A New Era in the Windy City

[wolvesjr34]

Loving the layout, I'll be interested to follow also, as I do like the Bulls a bit this year

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James Johnson was traded to the Raptors for a First Round Pick in 2011
Chicago (AP)- It was announced today that the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors have agreed on the first trade of the season, this trade sends SF/PF James Johnson (63 OVR) at the age of 23 to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for their 2011 first round draft pick. Johnson in 65 Games with the Bulls last year averaged about 3.9 Points Per Game and has since slimmed down from his 250lbs mark to play Small Forward. Johnson is projected as the opening day starter for the Raptors at Small Forward but will be in hot competition with Sonny Weems and Julian Wright. Johnson is rated as the 73rd overall Small Forward but the Raptors like his potential as he has the opportunity to become an 85 overall player if he lives up to expectations.
Instant Analysis:
For Chicago: Makes perfect sense for the Bulls, they get a first round pick for a player who would likely ride the pine all season despite his potential he likely will never play over Loul Deng. The trade does mean that Kyle Korver will have to take more minutes playing defense unless coach Thibodeau comes up with another plan for the rotation.

For Toronto: The trade leaves fans scratching their heads, on one hand you get a player who if all goes well can develop into a solid starter, on the other hand you give away a potential Lottery pick for yet another Small Forward. This shows the lack of faith in both Julian Wright (Fourth Year Pro) and Sonny Weems (3rd Year Pro).

Winner/Loser: While it is too early to declare an official winner it appears the Bulls win here, they have a potential Lottery pick coming to them while the Raptors get yet another unproven player to compete at the Small Forward Position. The winner and loser will be seen more likely once the draft spot is announced and once James Johnson gets a few more seasons under his belt.

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Chicago Bulls 2010 Pre-Season Roster
#	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
1	Derrick Rose (95) (C)	PG	22	6'3"	190	$5.55M
5	Carlos Boozer (85) (S)	PF	28	6'9"	266	$14.40M
13	Joakim Noach (82) (S)	C	25	6'11"	232	$3.13M
9	Loul Deng (81) (S)	SF	25	6'9"	220	$11.36M
22	Taj Gibson (77) (6th)	PF	25	6'9"	225	$1.12M
11	Ronnie Brewer (71) (S)	SG	25	6'7"	227	$4.79M
6	Keith Bogans (70) (Ro)	SG/SF	30	6'5"	215	$1.60M
40	Kurt Thomas (68) (B)	C/PF	38	6'9"	235	$1.35M
32	C.J. Watson (68) (Ro)	PG/SG	26	6'2"	175	$3.10M
26	Kyle Korver (66) (Ro)	SF/SG	29	6'7"	212	$5.00M
3	Omer Asik (63) (P)	C/PF	24	7'0"	255	$1.72M
12	Jannero Pargo (62) (B)	PG/SG	31	6'1"	175	$1.19M
45	Rasual Butler (61) (B)	SF/SG	31	6'7"	205	$1.35M
24	Brian Scalabrine (44) (B)	PF/SF	32	6'9"	235	$1.23M
15	John Lucas III (48) (D)	PG	28	5'11"	165	$1.00M

C=Captain and Star Player status
S=Starter
6th=6th Man
R=Role Player
B=Bench Warmer
D=D-League

Chicago Bulls 2010-2011 Pre-Season Depth Chart Depth Chart - 2010-11
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Derrick Rose (37min)	C.J. Watson (10min)	Jannero Pargo (Reserve)	John Lucas III (D-League)
SG	Ronnie Brewer (25min)	Keith Bogans (11min)
SF	Loul Deng (34min)	Kyle Korver (17min)	Rasual Butler (Reserve)
PF	Carlos Boozer (35min)	Taj Gibson (25min)	Brian Scalabrine (0min)
C	Joakim Noah (35min)	Omer Asik (8min)	Kurt Thomas (3min)

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Bulls Thunder By!

Durants 36 points couldnt stop the Bulls tonight.

Oklahoma City (AP)- In a game that featured two of the youngest superstars in the league, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose, it turned out to be a game where one of those players would have to carry his team to say in the game. Durant scored 36 while the rest of the Thunder scored just 45 points! Rose on the other hand scored 25 but had help from the rest of his team with nine different players scoring in the game four of whom, including Rose, scored over 10 points.

