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| Ben Gordon was hoping to return to practice today, but unfortunately remains out due to his sore big toe, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: He is learning a new system under coach Vinny Del Negro, and missing time hurts his chances for a favorable playing time at guard while competing with rookie Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha, and Larry Hughes. |
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| Derrick Rose missed Monday's practice due to a death in his family, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: It is uncertain if he will be ready to participate in Tuesday's preseason game. No further details regarding the matter were disclosed. |
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| Ben Gordon, who is recovering from a jammed right big toe, hopes to practice today, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: It is important for him to return, as he is learning a new system under coach Vinny Del Negro, and is competing with rookie Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha, and Larry Hughes for a favorable role at guard. |
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| Tyrus Thomas notched a double-double in Friday's 102-93 loss to the Pacers, with a team-high 15 points and 10 boards. He also recorded one steal and three blocks. |
Our View: Thomas was a former lottery pick (fourth overall), and could earn a favorable number of minutes if he continues to perform well through the preseason. He could potentially be worthy of a late-round flier in deeper leagues. |
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| Ben Gordon sat out the season opener with a sore toe, according to the AP. |
Our View: Four other guards - Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha and Larry Hughes - played 19 minutes or more. It remains to be seen how Gordon will fit into the rotation this season. |
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| Center Aaron Gray finished the Bulls preseason opener with 14 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks off of the bench as the Bulls fell to the Mavericks. |
Our View: Gray is the biggest player on the Bulls and may be their best center. Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas started in the post on Thursday, but don't be surprised to see Gray earn significant playing time with a good preseason. |
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| Rookie Derrick Rose started at point guard for the Bulls in their preseason opener on Thursday night. He scored 10 points, had five assists, and three rebounds but made six turnovers in the 110-102 loss to Dallas. He played 27 minutes. |
Our View: Kirk Hinrich started at off-guard and Ben Gordon did not play. Larry Hughes had 11 points in 19 minutes off of the bench and Thabo Sefolosha managed to get 25 minutes. Nobody can know how the backcourt rotation will work out in the regular season, but Rose will have to show better if he wants to continue to start. |
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| Forward Tyrus Thomas will be in the starting lineup when the Bulls open their exhibition season on Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports. |
Our View: It helps that big men like Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah are dealing with injuries, but new head coach Vinny Del Negro is bringing an up-tempo style and could give Thomas a lot of minutes. The former fourth overall pick has a ton of athleticism and added bulk this offseason. We'll see if he can turn his skills into consistent production for fantasy squads. This preseason should be telling for Thomas. |
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| Kirk Hinrich will start when the Bulls open their preseason on Thursday night, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Bulls aren't sure if Derrick Rose or Larry Hughes will start alongside Hinrich. Ben Gordon (toe) remains out. |
Our View: By our math, there are 96 minutes available between point guard and shooting guard, and that doesn't quite work when you have four guys who probably want 29-32 minutes per game. The starting jobs and rotation remains up in the air. |
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| The Chicago Tribune believes rookie Derrick Rose will be a starter in the Bulls' season opener. |
Our View: Rose is reportedly having the best training camp among anyone on the Bulls' roster. The team was previously believed to be interested in bringing him along slowly, but now it appears they want to throw him into action right away. If he is awarded the starting gig at point guard, he could hold favorable fantasy value. |
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| Ben Gordon is dealing with a sore ankle that has limited him in the early going, according to the Chicago Sun Times. |
Our View: Gordon practiced on Sunday and though he has missed some time with the injury he has still been able to work on his shooting on the side. He'll just need to work on his conditioning once the ankle gets a little stronger. |
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| Drew Gooden scored 12 points a game last season but he will likely be counted on to improve upon that total this season, according to the Chicago Tribune. "If it works out that way, so be it," Gooden said. "But my main thing since we're young is focusing on winning. |
Our View: Gooden is in the final year of a 3-year contract, and will certainly be inspired to perform well to find his pot of gold. Gooden averaged 14.0 points and 9.3 boards in 18 games with the Bulls last season, and would appear a good bet to post similar numbers this season with no other front court option currently on the roster to challenge him for looks down low. |
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| Bulls forward Joakim Noah will miss about five days of practice after he was poked in the left eye, according to the AP. |
Our View: NBA players should try a little harder to keep their hands free of their teammates eyes, as Noah now joins Amare Stoudemire as players injured by being poked in the eye by a teammate. |
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| Chicago guard Ben Gordon will play this season on a one-year, $6.4 million contract that will make him an unrestricted free agent after the year, but he did not rule out the possibility of re-signing with the team next summer, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Gordon rejected a contract that would have paid him nearly $60 million over six years. He averaged 18.6 points, and just over three rebounds and three assists per game last season, hardly the numbers of a franchise player. |
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| The AP reports that Ben Gordon finally accepted the Bulls’ one-year, $6.4 million tender offer just before the deadline Wednesday night. Chicago’s leading scorer the past three years, Gordon can not be traded this season but could leave as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
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Our View: With five quality guards in the backcourt, Vinny Del Negro will have a difficult task when dividing up minutes. It's unlikely any of the Bulls guards will have much fantasy value as their minutes figure to be too slight to make a major impact. |
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| The AP reports that despite promises to practice, Ben Gordon missed both session on Wednesday and has a midnight deadline to sign the $6.4 million one-year qualifying offer from the Bulls. Bulls officials were not available Wednesday to discuss Gordon’s status. General manager John Paxson was expected make a statement on Thursday morning. |
Our View: The saga continues but should draw to a close on Thursday. |
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| Guard Ben Gordon vowed to practice on Wednesday, but he was not at the morning session, the Chicago Tribune reports. He will either sign a one-year, $6.4 million tender or a six-year, $58 million contract, but the guard hasn't said which way he is leaning. |
Our View: Hey, don't rush it, Ben. We editors face similar $6 versus $60 million questions every day, and we know how tough it can be. |
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