The Gang's (Pretty Much) All Here

Finally, we get to see Bulls basketball again tonight. Well, technically, this game and the next one don't count, but at least we get to see Rose and company again tonight. In Indiana. But I'm not going to waste time over match-ups for a preseason game. I want to talk about the roster.

For the first time since the championship era, we've seen virtually no turnover on the Bulls' roster from the year before. Take a look at it. If you're too lazy to go the team's website, it's in today's Tribune and vice versa. Once you've done that, you'll notice that the only departure at the moment from last year's team is Kurt Thomas, now in Portland. The only additions are Rip Hamilton and rookie Jimmy Butler. While Hamilton definitely adds a big piece to the puzzle and changes the offensive game plan for the Bulls, there's no getting around the fact that we'll probably expect the same type of team from a season ago.

Are they the favorites to win the Central Division again? Without a doubt. With Hamilton now in the lineup, can they get past Miami in the conference finals or whenever they happen to play them during the postseason? That's the big question. They need to do that before they can be considered a top contender for the NBA championship. Time will tell us the answer, but this roster is a year older and a year wiser. Hamilton has far and away more playoff experience than anyone else in a Bulls uniform. It helps for sure, but the main focus will again be on Derrick Rose. When you're the defending MVP of the league, that tends to happen. It will be up to Hamilton, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer to pick up the slack when Rose is unable to.

As I said in a previous post, Boozer will be under pressure to perform up to the contract he signed when he first came to the team. He appears to have lost some weight during all his time off, so maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that will help him become more capable of doing what he's able to do. Much will be made about the slimmer Boozer, but only he can give the media and the fans more to talk about than just that.

Bring the basketball on. I won't be able to see much of tonight's game if at all because of work. No worries though. I'll keep on counting down the days until Christmas AND the premiere of the new NBA season, which includes your Bulls in LA against the Lakers. Can't wait!