With the addition of Devin Brown last week in a trade with the Hornets the handwriting appears to be on the wall. That writing is that the Bulls will likely try to move PG/SG Kirk Hinrich before next month’s trade deadline. He has played in 35 games (16 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The thing that will hurt any trade efforts by the Bulls involving Hinrich is the fact that he is only shooting 38% from the floor. The one team I would keep my eye on with Hinrich is the Lakers which is a team he could start on at the point.

The Chicago Bulls had won four straight games coming into the dreaded seven-game road trip they are currently on, but after losing the first two games of the road trip to the sub-par Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers things were not looking good for the Bulls.  They really bounced back after those two games though, and have gone on to win three straight road games against top-notch Western Conference teams.  They handled the Phoenix Suns pretty easily on Friday with a 115-104 win, and followed that up with a 104-97 win over the Houston Rockets the very next night.  Monday they went into San Antonio and beat the Spurs 98-93, who are one of the best teams of this era.  The Bulls are in Oklahoma City tonight to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder, and they follow that up with a trip to New Orleans against Chris Paul and the Hornets to wrap up this long road trip.  A lot of Bulls players have been stepping up, but their current winning ways can mostly be attributed to Derrick Rose.  In the past six games (4 wins) Rose is averaging 26.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals on 51% shooting.  Rose is really starting to mature before our eyes and is taking his game to the next level.  The All-Star reserves will be announced tomorrow night and I expect to hear Derrick Rose’s name called.  If the Bulls come out of this road trip with a winning record it will be huge and it could give them the momentum they need going into the second half of the season.

The Bulls have acquired 31-year old shooting guard Devin Brown from the Hornets for 25-year old center Aaron Gray. Brown played in 39 games (37 starts) for the Hornets this year and he was averaging 24.8 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game but he was only shooting 39.4% from the floor. Brown has now played in 454 games (127 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Look for Brown to give the Bulls a jolt of offense off the bench that Jannero Pargo couldn’t give him. Gray played in only 8 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he was averaging 6.3 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He played in 125 games (19 starts) for the Bulls and he averaged 11.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Bulls shouldn’t miss Gray too much.

I must admit, when the Chicago Bulls took Joakim Noah with the 9th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft I was not happy with the pick.  I thought he was an over-hyped annoyance, who flailed around the court always whining or yelling.  In his first two seasons he showed some progress, but I was still not a Noah fan.  Noah sure has turned my thoughts on him around, as he has improved so much since last season.  He still plays with a lot of passion, but its a more controlled passion as Noah has obviously matured (both physically and mentally) and his professional approach to his game is really paying off.  He has nearly doubled his scoring, rebounding, and assist averages this year compared to last, averaging 11.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks.  His 12.4 rebounding average is the 2nd highest in the league, trailing only the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (13.0 rpg).  Noah has been a huge asset for the Bulls this season with his monster rebounding numbers and strong defensive presence, along with an improving offensive game.  Don’t be surprised if you see Joakim Noah playing in Dallas for the All-Star game.

John Salmons is responding to playing off the bench. He has played in 9 games in January for the Bulls and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His shooting is the main thing that has gotten better with him coming off the bench as he is shooting 46% from the floor this month. His overall numbers are still not that impressive as he has played in 39 games (28 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 34.7 minutes, 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Salmons might get himself back into the starting line-up to stay if his shooting keeps at his January % from the floor.

Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose has been nothing but great for the Bulls ever since he was taken as the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.  He has continued to improve and has basically put the Bulls on his back this season.  It looks like he is going to lead the Bulls to another playoff appearance this year.  Many people have been sleeping on Rose as an All-Star though, but I think he is more than deserving.  His stats are very good, but what makes them more impressive is that he is the leader or near the leader for his team in more than a few key statistical categories.  He is averaging 19.0 points (1st on team), 6.0 assists (1st), 3.7 rebounds (5th), 0.75 steals (3rd), and 35.9 minutes (2nd), while shooting 46.5% from the field (3rd).  While many believe Celtics’ point guard Rajon Rondo is having a better season, I think Rose has to do much more for his team especially when it comes to scoring the ball (Rose is averaging 5.2 points more a game than Rondo), as the Celtics are so much more loaded than the Bulls.  Without Rose, the Bulls would be terrible.  Without Rondo, the Celtics would still be a great team.  One thing I would like to see Rose get better at is defense.  He is so fast, quick, and strong that he should be a much better defender than he is at the moment.  With so many physical gifts and a great understanding of the game already, there is no reason Rose can’t end up as an elite defender.

The Chicago Bulls franchise started in 1966 and although their 33-48 record is the best ever by a first-year franchise, they struggled their first few years like most expansion teams do.  Then a 6’8″ silky smooth wing with “Love” joined the team.  His name was Bob Love, and he was acquired in a trade from Milwaukee in the 1968-’69 season.  His first full season with the Bulls came the next year in the 1969-’70 season.  That season Love led the Bulls in scoring with 21.0 points per game, helping the Bulls to a franchise high in wins (39) and a franchise record of 114.9 points per game, a mark that will likely never be broken.  Love continued to get better, and as he improved so did the Bulls.  With a hard-nosed and defensive-minded guard named Jerry Sloan to lean on, Love and the Bulls went on to five-straight winning seasons from 1970 to 1975.  Their best record came in the 1971-’72 season, where they went 57-25 for the third best record in the league.  Love averaged a career high 25.8 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists that year.  In the 1974-’75 season the Bulls won their first Division Title, the only Division Title the Bulls have ever won outside the Michael Jordan era.

Love was with the Bulls from 1968-1977, playing 592 career games for them.  In his Bulls career he averaged 21.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.  Love was the first true star for the Bulls franchise, and he held nearly every franchise scoring record before that guy named Jordan came along.  What most people don’t know about Love was that he had a debilitating stuttering problem, so much so that he struggled to find work after his playing days (he even worked as a busboy).  He eventually took speech therapy classes that helped him overcome his problem, and then went on to become the Bulls Director of Community Relations in 1993 and a motivational speaker for troubled youths.

The Bulls are looking to move 23-year old forward Tyrus Thomas before the trade deadline next month. He has played in 12 games (3 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 23.7 minutes, 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 237 games (95 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 20.1 minutes, 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. The Bulls better be careful trading a player with the upside of Thomas making sure they get back what he is worth.

Scott Pippen played 12 years for the Bulls and he won six NBA Championships in that time. He often likes to point out that Michael Jordan never won a title without him and that is true. Pippen doesn’t belong in the same breath as Jordan as a player but he is absolutely right about what he said. Pippen played in 856 games (743 starts) for the Bulls and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per game. I’m pretty sure that Pippen would have scored a lot more points if he played for a different team early in his career but he was a perfect fit being the #2 guy behind Michael Jordan.

Taj Gibson and James Johnson look like keepers for the Bulls. Taj Gibson makes the most of his time on the court. He has played in 33 games (21 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 24.5 minutes, 8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. I really like his game around the basket as he looks like he’s going to be a outstanding rebounder in this league. James Johnson has not been near as impressive as Gibson but I still see enough to make me think that he can produce for them down the road. He has played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 10.3 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Johnson’s main problem has been his shooting as he is only hitting 35.9% of his shots from the floor. Until his shot improves he will likely continue to get sporadic playing time.