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Young Bulls have winning touch

One of these days, the Chicago Bulls are going to be a darn good basketball team.

And I absolutely love how the Bulls have gone about building a future winner. I love how they are stocking the roster with players from successful college programs, guys who have experienced lots of success at the lower level. Just look at the heart of this team.

Second-year guard Kirk Hinrich played at Kansas.

Rookie forward Luol Deng and rookie point man Chris Duhon played at Duke.

Rookie shooting guard Ben Gordon won a national championship at Connecticut last year.

These four young men have all been coached by some of the best basketball minds in the business -- from Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski to UConn’s Jim Calhoun to Kansas’ Roy Williams (now at North Carolina).

The Bulls headed for very good things. They seem to have adjusted to the no-nonsense coaching of Scott Skiles, who doesn’t even turn 41 until March. Skiles was also one of the most overachieving players in NBA history. Add that with his young age, and he appears to be the perfect coach to learn and grow with this club.

And, there's more to like about the Bulls.

There’s rookie forward Andres Nocioni, who has a dual nationality from Argentina and Italy, and spent the previous two years playing professionally in Spain. Of course, the Bulls don’t care if he’s from Big Piney, Wyoming -- as Nocioni is clearly the best free-agent steal of the year.

Veteran guard Adrian Griffin, and big men Othella Harrington and Antonio Davis, are also making the most of their newfound opportunities.

This isn’t to imply the Bulls are a finished product.

I’ve always been a big backer of center Eddy Curry -- but even I can admit that Curry is still learning how to play hard on a regular basis, not to mention how to rebound and defend.

Curry’s problem is the same as it was when he entered the league -- namely, he’s too often out of position and rarely blocks his man off the boards on defense.

Basically, his game is very similar to the majority of the guys who have entered the NBA straight of high school. He’s a wonderful individual talent and he can put up points, but he‘s not really much of a factor in the final outcome.

Unlike the Bulls’ Fab Four of Duhon, Deng, Hinrich, and Gordon, Curry and fellow preps-to-pros big man Tyson Chandler never really learned how to win on an NBA level.

Then again, running with this group of Bulls should be a great place to start.

Setting Suns

-- My mom told me I need to be “more diplomatic” with my readers, so I promise not to write anything about the Phoenix Suns this week, other than the following:

-- Boy, do they need Steve Nash at all times, or what? Either that or they need to find a better backup for the instances when Nash is hurt. Current replacement Leandro Barbosa has a lot more growing to do as a point guard.

-- Nash leads the league in assists, but do you know who’s second? The answer is Charlotte’s Brevin Knight, one of my favorite all-time players. Yes, I love Knight’s game, partially because he’s 5-foot-10 with a giant heart, and partially because no one else wanted him and now he’s a success with the expansion Bobcats. But mostly because no one else would claim him as one of their all-time favorite players.

Talkin’ Heat

-- Another underrated player I’ve come to admire is Miami forward Udonis Haslem. He’s a real hustler on the court with a great attitude. He’s also shooting 52 percent from the floor and 83 percent from the free-throw line, the latter being especially impressive for a big man.

-- Haslem is more proof that Shaquille O’Neal makes everyone he plays with 10 times better. Not that there ever should have ever been any doubt.

-- Heat backup swingman Rasual Butler doesn’t get nearly enough credit. He has been very effective lighting up opposing defenses after off coming the bench, and could become Miami’s version of former Detroit scorer Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson.

-- Butler was also a very good as a collegian, but was largely unnoticed at that level too. But that probably had a lot to do with the fact he played at little LaSalle.

-- Reader Paul Anderson (Milwaukee) wrote, “Please share your thoughts on Miami guard Dwayne Wade. Namely, who would you pick first if choosing sides for a team: Wade, Cleveland’s LeBron James, or Denver’s Carmelo Anthony?”

-- Dear Paul, I’d choose them in this order: 1. James; 2. Wade; 3. Anthony. Basically, for a guy who can’t consistently make a shot outside of 10 feet, Wade is pretty amazing. Defenders are starting to play off of him and let him take the outside shot, yet he’s STILL taking them to the basket. But he’s not nearly the distributor or rebounder James is. But that’s OK, they play different positions and have different roles.

-- Finally, my most important Heat note of all … Have you noticed that starters Eddie Jones and Damon Jones don’t wear jerseys that say “E. Jones” or “D. Jones” on the back? Both just say “Jones.” It’s these type of rare, unexplained basketball mysteries that make life worth living.

Cavaliers Notes

-- Is it just me, or is LeBron’s plastic faceguard about three sizes too big for his head? Either way, this kid is truly amazing, and his utter love for the game is one of the major reasons the NBA is becoming fun again.

