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The Bulls got their first win of the preseason on Saturday night in Milwaukee, though as everyone knows, the score is among the least meaningful parts of a preseason game. Here are some thoughts on the players and where they stand so far:

-Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich all played their most minutes so far as Tom Thibodeau has already begun to shrink the rotation just three games in. After 12 players saw action versus Washington and 14 in Detroit, just ten took the floor tonight.

-Rose had what may be his most encouraging game since returning this summer. The jumper that abandoned him all tournament with Team USA returned, as he hit 3-4 from beyond the arc. It’s still so easy to predict the outcome of his shots, as he showed in particular with one off-balance jumper that harshly careened off the backboard and rim. When his feet aren’t even, it throws off his balance and he tends to hang in the air too long as if the shoot button on the controller was held down too long.

-On the opposite end of the spectrum is Tony Snell. Nearly every shot he takes looks pretty, yet he can’t buy a bucket. 0-5 including three misses from distance, he failed to capitalize when given an opportunity with Mike Dunleavy taking the night off. Snell did have two wonderful passes to the screener after getting the ball off a screen, but he’s already in Thibodeau’s doghouse and regardless of how to distribute the blame for his struggles, he’ll have to find a way to play better or he’ll end up not playing at all.

-Gasol and Nikola Mirotic each had a couple blocks on defense, as well as some nifty passes on offense. When this team is healthy, neither of them will ever take the floor without Noah or Taj Gibson, so they won’t have to be perfect on defense. Their ability to impact shots and be physical when rebounding makes their respective floors much higher than the worst efforts of Carlos Boozer.

-Speaking of Taj, he was a little more in control. He seemed to be trying to prove a point a little too hard in the first two games, and looked much better playing more within himself.

-Jimmy took quite a few tumbles to the floor, including a couple when fouled on jumpers. He was visibly worn down by the end but still made his mark with a couple breakaway dunks as well as an alleyoop off of a beautiful lob from Doug McDermott.

-As for the rookie, he filled Dunleavy’s role rather seamlessly. The Bulls gave up a bunch of assets to get him, but he looks like the real deal. It’s not crazy to think McDermott usurps Dunleavy’s role at some point, with the Bulls unloading the veteran before the deadline (probably just to save money but one can hope).

-Hinrich and Aaron Brooks were solid. Kirk made his usual blunder or two but made up for them with a charge taken here and a made three there. Brooks could feasibly outdo whatever the Bulls would have gotten from D.J. Augustin this year, though that opinion depends on what you believe in more: Augustin’s entire career or how he performed in Thibodeau’s system.

-I’ve yet to mention the Bucks, who should have a much better year. They simply have more talent after adding Jabari Parker and getting Zaza Pachulia back, plus even just a bit of positive regression from Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova, O.J. Mayo and newcomer Jared Dudley will go a long way. Most importantly, Giannis Antetokounmpo (which I’m proud to say I don’t have to look up) broke out a Eurostep *and* a sky hook.

-The Bulls will head back home for a Monday matchup with the Denver Nuggets.

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First, it was interesting to find out that Carlos Boozer was still alive. Boozington has put in two straight good preseason games. As I’ve said before, Boozer is going to have to put up more than he did last year to keep the Bulls afloat. If the two most recent preseason games are any barometer, the Bulls should have some success. If the first few preseason games were any gauge, it is going to be a long season.

The next thing has been Thibodeau’s preseason rotation. I get that the starters may be a little rusty, and they need time together, especially the new piece in Kirk Hinrich. But these games don’t count for anything. Which means the starters should not be brought back in to keep a lead and finish the game. That’s how Rose got injured last season. That was for a playoff game which is a little more understandable. These are for nothing.

The bench is the part of this team that needs work. Belinelli is shooting worse than a blind pacifist. Nate Robinson is as erratic and unpredictable as ever. Jimmy Butler has been up and down after his impressive summer league. Nazr Mohammed has put in good offense numbers but still needs work. And Taj Gibson, the cornerstone of the bench, has struggled mightily.

Add in the fact that these guys, with the exception of Taj, are new to the team, and you would think they would be getting the most run. Even finishing games to get some experience. But that hasn’t been happening because the Bulls have to win in the preseason.

Ask the Lakers if they care at all about their preseason record this year (0-7). I can guarantee they don’t. Because that record will be erased in less than a week. Maybe someone should let Thibs that the same will happen to the Bulls’ record.

With this odd rotation, comes another problem I have. Why hasn’t Marquis Teague gotten more minutes? He has played 29 minutes the entire preseason. That’s less than five minutes per game. And this is with Hinrich sitting out time with injuries. Oh, and of course Rose is out as well.

