Coming off of a disappointing season a year ago, the Bulls make their 2008-09 debut Thursday night in a pre-season game against the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center.
The corp of last year's team returns, including guards Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes and forwards Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Drew Gooden. The biggest difference will come at the point, where former Chicago prep star and Bulls top overall draft pick Derrick Rose steps in. No one seems overly concerned that the team's offense will be run by a rookie, least of all Rose himself.
"I'm the type of player if you teach me one thing, I'll adapt to it very quickly," Rose told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "Coach has put me in plenty of screen-and-roll situations, and I'm learning from them pretty quickly."
For fans, they'll be able to see how quickly he's picked up the Bulls sets, beginning tomorrow night at the United Center.
