Chicago Bulls

In part two of our three-part series, xinmsn Sports looks at the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.

You got to feel for the Bulls.

Last year they had the league’s finest player, but were stopped by the Miami Heat in the conference finals. In the recent season, Derrick Rose missed more than a third of the games, and then tore his ACL in Game 1 of the playoffs, ending his team’s championship dreams.

Yet, if there is a franchise that never gives up, always delivering, it resides in Chicago.

In Tom Thibodeau they have a marvellous coach, who masterminded an NBA-best record despite seeing his roster ravaged by injuries.

Doing the heavy lifting would still be Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton, but fans have been reeling from the dismantling of the ‘Bench Mob’. Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, Kyle Korver, John Lucas III, CJ Watson and Ronnie Brewer made up arguably the best second unit in the NBA, but only Gibson remains.

Then there is Rose the messiah, who is out until earliest New Year.

If Chicago want to do well, a lot would be expected of new guards Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson.

Find here the first five teams we previewed.