Sports Frog

Thanks to Swamp legend DSafetyGuy, the Frog will be featuring a team-by-team NBA Preview from now until the beginning of the season. Up this morning, MJ's old squad:

Chicago Bulls

Ben Wallace was supposed to be the final piece to propel the Bulls into the top of the East. Instead, they finished third in their division, one game behind the Cavaliers and four back of Detroit. There is still a looming need for the Bulls to find a low-post presence who can reliably score and open things up for their trio of established perimeter scorers Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and Kirk Hinrich. Even after last year's trade deadline passed and P.J, Brown's contract came off the books (boy, that was money really well spent), rumors about putting together a package for Pau Gasol will not die, even though the Bulls have young talent to spare. Will another year under the belts of these youngsters push the Bulls to the top of the division?

While Wallace holds it down in the middle on defense and tries on offense, he just turned 33 and is coming off his worst statistical season since 2000-01. He has maybe one or two more years left of being a 30-minute contributor, so it is imperative that the Bulls make use of his remaining ability before he becomes an anchor on their payroll. With Brown gone, who is going to fill the power forward role? It seems that the recently signed Joe Smith will come in to mirror Brown's contributions - rebound, defend, and set screens on offense, then stay out of the way.

The starters at the three "small" spots are where the good news comes in. Kirk Hinrich is the solid point who sets up his teammates and buries outside shots (140 triples made on a 41.5 percent accuracy rate), as well as being not just a coach on the floor, but reflecting Scott Skiles in his toughness.

Ben Gordon is the flammable bomber at the two (14 games of 30 or more points and three of 40 or more, including a 48-point barrage at Milwaukee), but his lack of size and streak shooting (he logged consecutive games featuring field goal shooting marks of 4-of-19, 11-of -20, and 2-of-12 last March) make him a better sixth man than starter on this defensive-minded squad.

Budding star Luol Deng is the prize piece of this team at small forward. A reliable outside shot away from being an All-Star, Deng finished the regular season at 18.8 points per game, but showed a taste of things to come in the post-season, upping his numbers to 22.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per night, including 26.3 points and nine boards per game in the Bulls' first round sweep of the Heat. This year, Deng will become the lead dog on this squad with his efficient offense that provides punch every night as opposed to Gordon's inconsistent production.

Deep. Young. Talented. It's all sitting next to Scott Skiles, but the taskmaster has to get what he wants before rewarding players with minutes. Chris Duhon is the backup point who allows Hinrich to move to the off guard for a few minutes per night, hounds opponents with his defense, and makes opponents pay with his proficient outside shooting (88 threes last year, career 35.8 three-point shooting).

Rangy Thabo Sefolosha and veteran swingman Adrian Griffin are in the mix at the two guard spot, providing solid defense and limited offensive ability. Sefolosha's youth and athleticism should get him the majority of what little minutes these two split while picking up the tricks of Griffin's trade. Andres Nocioni, who may be the best all-around player on the squad, will force his way into playing time off the bench.

Nocioni missed 29 games last year, but is a Skiles guy, hitting open shots (46.7 percent from the floor, including 38.3 percent from downtown), sticking his nose into trouble, and aggravating his foes. Tyrus Thomas' playing style paints him as a younger Ben Wallace (11.1 rebounds per 40 minutes in his rookie year) and provides energy off the pine. Joakim Noah goes from being a leader on the national champions to picking up minutes left behind by Wallace and Smith, which isn't a bad gig for a guy who plays defense, hustles, and has great basketball awareness.

The goal remains the same for the Bulls this year, and they should actually have an easier road to the top of the Eastern Conference heap. The defense will be there (sixth in points allowed and second in field goal defense last year), but will the offense (13th in scoring, 16th in field goal shooting)? Yes.

Ladies and gentlemen: Luol Deng. Get to know him.