Start John Salmons, see what you got ... because you know the Bulls you had

Doesn't John Salmons have to start at off-guard?

Even if Bulls general manager John Paxson left open the possibility of bringing back Ben Gordon, don't you still need to start Salmons tonight against Orlando instead of judging practices? Don't you need to start Salmons for a couple weeks to figure out whether he works off Derrick Rose and can guard somebody?

We already know Gordon does a good job of stopping the ball as if the offense runs through him and we already know NBA players voted him Player You'd Most Like To Post Up. Too often Gordon looks as if he's making a video brochure for his upcoming free agency.

Whatever, the Bulls already know what he can and cannot do. They ought to know, anyway. So, aren't they compelled to get answers on Salmons? I mean, what are we doing here?

If making the playoffs is the point, then don't play the new guys. The Bulls won two games with a short roster, then lost when they got the band back together.

But that's just it: We don't know the point of this season.

Or next.

Is the object of the exercise to make the playoffs no matter what? Is the goal simply to acquire contracts that allow the Bulls to become a free-agent player leading up to next year's trade deadline and/or free-agent off-season? Pick a lane.

Bulls management apparently is contractually obligated to tell you that the answer is both. The trades with the Kings and Knicks made the Bulls marginally better, and marginal is all you need in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls enter play tonight 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the last playoff spot in the East despite their 25-31 record. This is what you get in the NBA's kiddie pool: Six games under .500 and the Bulls are a playoff contender. The East might have three teams under .500 make the playoffs. In the West right now, there's one playoff team team under .600.

The trades with the Kings and Knicks also gave the Bulls financial flexibility for the big free-agent bonanza. OK. Fine. I can hardly wait to see what moves will be made by the organization that overpaid for Luol Deng.

By the way, when you hear Paxson talk about financial flexibility, that's code for management's version of the My Turn basketball that too many players exhibit on the court.

But that answer ought to be C: the growth and development of Rose. Period. End of discussion. Next.

Who plays well with this guy? Who makes himself available for a pass by cutting and working to get open? Who hogs the ball?

Because the point of the season is moving closer to winning an NBA title, and if that ever happens, Rose is the only guy on this roster you can comfortably picture in that accomplishment. This season and next are about Rose's running the offense his way and getting better defensively, not wins and losses.

The Bulls can't come out and say that. Kind of slags the concept of competition the same way players worry more about contracts and sneaker deals than fundamentals. OK. Fine. Don't say it. Just do it.

(chicagosports.com)