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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.

Brian Scalabrine

Position: Forward | Age: 34 | 2011-12 salary: $1,352,000

Season recap: Scalabrine played the same role this season that he played during the previous campaign. He was a pseudo coach throughout the season and only saw action in 28 games. Scalabrine actually played a handful of meaningful minutes in January while the Bulls dealt with myriad injuries, but his value was in practices and in the locker room as a sounding board for players and Tom Thibodeau.

Season highlight: In the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Scalabrine knocked down a jumper as the clock wound down. As usual, the crowd exploded in applause when the shot went through. He explained moments later that it was the same spot on the floor Michael Jordan knocked down his final jumper as a Bull.

Season lowlight: Playing in the final minute on Jan. 25 against the Indiana Pacers as part of an offense/defense switch with Carlos Boozer, Derrick Rose found Scalabrine for a wide-open 3 that would have given the Bulls the lead, but Scalabrine missed the shot, leaving a packed United Center feeling blue.

Notes: Scalabrine remains one of the most popular players in the NBA. No matter what city the arena was in, fans still went crazy, chanting his name wherever the Bulls played.

"So there's three incredibly loud cheers every game that you can count on," Kyle Korver said in February. "The first one is when the doughnut races the coffee races the bagel and everyone swears they pick the coffee. The reality is not everyone picked the coffee, but everyone cheers like they picked the coffee. Two is when we score 100 points and everyone gets a free Big Mac or whatever they get. And three is when Scalabrine comes in the game. Guarantee, every single game, the crowd goes nuts no matter where we're at."

Quotes: "What's funny is the perception of myself is clearly different than when I'm out and about," Scalabrine said in January. "My perception of myself is, I don't believe I'm the 12th man, the 13th man, the 15th man on a team. I believe that I'm a good basketball player that can go out there and play. Now, I'm not unrealistic. I know right now there are four bigs that are all better than me. I'm not unrealistic in that. But when I wake up on a gameday, I feel like I'm playing that day. "And if something happens, I'm going to play 40 minutes, I've got to be ready to play 40 minutes. This happened to me in the past. I played big minutes and I had to keep playing and playing and playing. And you have to be ready for that. You can't just, because you're not playing, not work. I work every day like I'm going to be playing basketball for 44 minutes a night."

What's next?: The Bulls have to decide if they want to bring Scalabrine back next season. The veteran forward has said he would like to continue to play, but he knows this may have been his final season. If he is not brought back, the affable student of the game could have broadcasting or coaching jobs waiting for him.

FINAL GRADES -- Regular Season: C Postseason: N/A (he didn’t play)

Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng was named to the NBA's All-Defensive second team in a vote by the league's 30 head coaches.

Deng, who was named to his first All-Star Game this season, received six first-team votes and eight second-team votes. He is joined on the second team by guards Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, center Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks, and forward Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics.

LeBron James headlined the first team with 24 first-team votes. He is joined on the first team by forward Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder, guards Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies and center Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

The 30 NBA head coaches were asked to select first and second teams by position and were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

Deng, who played most of the season with torn ligaments in his left wrist, averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds this season and often guarded the opposition's best player.

Bulls center Joakim Noah received 14 votes for the second team.

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.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving of Cleveland and Knicks star Jeremy Lin are among 13 NBA players chosen to scrimmage against the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team in July.

Read the entire story.

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-.

ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell takes your Bulls questions during a live chat at 1:30 p.m. CT Friday. Click here to submit your questions.

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.

Recently, especially here in Chicago, there seems to be this growing sentiment about the role professional athletes must play when it comes to loyalty. And it's a narrow definition: Loyalty to the teams they play for; loyalty to the teams that pay them.

Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng is at the center of a sentiment that extends far beyond his particular dilemma.

See, Deng is hurt. He has a wrist injury that needs rest, followed possibly by surgery. If done now, that surgery would have time to heal and make him available for the beginning of the 2012-13 NBA season, a season that his team will begin without Derrick Rose, the 2011 MVP and the franchise's savior.

If the Bulls are to remain an elite team in the NBA, as they have been the past two seasons (finishing with the league's best record), they'll need Deng to do next season what he did this past season: save them until Rose returns.

According to many, Deng owes the Bulls that.

Read the entire story.

Ronnie Brewer has played with Kyle Korver for the past five seasons, but with the Chicago Bulls holding options on both players for next season, the run likely will end.

"It's part of the business," Brewer said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "You take the good with the bad. Sometimes you're faced with tough situations, and to me, I think we'd both like to be on the roster. We both feel like we can make contributions to the team in different ways. I think management agrees and so does coach (Tom Thibodeau). In the ideal situation hopefully they can bring us both back, but if not I'm pretty sure it won't be the last time we're on the court."

