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2008-09 Record: 41-41, second in Central; Lost in first round to Boston.

Key Additions: F James Johnson, F Taj Gibson, G Jannero Pargo

Key Subtractions: G Ben Gordon, F Tim Thomas, G Anthony Roberson

WagerWeb.com odds to win Eastern Conference: +2200

Two seasons ago, the Chicago Bulls were a chic pick to be a contender in the Eastern Conference coming off an impressive playoffs the year before. So what did the Bulls do?

They sunk to the bottom third in the NBA in 2007-08, but that had a benefit: Winning the draft lottery and picking Derrick Rose. Behind Rose, last year’s Rookie of the Year, the Bulls returned to the playoffs and stretched the Celtics to seven games in one of the great postseason series in NBA history.

So suddenly the Bulls are again a chic pick to contend in the East. However, Chicago lost one huge component off last year’s team, leading scorer Ben Gordon. He came up with big shot after big shot against Boston and was instant offense. Yet the Bulls declined to match the Pistons’ offer because they wanted to keep cap room for 2010 and because Gordon never met a shot he didn’t like and didn’t care much for defense or passing the ball. Now John Salmons moves into the starting lineup opposite Rose. So while Chicago loses some on offense, it gains in other areas, and the Bulls are hoping Kirk Hinrich and Pargo off the bench can make up some of the difference in offense lost.

The biggest concern for this team might be Rose. He has been hampered by an ankle problem all camp and has barely played. There is legitimate concern he might not start the season opener. Rose suffered the injury in the Oct. 2 exhibition opener when a Pacers player stepped on the back of Rose’s raised right foot. Obviously if this injury somehow becomes serious, everything changes for this team.

The good news is that the Bulls finished so strongly last year without an injured Luol Deng. The small forward was often considered their best player but didn’t play after February because of a stress fracture in his leg and has missed 52 games over the last two seasons. If he stays healthy, that helps in a big way to make up for Gordon’s loss.

The Bulls blocked an average of 8.1 shots a game in the playoffs and have a chance to lead the league in blocks this season, with Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas swooping on off-the-ball plays and Brad Miller plugging up the middle. Noah and Thomas need to prove their strong playoffs (especially Noah) weren’t flukes. No increased his rebounds from 7.6 in the regular season last year to 13.1 in the playoffs, the biggest differential for any player since 2002-03. Thomas is a star one night and invisible the next.

Chicago has loads of talent and should be a No. 4-5 playoff seed this year but is really aiming toward adding a big-ticket free agent next summer and then contending for a title.

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