Chicago Bulls End Preseason With Dominating 90-73 Win Over Washington

The Chicago Bulls finished their impressive preseason at 6-2 with a dominating 90-73 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night, and they did it without a good portion of their roster.

Guards Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, and Jannero Pargo were held out of the preseason finale with minor injuries.

Still, the Bulls were able to come away with a huge win, led mainly by the play of their frontcourt.

Tyrus Thomas led the way for the Bulls with 19 points and five rebounds, and fellow starter Joakim Noah added 13 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and a steal to take away the game MVP award, for whatever it is worth.

Reserve center Brad Miller added 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block, and rookie power forward Taj Gibson continues to play impressive ball, contributing 13 points and five rebounds. 

The fact that Chicago has played so well in the preseason without star point guard Derrick Rose is extremely encouraging for Bulls fans, as this team appears to be one on the rise after an impressive playoff run just a year ago.

Chicago has a pretty deep roster with a good, solid mix of wily veterans and young athletic players; and they appear to be much more balanced offensively than they have in recent years despite the departure of shooting guard Ben Gordon.

That deep roster will decrease a bit in size before the season starts, however. 

After waiving power forward Chris Richard earlier this week, the Bulls now have 14 players on their active roster and need to trim it down to 12 by the start of the regular season, which is Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs.

The likely candidates to be on their way out of Chicago are center Jerome James and small forward Derrick Byars. 

Because the financial situation with James is sticky, there is a good chance he will land on the injured list to start the season, then become a piece to a trade later on.

Byars has played pretty well this preseason, and has warranted a spot with Chicago's NBDL affiliate. He has shot the ball well from beyond the arc, and that could prove to be very valuable for the Bulls during the season at some point.

Last season, Byars led the NBDL in three point shooting and the Bulls were fortunate to pick him up.

As I stated earlier, the Bulls begin their season this Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, and that game will be aired on TNT, so fans will get a taste of their new-look squad with Derrick Rose on opening night.