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Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

Kyle Korver

Position: Shooting guard. Age: 31. 2011-12 salary: $5,000,000.

Season recap: Korver worked hard during the summer to improve his overall quickness and showed improvements on the defensive end. His lateral movement was better and he shot almost 44 percent from beyond the arc. He also improved his rebounding and played through several nagging injuries throughout the season. Still, there were games where he was a non-factor and he couldn't find his shot. For the second consecutive year, Korver couldn't find much rhythm in the postseason and didn't even register a point in three games.

Season highlight: On March 10 against the Utah Jazz, his former team, Korver erupted to the tune of 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He was 10-for-16 from the field and found a groove that all shooters talk about. The performance showed once again why Tom Thibodeau loved having him on the floor so much; Korver's presence and ability to knock down long range shots opens up the floor for the rest of his teammates.

Season lowlight: Games 3-6 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs. Korver was just 2-for-10 and ended up only playing a combined 11:35 in the final two games as Thibodeau decided to play Rip Hamilton and Ronnie Brewer more.

Notes: While there was definitely improvement in Korver's game, he would be the first to admit that he would have liked to play better during his two-year tenure in Chicago. Like many of his teammates, Korver gained a lot of admiration for continuing to play through pain during the condensed season. He missed only one game all year and that was because Thibodeau decided to rest him in the regular season finale.

Quotes: "He's a pro," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Korver in March. "He will never stop shooting nor do we ever want him to stop. That's his strength. When he has an open look at the three, we want him to take it all day, every day. In a very good way, he has a short memory. He always thinks the next one is going in. He's a great shooter."

What's next?: The Bulls have to decide whether they want to bring Korver back next year since his contract is not fully guaranteed. Given the Bulls' uncertain cap space, Gar Forman and John Paxson may decide that Korver's $5 million price tag is too much and they have more pressing needs elsewhere. In the meantime, Korver will continue to work out in Santa Barbara, California with some of his trainers and wait to see what happens over the next couple of months.

FINAL GRADES: Regular Season: B-. Postseason: C-.

Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

Rip Hamilton

Position: Shooting guard. Age: 34. 2011-12 salary: $5,000,000.

Season recap: Injuries marred Hamilton's first season with the Bulls. First, a groin injury during the first week of the season kept him out of the lineup for about two months. Then a shoulder injury in the first week of March put him out for another month. Hamilton responded well at certain points during the postseason, but coach Tom Thibodeau seemed hesitant to use him during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers until Game 6.

Season highlight: After a very frustrating season, Hamilton actually played one of his best games in Game 1 against the Sixers. He was 6-for-7 from the field, scored 19 points, dished out four assists and looked good alongside Derrick Rose. Of course, everything changed when Rose went down with a torn left ACL late in the game and Hamilton never looked as good for the rest of the series.

Season lowlight: The 38 games Hamilton missed due to injury. When Hamilton actually played, he usually looked fine on the floor, but he just could not stay healthy. When he returned late in the season, Thibodeau was very cautious with his minutes and never wanted to push him, even though he was one of the best remaining scoring options for the Bulls.

Notes: Hamilton was brought in to be the missing piece to the Bulls' championship puzzle but he just couldn't stay on the floor. He wanted to be out there and he wanted to produce, his body just wouldn't allow it. Obviously, it would have been interesting to see how Hamilton would have performed if Rose had stayed healthy, but that's not the way things worked out. Hamilton looked very old as the season progressed and increasingly became a target of Bulls' fans frustrations.

Quotes: "With me, it's not all about scoring," Hamilton said in January. "There's so many great players on this team. My job is to try and make everybody's job easy. If it's scoring, if it's passing, or whatever, that's what I try to do."

What's next?: Hamilton is a very proud man and will undoubtedly work hard to get in better shape for next season, but at almost 35 years old and likely playing without Rose and Luol Deng for a big chunk of next year, how effective can he be? Even if he does stay healthy, which seems to be a major stretch at this point, Bulls' management has to be wondering the same thing.

FINAL GRADES: Regular Season: D. Postseason: C.

Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

John Lucas III

Position: Point guard. Age: 29. 2011-12 salary: $947,000

Season recap: Lucas went from a guy who rarely dressed for games in the beginning of the season to a guy who logged major playoff minutes after Derrick Rose went down with a knee injury. He was one of the few Bulls who had absolutely no fear offensively when he was on the floor. Sometimes that was a positive for coach Tom Thibodeau, most times it made Thibodeau more frustrated.

Season highlight: Playing without Rose (groin), Lucas stepped up and scored 24 points in 27 minutes in a March 14 showdown against the Miami Heat. He was 9-for-12 from the field and hit several big shots down the stretch. Lucas had a handful of solid games throughout the season, but it was this game that gave Thibodeau the confidence to keep using him in big moments for the rest of the year.

Season lowlight: Games 3-5 against the Sixers. Lucas struggled to get the Bulls into an offense while he was on the floor. He was just 8-for-23 from the field and had five turnovers.

Notes: Lucas became one of the most well-liked players in the locker room because of his work ethic and the way he handled the season as a whole. Whether he played or not, he always kept the same positive attitude. Like many of his teammates. Lucas was visibly shaken when Rose went down. He was almost in tears after Game 1 before anyone knew the severity of the injury.

Quotes: "We love him," Bulls forward Luol Deng said of Lucas in March. "He's older than us, but just a great guy. We all love him and we want to see him do well. He's always on the bench cheering everyone on and working hard. When it's his turn, we've got to make sure we let him know that we appreciate it."

What's next?: Lucas has to wait and see whether the Bulls will offer him a contract for next season. Given the uncertain status of Rose and the fact that the Bulls still must decide on C.J. Watson's option, Lucas could be a cheaper alternative as a backup depending upon whether another team gives him an offer or not. Lucas will continue to work on his game all summer and wait for another opportunity to show off his game. He proved this season that he has the ability to stick around the league.

FINAL GRADES: Regular Season: B-. Postseason: C.

Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

Omer Asik

Position: Center | Age: 25 | 2011-12 salary: $1,857,000

Season recap: After such a promising rookie year in the NBA last season, Asik took a step backwards in his progression. He is still a very solid defender, but his offensive game stalled. He struggled to catch the ball in the post and make much of an impact. The Bulls relied on his defensive presence, but they could not go to him as much as Tom Thibodeau would have liked because of his struggles on the offensive end.

Season highlight: Asik's highlight and lowlight of the season probably came in the same game. The highlight was his performance for the first 47:52 of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Starting in place of Joakim Noah, who was out with an ankle injury, Asik scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and played 39 minutes. He was completely exhausted by the end of the game, but he played his heart out.

Season lowlight: Asik struggled to contribute at various points throughout the season, but the final eight seconds of Game 6 will haunt him throughout the summer. He stepped to the line with a chance to give the Bulls a three-point lead and missed both free throws. After Andre Iguodala grabbed the rebound and raced up the floor, Asik raced back but ended up fouling him with 2.2 seconds left. Iguodala ended up making both free throws -- ending the game, and the Bulls' season, in the process.

Notes: The Bulls still believe Asik has a lot of room to grow in his game. The coaches work with him all the time on catching the ball, he just struggles to take what he's learned in practice to the games. Asik is one of the best defenders on the Bulls and is going to be even better, but if he can't improve offensively it won't make much a difference. The good news for the Bulls is that Asik remains durable. He played in every game this season.

Quotes: "I think Omer played a great game," Noah said after Game 6. "I feel like he's someone who works really, really hard and he's my teammate. I hate to see any of my teammates down. When one of us is we're all down. We win together and we lose together. It's all of us."

What's next?: Asik is in the middle of one of the most pressing questions of the Bulls' offseason. Should the organization pay whatever it takes to sign him to an extension? As a restricted free agent, another team can sign Asik to an offer sheet and the Bulls will have a right to match. They want to bring Omer back, but at what price? If the price is too steep and the Bulls decide they don't want to go too deep into the luxury tax, they may decide to let him walk. If they do, the Bulls then get into an even bigger quandary, given the only center on the roster will be Noah.

