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A recurring assumption behind the high expectations for this season's Bulls is that bringing back the same young, improving, 49-win, 2nd round playoff team would mean attaining an even higher level of success. Their Big 3 - Hinrich, Gordon, and Deng - are reaching the primes of their career, Big Ben and Tyrus have a year down their belts, and Nocioni and Duhon are familiar faces that round out their core. But there is one rotation player absent from this list, and perhaps his largely unnoticed absence is the primary reason for the Bulls' struggles this year. That player is P.J. Brown.

I'm a Knicks fan, so I don't watch many Bulls games. I HAVE read up on a lot of the drama. What I'm wondering from you guys is if you think the absence of Brown has had a significant effect and if so, how? I know Brown was past his prime, but I remembered him as a physical and smart defender, who set incredible screens. Neither Joe Smith, his replacement, or Hinrich and Deng, the Bulls' captains, have a similar personality to Brown, and perhaps the lack of a tough, veteran presence on the floor is what's ailing the Bulls more than anything else.

Funny, I put that in my sig as a joke. But now that I really think about it...

eh

i think we miss some of his interior defense.

oh and he helped the team in a way by sucking which meant more tyrus.

yeah...

He was really pretty bad last year except for the first half of game 6. Other than that he made me really angry/

I agree, PJ Brown is a big reason why this team is struggling.......cause we didn't take advantage of his big expiring contract at last years deadline.

The thread should've read "Bulls struggle because of Ben Wallace" not "P.J. Brown." If we do miss PJ Brown, its probably for tutoring guys like TT, Noah, and Gray (so we could see them play more often). One of the reasons to the struggle is lack of attention to detail (currently the Defense). Changes in the offensive plays by Skiles (hence, the lack of production for all of November and most of December, which now Boylan has gone back to the same stuff as last year). Not playing the exuberance of youth on the roster (Energy dictates the momentum/pace of the game, and most of the time outcome). Ben Wallace & his injury(s) early on, hurt our interior defense, but our own guys doubled down way too often, leaving an open shooter at the 3pt line.

PJ Brown was more useful, in certain situations, than Joe Smith. As a Backup C, I think Brown did a better job as a defender. His picks were better.

But Joe Smith is a much, much better player in all other respects. So no, we don't miss him.

Yes. It's because of PJ. The difference between PJ and Joe Smith is about 20 wins.

PJ should have won MVP last year, he got robbed.