Nate Robinson is a better player than Teague. I’m not arguing that. But I am arguing that Teague is more important to the future of the Bulls than Nate. Or Hinrich for that matter. The Bulls got lucky that Teague fell to them so late in the first round. He has a lot of talent. I have no idea how good of a pro he’ll turn out to be, we will have to wait and see for that, but shouldn’t the Bulls want to speed up his development?

Now is the time to allow him to grow. Preseason doesn’t matter, even if Thibs thinks it does. And it’s understandable he doesn’t trust a rookie, but he’s never going to trust him if he doesn’t give him a chance. Preseason is the time to make mistakes. Rookies make a lot of mistakes. So mess up when the win or the loss doesn’t mean anything.

But it’s too late for that. Tonight is the Bulls’ last preseason game. The chance to prepare is almost over. So the Bulls have to rely on the guys that Thibs trusts. And judging by the way the bench has played so far, it seems that trust list has shortened.

Indiana is in great shape to win the Central. The Bulls have an uphill battle if they want to be Central leaders. These teams will meet four times in the regular season. This one doesn’t matter, except to Thibs.

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It’s going to be a lot tougher this time around. The Bulls take on the defending Western Conference champs, Oklahoma City.

Things to watch: Can Carlos Boozer keep it up? Booz finally awoke from his hibernation to go 10-17 from the field for 24 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds. He added had four assists and four steals to that stat line to put an impressive fully rounded game. This is the type of game Boozington is going to have to put up for the Bulls to be playoff contenders.

While Boozer played well, Noah had a terrible game. Two points, 0-6 from the field. If you would have shown me that line before the game, I would have assumed it was Boozer. One day both bigs for the Bulls will play well. I’m sure it will happen. Jo did have 12 boards, including six offensive. And at least when he plays poorly on offense, he still plays great defense.

Noah was scoring more than usual during this preseason, so if he can score against Perkins and Ibaka, it’ll be promising for the season.

Rip Hamilton scored 15, but they weren’t efficient (5-13 from the field). The same can be said of Deng (4-9 for 9 points). Kirk Hinrich was just 1-5 from the field and he had four turnovers.

As a team the Bulls shot 41.8 percent from the field. Needing offense is nothing new for the Bulls. They struggled with it when Derrick Rose was playing. They struggle a lot more with him out. With their bench defense weaker, the Bulls are going to need to score more points to get those wins.

And that defense will be in for a test tonight, going up against three really good scorers. Deng has one of the toughest tasks in the league trying to slow down Kevin Durant. Kirk will have his hands full with Russell Westbrook. And James Harden off the bench can be a nightmare.

The Bulls got the Timberwolves when they were down; they aren’t going to be so lucky tonight. This will be Chicago’s biggest test in the preseason (the last preseason game is against Indiana). If the Bulls think they are as good as last year, this will be one of the games that they can prove it, even if it is just a preseason match-up. The Bulls and Thunder met once last year, with Chicago losing 92-78. That defeat came without Rose and Hamilton in the line-up. That will be half true for this preseason showdown.

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(I would take a Kevin Love with a broken hand over a Carlos Boozer with his broken jumper every day of the week.)

The Bulls finally found their offense in the last preseason game against Milwaukee. Nate Robinson went off for 24 points on 7-16 shooting, starting in place of Kirk Hinrich (Robinson also added 13 assists; this is a Nate that Bulls’ fans can get on board with). Rip Hamilton even played well, scoring 23 points on 9-14 from the field and getting to the line five times.

Joakim Noah continued to have a good preseason (16 points, 7-15, 12 rebounds), while Carlos Boozer continued to do the opposite (3-9, 10 points, 10 rebounds, four turnovers).

Taj Gibson didn’t shoot well, but he still finished with seven points and eight rebounds. He recorded another negative plus/minus score and that number seems to reflect what he is now missing around him on defense (specifically Omer Asik and Ronnie Brewer). And Jimmy Butler was perfect from the field! He only took one shot but…baby steps.

And the Bulls’ defense did well. Milwaukee shot 41 percent. Ersan Ilyasova was just 1-9 (the last two times the Bulls and Bucks met last season, Ilyasova averaged 23.5 points per contest).

Including tonight the Bulls have three preseason games left. That isn’t a lot of time to figure stuff out. Boozer needs to find ways to score; otherwise the Bulls are going to lose a lot of games. And in that case, if Boozer isn’t scoring, there isn’t really a reason to have him playing many minutes. At least Taj gives you defense.

Anyway, after tonight the Bulls play the Thunder and the Pacers, two very good teams that will be a great way to judge where the Bulls are. The Timberwolves are hurting right now, so the Bulls should take care of them rather easily.

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It’s good that the Bulls are getting used to playing without Rip in the preseason, so they won’t be shocked when he plays 15 games all year.