FINAL GRADES: Regular Season: C-. Postseason: C-.

Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

C.J. Watson

Position: Point guard | Age: 28 | 2011-12 salary: $3,400,000

Season recap: Watson played well at times, but his year was marred by a constant stream of injuries that started in the first week of the season. He sustained a dislocated left elbow on Jan. 1, a concussion in February, a sprained ankle in March and other various ailments throughout. After the season he had a procedure on both feet to alleviate pain from plantar fasciitis. The veteran guard was consistently praised by coach Tom Thibodeau for the toughness he showed, but his play suffered towards the end of the season. After grinding his way through a productive year, Watson struggled badly in the playoffs in place of an injured Derrick Rose.

Season highlight: Even with an active Rose in place, it was Watson who helped deliver the Bulls one of their most impressive wins of the season on April 12 against the Miami Heat when he scored 16 points and hit several huge shots down the stretch. Thibodeau decided to bench Rose in the fourth quarter and overtime and rode Watson's hot hand to victory.

Season lowlight: The playoffs. After Rose went down in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers with a torn ACL in his left knee, Watson went just 13-for-54 from the field in the last five games of the series, struggling to find any kind of offensive consistency.

Notes: Watson deserves a large amount of credit for the way he continually played through injuries and tried to stay in the lineup while Rose battled a laundry list of his own injuries. But when the Bulls needed Watson to step up the most he just couldn't find his shot. Watson earned continuous praise from his teammates, but his postseason performance left a lot to be desired, even if he was dealing with something as painful as plantar fasciitis in the end.

Quotes: "I think C.J.'s a warrior," Bulls center Joakim Noah said in March. "He's somebody who's still playing injured, but we need him to play. For him to come back like that just shows the sacrifice he's making for the team. Not playing for five, six games, coming back against Miami; throwing him in the fire and stepping up for us, controlling the game. Point guard is not an easy position to play and Speakington, as we call him, he was huge."

What's next?: Watson will begin to rehab his body from the wear and tear it took during the lockout-shortened season. He will likely begin training back in Las Vegas, his hometown, later this summer. The question for Watson and the Bulls becomes: Will the team pick up his $3.7 million option for next season? With Rose likely sidelined for at least the first 2-3 months of next season, he may be one of the best options the Bulls have for the price. Especially given that it's very unlikely Steve Nash will be coming to Chicago.

FINAL GRADES -- Regular Season: B-. Postseason: D.

Chicago Bulls guard C.J. Watson was "doing well" after procedures on both of his feet Thursday morning, according to his publicist.

Watson had been battling plantar fasciitis all season, and it grew progressively worse toward the end of the season.

Read the entire story.

Dealing with the frustration of a first-round exit and the helplessness of being sidelined by injury again, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah enters the offseason hoping for brighter days with Team France in the Olympics.

"I'm gunning for it," Noah said recently. "I'm hoping that I'll be healthy and be able to play."

Noah sprained his left ankle in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quartefinals against the Philadelphia 76ers and missed the final two games as the Bulls became the fifth No. 1 seed to be knocked out by an eighth seed.

Noah missed 34 games last season, largely due to a torn ligament in his hand. He also sprained an ankle and missed three games in April, 2011. The ankle had to be re-examined by doctors before he was cleared to play for France last summer.

"I've got to strengthen my ankles," he said. "Too many ankle injuries throughout the years. I've got to strengthen up my ankles.

"I'm just frustrated because I really feel like I really worked hard on trying to keep my body right. I feel like the ankle injury was unfortunate. I think just going full speed onto somebody's ankle and landing on somebody's foot, that could have happened to anybody. It's frustrating, but nobody died. You learn from it and move on."

With Derrick Rose out with a torn ACL, the Bulls' frustration was based in the fact they weren't able to see what they could do with a healthy roster.

"I think it's just important for everybody to regroup mentally and to make another run at it," Noah said. "Because you know what, Derrick is going to come back, and it's adversity but it's just another challenge for us like (coach Tom Thibodeau) always says. We are very privileged people, doing what we love to do. Let's just go out there this summer and come back hungrier than ever and make a run.

