  The trade would send Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Chicago in exchange for Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah and Larry Hughes.  They are now reporting that trade talks between the two trade have halted.  The Beat also posted their ten reason why to bet on the NBA this year and number two on their list appeared the Chicago Bulls: “2. Chicago Bulls – The Bulls were expected to be an NBA title contender last season before completely tanking. With No. 1 pick Derrick Rose in tow will this season be any brighter for the Bulls?”
• The fans at Bleacher Report provided some Chicago Bulls analysis as well this week.  Michael Whittenberg gave his 2008-09 Chicago Bulls season preview.  Michael believes the Bulls will finish in 8th place in the Eastern Confernece with a 42-40 record.  The only question I have about that, is when was the last time all 8 teams that made the play-offs in the EC finished with a record above .500?  Adam Miller also gave his intake on the on going Ben Gordon-Chicago Bulls standoff, saying its a ‘no-win situation’ for either side.
• BetUs.com also provide their 2008-09 Chicago Bulls season preview.  Theres a lot of betting terms that I kind of fail to understand.  They have the Bulls at +1100 to win the Eastern Confrence and +2500 to win the NBA Championship.
• Diabolo at BlogaBull.com gave his view on Vinny del Negro and the Bulls in 08-09.  Much of which has to due with the Vinny’s first year as a coach and getting the locker room to ‘jell’ together.
• And last, but not least, from the UK the Great Britan national team has Luol Deng back on the court. In case you missed some previous news, after Deng signed his new deal with the Bulls, the company who insures players contracts elected not to insure Deng because of injury problems which kept him from being able to play with the Britain team.  Last week though he was re-insured, and has began playing with the national team.  As you’ll see on this UK news site, the basketball section is filled with praises for their GB team and Luol Deng

Hope this helps you get caught up on everything thats been going on.  My 2008-09 Chicago Bulls preview is currently being worked on and can be expected in the coming weeks.

Expect the Bulls to make a final move for Gordon, either to trade or resign to a contract he agrees more with, or watch him go. The move would free up some room at the guard position, but the Bulls would lose a great outside scorer. Any trade that would be made, would probably have to involve Larry Hughes or Andres Nocioni, to work under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Many teams are not interested in Hughes or Nocioni’s long term, high priced deals though.

Ben Gordon would be able to join any European team, and not count as one of their allowed two American players because of his citizenship in Great Britain.

Trade Talk: In recent trade talk, it is pretty apparent that the Bulls would like to move Larry Hughes to free up his long term deal and cash.  The Bulls may be willing to accept next to nothing in order to move him… Andres Nocioni’s name continues to come up in trade talk around the league.

First, lets say Ben Gordon is playing elsewhere in the upcoming season. This makes the back court a little less crowded, but even though he was not a true shooting guard, who will be the shooting guard now? This puts a lot of pressure on different players, in other roles, to step up their game. Kirk Hinrich, will fell even more pressure than he already should, to return to his form before a down season in 2007. Big men such as Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray will have pressure turned towards them to begin performing well on a daily basis. And Thabo Sefolosha may finally get his chance to show we he can do on a more regular basis.

Which leads to the question of who will get playing time in the crowded positions? During the ‘Skiles Era’ there was always players that were in the ‘doghouse.’ He seemed to prejudge players before giving them a chance, such as Tim Thomas and Dikembe Mutombo. The new coaching staff should look to give evreyone an equal chance during training camp coming up in the next couple weeks to show what they can do. Putting players in different roles during pre-season to see where they are best suited in his system. This will give players such as Thomas, Noah and Thabo a new beginning. IF everyone knows their defined roles heading into the season, they should be prepared on a night-by-night basis when and where they will be needed.

Next is trying to figure out Kirk Hinrich’s role on the team. Hinrich has been the captain and leader of this team for a few years now at the point guard position. After drafting Derrick Rose, it is apparent he is now the future of this team at point guard. Hinrich is still a young player, and would most likely not be open to the idea of being a mentor to the young Rose, especially if it comes at the lose of playing time. If captain Kirk cannot show he can preform at the level he did prior to last season, his playing time will drop.

So although there are a lot of questions heading into the season for the Bulls, the depth at each position should work itself out. It will be up to the new and inexperienced Vinny del Negro and staff to figure out the roles for this young, promising Bulls team.

“I guess it’s safe to say I’ve played my last game in a Bulls uniform,” Gordon said, reported ESPN.

Ben Gordon was offered a 5 year, $50 million contact last off-season, and the Bulls recently signed Luol Deng to a 6 year deal worth $71 million.  Gordon believes he deserves to be the highest paid player, sighting having lead the team in scoring in three out of his four NBA seasons (including last year, 18.6 ppg).

