Salmon heading up stream?

John Salmons. 29 years old, probably our starting off guard. Tall, lanky, can score off the bounce or spot up. Defensively can be a bother with athleticism and size. Effort is there. Best offensive move is a one dribble hesitation pull up jumper from his left hand. Decent rebounder.

But can all of these positives off set Ben Gordon type of reproduction. By all accounts, yes. After the trade, on a per minute basis, Salmons was better than BG. We went to both players during crunch time, especially during the playoff series. Both came up big, and sometimes both made dumb mistakes.

Perhaps the best question is whether Salmons is a quality enough shooting guard for a team that wants to win in the playoffs. His biggest achilles heel is his willingness to receive and shoot--the man can be a black hole. You give him the ball, you should it's going up. He doesn't make teammates better, he's not a passer, and his finishing ability at the rim is beneath most at his position. A good shooter, but not a dead eye by any standards. Would prefer him to be more patient and understand how to manage a clock, involve his teammates.

Alot of the season's success will depend upon how our backcourt rotation produces. A rotation of Hinrich, Salmons, Pargo, and Deng needs to be efficient for the team to be in the top 8 in the East. ESPN's Hollinger believes we hit the 9 seed, even though he thinks this is a team that could potentially turn the corner. If we turn the corner, most would believe it would be a playoff team, anything else would be a downgrade.

Getting Big

hopefully that's our friend Joakim. Word is he's been lifting, looking to add about 5 to 10 lbs. of muscle.

Around the cyberspace, people are really high on his potential this year. With the super performance he turned in during last year's playoffs, the attention is certainly warranted. Look around the league at the top centers and at the very least talent wise, Noah has the tools to be right there.

The offense may just never be there. With a shot like his, the range will never be further than five feet. His game is putbacks and dunks, ala Tyson Chandler. However, with improved footwork, his agility and length could potential lend itself to getting around larger five men. Add a baby hook, and there's no reason he has to at least be respected on the block.

The defense is his paycheck. Length, hustle, desire, mobility, it's all there to be a great off ball shot blocker and defensive rebounder. He boxes out well, keeps the ball alive, and has the coordination of timing. Adding on the muscle is imperative for Joakim to be a solid one on one defender. Last year, like Kendrick Perkins in the first round, Noah was pushed from his spot by stronger, albeit heavier players. Creating a solid base will enable him to bother post players by not giving up ground and using his long arms to change their shots. Improving on his fouls would be a benefit as well, going over to tape to point out where ticky tack fouls can be avoided.

Now that he understands what playing shape is, Noah can be a true difference maker for the Bulls this year. Going up against Shaq and Dwight Howard is going to be tough, but other nights he may be the best big man on the floor. If he and Rose find a chemistry, he could be heading to the All-Star game, and the Bulls might make a deeper run.