Problems with the Bull

"Two Different Speeds: ... While those are legitimate issues that need to be dealt with, another issue is the composition of the team and the skills they posses. There are two sets of players on this team: the ones who are better pushing the tempo and the ones who will never be good playing at high speeds.

The uptempo side is led by rookie point guard Derrick Rose. Watch him play one game, see how fast he gets up the floor with the ball and you'll understand. Guard Ben Gordon is a good fit with him, as is forward Tyrus Thomas.

The better-at-the-halfcourt-game side is led by most of the big men – Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah. Both players can be contributors, but in an uptempo game they tend to get left behind.

In the middle you have players that might lean one way or another, but still are a relatively good fit either way. These players include Luol Deng (leans uptempo), Kirk Hinrich (ditto), Larry Hughes (ditto), Thabo Sefolosha (ditto), Andres Nocioni (leans halfcourt), and Aaron Gray (ditto).

Anyone else see the problem here? With the Chicago Bulls it's not just an issue of whether or not they get post production from their big men, it's the fact the majority of them simply won't be able to keep up with Derrick Rose and the rest of the guards on a consistent basis. True, big men will always lag behind the little guys, but at the same time the gap can't be as wide as it is with the Bulls.

It's a given this is Rose's team, as well it should be. However, General Manager John Paxson has his work cut out for him when it comes to giving any Bulls coach, whether it by Vinny Del Negro or someone else, a team capable of playing a cohesive tempo for long periods of time. He needs to switch out the team's current big men for not only ones with a few more offensive skills, but some who can keep up with the likes of Rose, Deng and Gordon."


"Chicago Bulls lacking leaders ... "I don't think that's one of the team's strengths right now," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Our younger guys will develop into that, Derrick [Rose] especially.""