Team Expert/Cool Guy: Nels Wadycki, huge Bulls fan and writer of Cagin' Bulls, but widely known around the industry for his popular fantasy basketball blog, Give Me The Rock. Well, I did give it to him. Check out Nels' answers.
Questions and Answers:
1. How big of an impact does the Ben Wallace signing have on this
team? Are they realistically instant contenders now as many people
are saying?
I think the Wallace signing has a big impact, but I don't think it makes the Bulls instant contenders by any means. It basically shores up an area (pretty much, "the paint") where the Bulls were weak after Eddy Curry left. Chandler was decent as a help-side defender, but he was never the kind of big who would body people up in the middle. His offense was as terrible as Wallace's, so we're not losing anything there. I think the Bulls gave Chandler enough time to develop and surrounded him with good enough players (at least on the offensive end) that if he was going to blossom, he should have done that.
The only thing I'm worried about is the amount of money that we gave Big Ben. I'd rather be signing all of the young guys we have (and the ones we drafted this year) than keeping around Ben Wallace. Of course, I'm also hoping that Wallace will have a Nash-like resurgence playing a style of basketball that really suits him. If he can play as well as he has the past few years for 1 or 2 more seasons after this one, I think that's when the Bulls really become contenders.
Unfortunately, I think they're going to run into the sort of problem that other teams did against them in the 90's. Anyone who wants to win a title is going to have to go through LeBron James.
2. Andres Nocioni showed that he has game last season, but so did Luol Deng. Who deserves to start at the SF position and how will the
minutes get split? Will either one of their games regress?
Honestly, I'd rather see Noc (is that how you spell Noch? Noce? Anyway...) starting at PF with Deng at SF. P.J. Brown could be the backup PF and Tyrus Thomas or Viktor Khryapa can back up the SF. That would cut down on the amount of time Mike Sweetney plays, and despite my high hopes for him last season, he doesn't have a lot of game that could regress, so I think that would work out best for everyone.
Since it probably won't happen the way I want, I'd see Nocioni starting with Deng as the backup. Sometimes Andres will slide to PF. The minutes will probably be about the same as last season for both of them (unless Skiles really takes to P.J. Brown). Malik Allen, then, will probably play backup Center exclusively. As long as Luke Schenscher doesn't get on the floor at any point during the season, I'll be happy. Hands like oven mitts, that one.
3. Where does the Kirk Hinrich/Ben Gordon backcourt rank among backcourts?
I'd say they're behind Detroit, Golden State, Houston (if you count T-Mac as their SG), New Jersey, maybe Phoenix, San Antonio, and probably Seattle; so that puts them at about 7th best. There are a few other teams (like the Lakers) that have a really good player in the back court with another decent player, but we won't count them, since their teamwork/chemistry isn't as good as that of Hinrich and Gordon's. But, I can't wait to see Thabo out there with them as well. He adds a much needed dimension (the height one) to the Bulls backcourt.
4. Anything else you want to say about the Bulls?
That is all.
5. Who wins the NBA Finals this coming season (besides your team, that is)? Just give me a team name at least.
I don't know... I think it's almost more wide open than it was last year. I'd say the Cavs, but I don't know if they're quite there yet. I think the Heat probably have the best chance (especially with Shaq as a role player). I think the Spurs, Suns, and Clippers all have a good chance too. But yeah, if you stuck a gun to my head, I'd say the Heat.
Nels, I gave you the rock and you took it to the rack. Thanks!
MY TAKE - Things Go Right If These Three Things Happen:
1. Ben Wallace doesn't get complacent with his new dollars and is as tenacious as he was with the Detroit Pistons.
2. Ben Gordon becomes a consistent scorer and not a streaky one. Although you have to love those nights when he's simply unstoppable.
3. Someone else besides Gordon and Hinrich become legitimate offensive threats because that's what this particular team needs - OFFENSE!
MY TAKE - Things Go Wrong If These Three Things Happen:
1. Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng regress in their offensive game.
2. Wallace, despite genuine effort, is just getting too old and his skill set starts to diminish.
3. P.J. Brown ends up being your most reliable frontcourt player.