With the addition of Devin Brown last week in a trade with the Hornets the handwriting appears to be on the wall. That writing is that the Bulls will likely try to move PG/SG Kirk Hinrich before next month’s trade deadline. He has played in 35 games (16 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The thing that will hurt any trade efforts by the Bulls involving Hinrich is the fact that he is only shooting 38% from the floor. The one team I would keep my eye on with Hinrich is the Lakers which is a team he could start on at the point.

The Chicago Bulls had won four straight games coming into the dreaded seven-game road trip they are currently on, but after losing the first two games of the road trip to the sub-par Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers things were not looking good for the Bulls.  They really bounced back after those two games though, and have gone on to win three straight road games against top-notch Western Conference teams.  They handled the Phoenix Suns pretty easily on Friday with a 115-104 win, and followed that up with a 104-97 win over the Houston Rockets the very next night.  Monday they went into San Antonio and beat the Spurs 98-93, who are one of the best teams of this era.  The Bulls are in Oklahoma City tonight to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder, and they follow that up with a trip to New Orleans against Chris Paul and the Hornets to wrap up this long road trip.  A lot of Bulls players have been stepping up, but their current winning ways can mostly be attributed to Derrick Rose.  In the past six games (4 wins) Rose is averaging 26.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals on 51% shooting.  Rose is really starting to mature before our eyes and is taking his game to the next level.  The All-Star reserves will be announced tomorrow night and I expect to hear Derrick Rose’s name called.  If the Bulls come out of this road trip with a winning record it will be huge and it could give them the momentum they need going into the second half of the season.

The Bulls have acquired 31-year old shooting guard Devin Brown from the Hornets for 25-year old center Aaron Gray. Brown played in 39 games (37 starts) for the Hornets this year and he was averaging 24.8 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game but he was only shooting 39.4% from the floor. Brown has now played in 454 games (127 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Look for Brown to give the Bulls a jolt of offense off the bench that Jannero Pargo couldn’t give him. Gray played in only 8 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he was averaging 6.3 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He played in 125 games (19 starts) for the Bulls and he averaged 11.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Bulls shouldn’t miss Gray too much.

I must admit, when the Chicago Bulls took Joakim Noah with the 9th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft I was not happy with the pick.  I thought he was an over-hyped annoyance, who flailed around the court always whining or yelling.  In his first two seasons he showed some progress, but I was still not a Noah fan.  Noah sure has turned my thoughts on him around, as he has improved so much since last season.  He still plays with a lot of passion, but its a more controlled passion as Noah has obviously matured (both physically and mentally) and his professional approach to his game is really paying off.  He has nearly doubled his scoring, rebounding, and assist averages this year compared to last, averaging 11.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks.  His 12.4 rebounding average is the 2nd highest in the league, trailing only the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (13.0 rpg).  Noah has been a huge asset for the Bulls this season with his monster rebounding numbers and strong defensive presence, along with an improving offensive game.  Don’t be surprised if you see Joakim Noah playing in Dallas for the All-Star game.

John Salmons is responding to playing off the bench. He has played in 9 games in January for the Bulls and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His shooting is the main thing that has gotten better with him coming off the bench as he is shooting 46% from the floor this month. His overall numbers are still not that impressive as he has played in 39 games (28 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 34.7 minutes, 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Salmons might get himself back into the starting line-up to stay if his shooting keeps at his January % from the floor.