Jimmy Butler and Marco Belinelli started in place of Deng and Rip, and based purely on the stat sheet, Butler had an alright game, with nine points and eight rebounds, while Belinelli struggled, going 3-7 from the field and not adding much else to the box score.

Kirk Hinrich (15 points) and Joakim Noah (14 points, 13 rebounds) played well. Noah taking on a bigger scoring role will be key for the Bulls this season. And since I didn’t see the game I can imagine Jo’s six field goals were all beautiful skyhooks he learned this summer, rather than ugly jumpers.

Nazr Mohammed once again scored in double digits. Omer Asik scored in double digits six times as a Bull. Six. The question is whether or not Nazr’s defense can make those ten points worthwhile. Although I’m sure that extra cash in Reinsdorf’s pocket is nice.

Nate Robinson scored 9 points but was just 3-11 from the field and 0-5 from deep. He is going to have those types of games, just as John Lucas had those types of games. But the Bulls are counting on him for some points so he needs to start putting together some good games. Or even solid games.

But the person that continues to be the biggest problem is Carlos Boozer. He was just 2-7 for five points. It’s a scary thought that Boozer is supposed to be the Bulls top scorer and best offensive player.

The Bulls get another division opponent tonight in Milwaukee. Hinrich gets another tough test in Brandon Jennings (Rose used to own the Bucks). Boozer should have an easier time, going up against Drew Gooden, and maybe can start getting some sort of rhythm.

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One of the most upsetting things was Jimmy Butler’s 1-11 night. He took a big step back after a promising summer, something I was afraid of when the competition got tougher.

The rest of the bench wasn’t great either, and definitely had many fans longing for the bench of last season, which at the very least shut the other team down. I mean, Jerome Jordan scored 13 points in 13 minutes. I’ll hold on until you Google him… No results? OK, I’ll continue then. Thibodeau still has a long way to go to get this bench playing solid defense.

And the bench’s offense, the part that was supposed to improve, looked very off. If the Bulls wanted missed shots, they could have just resigned Ronnie Brewer and given him break-away dunks. Nate Robinson was 3-8, Marco Belinelli was 1-7 and I didn’t seen any ladies swooning as they did for Korver. Even Taj Gibson was just 1-7.

I could keep whining, but this was just one game of the post-season, the first one of the year, and there were good things that can be built on.

Nazr Mohammed has already made more outside shots in a Bulls’ uniform than Omer Asik did in the past two years. Guess how many field goals Omer Asik made from 10-15 feet in his Bulls career…Nope, wrong. It was two. According to HoopData he made one in each of his two seasons as a Bull. He also only attempted two according to the site, so maybe he should have taken more.

Anyway, Mohammed’s defense is clearly much worse that Asik, but a little offense from the back-up center isn’t going to be the worst thing.

Tonight’s opponent may be a little easier than the Grizzlies, but it’s a division opponent the Bulls will see four times throughout the season (the first game between the two teams is Game 2 of the season for Chicago).

For the first of many times this season, the Bulls will experience something they really aren’t used to. Playing a team with a more talented point guard. With Rose on the floor, you could make an argument against any other point guard. But now with Hinrich, that list is a lot shorter. It may not really be a list, just a piece of paper with Mo Williams’ name on it.

Hinrich going up against rising star Kyrie Irving will be a peek at what the Bulls will be up against during the year at the one spot. Can Hinrich defend top point guards? Can he hold his own on offense? Kirk is pretty smart, so he should be able to use his smarts to get something done.

Things I’d like to see tonight:
-Rip Hamilton get to the line three times. The Bulls are going to need all the easy point they can get, and if Rip’s truly healed, he should be pump faking and trying to take some contact again. Six free throws isn’t a lot, but it would be a start after last season.

-Carlos Boozer shooting better than 30 percent. Booz went 3-10 in preseason game one, and that isn’t going to come close to cutting it for the season. He an Deng need to carry the Bulls on offense.

-I want some more Marko Jaric…or at least more Adriana Lima.

But overall, after the past two season, the Bulls just need to stay healthy, especially in games that don’t count for anything.

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So what are we likely to see?

Probably not much of note. Preseason openers usually feature light duty for the projected starters (which, in the Bulls case, will likely be Kirk Hinrich, Rip Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah). It’s the NBA equivalent of a mechanic looking under the hood to see what’s there.

One important component of Chicago’s engine may not be there at all: Noah. He’s been missing practice for unnamed personal reasons — although Noah has stated that his grandmother passed away on October 1 — and his status for tonight’s game is unknown.

If Jo isn’t available, look for Nazr Mohammed to get the starting nod.

Said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: “I feel good about [Mohammed starting]. We have a lot of flexibility. Naz will start if Jo doesn’t go. Of course Taj (Gibson) could play the five. (Kyrylo) Fesenko, so we feel good about that. But we could also play Vladimir (Radmanovic) more at the four and Taj at five. They’re different things we could get to, so we’ll be fine.”