"I think the unfortunate part of this year is that we don't know, we didn't measure up against the teams that we wanted to measure up against. But I think that, I personally believe that this group could compete against anybody. We had tough breaks throughout the year and that's unfortunate but it's also part of the game. You learn from being injured, you learn from the hard times that will make the good times even better."

Giving the ball to a bad free-throw shooter like Omer Asik with the season on the line Thursday wasn't the only fatal mistake made by the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Philadelphia 76ers.

After Asik missed his two free throws, Andre Iguodala grabbed the rebound and dribbled the length of the court before being fouled by Asik. He hit two free throws with two seconds left to seal the 79-78 win and 4-2 series clincher.

The reason Iguodala had an uncontested drive was because the Bulls' guards -- C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer -- were out of position and Luol Deng didn't stick with his man, Iguodala, after the free throw.

"That's inexcusable," ESPN analyst and former NBA head coach Hubie Brown said Friday. "You always tell your guys when you're on the foul line, look, you're matching up now. If we shoot and miss, you're matched up with the guy next to you.

"The two guys who should have been back were the two guards, however they set up on the foul line area. Everybody matches up and you play the ball. So when Iguodala went and got the rebound, I was shocked that Deng was nowhere in the picture near him."

And Brown was shocked no one picked up Iguodala as he crossed midcourt.

"Anytime during a game when you have a dribbler coming to the top of the circle, you stop the ball by making the ball change direction," Brown said. "You know how many seconds are left because you just had that pause while the guy attempted two foul shots to communicate with one another, a) on the match-ups, b) where you were picking up. Because you could never assume that he was going to make two fouls shots in that situation."

Bulls color analyst Stacey King said stopping a player like Iguodala was a tough task for Asik.

"You've got a free throw shooter that's under 50 percent so you have to play the odds that he's going to miss, although you hope he doesn't," King said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "But two guys have got to get back. The guards for the Bulls had to get back on that play.

"And the way Philadelphia was setting it up, they were setting it up so they could get a long pass in case they got the rebound. Because neither team had a timeout. It was a bang-bang play, and they didn't get floor balance back defensively. And on one stopped the ball. They left that to Asik, and that's a tough matchup for a 7-footer, to guard that type of player in Iguodala. But it was just one of those things, a couple of late-game mental lapses down the stretch that hurt them."

CHICAGO -- For a while there, the score and the game resembled something from another time, like perhaps the 1950s and a scene out of "Hoosiers." All that was lacking was a collision with a trophy case and someone running the picket fence.

Read the entire column.

CHICAGO -- Carlos Boozer always believed the Chicago Bulls would be headed back to Philadelphia on Thursday night -- even when things were at their bleakest.

As the rest of his teammates filed out of the locker room on Sunday afternoon after Game 4, Boozer peeled some money out of his pocket to give to the visiting locker room attendants.

"Just so you (guys) know," he said. "We will be back."

At the time, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the young men laughed in his face. After losing Derrick Rose (torn ACL) and Joakim Noah (sprained ankle) in the span of a week, the Bulls looked emotionally broken as they left Philadelphia down 3-1. Boozer never lost faith in himself, though. He was always convinced that he could have a solid Game 5 and help push the series back to Philadelphia.

It turns out he was right.

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CHICAGO -- With the Chicago Bulls on the brink of a season-ending collapse, Luol Deng stepped up and showed he has more than enough ligaments to shoot with.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Tom Thibodeau Coaching Robot’s mantra, “We’ve got more than enough to win with,” you probably didn’t laugh at that joke. If you’re sick of hearing Thibodeau say those words after the soul-crushing loss of Derrick Rose and a mind-numbing three-game losing streak, you probably winced at it.

But ThibsBot doesn't lie. Or if he does, he believes it. The losing streak is over and despite another late Ankle Moment, the half-dead Bulls are still alive in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers after a non-artful 77-69 win at the United Center on Tuesday night.

Just when everyone had finished their obituaries.

