Opening night win by Bulls was nice start to season
By Mike Cunniff — From the Bench
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mcunniff@morrisdailyherald.com
Break up the Chicago Bulls.
At the urging of my fellow sports writers, my column this week will deal with the undefeated Bulls.
Undefeated after beating the San Antonio Spurs 92-85 Thursday in the opening night of the 2009-2010 campaign at the United Center.
Notice who I said the Bulls played.
The San Antonio Spurs.
Not some cardboard cutout NBA team like the Los Angeles Clippers or the Charlotte Bobcats.
The San Antonio Spurs.
A team that features guys like center Tim Duncan, guard Randy Parker and Manu Ginobili ... three pretty decent players.
Off a team that went 54-28 last year, champions of the Southwest Division, who then went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Bulls, as most of you know, went 41-41 last season. That means Chicago was neither good nor bad. Just about as average as you can get.
Even with the addition of top draft pick Derrick Rose, who certainly came through with flying colors by collecting Rookie of the Year honors. But injuries, inept defense and inconsistent play cost the Bulls night after night.
The main move by Chicago in the offseason was letting Ben Gordon depart for greener pastures in Detroit. Gordon landed in MoTown after signing a five-year deal worth a reported $55 million. The Bulls certainly liked Gordon, just not to the tune of $11 million a year.
But Thursday's seven-point win over the Spurs certainly showed one thing. It looks like this Bulls' squad might have better scoring balance, which should certainly help the record.
All five Chicago starters ended up scoring in double figures, led by 17 by forward Luol Deng. Forward Tyrus Thomas and point guard Rose added 13 each while center Joakim Noah and
forward John Salmons provided 10 apiece. That is 63 markers, if my math is correct.
Guard Kirk Hinrich came off the bench to drop in 14 markers, giving the Bulls six players in double digits. Center Brad Miller just missed making it seven, winding up with nine markers to go along with five rebounds and three assists.
Thomas has proved the past couple of years that his shooting range falls off dramatically whenever he is not looming directly around the basket with the ball. And Joakim Noah, he of the National Champion Team in college, has yet to validate his shooting eye.
A starting lineup of Deng, Thomas, Noah, Salmons and Rose should win a few games. Especially with Miller and Hinrich being able to come off the bench for some firepower.
But is this a club that will scare you?
Not really. I think the Bulls will be able to play with a lot of the teams in the NBA, especially the clubs that depend way too much on one or two players to compete. The depth of the Bulls will wear down those teams.
But are the Bulls going to be one of the elite teams in the league?
No way.
Most of the players they have are decent. But way too many of them are one-dimensional players. With some good coaching, and some savvy use of interchangeable parts by Vinny DelNegro, I think the Bulls should better the .500 barrier this season.
But by how much?
There is no way Chicago can compete with the elite teams like the Lakers, the Celtics, the Cavaliers and several other teams that might not appear on television quite as much as the top trio.
Certainly, the Bulls can give Boston, the Kobes and the LeBrons a decent battle. And can more than hold their own if they are playing well. And the other guys are having an off night.
But should we hold our breath about the Bulls putting another championship flag up on the rafters?
I really don't think so.
Maybe I will be wrong.
But time will certainly tell.
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