Bull Bear Sock: Bulls and D-Rose links

Sleepers -

Chicago Bulls
How much should we read into Chicago's classic seven-game series against Boston? Was the Bulls' gutsy performance a harbinger of things to come, or was it lightning in a bottle? Did they graduate into a team that knows how to scramble defenses with a legitimate pick-and-roll game, or were they just lucky to encounter a crippled Celtics' team ill-suited to deal with their quickness and athleticism?

Those aren't the only imperative questions for Chicago. Even if we conclude that they came of age in April, is it fair to expect them to continue their progress without their top scorer, Ben Gordon, whom they lost to Detroit?

Short answer: Yes.

NBA's 10 fastest players -

1
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

There is plenty of room for disagreement here — like we said, no one's timing every NBA player with a stopwatch — but Rose tops this list because of his speed in every situation. From end to end, the 2009 Rookie of the Year can cover the 94 feet as fast as anybody. In close quarters, his burst is unbelievable. He can run the fast break or penetrate through halfcourt defenses with equal velocity. And at 6-3 and 190, he has a strong frame and excellent body control, making him arguably the best athlete of all the league's point guards. Considering he won't be old enough to drink a beer till October, the 20-year-old Rose is on the fast track to NBA stardom.

Magic better than Michael? -

If Magic Didn't Retire Early, Would MJ Still Be The Best?

Earvin Magic Johnson just celebrated his 50th birthday and is widely regarded historically as one of the NBA's best ever. But what if he didn't retire when he did?

When Magic announced his first retirement in November of 1991, the Chicago Bulls were about to begin the defense of their first of six titles with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson.

The Bulls won their first, in Jordan's 7th NBA season, a few months earlier beating Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

And then, right before the 1991-92 season was set to begin, Magic made his famous announcement that he was forced to retire because he'd contracted the HIV virus.

Top 10 NBA storylines -

9.Sophomore class rising

The top players from this draft class is Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo. Both of them will elevate their statuses even higher this season. Rose went nuts in the playoffs and will carry his momentum into this season. With the loss of Ben Gordon, he will also be relied on more to score.

Mayo will become a scoring machine while working on other aspects of his game such as defense. He will establish himself as the face of the Grizzlies franchise. The two surprises of this class are Brook Lopez and Anthony Randolph.

Lopez will be the second option on the team without Vince Carter. Randolph will emerge as a star himself and as the third best player from this class, ahead of Lopez and Michael Beasley.

NBA's all-time best duos -

1. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen

You all knew it was coming.

The greatest player to ever grace the game and a bona fide all-star—who on any other team is a go-to guy—brought six titles and immortality to the Windy City.

Throw the ever-elusive Dennis Rodman into the mix, and two three-peats are a standard.

Jordan was graced with fantastic teammates and a legendary coach, but none more powerful than Pippen.

That's why these guys are the greatest duo in NBA history.

And some links I pulled from twitter (follow BBS here!) ...

From SlamOnline -