This team is BETTER than last years

[KG2TheBulls]

Cavaliers and Kings.

Bam

It's been two games. Slow your roll.

Boom

[Rosh]

It's been two games. Slow your roll.

This so much.

I don't doubt Thibs' prowess and it remains to be seen how this team is going to ultimately look like. They just beat up on two teams they should have, and they've got another one of those coming up tonight. Nothing too remarkable yet and nothing really too substantial to be pulled from the games.

What I have liked is that they do look better than they did in preseason in the small sample size. Here's to hoping that continues, but these jump-the-gun threads are best saved for a bit later in the season after we have more than the Kings and the Cavs in our rearview mirror.

[kingbrentg]

Of course it's been 2 games against lower rated teams. Not the point.

We're without Rose and having to form new chemistry with a largely new roster. So far I'm impressed with the way they've played together. The defense has been further along than I expected, and the ball movement has been very nice with such a new group together. That's going to be the key for this team to win games and position itself for a playoff spot.

I'm not expecting a top tier seed or to reclaim an ECF spot without a healthy Rose, but considering the lack of star power we currently have, I'm happy with how we've played.

And still, as I and many have said through the offseason, insert a healthy Rose back into this roster and I definitely think it's better overall than the past 2 seasons.

[Ezio]

What Brent said. The starters + Nate seem to be in a zone in little time. Once KH goes to the bench when Rose comes back that bench will improve so much.

[KG2TheBulls]

Of course it's been 2 games against lower rated teams. Not the point.

We're without Rose and having to form new chemistry with a largely new roster. So far I'm impressed with the way they've played together. The defense has been further along than I expected, and the ball movement has been very nice with such a new group together. That's going to be the key for this team to win games and position itself for a playoff spot.

I'm not expecting a top tier seed or to reclaim an ECF spot without a healthy Rose, but considering the lack of star power we currently have, I'm happy with how we've played.

And still, as I and many have said through the offseason, insert a healthy Rose back into this roster and I definitely think it's better overall than the past 2 seasons.

Pretty much agree with the sentiment but inserting a 'healthy' rose is gonna have it's pros and cons as well. When he comes back chances are he only plays 20-25 mpg for a while. Also he's gonna have to build chemistry with the new guys and this non stop ball movement will probably subside a bit when rosey gets back. We're playing well considering the new faces and how we looked in pre-season but I could easily see a blowout loss to a legit team and most of the optimism people are showing is gonna blow up.

I still say we are what we are. A superbly coached team with hard working\intelligent guys who know how to win games and exploit weaknesses. We should win anywhere from 45-50 games which in my estimation is a 4th to 5th seed.

I do think that Rose's game translates better with Kirk and Nate than it did with JLIII and Watson. Bellinelli is still a slight downgrade to Korver IMO and Butler and Brewer is just about a wash. Obviously losing Asik and replacing him with Mohammed is a downgrade as well. So all in all, can we be a better team? Sure...but it's far from a guarantee. It all depends on when Rose comes back, how much explosiveness he has at that point, and how quickly we can get the chemistry up. Despite our bigs playing well right now, we still have a thin frontcourt which definitely worries me if boozer or noah end up missing any time.

[kingbrentg]

Pretty much agree with the sentiment but inserting a 'healthy' rose is gonna have it's pros and cons as well. When he comes back chances are he only plays 20-25 mpg for a while. Also he's gonna have to build chemistry with the new guys and this non stop ball movement will probably subside a bit when rosey gets back. We're playing well considering the new faces and how we looked in pre-season but I could easily see a blowout loss to a legit team and most of the optimism people are showing is gonna blow up.

Of course. That's why I think the time table for when he comes back is going to be key. If it's fairly soon after the ASB then there's plenty of time to work out some kinks and figure out the flow. And I think he's going to be a lot more passive on his return as well, so the ball movement will continue to be a big thing.

And the optimism will only pop for those expected far more than they should right now.

I still say we are what we are. A superbly coached team with hard working\intelligent guys who know how to win games and exploit weaknesses. We should win anywhere from 45-50 games which in my estimation is a 4th to 5th seed.

I pretty well agree with that.

