Chicago Bulls Talk: Issues That Have Arisen In Preseason

The Chicago Bulls finished up their preseason Friday with a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves leading up to the season opener against the New York Knicks. For the recap, check out Ashley Wijangco’s piece for all the information. It’s an informative and entertaining read.  The Bulls have pretty much given us a ton of storylines throughout the preseason that have been positive and exciting. However, there have been a lot of problems that have arisen in the exhibition games as well.

The return of Derrick Rose has been fun and refreshing for everyone involved from the media (especially me, do you know how hard  it is to make a Bulls team with Hinrich at the point entertaining?), to the fans, especially Rose. It has been hard on him being out for the last few years, It’s good to see him playing well. However, he does not solve the Bulls offensive struggles.

The offense for the most part has stunk for the majority of the preseason. Never mind that the Bulls finished at .500 for the preseason with a two game losing streak. That shows us that the Chicago Bulls still have major issues that will affect them coming out the gate. The second unit has not held up well with the small backcourt. Couple that with sloppy play and slow starts, it has left the Bulls fighting back from huge deficits to either win or make things interesting.

But the one thing everyone has to watch out for is…SURPRISE! Their health.

Jimmy Butler has missed the last two preseason games with sprained ligaments in his thumb. It’s not a huge deal, but it does take away court time to get acclimated with his teammates. Besides, Jimmy Butler has been the story of the preseason with his play before the injury. Joakim Noah is coming off knee surgery and it looks like this will be a subject of concern going forward.

The Chicago Bulls have upgraded their roster, but let’s go through the slideshow and check out what Pippen Ain’t Easy is seeing in the slideshow…