Everyone always talks about the Bulls dealing 25-year old small forward Luol Deng, but that would be kind of stupid as he’s a very consistently solid basketball player when healthy.  Deng played in 16 games for the Bulls in January and he averaged 39.8 minutes, 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.  He has now played in 47 games (all starts) for the Bulls this year and he is averaging 39.2 minutes, 17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  Deng is one of the most underrated players in the NBA and the Bulls are lucky to have him.

22-year old point guard Derrick Rose is doing whatever the Bulls need him to this year.  Last month, Rose played in 16 games in which he averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  The Bulls need him to pass and rebound more last month and he did that.  This month the Bulls have needed Derrick Rose to score more and he has responded to that.  He has played in 7 games in January so far and he is averaging 36.1 minutes, 25.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.  Rose has now played in 37 games (all starts) overall so far this year and he is averaging 37.8 minutes, 24.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Derrick Rose is the best player on the Bulls and he keeps getting better which isn’t good news for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

25-year old starting small forward Luol Deng was rumored to be dealt all summer long, but, the Bulls are glad they kept him.  Deng has played in 32 games (all starts) so far this year for the Bulls and he is averaging 38.9 minutes, 17.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.  Deng is shooting 45.5% from the floor, 37.9% from the three point line and 70.5% from the free throw line.  Deng has been very solid especially on offense, as he has helped the Bulls make up for Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah’s missed offense due to injury so far this year.

38-year old center Kurt Thomas has been forced into duty lately due to injuries and he’s showing that he still has a little something left.  In his last five games, Thomas is averaging 28.2 minutes, 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocked  shots per game.  Thomas has now played in 10 games (4 starts) for the Bulls so far this year and he is averaging 15.3 minutes, 2.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  Thomas will likely continue to get decent minutes as long as Taj Gibson is a little gimpy.

29-year old power forward Carlos Boozer is trying to make up for lost time.  In his last five games, Boozer is averaging 31.6 minutes, 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  He is also shooting 55.6% from the floor in his last five games.  Boozer has now played in 10 games (all starts) so far this year for the Bulls and he is averaging 28.8 minutes, 18.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  With Joakim Noah out for at least the next two months, the Bulls really need Boozer to stay on the boards and he’s more than capable of doing so.

With Carlos Boozer out of action due to a broken hand the Bulls needed someone to step up. 25-year old Taj Gibson is doing a solid job of holding down the fort for the Bulls at power forward right now. Gibson has played in 7 games (all starts) for the Bulls so far this year and he is averaging 29.6 minutes, 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. The offense has been a surprise for the Bulls as Gibson is shooting 61.3% from the floor so far this year. The Bulls look like they will be in solid shape until Boozer returns to action.

25-year old center Joakim Noah has been looking like the Tasmanian Devil so far this year as has been all over the place for the Bulls. Noah has played in 5 games (all starts) for the Bulls so far this year and he is averaging 40.4 minutes, 16.2 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Noah is shooting 54.5% from the floor but most of his shots are putbacks and dunks. Still, Noah has taken his game to a brand new level because of his improved offensive game. Wait until Carlos Boozer gets back in action and then watch the Bulls take off as they will be dominating the glass.

22-year old point guard Derrick Rose is getting a little more selfish, taking more shots and the results have been outstanding so far this year. Rose has started all 3 games for the Bulls so far this year and he is averaging 35.3 minutes, 27.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Rose will likely have to keep shooting a heavy volume of shots until Carlos Boozer comes back because he’s by far the best offensive player the Bulls have right now.

The second the Bulls were knocked out of the playoffs all the talk was about them getting their hands on LeBron James. They have a decent small forward themselves and I think they might be a better team if they kept Deng and went after D-Wade instead. 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 is averaging 34.2 minutes, 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. A lot of things that fans forget is that Deng is only 25 years old so he has a lot of basketball still in front of him.

25-year old center Joakim Noah took his game to a new level last season but I have a feeling that he won’t get much better. Still, he played in 64 games (54 starts) last season in which he averaged 30.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 11.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Those numbers are very solid for a starting center in the NBA but his game is all in the paint as he doesn’t have much of a jump shot so I don’t see him putting up 15+ points per game any time soon. Noah has now played in 218 games (140 starts) in his three years with the Bulls in which he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 7.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.