Gordon and his agent have been exploring other options.  Him and his agent have been talking with others team that could possibly work with the Bulls to put together a sign and trade.  Another option is to follow other players to Europe.  Gordon is a citizen of London, and would be open to the idea if all else fails.

In other news:

Luol Deng’s new contract may prevent him from playing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

HoopsWorld reported that the company that insures NBA players contracts has decided not to cover Deng’s contract if he is injured by a back injury.

The Chicago Bulls already have an overcrowded back court and building a young team around a point guard doesn’t bode well for a crowded back court. Gordon would like to stay with the Bulls, but someone is going to have to be moved. The most the Bulls can offer Gordon without being taxed is six years at roughly $58 million. Is this all Gordon is truly worth though?

There is no question that Ben Gordon can score. He has lead the Bulls in scoring for three consecutive seasons. As Bethlehem Shoals of “The Sporting Blog” put it though “he’s (Gordon) always been most effective off the bench. And no matter what he works on over the summer, he remains a man without a position or the dynamism necessary to overcome it. He’s an undersized Michael Redd, or Arenas sans ability to control the ball.”

Ben Gordon has two options he can pursue here. Gordon is a restricted free agent, and can only go elsewhere if someone offers him a contract and the Bull option not to match the offer. If the Bulls and Gordon do not reach a deal by the end of the free agency period he must sign a one-year tenure contract that will keep him with the team through next season, when he will then become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next offseason. If this is what things come down to, look for his playing time to drop. The Bulls have a young team with great potential that needs to play to become better and more mature. Knowing that Gordon would not be returning after becoming an UFA, the Bulls should look to use the players that will be here for some time to gain experience.

Another option of Gordon’s could be to look Europe. He is part-British and has citizenship in England. This summer four international players who had previously played in the NBA returned to teams in Europe, Atlanta Hawks free agent Josh Childress and New Jerseys Nets free agent Bostjan Nachbar have signed three year contracts with European teams and another team is close to signing Cleveland Cavs guard Delonte West to a two year deal. So the option is there, and Gordon could easily become the highest paid player in Europe if he chooses to.

Luol Deng signed a 6 year deal with the Bulls worth $71 million in guaranteed money, that could be worth up to $80. The Deng deal was done in a different way though as Gar Forman was responsible for the negotiations, director of player personnel, rather then John Paxson.

Jerry Reinsdorf really wanted to see Deng in a Bulls jersey for many years to come, and talks were getting slow and close to the deadline made my Deng’s party with Paxson. Signing a long term deal the season after being named team caption brings a lot of pressure and responsibility to Deng, something he believes he is prepared for.

“This brings a lot of responsibilities,” he said. “Those are responsibilities I’m looking forward to, on and off the court. I take basketball very seriously and I look forward to putting the team on my shoulders.”

Now that Deng is signed, the Bulls need to pursue inking guard Ben Gordon to a long term deal, or risk losing him following the 2009 season.

These young guys have stepped in and played some great games, and shown flashes of All-Star talent. Joakim Noah came from a college team in which he and the team succeeded year in and year out. In his first season with the Bulls he lashed out at teammates who dogged it during games, and weren’t always into the game in his opinion. Noah had a point, but as a rookie in the NBA this was not his role. This was the role of veteran players such as Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng or Andres Nocioni, who is by far the most mature of the group. Nocioni is a quiet player, who leads by example. He plays each game with 110% effort and never backs down to a defender.

This year the Bulls have a true point guard in Derrick Rose. Although still a young man, at 19 years old, he has the poise to become an All-Star and a leader of this team for years. Rose, a Chicago native, grew up watching the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s. Those teams were obviously lead by Michael Jordan, but always had a premiere court general in players such as BJ Armstrong, John Paxson and Steve Kerr. This year the young group of ball players should look to take over the torch. Gordon and Deng are having contract issues, which may lead to them being traded before the season, before the trade deadline or lost via free agency following the season. And Kirk Hinrich is coming of arguably his worst professional season.

The athleticism of this young group is similar to that of the New Orleans Hornets, who finished with the fourth best record last season. The talent, and production of Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and David West may soon be compared to Derrick Rose, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. With players such as Tabo Sefolosha and Andres Nocioni there for the pass out for jumpers.

This team has the make-up to run up and down the court and tire opposing teams out with their speed, athleticism, and deep roster. The Bulls have 7 guys who can currently play the guard position, 4 who can play the small forward, and 5 who can play center or power forward. This allows Vinny Del Negro with plenty of substitution possibilites to keep the bodies on the court fresh.

Just imagine this for a second…

“Joakim Noah with the block.. ball recovered by Andres Nocioni who outlets to Derrick Rose.. Rose hurries the ball up the court and the Bulls have numbers with Tyrus Thomas running down the lane.. Rose sees Thomas, Rose tosses one up to Thomas, Thomas slams one down!”