Instant Analysis:
For Chicago: Shows that they can compete with superstars like Durant by limiting the rest of the team from scoring as Durant had almost half the Thunders points. Its always a good advantage to start the season 1-0. Also shows that Noah is a force to be reckoned with as he starts the season with a double-double.
For Oklahoma City: Shows that the team cant succeed if they do not get contribution from the players not named Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook had a poor showing going 5-15 and still was second on the team in points with 16 while 6th man Nate Robinson had 12.

Oct 27, 2010 - CHI at OKC
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago Bulls (0-0)	20	27	14	28	89
Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0)	22	18	19	22	81

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Rose	34	10-26	2-5	3-4	1	7	3	0	7	25
R. Brewer	30	2-4	0-0	0-0	4	4	3	1	1	4
L. Deng	32	6-10	4-6	0-0	5	0	0	0	0	16
C. Boozer	30	5-9	0-0	0-0	7	2	0	3	1	10
J. Noah	32	3-4	0-0	6-6	11	3	3	1	4	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Gibson	11	3-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	2	6
K. Korver	9	2-2	1-1	2-2	2	1	0	1	0	7
C.J. Watson	10	3-6	1-1	0-1	0	3	0	0	1	7
K. Bogans	8	1-2	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	0	2
K. Thomas	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0
O. Asik	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	1	0	0
B. Scalabrine (DNP)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
TEAM TOTALS		35-66	8-13	11-13	36	20	10	7	17	89

Oklahoma City Thunder
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Westbrook	35	5-15	0-5	6-8	4	6	5	0	3	16
J. Harden	24	2-8	0-3	0-0	2	3	1	0	1	4
K. Durant	35	12-27	2-8	10-10	7	4	3	1	1	36
S. Ibaka	32	2-3	0-0	1-2	4	1	3	2	0	5
K. Perkins	32	1-4	0-0	0-2	8	0	0	0	0	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
N. Robinson	17	5-11	2-6	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	12
N. Mohammed	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C. Aldrich	13	1-1	0-0	0-1	6	1	0	0	0	2
T. Sefolosha	10	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	2
D. Cook	4	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0
N. Collison	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
E. Maynor	1	0-1	0-0	2-2	0	0	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		29-73	4-22	19-25	33	18	13	3	10	81

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Bulls Fire on all Pistons!

Rose lead the Bulls with 31 and was 12-19 from the field

Chicago (AP)- In a game that heated up old rivalries between the Pistons and the Bulls and also featured Ben Gordon returning to Chicago the Bulls ran away with the game early in the 3rd quarter with solid defense. D-Rose looked unstoppable scoring 31 points and only missed seven shots from the field and was well supported by Joakim Noah who scored 18 and recorded a double-double, his second in two games this season. Ben Gordon led the Pistons in his return to Chicago with 21 but was abysmal from the field hitting only 9-26 of his shots.

Instant Analysis:
For Chicago: Get their first win against a Division rival early on and advance to 2-0 on the season. Rose looks to be in mid-season form and will be a force to be reckoned with as well as Noah who already has back to back double-doubles on the season.

For Detroit: Falling to 0-2 early on in the season isnt a hole that the team cant climb out of but being beaten by 21 in a rivalry game is cause for concern. Ben Gordon led the team in points but looked horrible from the field hitting only 9 of 26 which may convince teammates to not give him the ball as much.

Oct 30, 2010 - DET at CHI
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit Pistons (0-1)	19	17	10	21	67
Chicago Bulls (1-0)	24	21	20	23	88

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Stuckey	19	3-8	0-0	2-2	1	5	3	0	1	8
B. Gordon	33	9-26	2-11	1-4	3	3	4	0	0	21
R. Hamilton	17	5-13	1-3	0-0	2	1	1	1	1	11
T. Prince	28	2-8	0-0	0-0	4	2	1	0	1	4
J. Maxiell	30	3-4	0-0	0-0	8	0	1	0	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. McGrady	27	6-12	0-2	0-0	2	6	2	1	3	12
C. Villanaueva	11	1-2	1-1	0-0	3	0	0	1	0	3
B. Wallace	30	1-3	0-0	0-0	5	0	2	1	2	2
A. Daye	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
G. Monroe	9	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
J. Jerebko (DNP)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
C. Wilcox (DNP)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
TEAM TOTALS		30-77	4-17	3-6	29	17	14	4	8	67

