Report: Derrick Rose Makes All-Star Team!

By Sean Mackey

It has been reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that Derrick Rose will be named to his first NBA all-star game this evening when the reserves are announced tonight on TNT. Rose will be joined alongside Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace & Al Horford and previously announced starters Allen Iverson, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett & Dwayne Wade to complete the 2010 Eastern all-star squad. Western reserves include Chris Paul, Paul Gasol, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph and Brandon Roy.

Derrick Rose is the first Chicago Bull to be chosen for the all-star team since Michael Jordan in 1998. Congrads to him and the Bulls for finally having an all-star. As previously announced, Rose will also be starting in the rookie/sophmore game and defending his Skills Challenge title.

The only real snub this year is Chris Kaman who rightfully should have been chosen over Pau Gasol. New York fans are also probably a little upset that David Lee was left out, but who cares? Derrick Rose is in and that's all that matters :)

Is that 4 (Road Wins) in a row? Bulls finally at .500 again!

By Sean Mackey

The Bulls won their 4 straight road game last night with a 96-86 victory over the OKC Thunder. Derrick Rose was fantastic pouring in a total of 26 points and 7 assists. Rose took over in the 4th quarter and pounded dagger after dagger to the Thunder including a ridiculous slam dunk in the final 2 minutes. Taj Gibson was insane on the glass with 15 rebounds, Luol Deng had 17 points going 3-4 from downtown. Joakim Noah had another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. New Bulls guard Devin Brown sat out after not being able to participate in the morning shootaround. VDN wanted him to understand the "system" and get him properly acclimated before throwing him into an actual a game. Look for Brown to make his season debut with the Bulls against his former team, the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

With this win the Bulls improve to .500. A month ago, this was thought to be impossible. At this point last season (after 44 games) the Bulls were 18-26 so the Bulls are already off to a decent start even without Ben Gordon. 19 more wins and the Bulls will match last years record. Chicago is currently sitting as the #7 seed in the East. If the playoffs started today, we'd have an epic rematch of last years series with the Bostons Celtics.

While winning is great, the only downside to the Bulls doing this well on a roadtrip is that the front office might be reluctant to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade. The Bulls have been winning games with Hinrich starting and Salmons coming off the bench. My gut feeling is that Salmons will be dealt by the end of February. Hinrich is overvalued and I doubt will never be traded. With Devin Brown coming off the bench, Salmons looks very expendable. I could also see Brad Miller leaving if an all-star like NBA big is brought in or just another expiring big.

The Bulls look to extend their win streak to 5 when they visit Aaron Gray and the New Orleans Hornets Friday night @ 8 p.m. on CSN-Chicago and NBA League Pass.

Rose & Gibson Heading to the Rookie/Sophmore Game!

By Sean Mackey

The NBA All-Star reserves won't be announced until tomorrow but it appears Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson will be competing against each other in the 2010 Rookie/Sophomore game at NBA All-Star weekend. Rose is currently averaging 19.6 points & 5.9 assists per game. Taj is averaging 8.5 points & 6.3 rebounds per game. Derrick had 4 points and 7 assists in a loss to the Sophomores last year.

The Amare Stoudemire rumors are starting to flair up just as they did at this time last year. It was revealed today by Mike McGraw of the Chicago Tribune that the Bulls turned down an offer last season which would have sent Tyrus Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha & multiple draft picks to the Suns for Stoudemire. The multiple draft pick request was what apparently killed the deal and I'm okay with that. That was way too much to give up for a player who's had micro fracture knee surgery.

Mike McGraw also confirmed that Kirk Hinrich's name has came up in discussions between Chicago and Los Angeles. The Lakers would be able to offer a package of Adam Morrison & Sasha Vujacic. The only problem with that deal is that Vujacic has another year on his contract. If the Bulls are going to clear roster space for 2 free agents, they're going to need to get expiring contracts for Kirk. Personally, I don't believe the Bulls will ever trade Kirk Hinrich. He's the franchise's golden boy and a personal favorite of Reinsdorf. Plus over the last few weeks, he's helped the Bulls turn their season around. However, I could see Salmons getting traded if a decent expiring contract comes up.

New acquisition, Devin Brown makes his debut as a Bull this evening when Chicago visits the Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8 p.m. on CSN Chicago & NBA League Pass.

Report: Aaron Gray traded to Hornets for Devin Brown

By Sean Mackey

Holy crap! The Bulls made a trade!

The Bulls are shipping the "White Flag" Aaron Gray to the New Orleans Hornets for 6th man, Devin Brown. This is an interesting trade since I believe A-Gray had a no trade clause. This guy has been a fan favorite since day 1 but never got the chance to develop into the low post threat the Bulls wanted him to. He's been a cheerleader most of this year since he was injured and VDN's been on the hot seat.