Brewer and Korver played almost three seasons together with the Utah Jazz before signing with the Bulls as free agents before the 2010-11 season.

With Jimmy Butler a more affordable option, Brewer figures to be the odd man out, but he hopes his run in Chicago doesn't end after two seasons.

"I liked the situation I was in with the Bulls," Brewer said. "I feel like we have a great team. The chemistry was bar none compared to the other teams I've been on. We've had a lot of success, we've won a lot of games in the regular season and had some kind of success in the playoffs. I think everybody's goal is to win a championship, and the Bulls, if we didn't have injuries this year, could have been right in the mix for that. I'd love to stay with the Bulls. The fans have treated me great, the city has treated me well, and it's a first-class organization so I'd like to stay there."

With Richard Hamilton injured for most of the regular season, Brewer was in and out of the starting lineup. He started 43 games after starting just once in his first season with the Bulls.

Brewer's role was reduced in the Bulls' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. He played 13 minutes in each of the first two games and didn't make it off the bench for Game 3. But he re-emerged in the final three games, including a big performance in a Game 5 victory when he had six points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.

"It's tough. I talked with Thibs and the management, and it came to a point where Rip was playing pretty well and they wanted to extend his minutes," Brewer said. "Luol (Deng) had a couple of good games in there where they extended his minutes. When Kyle is in there knocking down shots they tend to play him more. Thibs always told me you've always got to be ready when your name is called, and you never know when your name is going to be called.

"When I didn't go into the game it just goes with the territory. I couldn't get down on myself and whenever he called my name I had to be ready to go in and play as hard as I possibly could."

---

Ronnie Brewer talks with 'Waddle & Silvy' about Tom Thibodeau's coaching style, if he thinks he'll be back with the Bulls next year and how he feels about the Miami Heat.



Click here for more audio from ESPN Chicago.

CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose's former high school coach spoke with Rose Tuesday and said the Chicago Bulls star was in good spirits and is ready to work his way back from recent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

Read the entire story.

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.

Joakim Noah

Position: Center | Age: 27 | 2011-12 salary: $10 million

Season recap: Noah's season was full of ups and downs. At the beginning of the year, he struggled to find his form playing alongside Carlos Boozer and admitted that the pressure of playing under his new $60 million contract was getting to him at times. He looked frustrated on the floor and seemed hesitant to knock down his "tornado" jump shot after dealing with injuries throughout last season. By February, Noah looked more comfortable on the floor and much more confident finding his own offense. He really hit his groove in the last two weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs before going down because of badly sprained ankle in Game 3 of the 76ers series. The good news for Noah and the Bulls was that after missing a combined 62 games over the past two seasons, he missed just two regular season games this year.

Season highlight: Noah's best all-around game came Feb. 22 against the Milwaukee Bucks when he had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. His play in the postseason was inspired, and he gave the Bulls everything he had, averaging almost 14 points and 10 rebounds a game before his ankle injury.

Season lowlight: Noah's struggles in the early part of the season were jarring, especially given how well he had played at the beginning of last season. But his lowlight came during Game 3 of their first-round series against the 76ers. Late in the third quarter, Noah raced down the floor on a fast break and ended up rolling his left foot on Sixers guard Andre Iguodala's foot. Noah returned to the game, but the image of him limping up and down the floor before being taken out is something that will stick with Bulls fans all summer. He didn’t see the floor again despite trying to warm up and play before Game 6.

Notes: Tom Thibodeau noted something during the season that any Bulls fan has known for years: The Bulls' players take plenty of cues from Noah. When he plays with energy, the rest of the team usually does as well. When he doesn't, his teammates look flat, especially early in games. "He's got to be ready from the start," Thibodeau said after an April 8 loss to the New York Knicks. "He's got to bring energy. When you're an energy player, you've got to bring it every game. He's shown that when he plays with great energy he's terrific and when he's playing with great energy, we're playing with great energy. But it wasn't only him, it was our entire team."

Quotable: "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." -- Noah, last Friday after his exit interview with Bulls' executives.

What's next?: Noah is going to play for Team France in the Olympics this summer and will be headed over to Europe soon to begin training. It's an experience he has been looking forward to for years, but he understands he has to do his best to stay healthy. He made note of his continued ankle problems after his exit interview last week. "I've got to strengthen my ankles," he said. "Too many ankle injuries throughout the years. I've got to strengthen up my ankles." Noah will continue to work out with his trainer Alex Perris throughout the summer and understands he will have to take on an even bigger role on both ends of the court with Derrick Rose and possibly Luol Deng out at the beginning of next season.

FINAL GRADES -- Regular season: B- | Postseason: A

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