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Rose	28	12-19	1-1	6-7	2	7	2	1	2	31
R. Brewer	26	2-7	0-2	0-0	1	1	2	0	1	4
L. Deng	27	4-5	1-1	0-0	3	0	1	1	1	9
C. Boozer	23	2-6	0-0	0-2	5	1	0	0	2	4
J. Noah	28	9-12	0-0	0-0	10	1	1	2	1	18
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Gibson	18	4-6	0-0	2-2	7	1	0	0	3	10
K. Korver	11	1-2	0-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	2
C.J. Watson	15	1-5	0-2	2-2	1	3	0	0	3	15
K. Bogans	11	1-3	1-3	0-0	3	1	0	0	0	3
K. Thomas	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0
O. Asik	11	0-0	0-0	0-2	4	1	0	1	1	0
B. Scalabrine	5	1-2	1-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	3
TEAM TOTALS		37-67	4-12	10-15	39	17	6	5	14	88

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Rose scorches Trail Blazers with Career High 52!

Rose scored a career high 52 with nearly half the Bulls Points and led the team to victory over the Trailblazers

Chicago (AP)- Derrick Rose has solidified his name as one of the best players in the NBA this year with his performance against the Portland Trailblazers today with 52 points. The most bewildering fact about those 52 is that Rose only missed 8 shots from the field and three of those were from beyond the arc. Portlands own superstar Brandon Roy scored 29 but couldnt bring the team back against the scoring threat of Rose.

Instant Analysis:
For Chicago: Chants of M-V-P were heard throughout the night as Derrick Rose solidified his name on the list to be considered for MVP this season. The question is how long can Rose carry this Bulls team that is now 3-0?

For Portland: The Trailblazers looked like a solid team and had they not been facing Derrick Rose tonight they would still be undefeated but Rose ended those dreams. Roy showed that he can score with the best of them and with some more defensive help this Portland squad could be a tough out later in the season.

Nov 1, 2010 - Port at CHI
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Portland Trail Blazers (3-0)	26	28	18	22	94
Chicago Bulls (2-0)	31	37	27	13	108

Portland Trail Blazers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A. Miller	27	6-10	1-1	3-4	1	4	2	0	4	16
B. Roy	30	11-21	3-4	4-4	3	4	0	0	2	29
G. Wallace	36	2-7	0-0	0-0	6	3	2	0	2	4
L. Aldridge	34	5-12	0-0	0-0	6	0	1	1	1	10
M. Camby	36	4-7	0-1	0-0	8	2	4	3	1	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
W. Matthews	20	2-5	0-1	0-0	1	3	2	0	2	4
A. Johnson	11	1-3	0-0	4-6	1	2	0	0	1	6
G. Oden	10	2-2	0-0	2-2	2	1	1	0	0	6
N. Batum	9	2-4	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	4
P. Mills	7	2-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	4
R. Fernandez	3	1-1	1-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	3
E. Williams	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		38-74	5-10	13-16	28	22	12	4	13	94

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Rose	35	22-30	3-6	5-7	4	6	3	0	4	52
R. Brewer	31	3-7	1-2	1-1	1	2	4	1	0	8
L. Deng	32	7-10	3-4	2-2	4	2	1	1	1	19
C. Boozer	33	3-4	0-0	0-2	10	1	1	0	1	6
J. Noah	30	1-5	0-0	0-0	9	0	0	2	5	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Gibson	12	0-1	0-0	2-2	1	0	0	0	2	2
K. Korver	13	2-3	2-3	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	6
C.J. Watson	10	3-5	1-2	2-2	0	2	0	1	2	9
K. Bogans	14	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	2
K. Thomas	5	0-1	0-0	2-2	1	0	0	0	0	2
O. Asik	11	0-1	0-0	0-2	1	0	0	0	1	0
B. Scalabrine (DNP)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
TEAM TOTALS		42-69	10-17	14-18	32	13	11	5	16	108

