It's a new era for the Chicago Bulls as they face off against the Milwaukee Bucks.
It's officially now the Fred Hoiberg era and expect the Bulls to become a more offensive-minded team as they look to get over the killer droughts that they endured at the worst times during a game.
But the Bulls won't have many of their regular starters and bench players in this first game. Many of the younger and bubble players will get a lot of playing time in this game.
Mike Dunleavy is out after undergoing back surgery and Taj Gibson is still out after ankle surgery. Derrick Rose will be out for this game after undergoing surgery as he suffered an orbital fracture on the first day of practice.
In addition to those three players, Fred Hoiberg told the media this week that Pau Gasol and Kirk Hinrich won't play against the Bucks. Both Gasol and Hinrich are veterans who are getting up there in age and need all the rest they can get. Gasol recently represented Spain in the FIBA PanAm games and will probably be rested a lot to get his stamina back.
The absences will open up playing time for guys like Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic. Both Snell and McDermott had great summer leagues these past two years and will look to be used more under Fred Hoiberg. Look for both to be used to open up the floor for Chicago. The pressure will be more on McDermott this year as he will look to prove that his scoring in college was not a fluke. Snell will look to prove that he can be more than a good defender. He will look to make the jump in play that Jimmy Butler had last year as Snell has a solid shot but has to be more consistent to become more of an offensive threat.
Mirotic will look to stand out in what is a crowded frontcourt for the Bulls. He played well in his first season in Chicago, but his defense has to improve if he wants to play more.
But expect normal starters like Butler and Joakim Noah to be out there for the Bulls. Butler had a breakout season last year and he was rewarded with a huge contract this offseason. Noah will be looking to bounce back after a dissapointing year which ended with a dreadful performance in Chicago's final playoff series against the Cavs.
They will be facing a young team in the Bucks that gave Chicago a hard time in the playoffs last year, but this game will be more about learning a new offense for Chicago. Look for many young guys to get playing time and this will be the first time that Bulls fans will get to see a Fred Hoiberg offense.