NBA Predictions: ESPN's John Hollinger Mistakenly Picks the Bucks Over the Bulls

Bulls fans are highly optimistic going into this season for their team. And why shouldn't they be? the Bulls had one of the best off-seasons in the NBA.

Unfortunately, the Bulls still have their fair share of doubters. Namely, ESPNs writer John Hollinger.

In his season preview for every team in the eastern conference, Hollinger proceeded to predict that the Milwaukee Bucks would have a better record, and therefore a better season, than the Chicago Bulls.

His reason? Read his exact words to find out.

Bucks: Fear the deer. The Bucks won 46 games last season with numerous flaws, and they spent the offseason aggressively addressing most of those weaknesses. The only real decline will come at backup point guard, where the Dooling-Boykins combo is unlikely to approach Ridnour's career year.

Nonetheless, there is plenty of room for optimism. The Bucks have a pair of second-tier stars in Bogut and Maggette, and the hope that Jennings and even Salmons might join them in that category. Moreover, they are one of the deepest teams in basketball and should be able to match up in any way needed.

In projecting the Bucks' record, I had two big questions. The obvious one is health. Bogut's elbow is one concern, but the oft-injured Maggette's availability is another. Both players have enough of an injury history that I was conservative with minutes estimates for each; if they can stay healthy for 75 games, the Bucks will achieve beyond what I've written here.

The other confounding prospect is the defense. It's a credit to Skiles that the Bucks played so hard last season and finished third in defensive efficiency, but it also begs the question of whether they're doomed to regress. Most of the new players aren't accomplished defenders, most notably Maggette, so this is another source of potential slippage.

Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine this team missing out on the playoffs. If the D holds up, the Bucks should be in the mix for one of the top seeds in the East. If so, Milwaukee will continue a remarkable and unexpected shift to prominence from what seemed a hopeless situation two seasons ago.

 Bulls: There's no question things are looking up in Chicago. Thibodeau is just the guy to take an already talented defensive group and turn it into a force of nature, and Rose is blossoming into one of the game's top point guards. The easily forgotten Deng remains one of the best small forwards in the conference. Throw in the emerging Noah-Boozer frontcourt and the promising Gibson-Asik pairing to back them up, and the Bulls should be a top-five team in the East for years to come.

Unfortunately, I don't think the Bulls' offense is going to match its defense. Rose, for all his gifts, is not a good long-range shooter, and that replicates a weakness found up and down the roster. The wing players as a group are a grade below what's found on most contending teams, and any injuries to the historically fragile Noah-Boozer combo will blow open a crater in the frontcourt rotation.

I expect the Bulls to be a good team, but not anything more. They could easily be a top-five defense and could place two players into the All-Star Game, but I have a hard time seeing them moving above the league average in offensive efficiency. Until or unless they do, 50 wins is their ceiling.

So, as you can see, Hollinger clearly has his doubts about the Bulls. He sees the Bucks as more of a sure thing due to the fact that they don't have as many unknowns as the Bulls. One of his biggest arguments is that of the Bulls offense, and their lack of shooting. Outside of Korver, and ocassionally Keith Bogans and CJ Watson, the bulls really don't have any lethal 3pt threats. Rose's shot is developing but it shouldn't be counted on just yet.

Another point Hollinger brings up is the injury concerns for the Bulls big men. All Bulls fans know of the injury history of the fragile Carlos Boozer, but Bulls fans have to remember that Joakim Noah suffered from a significant foot injury that kept him out for quite a few games, in which the Bulls team struggled immensely. An injury to one, or both of these big men could set the Bulls back enormously and put them right out of the playoff picture.

He states almost the same concerns for the Bucks, bringing up injury problems, such as the one Andrew Bogut suffered last year that set the Bucks back vastly going into the playoffs. He also states that the Bucks have downgraded on their backup PG position with Ridnour bolting to Minnesota, and Milwaukee being left with Keyon Dooling and Earl Boyinks. Outside of those reasons, he sees the Bucks as a significant threat with their top-notch defense, plethora of offensive options and deeply skillled bench.

The problem, I have with Hollinger's analysis is that the Bulls have just as good, if not better players at every position.

Rose triumps Jennings and Boozer is ten times better than Drew Gooden. Bogut gets the nod over Noah, but slightly. Salmons is slightly better than Brewer and Maggette and Deng are basically a wash, though I consider Deng the superior player.

The Bulls bench is just as deep with Gibson, Watson, Korver, Bogans, Thomas, Asik and Johnson.

Both teams are also going to be excellent on defense, though I see the Bulls being the superior team.

The Bucks will no doubt be a threat, but in this league, star power means something and the Bulls have more star power than the Bucks and in my opinion are the better team, period