Deng, hampered for more than half of the season with a torn ligament in his left hand, has battled through pain to try and erase any lingering, if not misguided, notion that he’s a soft player. But it wasn't just about Deng's reputation. He wanted to play, rather than get surgery, because Deng knew this was going to be a special season. And it almost was. Now the O'Brien Trophy is out of reach, but the Bulls want to keep playing out of stubborn pride. Forget the beach, give them Philly and then Boston or Atlanta.

Read the entire column.

The Philadelphia 76ers let the Chicago Bulls off the hook Tuesday by not finishing off the league's No. 1 seed, but Philly is confident that Game 6 in front of its hometown fans could have a different result.

"Yes, it is a close-out game, which is the toughest game in a series to win," Sixers forward Elton Brand said. "After tonight, we will have a little more experience and hopefully we will close them out in front of our fans."

Game 6 is Thursday night, and it's not certain who will be available for the Bulls. Joakim Noah sprained his left ankle in Game 3 and didn't play Tuesday. Taj Gibson rolled his ankle Tuesday, and while he finished, it's not certain how effective he'll be.

"We just need to go home now and be more efficient defensively," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "In three of the last four games they held us under 40 percent offensively. I thought early in the game tonight we were just out of sync. I didn't think we lost any composure out there, even with that scrum at the end of the bench.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers may have saved themselves from NBA playoff embarrassment with their third-quarter performance on Tuesday.

The two teams had scored a total of 61 points after one half Tuesday and appeared headed toward the NBA record for fewest total points scored in a playoff game. The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics set the record of 130 points in 2002.

The Bulls and 76ers helped their chances of avoiding that by showing some offensive life in the third quarter. The two teams combined for 44 points in the quarter and have 105 points for the game. The Bulls led 57-48 heading into the fourth quarter.

The 76ers aren’t also likely to set the record for least points in a playoff game by a single team. The record is owned by the Utah Jazz which scored 54 points in a loss to the Bulls on June 7, 1998.

As if the Bulls needed more bad news, Taj Gibson left with an ankle injury in the third quarter. The Bulls are already playing without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah due to injuries.

After struggling in the first half, Carlos Boozer scored 12 points in the third quarter and has a game-high 17 points. Luol Deng also continued to lead the way. He scored four more points in the quarter and has 15.

The 76ers’ offensive woes have been across the board. Jrue Holiday is shooting 3-of-13 through three quarters, and Andre Iguodala is 4-of-14 for a team-high nine points. The team was 20-of-58 from the field.

Tom Thibodeau and Kyle Korver discuss what needs to happen for the Bulls to fight off elimination.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- As Rip Hamilton struggled to free himself from the horde surrounding him in the corner of the Berto Center Monday afternoon, a reporter asked him if he ever thought it would come down to this. Did the 34-year-old who signed with the Chicago Bulls to win a championship ever think that he would be heading into Game 5 of the first round on the verge of elimination?

"I didn't think a whole lot of stuff would happen," the veteran guard said as he strided away.

In one fell swoop, Hamilton may have encapsulated his season, and that of the Bulls, better than anyone.

Hamilton thought he had been brought to Chicago to serve as the missing piece to a championship puzzle. Alongside Derrick Rose, he was supposed help push the Bulls to their seventh championship. Now, as the Bulls get set for Game 5 Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, Hamilton found himself answering questions about wanting to be on the floor late. He only played 27 seconds in the fourth quarter in Game 4, as Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau stuck with Kyle Korver down the stretch.

"Whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do," Hamilton responded in part, deftly pushing the question aside.

In truth, it's killing the veteran that he isn't on the floor late. In the span of just nine days, he's gone from a guy who scored 19 points in Game 1 alongside Rose to a guy who is just 11-for-34 from the field and is now playing without Rose (torn ACL) and Joakim Noah (sprained ankle). It's been a whirlwind of bad luck for the Bulls and Hamilton admits that he would like to be out there to help more if given the chance on Tuesday.

"You do [want to be out there]," Hamilton said. "But it is what it is. Like I said before when I came here, whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do. My job is -- if I'm not on the court in the fourth quarter -- is to cheer for the next guy because I know the next guy would do the same thing for me. It's just one of them things where you got to stay in tune with the game."

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