Chicago Bulls

An ACL tear suffered during first round of the playoffs last year has left the Chicago Bulls without their leader and MVP point guard Derrick Rose. The Bulls went on to lose that series to an inferior Philadelphia 76ers team which has led many experts and Bull's pessimists to insist that the 2012-2013 NBA season will be a rebuilding year for the Chicago Bulls. First off, the Bulls earned a 17-8 record in the absence of Derrick Rose last year. Second, during the series that the Bulls were beaten by the Sixers, another key player on the team, Joakim Noah, was unable to play due to an ankle injury. During the off season, the bulls traded several key bench players causing many people to speculate that the Bull's second unit wouldn't be as strong as the preceding year. As follows is my analysis of the key additions and trades that the Bulls made last year.

Kirk Hinrich vs. CJ Watson

Hinrich was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks this offseason, while CJ Watson currently resides on the Golden State Warriors. Hindrich is an experienced nine year pro who began his playing days as a Chicago Bull and ironically once again plays for the team after his tenure with the Atlanta Hawks. He provides offensive instigation due to his precision passing and relative lack of turnovers. He has a relatively good offensive game, being able to hit the mid-range to three point jumper fairly consistently as well as make shots in the paint. CJ Watson provided instant offense to the second unit although he often times took stupid or unnecessary shots and turned the ball over rather frequently. 

Edge: Hindrich-Veteran leader that knows how to win and limits offensive turnovers. Just what the Bulls need in the absence of Rose.

Nate Robinson vs. John Lucas 3

Like Hinrich, Nate Robinson is a grisly veteran that provides the Bulls with experience. He replaces CJ Watson's role as the second unit offensive instigator. He is a high energy guy that either makes the great shot or fails badly. He has turned the ball over way too much this year already and takes way too many unneeded shots. John Lucas 3 was the third string point guard last year and was awarded with playing time during Derrick Rose's injury leaves. Lucas has a very similar playing style as Watson, offensive spark plug. Vivid memories still run through my head of when he went crazy against the Heat, even scoring a fade-away jumper over none other than Lebron James.

Edge: Robinson-Better scorer and experience make Robinson superior.

Kyle Korver vs. Marco Bellinelli

Korver was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last summer and the Bulls acquired Bellinelli from Italy. Korver was a three point sharp-shooter. The amount of times he made shots from within the paint can be counted on one hand. Deadly accuracy in his shot, made Korver an extremely valuable tool throughout the game. Bellinelli is also a really good three point shooter, but he can also do a lot more than just shoot. Bellinelli is younger and quicker which equates to better defense and the ability to cut for easy lay-ups. The only thing that Korver one-ups Bellinelli on is big game clutch situation experience. Bellinelli must develop this skill over time to continue to be a valuable asset to the the Bulls.

Edge:Bellinelli-More versatile player than Korver

Nazr Mohammed vs Omer Asik

Omer Asik had expected a huge contract extension to continue playing with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls management made a wise decision to trade him to the Houston Rockets and let them deal with paying Asik the huge dollar amounts that he doesn't deserve based on his play. Last year, Asik consistently proved himself on the defensive end of the ball, nabbing rebounds and making big blocks. On the offensive end it was a different story. He was a stiff, a person with no athletic ability on the offensive end. He couldn't catch passes and was weak in the paint. Nazr Mohammed on the other hand has a reliable mid range jump shot and has proven his prowess at converting offensive rebounds into points. He also has proven that he is equal to or even better than Asik on the defensive end as well. The only drawback of Nazr is that he has trouble running the court because he is frustratingly slow.

Edge: Mohammed-Equal defensive skills and better offensive skills make Nazr better than Omer.

All of the Bull's critics believe that we traded away one of the most important parts of our team: the bench mob. In fact, the players that we acquired are better than the players that we lost. The Bulls should be able to rack up a 3-6 seed in the playoffs this year. And with the addition of Derrick Rose into the line-up during the playoffs, look out, this will be another championship run season for the Chicago Bulls.