33-year old Brad Miller will be the starting center for the Bulls this season. He played in 70 games for the Kings and Bulls last season in which he averaged 30.0 minutes, 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Miller also shot 41.1% from three point range which is outstanding for a center. He is just a good all-around basketball player but the Bulls will likely watch his minutes this season as he is getting older. Joakim Noah will back him up again this season which should allow Miller to get the rest he will need this season. Aaron Gray will be out for a little bit with a injury but he’s back for the Bulls. He played in 56 games for the Bulls last season and he averaged 12.8 minutes, 3.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. 33-year old James Jones will likely be the #3 center for the Bulls until Gray is ready to return to action. He only played in 2 games for the Knicks last season averaging 5.0 minutes, 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Don’t expect much out of him.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: C+

23-year old Tyrus Thomas will start again this season at power forward for the Bulls and he appears to finally be getting it. He played in 79 games for the Bulls last year and he averaged 27.5 minutes, 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game. He has the ability to score more if the Bulls need him to but he will likely be the 5th option on offense. That means to improve his scoring average he will likely have to hit the glass hard but he’s capable of that. 24-year old Joakim Noah is similar to Anderson Varejao of the Cavs as he plays very hard on both ends of the basketball court. He will be backing up Thomas at power forward and Brad Miller at center. He played in 80 games for the Bulls last season and he averaged 24.2 minutes, 6.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Look for him to get more minutes this season as the Bulls feed off his energy when he’s on the basketball court. Rookie first round picks James Johnson and Taj Gibson could also get minutes at power forward for the Bulls this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B-

24-year old Luol Deng will be the starter at small forward again this season for the Bulls. He played in only 49 games last season for the Bulls and he averaged 34.0 minutes, 14.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. A healthy Deng gives the Bulls a lethal weapon on both offense and defense as he plays hard on both ends of the basketball court. The Bulls drafted two forwards in the first round to guard against the health of Deng this season. First up is 22-year old James Johnson who was selected with the 16th pick of the first round out of Wake Forest. He’s a big guy at 6′9″, 245 pounds and he will likely cause opposing teams to play a big lineup when he’s on the court. 24-year old Taj Gibson was also picked in the first round with the 26th pick out of USC. He is also 6′9″ but he weighs in at 225 pounds. Both Johnson and Gibson will likely get some minutes at power forward too as long as Deng stays healthy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B-