Chicago Bulls: 5 Takeaways from Bulls' Hot Start to 2012

The Chicago Bulls are 9-2 to start the post-lockout regular season, and fans can be nothing but happy with the way they have played throughout a grueling start to the season with 11 games in 17 days against powerful teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic.

What have we seen that is exciting, scary or both from this power-charged Bulls team? The most important takeaways are after the jump.

Rip Hamilton Is Everything the Bulls Could Have Asked For

Despite that nagging groin injury and only playing a handful of games, the addition of shooting guard Richard Hamilton was the perfect Christmas gift to the Bulls.

The reason Tom Thibodeau's men lost to the Miami Heat this past spring was due to the amount of pressure on Derrick Rose. Now, with some added speed, a veteran presence and someone additional for Rose to pass the ball to, that pressure on the MVP is very much diminished.

Hamilton represents exactly what the Bulls wanted: speed and proven talent.

The Bulls Are Still the Deepest Team in the NBA

The most significant part about the above photo is that Joakim Noah and Rip Hamilton are on the bench. One of the best things about this Bulls team is that they are able to score in a variety of ways, and 11 players (and occasionally Brian Scalabrine) are able to put the ball through the hoop on an everyday basis.

Again, this lets Derrick Rose, Noah, Hamilton, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng sit, which is why the Chicagoans have been able to win nine games by an average of at least 14 points, with six of those wins coming on the road. This bodes well down the stretch, because the team will be well-rested when the playoffs arrive.

Carlos Boozer Is (Finally) Living Up to His Hype

Last season, Boozer missed 23 games in the regular season due to injury, and he was hindered by turf toe in the playoffs. Despite that, he still averaged over 17 points and almost 10 boards per game. This year, look for his numbers to explode far beyond that, as Booze is playing very well through these first 11 games.

His field-goal percentage is above 51 percent, and he has been the key to several big wins, especially those at Orlando, both against Detroit and in the home-opening blowout of Memphis. His consistency and power is now there, which were not really on display throughout 2011 and in the playoffs. Fans should breathe a small sigh of relief.

This Schedule Is Brutal

If the Bulls can make it to the All-Star break with losses in the single digits, one should see no reason for them to get a worse playoff seeding than No. 2. That being said, the team is tired, and playing back-to-back games every other night might be fun for the fans to watch, but everyone from Thibodeau to third-string point guard John Lucas III is gassed.

They are still winning, but every once in a while they stumble, like the big loss at Atlanta on January 7, before which the Bulls had three games in four days, two of which were away. Luckily for the Bulls, the last difficult stretch is in the next six days, after which the schedule eases up.

Slightly.

Derrick Rose Has Gotten Even Better

If that was even possible.

Last year he would knock down a few triples a game, score a ton of points and carry the team almost every night. This year, he is consistent all over the floor, still scores a ton and, according to Carlos Boozer, "he's doing a great job of trusting us."

Watching him against the Orlando Magic, his speed seems to have increased, his vision has improved and his decision-making is much better. It seems that the lockout was good to the Chicago native, as his desire to win is certainly manifested in his teammates even more so than last year.

He is impressive to watch, and even with the tough schedule, he is still averaging over 20 points and eight assists per game. Even with those spectacular statistics, he is better because he trusts his teammates and allows them to score more. That being said, going forward Rose will still carry the Bulls.

However, their superstar will not be as banged up as he was in last year's playoffs, which means the team is primed and ready for a championship run.