Subbing in for Lee...
The Match-Ups:
Point Guard
Brooks - Aaron went cold against the Cavaliers, but I think he'll rebound tonight. He can get a bit streaky at times, though not as streaky as one Rafer Alston.
vs.
Rose - I'm a big Rose fan, and I think he could lead this team back to prominence if they pick up another star player. In my book, he's the rookie of the year thus far. His all-around game and his leadership abilities as a rookie are what stand out to me the most.
Edge: Bulls
Shooting Guard
Battier - Shane's shot well of late, but his defense has been even better. He's got Ben Gordon tonight. It will be interesting to see what kind of defense he plays on Ben. Ever since that Michael Lewis article came out, watching Shane play D is a whole new experience.
vs.
Gordon - Gordon will never be the star player that the Bulls thought he could be. He's one of the best shooters in the league, but he's also extremely one-dimensional. Still, I'd love to have him on my team, as long as I had a star or two to compliment him.
Edge: Even
Small Forward
Artest - We're all viewing Ron's first legitimate attempt at a championship run. He has always been thought of as a motivated, balls-to-the-wall player, but now that his hustle really matters for the first time, he's going to try even harder. Which is awesome.
vs.
Deng - He's underachieving, even for his young age. He's too athletic and too talented to be scoring only 14.5 points per game. While Deng can put together a solid game every now and then, it certainly won't come against Artest.
Edge: Rockets
Power Forward
Scola - A power forward with a good jump shot will normally do well against Scola. Thankfully, Tyrus Thomas does not have a good jump shot, and he'll still jack it up quite often.
vs.
Thomas - He's getting there, but I'm sure the Bulls miss the few minutes they had LaMarcus Aldridge on the roster.
Edge: Rockets
Center
Yao - Will we see more of Yao the Destroyer tonight? His performance against the Cavs was incredible. And kudos to him for challenging LeBron James. Hopefully he will keep up the toughness.
vs.
Noah - You know what's funny? This guy could have been the number one overall pick in the draft if he had come out of Florida a year earlier. Which means that he could have been one of the biggest draft busts in history. But because he slipped to the Bulls the following year, he still has some room on his leash. I'm just not sure if he's anything more than Robin Lopez plus a semi-post move.
Edge: Rockets
Injuries
Houston Rockets
OUT - Tracy McGrady, for the season
QUESTIONABLE - Carl Landry and his ankle injury.
Chicago Bulls
OUT - Nobody. How sweet it must be...
My Prediction: I want to see us get a road win against a decent team, and I think this new and improved Bulls team is quite decent. With Hinrich, Miller, and John Salmons all coming off the bench, they have many guys that could suddenly get hot or play well. However, I still think we'll keep our momentum going and take care of business. Rockets 97 - Bulls 84
-Tom