Devin Brown recently lit the Bulls up for 22 points back on 12/26 shooting 6-7 from the 3 point line. According to Blog a Bull, Brown has a 10% trade kicker, which puts the Bulls over $200k more in 2009-10 committed salary.

I have a feeling that this was a lateral move but I'm sure it's the beginning of a bigger deal looming. Does this mean Salmons and/or Hinrich are on their way out? By this time next month, we'll know for sure.

Also, sorry for the lack of updates. The Bulls are sooooo average right now. They win 2 or 3 games, then lost 2 or 3 games and can't get over .500. I just can't get excited about it. The Bulls need a shake up. I'll be way more into this season when one actually happens.

Bulls Convincingly Beat the Celtics!

By Sean Mackey

I know, I know. Garnett and Wallace were out, but a win's a win, and that's 3 in a row. The Bulls beat the Celtics 96-83 last night and it was nice to see the Bulls defensively manhandle the Celtics for 4 whole quarters. Luol Deng played great and shelled out 25 points on 8-13 shooting and went 9-10 from the free throw line. Derrick Rose was huge in the 4th quarter and after sitting most of the first half while in foul trouble, he added 17 points and 8 rebounds. The bad side of a win like this shows just how much of an effort is needed to beat a team even when their defensive anchor is out. However, the Celtics are still a much better team than the Bulls being that they have 3 legitimate all-stars on the floor even when Garnett and Wallace are out. Not to mention, Kendrick Perkins is one of the most solid center's in the NBA at this point and Noah matched him the entire evening with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Speaking of Noah, I'm starting to seriously believe he's the 2nd best center in the east at this point. He's hand's down the fastest center in the NBA, he chases rebounds like crazy, he blocks shots like a maniac and he really is the heart of the Chicago Bulls. The problem that's going to loom during these next few trade happy months is that every team is going to want Joakim Noah included in any trade and the Bulls aren't going to budge. The idea is to find a post player who compliments Noah's defensive abilities but if the Bulls were to trade for a player like Bosh or Stoudemire, the other team isn't just going to want Hinrich, Salmons and Thomas, they're going to want Joakim. While he's a crowd favorite and a team favorite, if the opportunity to finally grab a post up legit big man comes up, the Bulls are going to have to decide whether giving up Joakim is worth it. My instinct says the Bulls aren't going to trade Noah for anything. He's 2nd most important piece of this core group.

Taj Gibson is also coming into his own and leads all rookies in double-doubles. The whole picking him over D. Blair is starting to look pretty good about now. Taj however, is not a starting NBA power forward. He's a bench guy, but a damn good one. If Chicago can lure Bosh, Stoudemire or Boozer, they can use his energy off the bench. At his current rate, he'll be one of the best if not the best of all back up PF's in the NBA throughout the few years.

Interestingly enough, the Bulls are 1 win better than they were at this time last season when they had Ben Gordon. Chicago has won 7 of the last 10 games and Vinny's job appears to be safe at this point. After a quick stop at home tonight for a game against the Washington Wizards, the Bulls head west for a 7 game road trip. If they can come out winning 3-4 of those games, they'll be in good shape.

Bulls vs. Wizards @ 8 p.m. tonight on CSN & NBALP.

Bynum For Bosh?

By Sean Mackey

The Bulls beat the Timberwolves Saturday night yada yada yada....nobody cares. The big news (rumor) in the NBA over the last two days was an article that Peter Vescey released for the NY Times reporting that a source believes that the LA Lakers are going to offer (if not already offered) Andrew Bynum to the Toronto Raptors for all-star Chris Bosh.

A move this big would solidify the Lakers as championship contenders for roughly the next 5-6 years. It would also throw away Bulls fan's pipe dream of signing the best of available post threat this summer. Three years ago, the Lakers stole Chicago's dream of acquiring Pau Gasol when they swooped in and traded a scrub and the draft rights to Pau's brother, Marc when the Bulls refused to trade Ben Gordon and Luol Deng.

A trade like this would make things almost unfair. I would rather see Bosh go to Miami than to the Lakers just to keep some balance in the East. I love the Lakers and I understand their importance in the league but this would make them unstoppable and the best front court in the NBA. If the Bulls have to give up Joakim Noah to get Bosh, they need to now. I love Joakim but they need help ASAP. I know the front office is hellbent on dragging Dwayne Wade up from Miami but Chicago needs a post player more than anything. The Bulls can probably pick up a halfway decent shooting guard in the draft. If this whole Lakers report is true, they need to make a move fast for the sake of the future of the team.