2012-13 NBA Preview: 9. Chicago Bulls

By Kels Dayton
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Updated: October 14, 2012

9. CHICAGO BULLS

9. Chicago Bulls

HOW THEY CAN WIN: Get Derrick Rose back. The point guard means everything to this team, and despite the Adidas commercials, he could be out for most of the season. Kirk Hinrich will man the point in his absence, but the veteran does have enough weapons around him to keep Chicago in the hunt for a playoff spot. Whether or not the Bulls make it will depend on how Carlos Boozer (13.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg), Joakim Noah (15 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Luol Deng (14 ppg, 8.3 rpg) fare without Rose’s impact on the offense.

WHY THEY WON’T: Not many teams could lose a league MVP candidate and remain competitive. The Bulls also parted ways with sharpshooter Kyle Korver and backup point guard C.J. Watson.

FINAL DESTINATION: People forget that the Bulls spent long stretches of last season without Rose, but they were still able to hold their heads above water. There’s enough talent here for a playoff push, but there’s no way the Bulls are sniffing the Eastern Conference Finals without their leader.

OUR CALL: 40-42.

TEAM ROSTER
NO.	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE	2012-2013 SALARY
42	Ryan Allen	G	24	6-3	200
8	Marco Belinelli	G	26	6-5	195		$1,957,000
5	Carlos Boozer	F	30	6-9	266	Duke	$15,000,000
21	Jimmy Butler	G	23	6-7	220	Marquette	$1,066,920
9	Luol Deng	F	27	6-9	220	Duke	$13,305,000
15	Andre Emmett	G	30	6-5	230	Texas Tech
44	Kyrylo Fesenko	C	25	7-1	280		$435,000
22	Taj Gibson	F	27	6-9	225	USC	$2,155,811
32	Richard Hamilton	G	34	6-7	193	Connecticut	$5,000,000
12	Kirk Hinrich	G	31	6-4	190	Kansas	$3,941,000
14	Marko Jaric	G	34	6-7	224		$7,100,000
48	Nazr Mohammed	C	35	6-10	250	Kentucky	$854,389
13	Joakim Noah	C	27	6-11	232	Florida	$11,300,000
77	Vladimir Radmanovic	F	31	6-10	235		$854,389
2	Nate Robinson	G	28	5-9	180	Washington	$854,389
1	Derrick Rose	G	24	6-3	190	Memphis	$16,402,500
25	Marquis Teague	G	19	6-2	190	Kentucky	$857,000