[Thanks to BigBenign for today's game preview -ed.]

The essentials:
Game time: 4 PM
Channel: CSN [Note by ed.: it's also on NBATV]

Bulls: 7-9, 2-7 on the road
Sixers: 7-9, 5-3 at home

The lineups:
Bulls: Rose, Gordon, Deng!!, Gooden, Noah.
Sixers: Miller, Iguodala, Young, Brand, Dalembert.

The match-ups:
Deng is back in the starting lineup, which means that somebody had to be bumped back to the bench. Thankfully, despite the obvious mismatch at the 2, VDN has opted to go with BG over Hughes. This could’ve been ugly, but credit Vinny with a good decision here. Though I suspect we’ll still be seeing plenty of Hughes as well. This will be a key match-up, as Iguodala has been struggling mightily so far this season. Will he get in a rhythm against Gordon?

The other obvious headache is Elton Brand. He hasn’t exactly been performing well, shooting a career low 45%, a full 5 points off his average. But there’s nothing like a visit from the Bulls to cure what ails you! Brand will no doubt abuse us down low, though don’t be surprised if it’s the athletic Dalembert who really goes off, taking advantage of our undisciplined bigs’ help D.

The spiel:
Siiiggghhhh, so many possible angles! Do I discuss the battle of Bulls #1 overall picks? The ongoing Deng v. Iguodala debate? Well…I guess I just mentioned them, so on to other matters.

For all practical purposes, the circus trip is over. While 2-4 is hardly a moral victory, especially after the Portland debacle, it’s not exactly a failure either. Rose has proven he can compensate for the often-inconsistent play of his teammates, and his ability to carry the team is already established. What has also been established is the Bulls’ utter lack of production in the frontcourt, and the often-painful substitution patterns VDN has been forced (in my opinion) into as a result.

Enter the Sixers. For some odd reason, of late the Blazers keep being compared to the Bulls. Yes, they both have collections of young, lottery talent. However, that is really where the similarities end. The Sixers, by contrast, have far more in common with our beloved Bulls. In fact, as little as a year ago, the Sixers and Bulls were oft-compared. They both had talented, promising wing players in Iggy and Deng, were athletic, liked to run, had no true star-player, and were both in youth movements.

The Sixers, it seemed, were following the Bulls blueprint to mediocrity success. They even squeezed into the playoffs, but then fizzled, as we’ve seen the Bulls do so many times. The difference, which takes me back to my point, lies in their prized off-season acquisition of Elton Brand. He is the source of all optimism in Philadelphia. Nevermind that he was once a Bull himself; he is what separates the Bulls and the Sixers. He makes 7-9 seem totally surmountable for them, while that same record has already doomed us to mediocrity. With that one off-season move, Sixers GM Ed Stefanski did what Paxson has failed to do in his entire tenure: secure an effective low-post player.

While I could easily devote the rest of this preview to highlighting Paxson’s missteps as GM, I will refrain—it has all been said before. The fact is, with Rose, the Bulls don’t need Elton Brand to walk through the Berto Center doors. We are a mere role-playing big-man away from relevancy. Whether through trade, free agency, or player development, Paxson has before him a multitude of opportunities to succeed.

By all means, bemoan our frontcourt deficiencies until one of those moves materializes. Shake your head in disgust when Brand puts up 20 and 10 with the same ease with which VDN combs his hair. Turn away as Dalembert takes lobs, while Joakim huffs and puffs (and puffs some more). But I urge you, Bulls fans, not to envy the Sixers, or any other team. Because the real difference—the most important difference—between our two teams is that their players limit the Sixers' ceiling. For them it’s Brand or bust. The Bulls, with Derrick Rose in charge, have nearly unlimited potential, and we’re just a few moves away…