-- LeBron is constantly being compared to basketball’s holy trinity of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, something I have done in this very column. But like all true superstars, James has a style all his own, a unique way of playing that’s new to basketball. Of course, he does have one thing in common with Magic, Michael, Magic and Larry. That being a winner’s edge.

-- The Cavaliers still lack consistent perimeter shooting and will have a hard time winning the Central Division because of it. Still, this team will gain some valuable playoff experience this year, and has the potential to reach the Finals as early as next season.

-- Aaron Hamilton (Sandusky, Ohio) wrote: “Who is your pick for must underrated Cavalier of all time?”

-- Dear Aaron, there have been plenty, but my pick is Mike Mitchell. Mitchell was a 6-foot-7 forward who only played three and a half seasons in Cleveland (1978-82), but he was a rock of saneness and consistency during the bizarre era when Ted Stepien owned the team. Mitchell averaged 19.3 points on 49 percent shooting from the field, including a career-best 24.5 points in 1980-81.

Reader Feedback

-- From David Clifford (Saginaw, Mich.): “How come you are always picking on the Detroit Pistons?”

Dear David: I’m not sure what makes you think that -- I actually love the Pistons. They play as a team and overachieve because of it. And as Detroit coach Larry Brown pointed out, they won the title by outsmarting and outworking more talented opponents. I’ve only had one beef with these Pistons, and that was their lack of scoring. But there’s a lot to be said for their remarkable team defense.

-- From Matt Colton (Flagstaff, Ariz.): “Someone wrote on the Lakers’ message board that you think the NBA should get rid of the draft lottery. Is this true?”

Dear Matt: Yes. The league should award the No. 1 pick to the team with the worst record -- just like every other professional sports league. If this means a team -- say, the Clippers -- starts losing on purpose, well, SO WHAT? Let ’em lose. They’ll only be hurting themselves.

-- From Ben Tanner (Moon Township, Pa.): “Do the Nets have any hope of reaching the playoffs now that Richard Jefferson is injured and out for the year.”

Dear Ben: As long as the Nets are playing in the Atlantic Division, they could suit up Jason Kidd and the Three Stooges and still have a chance.

-- From Alex Masterstron: “Is New York’s Stephon Marbury really the best point guard in the NBA, as he proclaimed?”

Dear Alex: Uh, no.

Random Stuff

-- Unlike Steve Francis, I really like the trade that sent Mobley from Orlando to Sacramento for Doug Christie. Both teams upgraded an area that they desperately needed (the Kings got more scoring, the Magic more defense).

-- I’m not nearly so sure about Christie in Orlando. He’s nearing the end of his career, and never became “The Next Dennis Johnson,” as some scouts called Christie when he entered the league out of Pepperdine (which is where Johnson just happened to go, too).

-- Then again, with Francis, Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu and emerging rookie Dwight Howard, the Magic already have plenty of scoring.

-- Mobley finally went to Sacramento after talking about pulling a Jimmy Jackson. Jackson, as you know, was traded by Houston to New Orleans last month, and still is determined never to play for the Hornets.

-- I simply cannot understand this business of guys not reporting to their new team after getting traded. It’s their JOB! And a rather luxurious one at that.

-- New rule proposal: You don’t have to report to your new team after a deal. But if you don’t, then you’re suspended from the NBA for one year from the date of the trade. If you want to come back, you still have to play for the team that owns your rights.

-- On a completely unrelated subject … can we please tone down the use of alternate and retro uniforms? I don’t mean to sound like a jerk, but c’mon, people. If you like the uniforms from a different era so much, then just go back to wearing them for good. I don’t understand the idea of switching colors, logos, etc., in the first place (after all, the Celtics have had the same wonderful look for years). Then again, I’ll never be a card-carrying member of the NBA’s marketing branch, either.

-- Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week. And as always, keep those e-mails coming! I can’t always reply, but I always look forward to reading them.

Minor League Scoring Leaders

NBDL -- Antonio Meeking, Asheville (20.3 ppg.); Matt Carroll, Roanoke (19.3); Bernard King, Huntsville (18.3); Isiah Victor, Roanoke (17.8); Cory Alexander, Roanoke (17.0); Ricky Minard, Columbus (16.6).

CBA -- Mark Jones, Great Lakes (22.6 ppg.); Marlon Parmer, Yakima (22.0); Alpha Bangura, Sioux Falls (21.0); Billy Thomas, Dakota (20.8); Stais Boseman, Rockford (20.7); Marshall Phillips, Rockford (19.9); Britton Johnsen, Idaho (19.8).