Bulls finally set for home opener

Bulls fans endured a five-month lockout, an abbreviated training camp and a four-game California road trip.

Now it's finally time to ring in the New Year with the 2011-12 home opener Sunday against Memphis. The Bulls haven't played an official game at the United Center since the painful Game 5 loss to Miami on May 26.

At the end of the long wait, the Bulls produced a 3-1 record on their West Coast trip. It started with a game-winning floater by Derrick Rose with 4.8 seconds left to beat the Los Angeles Lakers. That was followed by an ugly loss at Golden State and a convincing win over the new-look Clippers.

“We're pleased, but we're mad that we lost that one,” Rose said at the end of the trip. “The way that we lost it, that's what we're mad about. That's something that's just going to drive us.”

There were promising and disturbing moments during the opening week, so here's a rundown of the Bulls' good and bad heading into today's game.

The MVP is back:Rose produced a nationally-televised clutch moment against the Lakers on Dec. 25, but Friday's performance against the Clippers was a real eye-opener.He piled up 29 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds while improving to 5-0 in head-to-head matchups against all-star point guard Chris Paul.#8220;Derrick is just a handful and we all know that,#8221; former Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after his Clippers lost 114-101. #8220;I didn't think we ganged up on him enough.#8221;Rose vowed to be his usual, aggressive self after hitting just 4 of 17 shots against the Warriors. He delivered against the Kings and Clippers, but one of the goals this season was to make things easier for Rose. The Bulls don't want their hometown hero to have to be a superhero every night.Supporting cast steps up:Through four games, Rose is averaging 9.3 assists, well above his career-high of 7.7, set last season.There's no guarantee he'll continue that pace, but it's nice to see Rose's teammates stepping up as offensive options.Luol Deng, in particular, is off to a good start, averaging 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and shooting 49.1 percent from the field. Ronnie Brewer has worked on his jumper and hit 11 of 17 shots from the field. Kyle Korver is 7-for-12 from 3-point range.#8220;It makes me feel good knowing that I have shooters,#8221; Rose said after the Clippers game. #8220;Everybody was hitting the shots they were supposed to hit. That is the difference this year. We're way better (at hitting shots).#8221;Rip getting comfortable:Richard Hamilton is the Bulls' lone newcomer to the rotation and his offensive skills are supposed to be a key to getting past Miami in the East.The former Pistons shooting guard averaged 8 points and shot 40 percent in the first two games. He improved to 16 points and 45 percent in the next two games. So the plan seems to be on track.Desperate for defense:On the negative side, the Bulls are allowing opponents to shoot 46.8 percent from the field, bad enough to rank in the bottom 10 in the league. In points allowed, the Bulls have done better, but after giving up 87 to the Lakers, the last three opponents have scored at least 98 points.So the Bulls clearly are not playing coach Tom Thibodeau's style of defense, but they steadily improved last season. The same thing could happen again, even with very little practice time on the way.#8220;We got a long way to go,#8221; Thibodeau said. #8220;I think (the trip) revealed a lot of things. It gives us a baseline. We know the things we have to work on. We're going to have to be very efficient because we turn around and fly back and play the next day.#8221;Rebuilding big men:So far, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah aren't quite meeting expectations. Boozer is averaging 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. That's less than the Bulls expect, but he is shooting 50 percent from the field, so maybe they need to find a way to get him the ball more often.Noah is at 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. His biggest issue has been foul trouble. In three of the four games, Noah has picked up 5 fouls, which cut into his playing time.Later, Los Angeles:The condensed 66-game schedule includes just 18 out-of-conference games, so the Bulls have seen the last of the Lakers and Clippers this season. Warriors, too. Sacramento is one of only three Western Conference teams the Bulls will play twice, along with Memphis and New Orleans.BKN24514000Carlos Boozer is shooting 50 percent from the field, but the BullsÂ’ power forward is only averaging 11.8 points per game.Associated PressBKN