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Weekly Wrap

NBA Standings - Updated: Nov 4, 2010
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Boston Celtics	5	0	--
Chicago Bulls	3	0	1.0
Atlanta Hawks	4	1	1.0
Charlette Bobcats	3	1	1.5
New Jersey Nets	3	1	1.5
Miami Heat	3	2	2.0
New York Knicks	2	2	2.5
Cleveland Cavaliers	2	2	2.5
Philidelphia 76ers	2	3	3.0
Washington Wizards	1	2	3.0
Indiana Pacers	1	3	3.5
Orlando Magic	1	3	3.5
Milwaukee Bucks	1	4	4.0
Toronto Raptors	0	4	4.5
Detroit Pistons	0	5	5.0
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Los Angeles Clippers	4	1	--
Los Angeles Lakers	4	1	--
Utah Jazz	3	1	0.5
New Orleans Hornets	3	1	0.5
Memphis Grizzlies	3	2	1.0
Portland Trail Blazers	3	2	1.0
Houston Rockets	2	2	1.5
San Antonio Spurs	2	2	1.5
Denver Nuggets	2	2	1.5
Minnesota Temberbwolves	2	3	2.0
Sacramento Kings	2	3	2.0
Oklahoma City Thunder	1	3	2.5
Dallas Mavericks	1	3	2.5
Phoenix Suns	1	3	2.5
Golden State Warriors	1	3	2.5

Week 1 Transactions and Analysis:
10/26 Trade:
CHI gets: 2011 1st round Draft Pick
TOR Gets: SF James Johnson
Analysis: (In Previous Post)

11/1 Signing: Phoenix Suns sign Shooting Guard Larry Hughes to a 1 year $2.52M contract
Analysis: Will be a role player off the bench for the Suns. As of the end of the week had played only 3 minutes in a win over San Antonio, scored 4 points and happened to brake his Jaw and will be out 6-8 weeks. Overall Hughes gets paid to get injury treatment for 6-8 weeks.

11/2 Signing: Portland Trail Blazers sign Power Forward Jeff Pendergraph to a 1 year $1.28M contract
Analysis: Pendergraph is only 23 and has some solid potential after being the 1st pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft. Has yet to play for the Trail Blazers but is currently scheduled to receive a few minutes per game.

Rumor Central:
Houston-Yao Ming ~ Doesnt believe the rockets can contend in free agency after this season if an extension is not reached before the end of the season.

Portland-Andre Miller ~ Rumor around Portland is that if the team continues to struggle they will begin shopping him around the league. Miller has been quoted in saying, "I'll play for anyone so long as I get to play the game that I love."

Dallas-Caron Butler ~ Caron Butler wants a contract extension but Dallas and owner Mark Cuban want Butler to worry about playing first and getting a contract extension second. With that said however the Mavs front office has reached out to Butlers agent to get a deal done as soon as possible.

Major Injuries Thus Far: (Injuries over 1-2 weeks, sorted by team)
Houston Rockets Terrence Williams (Starting Small Forward) is out for the season with a torn MCL
Phoenix Suns Larry Hughes (Role Player off the bench at shooting guard) is out for 6-8 weeks with a Broken Jaw after recently signing a new contract.
Sacramento Kings Eugene Jeter (Bench Warming Point Guard) is out 6-8 weeks with a Broken Back.
Portland Trail Blazers Marcus Camby (Starting Center) is going to be playing hurt for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger while it heals, the injury is going to cut Camby from a 78 OVR to a 67 OVR while he recovers.
New Orleans Hornets Jason Smith (Bench Warming Power Forward) is out 2-4 weeks with a concussion.
Dallas Mavericks Peja Stojakovic (Bench Warming Small Forward) is out 2-4 weeks with a Strained Achilles.
Miami Heat Udonis Haslem (Sixth man Power Forward) is going to be playing hurt 2-4 weeks with a strained groin. The injury takes Haslem from a 71 OVR to a 66 OVR.

Players of the Week, Week 1
East: Lebron James (Miami Heat)
West: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)

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NBA Draft Preview
It's never too soon to look towards the NBA draft, each week we will feature 2 new prospects with projections.
#1 rated Prospect: Alec Burks, Shooting Guard, Colorado; At the age of 19 Burks has immense room for growth and is rated by ESPN as an early Top 5 Pick, analysts have gone so far as to compare him to Brandon Roy, the Portland Trail Blazers superstar. At 6'6" and 195lbs Burks has great size and is rated as an amazing offensive threat with above average defense. Look for his name to be among the first announced on draft day.

#2 rated Prospect: Kawhi Leonard, Shooting Guard, San Diego State; At the age of 20 Leonard is another shooting guard with great potential and room for growth. ESPN analysts rate him as a sure fire Top 5 Pick and are comparing him to Stephen Jackson, The Charlotte Bobcats All-Pro. Leonard is 6'7" and is around 195lbs. Leonard is rated as a potential Small Forward as a great rebounder and defensive player with above average offense.