The Chicago Bulls will begin the season without Derrick Rose, of course, but they won’t have to begin the year without Kirk Hinrich. He’s back with the Bulls after signing with the team as a free agent this offesason. He will start alongside Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah tonight in the opener versus the Sacramento Kings.
Hinrich had been injured and missed significant time this exhibition season.
“You judge your point guard by how the team is functioning,” Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I thought he set the tone on offense and defense for us. The ball pressure was good. His help defense was good. He kept us organized. We played with a good pace. His willingness to read matchups and make the extra pass and ability to understand what everybody’s strengths and weaknesses are was good.”
So how good does Hinrich think the Bulls could be?
“Obviously missing Derrick is a huge blow. But I look around I see a lot of guys that have been around a long time, been All-Stars, I know everyday we’re going to go out and compete, and share the ball,” Hinrich said.
Having Hinrich back for a second time can only be a good thing, as he’s comfortable, knows his way around and played with these guys before.
“For me, I felt like it’s a great opportunity, and a good fit. I feel like this is the place to give me a chance to win,” Hinrich said.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Chicago Tribune.com, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
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