Pretty Preseason Premiere

Khris Middleton unleashed something fierce during the second quarter of his Milwaukee Bucks' first preseason game against the Bulls.  He threw down a poster dunk over Jimmy Butler at a time when it appeared the Bucks would get some early revenge for last year's playoff defeat.  Unfortunately for him, it was only the second quarter.  The Bulls woke up with 40 third-quarter points and won 105-95.

Fred Hoiberg's unofficial debut as an NBA head coach didn't have Derrick Rose, Mike Dunleavy, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson or Kirk Hinrich.  He didn't need them for a dress rehearsal though.  Instead, we got a glimpse at the young talent and upcoming leadership for this team.

Butler being posterized by Middleton was just a footnote in an impressive outing.  He scored 23 points by shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 8-of-12 from the charity stripe.  After the game, he reemphasized recent comments he made about rising as a leader.  Some are led to believe it's his team now and not Rose's, but we'll see how this storyline plays out over the season.

Doug McDermott started slowly at first, but hit five 3-pointers to tie Butler's 23-point total.  If this is a sign of things to come in an unofficial redshirt rookie season, everyone look out.  Hoiberg might be just the coach to rebuild whatever confidence was shattered under Tom Thibodeau.  Everyone pray that this kid will show us what he really is.

Nikola Mirotic scored 18 to at least temporarily instill confidence the Bulls will be fine without Dunleavy starting for the first month.  Aaron Brooks scored 10 to make his brutal playoffs last year a memory further away.  Bobby Portis was lauded by Stacey King throughout the TV broadcast and for good reason.  He  grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go with eight points and played with the hustle every NBA fan loves to see out of young guys.

We likely won't see the full Hoiball system until the regular season.  At times, the Bulls seemed to be taking their time looking for a good shot.  They did show a willingness to shoot the long ball with 39 3-point attempts compared to 11 for Milwaukee.  If this is what they're going for, everyone who can shoot better be ready each night.

With a perfect 1-0 preseason record, the Bulls continue this fake basketball schedule Thursday when they play the Denver Nuggets in Boulder, Colo.  That will be followed by Saturday's meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves in Winnipeg.  Gotta love those unique locations for exhibitions.  Then again, it's the best chance for the locals to watch NBA basketball, so I won't nitpick on these sites.