The 2006 Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are hoping that their group of young stars in the making step up in 2006 to take over the Central Division lead from the Pistons. One move that bodes well for them was the acquisition of Pistons center Ben Wallace through free agency, giving Coach Scott Skiles a reliable big man and leaving the Pistons concerned about their interior. The Bulls also drafted well, getting big shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha and promising young forward Tyrus Thomas. The key for the Bulls will be how well the young group meshes around Wallace in the middle and whether they can repeat their upstart efforts in 2005.

Front Court- The front court of the Bulls will revolve around new acquisition and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ben Wallace. Wallace is 32, but has a spring in his step and can still swat away all comers. Wallace will have a plethora of talent around him, though Skiles has to determine which lineup works best. The acquisition of veteran power forward P.J. Brown gives them a good option alongside Wallace in the paint, though it seems more likely that Brown will come off the bench as a sixth man. The lineup that worked by most accounts included forwards Luol Deng and Andres Nociani, who can score off the dribble and provide enough rebounding not to be liabilities. If Deng and Nociani can be consistent performers, they will stay in the starting lineup all season long. Wallace, Deng, and Nociani will likely turn into a match up headache for most teams and will allow the back court to put up some shots.

Back Court- Point guard Kirk Hinrich and shooting guard Ben Gordon are young players who are not even close to their prime. This is bad news for Eastern Conference teams and the rest of the NBA because Gordon and Hinrich led the team in scoring and provide good defense and passing. Hinrich is turning into one of the better point guards in the NBA and Gordon will be a prolific scorer over his career. Look for a lot of passing to the interior and kicking out for open shots. Wallace, not the most potent offensive threat, is still good enough to pass it back out and draw in some defense from the three point line.