Chicago Bulls news, draft reports, and analysis

Here's what we know so far. Derrick Rose is a star in the making, Ben Gordon is a UFA and the Bulls have just come off a first round exit led by a rookie head coach in Vinny Del Negro. So many questions are left unanswered, and yet, the future couldn't seem brighter.

The Chicago Bulls finished 41-41 during the regular season. That record hardly seems fair after the arrival of John Salmons, Tim Thomas and Brad Miller. The Bulls made a strong push to the playoffs, going 18-11 after the all-star break while inserting Miller and Salmons into the Bulls system. Had both players started out the season with Chicago, 50 wins would not have been out of the question.

Bulls were led by a 20-year old rookie point guard, who no one had selected as a rookie of the year award candidate prior to the opening tip. Yet, at the most difficult position in basketball, on the biggest stage of the sport, Derrick Rose took his team on his back and led them into the heart of Bulls fans across the world, who over the past 10 years had 'star player' on the top of their christmas wish list. Chicago even managed to get the ball rolling with an injured Luol Deng, who played 49 injury riddled games before finally going out of the rest of the season. Who knows what a healthy Deng could have done on this team?

Ben Gordon, the Bulls' leading scorer over the past four years, is an unrestricted free agent. He has so far in the off-season stated that he would prefer a 15-year career with Chicago and retire with the Bulls, as well as grading the rookie season of Derrick Rose as an 'A+'. Yet, he's also been quick to use the word 'business'. Facing reality, it seems as though there's a 50/50 chance Ben Gordon will be in a Bulls uniform next season. The 6'2 shooting guard has often been the source of much debate. Wheter it be his contract situation, or his shooting/scoring abilities. Gordon, who succesfully played next to Derrick Rose all year, seems to benefit from having a distributor along side him. Something 6-year veteran Kirk Hinrich cannot be labelled as.

Bulls fans face a lot of questions this off-season.

- Will Ben Gordon return?

- Will Luol Deng come back healthy?

- Will Kirk Hinrich be traded?

- What will happen to Tyrus Thomas?

- Is Amare Stoudemire available?

- Is Chris Bosh available?

- Who do the Bulls draft with #16 and #26?

- How will the team perform after big roster changes?

- John Salmons. Was it a fluke year?

- Can Vinny Del Negro improve?

- What about luxury tax?

Yet, with all these unanswered questions, the future seems bright. White, red and black number #1 jerseys are seen frequently as it's already the 11th best selling jersey of the year. The word 'savior' is often used in comparison. As is 'star' and 'kid'. There's really no other way to explain it. The Bulls is a Maserati and Derrick holds the keys. A day after the Bulls got bounced, Derrick was in the Berto Center. Let's put that into perspective. Here's a 20-year old kid who has just come off the most turbulent year of his life. Playing seven games in the best first round series ever to be seen in the NBA, as well as playing 81 regular season games and more intense preparation than ever before. Not to mention the added pressure of being the 1st overall pick in the Draft, and by your hometown team even. 

10-year veterans can go from playoff loss straight to a three-week vacation. Derrick? Locked inside a gym with two hoops and a basketball IS his vacation.

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