SLAM DUNKS: Simply put, the Bulls are loaded with young talent. They start Gs Kirk Hinrich (15.9 ppg, 6.4 apg) and Ben Gordon (16.9, 3.0) with reliable Chris Duhon (8.7, 5.0) and Sefolosha, one of the best athletes and premier defenders in this year's draft, backing them up. ... Fs Luol Deng (14.3, 6.6 rpg) and Andres Nocioni (13.0, 6.1) both give the team toughness and occasional outside shooting, while Thomas is a high-flying shot blocker and Brown (9.0, 7.3) a reliable defender and respected veteran presence. ... The glue that the Bulls hope brings it all together is Wallace (7.3, 11.3, 2.2 bpg), a four-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year who signed a lucrative four-year contract in the offseason. The Bulls already were one of the best defensive teams in the league last year and, with the additions of Wallace, Brown, Thomas and Sefolosha, the possibilities are endless.

AIRBALLS: The Bulls' offense is far from inept, but it certainly has its holes. For starters, Wallace has a career average of 6.6 points and is a horrific free-throw shooter - 41.8 percent for his career. Gordon can be streaky and Deng can disappear offensively at times, while Thomas, Sefolosha and Brown aren't exactly offensive saviors themselves. Last season, Chicago ranked 22nd in the league with a 44.6 field-goal percentage and 25th in both free throws made and attempted. They also averaged 14.6 turnovers - sixth most in the NBA - and committed the third-most fouls in the league. GUESSWORK: On paper, the Bulls certainly can compete with the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. But the NBA is still a league built on superstars, and they do not have a LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Allen Iverson. As good as Wallace is at what he does, he still is just a role player extraordinaire. Unless Gordon or Hinrich can take the next step from good player to All-Star, Chicago will have to hope that its deep, athletic and talented roster is enough to take them from team on the rise to title contender.

THINKING CAP: Other than Wallace and first-round picks Thomas and Sefolosha, the Bulls do not have anyone signed past 2008. In the next several offseasons, the team will need to address long-term contracts for Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Duhon and Nocioni, among others. But with all those players scheduled for free agency in the next few years, the Bulls are still in good shape as they have time to decide which of them to re-sign. They'll also have the flexibility to package one or two of them in sign-and-trades down the road if they choose.

THE COACH SAYS: "(Expectations are) what you play for. When I played for Phoenix, it wasn't' 'Are you going to make the playoffs?' it was, 'Will you get home court?' That is what we want around here. The question isn't if you're getting in, it's how far are you going to go."