That’s kind of how I imagine Dr. Frankenstein discussing his monster-building plans.

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote the annual “Bulls looking to become more of a fast break team” article. I think some version of this article runs at the beginning of every NBA season for almost every team in the league. In theory, fast breaks generate easy scoring opportunities, so naturally every team would like to improve their transition offense. But it’s one of those “easier said than done” things.

Put it this way: If the Bulls weren’t a potent fast break team when Derrick Rose was running the show — he is, after all, one of the league’s fastest players — it’s hard to imagine Kirk Hinrich becoming Magic Johnson 2.0.

Fortunately, Thibs is a realist and it sounds like he simply wants to diversify the offence a little.

Said Thibodeau: “You want to be well-balanced. That’s what you strive for. And there are a number of ways in which you get easy baskets. The obvious one is the fast break, but the second shot is an easy basket, cuts are another easy way, off post feeds, things of that nature, but you have to be well-rounded.

“I’m more concerned with the type of shots that we’re getting. The best teams are not going to give you easy scoring opportunities off the quick break. Most teams are sending three guys back, so when you have defenders back, you have to flow into secondary action. We’re trying to read that better, and hopefully we can get into a flow.”

Probably the most compelling aspect of tonight’s game will be seeing the revamped Bench Mob in action (assuming we can still call them the “Bench Mob”): Jimmy Butler, Marco Bellinelli, Marquis Teague, Mohammed, Nate Robinson and Radmanovic. And I suppose The Battle for the 12th Man Role — between Fesenko and veteran guard Marko Jaric — will be…somewhat interesting.

In this-has-absolutely-nothing-to-do-with-this-season news, Bulls prospect Nikola Mirotic suited up with Real Madrid and faced the same Grizzlies squad the Bulls will play tonight. And, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes, the kid looked good. Unfortunately, he likely won’t play in Chicago for another few years, but when he does the Bulls could really have a player on their hands. Time will tell.

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From ESPNChicago:

The Chicago Bulls open their preseason on Oct. 9 against the Memphis Grizzlies, part of a seven-game schedule that includes games in Champaign and South Bend.

The Bulls, who released their preseason schedule on Tuesday, will play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 12 at Assembly Hall in Champaign and close their exhibition slate at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center against the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 26.

The Bulls also have home games against the Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 16), Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 19) and Oklahoma City Thunder (Oct. 23). Aside from the two neutral site games, the Bulls have one road game at Minnesota on Oct. 13.

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Not with all the hubub surrounding Chris Paul. Even Miami signing Shane Battier got more positive press. After all, it was felt that the Heat needed only one or two little tweaks to get over the hump.

Meanwhile, the Bulls won 62 games last season, have the reigning MVP, and seemed to be a scoring two guard away from true championship contention.

They got that scoring two guard when they signed Hamilton. But all I heard were a lot of yawns.

But last night’s 93-85 preseason win against the Pacers — and, yes, I realize it was only an exhibition game against the Pacers — provided some indication about how good Rip can still be. And how he can help improve Chicago’s offense.

Hamilton scored 13 points in eight minutes. He did Rip Hamilton things. He moved. He shot with precision. He forced his defender to pay attention…and therefore said defender couldn’t sag off and clog openings that could be used by other players to drive, pass, or make an offensive move.

The Bulls racked up 30 assists on 39 field goals.

No, Chicago doesn’t have LeBron James, doesn’t have a Big Three, doesn’t have the kind of rabid media following the Heat enjoy.

But 62-win teams that make it to the Eastern Conference Finals don’t require a major overhaul.

The NBA landscape has changed radically the last several years. It started when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in Boston. Then Pau Gasol joined Kobe in L.A. We all know about LeBron’s Decision last season. Then Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony teamed up in New York. And now Chris Paul is on The Other L.A. Team.

Chicago’s moves have been much quieter and more subtle. And, therefore, have made fewer headlines.

But stop and think about it. Anybody in the Bulls’ starting five could go off for 20 points on any given night. Okay, Joakim Noah less so than the other four, but still. Derrick Rose, Hamilton, Luol Deng, and Carlos Boozer can all score.

Chicago’s bench and defense are also near or at the top of the league.

Their only “weakness” seems to be a lack of star power. Which, in all fairness, has mattered in recent years and at various other times in NBA history.

By the way, I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself. As ESPNChicago’s Nick Friedell pointed out, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t fully committed to Rip as the starter.

Said Thibs:

“We’re going to see how everything goes. We’re still trying to figure out what’s best for the team. As of right now, that’s what we’re planning on, but we’ll just see how it goes.”

Personally, I think he’ll start.

And I think that will be a very good thing for the Bulls…

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