Bulls report: Roster

May 11, 2008
The Sports Xchange

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
This is a tough one, since no one on the entire roster met expectations this season. By default, it might as well go to guard Ben Gordon, who was the Bulls' leading scorer for the third straight season at 18.6 points.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER
This honor could be split about eight ways and include one player now toiling in Cleveland. Ben Wallace aside, F Luol Deng might have to lead the disappointing category since he missed 19 games with injuries and didn't build on last year's promise. That said, Deng was also a strong candidate for team MVP by averaging 17.0 points while shooting 48 percent from the field.

FREE AGENT FOCUS
Most of the focus will be on G Ben Gordon and F Luol Deng, who will become restricted free agents on July 1 because they turned down the Bulls' offers for contract extensions last summer. The Bulls won't let either player walk away, but may explore sign-and-trade scenarios. Beyond that, G Chris Duhon and G Shannon Brown are unrestricted free agents. Rookie F Demetris Nichols is a restricted free agent.

PLAYER NOTES

--F Drew Gooden missed the final 10 games of the season with a lower abdominal strain. In one of the last games he played, Gooden piled up 31 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Atlanta, giving the Bulls high hopes of what could happen next season if the six-year veteran dedicates himself during the summer.

--F Tyrus Thomas finished the season by scoring 26 points in a win over Toronto, one point short of his career-high. Thomas averaged 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds while starting the final 10 games of the season.

--G Chris Duhon is a restricted free agent this summer and doesn't figure to return for a fifth season with the Bulls. But he did finish strong, following up his 22-point, 15-assist effort against Milwaukee with eight points and six assists in 24 minutes against Toronto.

--C Joakim Noah did not start the final game of the regular season. He was given permission to travel to New York the previous day because of a death in the family, then returned late. He reached the locker room at the United Center about an hour before tip-off. Noah still played 30 minutes, notching 12 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists.