The bench starts with Andres Nocioni who can handle either forward spot and he does it with verve. Nocioni plays a very aggressive style that often gets him to the free throw line but he also fouls hard and gets on the nerves of the opposition. He played in 53 games (31 starts) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 14.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Veteran Joe Smith will also get a lot of playing time as he takes over the veteran role that P.J. Brown filled last season. Smith played in 65 games (11 starts) last season for the 76ers & Nuggets and he averaged 23.1 minutes, 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Rookies Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray will likely get limited playing time as rookies but Noah has the ability to bust into the rotation at some point. He will provide energy and rebounding when he gets his chance on the court. Chris Duhon will be the #3 guard on the Bulls. He’s more of a point guard but he’s not too shy to put the ball up when he enters the game. He played in 78 games (30 starts) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. 2nd year guard Thabo Sefolosha will likely earn more playing time this season as the backup shooting guard. He played in 71 games (4 starts) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 12.2 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Adrian Griffin will be sitting near the end of the bench for the Bulls but he is a veteran who will help if called upon to play. He played in 54 games (1 start) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 10.8 minutes, 2.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

The one change that the Bulls have made in the starting lineup is second year power forward Tyrus Thomas will start in place of the departed P.J. Brown. This will make the front line of the Bulls even more powerful and athletic. Thomas played in 72 games as a rookie and he averaged 13.4 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. Look for him to average close to a double-double this season if he averages over 30 minutes per game this season. Luol Deng really improved his game last season and their is still room for more growth. The starting small forward played in 82 games (all starts) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 37.5 minutes, 18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He also shot an amazing 51.7% from the floor. The sky is the limit for Deng as an NBA player. The center will be Ben Wallace again this season and he gave the Bulls toughness, rebounding and defense in the middle last season and he should be able to produce good results again in 2007-08. He played in 77 games (all starts) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 35.0 minutes, 6.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. Wallace is one of the worst free throw shooters in the NBA (40.8%) and that won’t likely change this season so he could find himself on the bench the last couple minutes of every game. Kirk Hinrich will run the point again this season for the Bulls but he’s not a pure point guard as he likes to shoot the rock. He played in 80 games (all starts) for the Bulls last season and he averaged 35.5 minutes, 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Both he (41.5%) and Ben Gordon (41.3%) can really light it up from three point range and that opens up the inside for the big guys. Ben Gordon is a little small for a shooting guard but he knows how to put the ball in the basket. He played in 82 games (51 starts) last season for the Bulls and he averaged 33.0 minutes, 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.