26-year old center Joakim Noah missed a lot of time due to injury last year.  Noah played in only 48 games (all starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 32.8 minutes, 11.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 266 games (188 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 26.2 minutes, 8.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Noah plays all-out on both ends of the basketball court and it injects energy into this teammates.  25-year old Omer Asik will be Noah’s backup in 2011-12.  He played in 82 games (0 starts) for the Bulls as a rookie last year and he averaged 12.1 minutes, 2.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Asik has a nice upside.

The Chicago Bulls are set up really good at power forward.  30-year old Carlos Boozer will be the starter here.  He played in 59 games (all starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 31.9 minutes, 17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.  Boozer has now played in 569 games (528 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 32.6 minutes, 17.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  26-year old Taj Gibson is one of the best backup forwards in the entire NBA, as he would start on a lot of other teams.  Gibson played in 80 games (19 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 21.8 minutes, 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 162 games (89 starts) in his first two years with the Bulls and he is averaging 24.4 minutes, 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.

The Chicago Bulls are set up pretty well at small forward.  26-year old Luol Deng played in 82 games (all starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 39.1 minutes, 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He has now played in 485 games (439 starts) in his first seven years with the Bulls and he is averaging 35.0 minutes, 16.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Deng is a great effort player who doesn’t need the spotlight, so he fits in very well with the Bulls.  30-year old Kyle Korver will back up Deng at small forward and also get some P.T. at shooting guard in 2011-12.  Korver played in 82 games (0 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 20.1 minutes, 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as he shot 41.5% from three point range.  Korver has now played in 599 games (103 starts) and he is averaging 24.4 minutes, 9.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  He brings instant offensive firepower off the bench due to his long range shooting.  21-year old Jimmy Butler will be #3 in line at small forward for the Bulls.  He was a first round pick for the Bulls last June out of Marquette.

31-year old Keith Bogans is the starting shooting guard for the Bulls, almost by default.  Bogans played in 82 games (all starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 17.8 minutes, 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.  He has now played in 586 games (308 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  26-year old Ronnie Brewer will be the backup shooting guard for the Bulls once again in 2011-12.  He played in 81 games (1 start) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Brewer has now played in 352 games (224 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 25.3 minutes, 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Brewer is a solid defensive player.

The Chicago Bulls are loaded at point guard heading into the 2011-12 season.  23-year old Derrick Rose is the reigning MVP of the NBA.  He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 37.4 minutes, 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Rose has now played in 240 games (239 starts) in his first three years with the Bulls and he is averaging 37.1 minutes, 20.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.  Rose keeps getting better, so he should have another stellar season for the Bulls in 2011-12.  27-year old C.J. Watson was a disappointment for the Bulls last year.  He played in 82 games (1 start) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 13.3 minutes, 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game but he only shot 37.1% from the floor.  Watson has now played in 256 games (34 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.0 minutes, 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  32-year old Jannero Pargo plays both guard positions.  He played in 63 games (5 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 378 games (18 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 15.8 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  28-year old John Lucas played in only 2 games (0 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 5.0 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.5 assists per game last year.  Lucas has now played in 62 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 8.1 minutes, 3.0 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  The Bulls are in great shape at point guard heading into the 2011-12 season.

52-year old Tom Thibodeau will be a first time head coach in the NBA this year. He was a long time assistant coach most recently with the Boston Celtics last season. I lot of coaches don’t get gigs like this one where the Bulls expect to be a winner right away. Thibodeau is a defensive minded coach with a offensive minded roster so he will have his work cut out for him. I wouldn’t feel too sorry for him though as the Bulls are a very deep and talented basketball team.

25-year old center Joakim Noah is a player on the rise for the Chicago Bulls. He played in 64 games (54 starts) for the Bulls last season and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 10.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Noah played most of the second half of the season with a bad foot. He is healthy this year so look for improvement in his numbers. Noah has now played in 218 games (140 starts) in his 3 years with the Bulls and he has averaged 24.8 minutes, 7.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Noah is going to get better than he is right now and that should be scary to the rest of the league.

38-year old Kurt Thomas will be Noah’s primary back up this year. He played in 70 games (9 starts) for the Bucks last season and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 3.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Thomas has now played in 996 games (593 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 25.7 minutes, 8.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Thomas should do a decent job as long as he doesn’t have to play more than 15-20 minutes a night for the Bulls.

24-year old rookie Omer Asik will likely be #3 in line for minutes at center for the Bulls in 2010-11. Asik was acquired from the Blazers during the 2008 NBA Draft but he decided to play overseas. He has nice size at 7’0″, 255 pounds but the Bulls will probably bring him along slowly.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLS CENTERS IN 2010-11: B+

28-year old Carlos Boozer was the Bulls’ free agent prize this summer but he will miss the first month of the year due to a broken hand. Boozer played in 78 games (all starts) with the Jazz last season and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 19.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Boozer has now played in 510 games (469 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 32.7 minutes, 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Boozer is one of the best power forwards in all of the NBA so the Bulls hope he heals soon.

25-year old Taj Gibson will start at power forward until Boozer is ready to return to action. Gibson played in 82 games (70 starts) as a rookie for the Bulls last season and he averaged 26.9 minutes, 9.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He’s more than capable of doing a solid job while Boozer is out of action.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A

25-year old Luol Deng will be the starting small forward for the Bulls once again in 2010-11. He was rumored to be going everywhere from Cleveland to Denver in trades for guys like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony but he’s still a Bull and that’s not a bad thing. Deng played in 70 games (69 starts) for the Bulls last season and he averaged 37.9 minutes, 17.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He has now played in 403 games (357 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 34.2 minutes, 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. I look for Deng to have another solid year for the Bulls if he can stay healthy.

23-year old James Johnson will back up Deng at small forward. Johnson played in 65 games (11 starts) as a rookie for the Bulls last season as a rookie and he averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Johnson might also have to play some power forward until Carlos Boozer returns to action.

Sharpshooter Kyle Korver will get most of his P.T. at shooting guard this year but he will likely log some minutes at small forward too.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B-

Gone is Kirk Hinrich after quite a few seasons of decent service. The Bulls raided the Utah Jazz to replace Hinrich. 25-year old Ronnie Brewer will likely be the starting shooting guard for the Bulls this year. He played in 58 games (53 starts) for the Jazz & Grizzlies last year in which he averaged 30.0 minutes, 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Brewer has now played in 271 games (223 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 26.2 minutes, 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Brewer is a 52.1% shooter from the floor but he’s not a long range shooter hitting only 23.4% from that range. Brewer is a very unselfish player offensively and he’s an outstanding defensive player.

29-year old Kyle Korver is a long range bomber as he hit an amazing 53.6% of his shots from three point range last year. Korver played in 52 games (0 starts) for the Jazz last season and he averaged 18.3 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He has now played in 517 games (103 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 25.1 minutes, 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Korver will give the Bulls something they didn’t have last season…..an outstanding long range shooter.

30-year old Keith Bogans will be #3 in line for minutes at SG for the Bulls this year. Bogans played in 79 games (49 starts) for the Spurs last season and he averaged 19.7 minutes, 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 504 games (226 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 22.8 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Bogans has only shot 39.4% from the floor in his career but he’s still a solid veteran at the end of the bench.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: B-