Remember all the talk from last June about bringing Derrick Rose along slowly and not burdening a rookie owning one season of college experience with too many expectations?

Well, forget about all that.

In conversations with several people who have witnessed or participated in Bulls practices, the praise for Rose is glowing and unanimous. Two people—one with ties to the Bulls' organization, one without—said Rose is having the best training camp of anybody on the team.

Del Negro is saying publicly that he has not been pleased with Noah's performance in campsummer league. But everyone is OK with it, because there is goodwill built up there. That kind of stuff is important, I think.

Shoals decided to boycott writing about anything regarding Ben Gordon a couple months ago -- something about Gordon holding out for more money than he deserves. Shoals hates arrogance.

Coach Skiles said the following about Malik Allen "He's a very reliable player. He's always going to be in the right place and (he) knows what he is doing. He executes the game plan and makes open shots." Now, if you look at the chart above, the record clearly shows that Allen is not that reliable (if your game plan involves having your big men rebound) and he certainly does not make open shots (his adjusted FG% is well below the average).

6. Chris Duhon 6’1" Age: 26

Duhon has always had the skills to play in the league. Playing in Chicago seems to be a ticket to inconsistency for many players there for whatever reason. It looks as though the Knicks may have stolen him away as the Bulls grew tired of his demands to be given starter’s minutes.

Now he gets his chance. His handling, three point shooting, and passing have always been solid.

Like many NBA players, he can get a bit out of control in trying to do everything, but if he had been given the chance to make more mistakes as a Bull, perhaps those tendencies would have dissipated by now.

He’s 26, so I don’t think it’s time to give up on him.

Ben Gordon would look real nice as the Knicks’ sixth man behind Duhon and Crawford.

Thorpe on BG and Deng

ben (rhode island): who's got the best chance to land gordon?

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:03 PM ET ) I'm really not sure. Sorry. But it does not look good for the Bulls.

Stan, Colorado: Do the Bulls have a shot of the playoffs without Ben Gordon?

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:14 PM ET ) Yes.

Ryan, Chicago: Is an undersized 2 guard like Ben Gordon ever worth max money in the NBA?

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:26 PM ET ) Hypothetically, perhaps. But not in this instance.

Greg (toronto): With all things being equal, who would you rather have Igoudala, Josh Smith, or Deng?

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:41 PM ET ) Deng
Iggy
Smith

Eric (Tokyo): How is Luol feeling this year? Ready to get back to the level of his breakout year 2 years ago? Thanks David!

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:59 PM ET ) He said he's healthier than he's been in 2 years.

There's a reason draft-day acquisition Omer Asik didn't play for Turkey's national team against Team USA this week. The 7-footer suffered a knee injury that could require surgery.

Settled a bit for his jumper, but overall he was dynamic. Didn't like his body language. But he's a beautiful kid. Called me just minutes before this chat to discuss some game tape he's studying. He's going to love Vinny.

I also can't help but think toward the Bulls. Why exactly is it a problem to just fucking play Tyrus Thomas, and figure out a way to have Deng and Gooden pick up the slack he creates? Wasn't one of the fonding principles of Phoenix that Marion would cover everyone's ass? Not as glamorous as an offense that boggles the mind, but without those contingencies, that team would never have had a chance when it came to defense or rebounding.