Grades for Bulls on Opening Day vs. Lakers

The Chicago Bulls won a thrilling game at the last second over the Los Angeles Lakers 88-87. Derrick Rose made the game-winning basket over Pau Gasol to give the Bulls the last second lead, and Luol Deng blocked Kobe Bryant on his last attempt to seal the victory. 

So after the first game of the season, let's grade the Bulls team and how each player performed in the big victory over the L.A. Lakers.  

Kyle Korver

Korver came in for a little more than nine minutes, and was able to make zero impact on the game. The Lakers' stifling defense kept Korver from getting open and in turn, Kyle wasn't able to make any shots. He finished the game 0-3 from the field, which included a rushed three-pointer which he missed to beat the shot clock. 

On top of that, Korver played horrendous defense as usual. Tim Thibodeau will need a lot more from one of his top shooters and can't afford to have Korver become a liability on defense AND offense. He needs to pick it up. 

Grade - F

Taj Gibson

Gibson came in the for a little over 15 minutes and scored three points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. Gibson needs to step up and be more of a scoring force for the Bulls' bench, as he is the only legitimate backup big for the Bulls who has some sort of an offensive repertoire. 

Gibson's mid-range jump shot looked good, but his post game was virtually non-existent. He did not do an adequate job of backing up Boozer and much more is expected of the third-year man out of USC. 

Grade - D+

C.J. Watson

Derrick Rose's backup came in the game and provided a much-needed spark for a Bulls team that was severely lacking offense at that point. Watson scored two big threes and finished the game with six points, two assists and a rebound. He was the scoring leader for the bench mob along with Ronnie Brewer and did an adequate job of backing up the MVP.

Grade - C+

Omer Asik

The big man out of Turkey got some major minutes with Joakim Noah getting into foul trouble and provided some very solid rebounding for the Bulls. In a little less that 20 minutes, Asik finished with three points, eight rebounds and a steal. He wasn't able to convert on his shots and finished just 1-5 from the field, but Asik is in the game for rebounds and defense, both of which he provided. 

Grade - B-

Ronnie Brewer

Brewer played a solid game off the bench and provided the Bulls with some timely buckets in crucial situations. Even though he only finished with six points, they were all big buckets at timely moments of the game. Brewer also provided three rebounds, two assists and a steal. His defense was key for the Bulls staying in the game. 

Brewer looks to be a solid contributor off the bench, and would have been the default starter had the Bulls not acquired Rip Hamilton this offseason. He should provide some solid defense and scoring off the bench this year. 

Grade - B

Richard Hamilton

The Bulls' big acquisition in the offseason didn't have the greatest game for his squad. Coach Thibodeau had to be conservative with Hamilton's minutes due to foul trouble and only played Rip for 23 minutes. Hamilton had six points, three assists, two rebounds and committed five fouls. 

It wasn't the greatest of starts, but Hamilton will pick it up. He got into unfortunate foul trouble which limited his time on the floor, but the difference of a scorer alongside Rose could already be seen. Hamilton will get better but today wasn't his day. 

Grade - C- 

Joakim Noah

Noah had a terrible first game. Foul trouble ruined the day for Joakim, who was never able to get into any sort of rhythm. He started the game with a quick left-handed post shot and a jumper from the right side, but after that it was all downhill for the big man. He was limited to 28 minutes and had just six points to go along with nine rebounds, two assists and three steals. 

Noah needs to play much better for the Bulls to get big leads and stay out of close games. His offensive game still looks a little raw even though he showed flashes of improvement. Overall, Noah will need to play smart and stay out of foul trouble. 

Grade - D

Carlos Boozer

Boozer had himself a nice little game, as he finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Boozer got into rhythm early on the offensive side and was able to capitalize on close buckets. He gave the Bulls a crucial bucket when the Lakers were on a big run in the second half. He was aggressive calling for the ball and scored on most of his attempts, finishing 7-of-13 from the field. 

However, Boozer was horrendous from the foul line when the Bulls needed any bucket they could get. He was 1-for-4 from the charity stripe and missed a chance to close up a lead for Chicago. Boozer will need to improve his rebounding but his scoring was there. He had a decent game, but he can definitely improve. 

Grade - B

Derrick Rose

Yes, he scored the game-winning bucket, but Rose wasn't playing MVP-caliber throughout the game. The Lakers' defense repeatedly kept Rose out of the paint with multiple double teams. In fact, he didn't score a single point in the first quarter. Still, Rose hit some big three-pointers in the game, finishing 4-of-6 from downtown en route to 22 points, five assists and a rebound. 

Rose needed to be more aggressive at the start of the game, and passed the ball up on multiple possessions. He took over the game when he needed to, but outside of that, he had a very sub-par game on the Derrick Rose scale. 

Grade - B+

Luol Deng

The player of the game. Point. blank. period. 

Deng made all the right plays throughout the game. He made the biggest free-throws late in the fourth quarter. He came up with the clutch steal from Kobe Bryan to set up the Rose game winner and he had the game-sealing block on Kobe Bryant. All in all, Deng played a fantastic game and was the MVP for one night. 

He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and had four huge steals. He didn't miss a free-throw either, finishing 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Yes, Rose made the game winner, but Deng blocked Kobe Bryant on the last play which sealed the win for the Bulls. He was a flat out stud on a Bulls team that underperformed for most of the night. 

Grade - A+