Schedule biggest early challenge for Bulls

The optimism that has been brewing at the Berto Center this month could simmer down quickly if the Bulls aren't ready to handle a brutal opening stretch of the schedule.

• Thursday's home opener is against San Antonio, a team that went deep into the luxury tax this summer to add forward Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee and sign veteran big man Antonio McDyess - all in an effort to help Tim Duncan win one more title.

• The following night, you think the Boston Celtics will be eager to put the Bulls in their place at the Garden? Last spring's epic seven-game playoff series was riveting, but no doubt the Celtics believe it would have been an easy win had Kevin Garnett been healthy. This is the Bulls' first opportunity to prove otherwise.

• Is there any chance Dwyane Wade will come home and join the Bulls as a free agent next summer, or will he try to out-recruit the Bulls and bring Chris Bosh to South Beach? Let the story lines begin with Game 3 at Miami on Sunday.

• Next week the Bulls make their second consecutive TNT Thursday night appearance against the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Going back to the 2007 playoffs, the Bulls have won six straight games when Shaquille O'Neal is in the opposing lineup, but that fact means little now that Shaq has LeBron James on his side.

• The annual circus road trip includes games against three of the top four playoff seeds in the West last season - the Lakers, Denver and Portland.

• All told, the Bulls will take on 10 of last year's playoff teams in the first 14 games, with seven of those matchups in hostile territory. If the Bulls are any good this season, we should find out very quickly.

"I think it's important that we set a tone in those games, because we are playing against the best teams in the NBA," center Joakim Noah said. "Is it the end of the world if we lose some of those games? No. But I think it's just important that we compete and show that we can play with those guys."

Added Kirk Hinrich: "Traditionally, we've been slow starters around here, and that can't be the case. I think we can definitely make a step up in the East. It's not going to be easy."

One slight consolation for the Bulls is that the Spurs open against New Orleans at home Wednesday, so they'll be playing a back-to-back after significant late-night travel once they reach the United Center.

Boston just lost power forward Glen Davis for eight weeks due to a thumb injury that reportedly occurred during a fight with a former LSU teammate. At least we can be reasonably confident it wasn't Tyrus Thomas.

The Celtics are no doubt better defensively with Garnett on the floor. But don't discount the 18.1 points and hundreds of moving screens Davis contributed in the first-round series against the Bulls.

Boston signed Rasheed Wallace, 35, to help out at power forward and he's sure to hit some big shots along the way. As far as the Bulls are concerned, though, that's just another set of aging legs they should beat down the floor.

Still, Derrick Rose hasn't played in a game since the Oct. 2 preseason opener because of a right-ankle injury. Now he gets to take on San Antonio's Tony Parker and Boston's Rajon Rondo on his first two nights back.

"It's not (ideal), but it's basketball," Rose said. "Nobody cares who's injured out there. I'm just going to have to suck it up and make sure my veterans have got my back."

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro tried to downplay the opening schedule. He believes teams should improve during the season and be playing their best at the end, which makes perfect sense.

"Of course, you want to start off well," Del Negro said. "I'm more curious to see our improvement, how we handle things.

"There's so much made of, 'Oh, the Bulls have started out slow the last 10 years and this and that.' I'd rather continually build and get better and see the progress throughout the year and build at the right time."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=332238">'We've got a lot of work to do,' Del Negro says<span class="date"> [10/28/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=332239">A look at the Bulls' schedule<span class="date"> [10/28/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>