Bulls Preseason Opener Recap

“It was choppy. We know what we need to do now,” said Bulls’ Coach Tom Thibodeau about their preseason opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. Although the Bulls beat the Grizzlies 92-88, the game was generally up and down, and the Bulls specifically struggled in the fourth quarter.

While the newly formed team needs to develop its chemistry as the season nears (the second unit: Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson were disjointed and almost lost a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter as they shot 1-for-21), the Bulls made it through their first game. Rookie Marquis Teague got almost 8 minutes in the second quarter, Luol Deng contributed 18 points, Nazr Mohammed posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, Rip Hamilton and Joakim Noah had a 21-2 run, and Kirk Hinrich finished with five points, seven assists, two blocks and two steals. Henrich and Robinson will have to fill point guard Derrick Rose’s shoes while he’s out due to a knee injury (which are big shoes to fill), but hopefully with some time and practice the two will be able to carry majority of the team’s load until Rose returns.

What do you think about the chemistry of the new Bulls' players?