I do think that Rose's game translates better with Kirk and Nate than it did with JLIII and Watson. Bellinelli is still a slight downgrade to Korver IMO and Butler and Brewer is just about a wash. Obviously losing Asik and replacing him with Mohammed is a downgrade as well. So all in all, can we be a better team? Sure...but it's far from a guarantee. It all depends on when Rose comes back, how much explosiveness he has at that point, and how quickly we can get the chemistry up. Despite our bigs playing well right now, we still have a thin frontcourt which definitely worries me if boozer or noah end up missing any time.

I think Rose's game will translate very well with a guy like Belinelli too. Marco provides an extra dimension that Korver didn't give us, which is being able to put the ball on the floor and be effective on cuts. He's a slight downgrade (still basically a 40% shooter) on the 3-point stroke, but I'll take it with the extra abilities he brings. Hinrich, Rip, Marco, and Nate all give us a little bit of added potency in that they can take the ball out of Rose's hands at times. Something we've never really gotten to see happen for an extended period or in the playoffs.

Right now Brewer and Butler are fairly close, but I think I'll take Butler's upside and offensive abilities as well. He's looked pretty well so far also.

Asik and Nazr I agree on. Nazr is going to be a downgrade obviously, but I don't think he's inept, and he can actually provide a bit of substance offensively. The main product of Asik leaving is going to be Taj's increased role though imo.

But yes, the thin frontcourt is something I hope is remedied on the 19th when we can add another contract.

[bodupp311]

Both sides are getting ridiculous. We're 2-0 with a great opportunity to go 3-0. Can't we just enjoy that?

[kingbrentg]

What Brent said. The starters + Nate seem to be in a zone in little time. Once KH goes to the bench when Rose comes back that bench will improve so much.

Yeah, I'd love that. If we had a 100% Rose I'd love seeing a Rose/Rip/Kirk 3-man rotation during the playoffs. With maybe a little Nate sprinkled in at times. Then you still have Marco, making the outside depth pretty nice.

[KH12]

We're 2-0 for the first time in a decade, so technically this year's team is better than all of those teams.

[ChiBulls4Life]

Pretty much agree with the sentiment but inserting a 'healthy' rose is gonna have it's pros and cons as well. When he comes back chances are he only plays 20-25 mpg for a while. Also he's gonna have to build chemistry with the new guys and this non stop ball movement will probably subside a bit when rosey gets back. We're playing well considering the new faces and how we looked in pre-season but I could easily see a blowout loss to a legit team and most of the optimism people are showing is gonna blow up.
I still say we are what we are. A superbly coached team with hard working\intelligent guys who know how to win games and exploit weaknesses. We should win anywhere from 45-50 games which in my estimation is a 4th to 5th seed.

I do think that Rose's game translates better with Kirk and Nate than it did with JLIII and Watson. Bellinelli is still a slight downgrade to Korver IMO and Butler and Brewer is just about a wash. Obviously losing Asik and replacing him with Mohammed is a downgrade as well. So all in all, can we be a better team? Sure...but it's far from a guarantee. It all depends on when Rose comes back, how much explosiveness he has at that point, and how quickly we can get the chemistry up. Despite our bigs playing well right now, we still have a thin frontcourt which definitely worries me if boozer or noah end up missing any time.

The bolded part is true because you have a number of chicago fans bulls/bears etc. that are basically bipolar and go through numerous mood swings based off of one game but that would happen regardless even with a fully healthy bulls team. and of course you would see the trolls come out at that time as well. If I'm Chicago i would want to avoid the 4/5/8 seeds so that you wouldn't have to face Miami within the first two rounds but that's just me.

[chicago lulz]

82-0 season here we come!!

[KG2TheBulls]

The bolded part is true because you have a number of chicago fans bulls/bears etc. that are basically bipolar and go through numerous mood swings based off of one game but that would happen regardless even with a fully healthy bulls team. and of course you would see the trolls come out at that time as well. If I'm Chicago i would want to avoid the 4/5/8 seeds so that you wouldn't have to face Miami within the first two rounds but that's just me.

The 4th and 5th seed is gonna be hard to avoid but barring a career ending injury from Thibs I think we'll stay pretty clear of the 8th seed

[TyrionLannister]

Both sides are getting ridiculous. We're 2-0 with a great opportunity to go 3-0. Can't we just enjoy that?

No. I'd rather just enjoy your sig.

[KH12]

We are still winning the division, Pacers ain't ****.

[path2zion]

2nd or 3rd seed assuming rose comes back feb or early march. The key IMO is continued strong play of Noah and boozer. Thibs defense is a wonder to watch. And look out for jimmy b, go bulls!